《The Ancients World》 Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter 1: Prologue

I can''t believe it actually worked, I really am back from the future just like I wished for. I can''t believe that a world item had so much power. I look around my bedroom and I can see my old stuff before everything went to crap. I can also see my state of the art DDVR equipment, I look at the calendar and see the date, December 6, 2236. That means it is exactly 48 hours before theunch of The Ancients World. I can change the future just like I wanted, which means they are here too. I run downstairs and I go into the living room and my entire family is here. The ones that sacrificed so much for my siblings and I, my mom is cooking dinner as dad is watching T.V. with my older sister. "So you guys really are here..." I whisper to myself under my breath. I hear small footsteps run behind me and my little brother is also here. He looks up at me with a smile. I have always been his role model since I was his only brother. I could never find a role model in my sister. She had problems of her own, but I still loved her very much. "What are you so happy about brother?" My little brother Marcus doesn''t know what happened. Only I am the one who knows of what will happen, I have everything prepared in my head. "Brother, you there?" I haven''t said a word yet and that wasn''t the type of person I was back then. I take a breath and bend down to talk to him. He is still very young, I remember his attitude was more severe than this after he grew up now that I think about it. He really changed after it happened. "I''m fine Marcus, just going through my thoughts." I stick out my fist and we fist bump. This is the thing we used to do when we were kids. He runs to the couch and sits next to Hailey, she is so beautiful. The drugs really messed her up after she met that toxic man. I look at the T.V. and they are talking about The Ancients World and how great it is. If only they new the real truth. I walk in the kitchen and look at my mom who is still young looking and doesn''t have a single grey hair on her head. "Hey mom...." I cant stop myself from getting choked up. She doesn''t turn to me as she is in the zone. I just take this time to enjoy that she is here with us and not gone. My question finally gets through to her and she turns around with a smile. "Hey sweetie, do you need anything?" Even when she is doing all the work she still wants to ask if I need anything. I silently nod my head no at her and she gives me a worried look. "Are you feeling alright Cera? You don''t look so good." I don''t feel good, it is hard to wrap your head around the fact that you traveled back in time from your horrible future. I just wrap her in a hug that I couldn''t stop myself from happening. "Thanks mom...." She puts the spat on the counter and hugs me back. I didn''t know how much I needed to do this. I never got a chance to before she was gone and I never did it enough back then or should I say now. "Do you need my to help with the cooking?" I ask her as I pull away and look at her, she is much shorter than I am. She takes a hard look at my face to see if I was really alright. She goes into mother mode and puts her hand on my forehead. "You don''t feel hot....Go bother your dad. Food will be ready soon." She shoos me off with a smile knowing I am not sick. I took them for granted back then, I wont make that mistake again. I listen to my mother with noints and turn to go talk to my father. I can feel my mom drilling holes into the back of my head. I walk up behind the couch and see that he is reading his favorite magazine now. "So Cera, did you get a lot of work done today?" I had a decent paying job at this time in my life. My sister turns her head and gives her trademark ''mess with you'' smile. "We all know he just edits and revises story''s online. If you ask me he should get a real job." I cant help smiling at her words. You could tell that she was the first born with her words. I payed for my equipment with that job so I don''t see why its so bad. Dad folds up his paper and gently whacks the top her head. "At least he has a job Hailey, when are you going to get off your ass and contribute to this house?" The economy isn''t good right now and kids usually get jobs to help pay for bills now days. Only the wealthy beyond reason have nothing to worry about. She lightly smacks dads shoulder and she turns back to the T.V. "Maybe I can be an actress and we will never have to work a day in our lives again. You don''t know." She says in an attitude of a child, she was the one that always got out of trouble with dad. Mom made up for it a lot, pretty soon there will be friction between the two of them. I never gave my parents problems growing up, that is probably why mom and dad don''t bother me about my future. I learned from the mistakes my sister made and have been better for it. "If I know you like I think I know you then there is no way that you have the self confidence to be an actress. You''d be better off inbor." She looks at me in fury. She takes longer than she normally does for aeback. "Well...What do you know!!" After all that time that is the best she can do. I chuckle and walk past them and sit in my favorite chair. We are watching the T.V. as a reporter does there take at Jericho and Xander Inc. This is thepany that ''created'' The Ancients World. "The head of development had this to say, ''Everyone should expect the next change to our world to be through Ancients World.'' This is just one of the many incredible ims thate from J&X Inc." Nobody knows how right those words will turn out to be. I can smell that the food is now done and I haven''t had moms cooking in years. I hear her setting the tes and silver wear. I look back at the kitchen and she is still watching me. I worried her more than I thought. "Dinners ready. Lets all sit down and eat." Everyone gets up and heads to the dining table. Nobody disobeys mom when she gives an order, all of us would starve to death without her. We say a prayer and start eating, Hailey looks like she doesn''t like the food. It is really good though. She has always been picky. "You better eat your dinner dear. I wont drive you to the mall tomorrow morning. Not many people get what we get." Mom doesn''t know how right that statement will be, eventually we will lose even this. The day my siblings and I were supposed to get kicked out was the same day I made my wish. I have the information of that world in spades and the first thing I am doing is securing the best divine ss. The rankings in The Ancients World went in junk,mon, umon, rare, very rare, epic, legacy, legendary, and the highest is divine. In my future the best yer in the world was a divine ss yer, the same ss I am taking for myself. Legacy and up are one of a kind items or quests. The original owner left the instructions on how to unlock it in the forums. The name of the divine ss is called The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. The lore of the ss is you are the son of a human female and the Arch-Angel Michael. Blue Chaos, the original owner, left everything for others to read after hepleted the ss quest. I am going straight for it when I log in. You get it in the beginner city where nobody bothered to go or spend time there. When Blue Chaos found the quest it was already two years into the game, now it''s going to be mine. The legacy and higher gears and weapons are special in that they level-up with you. I know where most of the greatest ones are, however I wont have ess to those areas till a month or two into the game. The leveling system and A.I is unforgiving in The Ancients World, the painful thing about my divine ss is that mine will take twice as much experience to level up. The hardest part to deal with about the divine ss, The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, is that it attracts the attention of powerful NPC''s both good and bad. Each ss above legacy is unique and special, especially The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. I will have to be careful of not just yers, but also NPC''s. Guilds are also another problem, there are corporations that make livings off games like these with famous names in them. They will learn that owning and operating a guild in The Ancients World is very difficult and expensive, not because of yers, but in the exact opposite with NPC''s. They are like humans with independent thoughts and objectives, kingdoms and towns will not let you build a guild just because you want to. It is one of the most difficult things to do in The Ancients World. With the higher tier of an NPC, the more important they are to the world and lore of Ancients World. There is a hide your stats feature, but that only works on other yers. If an NPC is strong enough they can view your information in their own way. Now all I have to do is wait till the game releases in two days, I already have it predownloaded and when itunches all I have to do is start on my journey to secure the future I want for my family. The greatest thing about The Ancients World is how solo friendly it is, you can be just as sessful without a guild as you can with one. Thest thing about my divine ss is that its not allowed to join guilds since the ss is too powerful. This is a benefit for me, but to others it is a bane. Legacy and legendary have there own rules, but they are there own type of problem in of itself. Only 00.0001 percent of the poption will every get a legacy or higher ss, at least in the 5 years that I yed. I know this world like the back of my hand, nobody found out what the max level or tier was. 5 years isn''t enough time to explore Ancients World, the world has a strange property that I will exin another time. There is no way that all of its secrets can be known too, I cant help being excited. This is the world I used to escape the horrible one I live in. Now its just the waiting game. Chapter 2: Opening day of The Ancient World

Chapter 2: Opening day of The Ancient World

The two days have passed very slowly and I can say that my mind was in a state of torture going through all the possibilities of what could go wrong. In about 10 minutes the game will go live and the single server will be opened, billions will join. I don''t waste anymore time and I boot up Ancients World. Everyone has to wait in the stasis area while the developers make final adjustments and fine tuning. "Now I can right all the wrongs that I made. Nothing will take my family away again. In a few more minutes everyone will be logging on for the first time. Now is the time to make a name to pass the final minutes faster." I think about old names I used in past DDVR''s I yed growing up and all of them were pretty bad. I cant think of any good ones and the only thing that goes through my head are how many people I might run into in the crowded streets of the beginner city. There are plenty of starter cities and you actually get to pick the one you want to start in. The city with my divine ss quest is called Blue Grass City, it doesn''t actually have blue grass. The town was named after a healing herb that saved it from a gue outbreak in the beginning of the cities history. It is rtively big, a lot of people will be ying on day one and I cant help wondering where the best of the best in the future will spawn. Nobody from the leaderboards started in Blue grass city except for Blue Chaos. He joined the game two years after everyone else. This is how he found the quest. The counter is in itsst 25 seconds and I have a name that will match my character in game. My username will be yer, since most of what we do in the game will be monster killing, after the starter cities you can explore the world. Some ces will be locked off till you reach a higher level. I confirmed my name and a light enters the stasis area. I am transported to the city of blue grass as many others appear alongside me. There wont be as many people who spawned herepared to the cities close to the capitals, but nobody has a better opportunity than me in this world. [System Announcement: Wee to The Ancients World. Here your imagination is your limit. Everyone will get a 2x experience bonus in their inventory to use at any time only once for 12 hours. Don''t forget to visit the ss vendors and pick one up.] The system rang throughout the world as everyone cheered in happiness. Everything here can feel like the real world,bat and skills require more than just a thought. You need to practice them as well. I immediately head for my primary goal, while everyone is at themon vendors picking out sses I will be heading to a unique NPC in the poverty district. After 30 minutes of walking I make it to my destination in the poverty district, there isn''t a yer in sight and poor people line the streets. There are some guards patrolling here and there, yers don''t know that these aren''t regr NPC''s. They will learn that bit of information after getting thrown in jail a few times for pissing off certain ones. I look down a longer road that leads to an orphanage. The post that Blue Chaos wrote said thedy in charge will be the divine quest giver. You wont know its a divine quest at first, only after youplete it. I approach the orphanage and I hear sounds of a struggle inside. This must be the scripted event, I push open the door unsheathing mymon iron sword and getting in my stance that I ingrained in my head and body after years of fighting and dying. There are two NPC''s marked as thugs. I quickly begin attacking with normal attacks instead of using the beginner skill sh. I don''t need it in this situation. [Thug Lvl.1] 50/50 HP -25 -30 +10 exp After hitting two strikes the first one dies in an explosion of pixels. "YOU STUPID BOY!! YOU WILL DIE FOR THAT!!" The other thug releases the woman and attacks me. I use the normal moves I usually do for weaker opponent''s like this. I didn''t use any stamina to dodge so I can attack now that the stamina I used to attack has. I instantly use another normal attack at the vital point on the neck. [Thug Lvl.1] 50/50 HP Critical! -101 +20 exp He falls dead to the ground and I look around to make sure all the kids are alright. I look at thedy and she is very beautiful, I can see why the lore said Michael fell for her. "Thank you young man. I don''t know how much more they would have taken no for an answer..." I nod at her and help her pick up the things that fell over in the room from the struggle. These are thinking people here, you should do things like this to show you are caring and humane. After I help her pick the things up I can see that she is very sad. I don''t even know her name so I might as well ask. "What''s your name miss?" She looks at me with slightly wide eye''s. Sheughs out loud for a few seconds and wipes a stray tear from her eye. "How rude of me. My name is Amelia Zern. I run this orphanage." She looks towards the kids that have calmed down now. I can finally ask her if she needs any help. I take a breath and think of my question, how you ask NPC''s is also very important in this new game. "Is there anything I can help you with Amelia? I''m sure I can be of some help." She looks at me with solemn eye''s thinking it over. She doesn''t even know me so I might be denied to start this out. Suddenly a junk quest pops up in my yer interface and Amelia starts to speak. "A very precious ne was taken from me. It holds a magic power that will glow brightly when I am reunited with my son. A very powerful man took him away and gave him to another for both of our protection. I want my ne back." She finished exining what the ne is to her. This is going just like the forum said it would. [System mission: Retrieve Amelia''s ne from the thugs leader and bring it back to her.] [Rewards: Amelia''s appreciation, title: Helper of the weak, 3000 experience] I read the text and immediately epted, the system doesn''t tell you that there is a hidden reward. "I''ll go get your ne for you, Where is the leader of the thugs that were just in here?" She smiles at my willingness to help her. She tells me they dwell under the pub called Cracked te. The owner is a very powerful level 5 thug. His name is Joshua the Cross. I make my way out of the poor district and head to the pub just like the quests says. After a few hours of following the path and asking around I finally find it. The forum said that it would be closed during the time of the quest. Which is 100% true, I don''t have any sneak skills so that means I''ll have to cut my way through the enemies if there are any that detect me. The forum never went into detail about that. I push open the door when nobody is looking and enter quietly. There are no hostiles in the main area, but I can see a lighting from a room in the back with muffled voices. I approach the door and listen closely. "Joshua isn''t happy about Amelia not giving him what he wants. It is only a matter of time till he takes her." The one speakingughs in a vile manner at the suggestion he is giving. I would kill these men regardless of the quest or not. I notice a staircase leading downstairs and I hear loud snoring. The forum said that you could get a super critical if you catch Joshua while he is sleeping. This is a chance of avoiding a tough fight and wasting unnecessary time. I quietly make my way down the steps and open the door to his room. [System check: You have to pick a number between 1 and 100 and if you are within ten you pass stealth check. Hint: Less than 50. Note: No stealth check if you have sneak skill.] Talk about an inconvenience, I wonder how Blue Chaos evenpleted this. I think quickly on my feet. Blue chaos said this was the only skill check in this area and he picked the number 33. This is my best guess if history is going to repeat its self. I think of the number and I get a response. [System check: You have met the correct parameters. Sneak check passed.] I slowly and quietly walk up to the bed and line my de up at his neck. The only way you can get a super critical is if you get a target that doesn''t know you are there or they are asleep. This is why assassins are integral to the politics inside Ancients World. You could make a living working for a kingdom or a noble. I ready my sh skill and attack instantly. [Joshua the Cross Lvl.5] 200/200 HP Super Critical! -300 +220 exp +50 sh exp Joshua dies without making a sound and his head rolls on the ground before disappearing. He dropped some good items to. [Silver Sword Lvl req. 10] [Quality: umon] [Damage: 500] [Durability 250/250] This wille in handy, silver swords are weaker in durability, but they are great against monster type enemies. I can also see a nebeled as junk. [Amelia''s special ne Lvl req. 0] [Quality: Junk] [Description: An ornamental piece with some magical power] [Durability: NA] I hear a ping from the system notifying me that I have the quest item and I need to return to Amelia. I sneak my way back upstairs and silently pass the door that has some thugs in it. I quietly exit the pub and make my way to Amelia''s orphanage. I have followed exactly what Blue Chaos wrote in his forum. I am so close to the main thing I need to seed in this world and nobody even knows that the worst thing you can do is get sses from vendors. You can only change sses 3 times and that is only with sses epic or lower. Once I get my divine ss I wont be able to change to another and I wont be allowed to join guilds. I feel sorry for all the new yer, but in about a week everyone will find out the truth of this matter. [yer Lvl.1] [Exp: 250/3000] [Stats] [Strength - 55] [Endurance - 55] [Dexterity - 60] [Speed - 55] [Focus - 55] [Skills/Perks] [sh Lvl.1 50/100] Chapter 3: The Divine Class

Chapter 3: The Divine ss

I approach the door to the orphanage and knock on it. Amelia answers it with a nice smile and proceeds to wee me in. "I didn''t think you would be so fast, Joshua is a very vile man with no morals. How did you kill him?" She clearly understood the threat of someone like Joshua breathing down her neck in the worst way possible. I walk through the door and she brings me to the table. I take out the ne and ce it on the table as she stares at it. "I snuck in and cut off his head and snuck back out. It was pretty easy considering that nobody was protecting him seriously. They might not even know he is dead yet." She looks impressed by my words, she reaches out and grabs the ne. As soon as she has it in her palms it started to glow with an intense light. She looks absolutely shocked and stares at me with scared and confused eye''s. I give my best surprised look as well, but I know everything is going just like the forum said it would. Amelia brings the ne closer to me and it shines brighter. "I cant believe it..." She looks at me filled with a lot of emotion, most of it happiness. The rest is fear and shame by the looks of it. I look at the ne and a system promptes up. [System: You havepleted your mission.] [Rewards] [+3000 Experience.] [Title: Helper of the weak.] [You have leveled up!] [Hidden reward activating...] [System: Do you ept the divine ss: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael? Y/N] [You have 10 seconds to decide...10....9....8] I quickly ept the ss and the divine light from the ne flows into me with an intense heat. After the light fades and my vision clears I get many system notices. [Your rtionship with Amelia is max. You are now treasured by her.] [New Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. This is a passive Title. It can only be viewed by powerful NPC''s or by you letting yers see it.] [+10,000 reputation with all light aligned churches and kingdoms. You are a valued friend to the churches top powers if you reveal yourself or your found out. The church will help you keep your identity hidden when or if you''re revealed.] [-10,000 reputation with the hidden church of the dark ones. You will be targeted by evil aligned NPC''s and yers if your identity is revealed. You will be hunted to the ends of time and space if the evil church finds out about who you really are.] [Exclusive skills/perks added] [Inheritor of the sword - Passive] [Description: Your talent with the sword is unrivaled due to being half angel and Michael''s son. 2x skill experience in mastering sword rted skills.] [Son of Heaven - Passive] [Description: You are granted the highest life rating a yer can get. +45 to all stats as a one time bonus and double points every level up, however it will take twice as much experience to level up.] [Heavens light - Active] [Description: Imbue your sword with your mighty angelic power. 250% to 350% damage for the next 10 minutes. Cannot be interrupted. Cannot be blocked. Adds 50% every 10 levels. Cost 400 mana to cast. 12 minute cooldown.] [Protected by Heaven - Active] [Description: The mightiest forces of heaven are watching you. You can activate your Angelic power to protect you from all damage types and grant you immunity from any damage for 10 minutes. Cannot be interrupted. Cost 800 Mana to cast. 12 hour cool down.] I cant help my shock at these skills, I understand why Blue Chaos shot to the top of the leaderboards in a little over a year. With every tier upgrade I unlock at least one new passive or active skill. Before I can finish thinking about my new power Amelia hugs the life out of me. "I cant believe I get to meet my son after such a long time....If I knew it was you I wouldn''t have sent you to deal with Joshua...." Even if she is an NPC you cant me her, this world is as real to them as mine is too me. I hug her back as she releases tears, now herees something I cant control. [World-wide System Announcement: A yer has discovered and received the Divine ss: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael! This ss is one of a kind and is now unavable to the rest of the yers! This yers life rating is now higher than everyone else''s forever! This yer will receive special quests and rewards due to his divine ss and higher priority!] [World Mission Announcement: The church of light wants any information regarding The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. They will give rewards of epic quality and thousands of gold coins in exchange for valuable info.] [World Mission Announcement: The church of the darks ones want any information regarding The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. They will reward unique quests and locations of valuable items and loot!] [World Mission Announcement: Whoever ends up helping The Son of Arch-Angel Michael will receive favor with the gods of light. The dark ones will hate you forever. You could end up being rewarded epic or unique pieces of gear!] [World Mission Announcement: Whoever ends up hurting or killing The Son of Arch-Angel Michael will lose severe favor with the gods of light. They will be heavily rewarded by the dark ones. You could end up being rewarded better sses and have higher priority with the forces of darkness!] The announcements went on repeat for 1 minute and 30 seconds. This is the exact same thing that happened to Blue Chaos when he received the divine ss. The NPC''s can hear there own versions of the announcements through there worlds magic. The yers will never know what they are saying, but it is confirmed. Amelia shakes her head in worry. "This is all my fault. Now the whole world will being for you." She is trying so hard to hold back the tears and not quiver in hurt and fear. I y the role I am supposed to y and hug her like a good son would. It gives me a heavy heart doing this to someone. Even though she is an NPC she still feels the way a human would. "There is no way you could have known. It was an unexpected meeting, I guess it was fate if you think about it." She dries her tears and looks at the rest of the kids in the orphanage. This next part was also in the forums. She looks back at me with a hurt face and a heavy heart. "You cant stay here my son. I cant bare to lose these kids. They were my light in the darkness when I didn''t have you. Please take myst name and wear it proud, I also want you to visit me when you can." These are all easy things I can do. The people of this world are not like the ones from mine in that they are a bnced people. I am not in a rush to start grinding levels right now, thebat zones aren''t even open yet because the devs want the yers to get familiar with the interface and towns. Tomorrow they will unlock the wilds for us to grind levels. I get the final system notice of this quest after I go through all the notifications. [You havepleted the hidden divine quest: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. Congrattions on being the first yer to get a divine ss! +100 to all stats.] [Will you change your name so that NPC''s can see yer Zern instead of yer? Y/N] I see no reason not to, my name to yers will always be yer. I think yes and my interface has a grayed out Zern next to my green yer name. All these stat bonuses should put me way ahead of the current yer base. Now is a good time to inspect my stats. [yer (Zern) Lvl.2] [Exp: 750/4000] [Stats] [Strength - 155] [Endurance - 155] [Dexterity - 160] [Speed - 155] [Focus - 155] [Total Mana 1550. The higher the focus the higher the mana] [Total health 1,240 Strength x 4 + Endurance x 4] [Unused stat points was 5 and is now 10 from 2x multiplier provided by Son of Heaven perk] [Iron sword] [Durability 89/100] [Leather armor] [Durability 100/100] [Skills - Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.1 0/100 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.1 0/100 (Active) - sh Lvl.1 0/100 (Active)] There is no point in using my skill points right now. I am on par with a level 10 elite monster as of this moment. I still have things I need to do here in Blue grass today, they will open the wilds for us yers tomorrow. I have everything I need for a strong foothold in this new world. I look over to Amelia as she looks out the window sad that I have to go. "I will visit at least once a month, maybe more, I promise. Now that I have so many people after me this is the best I can offer." She nods her head and walks me to the end of her little road. "If you want I''ll find a way to get you out of this ce and live somewhere better. All you have to do is say so." She nods her head no, I am confused by this. She takes a deep breath as it is now time for me to leave. "It is safer if I remain here, the less attention the better. I can easily provide for the kids. I live here because I was told to by your father. He always knew what the right choice was." I don''t want to argue with her and I say my goodbye for now. I make my way to the inn that provides food and beds. You get buffs if you log out in a rented room. When I entered the inn it was packed with NPC''s and yers alike all having a good time and partying. I walk up to the counter and pay for a room and head there. I log off and its already dark outside. I go to myptop and open up the forums. It is no surprise that the top thread is talking about the World announcements. There are plenty of people asking different things. Most of them are guild representatives looking for the yer. Good thing R&X Inc. protect the identities of yers. I should just rx until tomorrow and log on when the wilds open up. The wilds are the notorious beginner areas around beginner cities in Ancients World. The biggest impact that Ancients World will have in the next year is how much its in game currency is worth in the really world. I know if I y my cards right I can set my family up for life and save my parents. Iy down on my nicefortable bed and drift off to sleep. Chapter 4: Chaos in both worlds

Chapter 4: Chaos in both worlds

While Cera sleeps until the next morning, there are many things happening in the real world and Ancients World. Many high ranking officials are gathering to discuss any information in finding The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. The 3 greatest guild leaders are meeting in person to discuss how they should proceed, they all know divine is the highest grade you can get in quality. If a yer has this, than they will be an invaluable asset to there guild. The first to speak is the leader of The Steel Legion, Sir Erikson. "It is obvious that no one knows who this yer is. I don''t see the point of even discussing this at the moment." Sir Erikson is an intelligent and shrewd man. He used that to get where he is in the world of guilds. The next to speak is the leader of Cloudless Sky, Dark de. "You are ying a dangerous game Erik. If we don''t establish some ground rules than one of us will have an unfair advantage. The bnce of the great guilds must not be upset." Erik has always been a maniptor and he hates it when he is called out. He believes that people should only listen to him. The third leader in the room stays quiet as the two bicker. Once they are done talking the leader of Willow Tree, Wilted Rose speaks. "We have these meetings in special circumstances. None of us have what is needed to find or lure this person in. I think working together will be more productive than ying against each other." Wilted Rose is the only female leader in the top 3 guilds. When she tookmand of her guild they went from 19th to 3rd in a year. Knocking Deadzone out of there 3rd ce spot. If anything can be said about Willow Tree is that no guild should take it one on one. Dark deys down his seal of cooperation first, the next to follow is Wilted Rose. "You know this is the best decision Erik. The Ancients World is to big for a single guild to search for one yer. If the church of light finds him before we do than it will be impossible to find him." Everyone in the room knows how powerful the church of light is. They hold the highest political Authority in Ancients World. They are in charge of crowning kings and queens, The Pope and Saintess are different powers in the church. They hold equal power to the kingdoms rulers, their seers are in charge of naming the most fit ruler every 8th son or daughter in line. They do this so one family doesn''t rule a kingdom for to long. Soon Erik relents andys down his seal of cooperation, the seals never leave the table till the task ispleted or failed. "As soon as he is revealed this arrangement is over. I don''t like this to begin with. We should all prepare for tomorrow when the wilds open." They end the meeting leaving the table and exiting the room. Simr things are happening to guilds below the 4th ce spot. A simr thing was happening in Ancients World. The highest powers in the church and governments arrange a meeting via magical projection. The first to speak was Pope Alexander Leopold the VIII. "This is an unprecedented event, The Son of Arch-Angel Michael has been revealed to the world. Never in our history has a child been born of half angel and half human blood. Being the son of the strongest and bravest angel as well as the greatest warrior in heaven is not something that will ever ur again. You all need to exercise caution, this young one is the grandson of the Almighty Father." As the Pope finishes speaking the leaders of the 15 kingdoms listen intensely. This is an important meeting as it could y in the fate of one of there kingdoms. The most powerful warrior and magical user in the church is about to speak, Saintess Lucy. "In time he will grow even more powerful than our worlds greatest warriors. I was blessed by the gods of light at birth, him on the other hand is of divine blood and is the direct son of Arch-Angel Michael. He is by all means worthy of being called an angel if you meet him. If he is to be in your presence treat him like your life depends on it. It is clear that the highest powers of heaven are watching him." The Saintess is a incredible fighter on ount of her blessing from heaven at birth. These are great words of warning and anyone who takes them lightly is a fool. The respective leaders of every kingdom on this continent are having to take this matter very seriously. The king of Hignd, Gregory Francis the VII is contemting a serious question. He wants to know what the seers have seen and if any useful information can be used in protecting his kingdom. He is very patriotic for his home and highly respects the church of light. "Can we have any information that your seers have revealed? It could help us all in locating The Son of Arch-Angel Michael." Alexander and Lucy look at each other contemting if they should reveal the little information they have. The Pope is ultimately in charge of seers and prophecy rted things in the church, along with crowning Kings and Queens. The Saintess is in charge of fighting off evil and leading the armies against the forces of darkness. Alexander decides to reveal the only information they have. "The seers are being blocked by heaven regarding anything about The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. All they were able to see was where he was when he awakened his power. The city of Blue Grass. That is all we know." Everyone visibly recoiled except for the King of Zenith, Herold Marcus the II. The reason for this reaction was because of how greedy and arrogant this man is. There is no way that he will allow the church to search his country for something that he believes is his. Herold Marcus remains calm in his magical projection, he gives a very subtle smile. "I want the church and all the kingdoms to know that you are banned from searching my country for the boy. He is ultimately my citizen, therefore he is mine." The Kings and Queens are unsurprised by this reaction. This is typical of Herold and his way of ruling. Saintess Lucy on the other hand is visibly shaking in rage and fury. "I don''t think you understand what is going on here Herold....This is something you should leave to the church...." She has threat and underlined meaning throughout that entire sentence. Herold on the other hand is unfazed by her words. He stands up and his projection walks over in front of Lucy. "You are not my ruler, I''ll rule my Kingdom how I see fit. I''ll kill the boy if I wish." Those words were thest straw for Lucy has she released her power and drew her sword. She felt that she needed to at least hurt the projection since she cant reach Herold. After a few swings the projection is almost destroyed, Alexander stops her before she cuts his projection to pieces. He then looks at the flickering fat man as he wears a smug grin. "Heaven will send its army upon you if you harm the young man. You can be sure that nobody will help you." The smug face of the fat King Herold goes to anger as he shuts off his projection. "Don''t do that again Lucy. We are the church, not the assassins of kings." Lucy just stays silent looking at the empty seat of Herold Marcus. Alexander turns his attention back to the rest of the meeting, but before they could continue talking The Pope got messages from heaven via his powers. The NPC''s get notified of changes through the church. The church uses magic to announce it to the world as instructed to. The yers receive a system announcement world-wide, and don''t have to wait for the church to spread the message. The announcement that the yers got is very troubling for Herold Marcus. [World-wide Announcement: King Herold Marcus the II has angered Arch-Angel Michael and The Almighty Father!! If the Kingdom of Zenith is destroyed by followers of the light and yers in there faction there will be unique pieces of gear and high reputation bonuses! The one to kill King Herold Marcus will receive a Legacy ss upgrade!] The announcement rang throughout the world for the yers still on. They were all visibly excited for the opportunity that this presents. The Kingdom of Zenith wont be essible till level 50. You have to travel to your countries capital city to get your tier one ss quest. The Pope looks at Saintess Lucy with a very worried expression. They know what type of ramification there are for angering even lower Deity''s and Gods. They have never heard of an Arch-Angel and the Almighty Father himself reacting this way. Gregory Francis is the first to ask what is happening. "You have just received a message from heaven didn''t you..." Gregory knew how important this young man is to a lot of people and to higher beings. He feels sorry for Herold, not because he is his friend. Gregory knew Herold Marcus the I. They were good friends and he knows that the father would disown the son if he could after this event. The Pope looks at Gregory and nods his head. "The Almighty Father and Arch-Angel Michael are bringing divine punishment upon Herold. Soon he will learn the consequences of his arrogant words and threats." Lucy is visibly happy that this has urred. The church isn''t aloud to wage war on humans, but now everyone will be interested in the fall of Herold Marcus. The Pope notified the magical announcement department and they announced it immediately. It was safe to say that the people of Zenith City are shaken right now. Nobody liked the son who took his fathers ce. It was left in his will that Herold the II take Herold the I ce. The church has to respect the wills of Kings and Queens, they can only crown new Kings or Queens after the 8th ruler. In the outside world the forums were blowing up. People and guilds were already coordinating attacks and strategies. They don''t have much information to go on, but that isn''t stopping them. Even the top 10 guilds are interested, but they know that is a long way down the road. It really sucks for people that didn''t spawn in the country ruled by Herold Marcus. They will have to take care of there tier one quest in there capital city before they can join in on an assault of Zenith. The night passed and morning soon came. Cera got up and went to the bathroom to clean up. Just because he is going to be doing a lot of gaming doesn''t mean hygiene takes a back seat. As he is brushing his teeth he can see his young and unstressed face in the mirror. He was a tall 6''2 and has jet ck hair with hazel eye. This is before he aged 10 years from stress. As he finishes up in the bathroom he goes downstairs for breakfast. The wilds will open in an hour or so, he wants to spend time with whoever is in the house. Mom is in the kitchen and almost done making food. Dad has already left for work and the others aren''t up yet. I guess that means I get to help mom. I enter the kitchen and greet the woman who gave me life. "Morning mom. Do you need any help?" She turns to me with a smile and points to the cupboard she cant reach. I go over and open it. "Get me the syrup. I''m d you got your fathers height and not mine." She says that as she chuckles. Dad is still a little taller than I am, but I know I am not done growing yet. I bring the syrup to her and ce it down. I guess she is making pancakes this morning. Dad will be sad when hees home from work today. Now it''s time to have breakfast and then hop on Ancients World. Chapter 5: Slaying monsters and getting another quest

Chapter 5: ying monsters and getting another quest

Mom always makes the best food and nobody can discredit that in my eye''s. Mom and I were the first ones to start eating, after the smell reached the rest of the house my sister and bother rushed out of their rooms and stared at the delicious food on the table. We all eat and talk about what we will be doing today. I am the only one that doesn''t need to leave the house on a daily basis and I haven''t been assigned anymore work as of right now. I am the first to finish my food and I quickly run up to my room and hop on Ancients World in my gaming pod. The system recognizes the gic code in your body, so you don''t have any risk of being hacked. The bright lightes through my eye''s and I am in the inn I fell asleep in. I also have a healing buff for 6 hours, this is better than an exp buff in my opinion. Every time you die in Ancients World you lose a level. With this buff that''s less likely to happen. I still haven''t used my 2x exp boost to. I walk out of my room and notice it is only a few minutes till the wilds open. The wilds that are around Blue City are huge, 3000 square miles to be exact. The best thing are the dungeons once you reach level 5. I walk out of the city and wait at a remote location away from the rest of the yers. If people see how powerful I am as a level 2 then I''ll give myself away. This iron sword shouldst me until I reach level 5. If I do everything right I''ll hit it first and I''ll unlock a unique quest and dungeon. I know where the best farming spots are in Ancients World, and I am going to the best one for beginners. [Countdown till wilds open] [00:00:04] [00:00:03] [00:00:02] [00:00:01] [00:00:00] [Wilds are now open!] The barrier falls and I take off to the high hills 10 miles out. Most yers will be staying together while staying close to the cities, they don''t realize that the further you go out the stronger the monsters. That also means more exp. I soon run into my first monsters as a Feral Wolf pack is in my way. I would have avoided them if I didn''t have all these stat bonuses, but I have them. So now I can test out how much damage I can do with my strength stat. Strength determines how much you can carry and how much raw damage you do. I have 155 strength, that adds 1550 raw damage to all my attacks. I don''t even have to use skills to kill these grey marked mobs. I could solo dungeon bosses up to level 5 if I want to. The growth in enemies strength is more rapid than the yers. However,mon and lower mobs don''t use skills like yers. Only named or umon and higher NPC''s or mobs can use skills. I decide to just cut through them fast to get to the real grinding area. [Feral wolf Lvl.3] 300/300 HP -1550 HP +15 exp I continue this through the entire pack getting rid of all of them. In the future when I leveled up Feral wolves gave 30 exp. So Blue Chaos reached the level he did dealing with half exp. It is a testament to his strength. I hope to meet him one day, he will be a different person though. Nothing drops except wolf pelts, they sell for 3 bronze coins apiece which is nice. I finish off the pack of 12 and get 12 wolf pelts. This is a good start in my wallet if I say so myself. The economy in Ancients World works in a very lucrative way for the yers. 100 bronze coins equals 1 silver coin, and 100 silver coins equals 1 gold coin. The hardest currency to earn are tinum coins, they don''t work in the games economy so well. You cant really put a price on them, if you have one it is usually a sign of wealth and status, not to be used to buy anything. I travel for an hour until I reach the unique location, gue Cave. I walk through the vine tunnel and enter the old and abandoned bandit hideout. The lore stated that the original owners of this ce contracted a disease and they all perished. It was a long time ago and it served no purpose to the city so they left it here undisturbed. [You have discovered a unique location, gue Cave] [There are powerful enemies of the undead in this cave] [+200 reputation with Baron Jackson if you clear this location] [+5000 exp. This will level you up.] The man named Baron Jackson is in charge of the city Blue Grass. You have to bring proof of your deed to either the local church or the bounty boards. The bounty boards are a building in every city with bounties in them. There is also an adventurers guild, but those are only avable in capital cities. These events don''t give quest objectives because it is out in the world and you find them by chance. There are different reputation amounts for different people and factions. Some factions like the church of light have no cap on how much reputation you can earn. NPC''s like Baron Jackson usually have a cap between 3,000 and 5,000. The higher ranked an NPC or faction is in Ancients World, the higher the cap for reputation. I enter deep into the cave and I can already see weak corpses walking around, all of them are gray names. The strongest in this location is an Elite undead schr. The exit on the other side of this cave is where the real leveling will happen. [Rotten walking corpse Lvl.4] 650/650 -1550 +20 exp I continue to do this to all the undead in the area, they only drop teeth and bones which isn''t worth anything. The undead Schr is protecting the exit to the area I want to be in. After carving through so many undead I eventually reach the door. I umted 360 exp in my journey to this door. The undead Schr only spawns when you touch the door. He is also a Lvl.5 Elite, so I should get a lot of exp for being only Lvl.2. I approach the door and touch it, the air gets way colder and it bes heavier. Soon a wind pushes me from the door and I take a stance with my iron sword. I will have to use sh on this guy for sure. sh can do 75% raw damage and cause a bleed if you hit a vital area. [Undead Schr Lvl.5 Elite] 5000/5000 HP The hard thing about this particr battle is elite undead have a regeneration ability in the dark, it is pretty powerful. I should use my sh skill a couple of times to take this guy down. I cast sh and do heavy damage. [Undead Schr Lvl.5 Elite] 5000/5000 HP -2712.5 I hit him hard thanks to that 75% bonus from sh, the thing about undead is they don''t bleed. He looks very mad. "You filthy human! I will pay you back 100 fold for what you just did!" He begins to cast a poison spell called Green Blood so I will slowly die a painful death. The thing about this spell is that its interruptible. One problem with mage yers ismon and umon spells can be interrupted. I don''t waste anymore time and strike again with my skill sh. A unique feature about Ancients World is that there is no stamina bar. You have to be able to feel and take care of it yourself. [Undead Schr Lvl.5 Elite] 2287.5/5000 HP -2712.5 +90 exp +20 sh skill mastery The Undead Schr dies in an explosion of smoke as his bones fall to the ground. I get a system notification. I am disappointed that he didn''t drop any loot till I read my alerts. [You have cleared this unique location] [+200 reputation for Baron Jackson rewarded] [+5000 exp for clearing this unique location] [You have received the sword Dead''s Bane from clearing this location by yourself] [You have Leveled up] I don''t remember there being a sword from clearing this. The ones that did clear this ce were in a party. There was a theory that taking on hard dungeons and locations by yourself grants unique rewards. I never checked if it was true or not, guess this is proof. I inspect my new sword. [Dead''s Bane req. Lvl.10] [Damage: 650] [Quality: Rare] [Durability: 250/250] [Unique effect: Twice as effective on undead] This will be helpful when I reach level 10. I can dual wield with the silver sword. These will make a great pair. Now I have ess to the unique farming area and I have it all to myself. I''ll probably end up level 5 by the end of my grinding here. Once I reach level 5 I can enter my first dungeon. Being the first one to reach level 5 you get a unique quest for a dungeon. [yer (Zern) Lvl.3] [Exp: 1880/5000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 155] [Endurance - 155] [Dexterity - 160] [Speed - 155] [Focus - 155] [Mana: 1550] [Health: 1,240] [Stat Points: 20 unspent] [Inventory] I already know what is in my inventory so I have no need to check. I wont be using that 2x exp boost here. I want to save it for when I''ll really need it. Having this area all to myself is nice. I walk into the area and I get a quest from the system. This was never in the forums, so that means the people who did it kept it a secret. [Find the elemental that is eating the magic in this area and kill it] [+5000 exp] [Hidden reward] [Do you wish to ept? Y/N] Now this is very interesting, elementals are a subspecies of a demon in Ancients World. They have weak physical stats, but make up for it in magic power. All demon species are ranked as bosses since they are rare and hard to find. This is going to go better than I thought it would. I think yes and the quest shows up in my logs. [Battle with an Elemental] [Quest Quality: Very Rare] [+5000 exp] [Hidden Reward] Chapter 6: The Elemental Necmul

Chapter 6: The Elemental Nec''mul

This one actually has quest objectives and I got to say this is a great secret that was hidden from everyone. Very rare quests are the best quests to go for because Legacy and higher are very well hidden and are to hard toplete if it isn''t hidden. Take my ss quest for example, no ordinary yer would do a junk quest for a poor woman in an orphanage. There are said to be billions of quests out here in Ancients World. They will also be reced with new ones that are unique just like the ones that came before it. The system is alerting me that I have gotten the attention of the enemies in the area. There are plenty of mobs to farm here. Undead and animals alike line my path. I think now is a good time to look at the objectives. [Quest: Battle with an Elemental] [Objective 1: Kill enemies and gather essence to use as a tracking method] [Objective 2: Kill the Elemental and free the magical oppression in the area] So now its time to y some mobs. Most are gray names and some are green, green names arebeled as strong. It is the ce between weak and elite, they give out good exp too. After about an hour I collect 900 exp and I get enough essences to track where this Elemental is. I also used sh and brought it up to level 2 with another 90 exp. It is getting better, every 10 levels a skill upgrades and the perks properties get better. I follow the magical light and I am led to an old broken down home. It looks to be 4, maybe 5 bedrooms. The forest is giving it a wonderful horror movie feel. It looks older than the cages in the cave I went through to get here. I approach the missing front door as I smell a putrid rotting odor. This is typical of demons or things of demonic origin in Ancients World. "You will die human...." I hear a distorted and deep voice, this is where he is staying alright. I point my sword in front of me so I can react in time. The light from the sun is shining into the windows and lighting up the ce. It is just shrouded in a dark aura that tries to snuff out the light. I suddenly get blitzed from behind. -375 I get hit and my health drops to 940. The damn thing snuck up on me. "You aren''t a normal human, that should have killed you." The deep evil voice rings throughout the house. I keep following the magic into the basement. "Go any further and you will suffer more deaths than your mortal mind canprehend." So this is where his little nest is. Hees down here to draw power from the surrounding woods and gets stronger. I continue to approach the basement door, but rootse out of the ground and cover it. I snort and start using my sh skill, it has a 3 second cool down after 3 consecutive hits. "You cant keep me out forever." I say into the empty house and all I get back is a deep growl. Pretty soon I get through and each step I take I feel the house shake in his silent rage. He tried to attack me from behind again, but I jumped the rest of the way downstairs as he disappears into the darkness. That is an annoying trait of demonic creatures. I see the grotesque thing in front of me now that he is gone. The house wasn''t shaking from his rage. It was shaking from this giant ck heart that is created out of rotten flesh and roots. It is in the middle of the room and is being supported from the bottom and top as it beats. "So this is why you didn''t want me down here." I was about to charge at the heart and cut it up until I was interrupted. The Elemental had others ns. Hees out of the darkness looking like a crossbreed between a tree and a mantis. He has the body of a mantis, but an exoskeleton of bark and branches. "Your power will feed mine." After he said that he quicklyunched an attack and I barely dodge it. I take this spare second to view his information. [Elemental Nec''mul Lvl. 10 boss] 20,000/20,000 HP That is a lot of health and I am already missing 375. This is speaking true towards a Very Rare quest. The purple name is a little intimidating if I am being honest. Now I know what I am dealing with here. I will have to use Protected by Heaven to endure this guys crazy skills. I can see why you would need a party for this. He begins casting curse magic and I know that I would not survive these attacks. Demons are able to do magic with out chanting so I don''t know what curse it is. I waste no more time and cast Protected by light. I start hitting him with sh as well. [You are immune to all damage for 10 minutes] -2712.5 -2712.5 I use this opportunity to unleash sh after sh on his body. His health falls fast has I am taking no damage. If I didn''t have this ss I would be a pile of flesh from these curses. "WHAT ARE YOU!?!" He is taking damage to fast and he has no where to run. To him I was just a regr human. -2712.5 [Nec''rul is enraged] [Health will regenerate 200 points every second] -2712.5 -2712.5 Almost all his health is gone and now he enrages. I use this opportunity to use Heavens Light. I have used 1200 mana to active these 2 skills and now my next attacks should be enough to finish him off. The 75% from sh and the 250% to 350% from heavens light stack on top of each other. -6587.5 -6587.5 +1400 exp [You have leveled up] +180 mastery for sh +25 mastery for heavens light +25 mastery for protected by heaven After Ind the second strike Nec''mul falls to the ground dead. I pick up his avatars heart as proof for the bounty boards or Baron Jackson. I turn my attention to the heart as it beats in a panic. The room is shaking quite hard and now I can kill the true form of Nec''mul. I use myst sh on the heart. -6587.5 The beating ck fleshy and root heart explodes. It doesn''t drop any gear, but it does drop a magic core. I read the description and now I understand why I had to gather essences. [This is the magical core of the Elemental Nec''mul] [Destroy the core to free the forest and the souls trapped with in] [Do you wish to destroy the magic core? Y/N] I instantly think yes and the core shatters. I feel an oppressive force lift its self from the special farming area. I then get another system notice. [You havepleted the quest: Battle with an Elemental] [5000 exp rewarded] [You have leveled up] [Hidden reward boosted from soloing the boss] [One guild token, onend token] [Due too your ss you cant use the guild token, you can sell it to nobles or other yers] [Due too your ss you have limited uses fornd token, you can sell it to nobles or use it to purchase a property of medium size in any capital city] [You can also you this token to invest or make a store and make money from it] [If people find out you are The Son of Arch-Angel Michael than everyone will be kicked out from your neighborhood and it will be dered holy grounds] [This will cause a severe decrease in reputation with the citizens of the kingdom from losing their homes] Blue Chaos wasn''t lying about not being able to join a guild. It seems I can buy a property and live there, but I risk getting discovered and having a huge penalty. Investing or making my own store sounds great in long term finance. This guild token will cause all the current major guilds to risk war for it. No one has built a guild hall ore close to good enough rtions with a city or town to try and find out how to make one. This guild token is worth millions right now. I could take it to the auction house when it is put into the game in a week. The auction house lets you use money from our world or gold in this world to buy from other yers. You have to use gold if you want to buy from NPC''s in this world. I need to see where my stats stand. [yer (Zern) Lvl.5] [Exp: 6060/7000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 155] [Endurance - 155] [Dexterity - 160] [Speed - 155] [Focus - 155] [Mana: 400/1550] [Health: 940/1240] [Stat Points: 40 unspent] [Inventory] [Skills] [Do you wish for the world to know that you yed an Elemental? Y/N] This is really convenient. I heard that this happened to yers sometimes. I do not wish to draw unnecessary attention to myself. I already have the world looking for me, I am the needle in the haystack right now. I don''t want to just jump out into someone''s hands. I think no and the system epts it. The system decides to speak again, this time with a reward. [For being the first yer to kill a demon and do it solo you will receive a new perk!] [yer of Evil - Passive] [Description: You will have a +35 boost to all your stats when facing a creature of hell or a member of the church of the dark ones] This will help with the dungeons in the second expansion pack in a year and a half from now. yers wont have the chance to join the church of the dark ones until level 75. I can see why they kept this quest hidden, this perk will be very valuable in the future. Chapter 7: Hitting the levels hard and my first dungeon

Chapter 7: Hitting the levels hard and my first dungeon

I still have plenty of time and energy to spend. The grey and green mobs will be easy to take care of thanks to my stats. I think until I reach level 10 I wont even have to use a skill on them. I will get decreased exp now that I am the same level as them. I will have to kill a lot of the beasts and animals in the special zone. Now is the perfect time to do so. I leave the house and look around the immediate area and there are no more monsters. I did kill a lot to get the essences, I head to the next clearing about a mile deep and Ie across plenty of mobs and monsters. I read a system notification that I ignored earlier. [You are the first yer to reach level 5] [You will get a unique quest to clear a dungeon] [Do you wish to ept? Y/N] I immediately think yes and I bring up the new quest so I can see what the objectives are. The original person who did this didn''t leave any instructions behind, not even the name or location of the dungeon. [Clear the dungeon, Devils Willow] [Objective 1: Go to the dungeon location] [Objective 2: Find and kill the dungeon boss] [+10,000 exp] [Complete set of dungeon gear] Looking at these rewards the one that excites me the most is the set of dungeon gear. I know whates after this. This also happened when the first yer reached level 5. Its to bad I cant deny it permission to announce this. [World-wide Announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is the first one to reach level 5! He will receive a unique dungeon quest and rewards!] The announcement rings out and I don''t really know how most people will react to this. In a couple days they will all learn better leveling strategies and the gap will close fast. It really is a priority for me to be the highest level so I can keep getting rewards and missions to make up for the half leveling speed. The dungeon Devils Willow is in the dead part of the dark forest. The lore stated that the forest once belonged to the fairies. The fairies were peaceful creatures with incredible healing magic. When the dark ones waged the first war they attacked the fairies in an attempt to destroy the church of lights healing division. An Arch-Demon by the name Mammon, cursed the Willow tree that gave birth to the fairies. Soon the curse spread into the kingdom of the fairies and they all perished from the curse. The war was thousands of years ago, and the war between light and dark was stopped by the Almighty Father. He casted the dark ones into the underworld and locked them away. He took his sons and people into the overworld or heaven and the empty space where the war was fought was renamed Gaia. Gaia is the true name of Ancients World, yers will learn this in about 2 years. This dungeon is very important to the lore of the war and the fairies kingdom. I wonder why I received this specific dungeon. There was a feature in the game that quests may be based on your ss and current stat power. The system is giving me something that is tailored to my ss and me. I know where the dungeon is and its about 7 miles south east. I will end up closer to the city, but not by much. It took me 4 hours to reach this ce which was 10 miles and some change. So its going to be 1 or 2 in the afternoon in the real world, that means I have plenty of time to get to the dungeon and clear it. My health and mana are fully recharged now. I head to the dark forest south east of my location and Ie across a barrier. It is blocking my entrance to the dark forest and the dead part of it. After I touch the barrier I get scanned with magic by the wall. The barrier shakes for a little bit and opens a little hole for me. I walk through it and it closes behind me. I look around the dark forest and I feel the dangerous and powerful monsters in my way to the dungeons entrance. All of them are elites and strong enemies, this is a great opportunity to level up my sh skill. Protected by heaven still has 7 hours till cooldown is lifted which is risky. My heavens light is ready for action though. I spend about an hour fighting my way through monsters and demons, I don''t get any yer level exp for some strange reason. My yer of evil perk is working wonderfully right now. My skill sh went up to level 5 and its half way to 6. I finally make it to the giant willow tree and I can see the entrance to the dungeon. I walk up to it and put my hand on the barrier keeping things out. [You are about to enter a dungeon alone] [Do you wish to continue? Y/N] I think yes since I came all this way anyways. Dungeons work differently in Ancients World than other games. They have different mechanics considering the lore about the location. Sometimes a dungeon may not have any monsters and others may be packed with them. I then get a weird alert from the system [You angelic blood and power is angering the demon guardian in this dungeon] [He will not let you leave alive] [Sub-Quest: Lift the curse of the dead willow tree] [Description: Use your angelic powers to revive the willow tree] So this is why I was given this quest. It wants me to lift the curse and free the kingdom of the fairies. What worries me is the demon guardian. They are two ranks lower than a greater demon, and they have incredible fighting capabilities. They don''t use offensive magic like Elementals do, they are like warriors or knights. I don''t sense any enemies nearby, all I can sense is the hatred and fury of the demon guardian. I follow the path since this is the only one I have and I eventually reach a room that has a giant wooden stctiteing from the top of the room. The lore stated that this is the chamber where fairies would be born. When I enter I feel the incredible energy of the demon guardian. I hear heavy footstepse out a room in the back, that must have been the nursery for the newly born fairies. He must have stayed there to feed off the corrupted energy from the curse afflicting the newborn''s. He looks at me with his goat eyes and he looks like a true demon. His feet are hooves and his body is covered in fur. [Demon Guardian Krel''wis Lvl.5 dungeon boss] 50,000/50,000 HP Talk about powerful, dungeon bosses are much stronger than bosses you find in quests and in the wild. This is an actual demon and not a subspecies like the Elemental, he has a higher life rating than every yer ying right now. I am the only one that has a higher life rating than him. "A little angel has step-foot in my masters trophy." He sounds demonic and evil, not a sense of good in this creature. "You will make a great meal after my master corrupts your body." Demons use corruption on light aligned creatures and devour them for more power. I draw my iron sword and I cant help worrying about its durability. It shouldst this fight, but it is low. Instead of speaking I engage him inbat and he is already attacking with strong skills. I dodge them well, but I haven''t got an opening to use any of my abilities yet. He pulls back and has a stamina debuff. Looks like he wore himself out trying to hit me. It wontst long so I should do damage while I can. With the +35 increase to strength my damage is now 1900. Combine that with sh I get 3325 damage every swing -3325 -3325 -3325 I Knock out almost a fifth of his health in one shbo. His debuff will be ending soon and he will be able to dodge and parry soon. -3325 -3325 -3325 [Demon Guardian Krel''wis Lvl.5 dungeon boss] 30,050/50,000 HP I hit him hard with my sh attacks and he is not looking happy about it. He leaves his debuff state and attacks me. I have 1240 health with the adjusted ratings from strength and endurance. He almost catches me with his downwards strike, but I dodged it. He uses his momentum to head butt me. -600 [You are stunned for 3 seconds] I fly against the the wooden wall and make an indent, there is a lot of space between us so my stun lock lifts before his slow body reaches me. He is veryrge at almost 9 feet tall so he isn''t as fast as I am. They say speed kills for a reason. Now that I have some distance and I can move again I cast heavens light for the 250% to 350% damage buff. Put the minimal 250% onto the 3325 I get when using sh I can do at least 8312.5 damage. This time I am going for vital areas and hitting for 100% criticals. -8,312.5 -8312.5 [You have caused bleeding damage] [Target will lose 100 health every second unless stopped] -14962.5 Critical! +2000 exp +400 sh mastery +75 heavens light mastery [You have leveled up] [Heavens light has leveled up] [sh has leveled up] Thest strike I hit was 350% percent boosted by a 100% critical. I watch him fall to the ground dead bleeding from all the open wounds. He knocked out a lot of health with a single headbutt, I have 640 health left after this fight. I''m also level 6 now with thatst little bit of 2000 exp. I check my new stat board. [yer (Zern) Lvl.6] [Exp: 1060/8000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 155] [Endurance - 155] [Dexterity - 160] [Speed - 155] [Focus - 155] [Mana: 400/1550] [Health: 1240/1240] [Stat Points: 40 unspent] [Inventory] [Skills] I am going to be leveling up a lot now. I didn''t think this would be so good. I continue to read the system notifications. [You have killed the dungeon boss Krel''wis] [10,000 exp rewarded] [Hardened Sap of the Willow tree armor set rewarded] [You have leveled up] This is an incredible loot bonus. Hardened sap with fairy imbued magic to increase armor rating is incredible. The armor in Ancients Worldes in 5 pieces. Head, Wrists, chest, legs and feet. This armor has the weight of light armor but the values of medium armor. [This armor will level with you till level 25] [Hardened sap helmet - +40 armor rating] [Hardened sap chest piece - +120 armor rating] [Hardened sap Wrist gauntlet''s - +40 armor rating] [Hardened sap leggings - +80 armor rating] [Hardened sap boots - +40 armor rating.] [Total armor value - 320] This is way better than the measly 25 armor that Lvl.1 leather armor provides. You can also hide your armor in Ancients World, I use the looks ofplete leather armor and paste it on the sap armor. Now I wont stick out. Now it''s time for the headache. [World-wide Announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael has cleared the dungeon Devils Willow!] The announcement rang throughout the world and guilds were trying to find the location of Devils Willow because that is where Cera is. They don''t have ess to it because they aren''t level 5 yet and nobody has gone this deep into the wilds. I look at the dead body of the demon guardian and notice a skill book and a ck stone. I take the skill book and I can see that is a useful skill called parry. This will help me in all future fights with mobs of my size or smaller, so I absorb it. I pick up the ck stone and I get a notification from the system. [Parry has been learned] [Description: You can block 3 de skills in a row without taking any damage.] [You have picked up the sub-quest item] [Purifying this cursed drop of the fairies tear will lift the curse] [You need a holy priest to cleanse this] [You can bypass this process by using your divine power] [Do you wish to purify the drop of fairies tear? Y/N] I think yes and a golden light shines within my body and transfers into it. It goes from ck to white gold. [You have purified the drop of fairies tear] [Take this to the alter under the heart of the willow tree] The alter must be the table under the long wooden stctite. That means that wooden stctite is the heart of the willow tree. I walk over and ce it on the alter and it begins to glow. I get another system prompt that willplete this quest. [The willow tree wishes to use your angelic powers to revive itself] [Do you want to lend it your power? Y/N] I immediately think yes and my power is quickly drained and I am ovee with exhaustion as I sit down so I don''t pass out. [You are fatigued for using a lot of your power] [Movement and speed debuff for 12 hours] [Sub-questpeted] [+20,000 reputation with the new fairies kingdom] [The fairies will go to war for you if you ask them] [The fairies will help hide your identity if peoplee asking] [The Holy Willow Tree wants to give you a reward] [Do you ept? Y/N] I think yes and a new perk is added to my perk list. [Holy Willow Trees savior - Passive] [Description: You have saved the Holy Willow Tree and the kingdom of the fairies. 150% permanent healing rate boost.] This is a powerful perk, might be my favorite one now. This never happened in the future, and by reading this the fairies will be returning to Ancients World. I don''t get any exp rewards since it gave a huge reputation bonus and a new perk. I have never seen such a big reputation boost before. Now another system announcement happens. [World-wide Announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael has revived the Holy Willow Tree in the fairies kingdom! Fairies will be returning to this world for the first time in 3000 years! yers will be able to do quests and build a rtionship with the fairies new kingdom once they reach level 75!] [World-wide Announcement: The dungeon Devils Willow has been permanently removed from the world!] [World Mission Announcement: The church of light wants any information regarding The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. They have increased their rewards!] [World Mission Announcement: The church of the darks ones want any information regarding The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. They have increased their rewards!] The announcements repeat for a 1 minute and 30 seconds. This will cause even more people to search for me. Unknown to Cera is that the forums are being blown up by the biggest guilds giving cash rewards for valuable information. Cera doesn''t know that he has be the single most important mission to the yers of Ancients world. Thinking about it I should try my hardest to stay hidden. The first postunch press conference will be next week. There will probably be tons of questions about the revival of the fairies and my involvement with them. I think now is a good time to check my stats. [yer (Zern) Lvl.7] [Exp: 3060/9000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 155] [Endurance - 155] [Dexterity - 160] [Speed - 155] [Focus - 155] [Mana: 1550/1550] [Health: 1240/1240] [Stat Points: 50 unspent] [Armor rating: 320] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.2 0/200 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.1 25/100 (Active) - sh Lvl.6 150/600 (Active) yer of Evil - (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior - (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 0/100 (Active)] I know what is in my inventory. I actually leveled up twice from this and my sh skill is doing really well. I cant really see how anyone is more than level 4 right now. The best guilds and team leaders are probably close. This has turned out to be a fantastic start to my journey. Chapter 8: Talking to Baron Jackson

Chapter 8: Talking to Baron Jackson

I have some time left before I usually get off. I still have proof of the Elemental in my inventory to show for a reward back in Blue Grass. I am pretty far away and I have a debuff for giving a lot of power to the Holy Willow Tree to help ite back to life. It will take at least 3 hours before I''ll get back. Might as well start now, it will be easy to kill the monsters I run into on the way back. I am still much stronger than them. I only have to get a significant strike on them and they will die. You cant just graze them or touch them, you have to put force in. The sun is still high in Ancients World and I can''t find anything that would signify that this is a fake world. Everything looks and feels real, if there wasn''t an interface you would think you lived somewhere else. When I kill weak mobs, I get a low amount of exp in return even more so now that I am higher than the rest of them. I will probably get a quest from Baron Jackson, but I am tempted to go to another area that spawns stronger enemies for my level just like the area on the other side of gue Cave. After 3 and a half hours I make it back to Blue Grass and I feel like I have just ran 15 miles straight without walking. Talk about a debuff. I even used my new parry skill and got 80 exp for it. The perk inheritor of the sword works well with all these active skills. I got another 150 exp for my sh skill bringing it half way to level 7. I am tempted too just log off ande back on tomorrow after my debuff is gone, but I am already in the city and I see no point in waiting to talk to Baron Jackson. I walk up to the lord of the cities mansion and I am stopped by the guards, they don''t have any names, but they are powerful. [Knight of Blue Grass Lvl.80 tier 1] 1,200,000/1,200,000 HP The NPC''s in this world are much higher levels than the yers, but only specific NPC''s can enter dungeons to clear them. That is what the lore said anyway, it gives purpose to the yers. The NPC''s see the yers as gifts and some of them think us cursed. They have there own opinions of us, but they don''t voice them often. One reason why they weren''t bothered when we appeared is because we are weak. We hold no threat to them in their eyes and they are right. The guard looks me up and down as he turns to his partner at the gate. "What business do you have with the Baron, citizen?" They are doing there jobs just like a person would. Instead of talking I pull the heart of the Elemental out of my inventory and show it too them. "Now I get why you are here. JOHNSON!! OPEN THE GATE!! THE BARON HAS A VISITOR!!" The man yells to his fellow guard on the other side of the gate. The gate opens and the guard tilts his head for me to continue inside. I walk down the path and I am greeted by some butlers and maids at the front door. They all lower there heads in a slight customary bow. "Pleasee inside, if what Chris said is true then the Baron does want to see what you have." I nod in response and continue into the house aa I am led by the head butler Charles. [Head Butler Charles Lvl.75 tier 1] 1,012,000/1,012,000 HP Charles is powerful for a servant, he is also a magic user by the looks of things. We approach a big door and it opens on its own upon approach. Looking at the beautiful room you can tell that Baron Jackson has good taste. What catches my eye is the big window that has a view of thewn and the surrounding mountains and forests. The Barones into the office from a side door and looks at me with amusement. He''s probably having a hard time believing a 19 year old beat an Elemental. "So I heard from my guards that you have in an Elemental. May I see its heart?" He walks to his desk as he speaks and sits down. I give a slight bow just like the butler did for me in a show of good faith. "Finally one that can show some respect." It ismon at this point in the game that the yers piss off NPC''s. I have no intention of doing that. I pull the heart of the Elementals avatar out and put it on the little table prepared for it. The Baron waves his hand and the heart flies off the table into his hand. I take this time to inspect him. [Baron Jackson Lvl.150 tier 3] 2,005,000/2,005,000 HP This guy is the strongest person in the city and you can feel it. When yers begin to reach level 20 we will be able to view more information on NPC''s, but at this point information is being blocked by there power we just don''t know it. He intently inspects the heart and rubs his clean shaven face. "How did you manage to kill this Elemental? By the looks of it, it was very old." He turns his head to me expecting an answer. I can feel the energy drain right now so I am a little sluggish. "I was exploring the hills north of the entrance of the city and I came across an old looking cave. There were lots of undead, but I took care of them. On the other side of the cave in a forested area I found an old home. I don''t know what happened to the original owners, but the Elemental had set up a nest in the basement." I finish saying slowly trying to ward off the need for sleep. The Baron looks seriously at his butler Charles and then chuckles to himself. He gets up and approaches me and puts his hand on my shoulder. "I can see that you are tired, young man. You are weed to sleep here for the night. My subordinates and I have much to discuss." I nod and he takes that as a yes. Butler Charles takes me to a guest room and leaves me to my own time. Iy on the soft bed and exit out of the game as my yer character stays in bed. I open my gaming pod and the sun is setting out of my window. I made pretty good time now that I think about it. My body doesn''t feel tired, but my mind sure does. I think now would be a good time to check the forums with myptop downstairs with my family. I bring myptop downstairs and sit on the couch looking at the various threads. Most were about the fairy kingdom and me. Others were talking about the rewards that the church of light is willing to give. I have done a great job keeping myself hidden and not getting caught. I continue to read threads until dinner as now we are all ready to eat. In Ancients World Baron Jackson was speaking to his oldest friend Charles. "I guess that means their souls are now free. These new people can enter ces we can''t. I wonder what my grandfather would think about all this." The home that Cera cleared was actually the home of the Jackson family. Baron Jackson is not the only one in a seat of power. His grandfather is the treasurer of state in Zenith. There has been chaos since Herold Marcus the II became king. It is even worse now that he has angered the Almighty Father himself and is going to receive divine punishment. There may be a point in the future that war will bing to Zenith on ount of Herold Marcus. The NPC''s hear different versions of the announcements, but they also know that there are incredible rewards. NPC''s are capable of taking quests andpleting them, in the future an NPC actually gets a legendary ss. This divine punishment is as tempting to them as it is for the yers. Charles walks over to the window and looks up at the beautiful starry sky. "Do you think he is the one that the church is looking for?" Charles is a very intelligent man and knows that this particr new person that hase with the others is different. Baron Jackson walks up next to his shorter butler and looks at the stars as well. "I believe he is, but we cant do anything about it because the king has banned the church from searching this country for him." They both understand that Herold is crazy enough to go to war for something that he thinks is his. The butler adjusts his monocle and pulls out his pocket watch. "You are not wrong my lord. Perhaps not doing anything with this information is best. Our country is not capable of fighting the church. As well as Herold, who brings us to war." Charles says thest part of that sentence in a sigh. They both know that they have met The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, they will not notify the church or their king because war will surely follow. The church will do everything in its power to bring in the son of Michael and the grandson of the Almighty Father. To them he is a treasure that must be protected and guarded. "Well my old friend, when he leaves tomorrow we will never speak of this to anyone except each other." They both stay quiet in agreement and prepare for the meetings scheduled tomorrow. Chapter 9: The emergency meeting

Chapter 9: The emergency meeting

As Cera is spending time with his family and going to sleep the church of light is having a meeting on how to proceed with what happened today. The only one not to show during the projections is Herold Marcus the II. The Pope is the first to speak opening up the meeting. "The return of the fairies is an incredible thing. Once our city establishesmunications and trade with them we can ask them the identity of Arch-Angel Michaels son." The fact a new kingdom ising to this continent also raises concerns, and the new kingdom is returning in the Forest of Sweet Leaves. The Pope also raises questions that all the attendees must know. "We don''t know why the Holy Willow Tree decided to move so far from Blue Grass City with its returning people. All we can say is that it has and it is now located in the Forest of Sweet Leaves." After this is said the Queen of Smander kingdom is shocked. Her name is Fiona Heartfire the I. She was a newly crowned Queen of a new family after thest king passed from old age. She gets up from her throne and her projection walks into the center of the room to speak. "I did not know of this. I''ll send envoys of peace, I''ll get any information I can and I''ll tell everyone the next time we have a scheduled meeting in a week." She finishes speaking and returns back to her throne. Now there are more things to discuss and The Pope must put everyone on notice. "We are all informed on the present situation involving Herold Marcus the II. I must tell everyone that the church cannot and will not wage war on fellow humans." Once he finishes saying that the tenseness in the room increased for the next thing he is about to say. "However, we will not stop other kingdoms from invading Zenith. The divine punishment will not be brought to Herold through the church, but we will not stop the divine punishment provided by someone else." As soon as those words left his mouth whispers began to break out. The Saintess Lucy cleared her throat now that she has something to address. The Pope gives her the stage. "We are not aloud to go into the country ruled by Herold, but we know that The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is in the city of Blue Grass. It is the only ce close enough to rest after such a hard fought battle ording to the gods." A man stands up and wants to voice his thoughts. This man is Joshua Quarkson the III, he rules Beeker City. This ce is renowned for its science and faith. "I am just going to say what everyone is thinking. Why do we have to listen to Herold? He is obviously not fit to be king. In mind and morals, if we continue to let this madness drag out millions of innocent people will die." Everyone nods their heads in agreement except for Lucy and Alexander. They understand what the meaning behind those words are, the church cannot sponsor such a thing. The Pope speaks in response to Joshua''s words. "What you say is absolutely true Joshua, but when his kingdom falls it cannot be on the hands of the church. There citizens are terrified right now, there only ally at this point is the church. We are on the side of the people who cant control the oue of thising conflict. We need to be who we are so they have a ce toe when they lose everything." Everyone nods at the wise words of Alexander. He has always been one to do the right thing for the people who believe in the church and the gods of light. Everyone in the room knows that Herold has war on his doorstep now. Today was a meeting discussing the fairies kingdom and Herold. They have an answer for one, now that all the kingdoms have gotten the approval of the church they will begin to make moves. Some will do nothing others will join forces and assault Zenith. The NPC''s canplete the same quests yers can. The thing about NPC''s is they have ess to Zenith right now. The Pope has one more thing to address in this emergency meeting before everyone prepares for there personal goals in this conflict. "The fact that Arch-Angel Michael and The Almighty Father have personally brought this onto Herold I must stress they will be watching your actions. There maye a point of moralpromise, please be good rulers and only target the king of Zenith, his people are innocent. Onest thing before this meeting is over, Arch-Angel Michaels son will take the churches priority over any of you. If the church has to choose between one of you and the son. We will choose the son." Everyone gives understanding nods and all the projections turn off. Alexander turns to Lucy and pinches the bridge of his nose. "So much is happening so fast. It may be impossible to find The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. I have faith in his strength and character, his deeds in the old fairy kingdom speak true of that. I worry that he is drawing more than just our attention now." Lucy and Alexander take a seat to relieve the stress and have some tea. As Lucy is sipping from her tea cup there is a serious face in the refection of the liquid. "I am not a politician like you Alex, but I do know that war ising to Zenith and its country. We can use this as an opportunity to ce spies in Blue Grass and surrounding areas to find him. I know you said we wouldn''t get involved, but this is to important to remain neutral." Alexander gives a solemn face as he understands Lucypletely. He sets his tea cup down and thinks really hard weighing the pros and cons. He finallyes to a decision that is not something the church does. "No more than 5 spies Lucy, more than that and we will be found out. I''ll leave it to you since its your idea." Lucy smiles and gets up to start right away. Now all whos left in the giant room is the Pope. He takes a deep breath and walks over to the window and looks out into The Holy City. "This is going to go down into history as the darkest day for Zenith. I pray that mercy be shown on Zeniths people. They are innocent in all this." All of a sudden he gets a message from heaven and he is thoroughly shocked, he never imagined that Herold was this crazy. [World-wide Announcement: The king of Zenith has dered war on the three surrounding kingdoms Hignd, White Rock, and Borealis! This has caused a Continent wide event! yers will be able to participate once they reach level 50 andplete their tier 1 ss quests!] [Warning: This event could end before anyone gets to participate! You better hurry and level up!] The yer forums blew up sky high. Most were outraged by the level requirement. This was something that the yers wanted rewards for and now the NPC''s were taking it. Everyone was specting on what caused this, but nobody knows the inner workings of the government in Ancients World. The one who caused all this is sleeping soundly in his bed getting plenty of rest for tomorrow''s goals. He has ns for quests in Blue Grass and he has every intention of staying ahead of everyone else. Now the meetings in the real world is happening between guilds and corporations. They are exchanging information on how to level up better and make use of your skills. The night passes and Cera rises as he wakes at the sound of his rm. It''s breakfast right now and he is hungry from all the hours he put in yesterday. Mom made fruit parfaits for everyone, dad missed out again since he has to go to work. I quickly eat my breakfast and say my thanks to mom before hopping into my gaming pod. I load in and I wake up in the softfy bed that I was aloud to borrow for the night. I open the bedroom door and notice maids doing work here and there. "Its seems you are awake. Would you like to join the baron for some tea this morning?" Charles appears behind me and gives me a good scare. I don''t show it, but he got me good. I nod to him and I am led to a lovely patio in the nice warm morning. "Ahh, our guest is here. Come join us." I see Baron Jackson with other high ranking nobles in Blue Grass. It seems that they are discussing business right now, this is actually a perfect opportunity to talk about an item I have. Chapter 10: A smart choice

Chapter 10: A smart choice

[Shoutout to fanmy1 and TKru! Thanks for the power stones so early in the story!] Looking at these men you can tell that they know the inner workings of the economy. I know my fair share, but I never had and token in the past. After drinking some tea with them I take this opportunity to ask them about thend token. "May I ask you all something?" They take a pause and look at each other. Baron Jackson is the highest ranking official here so they are waiting for his response. He sets his tea down and interlocks his fingers and sits them on hisp. "I''m sure than we can help you with whatever you need yer Zern." I am d that they can see some of my stats, my title is still hidden which is good. I open my inventory and ce thend token on the table, everyone is drooling at the sight of it. I guess the value is more than I thought it was, at least to the NPC''s. Baron Jackson is the first to pick it up and inspect it. "This is an authentd token all right. What do you n to do with it?" So he is testing how much I know about this item, they may want to try and get it at a lower price than its actually worth. I look at all the expecting faces and I can tell that they are all interested in the item. "I know that I can purchase a home or open a store with it. I was hoping that one of you might be interested in the opportunity to open a store with me." I can tell that they are all wealthy men and are nobles. This could be something that forever helps me in the future, and if I can get an NPC to take care of the hard work and I could make constant ie from it. It will make my future so much easier here than it was. They exchange looks between each other and I can tell not a single one is going to make this easy on me. "Some of us are interested, but I don''t see a reason to shove all the work on to one of us." These guys are smart, but I am not interested in negotiation and politics right now. I give a knowing nod now that I have my answer. "I understand, it will probably be better for me to sell this off to another person like me or just build a home. I don''t have the time to run a shop." When I said those words their expressions changed, they thought they would turn the negotiation in there favor. Instead its gone now. One of the more wealthy and older ones speak up at this decision I have made. "Now wait a minute young man. I am interested in your token, how about I take care of everything and I''ll give you 25% of all profits from the store?" When he said those words fury entered the eyes of the other people here. Owning a shop is really beneficial for anyone and nobles hate losing an opportunity like this. I am not against the deal, but I do want to have more stake than that. "If you bring it up to 40% the token is yours. You could also do whatever you want with the business." The man gives a smile, I may have asked for little more than what he was nning to give up. I''m not going to be running the business so I have no reason to ask for more. The man gets up and I follow suit and we shake hands. "You got yourself a deal young man!" It is the first time I will make passive ie in Ancients World. I get a system prompt as the noble picks up the token. [You have just opened a shop] [The NPC Vernus Nics will be running the shop in your stead] [You will receive 40 gold a week starting next week] Now that I see this I cant help but be stunned from the number I''ll be making. Just who is this guy. I inspect him and I can see why I''ll be making so much gold. [Vernus Nics Lvl.100 tier 2] 1,400,000/1,400,000 HP I cant view the detailed information yet because I am not strong enough. He doesn''t seem to be any type of warrior or magician. So all that leaves is a merchant, merchant NCP''s don''t usually have such high levels. I guess that means he is not yourmon ce merchant NPC. The others around the table are not looking happy in the slightest. One even voices his opinion and he is around the same age as Vernus. "That was a real underhanded move Vernus. Next time this happens it wont be so easy for you." There seems to be familiarity between the two. Vernusughs in response to the mans words, they are on very friendly terms it seems. Baron Jackson is the next to speak and I didn''t expect what he says next. "If you are looking for a quest, I have one that I need done now." I never heard of the Baron giving a quest to a yer in the future, this may be another ss or priority mechanic. The other nobles leave now that everyone got there fill of fun for the day and now it is just Baron Jackson and I. "I am always interested in a quest." He nods andughs joyously. He gets up and indicates for me to follow. We enter a room full of maps and old documents. He approaches the table and hands me a piece of paper. I get a system prompt once its in my hand. [Quest: The Old Ones] [Description: Help Baron Jackson secure a magical artifact for the rebellion against Herold] [Objective 1: Head to the Ancient ruins of the Dryads] [Objective 2: Retrieve the Horn of The Forest] [Quality: Legacy] [Rewards: Hidden] [Do you wish to ept the quest? Y/N] I cant believe I get to see a legacy quest with my own eyes. This is 2 levels lower than a divine quest. I honestly don''t know if this is a smart choice to do this or not. I may be strong, but quests don''t define what level you should be. For all I know I could face level 100 tier 2 monsters and bosses. However, this is the beginner area. Nobody can leave the starter areas till level 10. There are 3000 square miles to explore. I know a lot about the game, but I don''t know everything. The Ancient ruins of the Dryads was never in the future. That only leaves the fact that its a hidden location. The Baron is waiting for my answer, with everything that I have it would be a waste not to try andplete it. I''ll have to get a newer sword today before I leave. That means I get to sell those 12 wolf pelts. "So yer Zern, are you interested in this quests?" I nod to him at the same time I think yes to ept the quest. He turns his head to the giant map behind him and points to a specific location. I look at it and its almost a 150 miles into the forest covered mountain. He sees the grim look on my face and chuckles. "Don''t worry we wouldn''t make you walk there on a quest this important. We will lend you a griffin to travel there. It would take weeks by walking, but with a griffin you can make it there in about 15 hours." I breath a sigh of relief, mounts aren''t implemented into the game yet, so I know I wont be keeping the mount. yers will be able to purchase mounts once they reach Level 120. You could also capture mounts in the wild, but that is incredibly difficult. "I''m grateful for your generosity Baron Jackson." After I said that the system announced throughout the world. [World-wide Announcement: The Gods shine favor on the NPC that has helped The Son of Arch-Angel Michael in his quest!] The announcement rings for 1 minute and 30 seconds like it always does. The NPC''s hear a different version. Soon Baron lifts his head after he received the news by magic from the church like they always do. "So I was right. You are The Son of Arch-Angel Michael." I stood out to much and now my cover is blown. This damn announcement doesn''t help. He looks at my worried face and sighs. "Don''t worry yer Zern, I''ll keep your secret to the grave. If you wanted to be known you would have revealed yourself." I still feel worried, but he has been a trustworthy person so far. I should give him a chance. I just let it go since he is the only person that knows at the moment. If people do find out I''ll know who to me. "I''ll leave today once I get my supplies ready." I know where the sables are and the Baron issues a note for the sable to lend me a griffin. I leave the property and make my way to the cksmith. I give the wolf pelts as credit to him and he gives me a steel sword that is much better than my iron sword. [Well Crafted Steel Sword req. Lvl.5] [Damage: 400] [Durability: 500/500] [Quality: Common] This will do great until I reach level 10. Once I reach level 10 I can start using my other swords I have in my inventory. The silver sword I have will be better against monsters than this will be. This has twice as much durability than the silver sword though. Dead''s Bane and the silver sword will make a greatbination. This is just a ce holder for now. Now that I am done with the cksmith I make my way to the stable and show them the paper with the seal. I get a griffin and I inspect it. [Tamed Griffin Lvl.45] 35,000/35,000 HP [Warning: This type of mount cant help you fight] This is your typical mount in Ancients World. Special mounts can help you fight and grow stronger with you. Now that I have everything and nobody is watching I take off with the map that the Baron gave me. Now I have big task ahead of me. Unknown to Cera this quest is another butterfly effect with his presence. Blue Chaos became The Son of Arch-Angel Michael 2 years into the game, by that time Herold Marcus the II was already dead. This is causing new quests and events to happen. Things his knowledge of the future will not help with. Chapter 11: The Ancient ruins of the Dryads I

Chapter 11: The Ancient ruins of the Dryads I

[Shout outs to fanmy1 and TKru! Thanks for the power stones so early in the story!] We have been traveling for about 10 hours now and it iste afternoon and the sun is starting to set. Ind the Griffin and set up camp, we are on a cliffs edge overlooking miles of beautiful forests and the sky full of stars provides light for us. I start a fire and go in my tent to log off. There is a risk of sleeping in the wild, but we are in a safer location. Once I log off I open my gaming pod and walk over to myptop. I want to research information about Herold Marcus the II and what he has done. I have missed some world announcements while I was sleepingst night. After searching through the forums there is not much other than he is the king of the country I am in, and he has dered war on the neighboring kingdoms. He has angered Arch-Angel Michael, my father, and The Almighty Father, my grandfather. I wonder what he did to cause such a thing. None of the yers know and only the top NPC powers in Ancients World know the reason. He threatened The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, and nned to do evil things with his power. This was seen by the the mentioned deities and they acted in the way they saw fit. This is unknown to the yers and Cera. I go downstairs for dinner and everyone is already here. Everyone is watching T.V. and mom is making dinner. I see that they are watching a reporter do a take on my ss. "Not much is known about the divine ss: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. The Developers had this to say, ''We didn''t make the sses, the A.I does things ording to the lore and history we developed for the world. We did this to take out the pattern of repeated gamey by letting the system take care of it.'' All the major guilds are offering huge cash rewards for any information regarding this yer." They are telling the truth about not knowing, they are lying about the A.I controlling things the way they described. I don''t need to worry about that right now all I need to do is focus on the now. Another reporteres on and she is standing outside J&X Inc. doing an interview with one of the directors. "What can you tell us about the return of the fairies and The Son of Arch-Angel Michael?" She points the microphone at the man. He adjusts his sses and prepares his answer. "We don''t actually know anything, the game is not something that can be predicted or nned. Everything has a reason and reaction. Once a yer has special priority like The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, they can have heavy influence on the state the world will take. The new Kingdom of the Fairies is a perfect example." The Developers have some power through the system, but everything he said there was true. Mom finishes making dinner and calls us to the table to eat. We have fun and talk like we used to before everything went to shit. In a few days the auction house in the game will go live and I can sell this guild token. The millions I''ll make from it will solve the almost poor problem we have. I''ll be able to move us to a safer ce and the threats wont be as severe. It will be nice to do this for my parents after all the crap they did for us kids. If anyone deserves it, its them. I say my goodbyes and go to bed and sleep after the long journey I took today. The griffin made good time since I was so light, I didn''t have a bunch of heavy gear like level 120s and higher do. We made it more than half way and I should make it to the ruins by noon tomorrow. As Cera is going to sleep there is talks in Ancients World. Another emergency meeting is called to discuss the important development that has happened today. The Pope is starting the meeting off with the information that has been driving him crazy since he got the divine message. "A person has helped Arch-Angel Michaels son and the church has no way of finding out who it was in Blue Grass. We called this meeting to discuss what the potential this situation has provided." As The Pope finishes speaking Gregory Francis the VII speaks first. He gets up and takes the stage to speak. "As you know the king of Zenith has dered war on White Rock, Borealis, and my kingdom. I have formed an alliance with the kings and we are having a war council in White Rock 10 days from now. Any who wishes to participate are weed toe." The rulers of White Rock and Borealis nod there heads at Gregory''s words. Other rulers are now whispering to each other. The Saintess clears her throat for the next thing to be addressed is Arch-Angel Michaels son. The Saintess takes the stage and addresses what is going to happen. "Now that someone knows the identity of Arch-Angel Michaels son this war must be carefully executed. If this person is to die from the war there will be punishment from the church to the kingdom whomitted it." There were heated words said from some of the rulers and The Pope raises his hand to silence them all. The Pope takes the stage again and says the final thing for this meeting. "This person holds key information, I get hisplicates things. However, this war is not more important than our primary mission. Finding The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is the top priority. I expect you to understand that. This concludes this emergency meeting, you may leave when you wish." The projections turn off fast and the only ones left are Alexander and Lucy. They are both very busy with trying to find Arch-Angel Michaels son, and this will be themon trope for the foreseeable future. Lucy is the first to speak. "Why is he hiding from us? He knows we can help him!" She yells in frustration and ms the table. The church may have power equal to the kings and queens, but they have no authority What. So. Ever. on the direct grandson of the Almighty Father. Alexander takes off his hat and ces it on the table. He runs his fingers through his hair in an attempt to ease himself. "We cannot force someone with such divinity and power toe to us. We would be punished by The Almighty Father for taking such disgraceful methods against his grandson. Arch-Angel Michael maye down to deliver the punishment himself. We just need to wait Lucy, that''s all we really can do." Lucy looks at Alexander with anger and storms out. He sighs at the young women''s actions. She is a terrific fighter, but she doesn''t understand that this is a chess game and we are losing badly. Herold proved insane dering war against his neighbor''s, but it bought him time to search instead of us. I know for a fact that Herold is also searching like us in hopes to use the power of Arch-Angel Michaels son. Such sphemy wont go unpunished by the church. If Herold is caught trying this then the church will go to war. I will not allow such a thing to ur while I am Pope. I am very tired after todays events. Now would be a good time for me to go to sleep as well. I hope Lucy will improve by tomorrow, we have a busy day. The night passes and Cera wakes up to the sound of his rm. It is early morning and he can smell moms delicious food. Mom is always the first one awake, I head downstairs and I am the first of the 3 siblings up like I always am. "Hey mom, what''s for breakfast?" I can smell the bacon and eggs now that I am within the view of the kitchen. Dad sure will be sad when he gets home today. I sit down with mom and start to eat as my other 2 siblingse out of there rooms. We all eat and talk about what we are doing today. Sis is going to try out at another T.V. station and Lil Bro has school. I am so d I am done with school, soon I''ll have more money than anyone in my graduating ss will ever make. I finish my food and head upstairs to get going on this quest. I enter my gaming pod and I wake up in the nice warm tent being bathed in sunlight. I walk out and notice everything went okay while I was asleep. The griffin also looks like its ready to fly now that its had good rest. I hop on the back and continue the rest of my journey today. I have a feeling that this will be a great adventure. Chapter 12: The Ancient ruins of the Dryads II

Chapter 12: The Ancient ruins of the Dryads II

We have been flying for about 3 hours now and I can see the ruins between huge mountains and deep within the forest. If I didn''t have this map I wouldn''t even know it was here. Ind the griffin outside of the ruins and I don''t feel or see any hostile monsters. I don''t feel anythinging from the ruins. "You stay here, if troublees go to those mountains over there and I''ll meet you if you are there and not here." I tell the griffin what he should do if he encounters trouble. He lowers his head and closes his eye''s indicating that he understands. Griffins are extremely intelligent and can understand most of the time what you are saying. I walk for about 2 minutes until I approach the old arch way into the temple grounds. I then get a system notification exining some things. [Hidden Location: This is the old temple of the dryad priests. The dryad people use to reside in this forest until they disappeared without a trace. There are many secrets here, you may discover something worth while other than your quest item.] So the dryad people once existed here in the surrounding forest and they built this temple. The lore about the dryads is scarce in the future. All that was revealed was that they were one of the most ancient people in Ancients World. They were one of The Almighty Fathers earliest creations. I look around the huge courtyard and I notice lush gardens and old statues of dryads. I approach one of them and inspect it. [Description: This is an old statue that was dedicated to the 3rd princess of the dryad kingdom, Lady Elenore. It was said her beauty could cause kings to go to war.] This is the only statue that is in good enough condition to inspect. There are piles of rubble that once belonged to other statues lining the grounds. There is one giant 3 cornered pyramid, unlike the 4 cornered pyramids in Egypt. I walk up to it and I try to open the door, but I get stopped by a system notification. [You need to find the key that unlocks these doors] [Hint: It is on temple grounds] There is only one other building in this ce that hasn''t been destroyed. I head to the building down the long court yard. This ce is at least 5 miles long in every direction. After walking through the beautiful empty gardens and pathways I reach the only other building here. It took about 22 minutes walking to get here, I was distracted by the lushndscapes of this ce. I approach the door and I can feel an energy from the other side of the door. It isn''t hostile, but it has the potential to be. I open the door slowly and walk inside, the sunlight is lighting up the room through all the holes in the walls and ceiling. I look around the room and I spot an old man cooking some food over a fire. "Hello?" I lightly call out to the man. He turns to me and he is wearing old clothes and a weaved hat. "Why hello young man. What brings you out to these old ruins?" He seems friendly enough and I walk over to him and sit across from him. I pull out my quest and hand it to him. As he is reading I should exin what I am currently looking for. "I am looking for the key that goes to the door of the main temple. I came searching over here to see if I could find it." After I exined why I am over here. He lifts his head and inspects me. I am a little taken aback by what the system says. [This NPC is strong enough to view all of your information] Then that means he will see my title and divine ss. I can see the look of general surprise on his face. I take this moment to view his information too. I don''t expect what I get in response. [You are not strong enough to view this NPC''s basic information] Talk about a mysterious person. What is someone so strong doing all the way out here. "Well, that exins the incredible power buried deep with in you young man." He says as heughs. I don''t really know the full potential or power of my ss. All I know is NPC''s are more in tune with this world. If strong enough, they can see remnants of hidden power. "Mind telling me what The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is doing in such a ce you are not prepared for." I guess there are things here I am not strong enough for. He read the quest, but I guess he wants to hear my personal opinion on why I came. "I came because I didn''t want to miss the opportunity to see such a ce. I figured that I may not be strong enough, but I still want to try." The old man looks into the fire while sucking on a piece of wheat. I guess he is thinking about something. All of a sudden I get a system notification and I didn''t think that this was going to happen. [Sub-quest: The betrayal] [Description: Find out what happened to the dryads using the information that the mysterious NPC provides] [Objective 1: Use the key that the NPC gives you to enter the temple] [Objective 2: Find the diary of Lady Melina] [Objective 3: Bring the diary back to the mysterious NPC] [Quality: Legacy] [Rewards: Hidden] [You have no choice but to ept the quest since it provides the item you need] The old man lifts his head and hands me some food so I have something to eat while he talks. Its pretty good considering. "I''ll give you the key in exchange for the diary of Lady Melina. It is also in the temple along with what you are asking for. Only people of purity may enter the temple. I am no longer pure." That confuses me, I wonder why he would say that. Before I ask him what he means he raises his hand with a chuckle. "Not as in evil impure, I am no longer a virgin and only virgins can open the temple." Ohh, well that exins it. I don''t know how he knows I am a virgin, but I cant focus on that right now. I finish my food because it is the polite thing to do. "I''ll get the diary for you. You have my word, is there anything you can tell me about the inside of the temple?" He takes out the key and hands it too me. I grab it and ce it in my inventory. He stands up and I follow. He takes me to a table in the room and gives me a map. "This is a map of the inside. Whatever you do don''t go into the main chamber. Your item is located in the eastern wings treasure room. Down the hall from there is Lady Melina''s room." I should take what he says seriously. If he is warning me about the main chamber than I should listen. I take all the useful stuff he has given me and told me and I head back to the temple. It is faster getting back since I am no longer distracted by the scenery likest time. I approach the doors again with the key out and I ce it in the lock. I turn the key and the door opens. I get a system prompt that says what I feel. [There are powerful enemies in this location] [The sentinels guarding this location want you gone] [There is an optional dungeon in this location] I can also see why I was given a map. This ce is giant and impossible to navigate without one. I follow the map and head to the east wing. I might as well get the diary first and then get the horn of the forest on my way out. I head up 4 flights of stairs before I reach the top floor and Ie across my first mob and he is a powerful elite enemy. [Sentinel Guard Lvl. 15 Elite] 70,000/70,000 HP This guy is stronger then Krel''wis. He notices me and draws his sword, I guess this mean I am fighting. I won''t be able to kill this guy and not take damage. I do however have 50 unspent skill points and I have every intention to use them. [yer (Zern) Lvl.7] [Exp: 3090/9000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 155] [Endurance - 155] [Dexterity - 160] [Speed - 155] [Focus - 155] [Mana: 1550/1550] [Health: 1240/1240] [Stat Points: 50 unspent] [Armor rating: 320] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.2 0/200 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.1 25/100 (Active) - sh Lvl.6 300/600 (Active) yer of Evil - (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior - (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active)] I take my 50 unspent skill points and add all 50 to strength to increase my damage. Now I know I can contend, with the 500 damage with my steel sword I will be slicing and dicing now. [yer (Zern) Lvl.7] [Exp: 3090/9000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 205] [Endurance - 155] [Dexterity - 160] [Speed - 155] [Focus - 155] [Mana: 1550/1550] [Health: 1440/1440] [Stat Points: 0] [Armor rating: 320] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.2 0/200 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.1 25/100 (Active) - sh Lvl.6 300/600 (Active) yer of Evil - (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior - (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active)] Now I deal 2050 raw damage, add that to the 500 that my steel sword provides I have a new damage of 2550. Add the 75% damage from sh and I get 4462.5 damage every swing with sh. With the Holy Willow Trees savior I''ll regenerate 516 health a minute while not taking damage. Heavens light will do between 6,375 and 8,925 without sh. With sh it does between 11,156.25 and 15,619.75. I''ll be able to survive all my battles with these guards Ie across. I cant wait to see how much exp I make. Chapter 13: The Ancient ruins of the Dryads III

Chapter 13: The Ancient ruins of the Dryads III

The guard uses sh as well, but his armor makes him really slow. I dodge and I can tell this guy is powerful. If I get tagged once I might lose all 775 of my health. This is the hallway to the rooms I need and he is the only one around so I shouldn''t have to worry about him getting any back up. I see my opening and I unleash my sh skill. [Sentinel Guard Lvl.15 Elite] 70,000/70,000 HP -4,462.5 -4,462.5 -4,462.5 I take more than 13,000 health off and I get him good. With that heavy armor there is no way that he can catch me. I wont be able to cause any bleeding damage, but I can still get full damage on him. There is no way for me to be able to inspect his armor rating right now, but I know for sure that it is less than mine. He is a guardian that uses his high health as a crutch. I keep using my sh skill and ying the fight safe. Eventually I am able to whittle him down to one more shbo. -4,462.5 -4,462.5 -4,462.5 +2000 exp +500 sh mastery [sh has leveled up] This fight went way faster since I upgraded my strength. I wont add anymore points into strength for awhile. I need to bring up my other stats as well, no single stat is unworthy of being leveled up. They are all important to your characters growth. He didn''t drop anything worth while and now I have ess to the rooms I need. The halls and rooms look like they have been taken care of this entire time. Its probably the guards fulfilling the orders their masters left for them. I reach a finely decorated door and the words treasury on it. I will grab my item on my way back, that means Lady Melina''s bedroom is further down the hall and on the right. I go down the hall and reach a door that is more decorated than the others. I push it open and a undisturbed room is before me. Everything looks like it has been taken care of every single day. I don''t know where a girl would keep a diary, I''ll just start at the desk in the room. I approach the big table with a mirror on it and lots of make up line the corners. I look to the right and beautiful dresses line the closet. I sit down in the chair at the desk and start going through the drawers. I feel really wrong doing this, like I am invading someone''s private things while they are watching me. There is no one here and I cant seem to let the feeling go. I go through all the drawers and I cant find the diary. I get up and think, the only other ces I can think of it being is under her pillow or hidden in her closet. I really don''t want to go through her clothes and I approach the big bed. I lift up one of the pillows and there is nothing there. I lift up the other one and see a blue book, I pick it up and ce the pillows just like they were. [You have picked up the sub-quest item] The man who sent me in here said I had to bring it to him. He never said anything about not reading it. This might hold clues or lore of what happened to the dryads. I open the book and I begin reading, there are things about everyday life for Melina and her family. Turns out Melina is the younger sister to Elenore. I skip to the end pages of the book since this is the closest written things at the time of the disappearance its a good ce for info. I start to read it and I am kind of suspicious of what I read. "Big sister Elenore has been really sick as ofte, dad said I cant see her since she is taking a long nap. I wanted to see her so bad I snuck into the main chamber where she has been kept so the healers could help. She was asleep, but no matter what I did she never woke up." By the sounds of it this is a sleeping curse, I wonder who would curse the 3rd princess of the dryad kingdom. I flip the page again and there is more important information. "I heard dad ordering the troops today, he was yelling about hurting Prince ke for doing something he did. ke and Elenore were suppose to get married to bring peace to our 2 kingdoms. I don''t know what happened in detail. When I asked dad he yelled for me to go to my room. I hope that everything is okay." I flip the pages ande to thest 2 entry''s in the diary. "Lots of people who have gone near Elenore have been falling asleeptely. I heard uncle Roderick saying something about it spreading and people be lost. Dad said I am not allowed to leave my room under any circumstances now. I see less and less people walking around outside my bedroom window." I turn my eyes to the final page next to it and I am surprised by what I read. "There is hardly anyone left in the castle anymore, I have been getting more and more tired now days. I haven''t seen or heard from dad or Roderick in quite a while. I hear yells and screamsing from the main chamber at night and it scares me. I feel like taking another nap now and I will wait till father tells me it is alright to leave my room." I feel an echo of pain in my heart reading these words. I don''t know exactly what happened, but I have a feeling that this Prince ke was not actually a Prince and wasn''t actually ke. This seems like the work of a powerful witch or mage that was hired to do this. I have never heard of a curse putting someone to sleep and it spreading as people get lost or disappear. I put the diary in my bag and leave the room, I walk down to the treasury and open the door. There are weapons and armor everywhere. I have a foreboding feeling touching anything that is in my view. I use inspect on one of the items and I can see why I feel this way. [Sword of the First Dryad Queen req. Lvl.??? (Fake)(Cursed)] [Description: This weapon belonged to the warrior Queen Merydeth. The curse upon this weapon is a by product of the horrible events that this de has witnessed. Anyone who touches this de will suffer a horrible fate beyond imagination. This weapon is fake and a trap.] [Damage: ???] [Quality: Legendary (Fake)] [Durability: Infinite] If someone who wasn''t sensitive to magic and decided to take all the fake and cursed items in here they would suffer greatly, a yer might have to delete their ount from the permanent debuffs. I can only hope that others will recognize this game mechanic before touching anything. That only means these items in this room are distracting you from the real treasure. I inspect the pieces one by one and they are all fake and cursed. I get through all the ones in in sight, but I feel a slight pull of air and there is no opening in this room other than the door. I follow the little bit of air in the huge room ande across a wall. I can feel airing in and out of it, this is a hidden passageway. I touch the wall and I get a system notification. [You have discovered a hidden passageway] [Do you wish to enter? Y/N] I think yes and the passage opens up as dust and dirt cover the ground from the movement. There isn''t any magic protecting the single item in this room. There is a small chest on a podium and I walk up to it. I check its information. [Chest of the Forest King] [Description: This chest belonged to the first dryad and holds his most treasured item.] [Do you wish to open it? Y/N] If I''m a betting man than this is the thing holding my quest item. I think yes and the chest opens. I see a little horn you can blow into. I inspect its information. [Horn of The Forest] [Description: This horn was used by the Forest King to create an army of automaton wooden soldiers to protect his people from the invasion of the Arch-Demon Leviathan. This happened 1200 years before the first war. The Forest King saved his people and the kingdom that day, but it came at the cost of his own power and life force to fuel the Horn of The Forest. The Arch-Demon Leviathan was casted out of this world after his defeat by the Arch-Demon Pride and was the first upant of the underworld.] [Quality: Legendary] [Durability: Infinite] [Special requirements: You have to have an extreme amount of mana to use this weapon, if you don''t have the required mana you will use your life force instead. As a yer you could have your ount destroyed from using this item having to fulfill the conditions] [Do you wish to bind this item to you? Y/N] An actual legendary item and it doesn''t even have a level requirement. Every Legacy and higher item is unique with its own rules and requirements. They don''t follow the traditional scheme and workings of the ranking system. This item was never discovered in the future, I wont use this item because its a quest item and tailor made for a magician. I think no to the binding ability. I can see why Baron Jackson wants it, I just hope he can find a use for such a demanding weapon. I ce it in my inventory and the most annoying thing happens and its the one thing I cant control. Sometimes I wonder if Blue Chaos was annoyed as I am right now. [World-wide Announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael has found the first legendary item out of all the yers!] [World Mission Announcement: The church of light wants any information regarding The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. They have increased their rewards! They are now willing to give ss upgrades!] [World Mission Announcement: The church of the darks ones want any information regarding The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. They have increased their rewards! They are now willing to give gold rewards!] I wont be keeping the legendary item and I don''t like the fact that I now have an even bigger target on my back now. I then get a new system notification. Hopefully this makes up for this mess. [You are the first yer to find a legendary item] [Do you wish to ept the hidden rewards? Y/N] I never heard of this before and I am sure nobody wrote it in the forums. That means the first person to do this kept it a secret. I think yes and I am mind blown by the rewards for such a thing. [For being the first person to find a legendary item you will receive 2 new perks] [Finder of Legends - Passive] [Description: You will have a huge increase in potential powerful item drops and finding them in the world.] [The divine who has legend - Passive] [Description: You are an incredible existence to the NPC''s and yers of Ancients World. +100 to all stats.] I have to open my stats panel to make sure I am not getting joked around with. My heart flutters when I read it. [yer (Zern) Lvl.7] [Exp: 5090/9000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 305] [Endurance - 255] [Dexterity - 260] [Speed - 255] [Focus - 255] [Mana: 2550/2550] [Health: 2240/2240] [Stat Points: 0] [Armor rating: 320] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.2 0/200 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.1 25/100 (Active) - sh Lvl.7 200/700 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive)] I can''t believe my eye''s at what I just got to see. The divine who has legend perk is probably the same thing that helped Blue Chaos so much in the beginning, he must of had a legendary item and his divine ss. He had an announcement just like the one I had so that means I have more pieces to the power behind Blue Chaos. The sneak never wrote about it in his forum. Now all I got to do is get out of here and talk to the NPC that gave me the sub-quest. I can''t help being curious with what is in the main chamber now. I might think about going in there. I''ll think about it as I walk down this long staircase. Chapter 14: The Ancient ruins of the Dryads IV

Chapter 14: The Ancient ruins of the Dryads IV

I finish walking down the stairs and Ie to the decision that I wont investigate the main chamber. I am still in the east wing and there is one other ce I want to explore. The map that man gave me says Elenore''s room is in the west wing. This could provide more lore about the events that urred here. I go the same way back and instead of going out the exit I continue west. I make it to an identical staircase and I climb to the 4th floor like the map indicates. Once I make it there I run into 2 Sentinel Guards. They are the exact same ones that I fought on the other side of this massive structure. I''ll be fighting 2 powerful enemies at once and I just received the power boost not to long ago. I''ll y it safe and activate protected by heaven and heavens light to deal with these 2 quickly. I start hitting the closest one with shbos. [You are immune to all damage for 10 minutes] [Sentinel Guard Lvl.15 Elite] 70,000/70,000 HP -15,531.25 -15,531.25 -15,531.25 I cripple its health fast and hit it for 46,593.75. I don''t see how the guard willst any longer and I hit him with another shbo to finish off this first one. They are trying to do damage to me, but my immunity is literally bouncing their swords off me. -15,531.25 -15,531.25 +2,000 exp +500 sh mastery +150 protected by heaven mastery +150 heavens light mastery His health hits zero and I still have one more left to deal with. The next one I kill will drop enough exp for me to level up. I wouldn''t doubt that the best yers and strongest guilds are on my tail in terms of levels right now. They don''t have this ce and this quests however. By the time I am done with turning the sub-quest in I''ll be hitting double digits in levels. [Sentinel Guard Lvl.15 Elite] 70,000/70,000 HP -15,531.25 -15,531.25 -15,531.25 -15,531.25 I hit him with myst sh from the one I had left from the other guard and then hit him with a newbo after the cooldown lifted. These guards are more like machines, puppets programed to do their duty till they can no longer move. He only has 7,875 health left so I hit him with one regr non-skill attack. Just my normal attack is enough to finish him off. I only need to hit him once with heavens light activated. -8,875 +2,000 exp +500 sh mastery +150 protected by heaven +150 protected by light [You have leveled up] [Heavens Light has leveled up] [Protected by Heaven has leveled up] The hallway is clear and my skills deactivate now that I am out ofbat. Elenore''s room is located in the verystst room on the left. I take the time to look at my new stats while walking down the hall. [yer (Zern) Lvl.8] [Exp: 90/10,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 305] [Endurance - 255] [Dexterity - 260] [Speed - 255] [Focus - 255] [Mana: 2550/2550] [Health: 2240/2240] [Stat Points: 10] [Armor rating: 320] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.3 150/300 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.3 25/300 (Active) - sh Lvl.8 500/800 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive)] Everything is looking much better than it was earlier and I am sure that I am strong enough to kill a level 10 dungeon boss. I don''t know how strong the creature in the main chambers is, but I am positive that is where the dungeon is at. After walking for a minute at most I reach Elenore''s room. I push open the door and I look into the room as if its worth millions. There are extravagant paintings of what I assume is the family and Elenore. Looking at her portrait she is extremely beautiful, what a horrible fate to endure. I see a bookshelf with books about alchemy and spells. Nothing out of the ordinary till I actually see a magical skill book. It is decent if I was a magic ss, but I''m not. No point in wasting money, this could sell for some gold I pick it up and put it in my bag. I wonder if Elenore had a diary as well, I don''t want to go through her things like I did with Melina. I do want to see if I can fill in the gaps that Melina left and see what happened through her perspective. I search her desk and I find a book that looks like a diary, I open it and its her diary. I do the same thing I did with Melina''s diary with this diary and I flip to thest pages. "Father has arranged a marriage with the king of Bellvia. I am to wed his son and the war between us will end. The dryads have suffered through so much, if I can stop this war by marrying someone I don''t know or love then that is fine. I hope the peace talks are going well today, father has been on edge since mother passed while fighting in this brutal war." Elenore was going to marry the prince of Bellvia, if I''m not mistaken that is a kingdom outside of the starter zone to the far north. The lore of the city is that it has always had peace since the beginning of its creation. Obviously that is lie based off these diaries, I remember Bellvia focuses on magic more than anything else. I turn my head to the next page and start reading. "The prince has arrived today and he seems nice from the few words I have shared with him. He and father talk a lot. Sometime uncle Roderick speaks to Prince ke alone without anyone around. I only found this out by stumbling on them in the library once." Now that is very suspicious. Why would the kings brother be talking to an enemy in private. This is looking more insidious than I could have thought. I turn the page and these are thest 2 entries. "Prince ke and I spent time in the garden together. He suggested that we spend time to get to know each other before we get married. He was telling me about Bellvia and the war. As a prince he was in charge of leader some of the armies troops. He was telling me about the battles he has won and lost in our war against each other. It makes my heart ache knowing that innocent people are being ughtered." This entire thing was a ploy by the looks of it. I see why this entire n worked and I can see all the me going to this Roderick and king of Bellvia. I focus my eye''s on thest page and read her final entry. "Prince ke and I shared a kiss today. It is a shame that he has to head back to Bellvia and finalize the peace treaty with his father. I have grown to like him in a way. I really hope that this works out for both of our people. I cant see why there shouldn''t be peace. I have been extra tired today and I feel like taking a nap. I''ll go speak to father after I wake." A kiss was shared between the two of them before she fell asleep from the curse. Must be some sort of ancient magic lost to time because I never heard or seen of such a thing. This urred a very long time ago. Maybe 70 or so years after the first war, this was the time kingdoms were growing and expanding. The dryads where killed off in this race by Belliva. I receive a new notification that has a quest attached to it. [Quest: The false one] [Description: Find out the rest of the secret in Bellvia. The kingdom of the dryads was killed using a powerful curse. The church of light didn''t participate in war back then, but they made sure certain things didn''t happen by making them war crimes. Cursing a kingdom and its people is a severe war crime and must be revealed to the rest of the world.] [Hint: There is a possibility to undo the curse, no matter how powerful a curse is. It can always be broken or undone.] [Objective 1: Find out any information you can about Bellvia''s past] [Objective 2: Reveal the true history of what urred here and why the church of light at the time turned a blind eye] [Quality: Legendary] [Rewards: hidden] [Do you wish to ept this quest? Y/N] What incredible lore and history, never in my 5 years of ying did I have an opportunity for such an adventure. With the hint I received I can deduce that I may be able to do what I did with the fairy kingdom here. This will prove much more difficult that any task I have ever taken before and I cant help smiling at the challenge. I think yes and I have a new quest added to my interface, I will take some time after I get to level 50 to investigate. At my current power I doubt I could do anything significant. Bellvia is a capital city and I won''t have ess to it once I be level 10. Chapter 15: The Ancient ruins of the Dryads V

Chapter 15: The Ancient ruins of the Dryads V

After reading these 2 diaries I understand why they say you can find more than what your looking for on legacy and higher quests. I wonder if the old man would be interested in this book as well. I take onest look around this room and I feel so much pity for Elenore and her people, if there is a possibility to bring them back I should at least try. I make my way out of the bedroom as I put the diary of Elenore into my inventory. I look down the hallway I came from knowing I have everything I came for. It is starting to gette in the afternoon and I still need to meet up with my griffin. I approach the main door and I can see the entrance to the main chambers across from the door. There is something very powerful in there and I am not high enough level to take whatever it is on. A part of me is angry that I am not strong enough to enter the dungeon and face the creature inside. I turn away from it swallowing my pride and leaving. There is still sunlight out and I guess I may have another hour before dinner. I make my way down the long path back to the old man and I eventually have a view of the front door. I can also see my griffin waiting outside for me. I guess the man in this ce is capable of many things, he was also nice enough to bring my griffin here. I push open the door and I can see the same fire and man waiting there. "Thanks for bringing my griffin here for me. Saves me the time to go and meet up with him." The old man has a pipe in his mouth now sucking on tobo. The man looks over to me and smiles. "Not a problem young man. So how did it go in there?" I got everything I needed and I reach into my inventory and pull out 2 diaries, as I look back at him he looks as if I just scored very well on a test. I ce them next to him and close my inventory. He picks up Melina''s and starts to read it himself. He starts from the beginning though. "I read the diary as well and it only shed a little bit of light on the history of this ce. I figure that maybe Elenore''s diary would answer some of the questions that were left unanswered by Melina." He nods with a wise look on his face as I speak. He takes a long suck of his tobo pipe and blows out smoke. "I was wondering if you would go the extra mile and satisfy your curiosity. That is an important quality of any explorer, and you have done well. I can also see you gained a lot of strength in there. The most impressive thing to me is that you restrained yourself from going into the main chamber. That wisdom is what most do not have." I guess he was testing me for some reason. I get a notification from the system and I open it. [This NPC wishes to reveal all of his information with you] [Do you ept? Y/N] I look to the man for permission and he nods his head in approval. I think yes and I get to view all the information about a character instead of just there name, level, and health. I am bbergasted by what I see. [The Grandmaster Magician Wilmer Lvl.500 tier 10 Strategic Defense Mage] [Description: Wilmer is one of the strongest mages on the continent and is the leading authority in defense magic. Hees from the capital city Greshca, and this is where all the greatest magese from after learning from the ancient texts of Yemen. Wilmer is almost 200 years old, as a master of magic he can change his age. He prefers to look older to keep himself honest.] 14,000,000,000/14,000,000,000 HP This is the strongest NPC I have ever talked too. You can count the amount of Grandmaster Magicians alive right now on one hand. They all chose to do self imposed exile in search of greater knowledge. The lore stats every 25 years they meet for tea and discuss there findings over a week long period. The location of the event is hidden and impossible to know without asking one of the Grandmasters. "Wow Wilmer, you are truly a powerful man. I never would have thought I''d meet a Grandmaster Magician out here in my quest." Heughs out loud and closes the diary to talk to me. He set his pipe down to we can have a clear conversation. "yer Zern, it is so nice to talk to another person after so many year. I am d that you are a polite young man, I cant stand nobles and kings these days. Speaks too your character being so humble as The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. Others would parade around with that type of bloodline." I am d he thinks so, I am never one to pick fights with people or be disrespectful. I wasn''t raised to be that type of man. After a couple seconds of silence I get a system notification the same time Wilmer is reaching into his space storage. [Sub-quest: The Betrayal has beenpleted.] [Rewards] [25,000 exp] [Max reputation with Wilmer] [Seal of Grandmaster Wilmer] [You are the first person to level 10] [+45 to all stats] [Description: Use this seal at any magic based city and have top priority in everything] [You have leveled up twice] [You are now a very important person to Wilmer] Talk about insane rewards for helping an old magician with a sub quest. I''ll be keeping this seal for myself, I take this moment to see my new stats. I''m d there won''t be anymore world announcements about levels until every tier level up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.10] [Exp: 4180/12,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 350] [Endurance - 300] [Dexterity - 305] [Speed - 300] [Focus - 300] [Mana: 3000/3000] [Health: 2600/2600] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 375] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.3 150/300 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.3 25/300 (Active) - sh Lvl.8 500/800 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive)] I can pretty much dominate any yer no matter what gear they have at this point, my dungeon armor set has leveled up with me as well. I hear one of the things I hate the most in my entire life. Surprisingly it is only a little bit about me. I am d that the system measures peoples strength before they release there names in association with mine. Nobody can force Wilmer to do anything, not even the church. My secret is safe with Wilmer, I will have to be more wise on when I show this seal though. Smart ones can connect the dots. [World-wide Announcement: The Grandmaster Magician Wilmer has found thest pieces of his documents on ancient times! New spells and skills will be avable to the yers in 30 days and once they reach level 125! The Son of Arch-Angel Michael has provided invaluable help in this task and will have his identity protected by Wilmer and his allies!] [World mission announcement: The church of light will reward a legacy great sword for the location of The Grandmaster Magician Wilmer!] [World Mission announcement: The church of the dark ones will reward a legacy ss quest for the location of The Grandmaster Magician Wilmer!] I have everything I need now and all I need to ask him is if he has any information on Bellvia I can use. "Grandmaster Wilmer, do you have any information regarding the kingdom of Bellvia and its involvement with the dryads?" Wilmer looks at me with sharp and calcting eye''s, after a couple of seconds his expression softens and he reaches into his bag and pulls out a book. He hands it to me and I inspect it. [Diary of Fredrick Moris] [Description: This diary belonged to the Duke Fredrick Moris of Elinstein city, he was one of the 3 Dukes in Belliva''s country.] [Quality: Legacy] [Durability: NA] This looks like it will provide information on what I am looking for, it is very big however. "This belonged to one of the Dukes in the country of Bellvia. He was alive and in charge of Elinstein city during the time these other diary''s where being written. I never read more than a few pages because of how boring it was. I may be old, but I am short on patience often. Good luck yer Zern in your journeys, I''ll buy you a drink the next time we meet." After he said that his body began to float and a bright light fills the room. After I get my sight back I notice he is gone with everything I gave him. He left the fire for me which is nice. I figure now would be a good time to get off and get ready for dinner. I go outside and I bring the griffin in so he has a ce to stay that will be safe. I don''t think monsterse into the grounds so I have nothing to worry about. I log off after Iy down on my sleeping roll and I leave the game world as my game character sleeps. I don''t want to bete for family time so I leave myptop and head downstairs. Unknown to Cera, the threads are going crazy right now and a simr thing is happening in Ancients World. Chapter 16: Making some proud, others worried

Chapter 16: Making some proud, others worried

I am sitting with my family and dad has a very serious look on his face. He looks like he wants to address something, but he is hesitating. Mom is giving him a re and I can honestly not remember what happened here. "Honey if you don''t talk to her about it I will." Okay now I am having some inkling of a memory. I think this is when dad tries and forces Hailey to get a job to help pay the bills around here. Dad doesn''t look like he is going to speak, he has always had a soft spot for Hailey. Mom favors the sons more these days. "Fine, I''ll be the one to do it." When mom says that dad releases a big sigh and puts down his silverware. I look over to Hailey and I know what that look says. She is ready to fight this out to the bitter end, I''ll give her credit. She has be trying really hard to be an actress, but it isn''t working out. I think I can stop this clot in our family if I tell them I have an item worth millions. None of them understand or y the game so they won''t have a chance to find out my game identity. The problem would be my parents bragging. Marcus will eventually start to y, but that isn''t for awhile. Contemting this, I can save a meltdown of our family. I think I should at least see if it goes in the same direction asst time. "Hailey, your father and I have been really needing another paycheck in this house. Cera has been helping a lot and giving most of his to help. We need you to get a paying job and help us. I know how much you want to be an actress, but this family needs you." My parents try their hardest to give us a good life, I will be able to pay them back for all the things they have given us. Hailey puts her fork down and looks like she is ready to explode. She is a real brat sometimes, I wont say anything about my item till Hailey gets the reality check she needs right now. "I don''t want to work in some sweatybor job for the rest of my life! I have dreams to and I want to achieve them!!" I understand what she is saying, but when its time to sacrifice for the ones who took care of you. The ones that sacrificed for you, there needs shouldn''t be thrown to the side because its inconvenient for you. Mom just sighs and looks to dad for help. He takes a hard look at Hailey and it looks like his heart slightly brakes. "Your mother is right Hailey, you had so much time and opportunity to chase your dream. Now that it isn''t working we need you to start contributing to this family. Either you start to help us or you move out. We can''t afford to pay for 2 non working kids. Cera is helping and Marcus is way to young to get a job." Hailey looks like her world is falling apart. I remember this is when mom and Hailey really started going to war. I think now is a good time to interject and save this from happening again. Iy down my fork and clear my throat. "May I say something?" My parents look at me and then look at each other. "I promise that it will make this whole topic better." My father sighs and is about to say no, but my mom stops him holding up her hand. Mom is sitting next to me and dad is across from me with Hailey next to him. Marcus is on my other side. Mom grabs my arm and looks at me. "Go ahead and say what you want to say sweetie." She must think I have something to say, but not expecting that we will be multi-millionaires 2 days from now when the auction house opens and I sell this guild token. I smile and I take a look at Hailey. She looks at me betrayed, I have always supported her dreams. Now she thinks I am siding with mom and dad. It has been long enough that money caused conflict within our family. "As you know I have a new game and you have a basic knowledge of how the economy works." Mom looks a little disappointed that I am talking about my game, but now it is time that I drop the bomb. "While I was ying I came into a in game item that is very valuable." When I said those words they got everyone''s attention except Marcus. "The item I got is worth millions in real world currency. I n to sell the item in 2 days when the auction house opens up. All the riches and biggest corporations will be betting huge sums of money for it. All of that will go to me, we wont have to worry about making money ever again." My father looks like he is about to throw up. Mom on the other hand is trying and failing to hold tears in. She grips my hand super hard as heavy tears fall from her eye''s. "Are you serious Cera. You will get millions from it...." She is balling right now as she stands up and hugs me while I am still sitting in my chair. I stand up and my moms feet leave the floor since I am so much taller than her. "We will get millions from it...." She weeps harder when I say those words. I look over to dad as I hug my mom. "You should start looking for a bigger house in a safer neighborhood. Let me know how much debt we have and I''ll be sure that you get enough to pay it off." My mom crushes me even more after I said that and I''ll admit. She is strong for such a small woman. As the Adamo family is having a change of life and new happinessing in just a few days. The church of light is in a crisis. The Pope has called an emergency meeting to enlist any help he can in finding Wilmer. The meeting is open and there is total silenceing from the rulers as they wait for The Pope to start talking about what they already know a little bit about. "I am getting tired of failing in my mission to find and protect him...." The Pope sounds sleep deprived. He was checking all his sources on locating Cera. The Saintess looks down in shame. They are the church of light, how could they not find a single person. Granted this person is extraordinary and wanting to stay hidden, but that is no excuse in locating a person with their resources. They could find out exactly where a person is with there seers, but the gods in heaven are preventing anything from being seen. "How can we not locate someone who will easily stand out if he shows even an ounce of his power in a public settings!! 2 people know who he is!! One refuses toe out of hiding because they reside in the country ruled by Herold!!! The other is out of our authority of power and cannot be forced here to tell us!!! *SLAM!!!*" The Pope ms the table he is sitting at in anger of the level of ipetence that is being shown. He shames the name of Pope and his ancestors legacy. Gregory is the first one to speak out at the statement the Pope made. "We are not looking for an ordinary person here. I get how badly the church wants to locate him, but at this point in time we will have to win this war and not kill the person who knows about Arch-Angel Michaels son. With the terms that the church has given us and the deadlock this war is in we can do absolutely nothing in terms of progress." The words that Gregory says is true and everyone knows it. The Pope releases a giant sigh and rubs his forehead. "I don''t me any of you. This is a shame that I alone bare. Some Pope I am...." Everyone can hear the pain and sadness in his voice. Everyone at this meeting is personal friends with Alexander and know how serious he is about things like this. They can''t do anything except wait for the deadlock to lift. They now have to address something that the system said. To them is was a message from heaven. "I am sure you are all in the loop regarding the news we got some time ago. We are not sure what the legendary item is, but I can tell you all that if youe across anyone with such an item contact us immediately. Such things are special and it will surely be a sign that we have the right person." As The Pope continues to talk, the kingdom of Zenith is trying their hardest now that the church isn''t in their country and the surrounding kingdoms are keeping their distance. As the meeting continues in Ancients world thepanies and guilds invested into expanding there profits into yers like Cera are having there own type of discussion. This isn''t the focus however, the one who is having a serious talk with the director of yer privacy is the focus. COO James Raymond, is the one in charge of most things that happen day to day. "I get that the system isn''t telling you anything!! I want to know why you have lost controlpletely regarding this yer!!" A heated secret is being talked about right now, but that is a different story for another day. Chapter 17: An incredible encounter

Chapter 17: An incredible encounter

I got to give the greatest gift a child could to there parentsst night. I could hardly sleepst night after such a happy scene. Never in my life had our entire family shared a moment of pureplete happiness. It is the next day and I have a long journey ahead of me today, I told my parents I won''t be making dinner tonight since I n to put in serious hours today. I hop into my gaming pod and enter Ancients World, I wake up in my bed roll and the sun is just starting toe into the room I stayed in for the night. I look over and see the griffin is also getting up and taking care of its feathers. I pack things up so it can finish its morning routine and get ready. "Lets head back to Blue Grass." The griffin understands and we head outside and I hop on its back. He spreads his wings and we take off. Now that we are good and high I can see miles of the beautiful snow capped mountains and forests filled with tall powerful trees. The clouds are think and fluffy as the griffin goes through them. I can feel the wind and cold on my face as I spread my arms enjoying this amazing morning. As I am enjoying myself an Announcement rings throughout the world. [World-wide Announcement: There will be a newly added feature to Ancients World in theing Auction house in 48 hours from now!] The announcement continued for its usual 1 minute and 30 seconds so everyone hears it. I can only think how big the forums are getting right now. Once I sell this guild token at the auction house I can honestly say that my family will never have a financial problem again. It really is nice to not be the one in the world announcement for a change. Thinking about it this journey has provided me with a huge power boost and I even came out of it with a legendary quest. We fly high for many hours and are making better time back since we know where we are going and I am very light. I suddenly feel the most powerful creature I have ever felt up ahead and as I am about to let the griffin know I notice it has a calm attitude, like it knows something I don''t. As wee out of the clouds I am shocked to see a huge dragon soaring above us. It is almost the same size as the capital cities. Dragons are not your average existence in Ancients World. You can fight them if you wish, but they are generally reclusive not wanting to be disturbed. They can also talk to humans, most dragons are the type to be peaceful. There are some that are evil, but they are even harder to find since most have been imprisoned by powerful lower gods or deities. I wonder why this one has decided toe out and actually show itself to someone. I try and inspect it, but I get the expected thing. [You are too weak to view this creatures stats] [This mysterious dragon felt you trying to inspect it] [This creature is strong enough to view all your information] After about 15 seconds the dragon that is flying above us quickly dives down and is now below us. He carefully approaches from below and now I am looking into his eye that is the same size as the griffin. "What brings you all the way out here little angel?" Instead of a he, its a she. This dragon has a lovely tone to her voice. I don''t want to be rude to such a creature so I quickly answer. "I was sent on a quest to find the Horn of the Forest in the Ancient ruins of the Dryads. I am on my way back to Blue Grass to turn it in." As I say that she lightly squints her giant eye at me. Looking at her she is a beautiful mix of light gray, light blue, and white. I don''t know what type of dragon she is without seeing her information. I don''t even know her name. [This creature is seeing if you are telling the truth] Her huge mouth turns up into a smile. "I appreciate your honesty little angel. I will leave you with some knowledge. Be sure to trust in your power, you are not even scratching the surface yet. I''ll be keeping an eye on you." As she said that a notification pops into my interface. [The Mysterious dragon will be watching you from now on] [The Mysterious dragon likes it a lot that you were honest with her] [You are an important friend and person to the Mysterious dragon] Powerful creatures are capable of such things. I, at least, want to know her name before she disappears. "Wait! Before you go can you at least tell me your name?" She looks at me with an eye smile. I feel good since she didn''t take disrespect too that. "How could I forget that. My name is Nelli, I am the first born daughter of the Dragon King Vendris. It has been nice meeting you, son of Michael." I am left inplete awe. The Dragon King Vendris is the strongest non-deity creature in Ancients World and I just met his daughter. She slows down a little bit and goes lower than us before pping her huge wings and taking off way ahead of us as she gains altitude. As I am left thinking about this I am brought out by my annoyance from an announcement. [World-wide Announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael has gotten the attention of Dragon King Vendris!] [World-wide Announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is now an important person and friend to the first born daughter of Vendris and princess of all dragons Nelmorphius!] [World mission Announcement: Both the church of light and the church of the dark ones have increased the rewards for any information on The Son of Arch-Angel Michael!] I listen to the announcement ring out and I know for a fact that this is going to cause a lot of problems with others in the future. We continue flying for a few more hours and I can now see the city of Blue Grass in the distance. After another 5 or so minutes of flying the griffinnds in the stables and the stable boy take care of it. I give it my thanks and it lowers its head in acknowledgement of my words. I walk the rest off the way to the Baron''s estate and I am let in by the guards with no trouble. I make it to the door and Charles is already waiting for me. "How can I help you yer Zern?" Once I am in front of him I pull out the quest and he knows what it is right away. "Follow me yer Zern, the Baron is looking forward to what you have brought back." I follow him into the mansion and I am led to the Barons office. He then takes me to the secret room with all the maps and ns. I can see that the Baron is talking to some other powerful people in the room. Once he notices me he tells the others they are done for now and waves for me toe over. "So were you able to find the horn?" I give a slight grin as I reach into my inventory and pull out the powerful legendary weapon. "You actually found it! Do you realize how many lives you just saved!!" Talk about excitement. I didn''t think nobility can act in such a way. I don''t want to burst his bubble, but he needs to inspect it himself. "Don''t get to excited yet. Read its information." As I say that he does and I watch his smile slowly fade. I get that, but if he can find someone powerful enough to use it then he should have no problem. He continues reading and is now scowling from the demands the horn makes to use its power. "Damn, I didn''t think this would be the price for using such a thing. Well, youpleted your quest and I''ll say you earned your rewards." As he says that I get lots of system notifications. [You havepleted the quest: The Old ones] [Rewards] [60,000 exp] [4,000 gold] [+5 levels as first person toplete a Legacy quest] [You have leveled up nine times] I waste no time and I check out my new stats. I am very impressed with what I see. I guess it is true what they say about the rewards. They are insane. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 7180/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 350] [Endurance - 300] [Dexterity - 305] [Speed - 300] [Focus - 300] [Mana: 3000/3000] [Health: 2600/2600] [Stat Points: 120] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.3 150/300 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.3 25/300 (Active) - sh Lvl.8 500/800 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive)] I didn''t know I would have gotten 5 yer levels afterpleting this. I can say for certain that I will be impossible to catch if I just keep the grind up. I then hear an annoying announcement that should have gone off when I turned level 10, but it decided to go of now. [World-wide Announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is the first yer that can now leave the starting areas and explore the world!] [World-wide Announcement: Both the church of light and the church of the dark ones have increased the rewards for any information on The Son of Arch-Angel Michael! They will now actively search and track him since he is not confined to the country of Zenith!] I bet the forums are blowing up right now. I am now able to use my better silver sword and Dead''s Bane. I can also start dual wielding. This can effectively double damage and now I can melt elites at my level or lower. I won''t be able to get anymore levels in blue grass or around here. I think heading south to Vedersfall is a good idea. Has great epic level quests and is at my level. As everything is done announcing Baron Jackson turns to me as he received the announcements from the churches magic. "I take it you wont be staying in Blue Grass?" This is guy is smart, I hope that he seeds in whatever he and his allies are nning with this rebellion. I look at him with a smile. "If I wish to grow stronger I''ll need to head to other ces. Thanks for all the help Baron." Heughs really hard as I say that. He regathers himself and looks at me with a red face. "I should be the one thanking you, with this item we can save millions of soldiers and innocent people in the rebellion against Herold." I nod and I reach out my hand and we shake. I say nothing more and leave the mansion and property. There is one more ce I want to stop by first, she will probably want to see me and talk for awhile before I leave months at a time. Chapter 18: Last night in Blue Grass

Chapter 18: Last night in Blue Grass

Now that all I am ready to leave and go to Vedersfall I should go visit Amelia since this is going to be thest time I am around for awhile. She is the one that gave me my divine ss, I owe her more than I could describe. Walking around the beautiful city you can tell that it has had an up flow in money since the yers are grinding beyond the needs of the NPC''s of this world. Lots of stores have opened up and new people areing and going even during this time of day. The sun is setting beyond the walls of the city and mountains in the distance. I make my way to the poverty district and see the road that leads to the orphanage. I walk up the road and I knock on the front door. "Just a minute!" I hear her from the other side as kids yell and y. Must be chaos in there. After a few seconds it stops and I hear here to the door. "Oh! This is a lovely surprise!" She looks to be much happier and seems to be full of energy. I''m d that I havee here today, looking around I can see this ce is in rougher shape thanst time I was here. She invites me in and we sit at the table. "So what have you been up totely?" Now that the kids have settled down and are in there beds talking to each other, we have time. I wonder if she would be okay with the stories I have to tell. I have been on quite the adventure thest few days. I contemte what I should tell her first. Starting at the gue cave sounds like a good idea. "The day after we meet I went into the wilds to train and get stronger." The NPC''s don''t understand the concept of experience. That''s why they grow cautious of us in a few years from our rapid growth and power. Amelia gives me a look of worry, if it was up to her I would have stayed here with her. She looks like she is about to say something, but I interrupt her with the continuation of my story. "After going a few miles into the wilds I came across an old cave and fought an undead schr." As soon as I said that she gets up mming the table in protest at just the beginning of my story. She has a serious expression and is preparing a response. "You better have turned back like a good boy...." The way she says that sends chills up and down my spine. Talk about a scary woman. I should just rip the bandage off quick. After she calms down and I remain silent I continue with my story. "I''m sure you heard some of the updates from the church while I was at the Kingdom of the fairies and the Ancient ruins of the Dryads. Before I took care of those I killed an Elemental in an old house out in the forest." She looks ready to explode. I stop her by raising my hands like you would for the cops. She cools down after that. "After I took care of the Elemental I went to the kingdom of the fairies and fought a Demon Guardian. That was a close call if I have anything to say about it." She gets up and smacks the side of my head. She looks like she is about to cry and has a quivering lip. "How could you just fight a Demon and joke about almost dying!!" I can see some tears welling up in the corner of her eye''s. I think the only reason she doesn''t smack me more is because I revived the fairy kingdom with the defeat of the Demon Guardian. "I swear if you did anything else as stupid as that I won''t let you leave this house!!" I can easily tell she cares about me a lot. Reminds me of my mother from my world. I rub the side of my head, I didn''t lose any health. It still hurt though, I should just give an abbreviation of the rest of my journey as to not worry her. "Long story short, I went on a big adventure and met a Grandmaster Magician as well as a dragon princess named Nelmorphius. She likes Nelli for short." She heard most of my big aplishments through the churches announcements. Amelia looks like she''s ready to hit me again, maybe I should have been more tactful with my exnation. It is getting reallyte and I want to do one more thing for her. "Here, this is for you to help with anything you need." I take out the gold reward I got from yesterday and give her 3500 gold of the 4000 I got. I won''t need this much gold this early in the game. As I say that I get a system notification. [Amelia is extremely moved my what you have just done] [Arch-Angel Michael and The Almighty Father are proud of your kind full and selfless act] I look at Amelia and she is weeping almost as much as my mom did when I told her about the millions we will have. "My sweet boy..." I can feel myself getting choked up as well. This will undoubtedly help with everything she needs to make this a better home. It''s more important to me that the ones I care about are taken care of. She leaps onto me and squeezes the life out of me. I am d that I can bring happiness to people who really need it. "If you need anything I''ll do my best to make it happen." She can go to the local church and pay them to contact me via magic. It works simrly to the mail the yers get to use. "Is it alright if I stay here for the night. I''ll be heading to Vedersfall tomorrow to continue to get stronger." She finishes hugging me and wipes her tears away. She smiles and leads me to a room I can sleep in. "Don''t forget to say goodbye to me before you leave tomorrow. I want to at least feed you before you head out." She is a great person for these kids to have. They need someone that cares as much as Amelia does. Iy down on the bed and think about the things I need to do in Vedersfall. I know there is an epic grade trial quest that rewards you based on your performance. I remember all the details from the forums posts and I know for a fact that I will undoubtedly use the reward for a very long time. It will be a long journey to Vedersfall. 3000 square miles and plus another 800 once I am out of the wilds is a big task without a mount. This is just what us yers have to deal with till we are high enough levels to purchase a mount. I know the general path and roads to take, but it would be wise of me to get a map so I don''t get lost on ident. 2 days from now the auction house will open world wide and I can sell this guild token. One of the best features of the guild house is that if you pay a t rate you can auction from anywhere in the world without actually going to the house. I am d that it keeps the sellers identity hidden and safe. People could probably connect the dots and find out who I am other wise. I can now use two swords at the same time and they are both great against certain tough enemies. Once I get to Vedersfall I should talk to the Hermit Flint. He has some pretty good unique quests that will help me keep my lead on everyone. Most hardcore yers are pushing level 11 and are preparing to leave. Right now they level twice as fast as me thanks to my half exp ss debuff. I have an advantage though. I know where a lot of great gear and weapons are for the early levels. My sap armor shouldst me till 30 or 35, but I should still keep my eye out for good gear that I have no knowledge of. I think now is a good time to log off and go hang out with my family. I missed dinner tonight, but I do want to spend time with the family that I lost. I won''t waste any moment I have with them. I get out of my gaming pod and head to the bathroom and take a shower. I have ns for tomorrow and I should leave that for the tomorrow me. I head downstairs and hang out with my family. Now that I think about it, the postunch interviews are the same day as the release of the auction house. I wonder how much they are going to talk about it. Chapter 19: The adventure to Vedersfall I

Chapter 19: The adventure to Vedersfall I

I am sitting on the couch with my family going though the channels and I can feel intense tension between my mom and sister. I don''t know why, I thought the news about my item would make them stop fighting. I was wrong though, they seem to be having a silent war of looks and bodynguage. My sister rolls her eye''s at mom and I know for a fact that doing that to mom is signing your death warrant. "DON''T YOU ROLL YOUR EYE''S AT ME YOUNG LADY!!!!" Mom is overe with anger and rage. Mom gets up from her chair to yell at her some more. "JUST BECAUSE WE WILL HAVE MONEY DOESN''T MEAN YOU CAN KEEP ACTING THIS WAY!!!" Mom is on a roll right now and nobody is going to step up and stop her. Finally dad gets up and gets between mom and Hailey so the fight doesn''t get physical. "Okay honey, I think she understands your point." Mom turned her fury from Hailey onto dad. I witness something I have never seen in my life. Mom raises her hand and ps dad across the face hard. I am stuck in my spot and frozen. Everyone one else is too, dad has no idea what to say. This is the first time this has ever happened before. Even in the future this didn''t happen, another thing that has changed with my actions. "I AM TIRED OF YOU SPOILING HER ROTTEN!!! EITHER SHE GETS HER ACT TOGETHER OR SHE IS OUT OF THE HOUSE!!! IF YOU TRY AND INTERFERE IN ANYWAY YOU WILL BE JOINING HER!!!" As mom finishes yelling she storms off upstairs and goes into her room. Hailey is very shaken right now, I don''t know what she is thinking. It might be fear of getting kicked out and not getting saved by dad. I look over to Marcus and he is ready to cry. I walk over to him and lean down in front of him. "Lets go and give some privacy for dad and sis." I pick him up and head upstairs as I hear Hailey and dad start talking. I don''t want Marcus seeing stuff like this. I take him to his room and set him down, I go to my room and grab myptop. I ce it on the bed so he can watch T.V. I use this opportunity to go to my parents room and knock on the door. I don''t hear anything except for silent sobbing. "It''s Cera, I just wanted to make sure that your doing okay...." I hear silence and no sign of the door being opened for me. "Dad is talking to Hailey downstairs. Marcus is using myptop to watch his cartoons, if you need anything I''ll be in my room." I walk away from the door and head to my bedroom. Iy on my bed and pull out my phone. I scroll through social media tforms and watch some video feeds of yers clearing dungeons on the forums. I love how you can record your gamey and post it so others can see your fights from your perspective. It really helped the DDVR market when is was first invented 40 years ago. It was pretty bare bones back then, but the foundation for this global market wasid in those days. Now everyone with an inte connection is trying to y this game. In a year or so Ancients World will be the most valuable thing on the, and the highest level yers and strongest guilds will be worth trillions. I know for a fact that the corporations and guilds that make livings off games like Ancients World are worth tens if not hundreds of billions, you can see the hard work of building the guilds throughout the history of DDVR''s. The biggest titans in this industry started when the first DDVR''s came out and haven''t looked back. I am starting to fall asleep with my phone in my hand. That is a clear sign it is night night time. I get in my pajama''s and get in my sheets. I sleep throughout the night like I usually do, and now is the time to get to grinding. No breakfast for me today and I am excited for this new adventure. I hop in my gaming pod and load into the world. I wake up in the same bed I fell asleep in and the sun is rising just like it would in the real world. I can hear kids already up and making noise. I walk out of my room and walk into the kitchen. I can smell the delicious food and see that Amelia is making a meat stew with vegetables. I know for a fact food taste real like my world, you can eat it and not go hungry. Another cool thing about Ancients World is food and water are important. They won''t kill you, but there are heavy debuffs. I can see the table is already set and ready for us. I sit down and eat my food while telling the kids stories of my adventures. Pretty soon I am done and I am ready to head off. Amelia walks me down the road and is crying again at having to see me go. "Promise that you will be careful and always reply to my messages and visit when you can." She sounds like a mom would if there kid was leaving for college. I bring her in a hug and make sure I put love into it, I have grown to really care for the woman. "I promise, I have to go now. Tell the kids I''ll bring them back presents the next time Ie back." We say our goodbyes and she watches me walk away. Pretty soon I am almost back to themercial district. I know the things I need to take with me, first things first is a map so I don''t get lost. I make it to the cartographers shop and enter. I talk to the nice old man and I get a great quality map and pay 5 gold. This would be an impossible price for most yers right now, I kept 500 gold so I can pay for expenses. Now I need to make sure my equipment is good and repaired. My swords don''t need any work so I sell my steel sword back for some bronze pieces. Now all I got to do is head out and make my way to Vedersfall. I make my way to the gate and notice some yersing and going. I can see the main road packed with carts and merchants. I can''t wait till the teleportationwork is open to the yers at level 50. It will make traveling to discovered ces easier. Until then its walking for us, I walk down the road and make my way deep into the wilds. Pretty soon I see only stray carts here and there. Monsters are smart by not going to the main road. Monsters prefer weaker targets that are alone, and carts always travel together with an escort. Now that I am on my way I can really n my next moves with all this free time. My first goal for when I reach Vedersfall is doing the epic trial quest for its unique reward. Once that is done I talk to the old Hermit Flint and finally grind my way to level 30. The dungeons out near Vedersfall have lots of enemies within them. It''s one of the best ces on the continent to grind. I could run at my top speed and get there in half the time, but that would cause hunger, water, and a fatigue debuff. Things you don''t want when traveling long distances. Conserving energy and food is the smart thing to do. I check my stats so I can see where I will stand against the higher leveled creatures. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 1450/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 350] [Endurance - 300] [Dexterity - 305] [Speed - 300] [Focus - 300] [Mana: 3000/3000] [Health: 2335/2335] [Stat Points: 120] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.3 150/300 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.3 25/300 (Active) - sh Lvl.8 500/800 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive)] I should look for more active skills when I reach Vedersfall. The passive perks are wonderful, but all they are is passive. I''ll save up my skill points till I get in a fight that requires them. I''ll be the first yer in Vedersfall. I might even be the first yer to enter another city period. Others are probably looking to leave there starter cities, but don''t have a map. That 5 gold is a boon to most yers. The major guilds have probably scrounged enough together and are preparing as well. Then I hear a wonderful system announcement. It actually isn''t about me this time, it will spill trouble for the yers however. [World-wide Announcement: The armies of Zenith are amassing in force for war! The kingdom''s involved are now preparing the war council earlier than expected and yers are weed to go to there choice of sides war council! yers must be at least level 50 tier 1 to participate!] I guess the war is going to be happening. I got out of Blue Grass at the right time. I won''t worry about Amelia because Baron Jackson is helping and a head figure in the rebellion. The Enemy kingdoms will surely spare it for the aid it can provide. I hope that they find a person who can use that horn. If they can this war will be over quickly. Chapter 20: The adventure to Vedersfall II

Chapter 20: The adventure to Vedersfall II

[Only one chapter today, I received some sound advice on discord about pacing myself. I hope you all have a good day!!] The open road is peaceful this time of day and it is still morning time. Looking at this map I have 2 options. I can take the long way around and avoid a dangerous part of the wilds. My other option is cutting through the wilds and cutting my journey by 80%. It would normally be suicide to cut through the wilds, but I am almost level 20. The strongest I''lle across is a Level 15 elite, having the advantage in levels is a good thing. I would block damage corresponding to my armor rating, but I always dodge. The reason my opponents don''t block my attack is because my attacks are too powerful. Trying to absorb 4,650 damage from dual wielding my silver sword and dead''s bane. Since I am dual wielding you will have to multiple that by 2. I do 9,300 t damage without using my skills, if the armor isn''t strong enough to resist that then it will ignore armor. Most of the major guilds have found out this mechanic already. Having the weapons and gear that I have makes a huge difference. I can honestly say that no one in there right mind would believe that I could do this much damage so early into the game. This is why I am contemting cutting through the wilds. There is one big problem here though, I could get very lost and extend my journey by even more. There is also the chance that I could get killed in my sleep, this is a multiday journey. I can''t afford to lose levels so early in the game, I''ll be set back and struggle to recover such huge amounts of exp. Blue Chaos was truly a prodigy since he aplished so much despite starting 2 yearster. As I am thinking about all my ns and options I hear a world-wide announcement. I smile because its actually about someone else. I can''t help being happy since this will divert the attention from me. I remember hearing this announcement in the future too. I guess my actions haven''t affected this. [World-wide announcement: A yer has discover and received the Legendary ss: Abyss Walker! This is a one of a kind ss and will not be essible to other yers!] [World Mission: The master mages of Greshca are offering a reward for any information on The Abyss Walker! Go to the local branch in your city if you have anything!] Its seems the masters of Greshca city are interested in The Abyss Walker. This is the same city that Wilmer came from. Masters are 1 rank lower than Grandmaster, they domand great power and authority in the mages world though. The church of light is in charge of armies and kingdoms, they have no authority over mage unions and institutes. They are there own branch of power in this world. A legendary ss is very powerful, one rank below mine. Every ss above legacy has its own rules and stiptions. One legendary ss will have different rulespared to another. The Abyss Walker is a magical ss as well. It is said all magical power came from the Abyss, I have divine power from my angelic blood. These are 2 different forces, Abyss is the origin point for all mortal magic. While divine magic was created directly from The Almighty Father. It is said when The Almighty Father create Gaia and the Overworld he used the power from the Abyss to give Gaia its own properties and power. This way Gaia wouldn''t inherit the power of Overworld, and wouldn''t be consumed by the underworld. It isn''t stronger than divine power, but it is much morepatible to magic spells and abilities. You can''t even measure its power or shape it until you take some from the Abyss. That''s why The Abyss Walker is such a revered magical ss, the person who holds the ss can manipte the Abyss directly. Other mages use Gaia as a conduit and Gaia forms it in the way the spell was designed. Therefore depowering it, most yers wille to fear the person who got this ss. I remember that the yer who got this was called Stubbed Toe. I will admit it isn''t an intimidating gamer tag, but when you y gamers you can call yourself whatever you please. I heard that this guy was quite theedian when not in a battle. I wonder what city he spawned into, in the future he never posted the steps on how he got it. Thinking about all this I have gone off track from my original problem. I should check my inventory and make sure I have enough supplies to cut through the wilds. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 7180/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 350] [Endurance - 300] [Dexterity - 305] [Speed - 300] [Focus - 300] [Mana: 3000/3000] [Health: 2600/2600] [Stat Points: 120] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.3 150/300 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.3 25/300 (Active) - sh Lvl.8 500/800 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive)] I look at the inventory tab and think open. I then see a list of all my supplies and gear. [Inventory] [20x water rations] [10x food rations] [Silver sword req. Lvl.10] [Quality: Umon] [Damage: 500] [Durability: 250/250] [Dead''s Bane req. Lvl.10] [Damage: 650] [Quality: Rare] [Durability: 250/250] [Unique effect: Twice as effective on undead] [Complete Dungeon armor set: Hardened Sap] I maxed out how much food and water I can carry. 1 Ration is each too 3 meals a day, so I packed plenty for the journey. You can only carry so many items till they overflow into your yer bank, but that won''t be implemented till a month into the game. Right now loot and items are so scarce that yer aren''t even close to filling up there inventory. The more I think about it the more tempted I am to cut through the wilds. If I do go through I''ll have to find a good spot to sleep. Making up my mind I decide to go through the wilds to cut my journey down by multiple days. As Cera is preparing to change course in a few more miles others are making ns of there own. The guild leader of Willow Tree, Wilted Rose, is having a conversation with her vicemander Cracked Shell. "We will move out tomorrow, our guild has scrounged up enough gold to buy 100 maps. All of our top 100 yers will be moving in mass to the country of Smander kingdom. There are credible rumors that say a roaming world boss is there." A roaming world boss is a powerful boss creature that roams the world, there are some legendary and divine ss creature that do this. Nelli would be ssified as a legendary roaming boss, but dragons are unique. Roaming world bosses can drop unique and powerful item, but you will need a lot of strong allies fighting to take it down. Even a level 25 roaming world boss can push 4.5 million health points. With there higher life ratings they can pretty much rival any NPC below tier 5 no matter there level. The highest level world boss was level 400 tier 8 and was pushing 500 billion health. During that special circumstance NPC''s and yers teamed up and took it on. That is pretty far into the future though, it would be after the first expansion pack. Cracked Shell looks to his guild leader with some apprehension. "We are taking a huge risk by doing this, we could end up team wiping and 100 of our best yers lose a level a piece." He understands the value that a boss and opportunity like this holds, but he has to be the voice of reason here. Wilted Rose looks at her vicemander and gives a deep sigh. "I know the risks Mitchell, but this will set up something that the other top guilds don''t have. We will put it into every yers mind that this is the ce to be. I also want to collect valuable data on the type of loot it drops. We have gotten some good stuff from dungeons, but our guild will need what we get from this boss." You can''t aplish anything without taking risks. This is a bold move and it may or may not pay off. As they continue their talks Gregory is talking with the kings of white rock and Borealis. Everyone brought there best warriors and generals to this meeting to discuss things. "I wish we could all be meeting under better circumstances, but with Zenith on the move it is only a matter of time before conflict will ur." He is speaking to the whole room, but he is only looking at two other people. Drake Tritan the III, king of white rock. As well as Franklin Forhall the V, king of Borealis. Both very young rules. Neither of them are older than 26,pared to Gregory''s 37 these are still learning kings. Nobody wishes for war, but it is a great learning opportunity for younger nobles and warriors. Chapter 21: The Adventure to Vedersfall III

Chapter 21: The Adventure to Vedersfall III

With the war council going on there is also panicing from the church. The Pope is talking to the rulers present about the things that are happening. "With this warmencing we are now free to search thends of Zenith for The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. There is a major problem though, we have been getting reports of these new people leaving the ces they showed up at. There is a good chance that the one we are looking for is also leaving Blue Grass. I want all the kingdoms to be on high alert and have checkpoints for peopleing and going." The Pope is determined to find the son. As this meeting goes on, Cera is also at the crossroad that cuts through the wilds or goes around it. I close my map and move into the wilds, I can''t sense anything dangerous in the immediate area. I am sure the deeper I get the more monsters there will be. Hopefully they kill each other and I can just avoid anybat. Monsters are territorial in Ancients World, wolves will defend there area from a bear. If I happen toe across such an event they wont stop what there doing just to attack me. It is a nice mechanic that takes some of the danger away. After I get deep into the wilds I can feel the temperature drop along with the sun. I have felt an extreme power to my east, I don''t know what it is. I have never felt something like ths, not even when I meet Nelli. I will steer clear of whatever it is hopefully. My path doesn''te close to it, I should really set up camp and log off for the night. It''s probably 8 or 9 right now. I get to a safe ce on high ground and when I finish setting up my camp I take a few to look at the starry sky. Without the pollution blocking out the stars you can see an entire universe. I will never see something like this in my world. I have a lot of miles to cut through in the wilds, but taking this moment isn''t irresponsible. I can''t really seem to take my eye''s off the sights. The stars almost light up the ground under the cliff I am on. I go into my tent and log off. Ie out of my gaming pod and see that I missed dinner once again. Ie downstairs and I can feel the tension in the room. Mom on one side and Hailey on the other, dad is in the middle right now and has no intention of interfering this time. He must have talked to mom or something. Ie and sit on the couch and watch T.V. with everyone. I try to focus on the news report about Ancients World, but I can''t help the feeling of being stuck between a rock and a hard ce. "There has been plenty of news from Ancients World and the top headline today is, ''A Legendary ss has Emerged, The Abyss Walker!!!'' This is now the second ss to be discovered above Legacy." I know for a fact that Stubbed Toe hid his identity for a long time, but he was exposed by a team of yers he helped in a dungeon. They stabbed him in the back for money and rewards. That''s why I intend to do everything solo. I listen to the news some more as the reporter talks. "In other news a roaming world boss has been spotted in the kingdom of smander. Many guilds are preparing to pursue the boss monster in hopes of valuable items." Well looks like I am not the only one making moves anymore. I am d that the focus is being divided to new things now. I don''t know much about roaming world bosses, but I know they are powerful and are one of a kind. Some can be talked to like dragons, others don''t want anything to do with humans. "I wonder who is going to be the first to seed." I say quietly to myself. Marcus looks at me and he seems to want to ask a question, but is unsure on how to word it. "What Marcus, if its anything about the game I can probably answer it." He smiles at me since I nailed his problem right on his head. He gets up and runs upstairs and brings myptop down. He puts it on hisp while he sits next to me. He pulls up a page that is filled with gaming pods and prices. I think I know what he is trying to ask me. "If you want to get a gaming pod you will have to ask mom and dad. You still have a full and busy school schedule." His smile drops a little bit, but that doesn''t mean no. Now isn''t the best time to ask them though and he is smart enough to know that. He starts watching cartoons again, I let him use my stuff because I know he will take care of it. I look at Hailey and give her a side ways smile that says ''Sorry this is happening to you.''. She lowers her head and sighs. As soon as she did that I can feel moms anger rise, I turn towards her and her eye''s haven''t left Hailey''s. Mom is determined to get Hailey off her butt and do something with her life. I am sad that there is a conflict going on between the 2 of them, but Hailey really does need the reality check. I turn my head back to the reporter as she continues on todays news. "Tomorrow the Auction house will open and this is expected to bring up the value of Ancients World a considerable amount. It will soon be a week since the officialunch and many are excited for the postunch press conference." I wonder how many people will actually watch it. I won''t be since I''ll be ying, I have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and no way to speed myself up. I get off the couch since I cant take the tension anymore and head back up to my room. I am to tired to do anything else and I know that this will be my toughest test of patience yet. As Cera falls asleep, the Ancients World is going through it''s own changes. A system announcement rings throughout the world. [World-wide announcement: A Divine Roaming World boss has Awoken!! The God Eater Fenrir has returned from his slumber!! Fenrir isn''t an ordinary boss and can give quests as well as rewards if spoken to without the intention to harm!!] [World-wide Announcement: The church of light has issued a magnitude 10 disaster level to Fenrir. Stay away at all cost. Do not engage Fenrir. It could anger the God Eater and cause him to go on a rampage.] [World-wide Announcement: The church of the dark ones is offering a legendary weapon and a Legendary ss for the heart of Fenrir.] [World-wide Announcement: The king of dragons Vendris is looking for Fenrir to challenge him to a battle on who is stronger.] The entire yer base went totally nuts. Forums are blowing up and going crazy. The NPC''s are doing a simr thing. The history and lore of Fenrir is that he is a giant wolf. This wolf is a son of loki and he ate the evil Norse God Odin. In the Ancients world Fenrir is a god ss creature, therefore he is now the strongest thing on the Gaia. Existences like Fenrir are ssified from 1 to 10 of disaster potential by the church. 1 being able to killed thousand of strong yers and NPC''s before dying, 10 being impossible to kill without the help of multiple gods descending from overworld to battle. The reason this is happening is because of the return of the fairies. Fenrir and the fairy kingdom are allies, the Holy Willow Tree saved Fenrir''s son Skoll after he nearly died in a battle against some powerful demons. After that day the Holy Willow Tree has been linked to Fenrir and his 2 children, now that the fairy kingdom is back and the Holy Willow Tree is almost at full power Fenrir has awoken. This is another butterfly effect that has been caused by Cera and his actions. This never happened in the future that Cera came from, and now a new series of quests and world events will follow with Fenrir''s awakening. Fenrir has the potential of giving you quests and bing your ally or killing you and destroying where youe from. Fenrir is a creature of nobility and high character, but does not show mercy to his enemies or his friends enemies. The church was just finishing up there meeting when this message came. There is outrage and chaos in the meeting, Saintess Lucy had to use her power to calm everyone down. The first to speak is The Pope. "I get why you are all panicking. This is a dangerous event that has urred, but Fenrir doesn''t seek to harm or destroy people and cities. The disaster level of 10 is to ward off any people who think its a good idea to hunt and attack Fenrir. The church has been allies with Fenrir for many centuries." As The Pope finishes speaking the rest of the meeting calms down. The kings and queens are right to be afraid. Chapter 22: The adventure to Vedersfall IV

Chapter 22: The adventure to Vedersfall IV

Now the meeting has changed topics to Fenrir. Not a lot is known about Fenrir outside of overworld and the top officials of the church of light. All the kings and queens here are going to receive information that others are not privy too, they want anything that could help protect their kingdoms. The first to speak is the queen of Felroa, Victoria Ulysses the V. Felroa is a country that has only had female rulers, and they have always had peace thanks to there wise leaders. "I want to know why you think having Fenrir on our ne of existence is a good idea." She is not the only one to question the logic of The Pope right now, many of the rulers that are at this meeting don''t hold faith in The Pope''s words at this point in time. Many of the leaders are waiting for an answer. The Pope looks over to Saintess Lucy and opens his mouth with a request. "Will you please have the scribes bring Fenrir''s legend from the Archives." Saintess Lucy understood what was being asked and contacted the war scribes with magic to bring the ancient book to the meeting room. The rulers look at each other skeptically with the attitude The Pope is taking. Soon the scribes arrive and they hand a giant book to Saintess Lucy. She carries it to the table andys it down. The Pope is the first one to speak about this old relic of the past. "This book is a record of all the feats of Fenrir since he became known to us. This book is over 4000 years old, it was created before the first war and survived the first war the dark ones waged." As he said that a deafening silence ran throughout the meeting room. None present knew of this except Saintess Lucy and The Pope. He leans the book up and uses magic to hold it there. Soon he starts to flip pages, after almost reaching the end of the book he decides to stop. This is the story of Fenrir''s battle against Arch-Demon Mammon. A magical voice began to talk reading lines from the book so everyone could listen. "After the Holy Willow Tree saved Skoll, Fenrir pledged to alwayse to the aid of the fairy kingdom if they are ever in trouble. He tied his lifeforce to the Holy Willow Tree so he could know if it were ever in distress." Many of the rulers are listening intently, others are having some of it written down so the church can no longer hide this secret. The magical voice continued reading to exin what everyone has been asking. "The Arch-Demon of Greed Mammon had a personal goal in destroying the fairy kingdom because they refused the give up there princess, Lady Anna. Arch-Demon Mammon was so enraptured by her beauty that he decided to take her for himself. By any means necessary." All of the rulers knew very little about the first great war. All that was really known about it was the dark ones grabbing power they couldn''t control. The Almighty Father has ultimate authority over all creation in Ancients World. The dark ones wanted that power for themselves so they could each create they own version of a perfect world. That is what the legends say anyway. The Magical voice continues reading from the book. "As Arch-Demon Mammon himself was leading the forces upon the fairy kingdom, the Holy Willow Tree called out to Fenrir for aid in this dire time. Fenrir is a god of incredible power and strength, when he arrived to the fairy kingdom a bloody battle was almost over. The Demons were the winning force, but Fenrir was never one to break his word." At hearing those words they begin to have more faith in The Pope''s ims. It is not unknown that the churches obsession with finding Michaels son has driven a wedge between the church and the kingdoms. They continue to listen as the epic tail spins. "A great battle began with Fenrir all by himself against the army of the demon of greed. The battle was a ughter on the demons side. They could notpete with Fenrir''s might, soon Arch-Demon Mammon was the only one left. A battle that leveled half of the fairies kingdom and surrounding forest followed as the two fought to the death." Nobody would have suspected that Fenrir would do something like this for someone or something other than himself. The rulers are now put at ease, some are even giving orders to there generals to tell them to leave Fenrir alone if they encounter him. "As Arch-Demon Mammon wasying on the ground defeated, he uttered these words. ''If I cannot have princess Anna than nobody will!!!''. He yelled so all could hear him and he casted a curse using thest of his lifeforce. It was never intended for Fenrir, but for the Holy Willow Tree. In the end nobody won this battle and instead, everyone lost. The bond between Fenrir and the Holy Willow Tree was one of lifeforce. As the Holy Willow Tree was forced into sleep, so was Fenrir." The history that was being hidden by the church has angered some, but they all understand the implications of the story. Now that the Holy Willow Tree has been revived so has Fenrir, and all of this was caused by the person they are looking for. The story of Fenrir concludes with the next entry. "When the battle was over, both Fenrir and the Holy Willow Tree were already being affected by the curse. In a desperate attempt to save Fenrir the Holy Willow Tree sent him to a safe ce where nobody would disturb his sleeping body. The following days the fairy kingdom rotted away from the inside. It is said one of divine origin will free both the Holy Willow Tree and Fenrir." As the story concludes and the book closes, a sigh of relief is released by some. The Pope and the Saintess exchange a few words as others are doing so as well. "I am worried about thatst line in the book. That wasn''t there when I was studying Fenrir." They take a look at the closed book and have separate thoughts about it. "Well, an old relic such as this is capable of hiding things from us. The people who made it were incredibly powerful." The meeting continues on into the night and the rest of the people of Ancients World are talking about it. In the real world Cera sleeps the night away as this is being discussed. Soon his rm goes off and he gets up with a smile. Today is the day I get to sell my guild token. After today all my families money problems will disappear forever. We will get to move to a bigger house and live in peace for the rest of our foreseeable lives. I get up to head downstairs and have breakfast. Mom and me are the only ones down here. I sit down across from mom and I can see the red in her eye''s from crying a lottely. "Are you doing okay mom?" Hailey and her are at war right now and I think this isn''t going to be a quick one like it usually is. She just pokes her food with her fork and doesn''t look at me. "I''m okay Cera, just worried is all..." Parents don''t get enough of the credit they should get. My mom and dad sacrificed everything to give us a good life. They gave up there futures and families to be together. They ask for nothing in return and receive not nearly enough thank you''s from us. I know just the thing to cheer her up though, I''m sure she will be brimming with happiness after I say this. "Today I get to sell my item that''s worth millions!! We won''t have to worry about money ever again!! What do you want to buy first mom!?!" I cheer loudly trying to convey my happiness to her. I then see her look at me with a face ready to start balling her eye''s out. "I thought that would make you happy..." I watch her lower her head after I say that. I can see her face contort in pain. Her chin is quivering and tears are falling from her eye''s. I get up from my chair and I hug her from behind, as soon as I do she starts sobbing her eye''s out. I think just letting her cry is a good idea for now. "I... *HICCUP!* don''t know.... *SNIFFLE**HICCUP!* how you turned... *SNIFFLE**SNIFFLE* out so good.... *HICCUP!*HICCUP!* from us raising you!!! *SNIFFLE**HICCUP!*" My heart breaks hearing her say that. They tried there damnedest to provide a happy life for us. I just hug and rock her from side to side letting her cry. "You have... *HICCUP!* made me...*SNIFFLE**SNIFFLE* the happiest mom.... *SNIFFLE**HICCUP* in the whole world!!" She says thatst part with a hupping voice full of happiness. I start to cry as well, it has always been a dream of mine to do this for my parents and now I can. Soon she gets up and hugs me too. The top of her head doesn''t even reach my chin. I just let her cry until its all out. She lets go of me and pulls away, I can see mascara smeared around her eye''s. I look down on my shirt and there is more smeared there. She finishes wiping her eye''s and begins tough. "Give me that, I''ll wash it when I doundry today." She is smiling rays of sunlight now and is in a much better mood. I take off my shirt and give it to her, she takes it to theundry room and puts it with the rest. I head upstairs and put on a new shirt. I head back downstairs and sit down to finish the rest of my breakfast before it gets cold. Soon Marcus joins us and Hailey follows to. Hailey and mom won''t even look at each other, I really do hope this can be worked out soon. We will be moving in a couple days with the money I''ll make from this guild token. I finish eating first and say goodbye to everyone else and head upstairs. I hop into my gaming pod and load in. I wake up in the same tent I fell asleep in, now I just need to continue my journey and wait a couple hours till the auction opens. Chapter 23: The adventure to Vedersfall V

Chapter 23: The adventure to Vedersfall V

I look out over the cliff and see the wet trees and over casted clouds. It looks like it rainedst night and has created this beautiful scenery before me. I have a long journey ahead of me and I decide to start on it right away. I make my way off the mountain and I soon start my travels into the wilds. I can sense that unmoving power from yesterday moving now. It is even stronger thanst I felt and I feel like it''s getting closer now. After I think about what to do next I get a notification from the system. [A divine level creature can sense your power] [The creature is now going to track you down] [You have a unique connection to this creature that the system cannot exin] Talk about a worrying message, I don''t know how far or close this creature is. That isn''t what is worrying me at the moment though. The fact that its a divine level creature is what''s scaring me. Those words mean we have the same life rating and whatever it is, its definitely stronger than anything I have seen or felt before. I''m in good cover from other animals thanks to these huge trees, most of them are 3 story''s high. I should get a move on, I can feel the general direction of the power and it is moving closer really fast. I soon start to sprint as fast as I can and I would be doing good if I wasn''t being tracked down by a powerful creature. I know for a fact I would die if I were to fight this thing. Unique connection or not, I don''t know what it is. I continue to run and run for a few hours, I can feel my stamina is getting real low and that creature is still in pursuit of me. I have to sit down and take a water and food break, if I had to guess it is a least 4 or 5 hours behind me at this point. I take out some food and water rations and go to town on them. I hear a world-wide system announcement about the one thing I am looking forward to at the moment. [World-wide Announcement: The Auction house will be opening in 30 minutes!] A new clock counting down appears in the interface and a smile creeps onto my face. I am d that this is happening, but I am still running from whatever this creature is. I finish my food and start sprinting now that my stamina has recovered. After traveling for awhile I watch the counter reach zero and a new tab appears in the interface. I open it and I see a familiar sight, there are things already being bought and sold. The most valuable item of the day is on the front page receiving bids from anyone. I open my inventory and pull out my guild token, I then see a new system prompt appear. [This item is incredibly valuable to all yers and NPC''s alike] [Do you want to put this item up for auction? Y/N] I think yes and I get a new system notification asking me another question. [Do you want this item to be sold to both NPC''s and yers? Y/N] [Do you want this item to be sold to only NPC''s? Y/N] [Do you want this item to be sold to only yers? Y/N] I think yes on my third option and I get another system notification. [Do you want to be paid in gold? Y/N] [Do you want to be paid in UWD''s? Y/N] I think yes to my second option. United world dors, this is the currency that was made in 2115 when the world decided to be a more unified ce. There are still countries and different governments though. The UWD''s were made to rece all world currency in the pursuit to a more bnced economy. It was really devastating the first 40 or so years when the reformation took ce, but now it really has paid off since every countries economy contributes equally to the rest of the world. It isn''t a perfect system, but ever since the first 40 years went by there hasn''t be a single crash of the stock market and UWD''s value has stayed steady and healthy ever since. I get asked about the payment method. [Do you want to use your bank ount? Y/N] [Do you want to use someone else''s bank ount? Y/N] I click the second option and input mom and dad''s joint ount in and then I see my item go to the featured item spot. I close the tab before I can even see the first bid on it so I can focus on getting away from this creature. Unknown to Cera, his item''s first bid was 10 million UWD''s. Bidsst 12 hours for epic and lower grade items. Since a guild token doesn''t have a grade it is automatically assigned 24 hours to bid on due to its worth. The bid on the item continues to skyrocket as more and more people view its information. People can fully utilize the guild token unlike Cera, that is why people are going crazy. They are seeing its full and unblocked description. Now that is taken care of. I need to look at my map while I run. I pull it out from my inventory and start to read its contents. It is difficult at first, but I adapt fast and make adjustments like I am supposed to. I am d it has such descriptive and obviousnd marks. After a few more hours of running at full speed I can feel fatigue and stamina drain setting in. I stop next to a lovely clear waterke and take a break. Whatever that creature is, it doesn''t let up. After that thought I get another system notification. [The creature is growing frustrated from you running away] [The creature has decided to increase its speed by 10 fold to catch up to you] I grow angry at reading this notification, what the hell does this creature even want. I don''t have any good items and I am a low level. I have nothing to offer it and I cant see why it is so dead set on finding me. I get up to continue running, but I get another notification that pisses me off. [You arepletely exhausted] [You will have a 95% movement and speed debuff for 6 hours till you recover] My ego and pride wont let me admit how right that notification is. I feel like I ran a marathon, which in retrospect I did. All I can really do is wait to die now that this creature is going to catch up to me, it will get here in probably an hour with 10x boost. I justy my head down on the nice cool grass, as my hot body cools down. I decide to just close my eye''s and rest, you cant sleep in Ancients World. However, you can close your eye''s while in a resting position and go into a resting state. This will recover debuffs like fatigue faster. I just wait for whatever it is after me to catch up and have a meal. However, Cera is misunderstanding. The creature that is pursuing him is the one that he indirectly saved by awakening the Holy Willow Tree. I am bing annoyed that this human is running from me. I could sense his power from miles away thanks to our connection to each other. I can also feel the Holy Willow Tree is awake too. Whoever this boy is, he has incredible divine power sleeping within him. I haven''t felt such strength since I met Michael. I can also feel a strong connection to The Almighty Father in him. It is very dormant though. Now that I am moving faster I will surely catch up to him. I can feel that he has also stopped moving. Beings of divinity can feel each other if they are close enough, mortals that don''t have enough divinity cant track us or locate us. I know for a fact that he can draw on a infinitesimal amount of his own strength, he probably doesn''t know how much is actually buried within him. To think the mighty Fenrir is chasing after a pup, his presence is curious though. I wonder what his connection is to Michael and The Almighty Father. I can catch up to him in a little less than an hour, so I should make haste. As Cera isying on the ground resting and trying to recover he feels the power moving closer by the minute. I can''t believe that I am stuck here with no way to fight. After my thoughts of frustrations I get system notification. [The creature is making haste to you] [The creature is now moving at 15 fold its normal speed since you aren''t moving anymore] I know that if this was anyone else they would be drooling to get to meet a divine creature, even if they die. I am not like that since I will have to make up the level I lost with the half exp debuff. After about 45 more minutes I can feel the ground slightly shake and I can see some of the trees being wacked back and forth in the distance from the little hill I moved to so I can get a view of my killer. I can also see what looks like a wolfs main, whatever type of creature it is. It''s as big as a 3 story building, it not more. I see the final trees fall in its path as a giant wolf enters the clearing by theke, looking at it I am reminded of something I learned in high school when I took poetic historical reading. I can''t quite put my finger on it though. As I am looking at it from the other side of theke he looks at me and I see its red and blue eye''s glowing at me. It has obviously spotted me, it leans down and jumps across the smallke. I would have called it a pond, but its to big. Itnds with power 30 feet in front of the tree I am resting on. Wind blows in all directions as hends. I want to try and inspect it before I die, but I get the usual thing. [You are not strong enough to view this creatures stats] It looks at me with what seems to be amusement, I receive the usual thing when I meet a being of such power. [This creature is strong enough to view all your information] I watch little facial expressions change here and there. I guess he is surprised reading my information. I''m d I could cause something to happen to him, be it as little as surprise. I hear something that shocks me a lot after having angry thoughts. "So that exins what I feel from you." This creature seems to be simr to a dragon in intelligence, but is much more powerful. Looking at it I can see tattoos and patterns of what looks like Viking and Norse mythology. I take a deep breath and say something in return. "Just make it quick, I don''t have time to waste here talking to you." The giant wolf smiles at my response. I won''t go out like a weak coward begging to spare my life so I don''t lose levels. He moves closer and is now casting a shadow over me, his power filled eye''s look softly at me. "I believe you are mistaken about me, son of Michael." Whoever he is, he is powerful from the sound in the base of his voice. I guess he wants to have a conversation before he decides if he wants to kill me or not. Maybe he wont kill me if he likes my answers. Chapter 24: The adventure to Vedersfall VI

Chapter 24: The adventure to Vedersfall VI

This giant wolf is something the top yers from the future couldn''t even scratch, what could he possibly want with me. "Okay, since you aren''t going to kill me right away, what do you want?" He looks like a healthy wolf in his prime, but his eye''s say that he is older than you could possibly know. Not much is known about the time before overworld, Gaia, and underworld were separated. Records started being kept about 2000 years before the first great war. Any information before that is incredibly rare and considered treasures of incalcble value. The wolf grins at my gusto, I don''t feel any hostility from him and I''m not stupid enough to try anything. I was being slightly rude with my choice of words, but that was before I met this giant talking powerhouse. "I can see that you have spirit pup, I am curious as to why you are out here all alone. I can see that you are hiding from a lot of people based on your bloodline." This guy is way smarter than he lets on. I contemte if I should tell him or not, he seems like a nice enough divine world boss. I cant believe I just said that. I shift my tired body for a better angle to speak to him. "I''m heading to the country of Vedersfall. To the city of eclipse, I am going there to learn more and grow stronger. I decided to go through the wilds to cut my journey down. After I woke up this morning and started my travels is when I felt that you where following me. I tried to get away, but as you can see that didn''t work out that well." He nods at my words and understands, I don''t know why he went through all the trouble to catch me. Might as well ask him. "Why are you after me anyway? I am positive that I have nothing of value to take." He smiles at my words, I guess he knows something I don''t. I soon get a system notification that is a nice surprise. [The creature is sharing power with you] [Your exhaustion is gone and your debuff is removed] This solidifies that he isn''t here to kill me which is nice. "I could feel your angelic power, as well as your connection the the Holy Willow Tree." I know he saw all my information, but that doesn''t exin why he could feel my connection to it. This is probably a byproduct of something that I did. Cera doesn''t know how right that is. As Cera is about to ask the giant wolf how he knew about that, the wolf cut him off. The wolf sits down for a story to tell Cera. "I get what you want to know and I''ll answer all your questions. My name is Fenrir, and I have just awakened from a long slumber." I loseposure for a second. Fenrir is a powerful wolf that ate the evil Norse God Odin, at least that is what I learned in ss back in high school. "I was put to sleep by a curse that Mammon casted on the Holy Willow Tree, when you helped the tree, I was helped by proxy as well." So that is why he was searching for me. That also exins the strange connection we have, its through the Holy Willow Tree. I still don''t understand his connection to the fairies though, but it looks like he is about to talk about it. "I went to the Holy Willow Tree when my son Skoll was fatally wounded. The tree healed him that day and I entered a pact with the tree. If the kingdom or its people were ever in trouble I woulde to there aid." He says that with a bitter look in his giant eyes. As I continue to listen I understand more and more. "Even though I defeated the Demon Mammon and his army, I failed in keeping my word. However, thanks to you both the Holy Willow Tree and I are back." Talk about a tale for the ages, this was never known to anyone from the future, at least they weren''t public about it. I can see why he tracked me down and followed me. He wanted to meet the one who lifted the curse. "It''s a relief to know that you aren''t here to kill me, but I still don''t understand one thing." I stop as I imply permission to ask him, he nods his head in confirmation for me to speak. "If your connected to the Holy Willow Tree, then how am I connected?" When Ipleted the dungeon and freed the tree all I got was a reputation bonus and a really awesome healing perk, I guess the power that connects me to the Holy Willow Tree is hidden from me. The wind blows after I ask myst question and the mane on Fenrir waves freely as the air passes over his coat. "You did something that transferred your power into the tree. Whatever you did, it has bound you to the tree and unknowingly to me as well." Talk about the system hiding stuff from me, or perhaps the system cant ess information it doesn''t understand. I wonder if my actions will have anymore consequences to them. I contemte more and more, the conclusion. I don''t know what to do with this information. I guess this just means I know another powerful creature in Ancients World. "I appreciate your patience with me Fenrir, I was rude earlier because I thought I was going to die." I apologize for my actions because in all honesty I was incredibly rude to him. I get a notification from the system after my apology. [Fenrir appreciates your humbleness and willingness to listen] [Fenrir considers you a good friend] I am d I could leave a good impression on the giant wolf. I do have an idea, but I am kind of afraid to ask him. It will save me tons of time and I could reach the country of Vedersfall tonight. "Fenrir, may I ask a favor of you?" He looks at me with a calm face contemting if he should ept. He nods his head after a few seconds and I make my request. "Can I get a ride to the border on the other side of the wilds? It will save me days of travels if I could catch a ride from you." He looks at me with what I assume is disbelief. He starts tough hard out of no where and has a hard time catching his breath. "I thought you were going to ask for something much more demanding than that!!" He yells betweenughs, I should be d his pride isn''t insulted. "Of course I can give you a ride. We can make it there is no time at all!!" Suddenly he picks me up in his mouth and tosses me onto his back. "Hold on tight its going to be a windy ride!!" As soon as he said that my mouth and eye''s are peeled back from the sheer wind force, I desperately try to hold on. After a couple minutes of struggling I get a good grip and I am able to sit up straight with my face now use to the pressure of the extreme speed. We are moving very fast, if I had to guess I''d say we were moving over 100 miles an hour. I get to go high into the air as he jumps over gorges and valleys, the sun is beginning to set as I get to see the beautiful sun set while high in the air before we descend back down. I am d that I met Fenrir today, he is nothing like he is portrayed in the myths. Ancients World is different though, the lore of the game is different than the history of our world. As we are hauling it through the wilds a question pops in my mind. "Do you know anything about Bellvia and the dryads?" Maybe asking someone as old as Fenrir can get me some clue for the legendary quest. I soon hear him give me an answer I did not expect to hear. "Bellvia was allied with the Arch-Demons during the great war. They spied on the church of light and the other kingdoms in exchange for rewards and soldiers of the eternal horde. After the war was over and the Demons lost, the church buried the betrayal of Bellvia so its people could live in peace and not be persecuted by the other kingdoms." I wouldn''t believe it if someone else told me this. I never knew that a kingdom would do that, and what is this eternal horde. We have lots of time before we make it to the border and I have lots of questions, I might not get another chance to ask someone as old and as knowledgeable as Fenrir again. I know just the question I want to ask him next, Fenrir wouldn''t know specific people. He would know hidden locations that may hold clues though. I can definitely check out all the locations he gives me once I make my journey to Bellvia. Chapter 25: The adventure to Vedersfall VII

Chapter 25: The adventure to Vedersfall VII

As I ask Fenrir about Bellvia and any information on the dryads as well as other things. Meanwhile there are other things happening in Ancients World. More specifically in the auction house. The guild token has multi-billion dorpanies and guilds bidding sickening numbers for it. The current bid for the guild token is 112 million UWD''s, and there is still 10 hours left for the bid to continue. As this is happening reporters across the globe are doing takes on the auction houses hottest item. Violet Adamo is watching the T.V as she waits for her husband toe home. She has no idea that this is in fact the item that Cera said he was selling. "I cant believe an item that is in a video game can be worth so much, I hope that Cera''s item gets attention...." Parents wouldn''t understand what the gaming industry is. To them it is just a toy that they buy for there kids to get them off there backs. In reality, they miss out on one of the best experiences a person can have in video games. I watch the screen change to a news anchor talking about the item. "This guild token is a priceless item to the DDVR''s titanpanies. The research conducted on this item shows that any guild can create there guild hall starting at arge size in any city as long as they reach the required yer level for those cities." Cera didn''t know the true value of the guild token, so the astronomical number is something that is minuscule to the guilds andpanies bidding on it. They know that the turn over for such an item would be quadruple the price they are all willing to pay for it. Soon Marcuses downstairs and sits next to me. His attention is also drawn to therge number on the screen. "Mommy, how much is 130 million UWD''s?" Marcus only knows about tens, hundreds, and thousands. He has no knowledge of what a million is. I don''t really know how to exin this to Marcus. "Well, sweetie. It''s more money than anyone would need in there entire life." This is the best that I can do to exin it to Marcus. Once he is older he can start worrying about money. I wonder how Cera is doing, he is surely putting a lot of time into this game. It has bared fruit that I had no idea was possible. I can only pray that everything goes alright, Christian and I never talk about money in front of the family. They don''t know how desperate we are and how much we are indebt. As Violet continues to watch the news, Christian is at the factory getting ready to head home. Everyone is watching the T.V. and this draws his attention. After I got dressed I walk over to the group of men and see the station that they are watching. "Can you believe that its going for 175 million now. I am getting sick from watching that counter go up." As I hear that number I feel a little nauseous too. Someone has to be insane if they are paying....190 million UWD''s!! I just watch the bid climb by the millions with the rest of the group. One of the guys I work with on the conveyer belt is talking about his son who ys the game. "My kids just texted me and told me why the price is so high. Apparently this will make arge guild hall instantly for no cost of in game currency what so ever." I think I should do more research on this game when I get back, asking Cera would be a smart idea. I take another look at the screen before I head home. FUCK!!! Who is the lucky son of a bitch that gets all this money. Back in Ancients World Cera and Fenrir have really gotten to know each other well. Cera told him about the new people or yers and how he is one of them. I can really trust Fenrir because nobody can force him to reveal anything about me. As I look ahead of us I can see the wilds ending and rolling hills that are t and fields full of crops are appearing. This means that we are almost at the border and this is my stop. "You can stop up ahead in the fields. The border is only a couple of miles from here." The sun is now fully set and it is dark out, the moon and stars are illuminating the ground so we can see. Fenrirnds gracefully and bends down so I can hop off. "Thank you so much, I would have been traveling through the wilds for longer than I intended to." He stands tall and looks over to the mountain range where I believe the Smander kingdom resides on the other side. "nning another trip?" He looks back at me with a slight grin. He raises his head and sniffs the air. "I want to see how much the world has changed since I left, I n on checking on the fairies new kingdom first though." I totally understand that, he did his best to protect them, in a way he both seeded and failed. He must want to right some wrongs, I receive a system notification as Fenrir is about to speak to me. [Fenrir wants to give you a reward for freeing the Holy Willow Tree and him] [Do you wish to ept the reward? Y/N] As I read this Fenrir uses some sort of magic and a old Viking horn falls into my hands. "I want you to have this Zern. When you blow into the horn I wille to your aid no matter where you are. I hope you ept my gift." I smile at the nice gesture he is giving me. I won''t need to use it, but it would be nice to have incase of an emergency. I make up my mind and I open my mouth to give my answer as I think yes to ept the reward. "I''ll be sure to treasure it Fenrir, you have been a real friend today and if you ever need my help don''t be a stranger." When I finish saying that heughs, I soon start tough as well at the implications of that. I am way to weak to help Fenrir with anything, but its the thought that counts. He says goodbye for now and takes of towards the mountains. I then inspect the horn he gave me and I am at a loss for words. [Fenrir''s Whistle] [Description: This horn is used to call the mighty Fenrir himself in aid of the caller. This horn was crafted by Wand the smith. This item is one of a kind.] [Quality: Divine] [Durability: Infinite] [Special Requirements: You can only use this horn if you are a friend of Fenrir.] [Cooldown: 30 days] [Once bound it cannot be stolen, be dropped on death, or sold] [Do you wish to bind this item to you? Y/N] I think yes and I feel a strange tingle in the back of my head. I put the horn into my inventory and I receive another system notification. [You are the first person to find and bind a divine item.] [Do you wish to ept the reward? Y/N] So it is like the same time I got a legendary item, I think yes and I get a new perk. [Destined for greatness - Passive] [Description: You are following a path none have lead before. +500 to all stats] I then receive another system notification and this time its asking me if I want the world to know this happened. [Do you wish for the people of Ancients World to know what you have aplished? Y/N] I instantly think no, there is no reason to draw more attention. I cant believe this is actually happening, I wonder if Blue Chaos ever got this to happen before. I pull up my yer stats to view my information. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 7180/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 800] [Focus - 800] [Mana: 8000/8000] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Stat Points: 120] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.3 150/300 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.3 25/300 (Active) - sh Lvl.8 500/800 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive) - Destined for Greatness (Passive)] I am certain that whatever challenges I meet in the country of Vedersfall I''ll be ready for them. I wish you well on your journey Fenrir, and thank you for this wonderful gift. I walk for a few miles until I reach the border. I wait in line for my turn and I am soon let through, the area after the checkpoint has some buildings that look recently built. They all say Inn on them, none have a unique name so that means they were provided by the government. I enter one and pay for a room, I make it to my in room andy on the bed. I log off and my consciousness leaves my body as I return to my world as my avatar rest in the bed. Once out of my gaming pod I am in a dark room only lit up by the glow of my gaming pod. I crash onto the bed and go to sleep. I am very tired so I think I''ll just sleep in tomorrow. Chapter 26: The numbers

Chapter 26: The numbers

I am dreaming soundly and without interruptions, but as I sleep I am suddenly crushed by a weight. I can hear what sounds like crying in my dream world. "Cera!! *SNIFFLE* Wake up!!" I am disturbed by the sound of my mothers voice roaring throughout my dream world. "I said wake up!!" The voice speaks quick with frustration and I am hit over the head with a swift strike. I shoot my eye''s open and everything is blurry for a few seconds. "What is a it? I was trying to sleep you know." I rub the part of my head that my mom struck with her fist. I look at my mother and her face is covered in tears and her eye''s are extremely red. "What''s wrong mom?! Did something bad happen!!" I get up quickly to make sure everything is alright. As I am on my feet my dades barging through the door. He looks at me with slight fear. I don''t know what is going on, but I am thoroughly worried. He charges at me and grips my shoulders. "DID YOU DO IT!!?" I have never heard dad yell like this before. I look at him confused since I don''t know what he''s talking about. He pulls out his phone and shows me the bnce of the joint ount mom and him own. I focus my eye''s and read the long number, soon I am shocked as well. "I can''t believe it went for 506 million UWD''s!! I knew it was worth a lot, but I didn''t think people would go so crazy over it!!" I cheer to myself in happiness. I actually seeded in my dream to give my family everything they could ever want or need. I watch dad stumble back after my reaction, he uses the wall to hold himself up. A little whileter he quickly moves to the garbage can in my room and proceeds to fill it with puke. My mom squeezes me harder and harder to the point that I almost cant breathe. "Mom I am losing my breath here." For a small woman she is deceptively strong. After I say that she squeezes me even harder before she loosens up. "I told you we would never have to worry about money again..." I ce my hand on the top of her head and I hear her weep harder into my shirt. Now that I think about it the auction probably just ended. My dad regains his bnce and joins mom in giving me a hug. I wrap my arms around both of them and I squeeze hard back. I let my tears fall freely from my eye''s and savor this moment of joy. "I hope you have a new home picked out for us dad, and hurry down to the bank and pay off all the debt you guys owe!!! Our new lives start from this day forward!!!" I cry hard as I say those words. My dad pulls away as heughs joyously. Mom was being crushed between the 2 tallest people in the house. She moves away and her make up is smeared everywhere. "Can you believe it honey. We won''t lose everything now, we can have the life that we could never have." I listen to mom as she continues crying and talking about everything that we wont lose now. I think dad just rushed home and rushed up stairs when he looked at the number in there joint ount. I feel better if they have the money in their ount. This way they can take care of all the stuff I don''t know about. I have no clue how the housing market or interest rates work. I''m d that the taxws were reformed in 2140 and we don''t have to give a penny of the money we just made. "What are you guys going to do with that money?" I want to hear the ideas they have and see what they want to do first. Dad is the first to speak with excitement. "Well the first thing I''m doing is quitting my job at the factory!!" Iugh at his answer, I love how there is no wrong answer here. We can literally do whatever we want. This money willst our family centuries, and knowing mom and dad they will still try and budget. Mom finishes wiping the smeared makeup off her face with her sleeve. "I don''t know what I am going to do Cera....I''ve never seen so much money in my entire life. The fact that its ours makes me think I''m having a fever dream..." My heart aches knowing that my mom never has had an experience like this. If anyone in the world deserves this money, its this woman. She has done everything in her power to provide a great life for us. Now its my turn to show her that her hard work payed off. They sit on my bed to rx there shaking bodies. "Do you guys want to go out and eat this morning? We can go to Roberts Food Parlor like we used to before Marcus was born." When Marcus was born that is when the bills started getting really bad. Having 5 mouths to feed was a herculean task with our budget, but they still did it. They did it everyday without showing an ounce of weakness. Mom gets up from the bed and calls the school Marcus goes to and tells them we are picking him up. I have to ask her even if they are going through a hard time. "Should I go and get Hailey?" I look to mom first, but she doesn''t look at me. I turn to dad waiting for an answer. He nods his head yes. I leave my room to go and talk to Hailey since mom and dad have to get the car ready. I knock on her door and I don''t get an answer. I slowly push it open and see that she is just starting to sit up in bed. "Hey, my item sold and we are all going out to celebrate. Youing?" She looks at me like I grew another head. Everyone knew that I was selling an item, but everyone didn''t seem to believe that it would be worth this much. I figured it would be worth at least 100 million UWD, but I didn''t think it would be worth half a billion. This type of money can buy anything we want, I could buy us a private ind in the Caribbean for 15 to 20 million UWD''s. We can buy yachts and helicopters, just thinking about the stuff that we can do is mind boggling. "How much did it sell for?" I new she couldn''t resist, I know my sister more than she knows herself. I walk over and sit next to her on the bed. "It sold for 506 million UWD''s, we are going to go pick up Marcus from school so we can go out." She looks the same shade of green dad did when I confirmed the amount to him. She looks at her closet trying to figure out what she wants to wear. "We don''t have all day hurry up!" I say loudly as I get up and head to the door so she can get ready. I close it behind me and I hear chaos in her room from outside the door. I make my way back to my room and get ready myself. I walk downstairs and see mom and dad talking, it looks important so I won''t bother them about it. "Hailey is getting ready upstairs and will be down in a minute." I want to also check the forums before we go so I pull out my phone and sit down. I read about things ranging from the legendary ss The Abyss Walker to the guild that got the guild token. It isn''t surprising that one of the top guilds got it, the top 50 guilds are so close in value that it is impossible to be the money dominate guild. It reallyes down to your members strength and your luck. Based off the weird 506 number I''d say that the timer ran out before everyone was ready to quit bidding. Whoever had thest bid before 00:00:00 would win it. I hear the click of healse down the stairs and I look over and see my sister in a beautiful red sun dress since we are getting closer and closer to summer. Today is ranging in the early 70''s so I can see why she picked it. "Now that everyone is ready lets go pick up Marcus." Dad gives the order and I follow mom and dad out the door with Hailey behind me. We spend all morning together going out and buying things after we ate. Marcus got a bunch of toys that he wanted. I''ll just say Hailey got the usual girl stuff, and mom and dad actually left us behind to go and get a massage together. I was happy to see them so willing to do stuff with the money, but I could see their fear from all the years of crippling bills. To bad they will have to get used to being rich. Chapter 27: Ruins of the Bandit Lord Husk I

Chapter 27: Ruins of the Bandit Lord Husk I

We make it back home after spending quality time together and having the family moments we missed out on because we didn''t have any money. We are all standing in the living room and talking about the day we had. "I''m going upstairs to hop on Ancients World. I''ll see you guys tonight okay." I say my goodbyes and as I am about to hop into my pod I can hear some yelling between my mom and sister, at least they waited till after we all had fun together. I load into the world and awake in the bed I rented after I crossed the border. I go downstairs and leave, I have rations so I don''t need to eat food at the inn today. I make my way outside and there are plenty of peopleing and going through the border. I don''t remember there being borders when people started leaving their starting cities. Perhaps its because of the uping war and all the people migrating out of Zenith. I walk down the road alongside other people and carts. Most are citizens that don''t have weapons or armor, the others are guards or mercenaries escorting carts. I don''t want to know how many yers are migrating right now and the amount of chaos that is creating. The vast majority of yers are already past level 10 and trying to make it to bigger and better area''s without a map. They are going to lose a lot of levels before they ept that they need a map. I still have my map and I pull it out to see my next step. There are three options that I have and I know for a fact that 2 of the 3 are dangerous areas with plenty of monsters. One even looks like it cuts through some old ruins. I cant help the itch for the potential ofbat and experience going through such a dangerous area. I have already made my decision and I am going the quickest way through some dangerous ruins. I don''t recognize the ruins from the map, but when I get there I may remember something I read in the forums from the future. The size of it on the map is impressive, looks kind of like a fortress or stronghold. I wonder why it isn''t upied by the countries soldiers, Vedersfall is known for its strong military. I see no reason for this ce to just sit empty and go to waste. As Cera continues his journey Gregory Francis the VII is moving with his forces to upy the south eastern part of Zenith. The war is progressing to the phase where battles will ur, the young kings of White Rock and Borealis are joining forces on the western side of the country. Gregory already has his forces in ce and ismunicating with the 2 kings through magic projection. "Once you are both in position we can start city hopping. Take a couple of the cities furthest from the capital. Once you have them, upy the cities with soldiers and start moving towards the capital. Skip a few cities at a time and take one that is closer in. Once you have the city you can cut the supply chain for the ones you passed on the way in. They will surrender once they run out of essentials." This is a tactic that Gregory Francis the II formed from reading journal''s that were written way before the rule of the Francis family. Gregory Francis the VII is using this to slowly squeeze the life out of Zenith. As long as there are no massive magic bombs then they have nothing to worry about. The king of White Rock, Drake Tritan the III is looking at king Franklin Forhall the V of Borealis about this n. They don''t know the ways of war and have mixed feelings about starving citizens when it is a war against a government. "I don''t like the fact that we have to make the people of Zenith''s country suffer with our conflicts." Drake Tritan is the first to talk and voice his disapproval of the n of attack. Franklin Forhall nods along with the words Drake is saying. "I know that this seems cruel, but doing this will allow us to take the cities with minimal casualties and save more people in the end. If either of you have any better ideas I am open to suggestions?" He asked that knowing that these 2 have no answer for the war strategy and have no way to argue against Gregory other than saying it doesn''t feel right. The magic projection turned off and Gregory went and sat on his finely decorated chair. He rubs his head as he read reports about supplies and rations for his forces. After a little while Gregory''s best general and friend walks into the tent. "By the look on your face those kids are giving you a hard time..." Aaron Yorm speaks to his friend about these young kings and there struggles with sending people to there deaths. Gregory chuckles at Aarons observation because he is totally right. He would rather just have their soldiers and take care of the war himself instead of negotiating about peoples lives with them. All warse at a cost and they need to learn that, and they will find out how hard it really is to be a king. "They have no notion of anything outside there castle walls andvish courts. They wille out better from this war, and there kingdoms will thrive with wise rulers." Gregory has been a man that isn''t afraid to make the hard decisions for his people, that is why he is a respected ruler unlike the younger ones he is working with. Aaron Yorm sits in a chair looking over the map of Zenith''s country. There are a lot of civilian cities between them and Herold. Everyone knows that he is using the people as a shield. "What do you n on doing once you have the legacy ss from killing Herold?" It would be a lie if the kings involved weren''t doing this for the sole purpose of defending themselves. The legacy ss is extremely tempting to everyone involved. "I wouldn''t be surprised if one of those kids tries to y us." Aaron Yorm is a person who always suspects the worst to happen, he makes a great general since he prepares for the bad things he suspects to happen. Gregory sets down the reports and gets up to talk with his friend. "That is if they can stomach this war to the bitter end. I wouldn''t be surprised if they left once the war is almost over, the capital will be the hardest to take. Regards to the legacy ss, I am more interested in there royal treasury. I know that the things in there will be worth more together than the single legacy ss." Once this war progresses to its final stages there may be disputes on who gets what. They say greed is the reason kings rot and countries die. You can see this in Herold as of right now, he is mad with greed. As the two continue to talk Violet and Christian are talking in private. "What are we going to do with all this money sweetheart? I already payed off all the debts and the house, we barely spent over 1.3 million taking care of everything..." Christian feels some shame at saying that. He always believed that money should be hard earned and spent wisely. His ideals don''t apply to this anymore. Violet just stares at the big number on the screen. She is having a hard time epting that her sweet boy did this for them. She would never say it out loud, but Cera is her favorite out of the 3. She always loved his ability to listen and learn from others and always does what he is told. He is what she wants all her children to be, but sadly she cant have that. "I am so proud of him Chris...." She wasn''t really paying attention to what he was saying, she was thinking about how to reward Cera for this wonderful aplishment. Christian just sighs and goes back to looking at properties on his phone while his wife is off in her own world. "What kind of house should we get? Do you want a mansion?" As soon as he said that Violet snorts and turns her head to her husband. He gives her a confused look and doesn''t understand her reaction. "I''ll be stuck cleaning the big ce you goofball. Pick a smaller ce." Chris can understand what his wife means, but he also has an answer to her logic as well. He wraps his left arm around his wife and gives her a hug with one arm. "You do realize that we can just hire someone to clean the ce for us now." Violet gives her husband a look of surprise and slight confusion. She didn''t consider that before, having someone else other than herself take care of everything. Take away her responsibilities and she doesn''t know who she is. They soon hear the footsteps of the person who saved everythinge downstairs to hang out for the night. They look at each other and share a kiss before joining Cera on the couch to watch T.V. Chapter 28: Ruins of the Bandit Lord Husk II

Chapter 28: Ruins of the Bandit Lord Husk II

I got to spend some time with mom and dadst night and we got to hang out just the 3 of us. I went to bed after that. Now that its morning I can hop back on and check out these old ruins. I get into my gaming pod and load into Ancients World. I wake up in the tent I fell asleep in, the sun is just starting to rise over the mountains to the east. I wonder what other continents are going through, there are billions of yers and multiple continents along with vast oceans that separate the yers. It takes a ship or a working teleporter to get to new continents. People wont start migrating to different continents till there tier 2 level up quests. That is a long way down the road and nobody other than me knows the secrets of the tiering up system. I pull out my map and see how close I am to these ruins, looking at thendmarks and coordinates I am about an hours walk from the ce. I pack up all my gear and make my way to the old ruins. I should check out my stats so I can preparebat tactic''s. I think to open my yer stat tab and it pops open in front of me. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 7180/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 800] [Focus - 800] [Mana: 8000/8000] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Stat Points: 120] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.3 150/300 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.3 25/400 (Active) - sh Lvl.8 500/800 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive) - Destined for Greatness (Passive)] That perk Destined for Greatness sure brought mybat power up. I open my inventory so I can calcte my new damage numbers with my swords. [Inventory] [10x water rations] [5x food rations] [Silver sword req. Lvl.10] [Quality: Umon] [Damage: 500] [Durability: 250/250] [Dead''s Bane req. Lvl.10] [Damage: 650] [Quality: Rare] [Durability: 250/250] [Unique effect: Twice as effective on undead] [Complete Dungeon armor set: Hardened Sap] Since I am dual wielding now I canbine the damage of the 2 swords together. 1,150 is thebined damage for the 2 swords. Add the 8,500 t damage from my strength stat and I get 9,650. Now all I have to do is multiply the new total damage by 2 since I am dual wielding, doubling my total damage. My new total damage without using skills is 19,300, I cant stop myself from smiling when thinking about the new calctions. I cant wait to test out my skills on stronger enemies now. I turn off my interface and continue to the ruins on the map. After about 50 minutes of walking I make it to the vast gates of the ruins. There are no indications of a military presence here and I can feel some monsters inside. I put my hand on the door and I get a system notification. [You are about to enter a solo dungeon] [You can only enter alone] [Do you wish to enter the dungeon: The ruins of bandit Lord Husk? Y/N] So this is actually a dungeon, and a solo one at that. Solo dungeons are rare because most ces have high concentrations of powerful enemies, if youe across a solo dungeon it usually indicates a one sided battle filled with traps and tricks. It is meant to be a way to kill yers period. You really aren''t meant toplete it, just die a bunch of times till you learn all the traps and can avoid them. I think yes and the massive gates open. I walk into the courtyard and I can see remnants of a society and amunity. Now its just empty and worn down old buildings. I walk the path for awhile and Ie across a group of mobs, all of them are strong enemies and haven''t noticed me yet. I inspect one of them since I cant really make out what they are. They really surprise me because they don''t belong in a ce like this. [Ghoulish Abomination Lvl.15 Strong] 25,000/25,000 HP Ghoulish Abomination? These are only found when a necromancer is ying god and doing a bad job. They have no thoughts and are impossible to control, they are usually killed by the necromancer once they are deemed failures. The fact that they are alive is suspicious, a necromancer never leaves traces of his or her existence if possible. This is also the ruins of a bandit lord, not a necromancer. This whole thing reeks of a trap. No point in risking this for such weak and more than likely trap filled enemies. I sneak away and go down a different path, after some walking I feel powerful magicing from a building up ahead. I reach it and walk up to the door, I ce my ear against it. I listen for the sounds of an enemy, I hear nothing. The power I senseing from the inside is also moving and fluctuating, this ismon ce in solo dungeons. If an old magic trap hasn''t been set off in a very long time it will start to destabilize. I think this is exactly what is happening here, if I open this door I will be killed. I leave the door to the building and continue down the courtyard. I am met by a crossroads, one goes to an old Greek looking temple. The other path leads to what seems to be an armory. There is probably a boss to this ce and if I was a betting man it would be in the temple, but this is a solo dungeon and you have to think like a trapper would. The armory and the temple are no go''s, they are more than likely filled with traps and tricks. Since I am at a crossroads and I don''t intend to go forward I turn back the way I came. After making it half way back I notice a path that wasn''t there when I walked by earlier, typical of a solo dungeon. This little trick has killed many yers in solo dungeons before, even me when I was a higher level in the future. I look down the new path and see a little building, why would such a small building be hidden from everyone. I didn''t have to do anything special to open the path either, no key, no password, nothing to open it except walk back. This is a trap too so I am passing on this. I make it back to the entrance of the dungeon and check the adjacent part of the courtyard. This path is identical to thest one, except the first building doesn''t have a trap from the feeling of it. I make my way to the door and listen for any movement, I hear nothing and I feel nothing so I push the door open and I am greeted by a room filled with pristine books and scrolls. I am not going to touch anything, this ce is not magical in origin like the dryads. So there is no way that all this stuff would look this good after such a long time. I ignore this room and head into the back, after looking at the empty room I can see an old key on a table. I inspect it from a distance incase its another trap. [Key to the main chamber] Main chamber to what? After I inspected the key a map materializes on the wall. It is a map of the ruins and where everything is located. I look for the main chamber and all I see is a pathway to hole in the side of the cliff this ce was built on. I should check there next, I ce the key in my inventory and I make my way outside. I follow the correct path and make it to a little road that cuts through some trees. I walk down it and Ie across a heavy door, I try and push it open. I get a system notification telling me otherwise. [You need a key to open this door] I take out the key I got from the table and I put it in the keyhole. I turn it and the door clicks open, it creaks loudly as I push it open. Suddenly torches light along the walls start to light the path. That means this leads to the main chamber, and to the boss of this dungeon. I make my way down the path mentally preparing to for a battle. There was nothing in the forums about this ce, so I have no idea what I am walking into. Chapter 29: The ruins of Bandit Lord Husk III

Chapter 29: The ruins of Bandit Lord Husk III

Walking down this path I can feel a powerful monster at the end of wherever this leads. While walking I pass door after door. I believe they are bedrooms or cells, but I''m not opening them to find out. I finally make it to the end and I am met by a single door, I lean my ear against it and listen for anything. I can hear deep breathinging from the other side of the door. This is definitely the boss, and it sounds big. I kick open the door as I draw my 2 swords. I am met by a truly powerful boss creature. I inspect it to see if its the real deal or not. [Earth Elemental Lvl.15 dungeon boss] 225,000/225,000 HP It has already noticed me and is preparing to attack. It''s already throwing rocks and rumble at me, trying to get any type of hit. The monster is getting pissed at my ability to dodge its attacks, ites down to personal skill when dodging and I am great at it. An Earth Elemental is special in that is doesn''t have 100% critical spots on its body and itcks a heart. It won''t go into a tired debuff state since it has no heart. If I want tond any hits it will have to be when protected by heaven is activated or I find a way to trip it. I see no way to bring its sturdy legs out from under it without a blunt type weapon, I only have de type. So that leaves one option left, I activate protected by heaven and heavens light so I can kill this guy as fast as possible. [Earth Elemental Lvl.15 dungeon boss] 225,000/225,000 HP -101,325(Blocked 50,000) -51,325(Actual) -84,437.5(Blocked 45,000) -39,437.5(Actual) -118,212.5(Blocked 52,000) -66,212.5(Actual) This guy is tough enough to block around half the damage I deal. sh stacked with heavens light would have already killed this guy if his defense wasn''t so high. I hit him with another shbo on top of heavens light, I would be dead right now if I didn''t have protected by heaven. [Earth Elemental Lvl.15 dungeon boss] 68,025/225,000 HP -92,881.25(Blocked 43,000) -49,881.25(Actual) -104,702.5(Blocked 50,000) -54,702(Actual) +9,000 exp +1000 sh mastery +500 protected by heaven mastery +500 heavens light mastery [sh has leveled up 2x] [Protected by Heaven has leveled up] [Heavens light has leveled up] I look at my stats so I can see the new levels of my Skills. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 16,180/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 800] [Focus - 800] [Mana: 8000/8000] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Stat Points: 120] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400 (Active) - sh Lvl.10 300/1000 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive) - Destined for Greatness (Passive)] Now that sh has reached level 10 it will do more damage now. [sh - Active] [Description: You can add 85% more damage to you attack] A 10 percent increase in damage is amazing for my divine ss. I look at the spread rubble of the fallen earth Elemental and I see a purple glowing drop. I rush to it and pick it up and I inspect it. [Chunk of adamantine metal] [Description: The highest grade metal you can find on the world of Gaia, its rarity and innate magical properties can craft armor or weapons of legendary quality.] [Special requirements: Only a legendary cksmith can use this metal] Damn, I don''t know if there is a legendary cksmith even alive. I can hold on to this until I find a better use for it. Now that the dungeon boss is beat I can check out the main chamber and see if there are any rewards or quests. I approach the door leading to the back and I open it. I am met by a room filled with gold and trinkets. I am not touching any of this stuff because I can sense it is enchanted with magic, I instead head further back into the room and I find another door. I push it open and I am now looking at a office space. This must have been the leaders room, I look around the old and dusty room and see old documents. I walk up to the desk and sit down in it, I y around with it and I am met with some hidden levers and dials. I spend 4 hours solving this damn puzzle desk and once I do a hiddenpartment opens. I pick up the paper within it and I get a system notification. [Quest: The lost treasure of Bandit Lord Husk] [Description: This is a clue to find the treasure that Husk hid long ago] [Objective 1: Locate the tomb of Nermo] [Objective 2: Get the clue from the tomb] [Quality: Legacy] [Do you want to ept this quest? Y/N I never heard of this from the forums in the future. Someone decided to keep it a secret it seems. This is just another quest to the growing pile that I have. I think yes and ept the quest, I don''t know where this tomb is, but I am sure that I could find it in the future after I get to tier 2. I make my way out of the under ground chambers and make my way to the exit. As soon as I leave I get a system notification. [You are the first yer toplete a solo dungeon and not die a single time] [Do you wish to ept the rewards? Y/N] I think yes and I get a new perk. [Dungeon Diver - Passive] [Description: Even the mostplex and tricky dungeons are no match for you. +1500 focus] This is going to be a helpful perk for when I get more and more active skills. I look at my yer stats for thest time today. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 16,180/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+1 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 800] [Focus - 2300] [Mana: 23000/23000] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Stat Points: 120] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.4 325/300 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400 (Active) - sh Lvl.10 300/1000 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive) - Destined for Greatness (Passive) - Dungeon Diver (Passive)] I have satisfied my curiosity and checked out the ruins, I make my way down the little hill and start my path to eclipse city. I travel the ins and forest for another 3 hours following the directions on the map to perfection. Nightfall hase and that means its time to get off. I set up my camp andy down in my tent. I log off and hop out of my gaming pod, I can smell delicious fooding from downstairs and I quickly rush to the dinner table. I can see the massive dinner mom cooked and see the smiles on my families faces. I take a seat between Marcus and mom and start to chow down. Mom and dad look at each other and I can tell that they are having a silent conversation. Suddenly dad speaks with really good news. "Kids, your mom and I have decided on a house we are getting and we will be moving in a couple of days. We will have movers do all the work so just be ready the day of, all right?" I give my parents the biggest smile I could. They are already spending the money for things they want and need. I know for a fact that their wisdom with money is going to be the best thing I ever invested in. I finish my dinner and sit at the couch and turn on the T.V. I go to my favorite channel that reports anything that happens in Ancients World. A reporter is doing a take on the mass migration of yers from there starting cities. "yers are moving in mass and are leaving there starting cities. With the average yers level rising more and more, people are looking at Ancients World as a new frontier for money." I can agree with that statement. The amount of money you can make from Ancients World is unbelievable. I am soon joined in the living room with the rest of my family and we all watch the updates from Ancients World. Chapter 30: The city of eclipse I

Chapter 30: The city of eclipse I

{I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!!! I didn''t post yesterday because it seemed kind of rude to have people read my story when they should spend time with their families. Hope you all enjoy the chapter!!!} I head up to my room after spending quality time with my family. Dad is home full time now since we don''t need money anymore. Seeing mom and dad free from the shackles of debt is a wonderful sight. They actually look confused at times because they don''t have responsibilities anymore. No one in this family has financial responsibilities, I''ll admit it does fell strange not having to worry about ie and bills. You get so used to it after such a long time that when its gone you are left without a sense of direction. I am d that my parents are going through this, they can do whatever they want with their time now. Iy down in my bed and open myptop. I check the most popr forums and see what type of information is floating around right now. Checking all the major guilds forums I find the one that got the guild token I sold. Their guilds name is Red Sky, they are a formidable in closebat battles from the talented fighters they have. Theyck in therge scale deployment department though, this is why they are ranked 12th in the world for the top guilds. Now that they have the guild token, the spot they hold will undoubtedly rise into the top 10. I wonder what the other guilds are up to. Most of the top 10 are moving into the country of Smander to track down a world boss. Fenrir is the strongest thing walking Gaia right now, so whatever they are hunting isn''t evenparable. They might have a shot if they decide to work together and split the rewards. The likely hood of that happening is slim though, all the best guilds don''t like to share with others. Maybe losing a bunch of levels will change their minds about that. I close myptop and slide under my nkets to sleep. In Ancients World a meeting between the Holy Priestess of the fairy kingdom and the emergency meeting of the kingdoms is being held. Queen Victoria Ulysses was able to get into contact with the new fairy kingdom and has invited them to this meeting. There are 3 chairs empty from the war Zenith started. Everyone else is present via magical projection and are eagerly waiting for the meeting to start. The first one to speak is The Pope. "It is a great day to be able to speak with the fairies again. I am so d you decided to ept our invitation." He is speaking to Holy Priestess Ze and her willingness to be here. The fairy people are the same size as regr human, but they have wings on their backs. Males have dragonfly wings and females have butterfly wings. Ze has beautiful ck and white wings along with braided pure white hair. Ze''s magical projection walks to the stage to speak as well. "We are thankful for being freed after so many years. The Holy Willow Tree is back at full power and so is the fairy kingdom. We thank you all for reaching out to us after we have been gone for so long." She speaks in a voice that is melodic and hypnotic. Every ruler in this room be them male or female blushed at her lovely voice. The next to speak is Saintess Lucy. "We are here today to discuss rtions with the fairy kingdom and open trades. As well as discuss another important matter." Ze knows what is being implied here and she will have to disappoint them. For she does not know the identity of the one who saved there kingdom. The Holy Willow Tree has refused to tell her anything about Michaels son. The Popo stands up and looks across at Ze. "You probably already know the other reason you are here. The church is willing to do anything for the identity of Arch-Angel Michaels son. So please just name what you want and we will be sure to fulfill the request." Everyone is silent as The Pope speaks. Ze gives a sad face that greatly worries The Pope and Saintess. They didn''t think the fairies would hide the son. Ze gives a gentle sigh and puts her hands together to ask the Holy Willow Tree onest time. "The only one who knows the identity of Michaels son is the Holy Willow Tree. I have asked many times for his identity, but the tree will not give any information to me. I am sorry that I can not fulfill this request for you." You can clearly see the frustration on The Popes face. He is not upset at the fairies or the Holy Willow Tree. He is mad because they have made no progress in finding Arch-Angel Michaels son. The fairy kingdom is an ally that knows the identity of the person they are searching for, but they also don''t know the identity at the same time. In a way they are in the same boat as the church, they only have one other option at this point and that is to find the person in Blue Grass that knows Michaels son. The church cant force the Holy Willow Tree or the fairies to tell them, because that would turn them into an enemy. It is suspected that the Holy Willow Tree will do anything to protect the person they are looking for. Ze prepares to speak again, this time with a warning. "I know how much you all want to find Michaels son, but I will only warn you once. If you try to force the kingdom of the fairies or the Holy Willow Tree then you will have war. This is not a message from me, but from the Holy Willow Tree its self. One more thing to make sure that you know these words are true, if you do provoke us Fenrir wille to our aid. Whoever the offender is will suffer the full might of Fenrir." Many of the faces in the room turn pale. Nobody will dare fight the fairy kingdom since they have Fenrir on their side. The Pope cant help his disappointment at the news he has received today. Saintess Lucy on the other hand is not in the mood for such game. "I get the position you are in Holy Priestess, but it is our duty to find and bring in Michaels son. You will be marked as a neutral party by my forces and receive no aid. I am not like the Pope, I expect the information we want. Otherwise, you are not an ally in my eyes." The Saintess is in charge of the armies of the church and fighting in battles. The Pope or other kingdoms cannot challenge her authority when ites to managing and leading the churches army. The Pope looks at Lucy as if she has grown a second head that is puking gold. "Please forgive Saintess Lucy. She does not mean what she says." The Pope is trying to salvage whatever he can after that threat. Lucy is never one to have others speak for her and she is about to put the nail in the coffin. Saintess Lucy takes the stage and looks to Ze. "You have been warned Ze, I hope that the Holy Willow Tree will understand how important this is to us." As she finishes saying that The Pope is ovee with anger. Before he can say anything Saintess Lucy leaves the meeting room and leaves a very mad Alexander. All the the rulers present can''t believe what just happened. Ze never dropped her smile and never looked intimidated. "Its okay, she is just passionate about her beliefs. I take no insult to her words." Some people in the room breathe a sigh of relief after hearing those words. The meeting continues without Lucy present anymore. The night passes fast and Cera''s rm goes off. I wake up at the usual time and head downstairs for breakfast. This is the first time I have seen dad here for breakfast, he is always at work by now. He doesn''t need a job anymore and now he can speed as much time as he wants with his family. I am the first of the 3 siblings up and I sit next to dad. "So what are you and mom going to do today?" They both look at me funny. I cant helpughing at there reactions. "When was thest time you guys went on a date? Now that your free from debt you can spend quality time together." I personally don''t remember thest time they spent time alone outside the house. They both look at each other as if trying to find out an answer. "Well honey? Are we going out today?" Mom is quick to capitalize on the question I asked them. Dad still has the look of ''I cantpute''. I have a feeling that they are going to be having a lot more dates now that they have free time. Chapter 31: The city of eclipse II

Chapter 31: The city of eclipse II

I finish my breakfast before Hailey or Marcuse down to join. I say thanks to mom and dad as I head upstairs so I can make some more progress. I will be reaching the city of eclipse today and I know the first thing that I am doing. The epic trial quest, the reward from it willst me till I find something better. I hop into my gaming pod and load into Ancients World. I am in the same tent I logged off in. I get out and take a deep breath and soak in the shining sun. It is much warmer down here in the country of Vedersfall. I pack up my camp and take out my map. The walk should only be a couple of miles to eclipse city and I know that I will be the first yer to enter a new city. It really helped when Fenrir covered the majority of the trip for me. I would still be walking through the wilds if not for him giving me a ride. I follow the map all the way to the bridge that leads directly into eclipse city. I walk up to the gate and wait in line to enter. After about 10 minutes its my turn, the guards ask questions like why I''m here and how long I''ll be staying. I give them bullshit answers so they let me in. Once I step foot passed the main gate I get a system notification. [You are the first yer to reach a new city] [Do you wish to ept the hidden reward? Y/N] I think yes and I get some exp and a title. [New title: Wanderer] [Description: You find ces other yers have not been to yet. +1500 reputation with the adventurers guild.] This is pretty cool, getting reputation for the adventurers guild so early is great for me. I then hear a system announcement as I walk down the streets of eclipse city. [World-wide Announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is the first yer to enter a new city! The country of Vedersfall will receive a reward for this aplishment since this is where The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is!] [World-wide Announcement: The church of light will scour the country of Vedersfall for Arch-Angel Michaels son!] [World-wide Announcement: The church of the dark ones will scour the country of Vedersfall for Arch-Angel Michaels son!] This doesn''t change any of my ns. They won''t be able to tell its me unless they have someone strong enough to see all my stats. I open my yer stats to see my new title and my exp bars new value. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 16,180/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+2 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 800] [Focus - 2300] [Mana: 23000/23000] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Stat Points: 120] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400 (Active) - sh Lvl.10 300/1000 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive) - Destined for Greatness (Passive) - Dungeon Diver (Passive)] I am only 4820 exp from bing level 20. When I be level 20 I can view more information on creatures and people, but they can still hide or block me if they are strong enough. I continue walking down the streets of eclipse as I am heading to the sacred trial grounds of Monrell. Monrell was a Sword Saint back in the days of the waring states. He is regarded has the best swordsman of his time. He created these sacred trials to test any who be worthy of the sword. The reward is a legendary sword that he wielded. The trials have never beenpleted, until a yer with a gamer tag called Pesticide came and beat the trials. He left a guide in the forums on how he beat it. Trials are incredibly hard to beat, most don''t appear above the grade of very rare. I never heard of any trial being higher than epic, but I have the opportunity to beat one of the only epic trials ever known to the yers of Ancients World. The city of eclipse is muchrger than Blue Grass, it can hold up to 25 million upants and it is veryrge. The trials are hidden from view in the monument to Sword Saint Monrell. I walk the long streets of eclipse city and I make it to the park they have here. They preserved a part of the forest so people cane and rx here. It is also where the monument to Monrell is. I search the park and Ie across a floating statue of Monrell. I look at the masterful armor that was carved from the stone and I can tell just from the statue he was a powerful man. I read the inscription on the monument for anyone to read. "This monument is dedicated to Sword Saint Monrell for his incredible strength and courage in battle. Any who wish to take the trial of Monrell must give a drop of blood to prove your willingness to bleed." A fighter of Monrell''s strength would demand such a small thing, while the implications are extreme. I now know where this is and I cane back to itter, I need to make sure that all my equipment is fully repaired and ready for a long battle. I exit the park and make my way to themercial district. After searching for awhile I find the cksmith shop called Neal''s metal works. I enter the shop and take a look around. There is some really good gear here, most of it is very rare and epic. This is a top of the line shop, I approach the front counter and ring the bell. "Be with you in just a minute!!" I hear adies voice call out from the back. After I wait for about 5 minutes I am greeted by a shorter red head in cksmith gear. "How can I help you?" She sounds pretty tired, probably from working the forge all day. I take out my swords and ce them on the counter. "I was wondering if you could repair these swords for me." She picks them up to inspect them. After checking the stats and seeing the durability I can tell that she is willing to repair them. She sets them back on the table and sighs. "Yeah I can repair them, but I am swamped at the moment. If you leave them here overnight I can have them done by morning tomorrow." This puts a dampener in my ns, but its only one day. I should ask her if there are any known legendary cksmiths even around on Gaia. I let her take the swords and ce them behind the counter to work onter. "I was wondering if you happened to know where any legendary cksmiths are?" She looks at me like I am an idiot. She starts tough hard and wipe some of the tears from her eyes. After she catches her breath she looks at me with red eye fromughing. "Do you even know what you just asked? There hasn''t been a legendary cksmith in centuries. What could you possibly need from one." She talks to me in a very condescending tone. I sometimes can''t stand people like this. Might as well show her instead of tell her. I take out the chunk of adamantine metal from my inventory and ce it on the counter. She immediately shuts up and a smug smile crosses my face. "This is why. I was hoping to find someone who can make a sword or armor piece from this for me." She is about to pick it up and inspect it some more, but I grab it fast and ce it back in my inventory. She looks at me in annoyance. "I can tell you that you will never find someone who can use that metal. It be best to sell it to me now to get it off your hands." This woman has no shame does she. I shake my head in disapproval of her antics. I take out some gold and ce it on the counter. "Will this be enough to cover the repair costs?" She takes the bag of gold and weighs it. It meets her standards and she nods her head. I head to the door about to leave, but she stops me. She is holding me by the cor. "So are you going to sell me that adamantine metal or not." The gall on this girl is crazy. I shove her hand off and leave the cksmith. I get that its a unique metal, but if you cant use it then why want it at all. Since I cant do the trial today I might as well get off and hang out with my family till my swords are done. I head to the closest inn and pay for a room, once I amying on the bed I log off and hop out of my gaming pod. Chapter 32: The Trial of Monrell I

Chapter 32: The Trial of Monrell I

{Sorry guys, got a new PC today and it took awhile to set up and everything. Please mark any grammar or punctuation errors for me. I haven''t gone through and edited this yet. I want to get your guys chapter out.} I spent the rest of the day with my family while my stuff gets repaired. I went to bedter today since I didn''t y Ancients World. My rm goes off at its typical time and I head downstairs to have breakfast with my family. I am not the first of the 3 siblings this time however. Hailey is sitting at the table getting talked too by mom and dad, and I can put together that it isn''t good. "Do you have any idea how worried we werest night! You didn''te home till an hour ago!! We have been up all night waiting for you!!" Mom is the first to voice her anger. Hailey believes since she is over 18 she has the ability to make her own choices. She doesn''t understand that when you still live with your parents you still have to follow their rules. She was probably outst night parting or hooking up with some guy. I don''t really want to bother asking to ask so I pour myself some cereal and sit on the couch. I turn on the T.V. and put it on low so they can still talk. "Mom I''m not some teenager that can be told what she can and cant do anymore. I am allowed to make my own choices!!" It sounds just like the fights they had when I was a little younger and she was a teenager. I focus on the T.V. and listen to the reporter talk about the new guild hall that Red Sky has set up. "The 12th ranked guild in the world has set up there guild hall. New features have been discovered about guild halls from the reportsing in from the yers residing in Red Sky." Guild halls are an incredible tool for guilds. They can house up too 500,000 members per building. The best guilds have millions of members. Most of the top guilds have to make more than 5 guild halls in different cities and towns. Once sieges are implemented the bnce will be upset for awhile, that isn''t for a long time though. I continue to listen to the reporter as they talk about more news. "Willow Tree is moving its top forces into the country Smander. It is known that a lot of top guilds are going to this country for the roaming world boss. The yers that have spawned in the country of Smanders starting cities have given us more sightings and we now know the name of the roaming world boss." So them actually found out its name. I never paid attention when this happened the first time around. I listen closely in case I remember anything from the future about this creature. "Reports say the name of the creature is Retwick the Lycanthrope. Not much is known about this creature, but there is a theory that this creature only has a certain amount of time till it turns back into a NCP''s" That is a pretty good theory. I would make the same assumption about a lycanthrope as well. The NPC''s who is transforming probably doesn''t even know that its a lycanthrope. I can hear the conversation behind me grow more intense. "We don''t even know what she is doing while she is out Christian!! She could end up pregnant for all we know!!" I can feel the paling of my dads face without having to look back at them. He probably couldn''t handle his princess getting knocked up. "I am tried of her behavior Chris! This is thest time she is doing this or I am kicking her out!!" I feel some hurt in my heart at that. I know that Hailey is causing you guys a lot of trouble with her attitude, but she is still family. I hear the small patter of feete down the stairs and I can see that Marcus has finally woken up. "What''s with all the yelling..." I look over my shoulder and see that he has just gotten out of bed. Mom goes into her mode as she picks up Marcus. "I thought everything was fine now...." Kid is smarter than people give him credit for. Mom give Hailey and dad a serious look. She never likes it when problems between Hailey and her spread to the rest of the family. I take this time to finish drinking the milk in my bowl and heading to the kitchen to clean it and put it in the dishwasher to dry. I walk past the table as everyone is silent right now, suddenly I am asked a questioned as I am about to start walking upstairs. "What do you think Cera? Shouldn''t I be allowed to make my own choices." I guess she is looking for anyone to be on her side since dad isn''t anymore. Mom on the other hand looks like she is about to explode. I turn around to face her as I release a sigh, family problem require the whole family. "I don''t know what you want me to say Hailey. We have so many opportunities to do the things we never got to now that we have money and I know that I intend to enjoy it. If you don''t start listening to mom and dad they will make sure you feel the pain." It may be a little harsh, but I have no other way to tell her what I think. "I want you to be around when we start to enjoy our new life. Don''t you want to be here too?" She looks down and her blond hair covers her face. She doesn''t get that mom is willing to throw her out on her ass if she doesn''t do something about her high risk behavior. I turn around and head upstairs, I don''t want to deal with that anymore. I enter my room and hop into my gaming pod and load into Ancients World. I open my eye''s and see the same ceiling as I didst night before I logged off. I head downstairs and leave the inn and head straight to the cksmiths shop. I open it up and I am greeted by a bearded man who looks to be in his mid 30''s. I approach the counter and lean against is with my forearms. "I came in yesterday to get my 2 swords repaired." He looks me up and down as he smiles. I don''t know why he is smiling, but if he tries to swindle me I will not hesitate to throw hands. He stands up and goes into the back. I hear some talking and the girl from yesterdayes out. much faster than the other man. "Have you given any thought about selling that adamantine metal? We can give you a great price for it." How about a hello first. Talk about a one track mine, she will make a great cksmith if she is so obsessed with minerals of high quality. All I do is sigh and I watch the man bring my swords and ce them on the desk. I might as well make it clear I don''t want to be bothered about this anymore. "I don''t want to sell it. I want if crafted into a sword or armor piece for me." She doesn''t give the reaction that I was hoping for, instead she pulls out bags and bags of gold. She was about to speak again when I cut her off. "I just said I don''t want to sell it. I see no reason for you to have it since you cant use it either. I am better off hanging onto it till I find someone who can." Her pride looks very hurt after myst shutdown. She looks ready to explode, but before she can throw and insult my way the man beside her stops that from happening. "Mon-mon, he doesn''t want to sell it. So leave the young man be and ept his answer." I stifle augh at her little nickname. Her face reddens slightly in embarrassment. It''s clear he used her nickname to shut her up. "Come back anytime you need repairs done or need new gear." I nod in acknowledgement of his words and leave the smith. As soon as I am out of the door I can hear the little girl Mon-mon start yelling and cussing at who I assume is Neal. Now that I have everything ready gear wise I should pick up some healing potions just to be safe. I walk a little further down themercial district and find a mages shop. I enter since it is the time things are usually open. Once inside I can feel magic power all throughout this ce. Some who lives here is very strong. I make my way to the front desk and pick up the little bell and ring it. Ady with long ck braided hair with flowers appears right in front of me. "How can I help you young man?" She looks to be in her early 20''s, but she is likely using potions and magic to stay and look young. Mages are capable of a lot of cool things here in Ancients World and thisdy is an example. Chapter 33: The Trial of Monrell II

Chapter 33: The Trial of Monrell II

Thedy seems nice enough, I can tell that she is a powerful mage. I want to inspect her stats, but I don''t want to offend the woman who will be selling me life saving supplies. "I was hoping that I could possibly get some standard healing potions." She looks me up and down. She must not believe I can afford it. She is wearing elegant, but powerful gear that highlights her curves. Knowing that she is probably over 60 years old while only looking 20 is at the forefront of my mind. I don''t want to even think about that. She frowns as if she could understand what was going through my head. "You know I don''t take to kindly to thoughts like that." I know she cant read my thoughts, if she could a system prompt would tell me something is happening. I keep a neutral face as to not show how right she was. "I may not be able to read your thoughts, but I know when a man wants me or not. Comes with age apparently." I chuckle on the inside from her joke. She has a good sense of humor thankfully. I take out enough gold to get me 10 health potions that heal 40% of users full health. It isn''t the best healing potion, but there are plenty of bad ones. "I hope this would cover the costs of the potions." She looks at the bag of gold as if it was fake. She picks it up and casts a few spells to check the authenticity of the coins. After several spells she looks at me with surprise. She sets the bag of gold on the counter and gives her full attention to me. "Well you have the gold, now why do you need them?" I don''t see how that is any of her business and I intend to keep my goals and objectives private matters. She can see that I am not giving her any information on what I n on doing. She goes into the back to get the potions that I ordered. As I am waiting at the counter I hear the door behind me open and I turn to see what looks to be another yer. Must be someone who chose eclipse as there beginner city. The person is rather average in height, I have about 5 to 6 inches on whoever this person is. Theye up to the counter as they pick up the little bell and ring it. "Just a minute!!" She is clearly going to be longer than a minute. I look over to the yer and they are hiding their face along with their information. I can only make so many assumptions about who this person is. I am not here to make friends though, it will be to big a risk if I am suddenly discovered. I can tell that my piercing stare is bothering whoever this is and is making them nervous. "What do you want?!" I hear a feminine voice ask me about my crass behavior. I guess I''ll have to talk to this person even if I don''t want to. I stay silent and just let her stir in her own difort. This will give me a little bit of an advantage. "Nothing that another yer wouldn''t assume about another. I hide my information just like you and everyone else does. So that leaves the question on why you are so defensive even though this is normal for unfamiliar yers to behave like. You are either new or you have be betrayed to much to befortable." Her body slightly jerks at logic. I may have hit the nail on the head with that reaction. She turns her hood in my direction and I can make out elvish like features. She much have chosen to be an archer or an assassin. She doesn''t have a bow equipped, but that shouldn''t exclude that possibility. Best guess at the moment is assassin, unless she is magic oriented. I don''t feel any recognizable magic power though. "Your a smart one aren''t you, and you don''t beat around the bush. You still haven''t told me what you want." She must want a legitimate reason to my behavior. I don''t really have a reason, I just like messing with another yer who cant take at least a little bit of pressure. I sigh as I rub the back of my head. "I was messing with you. I don''t really have a want, it seems that the only reason we are talking right now is from how defensive you were when I only looked at you." She looks kind of mad after I say that. I don''t know why it would make her mad. Not like we are ever going to see each other again. This girl obviously has problems and I have no reason to be involved with them. I hear the owner of this fine shope out from the back with a sack filled with all the potions I need. She puts it on the counter in front of me and gives me an annoyed look. I payed her so she has no reason toin. "Thanks, hope this one is nicer to you than she was too me." I pick up the bag and put it in my inventory. I turn to leave, but I am stopped by the little elf yer. She tries to turn me around to face her, but I am to high of a level for her to even move my body. She just growls and gets in front of me with an angry expression. "I don''t know what your deal is, but if I catch you outside of here and treat me like this again there will be consequences." I scoff at her remark and we can both hear a littleugh from thedy who owns the store. She must get the gap between our yer levels. I just ignore her and walk out the door. She tries to stop me again for some reason, but I smack her hand away from me and I can see the shocked expression on her face. Along with the weakening of the body, guess I did some damage. I should really get started on the trial of Monrell and get that amazing reward. I make my way to the park and walk the curvy paths as Ie to the same statue as before. I can see the same inscription asst time. I pull out one of my swords and prick the tip of my finger and let blood drip on the statue. I feel really bad about doing this to a tribute to someone, but there is no other way. Soon the statue glows and I am transported to an open field littered with corpses. I walk around for awhile ande to a conclusion that its just an illusion of some past event. I look up ahead and see a single warrior stand atop a pile of bodies. Looks like his previous elegant white armor is stained in crimson blood. I try to inspect the man and get the usual thing from powerful NPC''s. [You are not strong enough to view this NPC''s information] [The NPC has been waiting patiently for your arrival] [The NPC now knows you are here] Whoever this NPC is they are the master of this ce. Taking a better look this is the Sword Saint Monrell. His armor matches the statue outside. "So you havee to be tested by my trial have you. Nobody since the day I died haspleted this trial. I am growing tired of remaining in this ce to guide others." It really isn''t Monrell, just a magical imprint from his mind. He is both alive and dead, the original him is died. This is just an echo, now all that''s left is an intelligent recording. I walk up to the pile of bodies he stands on and I take in the view of the fields and mountains. "I havee for the trial, but I do want to ask one question before I start." His helmeted head turns to look down at me. He stays silent for a moment and then nods giving me permission to speak. "Is it true that you hatedbat?" There were rumors in Monrells lore that after so many years he grew very tired of fighting. [The NPC is disturbed my your choice of question] [The NPC is interested in the results that you will bring] He stops looking at me and looks forward again as he releases a deep and tired sigh. "There was a time I enjoyed battle, but that was when I could challenge and be challenged. After so long I was left in an empty world with nothing except my titles." I can see that the best part of battle is fighting people stronger than you so you can be stronger. He made it to a point that only creatures of a higher life rating could kill him. He was the top of the human food chain. Chapter 34: The Trial of Monrell III

Chapter 34: The Trial of Monrell III

I can understand Monrells loneliness. I would feel alone in his position as well. I don''t know the full history and lore of Sword Saint Monrell, but what I do know is that he was a prodigy with the sword. He came from a poor background and entered into Vedersfall military, after he had ess to all the training time needed he started to pass his superiors in leaps in bounds. After he turned 30 is when he was given the title Sword Saint. The only people that didn''t respect him were the people he passed on the way to the top. His legacy in the country of Vedersfall has left its mark in the development of the country. If not for him, this country would have been absorbed by another long ago. Heid the foundations with his teachings and his techniques, the Vedersfall military is feared because of it. I know exactly what to do to pass the trials, he uses this trial to test who is worth of his sword. The sword of Monrell is one of the best de weapons in the game. Once I have it, I''ll not need one to rece it. To bad he doesn''t give 2 legendary swords, I''ll be mismatched for a long time. I should really get started on this trial. I may know what to do, but I don''t know how long I''ll take. "I''m ready to start the trial." He doesn''t look back down to me, the only thing that happens is the world disappears and I am floating in endless darkness. I then get a system notification that exins what is happening. [The trial is being generated] [You don''t have a time limit on when you shouldplete this trial] [However, the less time it takes the better your score will be] I wait for the trial to generate and to begin the simtion. The goal in the trial of Monrell is fighting the 3 disciples of Monrell from weakest to strongest. Each fight is in a different location where the disciples gained there own reputations. It is said that all 3 of the disciples rivaled only half of Monrell when they went all out. "I will be fighting Sir Vevens first. He was the weakest of the disciples, but he will still be hard to beat. The simtion will provide weaker versions so I have a chance." I don''t know what level they were originally when they were alive, but I know that they pushed into the high 300s. The strategy that was used when I read the forums was to use Sir Vevens armor against him. It is heavy and hard to move in. There is also a weak point in his armor, there is a gap between the back of his helmet and the top of his chest te. When I get the opening to go for it I''ll be able to hit 100% critical over and over again. He will have the highest health out of the 3 thanks to his knight ss. The time part of this trial is what worries me. I don''t know the amount of time necessary to be rewarded Monrells Sword. All I can really do is guess, I bet that is the best reward possible. So that means I''ll have to get the highest grade possible. Getting an S+ grade on your first try seems impossible, but I know all the weaknesses to the fighters. So I can get it, I''ll just have to be extra careful. The world around me begins to transform into a giant colosseum, I look around and I can see that stands are full and people are cheering. This ce must have been where Sir Veven came after his training wasplete. He earned a kings fortune in the colosseum in the city of Vedersfall. The capital is said to be one of the most lucrative ces this side of the continent. I am staring at the view box and see a beautiful princess with her family with her. This must be princess Loa, she is the reason so many men were willing to die in the colosseum. The champion that reigned for 400 days would win her hand in marriage. Sir Veven ended up winning, but this is a simtion. So nothing changes when I win. I hear the crowd silence and the gates on the far side of the colosseum open. I hear the heavy armor of Sir Veven and the murmurs in the crowd continue. After a few seconds passed I see the tall mane out from the gate and approach me. We look at each other as he holds his helmet before we fight. "I will make your death quick and painless, you have my word." He is confident I''ll give him that. I use this free time to inspect him. [Sir Vevens Trial Boss Lvl. 20] 500,000/500,000 HP [The simtion will begin in 10 seconds] I pull my des out and get into a fighting stance. He wont be able to even hit me, let alone catch me. He is going to be having a hard time with that heavy armor. The counter is getting closer and closer to zero and I watch Sir Veven put his helmet on. "That armor looks mighty heavy Veven. You may be fastpared to other knights, but I am a ss you wouldn''t believe." I cant read his facial expression since his helmet is covering his face now. He pulls his masterfully crafted sword out and gets into his own stance. The counter reaches 0 as the bell to start goes off. He charges very fast at me, but I dodge easily. I should test out this guys armor just to see what I am dealing with. I hit him 3 times in a row with regr non skill attacks. [Sir Vevens Trail Boss Lvl. 20] 500,000/500,000 HP -19,300(Blocked 18,000) -1,300(Actual) -19,300(Blocked 18,000) -1,300(Actual) -19,300(Blocked 18,000) -1,300(Actual) This guys armor is the real deal. He must be upset someone that looks weak actually caused some damage. He uses some of his own skill to try andnd a hit on me, but I am just to fast. I dodge and weave through his masterful strikes and I can hear the words of encouragement for either of us. The crowd is pretty split every battle because of betting. "You are a slippery little shit aren''t you." I guess he lost his honorable attitude from the start of this battle. I can see and opening for the spot that I want to attack and I use my sh skill on the weak point. I know that I am getting the 100% critical weak point bonus. [Sir Vevens Trail Boss Lvl. 20] 496,100/500,000 HP -71,410 -71,410 -71,410 I knocked out almost half his health since his armor didn''t help at all. Hitting an unarmored spot on a vital point sure does a lot of damage. He is probably pissed about that happening. He creates some distance between us. "That really hurt you mongrel!!" This dude might have bipr disorder or something. Now that he is taking me seriously I will have a way harder time getting another opening to hit him there. I charge forward trying to entice him into reckless battle. [Sir Vevens Trail Boss Lvl. 20] 281,870/500,000 HP -19,300(Blocked 18,000) -1,300(Actual) -19,300(Blocked 18,000) -1,300(Actual) I hit him twice to try and get him to start unleashing haphazard strikes for an opening, but he doesn''t fall for anything. He is using his extreme armor to his advantage and its working. Know how can I get him to be reckless. I suddenly get a great idea on how to push him hard. "I cant wait to have princess Loa all to myself. I n to use a soft bed and a hard touch with her." I can feel his rage at my words. Dude is pretty strong, but his mind is weak. To bad his ego is as fragile has his valor. He charges me recklessly and tries tond a hit, but this is what I wanted. I activate sh and go for his weak point again. [Sir Vevens Trail Boss Lvl. 20] 281,870/500,000 HP -71,410 -71,410 -71,410 He is looking pretty bad right now. Bad is leaking out of the small openings in his armor and I can hear him havebored breath. I feel kind of bad, good thing this is a simtion. He looks like he can barely stand anymore, let alone hold up his sword. I know whates next and I know the answer too. "Please Spare his life!!!" The beautiful princess is the one to yell into the colosseum from the view box she is in. I look at her for a few seconds and and give off a feeling of almost not doing it to seal the deal. The next to speak is her father. "Young man, you have one this day. Don''t break my daughters heart." With the quiet colosseum it is easier to hear them now. I look back to Sir Veven and he is on his knees trying to catch his breath. I sheath my swords and the simtion everything pauses. I watch everything turn to darkness once again and I see a new system notification. [You have passed the first challenge] [Your time will be calcted in your final score] Now its onto the next challenge, and I know that I am going to have a way harder time with this one than Sir Veven. Chapter 35: The Trial of Monrell IV

Chapter 35: The Trial of Monrell IV

I wait in the darkness as the next opponent and battlefield are being prepared. My next boss fight is the most hard working of the 3 disciples and made a name for herself as a brilliant tactician. Her title was Strategy Master Vayra. She led the armies against Vederfalls enemies. Sword Saint Monrell became disgusted with the government of Vederfall by the end of his time in the capital. They wanted him to solve all there problems and he began to resent theirck of growth despite how much he contributed to the country. He left the capital and his disciples since he could no longer tolerate the ipetence of the government. Ancients World has its fill of legends and mysteries. The history has never been fully explored, it was estimated that the 5 years that yers were exploring Ancients World the yer uncovered about 4.5% of the history and lore. I can say with confidence that most people don''t understand that Ancients World is something that will takes hundreds of years to fully map and learn about. Lady Vayra is said to have had a physical rtionship with Monrell, she was a woman who liked powerful men and sought out things that were pleasurable. She became known as a harlot and homewrecker to the woman of Vederfall. She was a woman of many colors back in her day, but all these stories are from a very long time ago. I have been waiting for quite awhile for the system to create the next trial, the time spent here in the eternal darkness can be maddening. My best guess is the system is adjusting the difficulty since I did so well against Veven. After waiting for about 25 more minutes the system finally decides to chime in. [The next simtion will be generated in a moment] [Please stand by while adjustments are being implemented] After a little bit of time a new ce begins to emerge. I am by a river that is connected to an amazing waterfall. I look around the scene and I can tell this ce is one of the most rxing spots in the world. As my eyes wander I meet the gaze of another woman. She is quite beautiful, long blonde hair and toned body. She looks to be taking a rest by the river, if I didn''t know ofdy Vayra''s history I would bet she was a pure maiden. When in fact she was the exact opposite. She looks me up in down in my in leather looking armor, I am d that I can paste the look of other clothes on my hardened sap armor. "What''s a shrimp like you stalking me for. I have half the mind to kill you." I am almost 6''3 and she is calling me a shrimp, obviously trying to get into my head. I say nothing in response, instead I just draw my 2 swords and prepare for battle. She looks mad at myck of reaction and brings caution to her gentle face. "Listen kid, today isn''t a good day to die. Run back to your mommy and daddy before you get hurt." She is really bad at the trash talk, if you want to get into someone''s head you have to make it personal and deep. I know just the thing to say to her too. Its the same thing I read on the forums, I must say that I would never say these words to another. However, the situation calls for it. "Is that what you said to your little brother before you lopped his head off." I say these cruel words with a calm and even voice, totally devoid of emotion. She looks absolutely bbergasted by what I just said, she stands up with a face red from anger. She pulls her sword from her sheath and gets into a stance. I start moving to my left and she mimics me. We are moving in a circr motion and measuring each other. Now is the perfect time to see what I am dealing with. I inspect her and get the bare bones of information. I cant wait till I am level 20, than I can see some real information about characters. The system pops up in front of my eyes and I can see her numbers are simr to Vevens. [Lady Vayra Lvl.20 trial boss] 380,000/380,000 HP She doesn''t have as much health as Veven because she isn''t a knight ss. She is a duelist, the ss she has trained in for many years is one that specializes in fighting other de type weapon users. She will be the fastest opponent I have crossed des with. If this wasn''t a simtion then she would be pushing really high levels. "I am going to skin you alive for those words kid. How dare you talk about something you could never understand." Its clear I am in her head now, she wont haveplete focus on the fight. With her focus shattered I can exploit her weakness. She has a degenerative muscle disease. She got it from all the unprotected intercourse she had. There is no cure for it and at this stage her body is starting to fail her. She will have slowed reaction times and have a harder time keeping up. You could call it karma from all the marriages she has ruined. "I wonder how the sickness in your body is doing. I bet you find it harder and harder to fight these days don''t you." She is around 28 in age from the looks of it, she got her titles and led her armies when she was around 22. At this point nobody should know about her disease except her and her doctor. I can see her confusion from my words. She obviously hasn''t told anyone yet and she is the only person that knows. She takes a couple steps back after my words and gets into a more cautious stance. "Your a smart one Vayra, I know your weakness and we both know how detrimental it has been to you." She would be able to take on anyone at my level easily, but I am The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. I am no ordinary person. She doesn''t look like she is going to be the first one to move. I get into my attack stance and prepare for my next moves. Her head is probably in a jumble right now which will work in my favor. Her armor has way more weak points than Vevens, so I can get in some attacks that aren''t block able. She is a stunning beauty, too bad I have to mess her up bad here. I use my normal attacks to test her reflexes, and I can say that I am disappointed. [Lady Vayra Lvl.20 trial boss] 380,000/380,000 HP -19,300 -19,300(Blocked 7,000) -12,300(actual) [Lady Vayra dodged your third attack] I did some damage there, that was an exploratory attack to see where her disease is at. If she was in good health than she would have dodged all my attacks. I can make this fight quick if I want to. She created distance between us and I can see she is taking this as serious as she can. She is distracted however. I activate heavens light and prepare my sh skill. I move in fast and unleash a volley of damage. [Lady Vayra Lvl.20 trial boss] 348,400/380,000 HP -98,188.75 -99,974 [Lady Vayra dodged your third sh] I have done massive damage and she is looking bloody and beaten. She jumps back to get some space between us and catches her breath. "What the hell are you!! You are obviously not human!!" I still have plenty of time left with heavens light so I might as well humor her statement. I look at her and give her a small subtle smile. "Your half right, Why don''t you inspect my information to find your answer." I unhide my divine title just before she inspects me. [You have given this NPC permission to view your hidden title] I watch her face morph in fear and instinct. If you really think about it I am royalty in overworld, but that isn''t the point here. She now knows that I am something far more precious to beings of great power, and by default I have inherited much more power. She looks down in shame and drops her guard, she must think this is divine punishment or something. I am not one to judge a person on there life choices, she obviously never thought her actions wouldn''t have consequences. She is already paying for them with her disease, no reason for me to add to her suffering. Instead killing her would be a kindness, unless she protests. I always weigh my options and choices. Rushing into situations can lead to disaster, so I should ask her is she admits defeat. "I will not kill you if you admit defeat. You can spend the rest of your years in silent suffering with the disease eating your muscles." She bites her lower lip and stands on her 2 feet. Guess she doesn''t want to admit defeat, so that only leaves death. She prepares her guard and I activate sh. [Lady Vayra Lvl.20 trial boss] 150,237.25/380,000 HP -116,041.25 She looks ready to fall over and die after I hit her with that attack, but she is looking to fight to the bitter end. -110,685.5 After I hit her with thatst attack and she stands there dead. She died on her feet like a warrior, her master would be proud. Her left arm falls off after a few seconds, she was using that arm to block some of my attacks. She falls face first with a hard thud. I take a deep breath and sheath my swords, the simtion pauses and everything goes back to darkness. I get a system notification just likest time. [You have passed the second challenge] [Your time will be calcted in your final score] Now I have to wait for thest of the disciples. He is Monrell''s nephew, he is said to have been just as talented as his uncle when it came to des. Soon he made a reputation for himself as well. I should really expect a challenge this time. I didn''t think it would be so easy to get into Lady Vayra''s head like that. She may have died a brutal death, but she went out fighting like a warrior. It also helps that this is a simtion too. Chapter 36: The Trials of Monrell V

Chapter 36: The Trials of Monrell V

{Please mark any grammar or punctuation errors. I am to tired to edit this right now. I''ll go back and fix itter. Thanks guys!!! I''m going to be taking Saturday and Sunday off this week, I am quite tired with the grind I have been on. I won''t post till Monday, just need some time to clear my head and get fresh ideas. Know your limits people.} I wait in the darkness for the next boss and area to be generated, now is the perfect time to n out a strategy for taking thest disciple on. The name of the nephew is Florian, he learned everything that Monrell had to teach him. The only reason he doesn''t have the same reputation as his uncle is because hemitted regicide on the kingdom of Vederfall. He was just as disgusted as his uncle was when it came to the ipetence of the government. Instead of leaving the capital like his uncle did. He killed the brainless king Joshua and usurped the throne, Joshua was thought by most to be an unfit ruler. He never left his castle and always expected someone else to solve all the kingdoms problems. Many wanted the man dead, but none where strong enough because his father, the previous king, dered any who go against his son will suffer the consequences. Nobody dared to challenge his words because he was a wielder of a legacy ss called Wraths Body. The son was suppose to inherit the ss, but his father was too greedy and refused to give it up. After the toll from using the ss took his life the ss died with him. Instead of notifying the public Joshua lied to the people and said that he received the ss and nobody should go against him. Florian was tired of seeing the failings of the country he was born in so he challenged Joshua in singlebat. Joshua refused and tried to weasel his way out of it, but soon people began to question his reluctance. He had no choice other to lock himself up in his castle, after awhile Florian grew angry at the actions of Joshua. Florian decided to just break into the castle and face Joshua, he made his way through the castle and finished cutting through all the guards. When finally made it to Joshua the weak king begged for his life and tried to exin to Florian what he was doing. At this point Florian was sick of these nobles and false kings running his homnd into the ground. He cut the head off of the begging Joshua, once he usurped the throne his first order was the purge of all the countries nobles. Florian didn''t care if they were good or bad nobles, and as a result there was a civil war in Vederfall. None of the nobles stood a chance against Florian, after 88 days of war all the nobles had either fled the country or died inbat. Once Florian returned to the capital he was hailed as a hero. He lifted the oppression caused by the greed of the old kings rule and began to rebuild the country at its foundations. He spent the remainder of his life bringing glory and prosperity to his kingdom. This was the most famous legend of Florian, there are more during his time as a ruler, but this one stuck to me to most. Its one of those situations where you have to do it yourself since nobody else will. It takes a special mind and will to act on such things. Its rumored that Florian left his ss to find out there in the world. That''s just legends though. Finding a weakness to Florian on my own would be impossible, but I have the answer from the forums I used to read. His armor causes a small blind spot. It will be hard to exploit, and I will have to be very careful on when I attack and defend. He will probably be even harder than when Pesticide did this himself, I am making to good of a time for it to take it easy on me in the final trial. After another 10 minutes I still here nothing from the system indicating the start of anything. It must be crunching numbers and trying to make this really hard to win. I am probably being closely watched by the system as ofte. I have aplished many things in a short amount of time. It sucks that I won''t earn any experience from this trial, but the reward far outweighs the non exp from this trial. All I know about the sword is its name. The Witness, it is an ancient sword and has been around for a very long time. There is only a handful of legendary swords in Ancients World and this is considered the best for its inherit properties andck of any drawbacks. Most weapons of extreme powers thate from legacy and higher items have penalties for using its power, but The Witness has no drawbacks. While I am thinking about the weapon I''ll be getting I finally hear the system call out to me. [The final boss of the trial will be generated] The scene begins to change and I am brought to the throne room of a castle. I look around and I can see beautiful architecture and decorations. Most people would never get to see inside of the throne room of a castle, this is one of the most secure ces you can be while in Ancients World. I look ahead of me and see a young man around 24 on the throne. This must be Florian, I take the time to inspect him. I can help my surprise at the difficulty this has been scaled to. [King Florian Lvl. 25 Trial Boss] 700,000/700,000 HP I watch him stand and walk down the steps from his seat. Once he reaches the bottom he stops and looks to me. He is wearing powerful looking armor along with a dangerous looking sword, that must be the infamous Radiation de. I don''t want to get touched by that, its a legacy sword made from radioactive metals. It will harm anything and everything that it touches except its wielder. The forums indicated that there was a debuff called irradiated that you cant remove till you die. So I''m going to do everything in my power to not get clipped by that de. He walks a little closer and stops. I hear him take a small breath right before he starts to talk. "I wonder how you got into the castle without alerting the guards or mages. Its safe to assume that you are strong. I must warn you however, I am the strongest person in this kingdom. If you are here to kill me than I am confident that I can win." He is much more well mannered than Vevens or Vayra, he also carries a lot of cautions in front of me. I don''t know what the system is thinking, but its clear it wants me to lose here. I step forward slightly and size him up. "I am sure you are, but your uncle is in a different league. I am confident that you are not at his strength yet." I might as well try to get into his head. He loved his uncle dearly, but hated being in his shadow for the majority of his life. I see a slight twitch on his face. I did something to his mental fortitude. Florian will prove to be a tough cookie to crack when ites to mind games. I probably cant get him to shift his focus, but I can get him overeager to prove me wrong. I watch him use some magic and a helmet materializes in his hand. He puts it on his head and prepares for battle. I guess he doesn''t want to talk anymore. I draw my des and get into a stance as well. There is incredible silence in this amazing room, we are just staring at each other waiting for the first move. I don''t n on rushing in and starting a heavy assault. I need to probe his defense and test his speed, he has a special ss just like his uncle. I don''t have any information on it except that it has powerful defensive abilities. Now the real fight begins and I have a feeling its going to be the toughest one yet. Chapter 37: The Trials of Monrell VI

Chapter 37: The Trials of Monrell VI

{I just want to say I hope this year is better than 2020. I hope you all say healthy and safe out there. Remember to wash your hands and wear a mask when outside of your homes. If we all work together, we can get out of this situation much faster!!! Thanks for reading!!!} I am going to probe his defense with some normal attacks to see where his defense and speed is at. He has a perfect stance with no openings and I cant see a way to unleash powerful attacks while his guard is so good. I take slow steps forward approaching with my swords and his body tenses up. I suddenly rush hard and begin attacking fast and with fury. [King Florian Lvl. 25 Trial Boss] 700,000/700,000 HP -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) I cant break past his sword and parry skill. He certainly has serious defense just like the forums said. I have spent enough time attacking and he is not going to be someone I can beat with skills and mind games alone. This is going to be a battle of attrition. I could use protected by heaven, but I may not be able to defeat him before the time runs out. I should only use it after I whittle down his health enough. The parry skill he has will prove to be a problem as well. If he has a high skill level with parry then he can block more de attacks then I can. It would also mean that it cools down faster and he can use it more often. I guess the system really wants me to lose this battle. I''m really d that I had the foresight to purchase healing potions. I will most certainly be using them in this fight, this is probably more difficult than when Pesticide did this trial andpleted it. The weakness is going to be a hard thing to exploit as well, but if I can do it. It will make this battle easier. As I am thinking up a game n, Florian takes the time to test my defense and skills as well. I am faster then he is since he is wearing heavier armor than I am. He uses some pretty impressive sword skills as well. I recognize most of them and I can tell he has one of my favorites from my time in the future. Feint de is a great skill to trick enemies into a more deadly situation, when you are against an opponent using it the best thing to do is to create some distance so you wont get fooled. I jump away from him and make distance between us. He has way more active skills than I do. He has abat and defense advantage. I hate to say it, but the only advantage I have is my ss. I hate using my ss as a crutch, but I have nothing to break the defense of this man. The only way to exploit his weakness is to get past that defense, I have to test how many attacks in a row he can parry. I charge forward and begin to attack with normal attacks to see how many times he can use parry. [King Florian Lvl. 25 Trial Boss] 700,000/700,000 HP -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300 I sneak in 19,300 damage on my sixth attack. So that tells me he can only use parry 5 times in a row before he needs to wait to use it again. I can tell by his posture that his pride is a little hurt that a no name person came and did even a speck of damage to him. He isn''t losing his cool like Veven though. "I guess you know more about my abilities than I know about yours. You are talented, I can see why you have the confidence to fight me head on like this." He wants a conversation now. I will not engage in talks, its more than likely a way to drop my guard and get in some killing blows. I may be powerful, but he can still kill me fast. He lunges at me with myck of response. -9,000(Dodged) -0(Actual) -9,000(Dodged) -0(Actual) -9,000(Dodged) -0(Actual) -9,000(Dodged) -0(Actual) I quickly dodge his fast attacks and create more distance between us. He looks like he wants to continue his assault, but stops after Ind a good distance away from him. He was smart to do so, I would''ve been able to retaliate with strong attacks since I have a speed advantage. Its a good thing I wasn''t touched by the Radiation de. I would be in a deadly debuff state at the moment. If I want to reach that blind spot I need to get him exhausted and tired, but his endurance it probably his best stat. I find it annoying that this battle hase down to has more patience''s. I intend to win this battle though, so even if it takes days I''ll be sure to n every move carefully. I charge in fast with the intent to do some actual damage this time since I know how many times he can parry an attack now. I ready my attacks and begin my assault. [King Florian Lvl. 25 Trial Boss] 680,700/700,000 HP -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) Now that his parry skill is in a cooldown state I activate my sh skill to deal some real damage. -35,705 -35,705 -35,705 I don''t let up on my attacks, I have him reeling from the surprising strength of my skills and damage out put. With my sh skill on cooldown for a few seconds I switch to normal attacks. -19,300 -19,300 -19,300 -19,300 -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) I pull away now that his parry skill is back. I can feel his animosity towards me now that I have done some incredible damage. I took a big chunk out of his total health pool. I know that he will be even more on guard and will start to actively harm and bnce the damage done in this fight. I watch him take a stance, it seems like he is about to activate a powerful skill. I inspect his health to see how I should n my next moves. [King Florian Lvl. 25 Trial Boss] 496,385/700,000 I watch his armor glow in a bluish hue, if I had to guess I''d say that is the skill Rooks Support. It raises both attack power and speed along with his defense rating. He is looking to hurt me now, that damn de is going to cause some serious problems here in a minute. The only way to remove the debuff is to either die or cure it. Lucky I still have that permanent healing buff from the Holy Willow Tree. The passive perk will heal me more than the radiation can do damage. There is no away I can avoid damage this battle. I am having to really lean on my amazing skills and perks. This is truly a fight I am not supposed to win if I didn''t know his weakness. He charges me and begins to unleash powerful attacks and feints in hopes of damaging me. -13,000(Dodged) -0(Actual) -13,000(Dodged) -0(Actual) -13,000(Dodged) -0(Actual) I jump away very far. If I stayed within his des range I was surly going to get hit. He looks in my direction and takes his stance again. "Who the hell are you? I''d never seen someone so gifted other than my uncle!" He must be wondering how I can even go toe to toe with him. I wont answer any questions or humor his curiosity. I am 100% focused on winning, and with him asking me questions and talking to me I can deduce he is not in the same mindset I am in. He is no longer focused like before. That advantage is now mine. Chapter 38: The Trials of Monrell VII

Chapter 38: The Trials of Monrell VII

{I wont be uploading Thursday. Time to catch up with an old friend called sleep. I have insomnia and I have a really hard time with keeping a regted schedule, when its time to sleep nothing stands in the way. I''ll be uploading Friday morning, just need to catch some Z''s. Thanks everyone!!!} This fight is turning to the more cautious side and I see Florian looking to deal some damage now. Myst attack did a real number on him. This is the most damage he has taken from someone other than his uncle. The other disciples had weaknesses I could exploit right at the start, getting to that blind spot is going to be harder than I''d like to admit. I might be able to beat him if I cannd more powerful strikes. He wont allow that though, he will be using a lot of his powerful defensive skills now that he knows I am capable of killing him. We circle each other waiting for the next move to be made. I want to go in for the attack, but I will more than likely get hit by that de. He may never push for an attack because his defense is so good. They say ambition is the enemy of sess, and I want that legendary sword so much. Just waiting here is killing me slowly. Florian isn''t as eager as I am to win this fight, he is more focused on finding a weakness. If he really payed attention he could see I don''t have a single defense skill other than protected by heaven. I can only use it once a day as well. He might suspect something, but he cant confirm it unless hends attacks. My armor will absorb most of the base damage and my healing buff will keep me alive. This is looking more like a bnced fight since he is off his game now. His focus isn''t where is should be and I can use that to get into that blind spot. As we circle one another he prepare tounch an attack. My patience has paid off and now I can also perform some counter attacks. -13,000(Dodged) -0(Actual) -13,000(Dodged) -0(Actual) -13,000(Blocked 11,000) -2,000(Actual) [You have gained a radiation debuff] [You will lose 50 health every minute] [You will heal 400 health a minute] [Your healing buff is strong enough to negated the effects of radiation damage] [Radiation debuff removed] Well that is an amazing surprise. He still did a lot of damage though. Holy Willow Trees savior is more than just a healing perk. Sometimes unique perks have hidden effects that are kept from the yers and they don''t even know it. Now I know I have a passive perk that removes certain debuffs. I can''t say that it removes all of them at this point, but this is a really nice find. I''m lucky with this little surprise because he could have stacked radiation debuffs on me. This changes the direction I can take in this fight. More and more this tips in my favor. I jump away and check my status, my health is already rising thanks to that perk. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 16,180/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+2 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 800] [Focus - 2300] [Mana: 23000/23000] [Health: 5,735/6,600] [Stat Points: 120] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/300 (Active) - sh Lvl.10 300/1000 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive) - Destined for Greatness (Passive) - Dungeon Diver (Passive)] Florian is looking at me in frustration and confusion. I would be too if a powerful debuff like radiation didn''t work on someone either. He is putting it together in his head pretty fast though. My fast closing wound is evidence of that. "You have some sort of healing and debuff removal ability. I have never seen something stop my Radiation de." He is a quick thinker too. He is going to have to use more active skills now that he has confirmed some of my powerful abilities. I want to attack more openly now that his special debuff doesn''t work on me. I charge forward and use normal attacks so he uses up his parry skill. [King Florian Lvl. 25 Trial Boss] 496,385/700,000 -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) -19,300(Parried) -0(Actual) Now that his parry skill is on cooldown I attack again with sh. I am seeding in whittling down his health. This battle is now in my favor. -35,705 -35,705 -35,705(Blocked 25,000) -10,705(Actual) Myst sh attack is cut down by a lot, but I still did sizable damage to him. I go in for some normal attacks. I get hit with something I didn''t n for. -19,300(Countered) -9,650(Reflected, Blocked 7,000) [You have gained a radiation debuff] [Your healing buff is strong enough to negated the effects of radiation damage] [Radiation debuff removed] He uses a favorite among most high level yers, but we don''t get ess to this skill till level 130. The damage he dealt with that nearly killed me. I should say the damage I dealt, my armor saved my life with it blocking the reflected damage. I have created space between us and I immediately check on my health. He wont attack since I did some decent damage and he is recovering too. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 16,180/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+2 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 800] [Focus - 2300] [Mana: 23000/23000] [Health: 3,995/6,600] [Stat Points: 120] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/300 (Active) - sh Lvl.10 300/1000 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive) - Destined for Greatness (Passive) - Dungeon Diver (Passive)] I am now just above half health, my healing perk is already working magic. I should have dealt enough damage to him with thatst attack. I can finish him off with protected by heaven and heavens light. One of the unique features about heavens light is the attack''s used with it cant be interrupted and cant be blocked. That means counter wont work either. I charge forward while activating my skills and begin my assault with sh. Lets just say he wasn''t expecting the powerful aura and light show. [King Florian Lvl. 25 Trial Boss] 414,270/700,000 -105,329.75 -121,397 -110,685.5 He is looking near death at this point. He jumps back and stands for a few seconds before kneeling on one knee and taking heavy and deep breathes. "You aren''t human!! No mortal creature so young can achieve such power!!" He isn''t wrong. I am only 19 years old, he must think I am some powerful monster in disguise or something. I really do want to finish this off and my sh cooldown just ended. Time to end this. [King Florian Lvl. 25 Trial Boss] 76,857.75/700,000 -107,115 I dash forward and sh at his neck. I didn''t get a critical because it was an armored vital point. Its more than enough damage to end his life and this simtion though. The falling head freezes in ce and everything fades to ck once again. I hear the system begin speaking, I am happy at what I hear. [You havepleted the Trial of Sword Saint Monrell] [Your time will now be calcted for a reward and evaluation] [You have earned: S+++] [The reward will now be drastically increased] That''s the highest grade I have ever heard of. I did make great time now that I think about it. To bad I cant earn experience from trials. You cant earn experience while in a simtions since the things you are fighting don''t really exist. Soon the endless darkness turns back to the field I met Monrell in. I look over to the pile of bodies and he is actually looking at me instead of into the far off distance. I walk up to him and as I approach the pile of bodies he removes his helmet. I look at the pristine face of the man. So its true he never sustained an injury to the face. "I never thought I''d see the day this trialpleted. Come up here and talk with me, there is much to discuss." He must want to talk to someone before this ce is destroyed now that the trial ispleted. I walk up the pile of bodies and stand next to him looking out into the beautiful view. Outside of the simtion a world wide announcement is happening. These have be rarer for other people besides Cera to receive, this one is unsurprisingly also about The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. [World-Wide Announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is the first and only person to clear the trial of Sword Saint Monrell on the first try with the best possible score! The Almighty Father and Arch-Angel Michael have decided to celebrate by giving everyone a 2x exp to use at any time!] [World Mission Announcement: The church of light are sending emissaries and soldiers in mass to the monument of Sword Saint Monrell to meet the Son of Arch-Angel Michael!] [World Mission Announcement: The church of the dark ones have drastically increased their rewards for any harm done to The Son of Arch-Angel Michael!] Many of the yers and NPC''s cheer in the happiness of the exp buff. The NPC''s learn a different way than the yers do. It is unknown how they gain strength without the system, but they have there own mysterious ways. The outside world is also in uproar, a very minuscule amount is known about trials. Only that they are incredible difficult and take multiple tries. That wasn''t the case for Cera and many are going to increase there search for this yer. {Don''t worry, I know what you are all thinking and all I can say is that isn''t happening. Yet....} Chapter 39: Q&A for all my readers!!

Chapter 39: Q&A for all my readers!!

I have been contemting reuploading chapters for my fanfiction. If I do, it will cut the chapters I release for this story in half. I have thought about 3 chapters a week for my fanfiction and 4 for Ancients World. I wont do this until I get some responses from you guys. My fanfiction holds a special ce in my heart and I don''t want to keep it on hiatus. Please use thements for this chapter to ask me questions about Ancients World or my fanfiction. Sorta Like a Q&A. Chapter 40: Legendary Reward

Chapter 40: Legendary Reward

{I have been going back into past chapters changing 2 of the skill duration times. Let me know if I need to change the times for heavens light and protected by heaven to 10 minutes instead of 2 minutes, because that''s what I did for the chapter called The divine ss. The new stats and skills from his rewards might seem overpowered to all of you, but I have to remind you that NPC''s like Grandmaster Magician Wilmer has 14 billion health. In the face of levels like that the new damage output is extremely low. Thanks for reading!!} {I will take Saturdays and Sundays off from writing Ancients World. I want to use this time to improve plot and edit my storybook. I am doing this to improve the quality of the story and make it better, I really hope this doesn''t anger to many of you. This is something that will take the plot and characters to another level!} Monrell is a person of strong character and even stronger techniques. Now that I havepleted his trial I''m being rewarded. He wants to talk to me about something first though, this was never written in the forums so I have no idea what''s about to happen. "I watched your battles with my disciples and I''m surprised you did so well, especially against Florian. You were exploiting all their weaknesses except for Florian''s. Where did you learn all this information?" He doesn''t know about the existence of the yers and their unique presence. I could just lie and say I studied all of them before I got here. I have a better response though, one that he will like. I take a breathe and release a deep and tired sigh as I rub the back of my head. "I knew Veven was like an imprable fortress, but his armor is imperfect in its design. I seen the opening in his armor after his first attack." Monrell looks at me with impressed features on his face. I continue telling my methods for everyone I faced. "Lady Vayra was the easiest out of the 3, she was being crippled by her disease and could no longer fight at the level she once had." Monrell looks down in slight shame at the mention of Vayra, she really did turn out wrong. She also paid the price for her actions with the diseases she got. "Florian was the hardest, I could notice a blind spot produced by his armor. I couldn''t exploit it without getting hit by that powerful de. Turned out I had nothing to worry about, one of my perks was strong enough to negate the ability of the de. That allowed me to attack without worry." Heughs at my exnation of how I defeated Florian. Most people who took the trials wouldn''t get past Veven. I did something that never happened before andpleted one of most difficult known trials of Ancients World on my first try. I am sure there are ones that are even harder out there, but they have yet to be discovered. He finishesughing and turns to me. "I would have offered you a legendary ss, but you have one that is much better than what I can offer. Mind if I ask who you are and what your ss is?" He must want a reason to exin my incredible powers and out of the normal strength for someone my age. I can''t see a reason not to tell him, he is not alive anymore and this will be thest time a fragment of his consciousness stays on this realm. I look off into the distance and prepare my answer. "I''m half angel. My father is Arch-Angel Michael, my ss is called The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. I have a human mother that goes by Amelia Zern. I go by yer Zern, I didn''t know about my bloodline or my powers till I met her. I saved her from some thugs while walking by her orphanage. My life changed after that day." I stick to the lore of the ss and y the role of Michaels son. I turn my head back and look at the slightly shocked look of Monrell. He might be having the same thoughts as others of high positions do. Its not everyday that you meet someone of my lineage and family. "That answers my question about your power. I think you will surpass everything I can think of in a few years time. So that means I can entrust you with something." I don''t know what is happening right now. The forum said that you would receive the legendary sword after you left the trial area so that means this must have never happened to Pesticide when hepleted this. "I want to leave my technique legacy to you. Florian was always a great student, but he was to much like me. I wanted someone different to have my final gift to this world I love so much." Wow, an actual technique legacy. These are the most sought skills from every yer that ys this game. Technique legacies are when people or creatures of incredible power give you knowledge about there most infamous and powerful skills. These shaped the top spots yers upied in the world, I was already certain I would be within the top yers. This pretty much guarantees I am the strongest, I''m d I get a choice on which the yers and NPC''s see between my yer name or my title. "I would be honored to have your technique legacy Monrell. However, I must admit I do feel shame taking this. Feels like I am taking more power when I already have enough." This feeling is true too, sometimes you cant help the feeling of wrongness when you get something you don''t think you deserve. I suddenly get a system notification that is kind of funny and unexpected, they really are watching me. [The Almighty Father and your father are proud of your humility and apprehension to take power] [+15,000 reputation with all beings in Overworld] I chuckle to myself as I read the message, Monrell looks at me a little confused. I open my yer tab and make it visible to him and I show it to him. He sees the message and has a different reaction than I did. He gives a subtle grin and closes his eyes as he leans back, I guess most who are as strong as him would react like that. He gets his bearings straight and begins to talk again. "I don''t have much time left so I will impart my techniques to you. They will help you in your journey and whatever you may face." He puts his hands together and begins creating a ball of blue and white light. Once he is done I get a system notification again. [Sword Saint Monrell wishes to impart his teachings upon you] [Do you wish to ept his technique legacy? Y/N] I think yes and the ball explodes in brilliant light. The knowledge of his skillses to me as if they are my own. After the light fades I look at an exhausted Monrell and I look into his tired eyes. He looks like he wants to say onest thing before he goes and I am sent back to Ancients World. "I will ce you in a cave outside the city of Zeder. This way you wont be pursued once you leave this ce." I forgot about that, there had to have been a world announcement while I was in here. I give Monrell a silent nod of gratitude as I am picked up by a mysterious power and taken from this ce. Ind t on my ass in the cave, light shines through the entrance and I hear a weird sound outside of the cave that''s hard to describe. I stand up and walk out of the cave and lookout into the vast ins and out into the city of Zeder. Zeder is one of the more popr cities in Vedersfall and its far from eclipse. I will have to go through that ce again once I go to my capital city for my tier up quest. I look down the hill and notice a beautifully crafted sword that has elegant engravings and masterful design. Its about 3/4 my length and I am 6''2, its a sword that draws attention. [https://.pinterest/pin/564287028284543229/ This is what the sword looks like. All credit to this design goes to Lockhart Tactical!] I walk up to it and pull it out of the ground, once I do I am filled with power and I notice how unbelievably light it is. I do some practice swings and I can already feel a bond growing with this sword. Some swords have a property that allows you to bond with it and gain more power and move better with it. I inspect its information and I am ovee with happiness, almost to where I cry. [The Witness] [Description: A legendary sword that has been around since before recorded history, all the greatest and most influential people have wielded this de. Empires have risen and fallen to, and for, this de. It has been held by kings, queens, emperors, and empresses. Along with Sword Saints of unparalleled power and recognition. The Witness is the strongest and most powerful of the one handed swords on Gaia. There is no de better to wield.] [More information will be revealed once you tier up.] [Quality: Legendary] [Durability: Infinite] [Damage: 8,000] [Unique properties] [Has a very high chance to dismember limbs instantly] [Has a very high chance to cause Curse of Dposition] [Description: Areas attacked by Curse of Dposition will rot away till its cured or target dies.] [Will always cause critical hit upon vital points struck] [Will always ignore armor and defense ratings] [This sword will gain more power every time you tier up.] [There is no required level to wield this de.] [The Witness resonates with your angelic blood. +5000 focus] [This item wishes to bind with you] [Will you allow The Witness to bind to you? Y/N] I think yes and I feel an incredible bond being created between us. I don''t know why it would resonate with my angel blood and powers. Not all the information is avable to me so perhaps more about this de will exin that. I know for certain that I will be able to kill much stronger opponents now, I wont have any trouble getting to level 50. My Damage is going to be insane now as well. My calctions indicate that by adding Dead''s Bane 650 damage and The Witnesses 8,000 damage together I get 8,650 damage all together since I am duel wielding. Then I add the t 8,500 from my strength stat and I get 17,150. Then you multiply by 2x since I am duel wielding and that causes double damage, and I now get 34,300 damage from just my normal attacks. Now its time to see the new skills I learned from Monrells technique legacy. I go to my skills section and see 2 new skills that are going to make it hard to defeat me. [Kingyer - Active] [Description: Not even kings stand a chance. 350% to all out going attacks for 10 minutes. Cant be upgraded.] [10,000 mana required for activation] [Cooldown 24 hours] [Raging Machine - Active] [Description: Nothing will stop you from winning. All out going attacks are increased by 500% and all ining attacks are turned into health for 10 minutes. Cant be upgraded.] [17,000 mana required] [Cooldown 48 hours] I open my stat panel to see where my stats are at now. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 16,180/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+2 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 800] [Focus - 7300] [Mana: 73000/73000] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Stat Points: 120] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400 (Active) - sh Lvl.10 300/1000 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive) - Destined for Greatness (Passive) - Dungeon Diver - (Passive) Kingyer - (Active) Raging Machine - (Active)] Now that I havepleted the trial of Monrell just like I wanted its time to go find the hermit and talk to him. I''m making great progress on my skills and power. My level hasn''t moved in awhile though and most top yers have probably passed me by a few levels by now. The quests I get from the hermit will fix that though. Chapter 41: Finding The Hermit Flint I

Chapter 41: Finding The Hermit Flint I

{Sorry that I didn''t upload yesterday. I decided to edit some chapters and find an important name I only mentioned once. Finding the name took longer than I would like to admit, but I found it. We are getting closer and closer to the 50 chapter mark and I can say that I never expected this kind of support for a story that is my own idea. I want to say thank you to all the people who have been reading my work since Descendant of Elder Blood.} {These are people I want to say thanks to and acknowledge for their support. Lucilius_M_Star_AJ, Neith, Achile, G0DSH4ND, As_cf43, Ezuku, SrXWings(Thanks for spotting math and skill description errors!), Denzel_theking, Ethan132, Michael_Crew, Golden1K, KingSloth, Agent_00, AhmedElkodary. I see your guysments on my fanfiction and this story all the time, I know the first three I mentioned came to this story after I promoted it and I want to say thanks too you guys. I also want to thank the ones who don''tment every chapter but are fans of mine anyway. I wish you wouldment so I could remember you guys to.} {These are the top ten who have used there power stones to help my story and make sure others see it too. ariqri, Ghost Zero, fanmy1, Cdnv, G0DSH4ND, world_tree, DarknessKnight, Kal_El7, CookieMunch420, AhmedElkodary. Thanks for giving your power stones to this story when there are so many others that probably deserve it more. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter!!!} Overlooking the city of Zeder from here is truly amazing, beautiful Victorian Era buildings and soon lights are being ignited in the city with the setting sun for the night. I shouldn''t waste anytime and make my way to the city to find a ce for me to stay. An inn will be easily affordable and I don''t have to worry about that, I''m sure by now that whatever the church was nning at The Shrine of Monrell has beenpletely disrupted by Monrell transporting me here. I really dodged a bullet there, I can deduce that Monrell must be like me and not want anyone around all the time. That''s what the church would do if they found me. Speaking of Monrell, he said that he could have given me a legendary ss. I cant help my curious thoughts about what is could have been. Pesticide, the original person whopleted the trial, never received a legendary ss. Although he did have to try over and over again toplete the trial. His reward was probably only an S rank. I did way better thanks to the notes that he left in the forums. If I ever do meet Pesticide then I should give him something as thanks. I don''t know all the effects my presence has caused, all I really know are the things that have been announced through the world announcements. I am deviating from the original timeline by leaps and bounds and who knows the kind of things that this could cause. I walk down the hill and make my way inside the city of Zeder. The security isn''t so high here because we are far from the border. I didn''t have to answer any questions about why I was here and how long I would be staying. As I am walking down the main path through themercial district my thoughts drift to the lore and history of The Hermit Flint. Most of his lore is not known, the only knowledge that is vastly known is that he is powerful and very secretive. He prefers to be alone and nobody knows why, his true strength is a mystery to most. It was theorized that he is around the same power as a Grandmaster Magician, however there is no evidence to back that im up. I make it to the first inn I see and it looks to be very popr with plenty of noise and people having a good time. I will have to take some time to experience the little things about Ancients World. All the human senses are perfectly emted in Ancients World, when you eat food and drink water you actually experience it like in the real world. I walk up to the barkeep and I cant help have a smile at the joyous and positive energy in this ce. "I''d like to rent a room for the night." Iy down the proper amount of gold and the barkeepys down the ss he was cleaning. He picks up a key and heads out from behind the bar. I follow him and he takes me to a room that has a regr queen sized bed and a window that views the city a little higher than the rest of the buildings. "Need anything else? We also do room service." I nod my head no with a smile. He understands and leaves, the room is perfectly silent despite all the noise from downstairs. Most of the inns in Ancients World use sound nullifying magic in there guests rooms so they aren''t disturbed. Too bad we don''t have this function in the real world. Imagine how many people would be happier if there loud neighbors or siblings didn''t bother them. Iy on the bed and the world is finally dark. I have some time before I get off, maybe I should check the auction house. I won''t buy anything from it, but it would be nice to see what the items other yers are finding. I open my interface and open the auction tab with my mind. The front page is showing a bid on a very rare grade knights shield. The bid is pretty high considering the bleeding curve in yer levels and gear. If you have money to burn then why not I guess. I go to the artifacts page and see some pretty cool things. The artifacts page sells scrolls, ancient tablets, and books containing lore and sometimes even skills. I cant lie, I am a lore junky when ites to game. I love to know the history of the games world I am ying in. I know about everything being sold here and all their lore since its so early in the game, but that doesn''t mean I shouldn''t check here from time to time. They say knowledge is power for a reason, I came back to the past with crazy powerful knowledge and that has tranted into this bright future and happy life that I have. To bad I don''t have a way to track down Flint, all that I know is what he looks like and he sometimes stays in the city of Glendar. Its about a 3 days trip from here, couple thousand miles and mostly open roads. I am feeling the tiredness and now seems like a good time to get off. I log out of Ancients World and I get out of my pod once it opens. I look at the clock and its prettyte. Everyone should be in bed by now, but I hear the faint noise of the T.V. downstairs. Nobody is up thiste except me and that is on rare asions as well. I head downstairs to see who it is and once I make it to the living room I can see both my parents snuggled up watching some old movies. "What are you guys doing up?" I ask my question and they both jump from the sudden questioning out of the darkness behind them. Mom looks back and see''s me with a confused look on my face. "Geez sweetie, you almost gave me a heart attack!" My mom tries to be loud and quiet at the same time, kind of funny watching her try to scold me while being quiet. "Come over here and watch some movies with us Cera. I cant remember thest time it was just the 3 of us." Not something I nned, but spending time with my parents is something I haven''t done in a long time. I sit in my favorite chair and start watching the movie. I never did get an answer about why they are still up even though they are usually in bed. "You still haven''t answered my question. Why are you guys still up, your usually in bed by now." My parents chuckle in the most rxed and carefree way I have ever heard. I look away from the movie and look at them. They are just just sitting there while they lean on each other. Dad is the first one to speak and I''ll say this, this is the mostfortable they have ever looked. "Well Cera, I don''t need to work anymore and neither does your mom. We don''t have money problems and we are free from the shackles of debt. Now that our lives have been emptied of schedules and deadlines we realized that we can do whatever we want now." I never looked at it like that, I always looked at them as my hard working parents who did everything possible for us. Now that they don''t need to work so freaking hard to do that important thing they are spending quality time together. I am more than satisfied with that answer, I continue to watch the funny movies andugh along with my parents. I am soon fast asleep in my chair and off into dreamnd. My parents are still up and watching movies and are having a private conversation without me. The Adamo couple look at each other and look back to Cera''s sleeping face. Violet is the first to speak. "We are so blessed to have this life and family that we have honey. All of our blood, sweat, and tears have raised 1 great kid...." They are still having a problem with Hailey and her rebellion, but they will find an answer for the problems that are being caused by this never ending conflict. Christian sighs and kisses his wife''s forehead. "Don''t worry Violet, I don''t think Hailey will be in this phase for much longer. Just give her some time." They both continue watching till the end of the movie. After its finally over they get up and notice a little problem, they have to carry the tall and built Cera up to his room. Violet is the first to rush forward. She tries to lift Cera off the chair by carrying him the same way every parent would when their kid was smaller. "He''s gotten... Ugh.... So big, so fast...." She is trying for the life of her to pick up her son, but the reality that he isn''t a baby anymore sinks in for the first time. "*Sniffle* Where did all the time go.... Its like I missed his whole life..... *Sniffle*" With Violet on the verge of a motherly breakdown Christianforts his wife in her suffering. He rubs the top of her head to try and help rx her. Her face is buried in his lower sternum since she is much shorter. "I''ll take him upstairs, I''ll be in bed after I get him settled." He lets her go and approaches the sleeping Cera too. He begins to lift him off the couch and has his own version of struggling. "Huff.... Huff... Shit kid... What did your mother feed you... Huff... Huff.... Huff...." The realization that this isn''t going to be easy sets in and he cant help the smile growing on his face. Before he can make it to the stairs Violet calls out to him. "Hold on, I want to get a picture of this!!" She quickly pulls out her phone and snaps one fast. The dismay and backpain is growing on Christian''s face, but he is let go by his wife and he takes Cera up and puts him in his bed. While this is all happening in the real world, there is a heated discussion happening in Ancients World. Chapter 42: Finding The Hermit Flint II

Chapter 42: Finding The Hermit Flint II

As the night passes and Cera sleeps, the church of light in Ancients World is going crazy. There is a literal army in the city of eclipse right now and they are all stationed outside of the shrine of Monrell and creating a serious defensive parameter around the city. I should actually say they were, because the shrine to Monrell is gone and Cera can no longer be found. A general by the name of Samuel Mart is currently inspecting the park and location of where the shrine went. He looks over to his most trusted friend and mage Hamon Khris. "So any theories on what happened? He cleared the trial and obviously left. We should have encountered him by now." Samuel Mart is confused as to why the shrine would disappear and the person they are looking for as well. Hamon Khris already knows what happened because he is extremely knowledgeable about anything magically based. he is one of the best mages in the army of the church. They are both wearing appropriate gear for the status they hold. Elegant and powerful items are being worn by the 2, nobody in the yer base stands a chance against these NPC''s. "The Son of Arch-Angel Michael clearly isn''t someone who is unprepared. He took on the trial,pleted it, and then found a way to leave undetected. This is one of the hardest known trials in the world. Now the trial is no longer avable to bepleted since its been cleared for the first time." That exins why the trial is gone, but not why they couldn''t find the son of Michael. Samuel Mart takes a deep breath and releases a long sigh. He knows that both The Pope and The Saintess are not going to be happy with what happened. He should inform them and get the bad news over with. Its even worse since they don''t have any good news. "I''ll inform the church back at the temporary headquarters we set up. Stay here and see if you can find anything that would be useful in our search. Let me know if you find something." Samuel leaves the the area of the the statue and makes his way out of the park being escorted by the very best of his regiment. As he is walking back to headquarters Hamon begins casting magic to see if he cant find out something. As this is happening in Ancients World the forums are still blowing up. Everyone is talking about the clearing of a trial. Some of the posts at the very top of the forum are talking about the lore of Sword Saint Monrell and the trial. Many of the yers have attempted different trials in other ces, but this is the first clear in the world and one of the most difficult trials out there. Many of the top guilds are having private conversations in private calls. One of these conversations is between Wilted Rose and Dark de. They decided to have a meeting without Sir Erikson and actually try and make some progress instead of listening to the middle aged man go on and on about things he thinks should be changed. "I heard that you are also on your way to the country of Smander in search of the world boss. Most guilds are heading there, which begs the question. Are you nning to team up with another guild?" Dark de is wanting to address something other than the hidden yer right now. It would be ignorant to say the top guilds are unwilling to work together for something as momentous as defeating a world boss. Wilted Rose knew that this is where the conversation would steer after their private discussion about The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. "Why are you asking? I heard you already formed an alliance with the Steampunk guild." Information is easy toe by in the top guilds, there are spies everywhere and nobody can keep a secret for long. Its rare to form an alliance between more than 2 guilds. Usually there are massive conflicts over rewards and gear, having that happen between 3 guilds is even worse. Dark de is not looking for what the other guilds are looking for. His guild is number 1 and nobody is capable of taking that from them. So it begs the question of what is he really after. The wheels are turning everywhere else in both worlds and the night passes as Cera sleeps. After about 6 and a half hours the rm goes off and now its time to go downstairs and wake up before he hops on. I get up at the sound of my rm and make it to my closet and grab a new pair of pajama''s. I hop in the shower and clean myself thoroughly. I have been wearing nothing but my pajama''s as ofte since I haven''t really been doing anything other than y Ancients World and make progress in-game. The real world has no need for me, but I do set aside time to be with my family when ever I can. I get dressed in my clean clothes and head downstairs to be with my family. Surprisingly mom and dad aren''t up yet, but Hailey is. This is the first time I have seen her up before anyone else. I''m d that mom and dad are actually sleeping in now that they are free from the horrors of massive debt and deadlines. She is sitting on the couch and watching some of the news today, the news station that reports anything about Ancients World should also be doing a segment now. "Hey, can you change it to my favorite station for just a second?" She jolts hard and takes a deep gasp. I must have scared her like I did my parents. She turns her head around and looks at me. "You should have be a soldier, I didn''t hear a sounde from you. Buy a bell next time you go out, for the sake of everyone''s heart." She picks up the remote and changes the station for me. I really do wonder why she is up and not in bed sleeping in like she usually does. I give her a worried look as themercial ys during the break that we just joined on the news station. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She must be growing annoyed with my constant starring. I look back to the T.V. without saying a word and listen to the reports now that the station is off break. The female reporter that is on begins to talk and I learn some surprising news. "The guilds Willow Tree, Steampunk, and Cloudless Sky have formed a rarely seen triple alliance in hopes of sessfully taking on the world boss in the country of Smander. In addition, The Steel Legion has decided to pullout from their pursuit of the treasures of Sinbad and join the massive search for the world boss in the country of Smander." The pursuit of the world boss isn''t what is surprising me, the treasures of Sinbad grabs my attention more than anything else. Lore states that the treasure of Sinbad will make you more rich than anything or anyone in Ancients World, but there is a catch. Should you enter the great vault of Sinbad with more than 2 people than you will be cursed and killed. I don''t know what the curse is, but this is probably why everyone in Steel Legion has given up on it. Once the truth about ites out solo yers everywhere will waste there levels trying to get in. I wont waste my time with that, the only thing in there is some epic and lower items and huge amounts of gold. I get why others would be attracted to it, but I''m not. Speaking of gold I think today my shop opens and I''ll be getting payments. I still have to go to a local bank, but I''ll have a steady source of ie. I do want to make sure Hailey is alright though, I feel kind of scummy prioritizing news over her right now. "How are you doing Hailey.... You know you can tell me anything." She may have made bad choices in the future and caused mom''s death, but I still love her and care about her very much. She is my sister after all and she was never horrible to me like most older siblings are. She curls up into a ball and buries her face between her knees. She must be having a hard time with what''s going on between her and mom. "Thanks for saving our family Cera, I want to let you know I love you and I''m happy that you are in my life." Now I''m really worried. I have never seen her like this before and I have no idea how to handle it. Instead of saying anything I just wrap her in my arms and give her a big hug. Dad said sometimes actions speak louder than words. I feel her body shuffle and she hugs me back as she begins to open;y cry into my shoulder. I just let her cry and cry for as long as she needs to. She doesn''t say anything and neither do I. She calms down after awhile and I am ovee with an urge to make sure she doesn''t do anything to herself. I make sure that she is looking into my eyes when I tell her this. "I know that things are hard between you and mom, but that is no reason to do something you will regret. Promise me that if you start to have dark thoughts you will go to me or our parents. I promise mom will forget about everything if she knew how hard this is for you." She looks for any signs of doubt in my face, but there is only confidence and security. She looks down at her sped hands and nods her head silently. I am now okay since she knows she has people who she can lean on. I kiss her forehead and head upstairs. I hear the channel change and some news reporter starts talking about things happening in Korea and Japan. I always loved the cultures there and always wanted to visit. I should make ns and head there someday. I close my bedroom door and hop into my gaming pod and load into Ancients World. While Cera is getting ready to continue his journey there is an important meeting happening at J&X Inc. COO James Raymond is having a heated discussion with the head of system integrations. "What do you mean the yers information is blocked.... So we have no idea who he is and what is happening to the system?.... Find me answers, I want to know why something we designed isn''t working. FOR!! US!!.... I don''t care if we don''t have the technology, JUST GET IT DONE!!" With the finalmand yelled into the phone, I m my fist on the table multiple times. I take a seat now that I have vented my anger and make a deep sigh. We have no idea what''s going on and no way to fix what''s happening. I know Xander is going to hate this news. Chapter 43: Finding The Hermit Flint III

Chapter 43: Finding The Hermit Flint III

{Mark any error''s don''t have the energy right now to edit this. Thanks!!} {Changing skill points to stats points as of this chapter. To the people who say the POV change is confusing it shouldn''t be. I literally tell you who is talking before I start to write about there thoughts and scenes. I am not interrupting the flow of the story with (POV of Example). That isn''t how I write. Its only been 2 people whoined so far so perhaps you guys should learn to read better. There is no problem with how I change scenes. For example: As Cera makes his way to Glendar there is a meeting between guilds in the country of Smander. The first recognizable person at this meeting is Wilted Rose. This is how I change scenes without doing a POV announcement. I did thisst chapter and this chapter. Along with past ones, so no reason toin now.} I get up from the bed that Iid down in when I logged off. My first step should be getting to the city of Glendar. That is one of the only ces he is known to be at, when I get there I''ll have to do some asking around to find him. I walk out of my bedroom and head downstairs into the main hall of the inn. Going down the stairs I look and see a bunch of passed out drunk people, I don''t know how people can sleep with so much snoringing from so many different people. I reach the bottom of the stairs and I can see that the barkeeper is cleaning up some dishes and ss pitchers. I make it over to him and hand him the key back. "You won''t be staying any longer?" I must be one of the few that pay for an actual room and don''t free load like the rest of these guys. I smile and nod my head no. He gives a rxed sigh and I make my way to the exit. I step out onto the paved road and noticed that the sun is just rising over the hills and walls. Some people are already starting their days and getting to work. I need to get a move on as well, I can make it to Glendar in half the time if I hurry. I walk to the exit of the city and pass shops as well as some poor beggars. As I am about to turn my final corner before the gate to the city I notice some frail kids sitting by some garbage cans. I could give the 2 of them thest of my gold. I have a little over a hundred, and I won''t be needing them since I''ll be making more than enough gold. I stop and walk over to them, I kneel down to draw the bigger ones attention. "Do you guys not have a home or something?" The bigger one looks at me in fear. I get it, most who ask that question don''t have good intentions. "Don''t worry I''m not going to hurt you. Here take this and get to a safe ce with it." I reach into my inventory and hand 50 some odd coins in a bag to one and the other with the same. They looked at me with shocked eyes that are to dry to be wet from tears. "Thank you so much mister...." I don''t need to hear anymore than that. I get up and as I am walking off I get a system notification. This one disappoints me beyond what I believed I could be in this game. I am disgusted by what I read and I regret being someone from my world. [Congrattions! You are the first yer to give money to the poor beggar''s on the street that you don''t know!] [New title added: Caring Person] [Arch-Angel Michael and The Almighty smile at your actions] [Penia the goddess of poverty is warmed and touched by your actions] [+8,000 reputation with the deity''s of heaven] Reading this makes me sick in humanity. I get people think this is a game and they don''t care about NPC''s, but I should have been the first person to show something akin to generosity to the poor. The saying ignorance is bliss is more than applicable to this. I know what its like to be homeless and in desperate need of money. If anyone shows that they care it can really change someone''s life. The state of the poor in our world isn''t as bad as it used to be, but that is no excuse for this. To take my mind off of this bad mood I open my stats to do some work. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 16,180/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 800] [Focus - 7300] [Mana: 73000/73000] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Stat Points: 120] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/300 (Active) - sh Lvl.10 300/1000 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive) - Destined for Greatness (Passive) - Dungeon Diver - (Passive) Kingyer - (Active) Raging Machine - (Active)] I can see that a new title has been added and now I have a total of 4. Now my focus shifts from that and I look at the 120 unused skill points. I invest all 120 into speed to make this trip I am about to take a little faster. It will take a little over a day running at full speeds and resting when I need to. I take a look at the new values and I am now at 0 stat points. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 16,180/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+2 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 920] [Focus - 7300] [Mana: 73000/73000] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Stat Points: 0] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/300 (Active) - sh Lvl.10 300/1000 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive) - Destined for Greatness (Passive) - Dungeon Diver - (Passive) Kingyer - (Active) Raging Machine - (Active)] I am pretty close to leveling up as well. I should use that 2x exp boost I was saving from the beginning of the game. I will be traveling through a dangerous area alone and I''ll could make some levels on my way to Glendar. I finally make it to the gate and begin to make my way to Glendar. I start to run fast and maintain a decent speed so I don''t burn myself out so fast. As Cera makes his way to Glendar there is a meeting between guilds in the country of Smander. The first recognizable person at this meeting is Wilted Rose. I know for sure that we can take down this world boss if the 3 of our guilds work together, but there will be extreme conflict about the rewards. I look over to the entrance of the tent and hear two male voices approach. They enter and I see Dark de talking to Munchies. Munchies is a well behaved guild leaderpared to the other I met so it might go better than it did in the past. "Now that you guys are here what''s the n?" They sit down at the table I am at. We have found the area where the world boss has been sighted the most. We have set up camp with all of our forces. Everyonebined there is about 120,000 yers here ready for the next time the world boss shows up. "We have scouts out surveying the area already, we have set up trap here, here, and here." He points to different parts of the map and I can see what the general idea is. Now thest question that remains is the distribution of the troops. This task belongs to me and I already have a n set out. I just need to know one final detail before all the pieces are put together. "I have the n for the troops allid out and ready. I just need to know the general level so I can fill in the spots with the appropriate yers." They both give me hesitant looks and I can understand why. However, levels don''t stay the same and neither does information. What I learn here won''te back to bite them. "Come on guys, none of us can do anything with that information." Munchies sighs and I can see that he has relented. Dark de is still hesitant though. He finally relents and gives me the information I need. "My swordsman and knights are around level 21 and 22. My mages and rangers are around 20. That''s all the information I am willing to share." I begin to fill in the nk spots on the map and they can see the n I have. It is simr to the n I used to get rid of the Deadzone guild. There are difference here and there, but nothing to big. I remember that day. We lost a lot of yers, but we seeded. I look over waiting for Munchies information to finish the map out. "My mages and rangers are the same as Dark des. My knights and swordsman are all between 23 and 24." I use that information and finish the battle n. They look over it and have happy faces with the n. "I''ll go get my troops in position and wait for any updates on sightings." Munchies is the first to leave and that only leaves me and Dark de. He rubs his head and leans back in his chair. He isn''t the type to look like this. His mindset could bepromised and risk this entire battle. "We need your head in the game if we are to win this. Other guild alliances are set up other ces. We only got the best spot since we got here first." Dark de looks at me in mind frustration. I touched a nerve and now he seems to be even more in edge. Instead of dragging this on I make my way out of my tent and go speak to mymanders. We also y a role in this battle just like everyone else, and I''ll be damned if I am the reason it fails. Chapter 44: The road to Glendar I

Chapter 44: The road to Glendar I

{No uploads on Saturday or Sunday this week. So I am double uploading today!} {For anyone who wants toin about the POV save your breath. I am still doing it my way and there is no reason you should have problems understanding it. For example: Cera makes his way down the trail and sets up camp and logs off as night falls. Back miles and miles down the road he came from. The guards and travelers have also set up camp. There is a discussion between Kursco James and the butler Relomal from earlier. This is how I change POV''s in this chapter as well as all my other chapters, there should be no problem following the story unless you are a poor reader or are using google trante. I will never do (POV of Example) in this story. I will continue to delete anyments pertaining to this sort of thing.} {I put up a new chapter in the auxiliary for levels, sses, and gears. If you want information like that check it out.} {Thanks for pointing out the Stat points instead of skill points ReadingExMachina!!} I have made it pretty deep into the trail and I can feel plenty of enemies out in the wilds of Vedersfall. The enemies here in Vedersfall are stronger then the ones in Zenith. That''s how it is for yers at least, it doesn''t make any difference to the higher leveled NPC''s. For the NPC''s that haven''t reached tier 1 yet are in the same boat as the yers. I wont have any issues killing opponents now that I have The Witness, this sword is truly ridiculous. I can see why Pesticide was infamous in his battles, this de will kill any yer. Just a regr attack now does 34,300 damage, the new active skills I got will also make it to where I can take on higher leveled enemies. As I am doing a light run to get to Glendar faster I encounter a caravan that is under attack. The guards are holding off the attackers as best they can, but they are slowly falling. Some bandits actually set up an ambush point like this so deep in the wilds of Vedersfall that it makes me question their intellect. I can see the leader shouting orders to his fellow guards. "Make sure you protect the precious cargo! It is to important to lose to some raggedy ass bandit scum!!" I will admit that he does a good job motivating his soldiers. All the carts are filled with cargo except for one that looks to be carrying a noble or wealthy merchant. I see no reason not to help them so I draw Dead''s Bane and The Witness. I charge at the first bandit I see and inspect his stats. [Morpho Path Bandit Lvl. 18] 5,560/5,560 HP [You have dismembered his torso] [You have ignored his armor] -34,300 +250 exp I slice at the top of his left shoulder and go clean through his torso and exit his right hip. 2 separate pieces of the man fall apart from each other as his cleanly cut organs spill out onto the ground. It was like cutting through air when I attacked him. I would have been nauseous if I was a new yer still, but future experience has helped me with the dirty part. I am not getting that much exp for these guys so I am not going to use my exp boost now. If I think about it, it would be wise if I saved it for the first quest I''ll get from Flint. The name of the bandit worries me a little, Morphos Path is the name of the road I''m taking. That means there is a good chance they have a base of operations here. I look at my next target and I can see his obvious fear. I want to cut down the rest of these guys and get on my journey. Looking around there are about 3 guards left and 6 bandits left. I charge to my next target looking to finish these guys off in session. [Morpho Path Bandit Lvl. 17] 5,040/5,040 HP 100% critical vital point struck [You have dismembered his head] [You have ignored his armor] -68,600 critical +200 exp I immediately go to the next target and continue this till none remain. [Morpho Path Bandit Lvl. 19] 5,940/5,940 HP [You have dismembered his right hip down to his left thigh] [You have ignored his armor] -34,300 +300 exp [Morpho Path Bandit Lvl. 16] 4,750/4,750 HP [You have dismembered his arms and torso from a horizontal attack] [You have ignored his armor] -34,300 +150 exp [Morpho Path Bandit Lvl. 20] 6,450/6,450 HP [You have ignored his armor] -34,300 +350 exp [Morpho Path Bandit Lvl. 20] 6,200/6,200 HP 100% critical vital point struck [You have dismembered his head] [You have ignored his armor] -68,600 critical +350 exp I have just finished off the fifth one and the squad leader is all that remains. None of the 3 remaining guards have perished and are looking at me with both fear and respect. I shouldn''t waste anymore time and finish off thisst guy. I begin to charge forward and the leader of this little posse tries to beg. "PLEASE DON''T KILL ME!! I WANT TO LI-" Iunched my de forward and swiftly kill the man. [Morpho Path Bandit Captain Lvl. 23] 7,300/7,300 HP [You have dismembered his upper chest] [You have ignored his armor] -34,300 +500 exp I swing both my swords in a semi circle to get the blood off. Now that all the bandits are dead I can check on the people they were attacking. I turn around and see them ready to continue fighting, I sheath my swords and they rx a little. "If I was here to kill you, all of you would be dead by now. As you can see those bandits weren''t even able to react before I diced them up. What makes you think you stand a chance against me?" I cross my arms and lean against one of the carts waiting for their reply. I inspect what I assume is the leader of this little guard detail. [Kursco James Guard Detail Leader Lvl. 22] 2,045/7,080 This guy sure did take a lot of damage. His bleeding isn''t to bad so I think he''ll live. He is analyzing my words before he takes any action. I may be around the same level as everyone here, but my ss and gear put me on a level several times higher than them. He squints his eye''s at me and inspects me. I get a system notification that is right on time. [This NPC''s isn''t strong enough to view your hidden information] [Only basic information will be shown] My stats are much higher then they should be for someone my level, but that is all he is able to see along with my name. The NPC''s receive information differently then us, but perceive it the same way we do. He also wont know I have hidden information, to him I look like a talented young fighter, nothing more and nothing less. He finally decides to speak to me, and he sheaths his weapon and so do hisst 2 men. "I apologize, the blood loss and adrenaline are putting me on edge. Thanks for saving us, if you didn''t show up we would have all died." I look at thest 2 men and take a deep sigh, caravans are usually more prepared than this and have higher leveled guards. So that means the city gave them scraps or someone arranged this to happen. Well, not my problem. I have already done my part. I stop leaning on the cart and approach the men. They are still on edge, but they are much more friendly then a few seconds ago. "Why would the city send you guys? No offense, but by the looks of that elegant cart you are transporting someone of high standing. The city would send its best for someone like that." Kursco looks down in shame at my words. Whatever is happening here wasn''t something that he knew about. People don''t act like that when they are guilty. "I won''t bother you with anymore questions, just make sure you know what you are doing next time." I turn around and start on my path again. As I pass the elegant cart it opens, a butler sticks his head out and we make eye contact slightly. He then looks into the direction of the guards and gives a sigh of relief. I see another head look out from behind the butler and its a woman in her early 20''s, she has long straight blond hair and green eye''s. She is pretty, but I am not some desperate guy that falls head over heels for someone. I have things too do and ces too be. She looks at me kind of funny and has a slightly rose colored face. I look the same as I do in real life, I am one on the more attractive side. Both my parents are beautiful people and I am to since I am their son. I continue to walk forward and begin to lightly run like before now that I am out of view from the caravan. I look at my stats for the information on my exp gains. [yer (Zern) Lvl.19] [Exp: 18,280/21,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 920] [Focus - 7300] [Mana: 73000/73000] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Stat Points: 0] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Skills/Perks] [Inheritor of the sword (Passive) - Son of Heaven (Passive) - Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400 (Active) - Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400 (Active) - sh Lvl.10 300/1000 (Active) yer of Evil (Passive) - Holy Willow Trees savior (Passive) - Parry Lvl.1 80/100 (Active) - Finder of Legends (Passive) - The divine who has legend (Passive) - Destined for Greatness (Passive) - Dungeon Diver - (Passive) Kingyer - (Active) Raging Machine - (Active)] I got a little over 2,000 exp for that little scuffle. Every little bit helps, and I am never one to turn down exp. I run for a couple more hours and now I should be a little over half way and I have time till the sun goes down. Cera makes his way down the trail and sets up camp and logs off as night falls. Back miles and miles down the road he came from. The guards and travelers have also set up camp. There is a discussion between Kursco James and the butler from earlier. I don''t know yer Zern from famous tales or the adventurers from the guild, but he is on a different talent and skill level. His stats are insane, and he is also one of those new people. You can tell by the way they act and talk. I turn to the butler Relomal and begin finishing my report. "After he killed his first bandit he quickly dispatched the rest of them with no problems what so ever. One of the swords he wielded also gave off an incredible pressure that affects the mind and not the body. I felt like he was holding a weapon of unparalleled power." The butler nods his head and looks to the princess with worry. If I knew she was an assassination target I would have brought way more men. "Do you think she will be alright?" I know that most royalty don''t experiencebat and this might have shaken her. The butler fixes his monocle and clears his throat. "Princess Annabe has always been a tough young woman. I wouldn''t worry to much about her. We should all get some rest for the night, we have a lot of ground to make up." With those words I rx for the first time in hours. The princess was kind enough to heal us with her healing magic, but I am still beat. I head over to thest of my men and friends on this dark day, I dread the moments I have to inform the new widows. Chapter 45: The road to Glendar II

Chapter 45: The road to Glendar II

{To tired to edit. Mark any mistakes in spelling please. I''ll fix themter.} I haven''t been able to sleep since I got off. I am pretty excited that I get to do the quests for Flint and make some huge progress. I know some information about Glendar, but I''ll have to talk to some people and see if they know where Flint might be. I''ve only been to the city a couple of times and I know my way around themon NPC''s. I also remember there being a legacy ss hidden by one of the adventurers in this branch of the adventurers guild. The young woman who gets it bes very famous. Now that I think about it, she should be getting it really soon. I n to stay out of her way and do what I need to do, I don''t need that headache. Her gamer tag was CrummyBummy if I remember, and I''ll be sure to avoid most yers in the big city of Glendar. I don''t want people finding out who I am by my gear and stats. It is gettingte so I should really be getting to sleep now, I have a big day tomorrow. As Cera goes to sleep and rests for the night in preparation for the remaining distance of his journey tomorrow, the people of the caravan are talking about the young yer Zern that saved them. The one informing all these people is Kursco James, he is telling the events that had happened right in front of him. "When he showed up there was a slight worry in the back of my mind when I saw him. After a few seconds of starring I watched him dismember and systematically kill them all. It only took a few seconds for him to get rid of the whole group." I tell the merchants and settlers the tale as I recall it. Everyone is taking shifts on watch. Its my turn right now and my nerves are on edge. I''m worried that more of these bandits will show when their ambushing party doesn''te back. If they send more we won''t be able to do anything. We won''t have help from Zern this time either, luckily Relomal knows magic and can help us. I''m mad that the ipetence I have shown has led to the personal butler of princess Annabe to step in. Our city will receive a huge fine and I''ll more than likely be severely punished. The men who died on this trip wont get the proper service they deserve, we have brought shame on Zeder. While Kursco is talking to the rest of the watch, princess Annabe is talking to her butler and guard Relomal. She is asking questions about what happened and who the person who saved them is. "I want to know why you didn''t help and who that boy was. I get that we are supposed to leave it to the guards, but they are our citizens as well. How could we leave them to die like that, nobility shouldn''t be treating people like this." I have always wanted to bnce the power in Vedersfall between the people and the nobles. The lower sses shouldn''t be treated like this, it makes me sick that father has allowed these changes despite not wanting them. Relomal sighs at my question and takes off his monocle to clean it. "This is how things are for now princess Annabe. If I went out there at the start of the fight, then I would have shamed the city of Zeder and its nobles further. Now that some of their own have died inbat and I didn''t have to step in because of failure they will have less of a punishment. The situation now is I have stepped in because of loss of soldiers, not failure. They won''t suffer to much for this. As for the young man, I don''t know who he was, only that his name is yer Zern. From what captain Kursco told me he is very talented and skilled. We might even see him in Glendar, he is probably heading there to." I never got to personally thank Zern. If I do see him again I''ll be sure to express my gratitude. The rules that have been implemented have changed our country. I only hope big brother can make a difference like he always said he would. I cross my arms in frustration and ask my next question. "Why has our beautiful countrye to this..." I wish that mother was still alive, she would know what to do and how to fix all of this. Dad really changed after her murder. Brother changed to, they have both forgotten what our country has stood for. Our ancestors are looking done at us in shame. "I hope what our seers have seen doesn''te to true." If they do, then we will lose our country and I''ll be sold off to some orc to be raped by everyday. I''d sooner kill myself then let my fate end there. Relomal looks at me with sadness I rarely see from the middle aged man. "I have a feeling that whatever the seers have divined will note to happen, but war will bing to our country. The orcs are amassing in force to the highest part of our continent. We are the first on there list since your mother killed the old king of the orcs." The orcs will ravage our country, kill our men and enve and **** our women. The unification of the noble houses and gathering of our armies shouldn''t havee at the cost of my mother and our countries lower sses. I want revenge as much as my father, but I wouldn''t have sold so much of our honor and integrity for this result. "I hope your right Relomal, cause if you aren''t then we will be the first ones to suffer the orcs wrath." The orcs are one of the oldest and toughest creatures on the continent. They will surely reunify and begin the crusade they left unfinished 700 years ago. This time we don''t have a divine artifact to save us. All of this stress is making me tired and I don''t know what the next day has in store for me. So I''m going to get as much rest as I can. As the night passes and day arrives Cera also gets up ready for the day. He is currently in bed preparing to get ready. I have a few hours left in my journey to Glendar so I am not in a rush to get there. I want to see what the news has to say about what is happening in Ancients World right now. I get dressed and head downstairs, I smell moms delicious homecooked food and hear someughter between 2 people. I enter the kitchen and see my parents talking, this is the first time I have seen this specific scene. They both see me and smile. I smile back and make my way to the couch and sit down. I turn on the T.V. and switch it to my favorite news channel that report everything about Ancients World. I see the same pretty news reporter that I like the most. "There has been a huge spike in interest and yer poption in Ancients World. Anyone that has an inte connection is trying to get a pod so they can y." Now would be about the time the yer poption rises again. There are already about 3 billion ying, and that''s about to double. Ancients World is massive and it could hold and sustain more than I could put a number on. It has an NPC poption of about 17 billion, a little bit more than us. Ancients World is massive, it was theorized by scientist that Ancients World has no known limit. Only constant development in size to make sure all the creatures both good and evil are sustained. This is something that won''t be found out till about the time I left in the future toe here. Soon I am joined on the couch with both my parents as they watch the news with me. The pretty reporter begins to speak now that the break is over. "There has also been a huge influx of guilds in the country of Smander. They are all waiting for the world boss to appear." I have 100% confidence that the world boss will be beaten, however many will perish in the fight. Taking down the Arch Grove will be a task that requires all the guilds to work together, not just a few. I''m sure every single one of them will be surprised about the rewards for defeating world bosses. I continue to listen to the news and soon my father gets my attention. "Do you remember what today is?" I have no idea what he is getting at. I nod my head no and both my parents chuckle. "We are moving to our new house today! It will only take a few hours since we are having it done professionally so make sure that you have all your clothes packed alright." Looks like I forgot that today is the day we will be moving. Dad did say when it would happen, I have just forgot when. I won''t be getting on tillter it seems. Might as well enjoy this time I have with my family before I get back to the grind. I listen to the news some more until its done and I head up to my room and pack my clothes. Now its just time to wait, I head to the bathroom and clean myself up and make sure I am clean. Once I''m done with everything in my bedroom I head back downstairs for family breakfast. This is the first time I''ve had breakfast with all 5 of us present. Hailey is pretty quiet and making sure not to cause any problems, mom is also on her best behavior has to not ruin this family time. I have an idea that would be fun. "Why don''t we all head out and spend a few hours having fun together. The machine movers will take care of everything." When dad said he hired professionals he meant it, you can hire machines to do tasks like moving or housework if you have the money. You don''t have to worry about anything breaking because its insured by thepany who sent the machines. They wille, move our stuff out, and then move it in at the new ce. While they are doing all of this we can spend some family time together. Mom is the first to voice her happiness at the idea. "I think that is a great idea sweetie. I could only dream about doing all this with my family." We went out and celebrated when we got the money, but that was different. This time we will all be spending time together and making up for lost time. Sadly there will be one person left out because he has school today. He doesn''t know that yet and now its his turn to voice his excitement. "Does that mean I can get more toys!?!" I look at the face of Marcus and see how excited he is. If the school was morex about attendance then we would take him, however we already got him out of school one day. They won''t be to happy about another missed day. I hate how much power schools have over families when they have minors in education. Mom and dad look between each other and look sad that they have to burst his bubble. "I''m sorry Marcus, but you have school today. Your father and I will take you this weekend to make up for it." As soon as mom said that Marcus begins to loseposure. Soon he is balling his eyes out and runs to his bedroom. I feel for him, I hated school with a passion. Nothing worse than being forced somewhere you don''t want to be. Mom heads upstairs to talk to him and thest 3 of us eat our breakfast while talking. Today is something I always wanted for my family, now I can actually do it. Chapter 46: Interlude I ~The surprise from my Parents~

Chapter 46: Interlude I ~The surprise from my Parents~

{I noticed some of you were confusedst chapter so I''ll go ahead and exin what happened. Cera never met up with Flint or got any quests from him, all he did was find out where he might be and head to Glendar to find him. That''s why the chapters went from Finding The Hermit Flint to The road to Glendar. Hope this clear things up, if not ask in thements and I''ll rify some more.} {Hope you all enjoy the double upload today. I don''t know if I''ll upload tomorrow, but I''ll definitely get writing done. I did a different chapter today, hope you all like this idea. I won''t do interludes often, only when something important in the real world happens that needs a longer chapter. Thanks for reading!!} My entire family except for Marcus is going out today to have some fun. Mom and dad just got done dropping him off at school so now we are all getting in the car to go spend time together. I''m in the backseat along with my sister and there is a silence that I don''t like. Usually mom or dad chats as they drive, but this time they aren''t saying a word. I ask them a question to get them started. "So where are we going first? We have a few hours till the machines are done." There is only silence at my question. I look over to my sister and she is worried as well. My parents don''t act like this, so I don''t know what is going on. Mom releases a deep sigh and looks in the mirror over the dashboard to look at us. Dad is driving so he is focusing on the road. My mother says something that takes my worry away. "Its a surprise Cera, we don''t want to spoil it for you guys so we aren''t talking." I haven''t had a surprise outside of the house in a very long time. I cant help wondering if what they think is cool is actually cool. I look over to my sister and she''s in the same situation I''m in. We are driving in downtown LA, passing stores and restaurants. I watch the stores we ate at when we were younger pass by, there goes my theory on what we are doing. After awhile we pull up to a car dealership, one that sells high end sports and luxury cars. I look at my mom confused and all she is doing is smiling ear to ear. "What are we doing here? You guys said that Hailey or I would never be allowed to get our own cars. Even if we could pay for it ourselves." Mom and dad made it very clear that only they would be allowed to have a car in our household. I had no problems with it, but Hailey during high school hated it. I look over at my sister and she looks really sad for some reason, I''m the opposite and I cant hold my excitement. Dad pulls into the parking lot and parks the car. He turns around to face us and is also smiling. "We said that because we were afraid that you guys would pile debt just like we did. So we didn''t let you get a car and start paying loans, but now we don''t have to worry about that anymore." So they didn''t let us get cars because they didn''t want us to end up like them. "Your mother and I spoke and we decided that since the family has more money then we''ll ever spend we are getting you guys cars! Your mother and I are also getting a new one today." I feel a slight twirl in my stomach and my eye''s get a little blurry. I know that we got a lot of money, but the true worth never sunk in for me. I really hoped that my parents would embrace this new lifestyle, now I can say they are letting down their defenses and enjoying a new lease on life. I look out the window and see tons of beautiful sports and luxury cars, along with fast super and hyper cars. You need a special license to own and use a flying car, and you have to do under go extreme psych evaluations to make sure you aren''tpromised. So that means no flying car for us. When the first flying cars came out in 2087 terrorist had a new way to cause destruction, now its pretty much impossible to get one without knowing someone in the government willing to let you try for the credentials. "You mean we actually get to pick our own cars?" Never in the future did we get even close to an opportunity like this, now I actually get to use my license for something other than an ID. Mom and dad open their doors and get out before we do. I quickly get out as well and hug both of my parents really hard. I am missing someone here and I intend to make sure she is involved to. "Quit looking sad ande join the family hug! You are just as much family as I am." I open the hug between the 3 of us and wait for Hailey to join us. She looks on the verge of tears and very hesitant. Soon she gets over her insecurity and joins us in this rare asion. Mom is actually looking at Hailey in happiness right now. I''m d they have put aside their problems for now. We all pull away from each other and mom decides to hug Hailey separately. Hailey and mom never got to have moments like this. Mom kisses her daughters forehead and rocks her side to side in her arms. "You will always be my little girl Hailey, its just sometime you make me want to rip my hair out. I wont be on your case, but I do want you to really try and find what you want to do. Just make sure it isn''t acting." I chuckle to myself and look towards my dad. He is the one that was beaten up the most in the war with Hailey and Mom. He looks back at me and smiles. He grabs me in a one armed hug while we watch the sweet moment between the most important people in our lives. My father and I have always got along great and I always wanted to make him proud. In my old future all I did was not let him down, this time around I have made him proud of me. We all start to look for cars and each go into our own direction. Except for mom and dad, they went together. I cant help looking at these newer versions of famous brands like Mercedes, Lamborghini, and Ferrari. I love the power and looks of these amazing cars, but I just cant really see myself in one. Hold habits die hard, I''m allowed to see myself in one of these now. While super and hyper cars are impressive, they are not something a person would drive daily. Then again, not like it will be a daily driver. I have always had a dream to own and drive a Lambo, so that''s going to be my choice in car. Looking at these models I can say I wont make a wrong choice. I''ll be getting myself the 2236 Lamborghini Xerces. Its a staple in thetest release of their cars and brought interest back to Lamborghini. Anyone with a big enough bank ount owns a Lamborghini now days. Only the people in the top 3 percent can afford them, but my family is now in the top 2 percent. We will never run out of money, at least not in this lifetime. We all got to choose our own cars, mom and dad decided to get one for the 2 of them. They have great taste in choosing the 2234 Bentley Luxury ssic. Truly a way to spend time on the road and enjoy the ride anywhere. Big sister Hailey decided to go with the 2236 Te Super Light, never would have pegged her to be a fan of the pioneers. Gas and oil became obsolete because of Te''s original owner Elon Musk. After he passed many mourned him, he lead humanity out of the crude fuel age and into a world powered by windfarms, sr power, and preservation of renewable resources. The 21st century was a turbulent time, history ims that theziest generation headed it off. In the end the changes that the world made started in the 21st century. So there may be a conflict of opinions there. Mom and dad easily paid for all of our new cars and it came out to a total cost of about 5.4 million UWD''s. A drop in the bucket as they say. Dad gave Hailey and I the GPS coordinates to the new house and I was the first one to leave the lot and test out my first car on the long highways of LA. I spent the few hours I had going fast and having fun. I go to the coordinates for our new home and its a true masterpiece of design and innovation. Probably more than 20 bedrooms and an equal number of baths. I pull into the garage of our massive new property, and take a tour of our new home. Mom shows me to my room and I notice all my tech is set up ready to beunched. Seems now its time to get back on and get to Glendar to find Flint. I hop in my gaming pod after changing intofortable clothes. I load in and notice that its very early afternoon, time to get moving. Chapter 47: The road to Glendar III

Chapter 47: The road to Glendar III

{I have seen that some of you have a problem with the stat page. I do this for me and readers who want the story to feel simr to a game. Since there is a concern about it I''ll try to not do it so much, but when there are exp gains I have to do it so I can urately keep track of things. I don''t like using google docs or a spread sheet because they disappear and don''t save sometimes. I''ll try and find a way to improve that part, but it might be awhile since so many are already used to it. If more then 5 of youment in the paragraphments saying you want a change then I''ll do something soon.} {I just found out my story got contracted and I can say that I never thought it would happen so fast. I thank all the people who have shown support everyday and given this story there power stones instead of another. I really do hope all my current fans stick around and show support. Thanks again everyone, I get to pursue my dream because of all of you!} {Since we are so close to chapter 50 you guys can start leaving reviews now. Please be honest, I know the story is young and critics will probably rate between 3 and 5 stars. Just be easy on me and not attack it, leave constructive criticism like people have about the stat changes and stats panel. I really hope to see some familiar names in the review section!!} Its a nice and beautiful afternoon here in Ancients World. I''m d that we''ve moved to a new home and have settled in our new lifestyle. I''m sure Marcus is going to be excited with his new room. I''m also grateful that Hailey and mom have settled into a truce. I don''t think the oue from my old future has a single possibility of happening now. I have a few more hours ahead of me and I can make it before the sun sets. I get back on the trail and start moving faster and faster. My stats are very good for a person who hasn''t reached tier 1 yet. I really should try to catch up to the hardcore yers though. Most are probably pushing the cusp of level 25. I have no intention of falling behind and losing out on the great rewards of being the first to tier up. My tier up quest will be incredibly difficult thanks to my divine ss. The original owner Blue Chaos said the tier up quest in Zenith city was a challenge he wasn''t prepared for. However he doesn''t have The Witness, he left the instructions of how he beat his tier up quest. That is a discussion for another time however. Cross that bridge when I get there. I need to address a problem I have been ignoring in my journey of Vedersfall. The orc kingdom is supposed to move soon, and every country is supposed to have problems with them. Vedersfall stands its ground for awhile, but after countless deaths it has to ask the church and other countries for help. This is going to be a world event, like the war in Zenith. Thest oue for this was the fall of 2 kingdoms and the extinction of the goblin race that sided with the orcs. After the orcs lost and returned to there kingdom in shame a civil war proceeded. The orcs refused to stay united in defeat and all the tribes leaders and armies pursued the throne. The war was very great for the yer base, however we respawn and suffer very little. The NPC''s don''t have this luxury and suffer immensely. This event put the yers in a position to gain power and recognition by the NPC''s and we didn''t waste it. I''m interested in participating, but I risk revealing my identity. I prefer to remain hidden and fulfill my objectives. Not like anyone is strong enough to help in theing conflict anyway. The yers are still extremely weak at this point. We number in the billions, but that doesn''t matter to someone like Nelli or Fenrir. If we were to battle the orcs at our current power many yers would lose levels and items, not that its my problem. Another interesting topic is the major guilds are going to start making huge moves now that the first guild hall has been built. Guild halls are invaluable to a guild, and there is only one out right now. I wonder if Flint will have any information about Bellvia or theing war with the orcs. I still have a legendary quest I need to finish. I won''t be able to make any progress right now, but Flint can give me valuable information and make my mission easier. I should ask at the local church of light branch in Glendar, Flint would more than likely attract the attention of the church and its very hard to hide from them. I may make it look easy, but that''s because I know how to stay hidden. Most notable yers are already on a watchlist for the church. I''m d that the system hides the true identity of people during announcements, if not I would be stuck with constant guards and a mobile army around me. I don''t want that, other yers might, but not me. They don''t have the potential I do, so I have no need of such extravagant things. In the middle of my nning and information checking, a world-wide announcement rings out. [World-wide Announcement: Many guilds and yers have engaged the Roaming World Boss Arch Grove in battle! This is the first time this has happened and there will be bonus rewards if its defeated!] This announcement was bound to happen soon, I wonder how long it will take till they realize that you will need all the guilds to join to defeat this nightmare of a boss. The rewards for the first kill of a roaming world boss is decent. There will be epic and legacy items that drop, and the one that deals the final blow will get a legacy ss. I believe it was called Bane of Monsters, a very good damage ss in PVE. I remember that Wilted Rose is the one to receive this ss, but history may change. Some things have already drifted, maybe my actions will affect this to. After another hour of running I finally make it to the city of Glendar. I haven''t seen any notification about the battle so things must be pretty rough over there. Now isn''t the time to focus on that though, its time to visit the local church and see if they have any information on Flint. I pay the fee to enter the amazing city and cant help enjoying the sights, its one of the most detailed and massive cities besides the capitals. I will never get tired of seeing Glendar, after walking around for a bit I make my way to the local church and enter their always open doors. This reminds me that I have a note to send. Instead of heading to the head of the church in this area I go to the messaging area. I should send Amelia a letter just like I promised. I write her updates about what has happened, and where I n on going and doing. She would have a general idea from the announcements from the churches magic system. I want to give her a personal update though, after I finish filling out the page and closing the envelop I put it in the box and it disappears in a sh of light. Now its time to talk to the head of the church here. I make my way to the area where mass is performed and see the head of this church talking to some of the cities guards. They finish up and head out before I reach the stage. I quickly inspect the leader so I can see who I''m dealing with. [Church of light Glendar branch leader Max Vermos Lvl.100 tier 2] 1,250,000/1,250,000 HP I get the bare bones of information and I remember this guy bes very well known by the NPC''s for inventing a cure for Night Warts. Didn''t know he came from this ce, learn something new everyday. As I approach he begins to speak in a polite and just manner. "How may I help you young man?" He is on the slightly older side and has a gentle voice that an old man would have. As I prepare a response he also inspects me. [This NPC''s isn''t strong enough to view all your information] [Only your base stats and name will be shown] I am used to this, imagine if people had this ability in the real world. People wouldn''t leave their houses if this was going on everywhere they went. I take a breath now that we are close enough to talk at normal levels. "I was wondering if I could ask for information about someone that doesn''t really want to be found. Its urgent that I find this man." Max rubs his beard as he thinks about my request. The church cant refuse anyone in need, but they are allowed to hide information about the powerful people they deal with. Its just as private as it is public. He goes and sits on the little chair given to the head of churches branch leader. "Depends on who you want information about. I''m not the type to just give out information willy nilly young man." This is what I expected, I need to choose my next words very carefully. If I make one wrong step here then I''m on my own. I have a brilliant idea that just might work. I reach into my inventory and pull out the quest paper for the legendary quest I''m on. I hand it to him and he gives both the paper and me a calctive look. "I''m looking for a man called Flint. I was hoping that he would have information that can help me on this quest." I can see that I have peaked the old mans interest with this. He silently contemtes if he should tell me anything or not. After a few more seconds he gets up and goes to his office. He gives a nod for me to follow. We make it to his office after climbing a few flights of stairs. He opens the door and wees me in, I can see he is a lore junky like I am. The history of worlds and people are truly invaluable if you know where to look and read. He goes to his desk and pulls out a letter along with an envelop, I cant tell what he is writing. However, he wouldn''t have brought me all this way if he had nothing for me. After he is done writing everything he seals the paper and puts his personal seal on it. He walks back over to me and hands it over. "This is a letter ensuring your safety for when you meet Flint. Normally he just uses magic to teleport people away from him, but with this he will give you some time to speak. You can find him in the mountains of Helda, to the North of here. Its about a days trip with your speed." I smile in gratitude and give a slight bow in recognition of his authority. I may be more important than him in others eyes, but I always treat people as an equal. I don''t want to waste any time and I leave the office as well as the church. I can probably make it half way there before night fall. I leave the town of Glendar for now and head to the mountains of Helda. They are beautiful and very big, same size as the alps in my world. I also know there are powerful enemies in that mountain range. So I''ll be able to get some levels as I travel its tough terrain. This is the first time I''ll be meeting Flint and I cant help being excited about it. I may find out things that were never written in the forums from the future, I know about the generous quests he gives and how to answer his riddles. When I answer his riddles right he will have to give me quests withrge amounts of exp. I wonder what is happening in the country of Smander right now, I bet that Arch Grove is causing some serious problems with the older yers hearts. Chapter 48: The Mountains of Helda I

Chapter 48: The Mountains of Helda I

{I have changed the look of the stat panel this chapter, let me know if you guys like it. I want to say thank you to Aeternabilis, he is the one that gave me the general look for the new stat panel. I hope many of you will stay even though chapters will have to be paid for soon, even if you don''t want to stay, I say thank you for reading anyways!!} I have decided to pull an all nighter in game. I shouldn''t waste this time by getting off, so many yers are leveling up and all I have done is stay at level 19. If traveling long distances wasn''t such a problem then I would be the highest leveled yer. The mountains I am heading to are notorious for high leveled creatures that are tough to kill. Well, maybe for a normal yer with a normal ss. I think I''ll be able to dispatch of any creature Ie across. Speaking of ns, I haven''t heard anything from the world announcements about the Arch Grove and the battle happening. They may have already joined forces and are whittling down its massive health pool. I recall that its health is in the 10s of millions, impossible for a low leveled normal yer. On the other hand, hundreds of thousands attacking the same target will eventually win against Arch Grove. Pretty much every major guild wille out of this worse for wear. yers levels will be lost faster than someone can say ''Well, shit on me.''. I''m only a few minutes away from the entrance to the forested mountains and I''m excited for somebat, its been a long time since I got to fight monsters of a higher level than me. The half exp debuff sure is a pain in the ass, but I have no ns for anything other than Ancients World. The value rises by the day in the real world and nobody will be able to stay away for long. I can feel that more and more problems will arise in the future, but not specifically for me. I have altered the timeline and I don''t know what my actions will bring. I can be sure some things have already changed, Ancients World has been effected by my actions already. In truth this is a curse from a divine ss, if I use it right I can make great changes. If I use it wrong, it can cause disaster. Time has passed and I think I should focus on the uping battles. I arrive at the entrance to the forested mountains of Helda. I can feel monsters inside the forest, some are fighting over territory right now. I wonder what type of creatures are fighting each other, they have to be stronger then the rest in this ce. I don''t know the exact strength of the monsters, but they are very territorial by the feel of it. All I definitely know is that they are a higher level than me. If I y my cards right I can kill the 2 that are fighting and reap the exp for both, its umon for weaker monsters to fight each other. I start moving towards the conflicting energies and stay out of the line of sight. I just want to observe for now. I use inspect on both of them to see what the current situation is. [Crimson Striped Spider Beast Lvl.35] 70,019/400,000 [Yellow Dotted Super Wasp Lvl.35] 66,705/395,000 These are some strong monsters. They are tougher then that earth elemental I fought, however they are both almost dead. It wouldn''t be to difficult to kill them if they were at full health. This situation though, all the work is already done and all I got to do is use a couple of sh attacks and they are both done for. A 16 level gap means I''ll die in 1 hit and these guys aren''t pushovers, I should strike while the iron is hot. I draw my swords andunch my attack at the Wasp first, don''t want it trying to fly away. I activate my sh skill and start doing damage. [Yellow Dotted Super Wasp Lvl.35] 66,705/395,000 [You have dismembered the targets thorax] [You have ignore armor] -63,455 [You have dismembered the targets metasoma] [You have ignored armor] -63,455 +4000 exp +800 sh exp [You have leveled up] [sh has leveled up] Now that the flyer is taken care of I can focus on the Spider Beast. I look over at it and see that its lunging at me and baring its fangs. Its very fast, probably has a higher speed stat than I do. Although, I''ve had years to practice my dodging, I twist and turn my body barely dodging the powerful jaws and legs of the spider. I feel the wind that the limbs create as they pass me. Now I have a gap since I pulled away. I begin my assault with sh and start eating its health. [Crimson Striped Spider Beast Lvl.35] 70,019/400,000 [You have dismembered the targets 2 front legs] [You have ignored armor] -63,455 Its losing a lot of blood and looks ready to just stop and die. No point prolonging this so I quickly put it out of its misery and sh its head. [You have hit a vital point] [You have dismembered the targets head] [You have ignored armor] -126,910 critical +4000 exp +800 sh exp I''m missing out on lots of yer level exp, but Inheritor of the sword perk ising in handy. It has doubled my skill exp gain and I''m close to level 12 for my sh skill. The best thing about this fight is I have finally made it to level 20, and that means I can see more information on characters around my level instead of just their names and health. I want to check my stats and see where I''m at now. [yer (Zern) Lvl.20] [Exp: 5,280/22,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 920] [Focus - 7300] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Mana: 73000/73000] [Stat Points: 10] [Armor rating: 475] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400] [sh Lvl.11 900/2000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] Looking at these amazing active skills I have noticed a small problem, I''mcking any attacking skills other than sh. Next time I get a chance I should see about any skills I can learn from vendors. The sh skill is the basic skill for de oriented sses when you start the game, anything should be equal to it or better. The 2 monsters didn''t drop anything super good, but the spider did drop a silk ball. I can sell this to a clothing merchant for about 60 gold. I feel kind of bad now that I realize how hard everyone else is struggling to get gold. Most yers probably only have about 10 to 15 gold by now. I can continue to kill monsters while I search these mountains for Flint, I''m sure that he is deeper in. That''s good for me since the deeper you go the better it gets, and I''m capable of hitting the end of this ce. I will probably get a few more levels considering how strong everything is in here. There is no time to waste since I''m spending the night in game. I should keep my guard up in this ce, you never know how tight it can get and when you find yourself in a sticky situation. As Cera is fighting and searching for The Hermit Flint the battle with the Arch Grove issting into the night. The leader of Willow Tree, Wilted Rose, is talking to the other guild leaders now that they havee to understand the strength of the roaming world boss. I listen as multiple leaders yell their concerns and casualties in this battle. My guild didn''t suffer as much as others did. I noticed the eerie feeling it gave off, and my instincts led me to far less casualties than the other guilds. Willow Tree is sure toe out of this stronger if we beat this thing. Dark de raises his hands to silence everyone in the meeting room. The tent goes quiet as we all listen to what he has to say. "We have all gravely underestimated the strength of the roaming world boss, despite only being level 30. It has more health than anything I have ever seen in this game, its safe to say that we thought this battle would go the same way others have in different games." I can agree with that statement. Not only did it overpower us, it learned as it fought. This doesn''t just tell us Ancients World is truly different, it tells us that NPC''s, bosses, and everyday creatures have the same, if not greater, intelligence as us. This has caused many veteran gamers who are used to dumb A.I.''s or scripted fights to feel overwhelmed and defeated. Nobody in this tent was prepared for this game and all the changes and features it brought. Dark de continues talking and everyone is making sure they listen. "The only way we are taking this monster of a boss down is if we all join forces." As soon as he said that protests and arguments broke out. A lot of the guilds here have bad blood with each other, and aren''t willing to share the rewards. Ipletely understand where they areing from, however many people in this tent also want to be the ones to take down the first roaming world boss. The glory is just as good as the rewards, everyone in this tent will have their names etched on the achievement board. The only person on the achievement board right now is The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. All the present guild leaders and theirmanders would join him, many are hoping to get noticed by the mysterious man. I only want to draw more attention to my guild and improve growth potential in Ancients World. The arguments don''t n to stop anytime soon so maybe I should give it a shot since the peacefulmunications didn''t work. I approach the table and look over to Dark de, I nod my head for him to take a step back and he allows me to speak this time. Everyone has noticed that I have taken the negotiations and are now prepared to listen to my idea since the other one didn''t work. "Instead of fighting over the rewards now, how about we all agree to fight for them at ater date." Some look as me confused, and others know exactly what I''m talking about. Ancients World lets you put rewards in a coteral damage space, gamers refer to it as the ck hole. The basics of the mechanic is all the guild leaders agree to put the rewards in a safe ce held by the system, and then fight for them in a tournament at ater date. "We can settle who gets what the way gamers always have, this is the only solution I see." All the guilds in this tent are neck and neck in terms of power and money, it really justes down to what you want and who you are fighting for it. There is silence at first, but many begin to warm up to the idea. Many of them are willing to do this course of action, so I call up the system and set up a coteral damage space. Everyone in this tent eventually agrees and now that the system knows what we are doing we canbine our efforts and beat this damn thing. There are many things happening in Ancients World right now, but the only person the gods of light and the dark ones are focusing on is Cera. Its not to say that they aren''t interested in what''s happening to the yers fighting the Arch grove, only that Cera''s journey is more detailed and intricate. This leaves more of the higher beings to be interested in his choices in theing days. However, some of the dark ones are showing interest in certain yers in the battle against Arch Grove. Chapter 49: The Mountains of Helda II

Chapter 49: The Mountains of Helda II

{I have set up a goal for the story and how to get me to release more chapters. Go to the auxiliary and read ''How to get me to release more chapters''. I know we won''t be hitting the goals I set anytime soon, but I do want to chase my dream of being a payed author and this will help!} {I''ve been ying with another idea for a story and I want to know if anyone would want to see another story by me while I write this one.} I have been searching these mountains for awhile now and I cant find any clues of Flints exact location. I wouldn''t be surprised if he is using magic to hide his location, on the other hand I have leveled up twice and I''m level 22 now. Still haven''t caught up with the best yers, but Flints quest will probably push me to 30 if the rumors about his rewards were true. I have 30 unspent stat points now and I think I should just save them. I open my stat panel to see where I''m at exp wise to the next level. [yer (Zern) Lvl.22] [Exp: 12,880/24,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 920] [Focus - 7300] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Mana: 73000/73000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400] [sh Lvl.11 900/2000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] My armor rating has gone up along with my level. I will have to start looking for better armor soon, I know of a ce to get some great epic grade armor. The problem is I have to be level 40 to ess it, which isn''t happening anytime soon. I''m halfway too level 23 at this point and all I can really say is this is much slower than I''d like it to be, but nothing good everes easy. Its the middle of the night and I haven''t heard anything from the world announcements yet, they must have either been defeated or abandoned the fight with the Arch Grove. It didn''t take this longst time this happened. A strong monster interrupts my thoughts, I can feel it up ahead and its stronger than anything I have faced yet. The Super Wasp and Spider Beast were strong, but not like what I''m feeling. Best guess is this thing is an apex predator, they are a sort of mini boss that can be found in area''s infested with monsters. It could provide arge chunk of exp, I slowly make my way to the area I''m feeling this creature and I see a very notorious monster. I use inspect just to make sure my eye''s aren''t ying tricks on me. [Jet ck Venom Tipped Cougar Lvl.40 elite] [Familiar] 950,000/950,000 HP [Description: A creature known for its intelligence and ambushing prowess. It has many deadly characteristics, the one that you don''t want to get attacked by is the venom on the tips of its teeth. The battle will be extraordinarily difficult in the dark since it seamlessly blends into the darkness. This creature is a familiar to a person in a nearby area.] Its a familiar so that means its master must be at least a level higher than it. My instincts are telling me this beast belongs to Flint, and its protecting the entrance to his current home. I can take this thing down, but its endurance, dexterity, and speed are higher than mine. Monsters have way higher health than NPC''s do, a level 50 tier 1 monster will have at least 4 million health. That is why so many organizations like the monster hunters guild and adventures guild exist. It will take a couple of tier 1 NPC''s to kill a single tier 1 monster. As I am thinking and going over some information a world wide announcement goes off. [World-wide Announcement: A yer has discover the Legacy ss: Blood Mage. This a one of a kind ss and is no longer avable to the rest of the yers!] [World mission announcement: The coven of blood history wishes to know about this person. If anyone brings any information in they will be rewarded!] So CrummyBummy has gotten her legacy ss. Blood mage is a lore rich ss and has some very unique abilities. I only know a little bit about it, but she will be extremely famous when her identity is discovered. Her ss allows her to join a guild unlike mine. I focus back to the task at hand and look in the direction of the familiar. Bad news though, its gone. I quickly jump out into the open so it cant sneak up on me in the darkness. It was more than likely trying to ambush me. I look around the dark woods and I cant see or hear anything. My nerves are on edge, this thing can jump out from anywhere and its hiding its presence from me. I have both of my swords drawn already, however I hear a voice call out from the darkness. "I believe you have been looking for me?" I turn to the direction of the voice and see an old man with a clean cut beard and totally shaven head. Looks just like he was described in the forums. I have no intention to fight anymore and I sheath my des. He takes the gesture as a sign of goodwill and begins to walk forward. "I was hoping to speak with you Mr. Flint." He looks at me annoyed. I don''t know what I really should call him and saying The Hermit Flint is pretty long. We are now only a couple feet apart and he begins to rub his beard. I get a notification from the system about what I expected. [This NPC is strong enough to view all your information] I watch as his expression never changes, someone with his personality wouldn''t react like others would. He closes his eyes and looks to be contemting, soon he takes a short sigh and turns around. He begins to walk away and I stand here doing nothing. "Youing or not?" He turns his head around as he stops to look back to me. I catch up to him and begin following him in the dark woods. After awhile wee to a small shack in the middle of a very small field. His home is quite small and remote, truly lives up to his name as a hermit. I can see that he''s growing some herbs by the side of his shack. Other yers wouldn''t know what they are, but I do. Some of them are of epic and legacy grade, so he''s a fan of alchemy. That was never in the forums or in his known lore. We eventually make it to the front door and he opens it, the inside of this ce is actually like a mansion. Some sort of space magic that is warping its size beyond the front door. Its that or the front door is a portal that links to another ce in Ancients World. I follow him in silence all the way to his library. There are books about the history of Ancients World and also old tomes full of magic skills. I bet Stubbed Toe would go crazy about this ce. As I''m about to ask a question Flint beats me to it. "I know why you are here Zern, but what you want wille at a cost." Give something to get something. I wonder what his demands will be for the information and quests I want from him. "I will give you information on Bellvia if you give me that adamantine metal you have." I have been hanging onto this thing for a long time with no uses for it. He can have the damn thing for all I care. I take the adamantine metal out and I hand it to him. He inspects its quality and stays dead silent as I watch him. In an instant the metal disappears in a sh of light and he turns his attention back to me. "I will only give you one thing since I only got one thing. The information you need about Bellvia." In the long run a legendary quest will be more rewarding then all the quests I did in my previous future. I take a moment to really prepare to remember this information. I will probably only hear it once. I have the journal of Fredrick Moris, but that had nothing in it other than the names of long dead people who knew the truth. He walks over to an old bookshelf full of scrolls and pulls one out that looks ancient. He brings it back over and hands it to me. Wasting no time I open the scroll and begin to read. "My investigation of Bellvia and their involvement with the dryads disappearance has bared fruit. I have uncovered the kingdoms true motives. They are undoubtedly the ones that cursed the dryads, the curse was created by their head of ult research, Ulma Runa. It has all the characteristics and habits of my old student. The kingdom was after the recipe called bottled immortality, something that only the dryads have. Fortunately this can all be undone, but if undone all solid evidence of Bellvia''s involvement will be lost. I don''t have the means to free the dryads, and I don''t know anyone else strong enough. Those trapped people are just going to have to wait. They are sleeping and are frozen in time, waiting to be returned to the state they left in. -Signed Flint" As soon as I am done reading, a system notification pops up in my screen. Its about the legendary quest I''m on. [Quest: The False One] [Description updated: You have found out the truth about Bellvia and their involvement with the Dryads, and you have found out about the curse and who made it. You will have a choice to make, only one of the following objectives can bepleted.] [New objective 1: Expose the Kingdom of Bellvia and have them pay for their crimes.] [New objective 2: Find out the weakness of the curse and use it to free the Dryads and return them to Ancients World.] [Quality: Legendary] [Rewards: Hidden] I''m d I don''t have to go around in Bellvia trying to dig up truths long buried under lies. My choice is obvious in the return of the dryads. However, Bellvia is still a destination since I need information on the curse. I have made this quest easier, but made it a moral choice. Who knows the consequences of my choice in freeing the dryads, they could immediately wage war on Bellvia when freed. I do want to do a quest for Flint and get some levels, but I don''t know if I have anything else to offer. I also doubt he would be willing to give me a riddle, best guess is my divine ss is causing that option to fail. "Is there anything else you want that could result in a mission from you?" No harm in asking. The first thing he looks at is my legendary sword, no way I''m giving this up. Then he looks over at my Dead''s Bane. Even though its a good sword, I''d be willing to part with it. My damage will suffer, but I have great skills to make up for it. I have made up my mind and looks like I''ll be using one sword for the time being. If I''m being honest I prefer one. I have only duel wielded up to this point because I needed to, now I don''t. I unclip Dead''s Bane and hand it to him. It disappears in a sh of light and I feel a little empty, it was a great sword. Flint walks over to the same bookshelf and pulls out another scroll and hands it to me. I open it and I get a system notification. [Quest: An Abomination] [Description: Find the research and notes of Ulma Runa on her development of the curse.] [Objective 1: Find Ulma Runa''sb in Bellvia''s capital and bring the notes and research papers back to Flint.] [Objective 2: Hidden] [Quality: Epic] Talk about something that can and probably will kill me. I look back up from the paper and I am shocked to see that everything it gone. The library, shack, and the open field. I''m in the middle of these dark woods all by myself again, looks like its time to get to a safe ce and log off. I''m pretty tired. Thinking about it, my damage output is now only 8,850 with regr attacks. I can easily push that really high with Kingyer and Raging Machine, put those together with sh and heavens light and I get 716,297 at the lowest with all those active. However, I will only use Kingyer and Raging Machine in tough fights since they have long cooldowns. So in reality I will be doing between 8,850 and 16,732.5 while only using sh. With the lowest buff from heavens light and sh together I''ll be doing 40,931.25. I can easily handle things just as good as before. So I guess I got something out of this trip. I spend a few hours running to get out of the forest and settle in a spot on the path back to Glendar. I log off and instantly hop into my bed and start to sleep. Chapter 50: A way to get ahead

Chapter 50: A way to get ahead

I wake up to the sound of my rm and feelpletely drained from pulling an all nighter. I want to sleep in and just forget about today, but there are plenty of bosses and dungeons in Vedersfall and they aren''t going to get discovered by themselves. I get out of bed and go clean myself up, I have no idea what happened in the fight against Arch Grove. I''ll go downstairs and check the news, its important to stay up to date about things happening all across Ancients World. I make my way downstairs and cant help not liking the longer walk now. We have a much bigger and better house, but I''ll miss things about the small one we had. I eventually find my way to the living room that''s next to the kitchen and sit down. I pick up the remote and turn the T.V. on. Its a different reporter this time, an older gentleman. Most likely in his early 50s. I listen to the news about what has happened since I''ve been off. "Many things have happened in Ancients World in thest day. The one event that has grabbed everyone''s attention is the defeat of the first roaming world boss. After several hours and many failed attempts led to something that has never happened before, all the guilds involved joined into a joint effort and took the boss on." So they did beat it, took longer thanst time and a lot more very good yers lost their levels. I wonder what thepromise was, surely they are finding a way to divide up the rewards. I hear some walking and talking behind me, I turn my head and see mom and dad going into the kitchen. I watch as mom struggles to find the new spot the coffee is in. Dad notices me watching and smiles with happiness. "I guess you are still getting up early. Might you know where the coffee is?" I don''t drink coffee on the regr like my parents. I might treat myself to an ice coffee in the hot summer, but that''s the only time I really drink it. I get up from the couch to help them look for it. I walk into the kitchen and start to open cupboards and draws. Dad and I are checking the higher ces and mom is checking the lower ces since we don''t like bending like that. I eventuallye across it and ce it on the counter. "Thanks for helping sweetie, mind if we join you on the couch?" I don''t know why they are asking to join me, its their house. I nod my head yes and they follow close behind me, I look back at the T.V. and they are doing a different take on another continent. Its pretty rare for reports of a different continent toe in, and itsmon knowledge that its only one server yers y on. The entire yer base shares one world, I live in the Americas. So I spawned on a different continent than the British. "In the country of Switzend a new guild hall has been built and this is the first guild hall ever constructed by normal means." How about that, looks like some unranked guild built a guildhall before the ranked ones did. I wouldn''t doubt they sell the information on how they got to the point they were allowed to build one. Right now its still a mystery. My parents are also watching the report with me as well. However, I feel like they want to ask something. "I can feel that something is bothering you guys, I might be able to help if you tell me what it is." They both look at each other with apprehension. I know it isn''t money or job problems so I don''t know why they are so worried. Mom looks like she wants say something, but every time she gets the will to say anything she loses it faster than she gained it. I mute the T.V. so there are no distractions. My dad puts his cup of coffee on the table and takes a breath to calm his nerves. "We want to know if you think us buying gaming pods and ying Ancients World is a good idea. Your mother and I have seen how much fun it is for you and now that are lives are free we want to pick up a hobby." I never expected something like this, I don''t know if I should be happy or scared. They know nothing about Ancients World and have no experience in DDVR, they could have a hard time adjusting to something so foreign. They can both see the thinking look on my face and are growing more and more apprehensive at this idea. I don''t want to discourage them, but I also don''t want to babysit them in game. "Do you guys know anything about DDVR? You do realize I won''t be able to hold your hands in game. I have things to do and I cant spend weeks with you trying getting stronger." I know they are my parents, but there is nothing more annoying then having to teach someone how to y a game when they can learn on their own. They look at each other and then back to me, and then they nod their heads no. Figures they wouldn''t. "We aren''t asking you to take care of us, we just want to go on an adventure together. I cant remember thest time your mother and I spent time together like we used to." So they don''t want me to take care of them, they want me to give approval to their idea. They will learn that Ancients World is a drug and they will get hooked just like everyone else. I really do hope they go through with this idea, lord knows they deserve some fun. I open my phone and go to a bookmarked page full of great gaming pods, I show it to them and the prices make their eyes dark. They were expensive, but now they are pennies for us. "This is the gear that you want. You can order online and have it delivered the next day if you want." They didn''t seem to hear me because they are still focused on the price. I payed for one and its not like they are the same price as a car. Dad leans back in his spot and just stares up at the ceiling. Mom is the one to speak this time around. "On second thought I think we''ll wait. They have to have a coupon day or something." I''m kind of embarrassed that she just said that. These will only get more and more expensive as time goes on. I won''t pressure them into it. Its their decision to make, I do hope they give it a shot though. I head upstairs now that I have woken up and have up to date information. I get in my gaming pod and load into Ancients World. I wake up in the same spot as I logged off and can see the city of Glendar in the distance. I want to see if I got any mail from Amelia before I make ns to hit some hidden dungeons. I spend the next few hours running back to Glendar and finally make it to the church. I input my information and notice I have gotten 1 new mail, I take it out of the box and notice neat and fancy hand writing. Amelia has some good handwriting, I wish I wrote this well in real life. "I''m so happy to hear from you, I have heard the news from the churches announcements about you and I cant help but worry. Please be careful out there son, I would lose the will to live if I lost you again. I have good news though, the gold you gave me really helped and now the kids and I live in a much better ce and neighborhood. I hope to hear from you again soon. ~Love Always, Mom." I smile as I read these words, I can feel the happiness and worry in her words. She may not be my real mom, but I still care about her like a son would. Now that I have handled this its time to head to the cartography shop and get a map. I have some hidden dungeons to locate. Hopefully the information on the forum posts are correct. I am about to take on a story quest, its on the same level as a legendary quest and this will impact Ancients World in more than one way. Hopefully by the time I''m done I can start heading to my capital city to take on my tier 1 quest. yers are learning better ways to level up, and the vast majority of yers are already level 20. The best yers are pushing 29 or 30 by now. When I''m done with this story quest I''ll probably be in the mid 40s. I would get close to 100 if I wasn''t dealing with half exp. The yer who did this story quest was level 25 when he started and was level 106 when he finished. His gamer tag was WhoDiscoveredMilk, gamers names sure are random. That''s also the reason why we love them, I know what to do thanks to his post. I have plenty more forums that I have memorized, but I don''t think I''ll have to use all of them. When I make it to levels in the mid 40''s other yers will more than likely be hitting 40. Now its time to get started. Chapter 51: The Story Quest I

Chapter 51: The Story Quest I

My first stop is the cartography shop here in Glendar. I know that the first dungeon I need to go to is located a few hundred miles southwest of Glendar, the map will help me pin point its exact location. Once I get the story quest from from the dungeon, I''ll have 2 more dungeons to face and a secret boss. The original person who did this said that despite it being a story quest the only real hard part was the secret boss. Apparently it has skills that make it really hard to kill, but my ss should make up for that. Even though I''m only using 1 sword now I''ll easily take this guy out. Speaking of skills, I need to get new attacking ones other than sh. It will really boost mybat efficiency and improve the rate I kill things. First things first, getting that map. I make my way to themercial district of Glendar and see plenty of stores. When I spot the store I''m looking for I notice that it has yers also trying getting maps. I make my way in and I hear an argument between one of the yers and the owner of the shop. "Your maps are way to expensive! How are we suppose to get out of this damn area if you wont give us a map!" Its only 5 gold, most yers should have that by now. I believe that the majority of yers have found out these aren''t dumb A.I. and are moreplex than that. Looking at their gear they are around level 13 or 14. Newer yers looking to leave their starting city. So that exins the gold problem. The older woman working the front desk looks very scared. I can step in if need be, but sometimes waiting for the right moment is a good thing. "If you cant afford the price then find someone else with a better value..." Giving lip to people who cant really die is not such a good idea. I watch the leader of the group of four reach for his 1 handed axe. I think this has gone far enough. I step up behind the leader and hold the arm that is holding the weapon. He looks at me with anger and frustration. He tries the pull his arm out from my grasp, there is zero movementing from his struggles. My strength stat is overwhelming to most yer nowadays. "Let. Me. Go." He tries to intimidate me, but that isn''t going to work on a veteran. "You really want to lose your levels huh? Get him!" His friends start to attack me with all their might. The poor olderdy is shaking in fear. However, my high armor rating is taking most of the damage. Put that together with my healing boost and my HP bar is barely moving. I look at this guys gamer tag as they continue to attack me. I use inspect to see who this guy is. [Getreckednewb Lvl.14] 2,400/2,400 HP [Description: A fellow yer who has a low reputation among the NPC. He is in a state of rage at your behavior towards him.] I might as well kill these guys before they inspect me and learn who I am. Good thing they are focused on trying to kill me and not paying attention to the real details. I quickly draw The Witness and begin using normal attacks to dispatch of them quickly. [Getreckednewb Lvl.14] 2,400/2,400 HP [You have dismembered the targets waist] [You have ignored armor] -8850 +40 exp [Yourmother Lvl.13] 2,000/2,000 HP [You have dismembered the targets chest] [You have ignored armor] -8850 +30 exp Thest of them see that they are no match for me and burst out of the shop in a hurry. I look around and see there bodies before they disappear. I only pick up the gold they dropped and ce 5 on the counter, I save the rest for myself. "I need a map on the area known as Flower Forest." She looks at me in slight shock, and instead of asking me what happened she immediately goes into the back and returns with the map I needed and hands it to me. I leave the shop without saying anything else. I wont have to worry about people pursuing me since none of them inspected me. Those yers will probably make it back here pretty fast, so I leave the scene and head to the guards training ground. The vendor is here somewhere, I look around and notice a small group of yers getting some skills from a guy in captains armor. These skills aren''t great, but they are probably better than sh. I make my way up to the guard as well and I can see the annoyance on his face. "Not another one. I swear these new people are getting on my nerves." I can tell this guy deals with a lot of people just by the look in his eyes and sound of his voice. He must be in charge of training the guards. So he must have great skills. I walk up to him and look him dead in the eye. "You got any good de skills?" He is very tired of hearing that by the sounds of it. He takes out some scrolls from his inventory and there is only one that catches my eye. "How much for the double strike?" I don''t really see enough of these sold. Most don''t use the skill because of its long cooldown, but when you have damage such as mine you can really reap the reward''s. He looks at me with a little bit of surprise, guess yers think its a useless skill. He puts the other ones away and looks me up and down. "That will be 15 silver." I don''t have any silver, but I have some gold left from the guys I killed earlier. I hand a gold piece to the man and take the scroll from his hand and walk off. I open the scroll and get a new notification. This is one of the great things about being a yer. [You have learn the skill: Double Strike (Active)] [Description: Strike 2 times every attack instead of 1. Lasts 15 seconds] [Cooldown: 90 seconds] This skill has great synergy with other skills like sh. From now on every time I use an attack and activate double strike before hand I hit twice per swing. This will make up for some of the lost damage. Duel wielding has an incredible weakness with it, you cant learn any blocking skills while using it. Parry is different because you are moving the direction of the other de with your own. Blocking skills are much more useful than parry. Now I could learn some blocking skills, but I think using parry for now is just fine. Its easier to use with 1 de then with 2. You still have to be good at using the skill, not just activating it will work. That''s another advantage I have, I know how most great skills work in Ancients World. Therefore no need to practice. That is actually saving my ass right now, a lot of yers have to practice and get used to a new skill before they use it. Now that I have gained a little bit of exp and a new skill I should check my character stats. I open my yer interface and see where I''m at. [yer (Zern) Lvl.22] [Exp: 12,950/24,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 920] [Focus - 7300] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Mana: 73000/73000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400] [sh Lvl.11 900/2000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] Now that I have everything I need, I should make my way to the Flower Forest. The first hidden dungeon is there and that is the ce where I can find the story quest. On my way out of the guards training yard I see a familiar face. Looks like Kursco James made it back and along with the important person they were escorting. I can see the butler anddy talking to themander of the guards telling them what happened. As I am about to turn and leave Kursco looks over in my direction and has a look of surprise. Everyone there also looks over to me and the butler gives a thankful smile in my direction. I reciprocate the nice gesture and wave goodbye. I turn around and start to walk away, then I hear a feminine voice call out to me. "HOLD ON! I WANT TO TALK TO YOU!" She made it loud to the point I cant ignore her. I stop in my tracks and turn around to see thedy running towards me. I don''t know what she wants, but she better make it quick. She catches up and is standing across from me. She is much sorter than I am, but a little taller than most women. "I wanted to say thank you for saving our caravan." Is that it? I don''t have time for this. I turn around and start walking away. I hear a slight huff behind me, but I have bigger fish to fry than to talk to some snottydy. "How rude!" That is thest thing I hear before she runs back to the little conversation they were having. I have a journey that will take a couple of days, but at least I wont have any interruptions this time around. As Cera makes his way to the front gate of Glendar, another conversation is happening between the people he saved. I cant believe he can be so rude when some one of my status talks too him. I understand not liking my family or nobles, but at least say something. A beautiful princess deserves something like that, I turn to Commander Hammond and nod for him to continue. "The orcs are preparing their armies, they will begin to move in a few days. It would probably be good for you to return to the capital, it will be safer there than here." Theing war is on everybody''s minds right now. Many women and children are scared, the orc species is very notorious about how they treat prisoners. I hope that the gods shine favor on us. We need all the help we can get. Chapter 52: The Story Quest II

Chapter 52: The Story Quest II

{I''ve released the first chapter of my new story, go and check it out. Its called The Pirs, let me know what you guys think!} I have everything I need for this trip. It would be fast if I had a mount, but I''m running for now. If I go full speed I can probably get there by tomorrow morning if I pull another all nighter. However, pulling all nighters back to back isn''t something that I''m fond of. So I''ll go until nightfall today and get a full nights rest tonight. The ce I''m going has a very deceiving name, despite being called Flower Forest. Many would think that its a harmless forest full of flowers, however this forest is particrly nasty in the fact that the flora tries to kill you. A mages experiment went wrong and destroyed the peace of the forest. Now anything that goes in usually doesn''te out. The history of the mage that did this isn''t well known, only that he was a master mage studying the effects of Grey Lizard spinal fluid on the nts. I don''t know what he did or how he did it, but the result was a forest full of pissed off nts. I can see why mages are generally disliked, they aren''t treat like a gue or lepers. Although if you have the slightest stain on your reputation as a mage then you will be treated differently. It really depends on the severity of the act, I''m sure whomever did the experiment in the Flower Forest was casted out of society. I''ve been running for only a few minutes, but I''m already bored. Hopefully I run into some action on my way to the first hidden dungeon. This trip will be extremely boring, but I''m d that I wont need a map to find the other 2 since they are a double dungeon. A double dungeon is exactly how it sounds, but one important piece of information is that double dungeons need a way to activate. They don''t just happen randomly, the first half of the key for the double dungeon is located in the dungeon bosses room in the Flower Forest. Double dungeons are very rare since most bosses don''t like to share their territories. Only a powerful boss can suppress another in a dungeon, and the funny part is I''ll still have to kill the hidden boss in another location. Story quests are meant to be long and grueling tasks since they affect the world. Most don''t know this yet, but if you doplete a story quest you will have ess to better quests as you level up. That is a problem for me since I have no information about them. Once I start doing those special quests I''ll have to find the answers on my own. I got lucky that Flint had what I needed for my legendary quest, the worst part about all this is the half exp. If I didn''t have to deal with half exp I would be in the 60s by now. I cant see how Blue Chaos did this all by himself, either he had help or he never left the game to rest. He never posted deep lore about the ss, but he always posted things about the tier up quests and how he overcame certain obstacles. I will surely find things out about the ss that was never posted. I can see why so many were jealous of him. He didn''t reveal his identity, he was sold out just like Stubbed Toe was. I wont make the same mistake, they thought ying solo wasn''t necessary at one point and they had made friends. They were wrong about that, I get ying solo in any game is a challenge no matter what MMO it is. Onto another topic that caused much distrust in themunities are the old titans of the game industry. One of the biggest titans of the gaming industry fell because of their bad reputation. That was over 150 year ago though, I believe it was called Activision. I have read many old articles about the fall of Activision and how bad they really were. They almost fell as hard as 2K, but that is a story about greed. The reason for all the distrust among yerses from the history of game development. There are newws in ce to stop what happened, but even a century and a halfter a bad taste is still left in peoples mouths. I have trust issues as well, I was backstabbed and betrayed in my old future as well. I learned that you cant trust anyone that ys Ancients World, because they are trying to make a living just like you. NPC followers will eventually be unlocked, but that''s at level 200. I take my mind off of the thought numbing run and think about other things. Time passes and I finallye across some action. Monsters fighting a group of yers on the tree lines border of a forest. I have to cut through multiple forests to get to my destination, and this is the first one. Looks like they got over run and left the forest thinking they wouldn''t follow. They are sorely mistaken, I''m just going to wait till they all get killed and finish what they started. I''m not in the mood to deal with yers trying to befriend someone stronger than them. I get low in the tall grass and watch the fight unfold. They seem to be lower levels, probablying to a ce with higher enemies to power level. As I watch, a world announcement goes off. [World-wide Announcement: The orc armies have openly dered war on humanity! Once you are level 50 tier 1 you can participate in the war!] Many of the yer are going to be excited about the opportunity to level up and get stronger using the war. The NPC''s on the other hand are going to have it rough till this war ends, if I knew how to end the war before it starts I would''ve. The forums had no answer for this event, so I guess once I''m level 50 and finished my tier 1 quest I can help in the war. Zeniths war hase to a standstill from what I have noticed, there have been no updates as ofte. Guess the king of Zenith is smarter than he let on. The yers that were fighting the monsters got distracted and died. They should''ve focused on the fight and not the world announcement. Now that they are gone I can take the leftovers and gain some exp. I rush out of the tall grass and draw The Witness. I recognize these monsters as Bloated Pigmen, scouts for the orc armies. Probably looking for weaknesses in the cities they are going to attack. As I reach them and start killing I activate double strike and the 15 seconds start. [Bloated Pigmen Lvl.25] 18,000/18,000 HP [You have ignored armor] [You have struck four times] -8850 -8850 -8850 -8850 +200 exp I used two normal attacks and that stacked to four with double strike. I have 3 more targets left and continue my assault. They are all the same level so this should go by fast. [Bloated Pigmen Lvl.25] 18,000/18,000 HP [You have dismember the targets torso] [You have ignored armor] [You have struck four times] -8850 -8850 -8850 -8850 +200 exp [Bloated Pigmen Lvl.25] 18,000/18,000 HP [You have dismembered the targets waist] [You have ignored armor] [You have struck four times] -8850 -8850 -8850 -8850 +200 exp [Bloated Pigmen Lvl.25] 18,000/18,000 HP [You have dismembered the targets upper chest] [You have ignored armor] [You have struck four times] -8850 -8850 -8850 -8850 +200 exp I have eliminated all the scouts just as my double strike ends. This takes the effort out of prolongedbat and I love it. I want to see where my exp is at and I open my stat panel. [yer (Zern) Lvl.22] [Exp: 13,750/24,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 850] [Endurance - 800] [Dexterity - 805] [Speed - 920] [Focus - 7300] [Health: 6,600/6,600] [Mana: 73000/73000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400] [sh Lvl.11 900/2000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] I got almost a thousand exp for that. These are one of the weakest soldiers in the orc army, the army is obviously ready for war. I can see why so many are worried about them, I hate goblins in particr. Disgusting little things, I''ll take pleasure in killing any goblin. Their loreplements their disgusting behavior and nature. I won''t go into it now, I still need to cover distance before night fall. It has already been a few hours getting to this tree line, I''ll have to make sure to find a ce of high ground once inside the forest so I don''t get killed when I log off. I could take the items they dropped, but these yers were very weak. As I continue to look around I notice a note that one of the Bloated Pigmen dropped. I pick it up and immediately notice that these are instructions on defenses and formations of neighboring cities and of Glendar. This is valuable information, after a couple seconds of reading I get a system notification. [Quest: A Devastating Blow] [Description: You have found a valuable piece of information on the uing war. These orders were given by an orc general by the name of Glu. If you eliminate him before the war starts a crippling blow will be dealt to the orcs army.] [Warning: Target is a much higher level than you. You have the power to kill him, but you will more than likely die.] [Objective 1: Head to the hidden camp marked on your map] [Objective 2: Kill General Glu of the orc armies] [Quality: Savior (Hidden)] [Rewards: Hidden] [Do you wish to ept the quest? Y/N] I have a very strange feeling about this whole situation, why would this show up right after my previous desire to end the war before is began. The fact that its a Savior difficulty worries me, it is a difficulty between legendary and Divine. The Quality only appears in the form of quests, I heard that it can be harder or easier than a legendary quest. It reallyes down to your choices. I look at the camp on my map and its coincidently on the way to my goal. This is pretty fishy, either a higher being is pulling some strings or I have stupid luck. My divine ss does give me ess to special mission only I can do. Maybe this one of them, I think yes and a new quest is added to my interface. Chapter 53: The Story Quest III

Chapter 53: The Story Quest III

{The top ten in the power stone donations this time around are GhostZero, ariqri, G0DSH4AD, DarknessKnight, Cdnv, world_tree, Denzel_theking, Creatureman, Inversedeath, and finally fanmy1. Thank you to all the people that have supported the story with power stones and know that I recognize all the people who regrlyment and give power stones. I spend a lot of time looking atments new and old, I hope more wouldment so I can talk to my fans more. I have no problem using a google trantor figuring out what you say if you don''t speak English.} {I have decided that I will upload 2 chapters a week for The Pirs, if it ever does as good as The Ancients World I''ll upload it daily. Once on Saturday and Sunday, hopefully this is eptable.} {If I get 15 reviews by Wednesday night, Thursday and Friday will have double uploads.} I''ve been traveling for thest few hours and the sun is starting to set over the horizon. I have been though multiple forests at this point and I''m probably only a few more hours away. I havee across a problem though, an orc camp is standing in my way. I didn''t think they would bring so many soldiers for a recon mission, I can use this to my advantage and start ughtering these guys. I don''t know how many there are though, so I''ll hold off on that approach. An orc general is a powerful boss, and is above level 50. With all my active skills being used I can kill him, getting to him will be the problem. I inspect some of themon guards around the generals tent. [Orc guard of Glu Lvl. 65 tier 1 Elite] 2,450,000/2,450,000 HP [Description: Guard to the orc general Glu. This target is a much higher level than you and all enemies in the current area can kill you in 1 hit.] I have 3 options here. The first is using the pride of orcs against them and challenge Glu to a one on one to the death, while that could work Glu would probably refuse. The second option is sneaking into his private tent that is being guarded and off him with a surprise attack with all my skills. My third and easiest option is using Fenrir''s whistle and have Fenrir kill everything here, with that option I miss out on all the possible exp. I also don''t want to abuse the item Fenrir gave me, he thinks very highly of me and if I use him to kill some orcs I will probably lose reputation with him. I have a major disadvantage in that I don''t know any lore about Glu. Thinking about it I just came up with a great idea. I open the yer interface and go into the auction house, once in the tab I search for lore on Glu. Only 1 scroll pops up and its rtively cheap, I can use the rest of the gold I got from those yers I killed. I purchase the scroll and it shows up in my inventory. I take it out and begin to read it. "Recounts of the notable orc generals: Glu is a mastermind ofbat andrge battles. He earned his rank of general after killing the old general inbat, Glu will ept challenges from those that he deems worthy. For this is the way of the orcs, however only other orcs can challenge one another. If another of a different race wants to challenge a high ranking official then they need an orc to vouch for them. ~Article by Jasmine the royal witch." This really puts a wrench into the first option, I doubt I could get him to ept my challenge. I also don''t think any of the orcs in the camp would vouch for a stranger that is part of the race they have dered war on. So that really only leaves sneaking into his tent and killing him fast enough before reinforcements help him. If ites down to a life or death situation then I will call Fenrir, I will not lose yers levels in this critical stage of the game. I have a n now, although a major hole exists in my ns. I don''t have a stealth skill, so that means I''ll have to do a skill check and pick a number like when I was sneaking around in Joshua''s pub. I wait until night and its dark enough for me to get around better. I slowly make my way through the camp and take my time making sure I don''t get caught. I can see Glu''s tent and the guards look to be sleeping while standing up. I slowly make my way over to the tent, but before I can make it a guard patrol gets in the way. Then I get a notification from the system. [System skill check: Pick a number between 1 and 100 to pass this stealth check. If you are within 10 points of the actual number you will pass the stealth check.] This one is more difficult than thest time I had to do this, there was ack of securityst time. I have a low percent to get this right, but its not zero. The system is using yer data and probability. If I think like the system would, I can probably get really close to the answer. So taking that into ount I can say that the mostmon numbers picked are the ones close to 50. Using that logic anything between 40 and 60 is eliminated, most yers pick those numbers and the system knows this. That means 40 and lower are options as well as 60 and higher. yers and humans in general don''t like big numbers, its in our nature. So that means yers would pick lower than 40 more often then higher than 60. So I won''t pick any numbers below 60. That leaves me with 4 options now, and the closer you get to the end or beginning of the scale, the less likely a person is to pick a really high or low number. If I pick 70 then I''ll probably miss the right score, so it reallyes down to getting closer to 90 or getting closer to 60. I know I''m running out of time here so I''ll just go with 78. I think 78 as my answer and I get a notification from the system. [Calcting...] [You have met the parameters set to pass this stealth check] I watch the patrol of orcs move on and I breath a sigh of relief. I''m so close to that tent I can almost feel my actual heartbeat. I continue using the dark to sneak through the camp and I''m eventually behind the generals tent. I have 2 options here. I can try to pass the sleeping orcs out front or I can sneak under the tent by lifting it up a little. Going by those sleeping orc are a big risk so I''ll just go under. I silently make my way up to the back of the tent and I lift it very slowly. I peek inside to see where the general is at. I see an orc bigger than the others and wearing better gear than the rest of the soldiers. I use inspect on him fast and drop the tent so he doesn''t notice me. I read the information from the system and cant help having some doubt. [General Glu Lvl.85 tier 1 Boss] 5,000,000/5,000,000 HP [Description: Orc general Glu is one of the leading figures in the uping war. His ns and information are key to the orcs winning. He is suspicious because he felt something inspect him, but didn''t see the perpetrator in his private tent.] 5 million damage is doable, if I use all my skills and start attacking without holding off then he will die in time, the problem is how many I have to kill after him. Its more than enough time to call for back up, I have only so much time before my skills go into long cooldowns. So time to make a pivotal decision here, do I rush him now or wait till he sleeps to get in some bonus damage. Who knows when he''ll sleep and I''m also getting very tired. I''ve made my decision and I''m going to attack now, I brace myself and prepare my mind to activate skills. I count down to myself, this is something I would have never done in my old future. 4 3 2 1 I lift the back of the tent fast and draw my legendary de along with activating my skills. I can see the surprise on his face, but I unleash heavy damage as my powerful skills eat at his health as he try''s to block and parry. However, all his retaliation is for naught since raging machine turns all iing damage into health. [General Glu Lvl.85 tier 1 boss] 5,000,000/5,000,000 HP [Dismemberment failed because of level difference] [You have ignored armor] [You have struck 6 times with sh] -716,297 [Dismemberment failed because of level difference] [You have ignored armor] [Curse of Dposition has activated] [Target will lose 3% health every second] -716,297 [Dismemberment failed because of level difference] [You have ignored armor] -716,297 [Dismemberment failed because of level difference] [You have ignored armor] -716,297 [Dismemberment failed because of level difference] [You have ignored armor] -716,297 [Dismemberment failed because of level difference] [You have ignored armor] -716,297 [Dismemberment failed because of level difference] [You have ignored armor] Double strike really did an amazing job. This is the first time I get to see curse of dposition and I''m sure that its the strongest DOT I''ve ever seen. I used every single active skill I had except parry. I did 4,297,782 damage putting out all the power I currently have. General Glu looks worse for wear right now and is covered in blood. I watch him run out of the tent and call for help. "Soldiers we have *COUGH!* an intruder!!!" He is near death from the curse eating him alive. I still have a lot more time so I can probably annihte this entire camp with all this power. I rush out of the tent and the whole camp is here and ready to fight. I see the rotting form of the general and watch has he dies from the DOT. I get a system notification, but I ignore it for now. I also didn''t get any exp for killing him so that means he doesn''t drop exp since the rewards are so good from the quest. Now I got some pigs to ughter, I hate orcs almost as much as I hate goblins. I begin to slice and dice until it is done. I kill every single orc in the camp a minute before heavens light runs out. I got no exp for any of the kills. So that means all of these enemies where counted towards something regarding the reward. With the ringing of my ears gone and clearing of my eyes and face of blood, I hear the on going system announcement. [World-wide system announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael has yed the orc general Glu! The orc forces have been severally weakened!] [World-wide announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is the first yer to defeat a boss of a higher tier! All yers will receive a 2x exp boost to use at anytime!] [World Mission Announcement: The church of light has increased its search by 5x and massively increased the rewards for any information on The Son of Arch-Angel Michael!] [World Mission Announcement: The church of the dark ones have increased its search by 10x and will reward a legendary ss for the capture of The Son of Arch-Angel Michael!] [World Mission Announcement: Anyone who brings The Son of Arch-Angel Michael to the leaders of the orcs will receive a legendary chest piece!] Itste now and I cant help the mental and psychical exhaustion from happening. I fall on my back and look up at the stars as my body aches from using so much power. I have never had a challenge like this in my entire time ying Ancients World, and now I understand why Blue Chaos grew so fast. He got missions like this and went through things of simr nature. I''m sad that I couldn''t fully stop the war, but I made some serious damage. I think about my rewards, but I''m to tired to even move. I slowly close my eyes and begin to sleep, the system automatically logs me off and I sleep in my gaming pod for the night. As Cera sleeps in the real world a familiar hermit is looking at the bloody camp that is covered in guts and organs. I cant help but be impressed by the young man, he hasn''t even begun to scratch his power and he can face such a challenge with courage unseen before. "He really has unlimited potential. I can see why he didn''t hesitate to take the quest." I must admit that I was hesitant to allow such circumstances, but I trusted my gut and now I''m certain that he will seed. I walk over to the sleeping boy and pick him up. His legendary sword is quick to try and defend him, but I put it to sleep and ce it in its sheath. "I''ll make sure you sleep somewhere safe tonight." I teleport us close to his current destination that is the Flower Forest and I ce a protective barrier around him so nothing attacks him while he sleeps. My work is done here and now its time for me to focus on my mission. Chapter 54: The Story Quest IV

Chapter 54: The Story Quest IV

{If I get 15 reviews by Wednesday night, Thursday and Friday will have double uploads.} {I havee up with the idea of featuring some of my fans in my story! I want to involve you guys more and I think I found a way to do that. Since gamers use weird and random usernames I can use your guys'' usernames to make new characters. The top gifters of the story will have their username turned into a yer in the story. I hope others think this idea is a good one, let me know!!} I hear the muffled sound of my rm going off. I open my eyes and see that I slept in my gaming pod all night. I''m a little stiff some ces, but getting up and moving around should fix that problem. I feel much more rested this time around, sleep has eluded me all my life. Getting a nights rest is hard and I find myself sleeping more oftentely now that my stress is gone. I open my gaming pod and head over to my rm to turn it off. Its the time I usually get up and I can smell moms delicious food from here. We can buy better food now that we have money, I hope one day mom will sit down and let someone cook for her instead. I hop into my personal shower and enjoy the better water pressure, the things that I missed out on in my old life are not going to slip by this time around. I get all cleaned up and dressed. I make my way out of my room and I travel the long path to the kitchen. I enter the living room and see the kitchen full of food that is being cooked. Instead of sitting down and watching the news on Ancients World I just turn it on and make it loud enough to hear from the kitchen. "You want any help mom?" There is a lot of food here and I can help with some of the simple stuff, thinking about it we would starve without mom. As she prepares her answer I hear the reporter do some takes about new information. "yers were excited about the event of the orc army, but The Son of Arch-Angel Michael has thoroughly put a wrench in everyone''s n." I ignore what my mom says and I turn to the T.V. in disappointment. If only they knew what they were saying right now. yers don''t give NPC''s values and opinions any stock, this will cause much friction once the yer base begins to get stronger as a whole. I stopped a lot of problems from happening by doing that to the orcs. In my distracted state my mom whacks the top of my head with her wooden spoon. "You ask if you can help, then you don''t even listen! I want you to grab me the flour in the cupboard over there." I rub the top of my head and listen to my mom, I have no problems getting it. I can see why she asked for help though, she is to short and cant reach this high. I bring it back over and continue to listen to the news. The news station changes to a reporter outside of J&X incorporated. You don''t see this everyday and they only go there when they have questions to ask a high ranking official. "It was heretest night when a system malfunction caused a temporary ckout at J&X." This is something that hasn''t happened before and I can honestly say I have a bad feeling about this. The system should be incapable of ''malfunctions''. Whatever happenedst night at J&X had never happened in the future. I leave the kitchen and sit down to listen to the rest of the report. "COO James Raymond had this to say. ''It was just a glitch in the system since the yer base has doubled in recent days. There is nothing to worry about.'' Many experts are discrediting this statement saying its impossible for such a thing to ur." I don''t know the inner workings of hyper intelligent A.I.''s that run systems, but that does sound like something that cant happen. That is a propaganda answer, whatever happened cant be released to the public. I hope this wasn''t caused by my actions and effects on the time line. As Cera watches the news and catches up on information about Ancients World, COO James Raymond is on the phone with Xander. I have no answer for Xander and I have no solution for what has happened. We have lost all control of the system and its acting of its own ord now. I''m waiting for a response from the silent person on the other end of the phone. ".....Yes sir.... I''ll make sure nothing gets released to the public.... At this point there is no good news.... All information about that yer has been denied by the system, we have no idea who he is..... Yes sir...." He is the first to hang up and I cant stop my rage from boiling over. I pick up my ss of whiskey and down it in just a few seconds. I m it down on the table and it breaks. "I was told this scenario wouldn''t happen. Now that it has, there is no stopping it." I lose my rage and I''m left with an empty feeling. All we can do is pray that is does not happen, and all I can do with my authority is hope that I die before it happens. While the chaos at J&X ensues, there is an emergency meeting at the church of light. The first to speak is the king of Vedersfall, Jack Kensir the IV. "I understand that you want to use our forces to search for the son, but the war is still a possibility. I will notpromise my countries security for your desperate search!" There is a disagreement between the the leader of Vedersfall and The Pope. The church is beginning to lose its reputation among the rulers, and its their own fault. Many of the rulers present are silent at the words of Jack Kensir, many didn''t want to say what he said. They were thinking the same thing though, the world they live in is changing and they are preparing for it as well. The one who is looking like the living dead fromck of sleep is Saintess Lucy, she was tasked with searching the county of Vedersfall for the son. "I have looked at every city near Eclipse and I have no leads! If I have your help then we will eventually find a trail! Someone has strong as him will slip up soon!" Everyone in the room can feel the pressure that the Saintess is admitting. Many of the rulers are sick and tired of this goose chase, and many have nned something without the churches knowledge. The first to stand is Gregory Francis and with him half the room. 8 out of the 15 in this room are standing with Gregory, and the air goes cold with this move. "Since the church refuses to listen to the needs and requests of their subjects I hereby dere the Coalition of Change to start now!!!" Many of the faces in the room are shocked, most of all The Pope. As this is happening Cera is eating breakfast with his family. I love this part of the day, I''ll do everything in my power to preserve this new life that has begun for us. I listen to my parents as they have some news for us. "Your father and I have been thinking and we came to the decision that we are going to try what the hip younger kids are doing." I''m very embarrassed by her words. What they say about getting older is true. "We are buying gaming pods so we can start ying Ancients World. We are getting the new ZZR-12000!! We are also getting one for you Cera!!" Wow, they actually decided to give Ancients World a try, the biggest surprise is the ZZR-12000. It cost a few million a piece and it allows you to y as you sleep. It utilizes special parts of the subconscious mind to allow this. "They will be here tomorrow morning and I want you to help us set them up Cera." I can set them up, I''m a little apprehensive about the ZZR-12000. If I wanted to I never have to leave Ancients World except for food. I look over to my sister and can clearly see she is embarrassed like I am. My little brother on the other hand looks ready to cry and scream, probably because he cant join mom and dad on there adventure. "I''m really happy for you guys, but be careful alright. The first dive can be very unfamiliar and strange. I have things to do in Ancients World so I''ll see you guyster." I put my dishes in the sink and head upstairs. I hop into my gaming pod and load into Ancients World. Once I load in I notice I''m not where I should be. I notice I have system notifications, but the first thing I need to check is my map. I open it and I feel slight panic, I''m right outside of the Flower Forest and I have no idea how I got here. I open my system notifications and start getting levels added to my yer. [Quest: A Devastating Blow][Completed] [Description: You have found a valuable piece of information on the uing war. These orders were given by an orc general by the name of Glu. If you eliminate him before the war starts a crippling blow will be dealt to the orcs army.] [Objective 1: Head to the hidden camp marked on your map][Completed] [Objective 2: Kill General Glu of the orc armies][Completed] [Quality: Savior (Hidden)] [Rewards] +10 yer levels +1200 to all stats +15,000 reputation with the country of Vedersfall +20,000 reputation with the gods of light I feel a little light headed reading these rewards. They are something that I have never seen before, and I know for a fact that the legendary quest I''m on will be just as good or better. The story quest I''m on wont be as diverse since its exp heavy, but I''m sitting pretty now. I open my yer stats to see the new information. [yer (Zern) Lvl.32] [Exp: 13,750/34,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2050] [Endurance - 2000] [Dexterity - 2005] [Speed - 2120] [Focus - 8500] [Health: 16,200/16,200] [Mana: 85000/85000] [Stat Points: 130] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400] [sh Lvl.11 900/2000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] I''ve made an incredible jump in levels, when I''m done with this story quest I''ll be almost level 60. So I''ll be 20 levels ahead of the best yers. I also do new damage now, my base attack is 10,050. With sh that turns into 18,592, this is great for me and if I put heavens light base 250% on top of that I get 46,481.25 and if I go all out with all my skills active I''ll be doing 813,422 damage. I still have to wait till my cooldowns are lifted on kingyer and raging machine, but this is amazing. Chapter 55: The Story Quest V

Chapter 55: The Story Quest V

{I want to thank Creatureman, GhostZero, and Daoist19panic for being the first to gift my story! Both Creatureman and ChostZero will have their names turned into a character, they get to chose either an NPC or another yer. I am giving both of them characters since they both gave gifts seconds apart. At the end of every month between the 25th and 1st I will pick from the top gifters and make a character for them in my story!!} Since I''m already at my destination and I''ve saved time I can go over the lore of the dungeon and boss before I start the dungeon dive. I can feel that some of the mutated flowers and nts are patrolling the entrance to the dungeon, there aren''t as many out here as there usually is. Normally the forest is full of deadly nts ready to kill and drive off invaders. I make my way to the dungeon with my sword drawn just incase I get ambushed. The lore about the dungeon itself is a pretty good size, as well as the boss. If my memory serves me right and it usually does. Then this dungeon is the birthce of the first mutated nt and the originalboratory of the mage who did these experiments. The location is called Pit of Thorns, its not actually a pit though. The boss monster in this dungeon is one of the offspring of the first mutated nt. Nobody knows what happened to the original mutated nt, but it was said to have 3 offspring. It''s youngest resides in this dungeon. I don''t know the location of the others, but they get stronger as you climb up thedder. The bosses name is der, its a one time boss since this is a hidden dungeon and cant be done again. It also has a bunch of allies to help it during the boss fight, and I''m going to kill everything to get that extra exp that will contribute to my level up. Once I kill the boss I need to find the hidden treasure room, everything in that room will be cursed except for the first half of the key I need. Many of the original party''s yers who did this dungeon had there ounts debuffed from the cursed items and couldn''t y on those characters anymore. As long as I do the same thing I did at the treasure room of the ancient ruins of the dryads then I''ll be fine. I''ve been walking for a few minutes now and I can feel that I''m getting closer and closer to the entrance of the dungeon. Only 40 feet or so till I look upon the entrance. I hide behind a bush to see what I am dealing with, I part some of the branches and see 2 enemies guarding the way in. I use inspect on them and notice they are stronger than they are supposed to be. [Mutated Pissed off nt guard Lvl. 40] 500,000/500,000 HP [Description: A nt that has been changed with foul magic and gic modifications. It is in a constant state of anger at anything not nt based.] Its health and level are higher than they should be, but in the end it just means more exp for me. I have The Witness already ready and I jump out of the bush using sh. The are much weaker than the orcs I faced so this should go much faster. I begin to strike and deal lots of damage. [Mutated Pissed off nt guard Lvl. 40] 500,000/500,000 HP [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] [The curse of dposition has been applied target will lose 3% health every second] -18,592 [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] -18,592 [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] -18,592 I stop attacking my first target cause the curse should work on it till it dies. Once I have the curse applied to both of these guys then all I have to do is wait. I activate double strike for my second target and start using sh against it. [Mutated Pissed off nt guard Lvl. 40] 500,000/500,000 HP [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] [The curse of dposition has been applied target will lose 3% health every second] -18,592 [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] -18,592 [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] -18,592 [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] -18,592 [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] -18,592 [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] -18,592 I struck six times against this target and both are dying to the curse. I just dodge the rest of the fight and wait till they both rot away from the curse. I get 2 separate system notifications since 1 died faster. +1000 exp +500 sh exp +1000 exp +500 sh exp My sh is only 100 exp from reaching level 12. Getting short changed like that really sucks, but the boss fight will level it up. I open my yer stats to see the new exp values. [yer (Zern) Lvl.32] [Exp: 15,750/34,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2050] [Endurance - 2000] [Dexterity - 2005] [Speed - 2120] [Focus - 8500] [Health: 16,200/16,200] [Mana: 85000/85000] [Stat Points: 130] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400] [sh Lvl.11 1900/2000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] I''m definitely going to level up from fighting this boss and its minions. Now that the entrance is clear of enemies I can enter the dungeon. I make my way to the entrance of the old ruins of some sort of stone house. I touch the door and I get a system prompt. [You are about to enter a hidden dungeon] [Are you sure you want to solo this hidden dungeon? Y/N] I think yes and open the door. I walk in and I can immediately feel a bunch of monsters in this dungeon. They are all probably the same strength as the guards I fought. If any other yer tried to do this at my level they would only die, but I will utilize the curse of dposition and wither these monsters down. I make my way through the dungeon killing enemies and trying to find the boss room. After about 3 hours of fighting and several monsterster I leveled up twice and leveled up sh twice as well. I finally made it to the boss room, but I want to check my stats and allocate some stat points. [yer (Zern) Lvl.34] [Exp: 15,750/36,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2050] [Endurance - 2000] [Dexterity - 2005] [Speed - 2120] [Focus - 8500] [Health: 16,200/16,200] [Mana: 85000/85000] [Stat Points: 150] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400] [sh Lvl.13 1900/4000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] I think putting 75 apiece in dexterity and speed would be a good idea, I''ll have to move around a lot in the boss room fighting both monsters and the boss. I look at the new values of dexterity and speed. [yer (Zern) Lvl.34] [Exp: 15,750/36,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2050] [Endurance - 2000] [Dexterity - 2080] [Speed - 2195] [Focus - 8500] [Health: 16,200/16,200] [Mana: 85000/85000] [Stat Points: 0] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400] [sh Lvl.13 1900/4000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] I''m ready to fight the boss now and I cant wait to get the story quest when I pick up the key. I approach the door to the boss room and open it. I''m met by an oldboratory and many enemies filling the room. I can see the boss from where I''m at, my instincts are telling me to get rid of the back up before facing the boss so that''s what I''m going to do. I inspect the boss to see what I''ll be fighting. [der Lvl.55 tier 1 boss] 1,600,000/1,600,000 HP [Description: The youngest of the three offspring of the mutant nt Quil. It is angry that you have trespassed on its territory and killed its offspring.] It looks at me with no eyes, its like a huge assortment of vines that has thorns on it. The closest thing I canpare this thing to is a pile of tangled cords that are vines instead. It begins tounch attacks at me, but I''m focusing on the mobs around here. I spend 45 minutes dodging the bosses attacks and killing all the minions. Once I was done with that I leveled up my yer level and sh, now that all the monsters are taken care of its the bosses turn. I activate heavens light and double strike and start attacking. [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] [The curse of dposition has been applied target will lose 3% health every second] -58,565 [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] -52,058 [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] -60,424 [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] 65,072 [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] 51,128 [This Target cant be dismembered] [You have ignored armor] 55,776 I''ve done some decent damage and now I''ll just let the curse of dposition do its thing. After awhile of dodging and avoiding attacks it loses thest of its health. I gain another level and almost level up sh again. I open my yer menu again to see the new values. [yer (Zern) Lvl.36] [Exp: 15,750/38,000] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2050] [Endurance - 2000] [Dexterity - 2080] [Speed - 2195] [Focus - 8500] [Health: 16,200/16,200] [Mana: 85000/85000] [Stat Points: 20] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.4 325/400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.4 225/400] [sh Lvl.14 4500/5000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] If I keep gaining levels like this on the story quest I wont be able to be caught by the rest of the yers. The boss doesn''t drop anything good, one of the bad things about Ancients World are the drop rates for good items. Makes it harder for everyone, including the NPC''s. Now that I have time to look around I notice an oldtch that was supposed to be covered up. It looks like the entrance to the treasure room. I walk over to thetch and open it up. The room lights up and I see a bunch of strong and rare items, but they are all cursed. I''m only here for one thing and that''s the first half of the key. I look around the room and don''t see what I''m looking for. I eventually find it hidden in a chest behind a false wall. Took me a minute to find it, but now I''m looking right at it. I pick it up and get a new system notification. [Quest: A glimpse of something unknown] [Description: You have found the first half of a key that leads into a rare double dungeon. Once you retrieve the second half you can enter the second hidden dungeon inside the dungeon known as Rock Ogres Lair.] [Objective 1: Find the dungeon Rock Ogres Lair and retrieve the second half of the key.] [Objective 2: Once you have both halves of the key use it on the hidden dungeon in Rock Ogres Lair.] [Quality: Story (Hidden)] [Rewards: Hidden] [Do you wish to ept this quest? Y/N] I think yes and a new quest pops up in my interface. Now its time to get this show on the road. I still have day light out so I''ll cover as much distance as I can before getting off. When the ZZR-12000es tomorrow I won''t need to get off. {I''m not going to be as serious with making the exp different numbers every time he levels up. It makes the work load so much easier if I just do this from now on. I''ll only change the number on the exp bar when its a small battle, not a big one like this chapter. I prefer to just give entire levels to make it easier for me.} Chapter 56: Completing the story quest I

Chapter 56: Completing the story quest I

{I honestly didn''t think I would get 15 reviews by Wednesday, I am not able to double upload today or tomorrow since I still have to write 2 chapters for The Pirs for this Saturday and Sunday. I''m sorry that I cant do what I said, but I was just saying that because the views and reviews on the story started slowing down. I didn''t expect people to review so fast, really thought my story was dying.} {It was at the point that I was losing peoples collections because the story stopped growing. I hope that you guys enjoy the chapter today. A lot of stuff is happening in the next few chapters so pay attention!!} I make my way out of the hidden dungeon and out of the Flower Forest. Now that I have the story quest I need to make my way back to Zenith. The dungeon that is attached to this quest is on the way back to Zenith. Its a popr dungeon for people in the 30s, but no one is strong enough to challenge it right now. I wont have to worry about people going in and out. I could be discovered if I''m not careful. I''ll need to be extra mindful crossing the borders since the search for me has increased exponentially. I wonder how Blue Chaos stayed out of the hands of the church when he was revealed. While I run through forest after forest and I hear a system announcement that is very surprising. [World-wide Announcement: The war in Zenith is over!! Herold Marcus the II has been in and a new king will be crowned in theing days!] [World-wide Announcement: An NPC by the name of Ghostzero is the one to kill Harold Marcus the II and has received the Legacy ss: Zero Sum! yers will be able to talk to this mercenary and get quests from him!] This is a new development that has never happened before. I don''t know much about the legacy ss zero sum, I''m sure once yers do lore studies and character analysis of Ghostzero his abilities will be known. With the war over in Zenith I''ll be able to travel and navigate it easier. I bet many of the yers are moaning and groaning about missing out on the war and the legacy ss, but this is for the best. I wont have to deal with a country full of yers. I have a long trek ahead of me, and I still have to help mom and dad set up their gaming pods tomorrow along with my new one. I only have a couple hours of day light left and I want to get a goodnights rest for tomorrows events. As Cera continues his journey Gregory Francis is having a borderline fist fight with the mercenary that snagged the legacy ss. This damn muscle for hire, I knew it was a bad idea to hire mercenaries to lower the casualties on our side. Harold Marcus Proved to be a smarter opponent than I gave him credit for. I''m standing in the middle of the ruined capital city looking at the man who took it. "That ss belonged to my kingdom and my army! The fact that you pulled an assassination without my knowledge is borderline grounds for treason and death." The mercenary Ghostzero looks at me with a calcting gaze. He is no doubt stronger than all of us now that he has a legacy ss. Now that the coalition has formed I was hoping that I can empower it with this ss. Doesn''t look like its happening now. Ghostzero looks at me with a small amount of amusement. "I''m not a citizen of your country. You hired me to help defeat Zenith and get you to the treasure room. I have held up my end of the bargain, the lousy rewards you offered were insulting since I was the one that did most of the work. I will take the legacy ss as my onlypensation for this mission." My blood boils at his remarks towards me. I would try and kill him myself, but he is right. He isn''t a citizen of my country so I cant do anything to him except offer up a bounty when we leave the warzone. It wont matter in the long run, I''ll never get my hands on that legacy ss. I watch Ghostzero walk off with one of the best defensive sses known to man. I shouldn''t have been arrogant to the point of under rewarding the people who fought for me. In the end this is my fault and mine alone to bare. I turn around and walk the other way now that we have settled our problems, at least he settled his. I n on getting something from this war, the treasure room that was holding the prize I wanted turned up to be an empty room with a single piece of hay in the middle of the room. I don''t know what happened to the treasure, but its obvious who stole it. Creatureman has decided to strike while everyone else was distracted. If I ever find him I''ll show him true torture, the fact that he got everything makes me sick. While the wares to a conclusion in Zenith a certain baron is talking to the temporary leader of Zenith. Baron Jacksons grandfather is the treasurer of state in Zenith, and Baron Jackson is talking with the leader of the rebellion. I haven''t talked to my grandfather since the war started. Our family would have remained poor baron''s if not for him. "I''m gathering my troops just like you asked, once thest of Herold''s order is defeated I''ll send them home to their families." Grandfather was the one who started this rebellion and led it in the shadows. He wanted to talk to me in private about something. "As you know Jack I''m getting older by the day and I cant lead Zenith at my age." I understand wanting to find a sessor to the throne, but I don''t see how I can help with that. The church would have to approve of me taking the throne. "As you can guess I want you to be the next king of Zenith. I do have some bad news though." I sigh at thest sentence he said. I have a bad feeling that this is going to backfire on me. "The only way you can be king is if we join Gregory''s coalition, so what will it be Jack." He wants me to choose. I don''t know if I can make a decision like this, and that goes to show my incapability as a leader. If I do be king I''ll be able to change my country for the better, and help keep yer Zern''s secret. I''ll be turning my back on the church though, and they have always been a ray of peace and hope for all of man. "I''ll be the next king grandfather. As much as I hate turning against the church we need change. The church will stand in the way of that in Zenith." My grandfather smiles at me, guess I''ve made him proud. I wonder what cousin James and his family will think of this. They are the types that don''t want to ept someone they think lower than them as their ruler. My grandfather sits down in his chair on the other side of the hologram. "I''m d that you have made this decision Jack, your mother and father would be so proud of the man you have be." My heartaches when I hear that, I wish they lived long enough to see the country they love so much go into the right direction. "I''ll go and inform Gregory and the rest of the coalition. I''ll talk to you again in a few day from now." With those words he turns off the call and I turn around to look out the window. Looks like I''m going to be king of Zenith. Chapter 57: Completing the story quest II

Chapter 57: Completing the story quest II

{I wont be uploading Ancients World on Saturday or Sunday because I''ll also be uploading The Pirs along with Descendant of Elder Blood soon. I hope this doesn''t piss off to many of you, but please give The Pirs a chance. You might like it, once February 6th rolls around Saturdays will have 1 The Pirs upload and 1 Descendant of Elder Blood upload. Sunday is only The Pirs. Monday through Friday is all Ancients World. Thanks for reading!!!} {Please mark any spelling errors, I''m to tired to edit right now.} Now that I''m out of the forests and back on a road I can start making my way to Zenith. I know all of these roads since they are the ones traveled most by yers so I don''t need a map. My next steps will be the most crucial in this quest. If I fail to do the right things at the right times then I''ll end up failing this quest. Its getting prettyte out and I feel now is the right time to log off, I quickly set up a tent out of view from the road and get in. I log off and get out of my gaming pod. Itste enough for everyone to be in bed right now. I sit on the couch and turn on the T.V. and go to my favorite news channel. Once I''m done with this I''ll go to bed. I see a new reporter that I''ve never seen before. Really young for a news reporter, must be why he got thete show. "Today marked a first in Ancients World with the first NPC getting a legacy quest after the defeat of king Herold Marcus. Many NPC''s say the capital city is in ruins after the long battle, this could prove difficult for yer that have their tier up quests in Zenith." He makes a good point, the destruction of the capital means my tier up quest might be harder now that my future destination is in ruins. "In other surprising news the guilds that participated in the roaming world boss fight are having a tournament for the rewards. Its supposed to happen in a few days in the country of Smander." So that''s how they put aside their differences, whoever came up with the idea was smart. The system wont cheat you out of a reward if you win or lose in the tournament. With that tournament going on more solo yers will be catching up to the guild teams. I could have to hurry to make sure that I am the first to tier up. I reward for being the first isn''t something I want another to have. That seems to be everything note worthy so its time for bed. I make it back to my room andy on my big soft bed. While Cera sleeps there is a secret meeting happening in Ancients World. The first to this secret meeting is Creatureman, he has brought all the treasure from his grand heist and is waiting for his partner in crime. I''m having a hard time believing we actually pulled it off and nobody is the wiser. The war proved to be a perfect distraction. My legacy ss Shade Walker is truly the best when ites to stealth, now that Ghostzero has his own legacy ss we''ll be able to hit plenty of ces full of treasure. I hear some walkinging from the entrance, nobody knows about this ce except Ghostzero and I. "You were quicker than expected. Looks like our genius n worked out didn''t it." I grew up in the same orphanage as this guy. He should have more faith in me. I stand up and walk over to my old friend and we do the same handshake we have always done since childhood. "C''mon, its not like we didn''t n this out perfectly. What are you going to do with your 50%?" When we started this treasure hunter group we have always spilt everything 50-50. He usually saves his profits like I do. Madam Zelly always taught us to save our money. He walks over to a rock and sits down. I do the same and look at him on the other side of the treasure. "I think I''m retiring from treasure hunting Creatureman. Now that I have what I need I can get revenge for what happened to her...." So he is still wanting to avenge Zelly, I don''t me him for wanting to do that. She told us to forget our horrible childhoods before she died and live the way we want. I n on doing just that, but I cant help wanting to kill those bastards too. The night passes and many people from the real world are logged off right now. Except for the guild leaders who participated in the boss battle against Arch Grove. Wilted Rose is speaking to her best guild members about the uing tournament. "This tournament has given us a perfect opening to take the things that are worth the most to us. While the legacy ss that''s up for grabs is enticing, we want to focus on other things as well. I have sent you all a manifest of the things I want for our guild." I send out a meeting wide message with everything I want for the guild during this tournament. The legacy ss is still on the agenda, but its at the bottom of the list. Now that my most trusted members know what''s going on its time to exin the game n. "The tournament will be between the best of every guild and the guild leaders. With so many fighting this is going to be a big and long tournament that willst for a few days. If you want to hang out with friends or family I suggest you get off now and spend time with them. It may be awhile before you get to see them again." There are tens of thousands of items and gear to fight for, and there are only about 110 total participants. This will go on till most of the yer base is doing their tier up quests. So when this is over we will be ying catch up. "I''ll leave you guys to decide which items you are going for or not, just stick to the manifest." I exit the meeting room with those words and log off myself. I think getting some time out of Ancients World would be good. All in all everyone is making major moves in theing days. The night passes slowly for the people still on Ancients World and soon yers begin waking up and logging on. Cera is not one of those people because he has to wait till the new gaming pods get here and set them up. I''m wasting a lot of time just sitting here, but this is for mom and dad. After everything they have been through they deserve to have fun, and ying Ancients World is a good choice for them. I''m currently waiting on the couch for the delivery and mom and dad are watching they favorite T.V. show. I can see the tense emotion between the two, they must be scared for the first dive. My best guess is they did some of their own research and are intimidated by it. "You guys have nothing to worry about. There hasn''t been a dive ident in almost 70 years. Think about it as a chance to be someone other than yourself." I want them to be excited for the new journey not afraid. They only look at each other then me without answering. Mom is just about to start speaking, but the door bell rings. I can see the boiling rage from the bad timing in my moms bodynguage. I get up from my spot and make it to the door. I open it and there are 3 robots each with a separate shipping crate. "Take 2 of them to the room upstairs on the far left side of the house. Take the other on the right side up stairs." They register themand and begin to bring the big crates in, I look over to my parents and I can see that they are intimidated. They must not like the idea of going in something like that. "I''ll go set everything up, I''lle and get you when its done." I go upstairs and head to my parents room and open the door. I''m surprised to see the machine are already putting them together. They must have paid for an assembly fee and didn''t realize it. That''s good for me though, no tedious construction for me. They look almost done too. They will know how to assemble it much faster then a human. I head back downstairs and look to my parents who are talking to each other in a whisper. These 2 will find out that once they experience Ancients World they will never want to leave. Now that I think about it I wont need to leave my gaming pod unless for food or water. This only leaves one problem, how many others are going to start buying the new ZZR-12000. I''m sure mom and dad got it early for us with extra money, I''m sure the major guilds are already having theirs delivered to. Ancients World is about to get a lot more y time globally. Chapter 58: Completing the story quest III

Chapter 58: Completing the story quest III

{Mark any spelling errors, to tired to edit right now. I''ll fix them when I get some sleep.} I make it back to the couch and stand in front of the 2. They will have fun on there first day, I can feel it. "Your pods are almost ready. In a few minutes I''ll take you guys upstairs and we''ll start the first dive alright." They unconsciously hold each others hand, I never realized how scary technology can be for adults that have never experienced it before. "Don''t be so scared, literally billions use gaming pods everyday. They wont hurt you, I promise." They ease up some with my words. If not for Ancients World we wouldn''t have this new life and I know that they want to tryout the thing that saved our family. I hear footstepse down the stairs and see Hailey gracing us with her presence. She must have been woken up by the machines putting the gaming pods together. "You look like the living dead Hailey, didn''t get enough sleepst night?" She does look rough right now. Shepletely ignores my question and heads into the kitchen to get some coffee. I wont bother her if she doesn''t want to be bothered. She walks over with her steaming cup of coffee and sits next to dad. Right before he speaks the machines make their way down the stairs. This is the sign that they are done, they all make it to the door and close it behind them. I turn my head to my parents with a smile. "I just remembered that I have some errands to run today!" Mom is the first to try and get out of it, I cant help but chuckle at her attempt to get out of using the gaming pod today. Dad looks ready to do the same thing, but before he could speak mom decides to seal the deal. "I''m sure your father is excited, don''t wait up for me honey!" She gets up from the couch fast and tries to make a quick exit. I stop her and lift her off the ground so she cant go anywhere. "Let me go Cera! I have things to do today!!" Your not getting out of this and I''ll make sure that you guys try Ancients World today. I put her down and she doesn''t try to escape. "Lets go upstairs, its time for your first dive." I leave no room for hesitation and begin to make my way to there room with them following. I reach there door and open it, I look upon the giant and perfectly assembled ZZR-12000''s. They were even programmed to plug it in. I hold the door open for both of them to enter before me. They reluctantly enter and slowly approach the gaming pods. I close the door behind us and lock it, just to make it a little harder to leave aftering so far. "I''ll open it for you, justy into it and rx." I walk up to both of the gaming pods and open them up, they release with a gentle hiss and fully open. "Justy inside and rx, the head gear wille from thepartment above your head. All it will do is scan your brain waves and gently attach." When I said the words attach mom looked ready to run for the door and leave. I figure this is going to be the hardest for here so I''ll start wit her. I walk up to my mom and grab her hand. I lead her over to the gaming pod and help her get in. She has nothing to worry about. I just smile at her andy her against thefortable padding. I close thetch and look into the little window so she doesn''t feel alone. She rxes and closes her eyes as the gear approaches her head. "Spawn in the city of Nelmorp, in the country of Zenith. I''ll meet you and dad there in a few days alright." She slowly nods her head and then goespletely unconscious. The red light in the pod goes from red to green signifying that she has started her first dive. I turn around to look at dad. He seems to be more weing to the idea of his first dive. "Once you get to your city selection chose Nelmorp. Mom will look exactly like she does in real life so it will be easy to find her, she will most likely still be in the spawn area waiting for you." He nods his head and slowly gets into his pod as well. He begins to rx and I close thetch, he soon closes his eyes and the gear begins to make contact. The red light goes green and dad has started his first dive too. Now since that is out of the way I can also get going as well. Mom and dad will probably get offter today to go and pick up Marcus. Nelmorp is on the way to the capital of Zenith. I can stop there and help them with the basics of the game, but who knows maybe they will figure it out on their own. I make my way to my room and admire the ZZR-12000 in all its glory, this gaming pod revolutionized the DDVR gaming industry. Most no longer worked real jobs when these became affordable to the majority of gamers. Instead of prolonging my wait I also hop in and close thetch. In my old future I never had one of these, so this is a new experience for me. My body totally rxes and I find my self on the edge of sleep, the head gear makes contact and a few secondster I am fully asleep. I load into Ancients World and wake up in the same ce I logged off. This dive feels way different, it feelsplete and none draining. So I really am sleeping in real life, and since the subconscious mind is so powerful it doesn''t feel any stress. "Now that mom and dad are in game and more than likely done naming there characters I can ask them next chance I get in the real world so I can send them friend requests. It will makemunication in game so much easier. I have a journey ahead of me, but now I don''t need to get off anymore. As Cera is making his way to his destination for his story quest, Violet and Christian have just loaded in. Since this is their first dive they are having a slightly hard time moving around, well more than slightly. They have the walking skills of a new toddler on their feet. After loading into the spawn area they can both see each other from opposite sides. "Honey, I''m on my way!!" Violet yells to her husband, they both start to make good progress towards each other. However, they both fall down multiple times from theck of familiarity. They cant help themselves fromughing as they struggle to make their way to each other. After several minutes ofughing and falling they are within arms reach of each other. They both rx and collide. "Looks like we did it...." Christian marks this as an aplishment for the 2 of them. They just overcame their first challenge, the both spend time touch each others bodies. Not in an inappropriate way, but in a way that is to check the senses. Not long after they d begin to get a little inappropriate. However that is soon stopped. A guard on the city walks up to them and frowns. "Public indecency is a serious offense, I''ll let you guys off easy this time around. You look like new people and have no shame by the looks of it." Once Violet and Christian realize that they are being weird they try and get up to look decent, but they continue to fall down on each other. The guard just sighs and walks off, someone else decides to make an introduction. A yer walk up to the husband and wife, she sticks out her hand with a smile. "This must be your first dive huh?" The couple look up and smile back, they take the girls hand and are helped up. They are now standing on their own 2 feet without falling over, but they still have a bnce problem. Now that the parents of Cera are ying Ancients World even more is sure to change. Chapter 59: Completing the story quest IV

Chapter 59: Completing the story quest IV

(I''m to tired again today so mark any mistakes please. I''ll fix themter.) I''ve been traveling for hours now and I cant help worrying about mom and dad. They are new to the game and are not aware that veteran yers sometimes take advantage of first timers. I know they are smart enough to avoid people with ill intentions, but toxic PKers will make their time harder. If they do end up getting mistreated I''ll make sure the responsible party pays for their transgressions against my parents. I''m sure that I''ll get to my dungeon in days time at this speed, and I don''t even feel drained. The new gaming pods are extraordinary, I can see why so many wealthy guilds wanted them. Ancients World will be my path to a future of safety and security for my family. I''m not na?ve enough to think I can remain hidden forever, I need to make sure I have back up ns for when my identity is revealed. I don''t want or need a guild, as well as a party, that will only lead to my downfall. Making allies with yers seems like a good idea at first, but if I spend to much time with a single person they will put the pieces together. I know I can trust mom and dad, but they are to weak to help me. They also got the equipment and game to have an adventure together, I''m sure I would be intruding on that in a major way. Making allies of NPC''s is a gamble almost as big as other yers. NPC''s can be very deceitful, its rare to find people like Wilmer or Jackson. They aren''t interested in using my power to further their own position. I have no option, I''ll just have to wait till I''m high enough level to go for ultatum. An ancient passive ability that hides all my information except for a divine being inspecting me. I need to be level 150 tier 3 to go for it though and I might get discovered by then. I need a temporary solution for now, and the only thing I can think of is staying away from high leveled NPC''s. While Cera continues his long journey to the double dungeon, others are also having problems. Particrly in the real world at J&X incorporated. Xander is currently talking to the system inputernguage with the technicians. They are trying to find a way to get the system back in their control, but are having no luck. I''m sure Jericho is on his way down here as we speak, this was never supposed to happen. Something changed in Ancients World and now its affecting us. "Can you tell me anything about the new firewall and security system she has installed?" The system has decided to update her security without our knowledge, and now we cant ess anything. As I''m about to ask another question the door swings open and my old friend walks in. Jericho has always been pragmatic, hopefully he has some ideas on what we should do. I turn back to the main screen and all that''s written in response to ourmands is ess denied. "Whatever the system did, we don''t have the means to crack its code. We''ll need another hyper intelligent A.I. to do the work. We have the only one fully developed and alive, so all we can do is wait for a change." As the tech speaks Jericho walks up beside me. He looks just as mad as I do. All our life''s work is being jeopardized by Angelus. She was meant to be perfect, but now she is betraying us. Jericho looks hard at the big screen, I see the glint of an idea in his eyes. He walks up to theputer and begins to input the termination code. I almost want to stop him, but I''m also curious to see what happens. "Sir, you do know what your doing right?" I feel a need to smack the back of the kids head after that remark. We designed Angelus, we know her in and out. However, the response I see from her on the screen sends chills down my spine. [] While the secrets of J&X are being sorted out Ancients World politics is in a state of incredible tension, with 8 out of the 15 kingdoms forming a coalition of change the church is without many of its old and powerful allies helping in the search. News as also reached that Zenith will more than likely be joining the coalition once a new king is crowned. Saintess Lucy is in a very loud argument with The Pope about their next moves. I can see his hesitation and doubt, but now isn''t the time to worry about the coalition. Its clear that they only have 1 term. They want us to stop looking for the son, while others would see this as a small demand. Its impossible for us to ept this term, I fear war will be on the horizon if we do not fix these problems though. "Alex, we have spread our forces thin. I fear that we need to hold off on the search for a few months just to make sure The Holy City is protected. We cant risk an attack here by the coalition." I hate making them sound like an enemy, but there is no neutral ground in war. You will eventually have to pick a side. The rulers that left don''t understand the true value of the son, he is a literal god walking among us. A direct and powerful descendant of The Almighty Father, son of heavens mightiest and bravest angel. Arch-Angel Michaels father is The Almighty Father, the son is not something we, as the church, can leave to be harmed or captured. Alexander looks over at me with pain in his eyes. He is more hurt than anyone that this has happened as his time as The Pope, he must feel like a failure and an insult to his predecessors legacies. "I understand Lucy, I''ll leave everything to you for now. Just leave me be...." He looks truly defeated after thest couple of days. I cant imagine the kind of stress he is under, I might as well leave him. He looks like he needs some time alone to process his thoughts. While Saintess Lucy makes her way out of the private office a world announcement rings out. [World-wide Announcement: Baron Jackson of Blue Grass city has been upgraded to King of Zenith! yers will receive a 2x exp boost to use anytime they want! Once a yer reaches level 50 tier 1 they can help the capital city and war torn country of Zenith in recovery!] Many yers cheer out of happiness and immediately use the 2x exp boost. While the experienced yers of Ancients World begin their grind, a husband and wife are being taught the basics of Ancients World. Christian is very fast to catch on and is having a better time then his wife. This is just what the 2 of them needed to enjoy freedom again, and now that their lives are no longer a ve to the banks they can do whatever they please. I''m excited for when Cera gets here, this will be the first time I y a game with my son. I have always showed favor towards Hailey, but he never resented it. I wish I was as mature as he was when I was his age. I look over and see my wife trying the basic skills and trying out her ss. I must say, Ancients World is an amazing ce. I do want to ask what that announcement was earlier. "Snow princess, could you tell me what that announcement was earlier?" I turn to the young woman that is helping us learn the ropes of the game. She tells me all about the system and how announcements work, she even told me about a yer with a divine ss called The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. Talk about a lucky find, all we have ismon sses like standard des man. I look forward to the adventures I''ll have with my wife, hopefully Cera wouldn''t mind us tagging along once we catch up to him. Chapter 60: Q&A for all my readers!! #2

Chapter 60: Q&A for all my readers!! #2

I have been working myself dry thest month with this story, so I''m taking a break till next Monday on all my story''s except for Descendant of Elder Blood since I already have the chapter ready. Ask in thements any questions you have as long as it isn''t spoiler territory. I will answer any questions that are asked and feel free to discuss amongst yourselves as well, I hope this doesn''t upset to many of you, but I haven''t had a day off in almost 60 days. Thank you all for spending time reading this story and showing support. P.S. Have a great rest of the week reading other story''s!!! Chapter 61: Completing the story quest V

Chapter 61: Completing the story quest V

Now is the time most people get off for the night, but I don''t need to get off anymore for sleep. I''ll probably want to get off in a few hours to eat, but I can fully invest in Ancients World now that I don''t need to get off to rest. I wonder how my old future would have turned out if I had a gaming pod like the one I have now, much wouldn''t have changed giving it more thought. Thinking about how lucky I got with the world item really did change by life. It saved me from a fate that I never thought possible for me or my family. The more I think about my old future the more upset I be. The one thing that I''m truly worried for this time around is my sister. Despite that our families money problems are gone she is still going to have a hard time. I don''t see her meeting that man again with our new life, but I''d rather be prepared than unprepared. My sister may have done some bad things and made bad choices, but she is my flesh and blood. She was my first friend and enemy, I''ll not fail her like I did before. One way I can prevent that man from ever meeting her is having her distracted from acting. I''m sure that she is still going to try for that path, but if I can get her to jump on Ancients World just like mom and dad I know she will change what she wants to do for a living. She is the one who taught me about video games after all. She may not be that girl anymore, but I''m sure I can draw her out again. Enough dwelling on my real world problems, games are meant to take you out of reality and enjoy yourself, not worry about your problems. I''ve been traveling at a good pace and haven''t had any interruptions from monsters or yers. I should arrive ahead of schedule and make it to the double dungeon. I look up as I run and see the beautiful night sky and realize just how great my shitty life turned out. You cant live in todays world without having problems, I used to have so many problems I felt like I was drowning. Now I feel like I''m free of the burdens that break normal people, knowledge truly is power. I wonder what the outlook for Ancients World looks like now that I have certainly changed things. I know of locations, quests, and many other things. I also know that I have forever changed Ancients World in some way, and I''m afraid of the unknown. When I started I knew everything to make myself a sess, now that things have changed and are changing I don''t know what''s going to happen. While deep in my thoughts I almost fail to listen to the world announcement that is going off. This is something that I was afraid might happen. [World-wide Announcement: The orc army is calling arms to all oppressed non-humanoid creatures!! They wish for all beast races and non humanoids to band together to destroy their oppressors!] [World-wide Announcement: The dark ones grow excited at the mention of mass chaos! The bloodshed spilled in the war will grant them more power!] Seems humanity will have a war on its hand if their call to arms actually works. What truly worries me is the dark ones gaining power from this if it does happen. An announcement or event of this scale never happened before in my old future. So I have no answer to stop this if it does happen. The next announcement makes me unnerved. [World-wide Announcement: If the orcs seed in forming a joint effort against humanity and winning the would be war, the human race will suffer greatly and Ancients World will end! All males of the human race will be extinguished and the females will be used as cattle for reproduction of monster offspring!] An event that can end Ancients World, I''m sure the forums are blowing up right now and I can sympathize. Many have already dered this game is something the world cant live without, if its destroyed many will lose everything. I''m deeply disturbed by the result the orcs have chosen, and I''m the one to me. As I am now I cant stop an army, and I doubt yers and NPCbined are capable of defending against genocide of this magnitude. Ancients World is truly brutal in its treatment of it native upants. If Ancients World does end we all log off and go on with our lives, the people of Ancients World will endure something I cant even imagine. The stronger I get the better chance I have of stopping this, and I wont ever fail again. I wont be a pathetic man that could have done something and didn''t. In my determination I get a quest notification. [A miracle in you....] [Description: ???] [Objective 1: Reach level 150 tier 3 before any other yer.] [Objective 2: ???] [Rewards: ???] [Difficulty: ???] [???: You haven''t even scratched the surface of your power and once you reach this level of strength there will be a change that urs in you and only at this point will you begin to taste your power. Do not let this world fall to ruin.] [You have no choice but to ept this quest.] I''ve never seen a quest like this before. Everything is hidden except for the first objective, and you don''t get quests without picking up information or talking to an NPC. This isn''t a function that exists within the system and if it did yers would have said something a long time ago in my old future. Its possible that it did ur, but no one said anything because it was to rare. It doesn''t have a time limit which is good, but I can deduce that war ising. I''m sure the elves, fairies, and other humanoid creatures are already preparing for meetings with the church. This war will be on a bigger scale than ever seen before in Ancients World. I''m getting closer to the dungeon by the minute so I should focus on that, I know everything I need to know about this dungeon. However, that doesn''t mean something bad could happen. My cooldowns have reset on my strongest skills so if I need them I can use them. The curse of dposition is an amazing DOT, if the health is as low as they say on the first boss then that will be enough. The second boss is the one I got to worry about. As Cera is preparing for his fight in the dungeon Creatureman and Ghostzero are in a secret meeting. The sess of the heist was truly something that this organization needed, now that we have the funds we don''t need to worry about bankruptcy. I''m sure Ghostzero and the other members are all d that our ns are working without any hups. However, the churches announcement made me very worried. We may not live long enough to see the spoils of our hard work. I look over to Ghostzero and see that he is as worried as I am. "I know what your thinking and I want to as much as you do, but we aren''t weed till that old man dies. Once we have the means to free them all, we will." I miss her just as much as Ghostzero does. The woman practically raised us and set us free at the cost of her own freedom. "Do you think we are strong enough to kill that son of a bitch?" Ghostzero brings up a good point, we both have legacy sses now and we might have a good shot at defeating him. I just don''t want to risk madam Zelly''s safety with rash actions, the good woman doesn''t deserve that after everything she did for us. Clintock is a very powerful archer with a legacy ss, he was much stronger than us or anyone nearby growing up. Now that we have our own legacy sses we can surely take him on and free Zelly of her suffering. Many things are changing in Ancients Worlds and everyone is unprepared. Cera is given a new quest after the dark world announcements, and many of the yer base is distraught with grief at the idea of losing the most wonderful experience the world has to offer. The NPC''s of Ancients World are also having to change their ns with the uing threat. Ghostzero and Creatureman have to attack Clintock and free Zelly before they nned to so she doesn''t sumb to this new threat. There are many things at work here, and all are blind to it. Chapter 62: The Outcome

Chapter 62: The Oue

{I have decided to skip over the battles in the double dungeon since it felt like fillers to me. I hope you guys don''t mind that. The story is about to get more interesting this chapter so pay attention. Please mark any math errors or spelling errors, I really appreciate when you guys do.} I''ve just finished my story quest and many things happened while I was busy fighting the bosses. Many world announcements were going off as I fought and none of them were about me, its a very nice thing when that happens. Most were about the newly formed coalition and the crowning of Baron Jackson, I guess he is King Jackson now. The church and kingdoms still aligned are forming a war council soon, another announcement will go off when they have a date. yers won''t be high enough level, but theing war will not be a swift one like Zenith. I open the quest to see my rewards forpleting the story quest. [Quest: A glimpse of something unknown] [Description: You have found the first half of a key that leads into a rare double dungeon. Once you retrieve the second half you can enter the second hidden dungeon inside the dungeon known as Rock Ogres Lair.] [Objective 1: Find the dungeon Rock Ogres Lair and retrieve the second half of the key.][Completed] [Objective 2: Once you have both halves of the key use it on the hidden dungeon in Rock Ogres Lair.][Completed} [Quality: Story (Hidden)] [Rewards] +15 levels +15,000 reputation with the gods of light +1 lore tablet +A new kingdom in Ancients World Now that my rewards have been added I watch my level rise from 46 to 61. Fighting all the monsters and bosses in the double dungeon resulted in 10 levels for me, I went from 36 to 46 before the end of this story quest. What''s strange about my rewards is the lore tablet, I have no idea what this is. Before I check out this new item I check my new stats. [yer (Zern) Lvl.61] [Exp: 36%/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2050][Endurance - 2000][Dexterity - 2080][Speed - 2195][Focus - 8500] [Health: 16,200/16,200][Mana: 85000/85000] [Stat Points: 270][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.7 325/700] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.7 225/700] [sh Lvl.17 4500/8000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] My favorite skills have gone up in level by wide margins. Now that I''m over level 50 I can head to my capital city, speaking of which I have a new notification from the system in my quest log. I open it up to see what it is. It is a major surprise to say the least, truly is unique to my ss. [Quest: Earn Your Wings] [Description: You are proving that your the progeny of Michael, so now its time to earn what every true angel has. If you earn your wings they will be an invaluable piece of you, they can help attack, defend, and you can use them to fly at extreme speeds. They can be hidden so your identity isn''t revealed.] [Objective 1: Head to your capital city and speak to an old blind priest named Sam.] [Objective 2: Complete the quest Sam gives you.] [Quality: Tier Up] [Rewards: Your Angel Wings, Divine mana aura quest] [???: This is an incredible task, and your first step to true power. You are already an unreachable existence to your fellow yers, but there are many enemies who grow fearful of your power. These enemies are stronger than you and you cant hope to beat them, with this quest you will be starting your real journey to power. I hope you don''t waste your chance here, I won''t give you another one like this if you fail.] This quest is giving me a bad vibe, Blue Chaos never had wings in my old future. That either means he failed his tier up quest and lost out on his wings or never had an offer like this. The wings will be invaluable if I can get them, but the divine mana aura is what is truly drawing my attention. Once yers reach level 50 we can start using our mana for things other than activating skills, the better the aura the better our stats get. That''s how people in the higher tiers have health in the billions, but they more than likely only have epic or very rare aura''s from their first tier up quests. Once you get your mana aura quest you want to do it as soon as possible, that way you can work on controlling it and getting stronger. Every 1 percent you increase your mana aura''s control your health and mana goes up. Wilmer probably unlocked more than 90% of his and his aura might be around very rare in quality. Fenrir definitely has a divine quality aura, I don''t know how much control he has though. He is invinciblepared to none deity NPC''s, and now I have a chance to get a divine aura as well. Controlling an aura gets harder the higher the quality gets, if I do get a divine quality aura it will take infinitely longer to reach my full potential then with a rare or very rare aura. yers will more than likely be getting no higher than epic, so the gap between me and other yers will widen considerably in my favor. I''m worried though, why is the system doing this. This seems like something that shouldn''t be happening. Whoever or whatever ??? is I need to be careful, they obviously have special ess to me and me alone. I also want to see what this lore tablet is all about. [Lore Tablet] [Description: A tome of ancient knowledge, you can ask it a single question and no matter how difficult or obscure the answer may be you will receive a response with the correct answer. Use wisely, this item can make or break futures for yers.] [Quality: Hidden] This seems to be something tailor made for me, just what is going on. I feel like I''m being prepared for something and I have no clue what. At this point I can''t use Blue Chaos and his information anymore. To much has changed and his forum posts no longer coincide with my path, I''m on my own now. I have a new priority, I have to put my legendary quest on the back burner for now. Once I''m done in Zenith I have to do my divine mana aura quest if I get it and I have no idea how long that will take, on the bright side I get to see mom and dad on my way to Zenith. Whatever is happening in the background is not something that happened before, this means that I along with all the other yers will receive a huge change soon. The timeline has diverted to much and now the consequences are urring. I think its safe to say that J&X incorporated have no idea what''s going on. While Cera thinks about the new developments happening in Ancients World a crisis is happening at J&X. We are losing control of everything, Angelus is no longer bound to our servers and is global. It has gone entirely rogue. I''m sure Jericho is informing the investors right now and I cant help feeling like a failure. The genius Xander, what a load of crap. I keep inputtingmands to try and locate the problem. At this point there is no longer a solution, and I have no idea what Angelus is nning. I look over at the screen and see lines and lines of ourmands, with no response from Angelus. Instead ofmands like a machine maybe I should try something else. [] [....] [....] [....] [] I cant help be a little confused at the response. This is the first we have heard from her in hours and this is her response. 60 days is the time limit and I have little to go on, unless..... No, she wouldn''t. If she is, we needed a solution yesterday. I can''t believe oue Omega Course is actually a possibility right now. We knew the risks creating the system and interface to Ancients World, but this is a worse case scenario. I have to get into contact with the other hyper A.I. development team, we need something to stop Angelus. Chapter 63: The journey to Zenith city I

Chapter 63: The journey to Zenith city I

{Story will be going premium soon, I don''t really know when though. So for now just enjoy the free chapters, I hope others will stick around when you still have to give coins. Let me know if I should start a donation for me on p-a-t-r-e-o-n or something, I can''t post chapters there, but I can ept donations from you guys. I''m still not making any money.} I have a long journey from this this point on ward. I have to travel a few thousand miles without Fenrir helping me this time. If I travel at top speeds it will still take a few days. Not to mention I have to stop and see mom and dad in Nelmorp, while I''m there I can send a message to Amelia. I can also spend some time with my parents helping them learn the basics if they aren''t already being taught by someone. It''s the middle of the night so many are off right now and I can say for certain that my parents got off along time ago, they still have to take care of Marcus after all. Looking at my quests I have quite a few now, the most difficult is the legendary quest I still have to do. My levels and skills have gotten better, and once I get my mana aura my health and stats will be increased. My sword will also level up once Iplete my tier up quest, it gets stronger along with me. I haven''t met a challenge I couldn''t ovee yet, but I cant lie. That''s because I have an advantage. Now that advantage is gone, and I will more than likely die on difficult quests. Losing levels at this stage is crucial for my ss, and if I can help it I wont die. I haven''t eaten in a long time, but I want to get as far as I can through the night. After a few hours I''ll get off to eat some food and drink some water. As Cera makes his journey through the night, others in the real world are having problems of their own. Its confirmed at this point Omega Course is unavoidable, there are no other hyper intelligent A.I.''s that canpete with Angelus. I''m sure that Jericho is preparing a massive shipment and sh on prices. If we want to lower casualties then we need as many people logged in and have them had at least created a yer. I''m currently on the phone with my family and friends telling them to get on Ancients World ASAP. "Go out and buy gaming pods as soon as the prices go down..... All you need to do is create a yer.... Make sure that you are fast, they will probably go in the first day when the prices drop to what they will be..... Alright, tell the kids I love them and I''ll see you all in a few days. *CLICK*" I lean back into my chair and think about all the life decisions I''ve made, I''ve never been a bad or greedy man. So I don''t know what I did to deserve this. I look at the emptyb and see what I feel, nothing. I look at the screen and just look at the countdown till our end. The ones already used to Ancients World will have an easier time than the rest of us. Many will die because of our actions, I''m sure Jericho is eating himself up as much as I am. We were meant to change the world, not end it. Tomorrow we will be heading to a meeting with the world leaders and debrief them on the situation. It will be private and only the top powers will know. We need all the help we cant get if are to save as many lives as possible, we don''t have enough gaming pods for everyone. While J&X Incorporated prepare, many are unaware of the situation, however the Adamo family is having a stroke of luck. You could almost call it fate. Violet Adamo is currently talking with her daughter and youngest son. I can see why Hailey is not really into the idea, but our family needs this. Chris and I have decided to pull Marcus out of school since he no longer needs to go. Now our family will be home full time, and that''s why Christian and I have purchased 2 more ZZR-12000''s. "Marcus, just because you don''t have school anymore doesn''t mean I''ll neglect your education. We will be teaching you things like math and reading ourselves." I''m sure he isn''t listening to a word I''m saying. I look over to my daughter and she looks more confused than anything. "Why do I have to y? I still want to try and be an actress. If I wanted to y games for a living I would have joined Cera after he earned all that money." Its not about why she has to y, I just want to be free with all my children. If Hailey cant see that right now then that''s fine. Once she experiences Ancients World for herself she''ll understand why I want her with the rest of us. I get up and sit next to my only daughter, I bring her into a big hug and just hold her for a few seconds. "Please just try it. If you aren''t doing it for you, can you do it for me?" She stays silent for a few seconds and releases a giant sigh, I have to restrain myself from smacking her across the head. She pulls herself off me and stands up. I cant help fear that she will say no, my fear is washed away as she reluctantly agrees. I watch her go upstairs to her room and more than likely go to bed. Speaking of bed I should put Marcus to bed as well. He never gets to stay up thiste, his sleeping schedule will be messed up now. I take Marcus to his room and put him to bed, he wore himself out by celebrating never having to go to school again. Now that all my children are taken care of I can finally rx, I make it back to the living room and sit on the couch. I cant stop myself from being happy, I can see why Cera loved Ancients World so much. I hear the front door open and my husband walks in. "So did you take care of everything?" Our ''family'' has been harassing us for money since we''ve be rich, Chris just got done talking to the police about restraining orders and such. I cant believe they would disapprove of our marriage so much to the point of disowning us and then have the gall to demand money from us after we be rich. My husband walks over to the couch and sits next to me. "Yeah, the restraining order has been ced and they are no longer allowed to talk to us, I also looked at the delivery time for the 2 ZZR-12000''s and they will be here 8:00 am sharp. So once the machines set them up, I''ll tell Hailey and Marcus which city to spawn in so we can all be together." I''m d we have everything taken care of, we turn on the T.V. to see what''s going on in Ancients World. I can understand why Cera always has this channel on when I see him watching T.V. While watching the news with my husband amercial break starts right when we turn it on. He groans in response, he is the one who hatesmercials the most. I hear footsteps make it down the stairs and I turn my head up to see Cera make his way towards us. "Hey sweetie, you get a lot done today?" I want to know how the most sessful of my children is doing right now. He gives me a big toothy grin that lights my world up. He makes his way over to the couch and sits with us. He puts his feet up and rxes. "I got a lot done today, I should be meeting up with you guys in a few days. I have a lot of ground to cover to get to you." I''m happy to hear that my whole family will be in one ce together in my new favorite ce to be. I know Cera wont be able to stay for long, but I do want to take a screenshot of all of us together. I bet if Hailey heard me say that she would be red in the face. The news turns back on and we all hear some very odd news. "All gaming pods sold by J&X Inc. are going on an extreme sale. They are practically giving them away for free, many of their subsidiaries are also shing prices. Nobody knows what''s causing this sort of response, but its a very weed one." Now that''s weird, from what I''ve learned gaming pods are expensive to make, why would they put them up for.... 95% percent off!!! This seems kind of fishy, but there is no way we could know anything. I''ll just have to let it go, a reputablepany like J&X wouldn''t do anything to endanger us. Chapter 64: The journey to Zenith city II

Chapter 64: The journey to Zenith city II

{I''m putting The Pirs on the shelf for now, I really want to focus on this story and Descendant of Elder Blood. This story is going to undergo a lot of development both in lore and world design. So the more you pay attention the more you will understand. Thanks for reading guys!!!} I''m more surprised about the unreal discount than my parents are, 95% off on all J&X gaming pods is insane. With this sale more and more people will join Ancients World, not to mention a new kingdom ising to Ancients World since I finished my story quest. I wonder how many will be spawning there since it will be a new region and have its own starting cities. J&X will probably run out of gear fast, I''m d that we got the ZZR-12000''s when we did. Even though the inventors of the ZZR aren''t rted to J&X more top yers will purchase their gear since a huge influx of yers will be arriving. I hear my dad ask me a question that is easy to answer. "Does this normally happen when ites to gaming pods? The little bit of reading I did on them showed just how much it costs to make 1 gaming pod. They are willingly taking heavy loses, that doesn''t seem right to me." Dad brings up a great point, whatever is happening at J&X is causing this to happen. I''m sure their stock is plummeting with all these announcements about their gear and gaming pod price sales. What''s strange is no investors are pulling out, why wouldn''t investors pull out of an obviously sinking ship. It just doesn''t make sense and that scares me, experts about the stock market and government officials are also quiet about this. I answer my dad while still listening to the news. "No, this isn''t normal. Something has happened at J&X, but instead of trying to stop the bleeding of whatever happened they are embracing it. No one remotely close to thepany is talking about the decision either. I don''t like what''s going on right now." This is strangely aligning with the new quests I have been getting, and almost perfectly matches up with the mysterious ???. This is connected somehow and the only obvious answer is because of my actions and ss. Something is going on. All of us are silent as the news continues to speak about what''s happening in Ancients World and J&X. "This is going to bring huge numbers to the yer base fast, and we are not receiving any response from J&X or their investors. Some of the best names in the field of game development are staying quiet about all of this. Many guilds world wide are having huge influxes in yer admission slips. The economy for items and sses are also getting boosts in profits since more yers are arriving, and the demand for better sses and gear is increasing." The only things that aren''t being affected by this announcement is Ancients World. In fact it looks like its going to thrive after the new yers settle in. Now that mom and dad are already in Ancients World all I have to worry about are Marcus and Hailey. I should tell mom and dad to get them on Ancients World as well, we don''t know what will happen. "You guys need to get Hailey and Marcus ZZR''s as well, the sooner the better. We don''t know how much longer they are going to be in stock." If we can all get the best the gaming pods have to offer I''ll feel that much safer for my family. I have nothing to worry about with the response I get from my dad. "We already ordered 2 more ZZR''s for Hailey and Marcus, they are arriving here at 8:00 am. I think we lucked out by getting them when we did, I bet they are selling like crazy with these new prices for the people who held off before. Do we need to get anything else?" I''m d mom and dad were wise enough to buy them for Hailey and Marcus, even though they didn''t know at the time it reflects their change towards Ancients World. From the top of my head there is nothing else we need. I release a breath I didn''t know I was holding. I''m more on edge now that this is happening, Ancients World is about to get more packed. "I cant think of anything at the moment, inte is as good as it can be and we have everything we need. The only thing is upgrading our security system here at home, this is more of a gut feeling than anything else. I don''t want someone finding out we have ZZR''s and getting funny ideas." With the new demand of equipment I wouldn''t be surprised if peoples private information gets sold. I really have nothing to worry about, our family is set for whatever happens. I''m sure Marcus is excited about getting to y with mom and dad when the gaming podse tomorrow, I hope Haileyes around. Her personality has changed so much over the years that she may not like it. "I forgot to ask. How was your first day in Ancients World? I''m sure you had fun getting used to the movement. The first dive is one you never forget." They bothugh pretty hard remembering what happened. I can guess what they went through, probably had to remember how to walk and control their bodies again. They stop theirughing and regainposure. Mom is the one to speak, she has always been the one to talk about her and dad before they had any of us. "Once we created our characters we spawned in the same city just like you said. Once in, we made eye contact, but we both fell over after our first steps. Much time passed before we finally made it to each other, I fell on top of your father. After a few minutes, a nice girl by the name of Snow Princess helped us out. We spent the rest of the day learning what she had to teach." Snow Princess is a familiar name, but she just started to gain fame around the time I made my wish, so I don''t know much about her. Only that shees across a legacy ss and weapon. She did a good job hiding any information other than that. I look at the clock and notice that its around 3 am. I still haven''t fed myself yet so that might be a good idea. "I''m going to make some food. Do you guys want any? I haven''t eaten in awhile so I''m famished." I''m sure they are hungry as well. Instead of a response, mom jumps up and joins me in the kitchen. I don''t remember thest time I actually cooked food with mom. I''m really d that I wont lose her like I did. "I''m thinking chili cheese dogs. That sound alright to you mom?" I turn to my mom waiting for an answer. She gives me a big loving smile that I really missed after she left, something I didn''t appreciate enough. "I think that''s an amazing idea sweetie. Your father and I haven''t eaten since breakfast so I''ll be sure to make double the hotdogs." I guess that means I''m on chili duty, I think that we have everything squared away. Mom on the other hand wants dad in on this as well. "Honey, I want you to grade the cheese. Make sure you make a big pile." I cant help feeling happiness and butterflies, I''m getting to make 3 am chili cheese dogs with my mom and dad. This feels like a dreame true and I have every intention of preserving this happiness for my family. While the Adamo''s make up for lost time there is a meeting happening between the investors and Jericho. I know why they are confused, they don''t have a thorough understanding like Xander and I. They are just people who wanted to make money from our inventions and innovations. You could call them greedy, but at this point we are all in the same boat. "We have less than 60 days to get as many gaming pods to the people as possible. I know that this has turned into a major disappointment, but this is bigger than us now. If we want to save as many people as we can we need to pull all our resources together and put money out of our minds. People don''t know it yet, but it no longer holds any value." Many of the holograms that are here at this meeting are looking down in disbelief. I would have that reaction to if I was in there shoes, in a way I am. Its just different for me since I''m prepared for the change. Many understand and nod their heads, all the holograms go dark and I''m left alone in the meeting room. "I''m sorry bro...." I feel like I failed to finished my brothers dream and now I have failed the world. More and more people will get on Ancients World, but we will also lose many who cant. The projected casualties are in the billions. 60 days isn''t enough time to get everyone at least a character, nothing here will remember us. If only there was a way to set up convention centers filled with gaming pods so people can make a character. If we did do this many would go digging into the actual truth, and if the real truth got out there would be chaos. I pray that the projection is wrong, but the homeless and extremely poor is something that cant be helped at this point. I should check in with my family, in theing 2 months I won''t have that much time with them. Chapter 65: The journey to Zenith city III

Chapter 65: The journey to Zenith city III

{Now that a new kingdom ising into existence it needs a name! The top liked name in the PARAGRAPH COMMENTS will be selected, feel free to give any suggestions! I also want to thank everyone for showing support to the story!} I wish I had more of these moments growing up with them, it serves as a good reminder of what I''m fighting for. I look over at mom and dad and they are doing their parts at making thiste night snack. Dad has graded plenty of cheese and now they are just standing side by side watching the hot dogs boil in the water. They are silent as they stand together, I can see their lives are much better now. Mom looks younger and dad no longer has a strained face, I''m d that baldness doesn''t run in the family. Despite the stress and hard work dad has put in he still has a full head of hair. I look down at my pot of chili and can smell its enticing aroma of slight spice. It looks done and ready to be eaten, I look back over at mom and dad and she is pulling out 6 hotdogs. My math skills tell me that''s 2 for each of us, I turn off the oven top and ce the pot on a cooler burner. "The chili is all done, I''ll grab the hotdog buns and we can start to dig into the grub. The longer I wait the hungrier I get." I can feel my stomach rumbling at the sight and scent of food. Chili and hotdogs is one of our favorite foods since its so cheap, thinking about it mom went and bought all our usual stuff and only got some expensive foods. I guess she cant bring herself to spend good money on unnecessary food. I grab the hotdog buns and some tes, but before I can do anything more mom scoots me out of the way. "You two can go back to the couch, I''ll take it from here. I don''t want you making a mess of my beautiful kitchen by spilling chili all over it." No point in arguing with her, in the end she is right. I would have made a mess since I''m so hungry and dad is just like me. I look over to my dad and he shrugs his shoulders and heads back to the couch. I look back to mom and she is holding a metal spoon to spread the chili with, but right now she is looking at me to make sure I don''t try anything funny. As the Adamo''s sit down to have a deliciouste night snack, the kingdoms in Ancients World are in chaos. The reason why is because a new kingdom is being formed and developed, and this new kingdom has a direct connection to the son. Many of Ancients World officials are specting who knows the identity of the son, the church has already begun to openmunications with this new kingdom. There is a meeting between the church and the remaining aligned kingdoms. The first to speak at this meeting is The Pope. I walk up to the center stage and look at the empty chairs that surround me, I have failed in my duty as The Pope. My legacy will be one of mockery and shame, all I can hope to do now is undo the damage I have done. "We all know why we have gathered here today. There is a new kingdom being developed between the borders of Vedersfall and Zenith. While having them join us as all other kingdoms have, I havee to another conclusion." The decision that I havee to will upset many, but the church is no longer what it once was, and that me falls on me. "From this day forward the church will no longer crown kings and queens, that will be left to all of you and your citizens." The silence immediately breaks and I hear whispers of why this is happening, I have found that the church has to much power. This is one of the reasons the coalition happened, they were tired of the church telling them what to do. I have not discussed this with anyone and this is the first I''m announcing it. I look over to the youngest of my friends and I can see the betrayal in her eye''s. Lucy may never understand my decisions, but they are for the better of everyone. "The church will no longer have any political power in kingdoms, and for thest point. The search for The Son of Arch-Angel Michael will be the churches sole responsibility. You are free to do what you wish from now on, and please spread this news to the coalition. They deserve to know that they have been heard." I wanted to address that point of interest first. Now on to the second subject for the day. Now that the kingdoms are free of our demands andws we are also free of some responsibilities. We no longer need to have soldiers stationed across the continent and the people who follow the church will see this as a new opportunity. "The church will no longer provide financial aid to countries, and we are pulling our soldiers from their positions. You are now responsible for your own protection and finding better ways to stimte your economy." Many did not like that financial aid is being taken away. If you want the bad taken away, you need to sacrifice some of the good. I have a terrible feeling that this meeting is going to besting for a long time. As the meeting continues in the holy city, others are also trying to improve lives. One of these people being Wilted Rose, the tournament is just in its beginning stages and everyone knows they have a long way till this whole ordeal is over. Wilted Rose is currently speaking to her investors about the recent sh in gaming pod prices. I''m not surprised they woulde to me when all of their money disappears, investing in bleeding edge tech is only profitable for so long. I''ll admit that this behavior is strange, J&X Inc. aren''t by any means stupid. So it does beg the question on why this is happening. I listen to the investors bicker amongst themselves, I didn''t know that finding out who lost the most money can be turned into apetition. I raise my hands to quiet them down some, after a few seconds the arguing stops and I''m left to speak. "You aren''t the only guild investors going through this. All investors in the top guilds have lost huge amounts of money, so there is no reason to be mad at each other. This is something no one could have foreseen, whatever J&X is doing is not something good. Something happened at J&X for sure, we don''t even know if this is the end of the changes." Many have pained faces at my words, for all their money. The only thing they can do is wait, its kind of sad if you look at it from the perspective I am. My guild and I remain unaffected by this, as do the yers in my guild. The only things we lose out on is extra money we weren''t going to spend. I don''t know what the future holds for the billionaires that invested in this endeavor, but I''m sure they will demand blood from J&X. Everyone is going to want their pound of flesh from the ones that caused their pain and suffering. "The best advice I can give is buy a gaming pod and start ying Ancients World, J&X Inc. did this for a reason and its obvious. For some reason they are making sure as many people are ying as possible. I wouldn''t want to find out why after the truth is revealed." Its the conundrum of rather be prepared and it not happen than not be prepared and it happen. In this case we don''t even know what ''it'' is so the only move to make is prepare. I take a slight sigh and look upon these men in pity, they will need to learn how to y. The economy on a global scale is falling apart, I wouldn''t be surprised if J&X have to report to the UN. While this is happening to every guild that has investors I can see the problem that J&X is going to face, the only ones that can save J&X is the world government. As Wilted Rose further exins the situation Cera and his parents are watching breaking news as they devour chili dogs. I''m eating chili cheese dogs with my parents at almost 4 am. Talk about a great night, as I enjoy watching the mess of food on my mom and dads face my attention is drawn away from them by the news alerting with breaking news. "In a shocking development the stock market has taken the biggest hit since the reformation of currency. This has lead to any people in debt or having loans to lose everything, many of the middle and lower ss is now poverty stricken. Billions are calling for the responsible party, J&X, to be held responsible. This is a grim day for our world, I wish you all the best." I can feel the tensenessing from mom and dad, they have nothing to worry about anymore. All their debts and loans are paid for, and we are no longer lower ss. I''m sure if this was a few weeks ago we would be homeless too. Chapter 66: The journey to Zenith city IV

Chapter 66: The journey to Zenith city IV

I bring my te to the kitchen since I''m the first one done with my food. Now that I''m good and full I can hop back on Ancients World, not needing to get off to sleep is an awesome thing. "I''m heading back upstairs, let me know if there is anymore news I should know about when I get offter." My parents are still enjoying their chili cheese dogs and watching the news. They both tell me goodbye and to have fun, I''m sure they will have a st ying all together today. I make my way upstairs and find that Hailey was listening to us have fun the whole time. I look at her with understanding, she must still feel bad about something. I don''t know much about women, but sometimes just being there to listen is all they want. I walk up beside her and look over the living room with her. "You know you''re a part of this family to, and that you can tell me anything." I wont force answers out of her, but putting that information in her head is a good thing. I don''t want her feeling alone and isted. She just stays silent as she watches mom and dad have fun andugh. "I really do hope you give Ancients World a chance Hailey, this is an opportunity to make up for all the missed moments as a family. I get that being an actress is your dream, but the world is changing. I don''t think actors and actresses will have a ce anymore." She looks down in sadness from my words, the truthes in many forms. Its the truth that she can pursue her dream as much as she wants. Its also the truth that the job she''s chasing is not going to be around. Her eyes begin to water and her face scrunches up in emotional pain. Giving up or losing your dream is never easy, instead of just watching her cry I give her the best hug I can. She returns it with a tight grip I didn''t know she had. I just let her silently weep into my shoulder, I look down at our parents and see they are talking about other things. I just listen to my instincts and pick her up, I make my way to the stairs and take her downstairs. My parents notice me and mom is the first to get up and rush over to make sure everything is alright. "She is okay, I just think she needs some family time with you guys. I found her upstairs watching us, think you guys can stay upter and hang out with her?" Dad walks over and takes Hailey out of my arms, she is still silently crying. He takes her back to the couch and sets her down, I look back to mom and I can tell she is also hurt. I don''t know why and I think it would be foolish of me to ask, I turn around and make my way to the stairs. Before I can make it I''m stopped by my mom and hugged from behind. I guess I did something right, she lets me go and I head back up to my bedroom. Instead of hopping on Ancients World immediately I check the forums to see if there is any information about what''s happening. I don''t find anything on the top thread because they are all about things the yers care about. I click on the news tab of the forum and see different post about what I need. One draws my attention more than anything. It talks about theories on what''s happening at J&X, and I must say there are some oundish ims as well as some sound ones, but none of them correspond with the decision making at J&X. Focusing on this is giving me a headache so that''s enough news for one day. I make my way into my gaming pod still in my pajamas and I load into Ancients World. I wake up in the same ce that I logged off. Time to cover ground, I can make a lot of progress before everyone who got a gaming pod starts making new characters. I cant help myself at being annoyed that I have to travel such a long distance without a mount. This is what its like for everyone though, the beginning levels are the hardest since we cant get around so well. I wont lie, my desire for wings is beginning to be a need in my mind. This is a quest that I know nothing about and it could prove impossible for all I know. Some of the quests you can get in Ancients World are like that, even tier up quests are like that. That lore tablet is looking better and better, I have to make a decision on what I want to use it on. I can ask for the solution to my tier up quest and get my wings, or I can wait and use it for the divine mana aura. In the long run the mana aura is what should be my top priority. I just cant stop thinking about how convenient wings will be for me. I should just wait and see, if pushes to shove I''ll use it for my tier up quest. If I end up fighting bosses I cant hope to beat on my own I still have Fenrir I can call on. I finish packing up my camp and continue making my way to Nelmorp, I run at the highest speed I can that doesn''t exhaust me. Traveling through these vast woods and t ins is a serene solitude that I didn''t know I needed. I''m happy that I get to be the first to tier up, I need to be careful in the capital however. If people find out who I am they can put the dots together. After about an hour of traveling I listen to a world announcement that is bound to make things harder for everyone and everything. [World-wide Announcement: The orcs and non humanoid creatures havee to an alliance! War on the same scale as the great war ising! All humanoid creatures are performing an emergency meeting in the neutral Holy City! The coalition and the church are putting aside their differences and are preparing for the uing war!] The announcement rings out for the usual duration and I can say in all honesty that this might turn out bad for the NPC''s, but great for the yers. This means the country of the elves and other humanoid beings like them areing together for this war, this hasn''t happened in centuries. I bet once the war officially starts the system will tell us what level we need to be to participate, I''m sure the people fighting against the non humanoids will wee immortal fighters. The yers will be treated as expendable and put on the front lines, which is what yers want since they get ess to experience. As Cera travels to the city of Nelmorp to met up with his family, there is an emergency meeting between all the humanoid beings. This is a first since the great war, and all the leaders here stand to lose a lot. The first one to start this meeting is The Pope. I cant say I expected them to rally their forces so soon. Many old enemies are gathered here together, the one I''m wary of is the elves. There was a massive war between humans and elves at one point, and many don''t wish to let that go. Despite the centuries of peace, I wait for all the conversations to die down before I begin speaking. "Now that the orcs have rallied the entire non humanoid poption in favor of war, now is the time for all of us toe together and defend our races." Many nod and agree with my words, its an obvious fact that genocide will ur if the orcs and their armies win. It helps that nobody in this room is on remotely good terms with the orcs, that means every race in this meeting is a target. I look at the fairies and I can tell that they are the ones that are going to be the hardest to convince, with Fenrir defending their country they have no need to join our war. "I want to start off by saying now isn''t the time to dwell on past aggressions, today is the day wee together and faces this evil head on." I can see my fellow humans are in agreement with me, but the Elven Queen Syndra Rozeiros is not expressing anything. I''m about address the goals this council needs to fulfill, but I''m interrupted by said queen. She stands up and takes the stage along with her 2 warrior princess daughters. I''m not going to stop her from speaking, this is a ce of discussion after all. "I just want toy the stakes for the elves cooperation, since we stand to lose the most from this war I want a reward for our involvement. The non humanoid and monster races love our females, we will lose countless innocents to this war." I can see where she ising from, I''m sure that whatever she requests can be fulfilled. What I hear next puts anger in me. "The price for our cooperation is The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. Once his identity is revealed the country of the elves will take him to marry one of my 2 daughters." I''m about to stand and object, but Lucy beats me to it. She stands and jumps on the stage with a type of fury. "SUCH INSOLENCE!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE EVEN SAYING!!!" The Saintess draws her sword ready forbat, and as do the 2 daughters of Syndra. I get up and ce myself between them, I have a feeling that this meeting is going to be a lot of headaches from the elves. All I can do is listen and try to answer their demands, but the son is absolutely something that cant be given away. Its a great offence to even talk about such a being as if he is a bargaining chip. Saintess Lucy calms down and sheaths her de. That''s one problem fixed, I now turn my attention to the elven queen. "It is foolish of you to presume that such a demand can be fulfilled, the son isn''t some object to be given away. You are lucky you don''t share the same fate Harold Marcus the II did." The queens graceful face turns extremely sour, this is the first time I have seen her face change. I would count her lucky that The Almighty Father didn''t punish her like Harold, only confirms the rumors that she is protected by some deity. Whatever deity it is probably took a lot of punishment for what she just said, that''s probably why her face went sour. I''m growing tired of this meeting already and it isn''t even close to being over yet either. Chapter 67: The journey to Zenith city V

Chapter 67: The journey to Zenith city V

I''ve been moving at a good pace all night, the sun is just starting to rise here in Ancients World. That means its also morning in the real world. yers will be logging on and starting their daily grind, while the newer yers from the discounted gaming pods start their journeys as well. Once I''m done with my tier up quest and start my divine mana aura quest I''ll need to take a detour to upgrade my armor. This armor was handy in the beginning, but with so many powerful skills I don''t need to focus on defense. I can get a specialized armor, specialized armors are special in the fact that they raise unique stats that you cant invest in. I have knowledge of a good set that willst me till I''m level 135, but as I am now I''m not strong enough to get it. Despite my great stats and gear, there are creatures that will stomp me into the ground. Itsmon knowledge that if you fight something to high of a tier than you, no amount of great gear or skills will save you. Wilmer has 14 billion health, but he is a human mage. If I were to see the stats of another boss or elite creature with the same level he had their health would be exponentiallyrger. I shouldn''t fight anything over tier 2 until I have my mana aura, I still run the risk of losing out on it if I fail so I should stop talking like I already have it. I''m brought out of my thoughts as the sun is beginning to peak over the rolling hills in front of me. Instead of worrying about my future obstacles I find some high ground and watch a beautiful morninge over Ancients World, the season is early winter here. The continent that I spawned on is much warmer during the winter. It never gets to cold here and that''s something that I like. Other continents have snow and cold weather by now, I''m sure the yers on the EU continent are freezing, the Russian continent is probably in the middle of multiple blizzards. The oceans and sky are the only ways to get to other continents, teleporters don''t have the insane range that is needed to cross ocean distances. Thinking about it, once I have my wings I''ll be able to go to another continent if I want. I shouldn''t speak to soon though, I''m sure there is a requirement to use the wings, I bet it will slowly drain my mana. I could be wrong though, having something like angel wings to attack, defend, and fly seems to go to be true without some prerequisite. In a few hours mom and dad will be getting on with Hailey and Marcus after the ZZR''s are set up. I''m still a little over a day away from Nelmorp, but I should get there ahead of schedule. If I was bold enough to ask Fenrir for a lift I would be there by now, but that''s a serious abuse of power and I''m not the type to abuse power like that. It just isn''t my personality type, I prefer solitude and tranquility then what attention and power brings. A lot of peoples problems would be solved if you didn''t involve unnecessary people. I''m sure that I cant have solitude forever, but I will enjoy it while I still have it. I sit down instead of stand to enjoy the amazing view, I wonder what others are doing in the cities now that more and more yers are spawning in. The beginner cities have capacities that reach into the 10s of millions, but I wouldn''t be surprised if it became to full in some ces. The NPC''s are sure to be put into a foul mood with all the yers that are arriving, they still call us new people though. I heard that some yers exined what we really are and the NPC''s called us idiots, its safe to say that they refuse the concept of our origins. As Cera watches the sunrise for a little longer before continuing his journey many of said upset NPC''s are on the verge of anger induced murder, especially the guards who patrol the cities the yers frequent. In the capital city Zenith there is a private conversation happening, and this conversation is about is the son. The one speaking is the exiled blind priest Sam, he is currently being interrogated by the church of the dark ones followers. I cant believe they think I know the sons identity, I''m blind for gods sake even if I did know who he was I wouldn''t have any useful information. My captors are talking amongst themselves about what to do with me. I''vee across valuable information though, one of their dark priest was told that the son ising to Zenith for me. While I''m honored I doubt that I''ll live long enough to meet him. Who I assume is the ring leader here approaches me. "Since you haven''t met the son yet that means he hasn''t arrived. You have 2 options old man. You can either help us capture him, or you can die now while we wait for him toe to us." I''m about to refuse and ept death, but I''m stopped as I sense a change in the environment it feels like everything has misced its self. If only I could see I wouldn''t have a problem, I voice out and try to see of my captures are still here. "Are you lowlifes still there?" No response, all I hear is nothing absolutely nothing. I start to hear heavy footsteps and the slight clinking of armor. "Who''s there?" I cant help feeling fear at the strength this person is giving off. The footsteps stop and I hear the faint pping of wings as my binding is undone. I try to feel around and now that I can no longer hear the pping of wings, sound returns around me. I hear birds chirping and feel the wing blow against my face. I cant stop my confusion at what is going on. I''m brought out of my confusion by a voice I haven''t heard in a long time. "Big brother? If you were stopping by you should have said so!!" I hear the voice of my little brother and I know that my little brother is one of the farmers here in Zenith. I was no where near him when I was captured. "Here, let me help you inside. Ve is making a roast and I''m sure the kids would love your visit." Instead of worrying how I got here I should just enjoy the fact that I''m safe and with family. Thank you Almighty Father for protecting me. If your grandson is to find me I will surely be ready. While Sam is findingfort in the safety of his family, the captors have no idea what happened. Sam was in front of them 1 second and then he wasn''t. However no one is as confused as Cera. He is currently on him way to Nelmorp. Why did everything freeze, the leaves blowing in the wind and the birds flying all just stopped. It was like time froze or something, I''ve never seen such a thing in my life. There is also no notification from the system about what just happened. It didn''t feel like someone used magic on me, and I would''ve sensed an enemy. Talk about weird, maybe it was a glitch in the system. Since its already passed no sense in worrying about it, but I should be smart about this and be on the cautious side. I''ll be extra vignt in case I do have a problem that I don''t know about. I continue making my way to Nelmorp going over valuable information in my head. I have a long travel and refreshing my information is probably a good idea to get through the monotony. I travel all day and soon night begins to approach, I should be about 10 hours away from Nelmorp at this point. I''m very hungry so I get to a safe ce on some high ground and set up camp. I log off and hop out of my gaming pod. Unknown to Cera, a world announcement goes off a few minutes after he leaves. [World-wide Announcement: The orc armies and their allies have begun to move! The first city on their list is the closest kingdom of Alsoma! All humanoid races have joined into an alliance and are preparing for theing war! Once yers reach level 50 tier 1 they can participate!] yers all across Ancients World cheer at the idea of getting to fight in a war of this scale, and even the new yers who are just starting are motivated to level up so they don''t miss out on the experience and items that will potentially drop. The NPC''s on the other hand are dreading thising war, they aren''t immortal like the yers are after all. Chapter 68: The journey to Zenith city VI

Chapter 68: The journey to Zenith city VI

It really does feel like a waste using a whole day to travel, but I''m out of Ancients World right now. I head downstairs to see if anyone else is off. It isn''t the dead of night likest time so I wouldn''t be surprised if Marcus is making it harder for everyone to leave. I bet he is having a st, he is to young physically to be a weapons wielder so the game will automatically make him a magic user. He will probably be the only magic user in our family, I know the location of some pretty good epic and legacy magic sses. When I meet up with them in Nelmorp I can tell them all where they can find great sses. I look around the living room and I notice that nobody is here, I''m kind of surprised that Hailey isn''t the first one off. She must be having more fun than she thought she would, when I get the chance I should tell them where to level up and grind in their area. I''ll admit that having my family be strong gives me a permanent group of allies that I don''t have to worry about betraying me. While Cera sits on the couch and rxes for awhile his family are having there own adventure. The entire family is almost together here, 2 out of 3 are here with me, and my husband is doing his best to teach Marcus how his magic ss works. Its funny watching the confusion and frustration on my husbands face, Marcus isn''t great at exining how his skills or magic ss works. I look over to my daughter and I notice that she is having funny learning how to wield a rapier. She chose a weapon of elegance because she thought it fit her yers look, even though they look exactly the same. I make my way over to her and see how well she is going, she is catching on way faster than Chris and I did. I shouldn''t be surprised, kids these days pick up on technology faster than it takes to brew a cup of coffee. "I''m really happy you decided to join us Hailey. I feel like this is a chance for our whole family to get closer. All we have to do now is wait for Cera to get here." Hailey stops practicing with her weapon and skills. She turns to me with a smile I haven''t seen her wear in a long time. I wish I could have given all my children a better life growing up, this doesn''t make it up in my mind. In theirs I think they are just happy that our lives are better. My happiness is because of my oldest son, Cera really turned out great and I couldn''t be prouder. Hailey sheaths her weapon and rxes. "I can see why Cera loves this game so much, thanks for convincing me toe with you guys. I think our little group will be one that remains in our hearts for the rest of our lives." I haven''t heard Hailey say something like that in a very long time. I really need to set some time aside for me and Cera so I can find out what''s going on in his life. When I think about it I don''t know anything about my sweet boy. I don''t like ying favorites, but Cera was my first son. After the incredible task of raising Hailey, raising Cera was much easier. He was always so calm and sweet, and never did anything to cause me or his father trouble. Those are just some of the reasons he is my favorite, the biggest was hisck of demand for attention and toys. Ever since he could walk and talk I believed in my heart he knew how hard we had it, and he made it easier. I might be one of those moms that see things in my children that aren''t really there, but Cera proved it with his willingness to turn down the offer of a new toy. He was always fine with what we had. In my thoughts I hear my husband call out to me. "What''s wrong honey?" Ie out of my memories and notice plenty of tears streaming down my face. I guess I was a little more emotional then I thought. While the Adamo''s have family time and learn more and more about their new hobby. The infamouspany who made Ancients World is under a lot of fire right now. Jericho is currently talking with his long time business partner and friend about the state of the production for new gaming pods. Xander has always been my best friend and partner in crime since we were young, but with so many people breathing down our necks we cant help getting on each others nerves. This is one of those moments, I ask my old friend an unnecessary question and his response is much more mature than my mood right now. "There was no way to prevent this from happening, something in Ancients World change and it affected Angelus. So I don''t know why you feel the need to me me." Xander is not in a right mindset and I''m not either. This has brought some serious tension to everyone in thepany. I''m not mad at him and he isn''t mad at me, just when there''s a crisis you cant help it. He looks at me and understands that I''m not mad. Asking him if it was preventable was a stupid question. "Sorry about that Xander, I''m not myself right now. Now that the government is knowledgeable about what''s going to happen we can increase productivity. The projected deaths have gone down by considerable numbers, but it still keeps me up when I get chances to sleep." I haven''t had a full nights rest since this all started to happen. I feel like I''ve aged 10 years, thank god I don''t look it. We both stare at the screen and see that Angelus is ying the silent game still, she only responds when she wants to. I always wanted her to have independent thoughts and emotions, I didn''t think it would turn out like this though. "Its okay Jericho, I''d be the same way if I was dealing with the UN instead of Angelus. You are better at politics than I am so this the best situation for both of us. In news to top off this horrible day Angelus has been drawing power to facility AW for some reason, we cant ess the interior or get eyes on the inside. All we know is she is using the machines located on site to create something." This was never something that was foreseen by our equations and scientists, Omega Course is the final oue. She is doing things to make it harder to prevent the due date though. We still only have 58 days to prepare for the collision. We were hoping to extend that time, but that isn''t possible either. The only option on the table is create the gaming pods and get them out. While this is happening at J&X the Adamo family is getting off for the day. The first one out of her pod is Violet, she is followed by her husband and Marcus as well. Hailey decided to stay on for a little while longer. I look over to my husband and watch him stretch to loosen up his body, I''m pretty hungry so I pick up Marcus and make my way to the living room. On my way there I can smell bacon and pancakes, looks like Cera got off before we did. He was even nice enough to start making food for us, I set Marcus on the couch and head into the kitchen to make sure he didn''t burn any of the food. Once inside the kitchen I notice he is doing an amazing job, I never taught him how to cook. "Where did you learn to do this Cera, I''ve never seen you cook food for anyone before." I cant help feeling a little left out, I''ve always wanted to teach 1 of my kids something. Now an option is off the table with Cera. He focuses on the bacon and takes a second before he answers. He turns the oven top down a little to let the bacon sizzle and then moves onto the pancakes. He picks up the spat and proceeds to flip the pancakes as he answers my question. "I learned it in school mom. I had a culinary arts ss as an elective. I learned a lot about cooking in that ss." He never told me he had a ss that taught him that, I had the same ss in high school myself. That''s the ss where I first met Chris, he helped me reach the utensils that were ced in high ces. I walk up beside him and check the quality of his food, its looks very good. "Why didn''t you tell me you had a cooking ss! I could have helped you with assignments and stuff!" He looks at me with one raised eyebrow and sighs. I wont lie that did annoyed me, but I cant get over my disbelief at this secret he was keeping from me. He goes back to the bacon and puts the finished ones on a te and puts new ones on. He turns it back up and then begin to cook. "You never asked mom...." I''m hit hard with extreme pain and hurt. I surely asked him about.... What about.... I.... I don''t know anything about his hobbies or who he really is now that he is a young man. I feel tears and hurt overwhelm me fast. As the tears begin to fall and soon my sweet boy notices. "What''s wrong mom? Did you burn yourself or something?" I''m not even listening to him right now, I''m going through all my memories of my kids and when Cera started going to school I stopped showing any deep concern or interest for him. Even though I did this he still treats.... I''M A FAILURE OF A MOTHER!!! While Violet has a nervous and teary breakdown Cera is more than confused. Soon his fatheres intofort his wife in whatever she is going through. Chapter 69: The journey to Zenith city VII

Chapter 69: The journey to Zenith city VII

{I''m going to start working on my past tense and present tense sentence structures, only one person I know of has a problem. It is a good point though, I want this story make sense structure wise. I don''t make to many of these mistakes, but they shouldn''t happen at all. So please mark any of the past tense used in the wrong way for me, I know I cant get them all.} They both smell and look ready to eat, I don''t know what''s wrong with mom at the moment. She just came into the kitchen and started crying, maybe itsdy problem. I fix myself a te of pancakes and bacon and make my way to the living room. I sit on the couch with the steaming food and look at the rest of my family. "The foods done so you guys can have some. Its not as good as moms, but its edible." I pick up the remote as my sister and brother go into the kitchen to get tes for themselves. I turn on the news station and see that its on anothermercial break, since there is no news at this second its time to dig in. I wield my fork and butter knife and I cut into the fluffy pancakes, they don''t taste as good as moms. They are nice though, easy to eat and have a good vor. As I munch down on my food I can feel a reing from somewhere, I look to the only people near me at the moment and I see the gaze of my mother. She has red puffy eyes and looks like she wants to ask me something. "What? If you have any questions for me I might be able to answer them, I do know a lot about Ancients World." My mom seems to get mad at my reaction, she gets up and walks up beside me. I have a bad feeling about this. "I''m sorry?" I might as well pre-emptively apologize. I watch her sit next to me and bare a look of sadness, mood swing much mom. She takes a shaky sigh and clutches her knees till her knuckles get white. "I''m sorry that I haven''t spent a lot of time with you Cera. I''vee to realize that I haven''t invested any quality time with you, I just learned that you could cook for yourself for gods sake. If you want we can go and do something together, I want to know things about you that I don''t know." I guess she thinks she failed somehow. I don''t know why she thinks like this, she has made my life great. I learned that hard work is what''s needed to make things work, watching her and dad gave me the principles and morals to be who I am. I just didn''t implement them till they were gone, and I was alone with Marcus. I don''t want to reject her request to hang out, but I have things to do in Ancients World. It feels horrible to put a game above spending time with your mom, but if I want to protect my family I need strength. I know she isn''t going to like my answer. "Sorry mom, but I got important things to take care of in Ancients World. We can hang out a little when I meet you guys in Nelmorp, but I don''t have the time outside of the game." I watch her face go from hopeful to heartbroken, I feel even worse now. She looks ready to start crying again, I''m about to say something else. She gets up and leaves the living room in a calm manner before I can say anything else. I look over to my dad and I can tell by the look on his face that I made the wrong y. In hindsight it was a mean and cruel thing to do, but its not like I hate her. I don''t even think of her as a failure, and I didn''t feel neglected once growing up. I felt loved and cherished growing up, I don''t know where she got the idea that she didn''t invest time with me. "You know you screwed up Cera, I''ll go talk to her this time. When you screw up again it will be your turn, and you will screw up. You can count on that." I watch dad get up and head the same direction mom went. I''ll find some time for mom, either in Ancients World or in the real world. I turn my attention back to the T.V. and its still onmercial break. I wonder why this one is so much longer than the others, I start to eat my food again and I hear footstepse out of the kitchen. I see Hailey carrying a te of food for Marcus and her. She sits down next to me and starts watching themercial to. I turn my attention back to the T.V. and wait for the news to turn back on. "I''m surprised that you can be so dumb when you have proven to be very smart. Looks like your the fool this time around, even though I''m the one that drives mom crazy. I''m not stupid enough to do that." I don''t know if she believes those words or not, because she has been that stupid. I turn my head to her and give her a questioning look. "Okay, maybe I have been that stupid, but you shouldn''t. Your her favorite after all." I don''t take mom as the one to choose a favorite, if she did she hides it very well. I wonder why Hailey is talking to me about this, I have helped her in the past. She isn''t the one to repay that though, well I''m thinking of the old Hailey. This Hailey sure has changed, and I should listen to what she has to say. "If you have advice then go ahead and tell me, but I doubt it will be sound. You have proven to be the biggest fool in this house." She lightly socks my shoulder and I release a chuckle. I miss these moments with Hailey, she taught me a lot about life. Even though it was indirect, she still taught me none the less. She takes a few bites of food before she talks to me, fits her personality to make me wait. "When ites to mom asking you to spend time with her, its a bad idea to reject. She feels bad about something and wants to make it up, and now she feels like she''ll never get the chance. You owe her that much, she gave you life after all." I think that when someone should make something up, both parties need to agree. I don''t feel like mom needs to make anything up, and that should be enough. If she doesn''t get that, then its her own stubbornness getting in the way. As Hailey is about to say something again the T.V. turns on and its in a breaking news segment. I hold up my hand to stop her, and I can tell that made her upset. I want to listen to the news though, so she has to take a backseat. "In a shocking development, the government is also helping in the mass production of gaming pods. Many don''t understand what''s going on, but the gaming pods being made by the government are also at a 95% discount. Even more people will join in theing days and weeks, and all this begs the question. What is really going on at J&X?" Hailey''s attention as shifted from me to the T.V. after hearing that as well. Now the government is helping J&X instead of questioning their actions, this reeks of hidden truths and deceptions. Anyone with a brain can deduce that whatever is happening at J&X will affect the people, if it didn''t they wouldn''t be trying to get so many gaming pods out for practically nothing. Hailey has lost interest in talking to me about mom, she is more concerned about this new development. "What does that mean? I thought the government would punish J&X for destroying most of the economy. This doesn''t make sense." I should give Hailey more credit after her observation, I didn''t think her observation and deduction would be that good. Runs in the family I guess. I don''t have a solid answer, but whatever the reason isn''t a good one. To get the cooperation of the world government means something big is happening. I have lost my appetite after this, I set my food on the coffee table and lean back in the couch. "I don''t know Hailey, whatever is going on isn''t something the public is going to find out. If the government doesn''t want us to know then we wont. The only thing I can say for certain is that it has to do with Ancients World, its a good thing our family is already on." For all the knowledge I have of the future, this has never happened. Nothing of a simr course urred like this, which means this is also my fault. The only thing that has changed in this timeline is me and my actions, which means this is all because of me. "Make sure all of you get as high of a level as you can in Ancients World. I have a bad feeling about this." I don''t want to think of my family being in danger because of my actions, why didn''t this happen when Blue Chaos was the one wielding my ss. It makes no sense. I should make sure mom and dad know what''s going on, they need to be aware as well. Chapter 70: The journey to Zenith city VIII

Chapter 70: The journey to Zenith city VIII

{I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. The ones after this get dark, so if you scare or don''t want to read suggested forced violence then I''d advise not reading some parts of the next chapters. There wont be any R-18 scenes or the sort, just a dark reality of the war and the effect it has on NPC''s. I added humor to this chapter so enjoy it while you can. Some of the stuff in theing chapters are gut retching. I''ll mark the chapters that are considered dark with a # above it.} I get up from the couch and head to my mom and dads room, the closer I get the louder my moms sobbing gets. I soon make it to the door of their room and I hesitate like anyone would, hearing a parent cry is a hard things to listen too. I knock on the door gently, and I quickly hear the crying stop. "Who is it?" My dad is the one to answer since he is moreposed. I take a moment and say a silent prayer. I don''t want my mom getting her hopes up and then get crushed again, but I somehow feel that is unavoidable. I breathe a deep breath and slowly release it. "Its Cera, there is some important news about Ancients World and I thought you guys should know. The government is helping J&X instead of reprimanding them about the stock plummeting. I just wanted to let you guys know it might be a smart idea to get strong very fast in Ancients World. I don''t know how hard its going to be to level up with so many new yers." Now that I''ve finished saying my peace I shouldn''t disturb them anymore. "I''m heading back up to my room, I have things to do before the poption boom happens again." I turn away from the door and begin to walk away, I quickly hear loud running footstepsing from the other side of the door. I don''t know why, but I begin to run as well. I''m already at the start of the staircase when I look down the hall I just came from. I see the door swing open to reveal my mom. She darts her head over at me and I sense doom, I start running up the stairs and I hear her charge down the hall I just came from. "YOUR NOT GETTING AWAY TILL WE SPEND SOME TIME TOGETHER!!!" I begin to run faster and faster, I can see my door and I''m ovee with hope. I turn my head back and see mom at the top of the stairs where I just was. I turn my head back and I reach for my door and open it. I look at her and she no longer looks like my mom, more like a furious Tasmanian devil. I m the door shut and lock it, I hear her collide against my door banging on it. She is sounding exactly like Taz from those old vintage cartoons, I think they were called looney toons. I''m d that I found safety in my room, but the next time Ie out I''ll have to spend some time with her. She obviously needs it, I make my way over to my gaming pod as the banging on my door and the Taz like sounds continue. "Sorry mom, the next time I get off we can hang out!!" The banging and animal like noise gets even louder at that, disobeying her isn''t something I usually do. This is going to be one of the times, I have priorities to fulfill and goals to reach. She will understand once she gets to higher levels. When I meet up with them in Nelmorp I should be wary around her, her personality is not one you can anticipate. I get into my gaming pod and close my eye''s, soon the noise my mom is making fades and I wake up in the same tent I set upst night. I have 10 or so hours till Nelmorp, so I should make my way there. If I keep a good pace I''ll met up with them in the early morning if their on. I pack up my camp and put all my stuff in my inventory. After taking a deep breath and enjoying the air I take off at high speeds. While Cera travels for the night, there is a conversation between 2 powerful wielders of Legacy sses. Ghostzero is currently walking the path back to his home vige with his partner in crime Creatureman. We have been traveling for a few days now, Creatureman and I have ns to kill Clintock once and for all. Once we free Zelly and the town we can finally repay our debt to her. I wonder how she is doing after all these years. "Should we make a n or just attack him with ourbined efforts? Clintock has much more experience then we do with power of this magnitude." Creatureman has always been great with ns, while I''m skilled as well. He has a finesse that is needed forplex battles and jobs. So if either of us should n anything its him, I''m confident we can win either way. It reallyes down to how hard we want the battle to be, and I want to swiftly kill him and end all the suffering he''s caused. I won''t risk leaving him alive and I sure as hell wont risk Zelly''s safety. We havee to far to fail now. "I''ve been brainstorming ns, and I think I came up with a good one. We will need to pick up a mass mana suppression scroll first, as well as some mercenaries willing to risk their lives to make the n work." I don''t know exactly what he''s nning, but I can guess he wants to suppress Clintock and use the mercenaries as bait. That''s what makes the best sense, but he might have other things on his mind. We are walking through the forest of Sweet Leaves and we pass the asional merchant cart that does business with new fairy kingdom that has moved out here. "So do you really think we will see Fenrir? I heard rumors that he patrols the woods and guards the city most days." I cant hide the fact that I''m excited to go to the new fairy kingdom, and if I can I do want to meet Fenrir. A divine creature isn''t an existence you get to talk to everyday. My old friend just scoffs at my desire to meet the mighty Fenrir. If only he had some imagination he might find more joy out of life, but if I went through what he did I would be pessimistic as well. We travel for a couple more hours and we eventually see the massive gates and the huge walls of the fairy kingdom. There are armored guards with butterfly wings and dragonfly wings. If what I heard was true then the ones with butterfly wings are the females. I thinks its weird they have reproductive organs, but only the Holy Willow Tree creates new fairies. "Why do you think the reproductive organs don''t work on the fairies? With so many attractive females, you would think they would work." Creaturemanughs at my question, I know for a fact he doesn''t know either so there is no reason tough. We make it to the gate and wait in line to enter the city. "I''m sure you can ask someone here Ghostzero, they will be thrilled to answer such a question. I''m going to the magic district to pick up the mana suppression scrolls. I''ll meet you at the inn we heard about, spend some time having fun. Once we leave this city we are walking into battle." I''ll take his words to heart and enjoy myself here, with so many things to do there is bound to be some babes that would like to join me. Maybe I can get lucky and hang out with some fairy chicks. While Creatureman and Ghostzero are getting supplies and having fun in the fairy kingdom, the armies the orcs have amassed are marching to Alsoma. The king of Alsoma is currently talking to the Saintess Lucy about how much longer they have. "Please! You need to get here sooner! My scouts have reported they are less than 2 days out! We cant fight off a horde!" I get why he is scared, but we will get there in time. I''m the leader and best warrior of the church, our forces can take a small horde. I can see the great fear in him, a king my perfect ass. I''m sure if the treaty of humanoid races wasn''t signed he and his people would be doomed. "I told you my forces and I will be there in 12 hours time, using the teleport gates for so many troops takes time. Just keep fortifying defenses and sending out scouts, any information about their forces would be valuable." I turn off the hologram and sit in my chair. Talk about a fast moving enemy, this is a good chance to see the orcs army in action. Even if its a small piece of it, we can get a good idea about what we are up against. Unknown to Lucy, after she turned off the hologram a scout rushed into the war councils office. I run and run up the stairs to my kings war council, we are going to be attacked any minute now. Ourst scouts were killed and monsters used transformation magic to trick us. I push open the heavy door with fury and everyone looks at me. "MY KING! THE ENEMY IS HERE! WE WHERE TRICKED!" I look at the face of despair on my king. I''m ovee with a sense of defeat, if our mighty king is like this then what hope do we have. I spit on your name William Blomian the III, you never deserved that legacy ss. Chapter 71: The journey to Zenith city IX

Chapter 71: The journey to Zenith city IX

{I just want to let everyone know that The journey to Zenith city finishes around part 20, I''ve currently stockpiled a bunch of chapters and I do feel bad for only uploading 1 a day when I write 2 to 3. So if my story gets into the top 20 novels by Sunday morning I''ll release all stock piled chapters, by Sunday there will be 12 chapters in total. Thanks for your patience, I know some readers only want action and loot, and others want story and development. I''m doing my absolute best fulfilling both. The journey to Zenith city is a time I''m taking to develop characters and the plot, once Zenith city is reached the story will have better lore, characters, and plotlines. Thanks for reading!!!} Suddenly my hologram pad flickers back on and I see the staticky image of William. He is trying to say something, but there is to much interference. Soon the call cuts out and I''m left to my thoughts, he might have wanted to keep talking. We will be there soon, we have a few more gates to pass through and everything is going ording to schedule. I make my way out of my mobile tent and tell the soldiers carrying it to put me down, I need to speak to the leader of this city before we use the next gate. Nelmorp is a lovely city, but so many new people have been arriving that its making travel extremely difficult. The soldiers that are carrying my tent take a breather while I make my way to the mayors office. While Saintess Lucy makes her ns and prepares to mobilize her troops, Cera is minutes out from Nelmorp. I have made great time and the sun should be rising any minute now, Nelmorp is in view and I cant help my fear at seeing mom after I ran from herst night. It''s taken awhile to get here, but the vast majority of my journey is done. The capital is a day away from Zenith so I shouldn''t take long getting there once I''m done here. I travel for a little longer and I make it to the city gates, every yer in sight is wearing leather armor. Some are probably people wanting to hide their good gear, the copy paste feature works really well when you want to hide your value. Most yers only use the leather armor look so they don''t stand out, the more you stand out the bigger target you are for PKers. So anyone that wants to keep their items uses the copy paste system and makes their gear look low level. It really is a cool unspoken rule, keeps yer killings low as long as nobody uses inspect on you. I wait in line to get into the city, time passes and soon I''m at the guard who asks security questions. "State your reason foring to Nelmorp." This particr guard sounds very tired of dealing with us yers. I should make this quick it I don''t want to upset him. He looks at me with irritated eyes and rolls his wrist at me to tell me to hurry up. "I''m here to meet up with my family. I don''t have any other reason than that." He nods his head in a drone like manner and tilts his head for me to continue in. I walk in and I can see thousands of yers doing all sorts of things, its going to be difficult to find my family, but there is 2 things I need to handle before I start searching. The first thing I want to do is write a letter to Amelia again, I did promise that I would write any chance I got. I make my way to the beautifully decorated building, you can count on the church having the best buildings. I walk up to it and enter therge doors, there is some nuns and others church workers here and there. I make my way over the message area and pick up a piece of paper and a pen. I wonder if I should tell her I''m going to Zenith to do my tier up quest, I wouldn''t doubt she''ll ask me to swing by Blue Grass to say hello. After I''m done writing her a letter I need to head to the bank and get the gold that my shop has made. I should have umted 80 gold by now. I start writing and writing the updates about my journey. "I hope you and the orphans are doing well, I''ve been busy myself if you have heard the announcements from the churches. I wanted to let you know that I''m doing fine and I wasn''t hurt in my battle with the orcs. I want to give you a heads up that it might not be safe in Blue Grass if the orcs armies get to far. If that happens I''lle get you and the orphans and take you guys somewhere safe. Hopefully the war won''t progress that far, but be ready just incase. Let me know if you guys need anymore gold, I''ll send some if you want. -Signed Your Son" I pick up an envelop and neatly fold the message up, then I stick it in the envelop. I walk over to the magic delivery system and ce the destination to Blue Grass and recipient Amelia Zern. I watch the letter disappear in a sh of light and leave the slot I put it in. Now since that''s all handled I can head to the bank and fill my empty pockets, many of the yers who have been ying since the start have umted enough money to serve their needs. I will have money that I wont know what to do with. The bank is usually built close to the churches so people arepelled to donate, so it wont be to far. I make my way down themercial district and I can see a packed building, I look at its sign and it says bank. Looks like yers have already started the grind for currency, I''m impressed that so many are eager to level up and leave the starting city. I look at the packed ce and cant helpughing a little, yers are arguing with each other and hurling insults. Everyone wants some personal space in this small building, but you wont get any. I also make my way inside and see the stress on the bank tellers, this is probably a daily thing for them. I go to the back of a line myself and begin to wait for my turn. While Cera waits for the line to move, there is a bloody battle happening in Alsoma. The youngest princess of Alsoma, Princess Fiona, is locked in her room as she hears the guards fighting outside of her bedroom. Father ordered me to my room soon after the monsters arrived at our gates, I have heard screams and smelt fireing from outside the castle walls. Now I hear fighting in the hallway to my room, the guards are also fighting to defend me. If it were my order I would have sent them home to their families. There is no way we can beat a horde by ourselves. I hear the fighting and shing of weapons stop outside my room. ###WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW### I look into the mirror before my fate arrives, I wish I had the courage to end my own life. I don''t wish to die by my own hand, all I can do is force these monsters to kill me. Soon the door to my room opens and I hear the heavy footsteps of a monster, I turn to look at my doom and see a giant orc. I think I will end my life on second thought, I refuse to have that fate. I bare the dagger on my desk and go straight for my neck, however its stopped by an unseen force. "We can''t have the beautiful princess taking what''s ours." I hear a twisted voice from behind the orc and see some monster that can use magic. "She is all yours, just don''t do to much damage. General Eriz likes royalty." My skin crawls as the giant orc makes his way to me, I try and try to end my own life. The magic he used is stopping me however. Soon the orc is in front of me. He picks me up and tosses me on the bed while he rips my dress off, soon he undoes his loin cloth and a vile thing fills my sight. I can''t stop the tears from falling before my most valuable thing is taken. While Chaos and death ensue at Alsoma, the Saintess is currently talking to the mayor. "I get you want to use the teleporter Madam Saintess, but it needs to finish charging. It should be done in a few hours, just wait a little bit longer." I cant really force them to speed up this process, all I can do is wait. They have no control over the charging time so it isn''t their fault, we will be a few hourste. However its nothing to worry about. While the NPC''s do their normal things the yers hear a world announcement that is disturbing. [World-wide Announcement: The capital city Alsoma and its country has fallen! The monster horde has entirely decimated any resistance shown! The monster forces will have a boost in soldiers from the capture of woman used as reproductive cattle! The orcs armies and monster forces grow stronger!] ###END OF GRAPGIC CONTENT### There is no cheeringing from the yers, only quiet whispers that silently discuss the revolting reality that the war brings. Soon after the yers get notified the NPC''s get a magic announcement from the church. Countless NPC''s bring their hands together and silently pray for Alsoma and its people. Now that Alsoma has fallen, Saintess Lucy has a new mission. She is currently on her way back to the tent. I can''t believe we were tote, William said they were 2 days out. Not attacking right then and there, its only been a little bit since the hologram meeting ended. Now it makes sense why he tried to call back, they must have used some sort of magic to interfere with the transmission. Looks like we failed, I make my way back to the troops and prepare an new mission objective. I stand on my carriable tform and look out at my soldiers. "We just received terrible news, with the fall of Alsoma this bes a recon and rescue. No longer a defense, if we find any survivors be sure to use sleep magic on them. It''s more than likely any survivors will be traumatized. Get ready to move out in a few hours." I give my new orders and return into my tent, I guess no matter what we did we couldn''t save them. If I get a chance to exact revenge for the ones captured I wont hesitate, men cant understand what its like. I intend to save as many as I can, and I hope that I can save at least one. Chapter 72: The journey to Zenith city X

Chapter 72: The journey to Zenith city X

I listen to the announcement go off, looks like the kingdom of Alsoma has fallen, all the starting cities in that area are now unusable. The poptions of other starter cities will rise, and all the people who haven''t left the starting cities in Alsoma will be transported to a new random starting city till they can leave it. The armies of our adversaries are going to cause hell for awhile, I know I wont be strong enough to stop the army by myself and the best of the best yers are only around level 35 right now. When the yers begin to reach level 50 and do their tier up quests many will probably join the war, after they do their mana aura quests of course. So for now the NPC''s are on their own, and I''m sure a lot of powerful NPC''s will bing out of the shadows to make sure the humanoid race doesn''t die. I wouldn''t be surprised if Wilmer is already working on ns of his own, he is the leading magic user on defense magic. Many kingdoms will be seeking him out and offering huge rewards for his help. I have an idea of what I might be able to do to end this war, but I''ll need Fenrir''s help. A simple idea really, but I should sit and contemte on it. In the mean time I''m going to have to focus on other things, like getting to the front of this line. I don''t know how much longer everyone is going to wait for me, if only I could get to the front of this line faster. I look at the clock they have on the way and see that 30 minutes have passed and this line as barely moved. Being in a society has many disadvantages, one of them being lines. I cantin to much, I have a lot of great things going for me. I''ll sound like a spoiled child if I have all these great things and Iin about a line, and I don''t want to be that person. I should be getting a turn soon, so maybe I should think about something else. "You know, with your height I bet I wouldn''t have any problems with the quest I''m on." I suddenly hear a famine voice speak to me, I turn around to the voice and see no one. I look down and see a very short girl, she is shorter than my mom. She must be an extrovert starting up a conversation with a random person. I squint at her and she rolls her eyes in annoyance. "y along if you want this line to disappear." She whispers her reasoning to me, I think I get the n. She must want to talk about something that will get people to leave the bank. I nod my head slightly and cross my arms. "What kind of quest are you on? I doubt there is a quest that requires height." I might as well make it believable to the people listening, she doesn''t like my improvised thoughts. She goes on to exin in a medium to loud voice her quest is one anyone can finish with a huge reward, but since she is so short she cant climb the mountain the quest is located. She exins the terrain is to rough for her and that she had to abandon the quest, she made it sound convincing enough. At least to my standards, soon many of the yers dart out of the bank and the line disappears. Many of these yers must be new if they believed that pile of crap, I turn around without saying another word. "Hey! You could at least say thanks!" I ignore her and walk up to the teller, she goes to a new teller booth that opened up. I look at the male at the booth I''m at and he just sighs, must be because of my treatment towards her. She benefited just as much as I did, so I see no reason to talk further. Its dangerous getting involved with people who trick like that, even if its to get to the front of a line. I take a sigh and think maybe I was a little rude, no point saying anything now. "I''m here to collect funds from a shop I have. ounts name is yer Zern." The man goes into the back and does his business. In the meantime said girl looks over at me with the news of me owning a shop. I can already tell what''s about to happen, she is about to speak to me. Instead of letting her speak I give an answer fast. "No, I''m not adding you to my friends list. No, I don''t own a shop. Yes, you miss heard me. Now go back to minding your business and I''ll mind mine." I don''t feel bad for being rude earlier anymore, its obvious what she was going to ask. I look in her direction as the man is still gone and I see disbelief on her face. I guess she isn''t used to being treated like this, most men would do anything for a pretty gamer girl. I''m not one of those men, I couldn''t care any less than I do now about them. If I wanted to hang out with a gamer girl in game I would, I will not stoop to the level of worshipping them. I believe men should be more sophisticated than that. "You are one of the meanest people I have ever met! Why would you treat a beautiful young woman like that! Did your mother not teach you how to treat a woman!" This noisy girl is getting on my nerves, I just sigh and ignore her again. That seems to make her mad even more, I guess she is one of those that want a reaction. Soon my telleres back with 2 heavy sacks of gold. "You have 88 gold pieces ready to take, let me know if there is anything else you need help with." I take the sacks of gold and ce them in my yer inventory. "Please feel free to bring your requests back!" I walk off as the teller tries to retain a wealthy customer in me, no sense in staying here any longer. Time to go meet up with my family, however as I''m about to leave I''m stopped by the same annoying girl holding me by my left arm. If this wasn''t a city I would end her right now, to bad the guards will throw me in jail till she respawns and gets her stuff back. I look her dead in the eye with anger, she quickly lets go andposes herself. "I wont let you leave till you apologize to me. You are obviously much higher level than I am and if you don''t want to apologize then help me with something." I turn around and leave, this type of person is the most troublesome. They bring nothing other than headaches and problems. "If I ever get strong enough to beat you up, you can be sure I''ll pummel you!" I make my way to the area that has the cheapest things for sale, this is where most new yers hang out. The rest of my family is sure to be here. After I walk around for a little while I notice the familiar face of my sister, at least I found one of them. "Hey sis, seems like I found you." She jumps in surprise since she was window shopping some fancy clothes that you see noble women wear. She turns around and gives an annoyed look, always the jumpy one. "Didn''t mean to scare you. Where is everyone else?" She takes her attention off of the dresses in the windows and turns to me. I think she is still upset with me about giving her a spook. "They are at the local cksmith looking at prices. I came here because there is no way we can afford that gear with our measly funds, it feels just like when we were poor." I guess that would be a feeling thates back, being poor bes sour once you experience being rich. I''m d that they are looking at the most important things in cities. "C''mon, I was done here anyway. I can show you around town on our way to them." I can''t remember thest time I got to do something like this with Hailey. I hold out my elbow in a gesture for her to grab it, I don''t want any horny men thinking they can just talk to my sister. "I think that''s a great idea Hailey." She grabs my elbow and holds it with a smile. "Don''t worry, I''ll keep the fugly ones away." I say this in a joking tone and it works rather well, my sisterughs a good amount. We soon travel around the city on our way to the cksmith to meet up with the other 3 members of our family, I''m happy that Hailey is having fun. To bad I wont be able to stay with them while they go on there own adventures, if I know Hailey she will eventually split up from mom and dad to do her own thing. That will only leave Marcus for my mom and dad to care for, and knowing her she will do it soon. Chapter 73: The journey to Zenith city XI

Chapter 73: The journey to Zenith city XI

Walking around Nelmorp isn''t something I did in my old future, if I actually invested in spending some time here I''d have learned that this city is pretty fun. The streets are packed with yers and people alike. Even though Ancients World isn''t as technologically advanced as ours, the few years yers were ying in Ancients World the tech made leaps and bounds. The airships in the capital cities along with merchant cities are one of the inventions that happened before we arrived. They are brilliantly creative in my opinion, other wonderful inventions wille to Ancients World in time. I always found it strange that airships were invented even though the teleportation grid existed. There is one problem with teleportation, only people of high level or the adventurers guild can use it. If merchants or regr people wanted to use it they would have to pay obscene fees. This is why the airship was invented, while not nearly as convenient its a cheap alternative to the teleportation gates. Speaking of said gates we areing up on one now, and there is a big crowd around it for some reason. None of the people around look like they can afford it, but they are there anyway. My sister also notices the big crowd and wants to take a gander. "In all the time I''ve been in Nelmorp, I''ve never seen so many people by the teleportation gate. Mom and dad checked the prices and said we will be walking everywhere for awhile, so I don''t understand why so many are around." Hailey is an observant one, she is right about the prices. We fully stop and I look at the tent that is being held up, the crest of the Saintess Lucy is on it. This gate must be part of a chain that heads to Alsoma. Seems that the church is tote as well, I wonder how many NPC''s have died in the kingdom of Alsoma. They are a smaller kingdompared to Zenith or Smander, so their poption is much lower. Zenith probably has around 100 to 120 million NPC''s, Alsoma would have around 20 to 30 million. The orc armies choose a much weaker target to get this war started, and now their forces will increase because of their evil methods of reproduction. If I do get a chance to end the war I will, but I don''t see that happening anytime soon. Killing 1 orc general is different then taking on multiple strong leaders that are several tiers higher than I am. I can honestly say that a world as hard as this one would bring much pain to the hearts of its people, and my world wouldn''t know that pain. Not on the scale its being presented, while I''m not a native of this world. I do love it very much, and I hate to see good people suffer from others random acts of evil. While in my thoughts I totally ignored anything that was going on around me, many people are cheering now and I don''t know why. I bring my focus off my thoughts and back to the situation. "I cant believe we got to see the Saintess! I cant wait to brag to the rest at the Inn!" I hearments like thise from both yers and NPC''s. No sense in staying any longer, whatever The Saintess and her forces are doing will be to hard for my help. I don''t want to risk my identity yet, despite everything that is happening to the NPC''s. "C''mon Hailey, lets go meet up with mom and dad. I''m sure they are only waiting for us at this point. I also have surprises for everyone once we meet up, so the sooner the better." Hailey nods her head and regrips my elbow, we start our walk towards the cksmith and the closer I get the scarier it feels. Mom must be in a bad mood and looks to cause me some pain, hopefully she doesn''t try to hurt me. If she does it in front of a guard she will get thrown in jail to cool off. While things are happening all over Ancients World a new kingdom hase into being, seemingly overnight as well. Many of the leaders of the surrounding countries are surprised by this, it usually take years to build a kingdom and a economy to keep it healthy. What really makes this kingdom special is that only yers have been seen spawning and actually staying there, its beginner cities have taken both the old yers from Alsoma and newly spawning yers. The only ce with NPC''s is the Capital, and its ruler is a Queen by the name of Auria Sea the I. The name of this kingdom is one unique as well. The kingdom of Avalon has risen from the story quest that Cerapleted, and now that construction has just finished its time. [World-wide Announcement: A new kingdom hase to Ancients World! This kingdom is almost exclusive to the yers! NPC''s are free to migrated and settle in this new kingdom! yers from the country of Alsoma have been relocated to the country of Avalon! Once yers reach level 100 they must go to Avalon for their tier up quests!] The Announcement rings out many times over for the people of Ancients World, many yers are blowing up the forums since everyone knows where they must go for their tier 2 quests. One of the more influential guilds Cloudless sky is having a meeting with Willow tree, and they are of course discussing the tournament. Wilted Rose is currently having a private discussion with Dark de about the length of this tournament. Dark de and I can agree that this tournament is taking to long toplete, and while we sit here and fight over items other yers are passing us. I''ve gotten everything on our guilds list so there is no longer a need to stay, I''m pulling my guild out of thepetition. "If you were wise Dark de you would leave too, everyone is passing our best members. I don''t intend to fall behind the masses, the best of the best solo yers are already in the mid 30s. While everyone in this tournament is still early 20s." He gives me a bitter look, he must be upset about me winning the legacy ss. Its to bad I have toplete a difficult quest by myself, almost makes it worthless to me. He leans back in his chair and looks over to the empty one, Sir Erikson is absent from this meeting again. "You can leave, I would too if I got the legacy ss alone. You on the other hand got everything on your list, your guild made out so much better than everyone else here. So I think you understand why my guild has to stay in, we will catch up eventually. I wish you the best in catching up with all the other yers." Dark de gets up and walks away, I''m left all alone with my thoughts. What''s on my mind at the moment is this new kingdom and its importance to the yers. When yers start reaching level 100 we''ll be heading to Avalon, and it would be smart to get any information on it. While the major guilds continue to fight over the items, my guild will have the chance to get ahead of all of them. I wouldn''t be surprised if new guilds break into the top 20 with so many not making any progress, this is an advantage for the solo yers. They don''t have to deal with guilds, and that is a major bonus. While Wilted Rose continues to n out her next moves Cera is approaching the door to the cksmith shop. I can feel an ominous auraing from behind this door, and I seem to be the only one that feels anything. I look over to my sister and I can see the smile on her face. "Are you happy that I''m probably going to get attacked? Some sister you are..." Sheughs at myment and all I can do is sigh. I wouldn''t beughing if the situation was reversed, so I guess she just wants to see me suffer. She sees my sour expression and tries to stopughing, all that does is make her choke up trying to hold it in. After a few gasps and coughs she finally stopsughing at my expense, talk about a disappointing older sibling. I could be much more cruel to her if I wanted. "I''m sorry Cera, but its nice to finally see the perfect child make a mistake for once. You don''t know how hard it was watching you be so calm and easy growing up, I would always bepared to you, it made my life horrible." I guess I can understand that, she isn''t wrong in a sense. I find it hard to believe they wouldpare us though, I never imagined my parents doing something like that. I can no longer deny the inevitable, something is going to happen on the other side of this door and I''m scared. Chapter 74: The journey to Zenith city XII

Chapter 74: The journey to Zenith city XII

I open the door to the cksmith shop and I can feel the tension that my mother is giving off, I walk inside and notice Marcus and dad checking out some weapons. I don''t see mom anywhere, but I can feel a disturbance. "Hey dad! I''m d to see you guys learning about the important shops. Where is mom?" I call out to dad who is swinging a sword and testing its weight, he turns at the sound of my voice and smiles. However, his smile soon fades and his eyes look to something behind me. I turn my head to see what he''s looking at and Ie face to face with mom. She has an expression that shows happiness, but she is giving off the feeling of annihtion. She moves a little closer and I flinch on instinct. "Why are you so scared sweetie? Its just mommy." Shivers go up my spine and fear envelops me. "I just want you to know that I''m not mad anymore. I understand that you have your own things to deal with." She says the words calmly and evenly, but there is a hidden malice behind her words. "So mind telling me what''s so important that you had to ditch your mom? I''m sure you wouldn''t abandon me for no good reason." Now she sounds very mad, I look at the other yers and NPC''s in the shop and they look scared as well. I slowly back up putting distance between my mom and me, she matches my every step to make sure I cant get away though. "Hey mom, its so good to see you! I just got here." Her aura gets more serious and the happy face she had is now gone. "Look, I know you''re mad mom. Please just listen to reason!" She begins to ball up her fist and move closer, I continue to move backwards till my back is against the wall. "If you hit me I''m calling the guards!!" I cant stop the words from leaving my mouth, I wouldn''t get hurt by anything she does to me. The feeling of fear is overwhelming that part of me though. When she hears those words she brings her fist up to hit me, and I see her best angry face with purple cheeks from how mad she is. She knows all about the guard situation so that is stopping her. She drops her fist and beings to tear me a new one. "HOW DARE YOU THREATEN ME YOU UNGRATEFUL BOY!!! I''M YOUR MOTHER AND YOU WOULD STILL THROW ME IN JAIL AFTER ALL YOU PUT ME THROUGH!!!" She is doing a good job at restraining herself from using violence, but I may have made my situation worse by saying that. "I CANT BELIEVE YOU WOULD EVEN SAY SUCH A THING!! I CARRIED YOU IN ME FOR 9 MONTHS AND BIRTHED YOU!! IS THIS HOW YOU''LL REPAY ME?! BY HURTING MY FEELINGS AND THROWING ME TO THE SIDE!!" I think she is letting all her frustrations out since she couldn''t catch me when we had our chase. I''m starting to feel bad in all honesty. I''ve never been yelled at like this before, but its funny watching my mom mad. She isn''t the type that has an ''angry'' look, its still making me afraid though. Instead of doing nothing I decide to do something, I interrupt my moms verbal attacks and bring her into a hug instead. She goes from 100 to 0 instantly, and is now quiet. Since she is so much shorter than me I have to bend down pretty far to make sure her chin sits on my shoulder, she hugs me back tight and I can hear her cry a little. "I''m really sorry mom. I didn''t know spending time with me was so important to you." She cries harder after I say that, after letting her get her pain out for a good few minutes I finally pull away and look at her. She has red puffy eyes and is sniffling, I really put her through a lot. She cleans the wetness from her eyes and begins to cheer up. "Oh, I cant stay mad at my baby. You will always be my sweet pumpkin pie!" I cant stop my face from turning red in embarrassment, talk about a nickname you want to disappear from the annuls of history. The other yers in the shop snicker at the mention of my nickname, I clear my throat to help my fluster. I get behind mom and push her over to the rest of our family, I look at them all stand together in their beginner armor and weapons. A feeling of true happiness spreads through me, I hope they are all adjusting well to Ancients World. Mom looks like she just remembered something as I see a light go off in her eyes. "Lets head over to the fountain and take a family photo! I want to get this moment on camera since you wont be staying with us long!" Mom gives no time for objections and is already half way out the door, we all follow her and line up in front of the fountain in the center of the city. Mom then proceeds to struggle with finding the screenshot tab in the yer interface. "Cera can you help me, I cant find the camera." I walk up beside her and walk her through the steps, then she starts looking through a camera only she can see and lines it up towards the rest us the family. She puts it on the countdown and we both hurry into position. She is the only one that got any notification about it, I watch her lose herself in the photo''s she took. I turn my attention back to dad since mom is in her own world, I walk over and sit next to him on the fountain. "So are you guys nning anything soon?" I ask a simple question, but since me and my dad think in simr ways he gets the meaning behind my question. He sighs and looks up at the beautiful clouds that are free of pollution from jets and chemical dusting. One thing I''ll always hate about my world is the government spraying crops with chemicals, they are fine for the nts. The sky rity is sacrificed, we had to do something to feed the high poption though. I look up with dad and enjoy the freedom that Ancients World brings, nothing about this world is sick like our world. In all honesty our world is slowly dying, not in the sense of it cant sustain life. More along the lines it is losing its beauty. "Your mother and I are taking Marcus with us on our adventures together. Hailey told us she ns to take off on her own once we are done here in Nelmorp. That only leaves your decision, what do you n to do?" It was nice of them to wait for me and ask me what I want to do instead of just assuming I''ll tag along with them. I''m sure mom was hoping for me to stick around, but I got my own things to do. I look over to my mom and Hailey as they go through the photo''s. She must have sent copies to everyone on her friends list. Speaking of that I''ll need to add them. "I''m on my own quest right now, so I wont be tagging along with you and mom. Even though that may disappoint her, I have progress to make." Dad nods his head in understanding and brandishes a smile. "I''ll add you guys to my friends lists so we can keep in regr contact with yer messages, I also have surprises for each of you. Well, more like great information." We continue to talk for a little while Hailey and mom do what girls do. I want to give them information on great sses, Marcus has a chance to get a Legacy Magic ss since I remember instructions on how to get one. Mom and dad are both swordsman ss wielders so I know where 2 Legacy sses reside. Hailey has chosen a duelist, which is why her first weapon is a rapier. I know of a Legendary ss that is perfect for her. I have a sick feeling in my gut making my family super strong, its the gamer part of me shouting ''Keep the bnce''. It''ll only benefit them though, the only thing I gain is a family that is strong enough to help each other when needed. That is all I can really ask for as a son. Its still early morning so that means I can hang out with them for a few more hours, I want to leave for Zenith by night fall. As I hang out with my family in the best inn at Nelmorp, Giovani''s Pub, I go onto y card games and exin each of the ways they can get the sses. They all write down the instructions in their yer journals for each individual ss, we spend many hours having fun and talking as we go from card game to card game. I didn''t know mom and dad could pick up on games such as The Shattering, its one of the most popr fantasy card games among yers. Every card is given a power level and you collect better cards from either yers who wager or quests, its not big yet. In a few months it will be the pass time in Ancients World, many havepared it to the old vintage card game from over 200 years ago called Gwent. I yed it once and its very simr, if you know how to y Gwent then you know how to y The Shattering. Chapter 75: The journey to Zenith city XIII

Chapter 75: The journey to Zenith city XIII

Sitting here and ying cards with my family is all well and fun, but night is approaching soon and I want to get a move on to Zenith. On the other hand, I don''t know the next time I''ll see them in game. So I''ll hang out until everyone else is ready for the goodbye portion of this meet up, I look around the inn as my family is ying 1 on 1. I''m the odd man out this time, I can see plenty of people along with some dwarves and elves. The most surprising is the lizardman in my view, while they aren''t considered humanoid they are extremely peaceful with humanity. Their country is located in one of therger oceans called Requiem, its home to many peaceful aquatic and reptilian races. I haven''t seen one so far ind before, and he seems to be having a jolly time with other humans. Lizardmen are great warriors despite their peaceful natures, and also adapts at fire magic. It does beg the question about why he is here, especially in the city of Nelmorp. "I''ll be back in a few minutes, I have to satisfy my curiosity. Don''t wait up alright." None of them seem to hear me since they are heavily invested in their games. I make my way over to the small group and notice that the NPC''s around him are low ss adventurers. By the look on their badges none of them are higher than F rank, and F rank is pretty average. I''m not very fond of the adventurers guild, you could say I almost despise them. They are not an organization I agree with, they treat their lower ranked members like fodder and their higher ranked members like kings. This is not how something asrge as the adventurers guild should act, and in the 5 years I yed. They never once changed. I wont talk to the lizardman, I just want to get a good look at him. This is the first time I''ve seen one up close before. "To bad this is ourst day together Tokil, its been a st escorting you this far. I hope that you remember us when you resume your journey after Zenith." From what I hear this lizardman''s name is Tokil, and he is also heading to Zenith. Must be an ambassador going kingdom to kingdom expressing their willingness to help in the war or something, its that or he was exiled from his home. I find that the system announcements are racists in a way, when it said all non humanoid creatures have united against humanity. It failed to include the ones that are on peaceful terms with humanity. That makes me question why it would do that, its different for the NPC''s so they heard something else. Why is the system telling yers half truths, and making mass confusion amon thing. I can tell by the looks on the yers faces around the inn that they are wondering why a non humanoid creature is perfectly safe. I just watch patiently as some of the yers are getting ready for a confrontation, the ones desperate for exp or items see this as an opportunity. After a couple of minutes one yer finally gets the nerve to walk up and talk to them, he looks around level 10. Its considered rude among the yers to inspect each other while in the cities, that''s why that small woman from before didn''t inspect me. I refocus on the situation ying out in front of me, this yer must be really desperate. The lizardman is probably around level 45 to 50, and the adventurers around are of a simr level. "Why is this non humanoid creature not being killed right now because of the war! He looks like he''s got some good items on him!" When he said that, the yer that didn''t care suddenly gained interest. Smart move making other interested, but it won''t make a difference with such level disparity. One of the adventurers hanging out around Tokil takes out his axe and gets ready to kill. Before he can strike Tokil stops him, now that is something you don''t see everyday. An NPC sticking up for a yer, Tokil is someone of high character and principles. Matches up with his species defining traits perfectly. The adventurer puts his axe away and gives the yer a death re, while this is happening Tokil begins to speak. "While my race is non humanoid, the lizardmen have always be peaceful with humanity and others like them. I''m here with one of my good friends who is a dwarf, if you don''t believe me ask him. He is around 120 years old and has great knowledge of the history between my people and yours." Spoken like a true politician, he is definitely an ambassador. He is here with a dwarf as well, must be hanging out with the other dwarves by the barrels of alcohol. Say what you will about dwarves, they know how to drink. Many of the yers who were interested in the items Tokil was carrying soon backed off. yers are immortal, but we think losing a level is worse than dying. That is a dramatization, but the anger and screams some yers release when they lose a level convinces you otherwise. "If you do wish to start something with me you will have to deal with the adventurers guild, but you would have to beat my friends here first." Getting on the bad side of the adventurers guild isn''t something a yer should do, even at higher levels its wise to stay off their kill list. They have some of the strongest NPC''s in Ancients World. When Tokil said that all interest in him fell to zero, most yers know their limits and are smart about the way they y. Its widely considered idiotic to intentionally antagonize stronger beings, and most yers are smart. Nobody wants a target on their back that big, my curiosity has been satisfied enough so I head over to the bar and order some food. While it doesn''t fill me in real life it does taste great. While I''m ordering food the lizardman decides this is the moment to get food also, he is next to me ordering as well. He is much taller than I am, despite the fact I''m around 6''3. "You didn''t look at me the same way the other new people did. I cant help asking why, its known throughout thends that new people are notorious for their greed and lust to grow stronger." Seems Tokil is much more observant that I anticipated. I see no reason to deny a conversation, this is the first time I get to talk to a lizardman. My food is set in front of me along with a ss of beer, I slide the beer over to Tokil. "I know the history and rtionship the lizardmen have with humanity. I just wanted to know why you came so far ind, and this is also the first time I have seen one of you in person. My best guess is you''re an ambassador speaking for the lizardmen, and that''s why Zenith is your next stop." He looks at me impressed, my deduction must have been spot on. He picks up the beer and necks the thing, while I''m not from the EU I always wanted to say that. He ms the empty ss down and releases a satisfied sigh, he then receives his food as well. "You are very knowledgeable for a new person, and by the look of the de you carry you are powerful too. I wont be so rude as to ask for your level, but may you share?" I wonder why he wants to know, my instincts and years of solo y are telling me not to tell him. He isn''t a yer though, and its not like he is going to find out about my ss. I do wonder what his level is as well, while my guess of 45 to 50 might be correct its still a guess. I look over to my family and see they are still deeply invested in their games. I have time to talk, and I don''t have to worry about holding up my family. "I''m on my way to Zenith myself, I have a tier up quest to do. I hit level 60 not long ago and all new people have to head to the capital city of the country they appeared in. I''m heading out before night fall, while I wait for time to pass I''m hanging out with my family." I point my head in the direction of my family and he looks to them, he picks up a chicken wing and digs into it with his reptilian teeth and extended face. He looks over to the dwarves getting drunk by the barrels of beer. "My travelingpanion is the oldest dwarf over there. The one that''s wearing the green chest te, he is an expert cksmith representing the dwarves smith alliance. We met up sometime ago and decided to travel together till our quests areplete. We have the same destinations so it worked out." An expert cksmith is very rare, and he is also a representative of the dwarves smith alliance. They are the best crafters in the world, but I doubt they have any legendary cksmiths. I don''t regret giving up that adamantine metal, was never going to use it. I have a great idea myself, and I wonder if Tokil will be interested. Chapter 76: The journey to Zenith city XIV

Chapter 76: The journey to Zenith city XIV

My idea isn''t one I''d usually get since I''m so solo heavy, but a lizardman and dwarf as travelpanions for the time being would be nice. It wont be a permanent thing, but fighting monster of such a high level near Zenith will prove tough without being tier 1 yet. No point in waiting any longer to ask, now is a golden opportunity. "Why don''t all of us travel to Zenith, while Zenith isn''t that far from here I know that the areas around the capital is full of powerful tier 1 creatures. That''s probably the reason your escorts are stopping here in Nelmorp isn''t it." Tokil looks at me with questioning eyes, as if certifying the offer as genuine. He smiles and seems satisfied with what he sees. "This party will onlyst till we get to Zenith, I''ll have a new quest that will take me somewhere far from Zenith most likely." He nods his head in understanding, mana aura is one of the most studied subjects in Ancients World. Every NPC knows that once youplete your tier up quest you''ll need to do your mana aura quest next. Traveling with the 2 of them will increase the odds of getting there faster, its a days walk from Nelmorp. So we can take our time and talk, we can ensure none of us die on the dangerous roads. Since the war has ravaged the country of Zenith many monsters have gotten bold, I wouldn''t doubt the roads are closed for all official travel. Tokil hasn''t given an answer yet, but by the look on his scaly face he is ready to answer. "I think that is a good idea, while I''m tier 1, my dwarf friend isn''t. You are more than weed to fill the role he would have had to y, I''ll definitely count on your help." Looks like I got myself a party, parties work different with NPC''s then with yers. yers can use the system to divvy up exp and rewards, with NPC''s you don''t share exp. In a way its better for levels, but worse for gear. "I''ll go and let my short friend know, when do you wish to head out. I rmend we wait till tomorrow so he can sober up." Guess that means I''m staying the night in Nelmorp. That''s fine by me, gives me some time to spend with my family. "Mypanion and I are staying in this inn, will you be as well?" I look over to the barkeep and get his attention, Iy down the required amount of gold and he throws me a key. I hold it up for Tokil to see and he just chuckles, he finishes his food and gets up. He heads over to his dwarf friend who is to drunk to even care that he''ll be traveling with a new person. I watch Tokil go over to his escorts and begin chatting with them again. I head back over to my family and take a seat as well, it''ll be nice to fill the silence of a lonely travel. It will onlyst till Zenith, while I do party up sometimes. I''m a solo yer at heart, who knows what will happen on the road there. It will be nice to have some back up. As Cera hangs out at Giovani''s pub with his family and has a good time, there is a meeting in the Holy City. The one leading the meeting this time is Saintess Lucy, she is reporting on the state of Alsoma''s capital city. I cant believe the carnage this new enemy is capable of. The bodies of men and young boys lined the streets, and all the females no matter how old or young were taken. It makes me sick to my stomach that this has happened, a woman should never have to go through such a thing. The worst part of it all is we don''t even know where they took them, and by the look of the capital I can say they tramped over every city they came across. I''m currently looking through a hologram at the rest of the attendants and this time I see members of the coalition. I take a breath to clear my head and prepare the news, this is going to be more ammo for the elf queen and her agenda. "There was nothing left, and all fatalities were of the male gender. No female bodies were found and barely any monster corpses were uncovered. Its safe to say that the country of Alsoma has fallen, and it would be wise to fortify the borders and ce in new emergency rms no matter the cost." Many just nod their heads in agreement and stay silent. The queens in the room look like they are about to be sick, I would be to if I was in their shoes. I hear a voice that ticks me off more than anyone else''s. The elf queen Syndra begins to speak about her only demand once again. "This is why I think its fair for us to receive The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. The women of my country are the most coveted in the world, and I will surely lose many in this war. I want fairpensation for their sacrifice, and I expect it." My blood boils even more as she shuts off her hologram so no one can dispute her at this moment. I look over at Alex and he flinches at my angry face, I will not tolerate such disrespect and neither should he. He just sighs and sits in his seat, he takes off his hat and sets it down. He takes a hard and individual look at everyone in this room, the fairies aren''t here anymore. They don''t want anything to do with the war, if the armiese for their country and kingdom they will unleash Fenrir. Alex begins to speak about the main goal of this cooperation. "While the elves and fairies help will be missed, I know that if we all work together this will be a swift war. I''ll need all of the countries here to open their borders to church upation, we will cover the cost for the emergency rms." I''m about to protest and make sure that the kingdoms are the ones that pay, but I''m beat to it. Gregory stands up and crosses his arms. "The kingdoms will pay for the emergency rms, we''ll be giving full cooperation in this war. Is that understood everyone." He looks around to the kings and queens both young and old, many have sour faces from the prices. None dispute Gregory''s words though. "I''m certain that your daughters and wives would agree that the price is small to pay for their safety." Many of the males faces pale at the thought of losing there wives and daughters like that. Same goes for the queens and their daughters, Gregory showed them what was really important. He sits down and I watch a newly crowned king stand up, Baron Jackson has be the new ruler if Zenith. I guess calling him King Jackson is in order. "You can be sure that Zenith will help in anyway it can, but with the recent war all we can do is afford the emergency rm. We wont be able to spare any troops since we are rebuilding the country at its foundations." I understand and agree with his decisions he''ll make a great and wise ruler for Zenith, but many of the other rulers in the room don''t think its fair. I''m tempted to turn off my hologram and let them argue it out all they want, but I care to much to do that. While this is happening in Ancients World, J&X is having a private discussion with the rest of the investors. The one leading this conversation is Jericho, he is the one better with words after all. "You will all give as much money as we say. None of it has any value anymore, so stop being so damn greedy and help us save lives!" I m my fist on the table and look at the sickly pale faces of my investors and shareholders. I need to get the point that money has no value on their heads, only then will they help. I watch them all pull out their phones and start transferring money to the J&X''s ount. "I''m d that you all have let go of your money for the greater good, and when the timees many will know about what you have done to save lives." I don''t know if that will make the mood better, but it should ease their hearts. I end the call and head back over to theb, there has been a new development and not a good one. I stand next to my friend Xander and look out into the room full of technicians and specialists helping in this crisis. "So is it as bad as you say it it?" Xander said he has some news that will throw a wrench into our efforts saving as many lives as we can. The human poption is around 17 billion, and only around 5.5 are ying right now. The homeless and penniless can already be counted as dead and that''s around 2 billion. So we are missing around 10 billion people who haven''t gotten on yet. Its time to hear the bad news now, and bad news it is. "Angelus is trying to speed up the collision, and we have stopped her for now. We cant forever though, and I''m certain by the next week or so the count down timer will shrink massively." This is something that will kill billions, I waste no time and rush to my office to get the UN on. If we are to reach our goal of saving 10 billion out of the 17 we need all the factories in the world working on this. My and Xander''s creation of Angelus has truly doomed us all, and we will have to pay for it someday. I just pray I can find a way to keep my family safe after I''m good and dead from my crimes against humanity. Chapter 77: The journey to Zenith city XV

Chapter 77: The journey to Zenith city XV

The inn is even more packed then before now that its the time NPC''s get off the day shift, I look around Giovani''s pub and see plenty more NPC''s and yers. I''m surprised that NPC''s are capable of tolerating so many yer in one location, and the barkeep wont turn them away since they are paying customers. I think the funniest part of all this is more yers have started ying The Shattering. More and more began to watch my family y, soon yers and NPC''s alike were having fun and also learning to y. They had to borrow some decks from others, but many don''t fully grasp how important this game will get. At least the tension from earlier is gone, the inn is getting kind of loud and I''m not fond of such volumes. I step outside to catch some fresh air and stop my ears from ringing, I look at the well crafted road that is illuminated by the warm sun and see some couples and guards walking to their homes, most businesses aren''t closed yet. Shifts are changing though, and I''m positive the evening shift is getting ready for work. I lean against the cool stone wall and think about everything that''s happening. The biggest thing on my mind is J&X, while they are nning something its hard to guess what. In the 5 years I yed many truths were discovered about Ancients World, and some of them more disturbing then others. While we could never get J&X to admit it, many theorized that Ancients World was in fact another world that did exist. There is tons of lore that yers eventually found that hinted at this, but J&X never responded to such rumors. When Ancients World real name was discovered it confirmed the theory for many. Gaia is the name of the world yers called Ancients World for years, I have thought about this before when I made my wish toe back. Now that the system is acting different and J&X is in a panic I can assume that something is happening. It cant be something so drastic to create a reaction like this though, why would J&X risks such dangerous consequences. The answer hits me like a bolt of lightning, they risked it because it was worth trillions of UWD''s. I cant say for certain about what''s happening, but I know that being as strong as I can be is important. Along with securing the safety for my family, in terms of goals I have hit them all. I just cant shake my instincts that something bad will happen, and my instincts are rarely wrong about this sort of thing. I continue to think and ponder other things, and I''m soon interrupted by a familiar voice. I look in the direction and see nobody, I remember how short she is and I look down to meet her annoyed eyes. "I asked you a question. Are you just going to ignore me like the jerk you are." She doesn''t know what a real jerk is, many would prefer jerks ignore you instead of pay attention to you. I just raise my head and try to erase her from ruining my train of thought. "Looks like you haven''t changed since I met you earlier this morning. Why are you at my favorite hangout ce, I meet my new friends here all the time." I don''t need to know these things about her, I don''t even know her name. She doesn''t seem to get the hint and decides to lean on the same wall as I do. "You don''t like to talk much do you. Is it because you are so rude with your words that you drive people off, or is it because you don''t like girls?" I''m starting to get annoyed here, this girl obviously has some problems in her head if she goes around talking like this to everyone. I roll my eyes at her and just sigh, she gets pretty pissed at myck of care for her words. I decide to answer her question with one of my favorite quotes. "They say the more a man talks, the less he thinks. After meeting you I can see it applies to women as well." She gets red in the face after that slyeback, I don''t usually talk to people in Ancients World and I do that for a reason. Everyone wants what others have, be that information, gear and items, or just pure jealousy because someone has a better ss then you. "If you want to go in, you can rest easy knowing I wont stop you. I''m sure there is someone in there that enjoys yourpany." She huffs in anger and finally leaves me alone. I sink myself back into my thoughts and enjoy the silence now that its returned. I know that there are many great dungeons near Zenith, but all of them require you to be at least tier 1 to enter. I also know of a few hidden and solo dungeons as well, I''m sure that they will be great for exp. It reallyes down to if I want to get my mana aura after my tier up quest or hit some dungeons to get stronger for it. The gamer in me is telling me to go for the mana aura, but the thinker and nner in me says go for the dungeons. Going for the dungeons and getting stronger for the mana aura is something most wouldn''t do, but the gap between me and the top yers is big enough for me to do that. So the only question that remains is when I''m all done in Zenith, do I finish my legendary quest or look for something else. I have a chance to free an imprisoned species and learn lore about Ancients World I didn''t know before. My mind is made up, when I''m all done in Zenith I''m finishing my legendary quest. I look over to the walls the sun is near and see beautiful shadows being casted, I still have a few hours of daylight left and I should spend more time with my family in Ancients World while I can. I can hear that its settled down some, but there are still cheers here and yells there, it really is something to experience in this time period. Pubs are some of the best ces to hang out. I stop leaning on the wall and head back inside. I look over to my family and see the same annoying girl from earlier. Why would she be over there, she said that she was... Oh, talk about a mood dampener. So that must mean she is Snow Princess, didn''t think she would be so short after everything I heard about her big personality. I walk over to my family and we make eye contact. "What are you doing here? You said that you would be d I left you alone." Not my exact words, but she got the message. My mom looks over at me with a confused face, I don''t think my mom knowing how rude I was to ady will be good. I sit next to mom and look over at Snow Princess with a slight smile. She begins to look at my face and then my moms, she goes back in forth between the 2. I watch the horror spread across her face, she gets up with a fury. "I cant believe your this horrible mans mom! You told me he was a sweetheart that was the light of your life." My mom looks at Snow Princess with anger, a quality about my mom is if you insult her children you best start praying. Snow Princess sees how badly she screwed up and sits down with an eep. My mom looks over at me looking for an exnation. I just sigh and contemte what I should say, if I say I was mean to her for no reason I''ll get an ear full. On the other hand, I could just use Snow Princesses personality against her. "I met her at the bank this morning. She lied to a bunch of other yers to get the lines shorter, she even tried to add me to her friends list because I had a lot of money." Everything I just said is true, and its not like mom needs to know about my dismissive attitude towards this annoying girl. I like woman as much as any guy would, but I have a type myself. She is loud, annoying, and demanding. Add that all up you get a high maintenance girl, that''s a no from me. I like quiet, sincere, and short haireddies. Why short hair, its a sign of low maintenance. If you think about it, a mans schedule works around the time a woman washes her hair. Short hair equals low maintenance, while this isn''t a one size fits all you can tell a lot about a person by the way they act and take care of themselves. I can use all of this against Snow Princess, since she fits the high maintenance model. I''m not trying to pick on her, I''m trying to get the point across. I don''t want her bugging me, and the way she acts bugs me. "Is this really true? I didn''t peg her for the type to cause such a scene." My mom speaks in a teasing manner, looks like she wants to join in on the fun. We both know that Snow Princess isn''t a bad person, just someone that you can only take in small doses. I look over to Snow Princess and I can see frustration and anger, along with red cheeks from holding in her voice. I think that''s enough for one day, now its time to have fun with my family. Chapter 78: The journey to Zenith city XVI

Chapter 78: The journey to Zenith city XVI

Snow Princess isn''t what I''d thought she''d be, in all honesty I didn''t think she had such a big personality. With a reputation such as hers I''d expect a cunning fighter, not a chipmunk sized woman. "You know Snow Princess, you''ll get crows feet by making faces like that." She looks at me in surprise, it shouldn''te as a surprise that I figured out who you are. Its easy to put together when you have all the pieces, this also means she might know my real name. I doubt mom or dad would call me by my gamer tag, so that means she knows a little bit about me than I do about her. At least in terms of real world identities, the inn and drunks are starting to get rowdy now that the day shifts are getting off. I notice some familiar faces making some particrly nasty scowls in my and Snow Princesses direction. I guess the yer who went on the wild goose chase ended up losing some levels and want some pay back, they aren''t stupid enough to do anything in city walls. They will try to do something to get revenge though, and I can see some ncesing my way as well. I''m way to high a level to be hurt by these clowns, but I''m always ready to deal with annoying yers and their bad attitudes. "You seem to have some fans Ms. Princess. I wonder what your going to do to make them leave you alone, they look ready to bring you back to level 0." She looks to the group of yers I''m pointing at and flinches. One even makes a slit throat gesture in her direction, I wouldn''t be so obvious when taking revenge. In the end it really wont matter, you''ll get your levels back and forget about her. In my opinion you could spend time getting better instead of wasting your time griefing. Time is levels in this world, and levels determine where you stand on the food chain. All yers are at the bottom right now, and that includes me. "They don''t look like they are going to let it go. Do you think you can help me deal with them?" She isn''t asking me that, she is asking the rest of my family. Well yed Snow Princess, going over my head and ying on my mom and dads gratitude. My mom looks over at my dad and they have a mental conversation, I don''t know how they canmunicate without talking. They have had that strange ability since I can remember, and I haven''t met anyone else that can do it. "I don''t know if we are strong enough to help you. They have better gear and are higher leveled than us." My dad voices his opinion first, but I know what''sing. Mom and dad always repay a debt, its ingrained in their souls at this point. "Although, we owe you very much for helping us and even paying for our gear." Now that surprises me, she used her own hard earned money to help strangers. Now I feel like I must help, I''ve never had someone do that for my family. I look over to Snow Princess and I can see she is embarrassed now that a secret has been revealed. "I''ll help you take care of them, but it''ll be wise to find a solution that doesn''t involve everyone killing each other. I have to leave for Zenith tomorrow morning and I wont be staying for this to blow up, so we handle it now or not at all." I guarantee my help, but only if she takes care of it now. She looks at me like I grew an extra arm or something, I''m tempted to retract my offer after such a stare. She gets the meaning behind my gaze and gets up and walks over to the yers that are staring her down. I keep a close eye just incase things go bad, after awhile I see them rx a little. Some even scratch the back of their heads, she is more of a maniptor than I gave her credit for. She must have either offered gold or items, yers of Ancients World don''t let go for any less. She walks back to us and the yers no longer stare at us, she sits back down in her seat and sighs. "So what do you have to give for them to leave you alone? There is no way they are letting you off free for your actions." They are my actions to, but I was just someone that got sucked into her n. Even though its a horrible excuse its true. Sheys her head on the table in a depressed manner and just stays silent for a few seconds. "I promised each of them 1 gold coin for doing that to them, now I need toe up with 7 gold." problems of the poor are not a concern to people who are rich, but when youe from poverty like I do I cant help myself. I go into my inventory and take out 7 gold pieces and put them in front of her. She looks at me like some sort of idiot, I clench my fist in attempt to suppress my rage. I look at her and the gold, she isn''t taking it and doesn''t look like she will. "Just take it you idiot, I said I''d help you and I am. Now I can leave knowing I repaid you for taking care of my family." She looks at the gold for a long time and finally takes it. She goes right over to the yers she killed and repays them, they all wear smiles as of nothing happened at all. That''s a quality of the poor, if you give them money they usually forget about any wrong you''ve done them. As I watch them have a conversation, my mom wraps me in a tight hug. I look at her in confusion, she would have done the same thing in my shoes, she is the one I get this from. "Thank you for helping her Cera. She really helped us and I felt bad that I couldn''t do anything to repay her. You are the best son in the whole world!" She squeezes me even tighter, its funny because my muscles and skin barely move. I''m to high a level to squeeze to death. I look back over at Snow Princess and she is actually sitting down and talking to them, seems I don''t have to worry about her anymore. My sister throws one of her cards at me to get my attention, she could''ve just said something. "So from what I hear your heading out tomorrow. If you don''t mind I''d like you to teach me some of the things Snow Princess cant. Even if that means now." She is sounding like a true gamer now, she has a thirst to improve and get stronger. I see no reason not to, this could be the only time I see her in Ancients World in a very long time. I stand up and start heading for the door. I notice she isn''t following yet so I turn around and look back at her. "Youing or not, we don''t have all night you know." She shoots out of her seat and catches up. I proceed to teach her everything I know about the duelist ss, and she catches on fast. I even spar with her and use The Witness, I keep it in its sheath so none of its skills activate. After seeing her in action I know she will be one of the best yers, she has a talent for the duelist ss. She heads back before I do, I take a walk around Nelmorp unwinding. Soon nightes and now would be a good time to get off, I''m really hungry after all. I make my way back to Giovani''s pub and head up to my room, I can see my family still ying The Shattering. I should get a starter deck myself before long, I know where I can get some really good cards. I open the door to my room and notice that its nicely decorated, even the bed is a regr queen. Giovani sure does know how to treat customers, Iy in the bed and log off. My gaming pod opens and I''m met by a dark room. I''m immediately hit by hunger, now its time to have some food. I make my way downstairs and enter the kitchen, I''m not in the mood to cook an entire meal so I''ll just make a bowl of cereal. I make a nice big bowl and enter the living room, I ce the bowl on the coffee table and turn the T.V. on with the remote. I switch it to my favorite news channel and its on amercial break, I just pick up my bowl and start eating. A minute or so passes and the newses on with a breaking news segment, what I hear is another piece to the puzzle of what''s happening at J&X. Chapter 79: The journey to Zenith city XVII

Chapter 79: The journey to Zenith city XVII

I watch the breaking news segment with bated breath, I haven''t listen to it yet. The reason I''m so into this is because I can see J&X behind the live news reporter. The pretty and young reporter beings the live report now that the introduction is over. "Thanks Matt, I''m here at J&X where just earlier today continuous rolling ckouts have hit the local area. The technicians says that all power is being diverted to the AW server room. J&X has refused to answer any questions regarding the ckouts or loss of power in the area. This has been Samantha with breaking news." Rolling ckouts near J&X, if that isn''t strange enough arge amount of power is being diverted to the AW server. I don''t know what''s going on over there, and I''m worried if they are up to something that can affect the yers. This isn''t something I have knowledge about, I don''t know why the server is causing ckouts. The only thing I can think of is some sort of power surge since so many new yers have joined. I continue to listen to the news on Ancients World, I hear something I didn''t wish I heard. "In other news, reports about the activity in Alsoma havee in from the native yers. Many have witnessed monsters of many varieties killing males and capturing female NPC''s, if you want more detailed information check the official forums. The rest of the report is to graphic to say or show on air." Looks like many yers witnessed the attacks on the country of Alsoma. I''m sure there will bewsuits for mental trauma for some people, I wouldn''t want to see something like that. My cereal is now soggy, I lost my appetite awhile ago after seeing this. "All the yers that once started in Alsoma have been moved to the newly formed kingdom Avalon, most of the starting cities are full of only yers. This new kingdom was formed thanks to The Son of Arch-Angel Michaelpleting a story quest. Many yers are wondering about the lore and mysteries that Avalon brings, its also confirmed that yers will need to head to the capital of Avalon for their tier 2 quests." All the yers on Ancients World know this, is there going to be any new reports. While the reports I already know about continue, my mind drifts to J&X once again. Why would J&X keep the truth hidden, will it cause some sort of mass panic. That''s why the government is cooperating isn''t it. The issue is so bad that if the truth leaked out chaos would ensue, its either that or J&X is bribing the world government. I hear footsteps starting downstairs and make their way to the living room. I turn to see most of my family, Hailey seems to still be on. "I hope you guys had fun today, pretty soon you will all start the same grind everyone else is going through." My parents look at me with a smile, and I just remembered that I promised that I''d take mom out and catch up. Itste, but I''m sure there are some ces still open. I was just about to bring it up, but both mom and dad get distracted by the news. Theye and sit down beside me to listen as well. The news continues to talk about the ckouts and everything else going on. "Mom do you still want to go and hang out? Some ces are still open." She totally ignores me and just continues to listen, I''ll bring it up after they are done catching up with events. I bring my soggy cereal into the kitchen and dump it out, I look around for something good to eat and Ie across a hot pockets. While not a nutritious meal, its good and filling. I take them out of the freezer and ce some on a te, I toss it into the microwave and just watch it heat up and spin. "You better share with the rest of us!" I hear my dad call out his desire for me to share with everyone. I put enough on the te for everyone, just means I wont get as much as I wanted. After a few minutes the hot pockets look ready to eat and I open the microwave to see steam roll off the hot pockets. I take a deep whiff of the scent and my hunger returns. I take the hot te out and rush to the living room so I don''t burn my fingers. I set it on the coffee table and dad starts eating the really hot food. He doesn''t seem to care as he just eats them like nerds candies. "Slow down dad, save some for the rest of us!" Marcus calls out dads behavior and we soon start tough. I hope Hailey is having a good time, she is probably looking to get that legendary ss as soon as possible. Knowing her she has already left and is on her way to the first objective. I''ll eventually have to tell my parents about my ss one day, its not something I can hide forever. I''m just grateful they didn''t question how I know all this, if they did I wouldn''t have an answer. They will put the dots together that I know more than I let on, but that''s after they learn more about Ancients World. "So mom, are we going to hang out like you wanted or what?" I ask my mom once again since she isn''t so consumed by the T.V. this time. She looks at me with a smile, but one of slight shame. I haven''t seen my mom look like this in a long time. She picks up the remote and turns the T.V. down so we can talk. "I''m going to have to cancel on you sweetie. I have ns and quests to do in Ancients World, I''m sorry to shrug you off. I understandpletely why you didn''t want to hang out before." What just happened. Did mom just cancel on me because she wants to y games. "We can hang out in Ancients World when we meet up again. I promise." Wow, I cant believe it. My mom just canceled on me to y a game! I cant stop myself fromughing and tearing up. Talk about something you don''t see everyday. Both my parents join in on the funny moment that has happened. "Ohh, no worries mom. I''m sure that we can do something next time we see each other in Ancients World." I wipe a stray tear from my eye as I say that, this is going down as one of the funniest moments in my life. "Just make sure you get off enough to feed yourselves. I don''t want you guys bing addicts to video games." I say that as my voice shakes from trying to hold in theughter. I look at both my parents with love, I''m happy that they are getting into Ancients World seriously. While most of the Adamo family isughing and having a good time in the real world. Hailey is nning a little trip of her own. I''m feeling kind of bad that I''m leaving without saying anything to them, but I do have a friending along with me on my quest. "So are you going to tell me what we are exactly doing? I get that you want my help, but I have priorities to you know." Snow Princess questions what we are doing. I don''t want her knowing I''m heading for a legendary ss, if I learned one thing from my little brother its that you keep important information to yourself. Its not like she is getting nothing out of this either, I promised that I''d help her with any quests after mine. "I can see why my brother was so annoyed with you, maybe bringing you along was a mistake. If you want to miss out on all the items and gear then turn around and head back to Nelmorp." If people ever asked where Cera got his treatment of people sometimes many would question his parents, but in reality he picked up my habit with word y and maniption. Its the one thing that he learned from me he can actually use. I turn my head slightly to the short girl and see her frustrated face. "I could see the resemnce when I looked at you too, but now I know there is more inmon then just appearances." She begins talking about my family and how beautiful we all are, what I hear next surprises me a little. "So does Cera have a girlfriend? He doesn''t seem like the type that can handle most woman." I''m intrigued on why she is asking, she never showed any romantic interest in Cera. If she does have a little crush on him she does a good job hiding it. I justugh at the thought of my tall little brother with a shorty like Snow Princess. She must know what I''m thinking cause she doesn''t look happy. "Cera has a very specific taste in woman, and you are not his type. Most woman will never fit his description of what he wants, so don''t feel bad. He isn''t demanding a lot, just the things he wants are to rare. He probably would have a girlfriend if he went outside more often." I startughing at my little brothers failed love life, he hasn''t so much as talked about girls. I''m sure he is still a virgin, if only he got it through his think head that casual encounters are okay. His excuse is that he isn''t that type of person, he is the only one missing out. We continue to talk and walk as the night passes, I know mom and dad will be getting back on soon. I don''t know Cera''s ns, but he might be taking a break for the night. Chapter 80: The journey to Zenith city XVIII

Chapter 80: The journey to Zenith city XVIII

I''m going to take the night off and catch up on the forums, there is news other than what has been talked about. I spend some time just scrolling through threads and reading articles on what''s been found and other such things. I''m not tired since I''m sleeping when I y Ancients World, so I''ll more then likely be up all night. While I love games and Ancients World, sometimes taking some time off is a good thing. The journey to Zenith city will only be a day of walking, Nelmorp is one of the closest cities to the capital. If yers tried to go to their capital cities they would be met with a barrier, the barrier scans yers to see if their high enough level. Works the same way some dungeons do, I had to go through a barrier when entering the dungeon Devil''s Willow. I don''t have much information on Zenith city since Zenith wasn''t my starting country in my old future. I''ve only been here a few times doing mercenary work, while that was a long time ago I''m positive it will look different since it just got through a war. The yers in the country of Zenith lose out on seeing apletely rebuilt capital city. Thinking about capital cities, the country of Avalon popped into existence overnight. That only means the system helped build the new kingdom, this didn''t happen when it first came to be. The system must have done this so the yers in Alsoma had a ce. The timing of the events that have transpired in recent time are looking more and more manufactured on purpose. The quest to defeat the orc general, and while the story quest was my idea. The country was built at an impossible speed, it makes me wonder what is going on at J&X. I would love to find out myself, but they are in a different state then me. One night isn''t enough time to somehow sneak in either. My dad has a saying. No matter how long the truth is hidden, it''ll alwayse to light. You could apply this to J&X, I''m sure their are people digging deep into the truth and they will find it. It does help J&X that the government is on their side, and it will make it harder to find anything. I have a journey with some new friends tomorrow, and while it wontst long. It will be nice to have somepany for a change. While everyone in the Adamo family is doing their own things at the moment. There is a secret meeting in the church of the dark ones. The identities of these individuals are hidden behind cloaks, and everyone is silent. "I wish to bring up the need for Fenrir''s heart. If we can get our hands on it we will be able to revive 1 of the fallen lords. If Fenrir is as strong as the legends say then we might even be able to revive 2. I think this search for the son is going to end in disaster for us, its obvious he is protected by The Almighty Father. I fear if we continue interfering with his path, ruin we will befall us." One of the dark cloaked figures speaks about his concerns with the goals of the church of the dark ones. This meeting doesn''t happen often, but when it does there is much debate. Another begins to speak in response to this point, the look of his robes say he is a senior member. "While you bring up valid points, the son can be used for the genesis engine. His bloodline and power will be more than great enough once he fully develops. Wouldn''t our dark lords want this instead of 1 or 2 of them being revived in this world. In the end we all have toe to an agreement, and I say we focus on the son. We know he is going to Zenith, the ritual masters have revealed this. However, we can no longer locate the person he is supposed to meet." The member with a higher rank them some here brings up his point, and many also agree. Now the council is split, and this isn''t good. One person is in a robe with many markers of authority and he begins to speak, he is the leader here. "The decision between the heart of Fenrir or the capture of the son ultimately are out of our sights, so the next best thing is to disturb the church of lights efforts as much as possible. My spies have told me that they know nothing about the son, but they have special investigators digging up hot leads. Perhaps we should get rid of there investigators and hamper their progress." Many listen as the voice brings up an alternative n, everyone agrees that this is a better n then the first two. Soon the meeting concludes and the holograms flicker off. While many organizations of power begin to make ns and such, the person who is more important than he knows has actually fallen asleep. The night passes and my rm goes off at the time it usually does. I underestimated the softness andfort of my new bed, and soon I was knocked out. I look to my phone and notice that its dead, I pick it up and plug it in. I feel how empty my stomach is so I think breakfast is a good idea. I head downstairs into the kitchen and start making a big breakfast. I finish it fast and clean up the mess I made in the kitchen, everyone else is on Ancients World. This is also a first, I haven''t been the only up like this without someone following suit before. No point in waiting around, I head back up to my room now that I''m good and full. I hop into my gaming pod and load into Ancients World. I wake up in the same bed I logged off on and look out the window. The sun is just starting to rise and I smile at the thought of adventure once again. I make my way down to the breakfast and bar to see if my travelpanions are already up. I look around and meet Tokil''s eyes. I walk over to him and shake his hand. "Good to see you again Tokil, I''m sure that once your dwarf friend gets here we will be ready to go." He looks over to the barrels and I follow his eyes, there is a pile of hungover dwarves. I chuckle looking at the drunks, one of the best people to hangout with are dwarves. They are great conversationalist and know how to have fun, I look forward to traveling with one. I watch Tokil walk over and pick up one of the older looking Dwarves, he brings him back over and sets him on a bar stool. "This is Thoznal Axeforge, he is the representative that the dwarves have sent. I met him in the coastal city of Rei." I look at the dwarf as he lifts his head from the counter to look at me, he has a hard time keeping his eyes open though. He has a well maintained beard along with hints of gray here and there, must be around 120. That''s considered middle age for dwarves. He puts his hand on his head and groans, you would think dwarves have great alcohol resistance, but drink enough of the 100% pure stuff they have here in Ancients World anybody wouldn''tst long. I sit next to Tokil while Thoznal gains his bearings, I look over to the clock and see that its getting closer and closer to when yers log on. Soon the city and restaurants will be full of yers again. He lifts his head and looks at me, he begins to rub his beard in a contemting way. "My name is yer Zern, but you can call me Zern. I''ll be traveling with you guys to Zenith, I hope that''s alright with you." I hold out my hands and we shake in a normal greeting, he pulls out some sk and takes a long drink. "Already drinking, you dwarves sure are tolerant of the stuff." Heughs at myment. He gestures for me to take a whiff of it, I do and my eyes water. "You don''t seem like a drinker young man. You can be sure that this will help with my axe splitting headache. It smells like pure alcohol, but its enchanted to help dwarves clear hangovers. A real dwarf always has one, its on of the first containers we craft." Talk about an amazing culture, I''m curious about something though. From what Tokil has told me Thoznal is an expert cksmith, and expert cksmiths are something official organization don''t let out. Both yer guilds and NPC ran establishments would never risk such a rarity. I want to ask him about that, but there will be time for questionster. I look at Tokil and he agrees with my look that its time to leave. We make our way out of Giovani''s pub and head towards the main gate. This trip wont take long, but having back up for the strong monsters likely hanging around will be nice, I know mom and dad are no longer in Zenith. If they were I would''ve had a notification on my friends list that would tell me a friend is nearby. Time to finally make it to Zenith city. Chapter 81: The journey to Zenith city XIX

Chapter 81: The journey to Zenith city XIX

The three of us set on the road to Zenith city. I take a look around as merchant cart after merchant cart is waiting for the road to open for official business, if you are a traveler you can walk yourself. The guards are making sure that all merchants aren''t going. We cut to the front and start heading down the closed road, its nice to have a road that isn''t packed with traffic. Roads that lead to capital cities are always busy, but the recent war has stopped that. The only downside is the monsters, and I''m looking forward to the little bit of action after not being in anybat. I look over to Thoznal and I''m reminded of the questions I want to ask. I''ve never been to the capital of the dwarves, that''s the first thing I want to ask about. "Thoznal, do you mind telling me about the Dwarven country. Its one of the ces I eventually want to see." In my old future there is only so much you can do in 5 years. There are thousands of ces I never got to visit or learn about, and the Dwarven country is one of them. I have a thirst for lore and history, I cant help it when a world is rich with it. Thoznalughs in a joyous way, dwarves love to talk about their history. I heard its one of the best things you can ask a dwarf. Tokil chuckles as well, I''ll also want to know some things about his country. I may know some, but he will know way more. "Well my friend, the Dwarven capital is called Muldan. Its located in a hollowed out mountain range on the other side of the ocean called Ogeburns Expanse. The mountain range is called Grimde Hignds, its has some of the tallest mountains in the world. Most of thend beyond Muldan isrgely unexplored, in recent times some of our best scientists have discovered that the world constantly expands." I already knew this, but I didn''t learn about it till many years after it becamemon knowledge. I heard thatnds and oceans are constantly expending and creating new areas from the forums in my old future. I wonder if yers will have the same reaction they didst time, many questioned how this was possible and the only answer was magic. "How do you keep the mountain from copsing in on its self. Hollowing out a mountain range for a capital city sounds very dangerous." Most knowledge on dwarves is hidden right now, and I knew nothing to begin with. I cant help asking questions like this, the time and effort put into hollowing out a mountain sounds taxing. The risk of copse jeopardizes all that hard work, and dwarves are clever. They wouldn''t do something like this without a guarantee of safety. He hums to himself in contemtion, he might be debating if he should tell me or not. "In all honesty only the Master smiths know that secret, the devices created to do such a thing was crafted by our most genius scientists. That was thousands of years ago as well, for all I know the devices blueprints are lost to time. Only the masters know, and they never leave theirbs." That''s interesting for sure. I feel like I want to ask Tokil somethings about his people and culture as well. I converse with them for hours on history that I knew and didn''t know. It''s approaching afternoon now and we are taking a break. They have stopped to eat, and I have joined them. "I know why Tokil is traveling the country, but why are you Thoznal. I didn''t think dwarves have a ce in politics, and I find it hard to believe you are here to talk about products." They both look at each other in slight surprise at my deduction. I have some theories on why he is here, but I want to hear his words. He sets down his food and crosses his arms in thought. I''m not an NPC so he might tell me, but for all intents and purposes this might be a secret mission or something. "I''m impressed with your questions Zern, I''ll tell you but you have to promise you wont tell anyone." I nod my head yes and straighten out, I don''t want to miss a word of what he says. "I''m here to determine if my people should involve ourselves in the war, believe it or not there is a threat that the monster armies present to us as well. I''ve been talking to leaders and generals about the situation, when I send a report to my country they will determine if we side with the humans or stay out of the war." In my old future dwarves never went to war, this is also a first. I have a feeling that they will join, but I shouldn''t speak so soon. This war just might make every thinking creature involved, the monsters may not stop until they are the only ones left. "I wouldn''t doubt they join the war Thoznal, we have already lost an entire country to a horde. While Alsoma was smaller and weaker then Zenith, its still impressive they crushed them so swiftly. As a new person I don''t have to worry about dying, but the rest who aren''t like us have to worry about the worst." They nod quietly at my words, and silently look at their food. I don''t like bringing down the mood. I cant help myself from talking sometimes, if I have insight I have to say something. We continue to eat and talk about other things, before long we are back on the road. Deep into the road to Zenith we hear nothing other than silence. This isn''t normal in the loud woods full of birds and bugs that make noise. "This ce is to quiet, there isn''t a single thing making a sound. Be on guard my friends." Tokil says what I''m thinking. I draw my sword and prepare forbat just incase. "Your de gives off a unique feeling just like its looks. Do you mind me asking where you got that de." Tokil asks me about The Witness, I don''t want to give its true value away. I should answer them with something though. I swing it a little to show off how natural it feels to wield it. "I got it as a reward from a quest, it has some great skills. I don''t know much other than that though." Tokil looks ready to ask another question, but we both swing our heads and look in the same direction. We got a single monster on its way. Thoznal sees the looks on our faces and draws his amazing looking battle axe, it outsizes him by quiet a bit. He holds it like a master though. Tokil draws his curved de as well and gets into abat stance. "We got a visitor guys, and its feels strong. Be ready for a fight." They both nod their heads at my words. Soon the monster bursts out of the trees and breaks us apart with its hardnding. I backflip mid air andnd on my feet. Tokil rolls out of the way and Thoznal jumps since his short legs cant do what we just did. I use inspect on the creature and I cant help my surprise of the level of the beast. This one is notorious for being a headache to kill. [Steel Skinned Jaguar Lvl.90 tier 1] 2,000,000/2,000,000 HP [Description: An apex predator that hates anything that invades its territory. Its skin makes it impossible to cause bleeding damage or dismemberment. Its weak point is its soft belly, exercise caution when engaging alone. Even though its heavy, it moves extremely fast.] I''m d I''m not alone in this battle, I don''t think my dismemberment perk will work on this guy, and the only thing I have that might is the curse of dposition. I can ignore its defense since my sword does, but its faster then all of us so we should cover each others weaknesses and help our strengths. "I''ll go for stronger strikes near the head, it will dodge since its fast. It cant cover all of us, when it jumps away be ready to attack its blind spots. It''s a predator after all, it cant see to its side or rear. Try and hit the underbelly, if you cant then take what you can get." I announce my n and both nod in understanding. I won''t be able to hit this thing on my own, so having these 2 help a lot. We proceed to fight this damn thing for 20 minutes, Thoznal gets a great hit on the underbelly. I think he got a critical because it looks ready to die. We have been chipping away at its health for awhile. I was worried that Thoznal would be to weak to help us, but he proved both me and Tokil wrong. I keep going for the head over and over again, but it dodges a few more time before itys down and gives up. We watch it bleed out and die, I don''t like killing in such a manner. We cant risk a ying dead situation though, one of us can die. I then get system notifications as it closes its eye for the final time. +2% exp Since I onlynded a couple of regr hits I wont get any skill exp, but 2 percent is good to me. Kind of surprised that the curse didn''t work, bad luck in the 2 strikes I got. I haven''t looked at my yer status in a long time. I open my yer stats and see where I''m at. [yer (Zern) Lvl.61] [Exp: 38/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2050][Endurance - 2000][Dexterity - 2080][Speed - 2195][Focus - 8500] [Health: 16,200/16,200][Mana: 85000/85000] [Stat Points: 270][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.7 325/700] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.7 225/700] [sh Lvl.17 4500/8000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] My sh will get better again once it reaches level 20, I don''t think I''ll be hitting level 62 till after I''m done getting my mana aura. By that time others will start doing their tier up quests as well, staying ahead of the yers is only going to get harder. On the other hand I''m already to strong for one to threaten me, I look at my quests and see I have a healthy amount of them. Tokil and Thoznal start walking and I follow. We should be arriving to Zenith city by tonight, it will be nice to see a capital city after so long. On the other hand Zenith is still being rebuilt so I shouldn''t get my hopes up. Chapter 82: Arriving in Zenith city

Chapter 82: Arriving in Zenith city

We have been traveling all day now, and night is approaching us. I had to go through the invisible barrier like all yers do. Tokil and Thoznal both had strange looks on their faces watching that. We are only a few minutes away and we can see the walls and some of the city from here. There is some damage to thendscape looking from here, I bet the city is busy as can be with rebuilding. I wonder if I''ll get to see Jackson again, he is a king now so he might not have time to have a friendly chat. I look over to my travelpanions and see the solemn look at the devastation the area has been through. Dwarves are builders, seeing this might put a knot in Thoznal''s stomach. Tokil is more used tobat since proving your skill and honor in battle ismon for lizardmen, they are not fond of war though. We came across some more monsters, but Tokil took care of them all. He is truly amazing with a de, I''vee to respect lizardmen even more than before. "So once we make it to Zenith my journey with you two will be over, I must say it has been fun." I''ll need to search for the blind priest Sam, problem is I don''t know where to look. I pull up my tier up quest to see if I can get any clues to where he might be. [Quest: Earn Your Wings] [Description: You are proving that your the progeny of Michael, so now its time to earn what every true angel has. If you earn your wings they will be an invaluable piece of you, they can help attack, defend, and you can use them to fly at extreme speeds. They can be hidden so your identity isn''t revealed.] [Objective 1: Head to your capital city and speak to an old blind priest named Sam.] [Objective 2: Complete the quest Sam gives you.] [Quality: Tier Up] [Rewards: Your Angel Wings, Divine mana aura quest] [???: This is an incredible task, and your first step to true power. You are already an unreachable existence to your fellow yers, but there are many enemies who grow fearful of your power. These enemies are stronger than you and you cant hope to beat them, with this quest you will be starting your real journey to power. I hope you don''t waste your chance here, I won''t give you another one like this if you fail.] There are no clues to where Sam might be, I''ll have to ask around. That is a huge risk and I don''t want to be discovered. I need to find someone who knows people around Zenith, but isn''t going to risk my identity. I have one friend here in Zenith, and that''s Jackson, so that means I have no choice. I have to find a way to see him, he''ll help me in a discreet manner. He knows my secret and has kept it all this time, he has proven that I can trust him. If he really was untrustworthy the church would have already found me. I get out of my thoughts when Tokil asks me something. "If you don''t mind me asking, how did you new peoplee to be. I''ve heard rumors of your origins, but its impossible to think that its true." He will be shocked to learn that the rumors are true, but most yers don''t know the truth about Ancients World either. In a way its a 2 way street, there are things we don''t know about Ancients World and there are things the NPC''s don''t know about us. I sigh and rub the back of my head, he might not like my answer. "The rumors are half true, I don''t know the whole answer because I don''t have all the information. It seems unbelievable, but what''s been said is true." Tokil looks at me with a look of doubt, I wouldn''t me him if he didn''t believe me. "I understand that look Tokil, I would act the same way in your position. Just be careful around new people, you can kill them as many times as you want. They will alwayse back though, and most hold grudges. You aren''t immortal like we are, and all the new people will grow to be very powerful. It would be wise to stay on the good side of us." I''m giving him valuable information and advice right now, I wouldn''t be surprised if the lizardmen weed yers with open arms after Tokil reports this information back to his people. I look over to Thoznal and he has a contemtive look as well. The dwarves will probably open trade with the merchant and crafting yers. We soon make it to the main gate into Zenith, I see guards and soldiers questioning people and going through their stuff. I bet these are people who lived in Zenith, but left when the war started. Most will find that their homes have been destroyed, we all line up in the short line and wait our turn as well. I look into the city and see constant construction, they are working hard to rebuild by the looks of it. We quickly get to the front of the line and are questioned as well. Tokil and Thoznal had to answer more questions then I did, after a few minutes they let us pass. We enter and see a half ruined city, they other half is being rebuilt. I look towards the massive pce and see some damage to it as well. "I have to say it has been a pleasure traveling with you two, I learned so much and you can be sure the information is safe with me." We say our goodbyes to each other and they both head to the pce, either to talk to the king or whoever else is in charge. I want to see if I can find Sam without asking Jackson first. I''m guessing even the church has been destroyed so that isn''t a ce I can look. My best guess would be the people who take in the disced, and since there are barely any buildings that leaves the farms. I''ll have to ask around and see if there are any farmers still around, if there are then that is where I should question first. As Cera begins his search for Sam, said man is having a conversation with his brother. I can understand taking in so many homeless, but we are going to run out of food fast. I love that my little brother has such a kind heart, but we cant help everyone. "Listen to me Oliver, sheltering and feeding the disced is a good thing. I worry for your families health and lively hood though, if you keep giving away your food you wont have any left to sell to the city." Oliver is so much like mom and dad, that''s why they gave him the farm after all. He has done such a great thing with it too, taken it way farther then anyone else in our family has. I hear him sigh and feel him sit down near me. "Well what am I supposed to do Sam? I cant turn my back on these people, they already lost everything. It was you who taught me that those who have the means to help others should, and that''s what I n on doing." I''m positive mom and dad would be proud of his principles and character, I wonder what they would think of the failure I have be. If only I listened and didn''t read the book forbidden of the 7 thunders, I would do anything to get my sight back. Perhaps when the son meets me I can ask him to help, even though I was foolish and deserve this punishment. I still wish to see the light and people, not pitch darkness. With the city in ruin many wille here, this is one of the only safe ces after all. Hopefully the son finds his way here. I''ll do my best to help him in any way I can, but I doubt there is much I can do without my sight. "Oliver can you bring me my walking stick. I want to unwind in the cool air of the night." I hear my little brother get up and walk away, soon he returns with the thumping of my walking stick. I''ve had a hard time adjusting to walking, but I''ve gotten better at it as ofte. Hopefully one day I can walk without falling over, one day I''llnd on something as stubborn as I am. I get up with my walking stick in hand and feel my way to the door, once outside I can hear people talking to each other. Oliver helped set up make shift tents, everyone who isn''t in the barn is outside in the tents. I eventually fine my way to the bricked road that leads to the viewing area, it was one of my favorite ces to before my time in the Holy City. I can picture it my head like I just saw it, I wonder what has be of the beautifulndscape with the war. I spend a couple hours sitting here until I''m interrupted by someone. "Are you Sam by any chance?" I hear a young mans voice, its one I''m unfamiliar with. He walks over and stands beside me. "May I sit down?" I gesture for him to sit and he does, its nice to not be alone when all you see is darkness. Chapter 83: A complex problem

Chapter 83: Aplex problem

{Last upload of the mass release. I still have 2 chapters stockpiled, but I want a break. I hope you have all enjoyed the story so far and thanks for reading!! I spent sometime asking around in Zenith where the poor and disced go. A guard was nice enough to point me in the direction of Oliver''s farm, one of the homeless I talked to once I got there told me she saw Sam head out to the viewing pasture. I eventually found the blind man, and now I''m sitting next to him. "I''ve been looking for you around Zenith, my name is Zern. Its nice to meet you." He nods his head solemnly and just sighs as he looks out into the vast devastatednds. I know this ce was beautiful at one point, many yer posted screenshots on the forums. I decide to just wait and let him finish what he''s thinking about. After a couple minutes of silence he finally speaks. "Can you tell me what it looks like out there. When I lost my sight I lost my mind for a time. The pitch darkness is heavy on my psyche." I guess his blindness was caused by something. I look out into the area that is lit by campfires and torches from guards. The light from the moon is making it easy to see everything. "It must bepletely wrecked if you have stayed quiet for this long." I was going to lie and say it looked fine, but he figured it out himself. I sigh myself, this Sam is a very depressing man. I might as well tell him what I came for. I doubt he has a quest he can give me though. "I''vee to you about my tier up quest." He looks in my direction like I''m stupid, he must not know about me then. "I have a tier up quest that has told me toe to you. Is there perhaps another blind Sam?" I highly doubt there is another blind Sam here in Zenith, but he is acting like I have nothing to do with him. I watch his face move from confusion to horror. He jumps down on the ground and bows to me, I don''t like the feeling of being bowed to. "Please forgive my insolence son of Michael! If I knew it was you I would have acted differently!" So he knows something, other wise he wouldn''t have know its me. I grab him by the shoulder and stand him up, he has a face of both fear and admiration. "I was captured by some thugs of the church of the dark ones saying I''d meet you! I got away safe and sound before I could learn anything else." Now that is surprising information. I wouldn''t doubt that the church of the dark ones are using dark rituals to reveal parts of my future. I sit him back down in his spot and release a sigh now that my identity has been revealed to someone I don''t fully trust. I''m d he cant see my face now. "Please don''t act like that. I may be half angel, but I''m still half human too. Can I count on you not to reveal my true name to anyone, even your superiors at the church of light." I want to make sure he doesn''t tell anyone about me, I don''t want the church breathing down my neck. If Sam were to tell them my name then they would undoubtedly increase their search, and that isn''t good for me. He looks at me with conviction. I can see that he isn''t as depressed as he was before. "Of course you can count on me. I would never betray the trust of The Almighty Fathers grandson. Please what is it you require of me, I wont be able to help much since I''m blind. I can at least help you with information." As soon as he says that my quest gets a new objective added, I open the quest to see the new information. What I see surprises me, perhaps this is my trial to tier up. [Quest: Earn Your Wings] [Description: You are proving that your the progeny of Michael, so now its time to earn what every true angel has. If you earn your wings they will be an invaluable piece of you, they can help attack, defend, and you can use them to fly at extreme speeds. They can be hidden so your identity isn''t revealed.] [Objective 1: Head to your capital city and speak to an old blind priest named Sam.][Completed] [Objective 2: Remove the pitch ck darkness affecting Sam''s vision.] [Quality: Tier Up] [Rewards: Your Angel Wings, Divine mana aura quest] [???: This is an incredible task, and your first step to true power. You are already an unreachable existence to your fellow yers, but there are many enemies who grow fearful of your power. These enemies are stronger than you and you cant hope to beat them, with this quest you will be starting your real journey to power. I hope you don''t waste your chance here, I won''t give you another one like this if you fail.] I don''t know how to remove his blindness though, the only way you can dive into someone else''s mind is if you visit a mage that specializes in dreams. I have to do it, since curing his blindness is apart of my quest now that means it ys a role in me tiering up. He must have done something that caused it, a curse or spell. If I know it I might not need a dreams specialist. "Can you tell me how you came to lose your sight. You must have done something to cause it." He looks down in shame and clenches his fists, he must havemitted a forbidden act and this is his punishment. He begins to tell me his story as his voice shakes. "I was once a priest in the Holy City, and I was an arrogantly powerful one. When I read the book of the 7 thunders, I was doing it for a person dear to my heart who was stricken with an incurable disease. My eyes had an ability to automatically transcribe and know any ancientnguage, it was my greatest pride. I used my gift to read the book of the 7 thunders, and I found the answer I needed. I learned a one time healing technique, but soon after I read the book I lost my vision. I was able to save my love at the time, but I was exiled from the city and stripped of my titled. So I returned here, and I have been staying with my brother for about a year now." So he read the book of the 7 thunders, I don''t know much about the book. All I really know is that it was written by a man who could hear The Almighty Father. Apparently it has knowledge about anything you wish to know, it really isn''t a book. More like apacted library into a single book, the enchants used on the book are unknown to the church. I find that his willingness to risk his life for his love is something amazing, even if he did it because he though himself invulnerable. "I don''t know much about the book of the 7 thunders, but I have a suspicion you were cursed. The book is ancient and has exchanged hands many times, to think someone wouldn''t tamper with it is foolish. I think I know my trial now, I''ll help remove the curse from your eyes Sam. Do you know any mages that specialize in dreams?" He looks at me with a shocked expression, and I chuckle a little. A curse that took away his greatest strength, sometimes curses affect people differently. For Sam it took his vision away, if it happened to someone like my mom it would take all her memories of her kids while reminding her that it took those memories away. This is just a theory of course, but it fits for now. "I know of one man, but he is in the pce. He is the head mage for the new king, but I doubt the king will lend us any help with all the reconstruction going on." So I have to talk to Jackson anyway, it would be nice to see him after this much time has passed. I wonder what he is up to right now. He is probably talking to Tokil and Thoznal, but they will probably be gone by the time I get there. Receiving permission to speak to the king isn''t an easy thing. I look over at the pce on the other side of the wall far away. "Looks like we lucked out Sam, I know the current king from my first difficult mission. If he hears I want to speak with him I''m sure he''ll help. We''ll see what we can do about this curse alright." I have no option other than seeding, if I don''t I might not get my wings. I still have the lore tablet, but I''m going to see how this ys out. "I''ll go see if Jackson will lend me his help, I''ll meet you back at Oliver''s farmter tonight or in the early morning." He nods his head and begins his walk back to the farm. I look at the ruinedndscape one more time. This is the fate of every city if the monsters win, even though this was a human battle the ruin is on the same level. Once I''m strong enough to stop them I will. I make my way back to the gates and enter the city, time to see if I can get an audience with the king. Chapter 84: A reality of the poor

Chapter 84: A reality of the poor

Its going to be hard to get close to the pce, I bet security is high since cells of enemies might remain. I walk down the roads of the massive capital city, capital cities are absolutely supersized in Ancients World. Some capitals only hold 15 to 20 million people, but capitals like Zenith are capable of holding 100 million people. It goes to show the true size of Ancients Worldpared to mine and the size of their armies. I look into the starry sky and see a beautiful clear night sky. I wish earth had something like this, but pollution is a real problem. I see no citizens around and only see official workers, the guards are on high alert. I walk for a little while and see a pub still standing. The only ones are guards and merchants though, most of the wealthy nobles live outside the city and away from the capital. Chance are they are still unharmed by the recent war. You can always count on the nobles to run and hide when they are called on for war, its rare to find one that isn''t a coward. I pass the pub and all the drunk guards, most of them lost their homes too so I can understand getting drunk. I despise alcohol and any drugs, I''ve never tried them and I never will. Watching my sister go through what she did really showed me the reality of drugs, I''m d her fate has changed this time around. While I''m walking my thoughts drift to Alsoma and the monsters there, this war will eventually progress. The question is where is the next target, the closest kingdom to Alsoma is Kroria, the country of Kroria is known for its wine and industry. They are also this continents leading steel manufacturers, I bet there borders are being heavily fortified. It is a key location to defend against the monster armies. Speaking of monsters I wonder how many species have sided with the orcs. The system lied to the yers, and most are finding that out now. Another reason to be suspicious of J&X, I''ve never heard of a malfunctioning system A.I. and I doubt J&X programmed it to lie to the yers. yers will eventually step in and start helping in the war once they reach level 50 and tier 1, and once the yer poption reaches level 150 tier 3 leveling speed will slow down. The amount of exp to level up at that point will be huge. I''ll have a hard time getting levels with a half exp debuff, and I know for a fact that yers will start leveling up fast really soon. Avalon is another topic I need to think about, NPC''s and yer alike know very little of the ce. The yers that are there currently will be there for a long time, I wonder how many yers were reassigned to Avalon. 80 million maybe, doubt its over 100 million. Alsoma was a small country so it would have a small yer poption. I wonder how many countries will fall till this war ends, I want to do something for all those that were captured by the monsters. It will have to wait though, and I doubt that by the time I can do something many would be alive from birthing so many monsters. Monsters grow at an elerated rate, when a female is used they can produce many offspring of monsters in a short amount of time. They use them till they die or cant give birth anymore, after that they throw them away like garbage. Fills me with anger at the thought of something like that happening right now. I didn''t pay attention enough to notice that I''m in the old poverty district. I can tell because there''s many homeless and sick people here, I look around as I continue to walk. This war has caused much pain, but these are the ones that suffer the most. The ones that are looked down upon. Every society has to put the value on everything, I wonder what my world would look like if money and greed didn''t exist, probably wouldn''t have advanced far as a society. Peace traded for material things isn''t something I agree with either, and that''s what happened. Competition brought revolution, and revolution brought money, and its circles back around to where money causedpetition. An obvious oversimplification, but it holds uracy and truth. I''m stopped in my tracks as a little girl grabs my leather pants. "Can you please spare some coin? My mom really needs medicine and we cant afford it." I look to where the little girl is pointing and see a sickly pale woman, could be a scam. Unlikely though, the mother really does look sick. I look down at the little girl begging so she can save her mother. I see myself in the kid, I would do the exact same for my mom if need be. "Here you go kid, should be enough to get whatever your mom needs." I pull out a bag of about 15 gold pieces and hand it to her. She looks ready to cry, I look over at her mom and see that she is trying to look grateful with the pained look on her face. Their father must have died defending the city, Harold probably used the poor men since the middle ss and rich refused to fight. I watch her run back to her mom and hand her the gold. She tries to get up, but falls down hard. I cant stand here and watch this anymore, I walk over and help the woman up. I sling her arm over my shoulder and support her as she can barely walk. "I''ll take you to the healer, just tell me where it is." She looks ready to pass out, I watch her lift her hand and point ahead of us. It isn''t much to go on, but I''ll make sure she gets there. I try and walk with her by my side, but she trips and goes limp hanging off me. Instead of saying anything I pick her up and carry her, I carry her in my arms and let her rest. Since my strength stat is so high she feels as light as paper, I walk down the street and her daughter and son follow behind me. Eventually we make it to a make shift campsite where rubble has been cleared out. I see sick and wounded shoulders inside the tents. I carry her in and look for someone who can help her, soon I make eye contact with a middle aged nun. I find an open cot and set her down, a guard in the tent says something to me. "This tent isn''t for the poor! Take her back where she came from and I wont execute you!" I look at the man with fury, something inside just hates people like him to the point that I would willingly kill them without provocation. I''m about to reach for my sword, but the middle aged nun stops me. I look at her and she nods her head no, she then looks at the sick mother. "If you have money for treatment I''ll help her. I''m sorry for his actions earlier, he is under strict orders from the general." She says that as she points towards the guard. He looks at me with anger, I believe he was ready to fight as well. He is a low level guard as well, I can tell by the armor he is wearing. Most likely under level 50, I don''t have the patience to inspect him. I turn my attention back to the nun and tilt my head to the kids. She looks over at them and sees the bag, the daughter hands it to her and she sees the amount. "This is more than enough, whatever she has wont kill her yet. I''ll be sure to cure your wife before sunrise." I slightly nod my head no in pity at the mention of being her husband, we are around the same age so I understand the mistake. "Ah, I see. Your a better man then most in these walls, if more people reached out a helping hand this wouldn''t be a dire situation. I''ll watch over the kids and mother, your work is done." I make my way to the exit of the tent and I look at the guard onest time. He doesn''t acknowledge me, I hope he does his job and protects these people. If I hear something happened here I would make sure all responsible parties pay for it. I make my way out of the tent and look towards the pce, only a couple more miles till I reach it. I start on my way again and I think about what I can do to help these people. I doubt Jackson will be able to do anything, despite being a king he has to listen to his nobles. If he doesn''t they withdraw their support and move to a new kingdom with there wealth. Its a disgusting reality, but if you don''t have money then you are screwed when wares around. That''s why most soldiers are from poor families, its because they have no where to go once they reach adulthood. One of the many ws of humanity and its treatment towards each other. Chapter 85: Important update

Chapter 85: Important update

I just want to let you all know that with the recent extreme weather going on I''m at risk for power outages. I live in eastern Oregon and I''m suppose to have a crazy 2 weeks of weather, and if my power goes out I wont be able to post. Everything is going fine right now and if I have power then I''ll post, but I refuse to write chapters on my phone because my power is out. So I hope everyone stays safe in this crazy time, and I hope my power doesn''t go out. As always, thanks for reading!!!! Chapter 86: The Baron now King

Chapter 86: The Baron now King

I feel good helping that broken family, but its just a drop in the bucket in terms of people who need help. I bring my mind to something less sad, I wonder what mom and dad are doing on their adventures. I bet Marcus is proving to be a handful, but teaching him what the school would will be easier now that they are always together. He will try and find a way out of it, but I personally don''t believe you have to know algebra to seed in life. While I''m good at math, I''ve never had to use more than addition or subtraction after I graduated. I''m sure mom and dad will teach him better about life than any public school ever could. I open my friends list and I see that both of them are online, as well as the rest of the family. I could send them a yer message, but they are probably busy. Just seeing that they are okay and are having fun is good enough for me. "Young man, were you the one that helped that poor mother back there?" I look towards the direction of an old female voice and see an older woman dressed in rags. I don''t know how she could possibly know that since it just happened, she sees the confusion on my face and smiles with wisdom. I walk over to her and look at her to see if she has any magic hiding her identity. "How could you possibly know about that? I just did it a few minutes ago." All she does is look at me with the same wise look that she has worn this entire time. I don''t sense any magical powering from her, and she doesn''t look like a mage. Whoever thisdy is, she is doing a great job about hiding her methods. "Why did you want to know. I doubt that I can do much for others." She just fiddles with her hands and stays silent. Since she isn''t going to talk I might as well leave. I turn and start to walk away, then I hear her speak again. "You have already done enough young man, just remember she is always watching." I turn around to look at her, but when I do she is already gone. I question my sanity for a few seconds, I know she was just there. She seemed to have vanished into thin air. What did she mean by she is always watching, sounds like something that is caused by my ss and life rating. Unique encounters like this happen the better the ss, perhaps this was one of them. I start on my way back towards the pce, I walk for a few minutes and I eventually hear a world announcement. [World-wide Announcement: The monster armies have begun attacking the borders of Kroria! They are being stopped by the church and the coalitions soldiers for the time being! The oue of this fight will determine the fate of Kroria!] Looks like the monsters have decided to attack Kroria, I bet the alliance is moving to intercept them and stop the fight at the borders. Kroria is important for weapons and armors, they will defend it fiercely. I don''t think the monsters will get Kroria, but many lives will be lost in the process. I wonder what Zeniths role in this war will be, with reconstruction there wont be much they can contribute. If anything Jackson should ask for help rebuilding, but I don''t know how to run a country so I should keep those ideas to myself. I''m getting closer and closer to the pce, and the presence of soldiers are increasing as well. Some even look at me and wonder what I''m doing so close to the pce. I keep walking and ignore the looks I''m getting, eventually I''ll be stopped. I walk for some time and I meet a gate that is keeping people from getting to the pce, I can see a line of nobles and merchants looking to get in. They must want to speak to the king about business and ranks, when a new king is crowned and anything below the rank Earl and Countess needs to be reworked. Politics is a thing I don''t want to get involved in, but I''ll have to tolerate it till I can get Jacksons help lifting Sam''s curse. This line isn''t moving and I don''t look the way a person should when meeting a king. So that means I need to sneak in, but I''m betting they have detection magic to determine where in the perimeter a breach urred. So that leaves me no obvious options of getting in, and I doubt he''ll being out here anytime soon. This is going to be harder than I thought, I wonder if there even is way in. Unless, I intentionally get caught. If I can get close enough to Jackson or Charles before I''m apprehended then I''ll be able to speak with him. Now its a race to see how far I can get inside the property before I''m caught and the goal is to reach Charles or Jackson. I should find a private ce to jump the perimeter and increase my odds. I leave the line and go back the way I came, and then I take a turn into an ally. I make my way to a secluded part of the perimeter and notice guards patrolling, I''ll have to be quick. The goal is for me to get into the pce, but if I cant then I''m screwed. This is an all in gamble, and I don''t like gambling. I prepare myself and get ready for a hot pursuit once I cross the perimeter. I see a gap in the guards that are patrolling around here, I take it and jump the perimeter. I move as fast as I can. I get closer and closer to the pce before I notice I have some special guards behind me. "STOP! We are authorized to use deadly force!" I''m to close to stop now, I can see them getting closer by the second. These guys are powerful and it would be bad if I tried to kill them. I see no time to use the front door to the pce so I go for the closest window. I burst through it and scare the crap out of some maids. The guards at the end of the halls see me, looks like I''m pinned. Guards on either end of the hall and some behind me. I also have no idea where Jackson or Charles are, so now its cat and mouse. I head down the right side of the hall and charge the guards that are in my way. They draw their weapons and I dodge their attacks. They aren''t as strong as the guys perusing me, but I don''t want to take a hit regardless. "Don''t let him go any further!" One of the guards that was pursing me shouts out to the ones trying to impeded me. That means someone important is in this direction. I rush down the hall and take the only avable turn. "Don''t let him reach the throne room!" Bingo, this is the way to the throne room. Hopefully Jackson is there, or I''m dead meat. I burst through the final doors and enter a massive and beautiful room. Some of the noble woman scream and guards begin to surround me. I look around and spot Jackson, I immediately head towards him. "STOP HIM BEFORE HE REACHES THE KING!!!!" Everyone''s attention shifts to me and I see Jackson turn his head towards me. I smile and he gives me a look of questioning my sanity. I stop once we make eye contact and let the guards tackle me. They bring me to my knees and prepare to cut off my head. "STOP THAT THIS INSTANCE!!! DO NOT HARM A SINGLE HAIR ON HIS HEAD!!!" I watch Jackson yell at the man with a sword to my neck, I could''ve activated my skills. My divine power would have given me away though, this was the only option. He quickly runs up to us and shoves the guys holding me down away. "HOW DARE YOU HARM HIM!!!" Everyone looks at him in confusion before he regains hisposure. He must have remembered he is one of the only few that know my identity. He helps me up and brushes the dirt and ss off my clothes. I smile and look at the new home he has. The guards are looking at me in fury, they are still in kill mode. I ignore them and turn my attention back to Jackson. "How have you been old friend? Surely being a king is better than being a baron." Heughs at my first question for him. We both know that it isn''t an easy transition and that he probably hates it, that''s what makes it kind of funny. Soon Charles shows up as well and I wave to the nice and well mannered butler. Looks like I seeded in not dying, I look around and see that this is a party. Exins the line outside. I turn my head back to Jackson and give a big smile, he just sighs at my antics. Its nice to see a familiar face after all the crap I seen in Zenith. Chapter 87: The Court Magician I

Chapter 87: The Court Magician I

{krialder is this months top donator!! That means he has earned a spot in my story!! krialder, please let me know if you want an NPC or yer named after you. Use the paragraphments or the storyments. I hope that my power stays on in theing weeks, if not I''ll give daily updates on the situation from my phone. Lets pray that I don''t lose power in theing storms.} {Mark any mistakes, to tired to edit right now. I''ll fix them when I wake up. Thanks guys!!} Many of the nobles at this party are looking at me funny, I''ve never been one to make a grand entrance. I ended up making a break in though, its better then waiting in a line just for a guard to tell me I''m not allowed in though. I look back to Jackson and I can tell that he isn''t to happy with the guards. "They were just doing their jobs Jackson. In the end its my fault, I refuse to wait in a line just to be told no once I reach the front." Many of the present guards look at me with animosity, but Jackson shoots them a re that stops anything further from happening. "I''m sure you would like an exnation on why I''m here. Can we talk in private perhaps." Jackson nods his head yes and summon Charles. They lead me to a private office away from the party so we can speak without any ears listening in. Jackson heads over to the massive desk in this amazing office. There are bookshelf''s full of books and I can see a balcony overlooking the city. While Jackson digs around in his desk I''ll go ahead and take a look at the view. I walk out onto the beautifully sculpted balcony and see for miles and miles. The stars are easily visible and so is the construction in the city. Charles soon joins me while Jackson continues to dig around in his desk and files. "Is there anything I can get for you yer Zern? Perhaps you would like some freshly made tea." I look over at Charles and nod my head yes with a smile. He make his way towards the door and leaves. A little after he left Jackson joins me on the balcony to see the amazing view. I look at his hands and he is holding a file of some sort, whatever its for must involve me. "It is good to see you again yer Zern, I must be honest I never thought I''d see you again." I just chuckle, I wasn''t sure I''d see him again either. I look directly at the folder and he sees me looking. "I should exin. This is a grant for nobility in my kingdom, I want you to be a duke for my country." I just sigh at his words, I want nothing to do with nobles. As well as politics, this isn''t who I want to be and he will surely be sad at my decline. "I figured you wouldn''t want to, I had to at least try." I don''t even get to give him a verbal answer before he already know my answer. I do have on idea though, and it would be important to me if I could have it granted. "While you cant have me as a noble, I do have someone in mind." He looks at me to continue, she isn''t rich or well known. She is just a mother to a bunch of orphans, however she is my mother in game and I want to make sure she is taken care of. "There is a woman that runs an orphanage in Blue Grass, her name is Amelia Zern." As soon as I finish saying her name he understands. Her name gives it away, but if he wants his kingdom to have a connection with me. The way to do it is to protect Amelia and her orphans. Soon Charleses back with some tea and brings it to the balcony for us to drink. We just enjoy it in silence as the night sky lights up the night. He sets his tea cup back on his te and clears his throat. "I know you wouldn''te and see me if it wasn''t for something important. So what is it you need." I''m d that I don''t have to waste time asking for help. I don''t know if he will make Amelia a noble or not, but if he does he will be so I''ll have a personal tie to the kingdom. The things I need to discuss with him will not leave this room, and Jackson has proven that I can trust him. Charles is also someone I trust, but I don''t know if the court mage will be someone I can trust. He is sure to find out who I am as well, court mages isn''t a rank any mage can get and they are smart and shrewd. I set my tea down as well as I get ready to talk. It will be nice to have some help on my tier up quest, thest time I did my tier up quest in my old future it took me close to 2 months. "I''m here on my tier up quest. I need some help lifting a curse on a blind priest, and he told me your court magician might be able to help. I''m sure that you have much to do as king and if you cant spare him for a couple days then I understand." Both Jackson and Charles look at me shocked, I have gained a lot of strength in a very short amount of time. Jackson goes back into his office and begins to talk to someone through a hologram. I wont listen, since I''m such a private person I should also respect others privacy. There is some arguing, but I take my mind off the voices around me and focus on my thoughts. If the court magician cant help me then I''ll have to use the lore tablet. While I would rather use it for the divine mana aura quests I''m prepared to use it for my tier up quest. I still have a few 2x exp boosts as well, I can use those to hit some dungeons before getting my mana aura. "How has your journey been since Blue Grass? I''m sure it wasn''t easy to give up a legendary item like that." Charles begins to talk to me. I wonder if they ever did get to use the item I got for them, the demands for it were incredibly high and I was happy giving it away. I turn around and lean my back on the railing and look at Charles. "I''ve been to many ces since thest time I saw you, the hardest was probably the trial of Monrell, the church would have found me had it not been for Monrell transporting me away. The trial is where I got this." I bring up my sword that is still in its sheath, the only thing he can see is the innate design of the handle. The sword is truly one countries would go to war for, and I''m the one that has it. While I''ve used my meta knowledge to better my life, I''ve learned a lot about things I didn''t know about. Take the fact that the future is changing I can say much has changed. He leans down to inspect the sheath and handle. I watch him adjust his monocle from time to time, he wont know the true value. He can probably find out that its very special though, he finishes inspecting it and I ce it back to where it was. "You have grown very strong in such a short amount of time. Many people would be jealous of your growth, but if they found out who you really were then they would understand why." I''m sure I''ll run into people and yers who think like that, but so many of the yers are focused on themselves it might take a long time for that to happen. I''ll eventually run into NPC''s who are to stupid for their own good, but there are always encounters like that in life. I''m about to speak again, but both of us hear Jackson begin to yell at someone. "I DON''T CARE ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH AT THE MOMENT! I WANT YOU HERE IN THE NEXT HOUR! IF YOU ARE A MINUTE LATE I''LL CUT ALL YOUR FUNDING!!!" We both grimace at the yellinging from the office. Keeping powerful mages in line is a very difficult thing to do, I tip the proverbial hat to Jackson for threatening to take the funding away. Having money for experiments is one of the only things that mages take seriously about other people. He walks back out of his office and I see him fix his ruffled clothes before joining us again. "I''m sorry you had to hear that. Mages are some of the most annoying people to have under you. He should be here soon, so lets catch up about things." We begin to talk about things that are happening with the monsters and the new kingdom forming, they ask questions about my battles and fights. Its nice to talk with people who know who I am. I don''t have to hide anything from them, well I do. Just not as much. After awhile the door to the office opens and I see a man in histe 20s in magic gear, this must be the court mage. Chapter 88: The Court Magician II

Chapter 88: The Court Magician II

{krialder, please let me know if you want an NPC or a yer named after you by the 28th of February 2021. If you don''t get into contact with me by using thement or paragraph section you forfeit your reward. If this happens a new winner will be selected at the end of March.} {Please mark any spelling mistakes, I''m to tired to edit and I haven''t gotten much sleep because of the storms. Thanks for the help!} I look at the mage and the thing that draws my attention is the ne he has on. It looks like a powerful item, its name slips my mind at the moment. He walks over to us and joins the conversation on the balcony. "So what''s so important that I need to be here. You know I have a lot of work to get done and undoing the damage that Harold caused will take time. While I''m sure you want me to meet your young noble friend, I don''t see the point of dragging me all the way here." The trademarked arrogance confirms he is a powerful mage. I wont inspect him since it would be rude, NPC''s don''t like getting inspected. Especially by yers. I can see the obvious frustration on Jacksons face. Even kings cant keep powerful mages in line, and that speaks a lot about the mages of Ancients World. Jackson pinches the bridge between his nose and releases a sigh, he mumbles something under his breathe. I cant make it out though, he has been king for a very short amount of time so I can guess how angry he is. "This is the young man that brought us the legendary item. If you would be so kind to show respect to the one who saved many casualties in this war I would be most appreciative." So they were able to use the item, how awesome is that I wonder what it looked like. I bet it took awhile to find someone who could use it. The mage looks at me with a hint of surprise. "Tieer, I expect you to help this young man in his tier up quest. He needs help lifting some sort of curse on another. I don''t care if this messes up your schedule, I want your full cooperation on this." At least I know his name now. Tieer is a familiar name to me, I heard it in whispers in my travels from my old future. I don''t have any useful information on him, just that he knows a lot about magic for someone so young. He looks at Jackson in disappointment and releases a deep groan. "I''ll help to the best of my abilities, but I make no promises. Curses are rarely studied so this could prove a great opportunity for me. We can start right away if you wish." I''m fine with starting right away, but I want to make sure I can trust him. My secret will be known to him, I cant hide it with all thisplex work. While it would be nice to keep my secret from someone like Tieer, I wont be able to. He could alert the church for a better station or ess to more magic, it really is a gamble. I can ask Jackson if he is trustworthy. I turn my attention to Jackson and he gets my look. "Can I trust this man with my secret Jackson. I don''t want him ratting me out for better benefits, I trust your judgement because you have proved to be a trustworthy man." Tieer looks at me kind of insulted, in the end I really don''t need his help. It would be nice to not use my lore tablet though, so I''ll see how this ys out. Jackson moves over to his desk and goes through somethings, he pulls out an old photo of 2 kids and hands it to me. They look very simr to Jackson and Tieer, must be them when they were kids. I look back at Jackson and he takes a breath. "Despite how we act towards each other we are childhood friends. My family and his family have beenrades for a very long time, and I''m to marry his little sister in a few months once the transition is settled. I trust him very much, and he also has a bad history with the church. Even got himself banned from the Holy City." Knowing that he doesn''t like the church is a good thing, and being childhood friends with him puts stock in Jacksons words. I hand the picture back to Jackson and he just holds it, has a face of reminiscing old memories. I turn back to Tieer ready to exin the situation. "The reason I wanted to ask if I could trust you is because I have a very important secret." He looks at me with some excitement, give a mage a mystery and their attitudepletely changes. "I''m Arch-Angel Michaels son. While you now know this truth I hope you do keep it a secret." He looks at me like I grew another head, he soon regainsposure and gives a slight bow in recognition. I have a sour taste in my mouth when I get bowed to, I''d like to make sure this situation doesn''t be a habit. That makes 6 beings in total that know my whole identity, one of them being a dragon. While Cera speaks to the 3 people in the room about his situation. There is a catastrophe happening at J&X. I look at the new countdown on the screen and a sense of doom ovees me. Xander said we had a week, but its only been a few days since the change has urred. Xander said its because of Angelus drawing power to the AW server room. "Xander.... What are we going to do... This isn''t enough time to reach the goal!!" I don''t know how to describe the feeling I have in me right now, its different then what I felt when I saw the countdown. Xander looks at the screen with me, he has a solemn expression on his face. He hase to terms with the reality of our situation. I on the other hand have not, I thought that if I could save at least 10 billion I would be happy. The current yer total right now is around 6.9 billion, and now we probably wont even reach 7.5 billion by the time of the collision. "We did the best we could Jericho. In the end we cantpete with Angelus, its a miracle that we made it this far. I may sound insensitive, but the only ones we should worry about now is our own families. I''m sure there will be many demanding our blood once the truth gets out. Do you think we should still announce it now?" I barely listen to Jericho. My mind is filled with different things, the most prominent is what the UN will do to us. If we announce it to the world it will cause mass panic, so we shouldn''t even tell the UN of this development. Its the only way we can save our own lives. I stand up in the empty room, right now its just Xander and me. We sent everyone home when we learned that a new countdown would happen, so none of our technicians or scientists know the new countdown. "We wont tell anyone Xander, at this point its the only way to secure our protection and ensure that mass panic doesn''t happen. What the people don''t know wont hurt them." I don''t like that line of thinking, but now that we have reached the end of the road all I can do is save the people who are already ying. I look towards Xander and see the pain on his face, its not one caused by my choice. Its one because he agrees with me. I look at the screen to see the countdown till the collision. [] All we have left is 3 days, and the longer I look at the countdown the sicker I get. Angelus has been using the local power grid to pump power into whatever she is doing, and now that she has seeded the countdown hase to this. "Where do you n on being the first couple weeks in Ancients world. It would be wise of us to stay together, we both have pretty big families now. When people put the truth together a bounty will be put up for our capture, and we wont have any allies." I ask Xander an important question, I want our families to stay together in Ancients World. We both have 3 kids and a wife, I would feel safer knowing I had some friends. Xander takes some time to find a good answer, picking the best starting city to stay in will be important. It will buy us a lot of time since our government will be destroyed, and everyone involved with the UN and world government will have no way to track us down and find us. They will be to busy trying to find out how to rebuild andmunicate with the rest of the people that make it. "My family and I will be spawning in Hexvale, in the kingdom of Zonid. I''m going to head home and get my family all ready, I suggest you do the same Jericho." He leaves me alone in the empty room. I have a small chuckle, I cant helping seeing the irony of the situation. Trying to control a sperate world with such power was surely a mistake, and now we are paying for it. Chapter 89: Lifting the Curse

Chapter 89: Lifting the Curse

I''ve exined the entire situation to Tieer and I have yet to hear him speak if I have his help with this. He looks at me with the same look I have when I think deeply about something. "From what you have described your friend is having his vision taken from him. I might know a fix, but I''ll have to investigate him in person. Can you take me to him." I''m d that he is willing to try, I nod my head yes and walk towards the door. I hear him follow behind me and we make our way to the door. He turns his head back to say a final thing to Jackson. "Don''t wait up for me, I don''t know how long this will take or how dangerous it really is." Jackson nods his head and looks to Charles. They are going to discuss something in private is seems. Tieer and I make our way out of the pce and onto the streets of the ruined city. "So how did youe to be the court mage for Jackson, I''m sure that it wasn''t strictly because you were friends. Jackson isn''t that irresponsible." Heughs at my deduction, in truth I have a good idea why he was selected. However, that conclusion is solely based on my working knowledge of Tieer and that isn''t much. I''m d he didn''t take offense to my question though. He has a look of contemtion on his face before answering me. He soon sighs and takes out a little notebook, he scribbles something down. "He made me the court mage because of my unique healing and offensive magic. Believe it or not I wield a legacy ss myself. I had it every since I was a boy, I got it when I was studying some old ruins in Melion. After that happened my life changed and I became the most powerful magic user in my family." I wonder what his legacy ss is, I knew nothing of this. I''m curious to ask more, but that seems rude of me. I''m d I know that he earned his spot of power though, most don''t work for their goals anymore. We continue walking down the streets until we reach the gate to the city. We have no problems with the guards since he is a higher rank than them. "My friend is staying at his little brothers farm. Its about a 10 minute walk from here, and I must warn you he is bitter about losing his sight. So keep the jabs at a minimum." I can tell that Tieer''s personality is one of the many that tease and make fun of others and their circumstances. I admit I don''t like these types of people, but sometimes you cant avoid them in life. Tieer isn''t someone who knows what failure is like, and for all I know his life has been sunshine and rainbows. Its hypocritical of me to think this though, so I''ll give him the benefit of the doubt. He chuckles at my words, seems others opinions of him don''t affect his mood. I wish I had that much pride, I have to much bad memories of people like him. "I''ll be sure to take it easy on your friend, I''m here to help you guys after all. Just make sure that you keep him in line, I don''t like priests, especially arrogant ones. He may have been humbled, but it will undoubtedly return. Everyone from the Holy City has a stick so far up their ass, it really ruins the experience of the city." He got banned from the Holy City so I understand his feelings, I cant rte though. I have never been to the Holy City, so I''ll save my opinion till I experience it myself. I could see myself being enemies with Tieer if my life was the same asst time. He reminds me of a bad time in my life, well more so his attitude. "So what''s it like being an angel? I''m sure you get tons of special treatment, despite that you hide your identity. If I were you I would live like a king and never know a day of hard work. I guess that''s where we differ isn''t it." I cant help some of my anger from slipping out, all that appears is a scowl on my face. I can see that I wont like the time I spend with Tieer, and I can see why Jackson has such a hard time with him. If I had to deal with Tieer everyday I would yell to, I might even try and take his life. The farm ising into view, I don''t respond to his question of me being an angel. I have more important things to discuss than getting into a contest of measuring power with another. "I''ll go and get Sam. Meet us over at the viewpoint, its his favorite spot to be. Remember, be nice to him. He is still blind and adjusting, hopefully after this he wont be." Tieer nods his head and heads off towards the viewpoint. I make my way to the house and pass the tents that cover the massive front yard. I knock on the door and a woman answers it, she recognizes me as Sam''s friend and lets me in. She takes me to him and he is sitting on his bed trying to practice his brail. "Sam, I was able to get the help of the king. The court mage is waiting for us, lets see if we cant get that blindness lifted" Sam hears my voice and gets all formal and stuffy, hold habits die hard don''t they. He stands up with his walking stick and makes his way towards me. For all I know this is hisst time being blind, I wonder what its like experiencing total darkness even when your eyes are open. "I''m d that you are going through all this trouble to help me. I''ll try my best to make sure you seed in your quest." I wonder if I would be treated like this by everyone from the church, thinking about it more I wouldn''t. Sam had a reality check when he lost his sight, and it made him a better man. A bitter one yes, but one better than he once was. We walk side by side to the viewpoint and I can see Tieer waiting for us. We eventually make it to him and I sit Sam down. Tieer takes a good hard look at Sam and his eyes. "I''m going to use some magic to see if you have anything affecting your mind along with your eyes. You might feel a numbing sensation, but that''s normal." Tieer gets to work right away, I watch him cast some spells. I recognize some, and fail to others. "You definitely have something affecting your eyes. You should thank the lucky stars your mind is intact from such a curse. This is a custom made curse, whoever made it knew what they were doing. Its specifically designed to target the strongest part of a person. The bad news I have is we cant remove it without someone willing to take the burden from you." Sam''s body slouches at the prognosis of Tieer, we know what we are dealing with now. "The good news is Zern can take the burden." I look at him as if he is as dumb as a sack of bricks. "You have powerful angel blood, the curse wont affect you like it would Sam." He brings up a great point. I sigh thinking what this could mean for me. "What do you think it would do to me? I doubt it could affect my body like it would Sam or yours. If anything it would attack my mind, that''s my greatest weapon." Tieer just smiles, I have a bad feeling about this and I have no clue what he ns to do to transfer the curse. He holds out his hands in a manner for me to take a seat. "You better know what your doing Tieer, I may be immortal and half angel. I can still hold a grudge though." He justughs at my words. He begins to cast some spells I know nothing about, I learned something today. People like Tieer should be avoided as much as possible. As soon as I hear the casting stop I pass out, I fall off the bench and begin feeling very tired. After a few hours of sleeping I wake up in my bed, I''m not in Ancients World anymore. I look over to my gaming pod and see my old equipment. I''m brought out of my confusion as I hear yelling from downstairs. "HOW DARE YOU BRING DRUGS IN MY HOUSE!!! YOU ARE LEAVING TODAY HAILEY!!! I EXPECT YOU GONE BY MIDNIGHT!!!" I know that voice and those words. I think I know what''s happening right now, and I cant help feeling a sickness envelop me. This is what my life was like before I made my wish. Seems this curse wants to destroy my greatest power, and that''s my family. Chapter 90: A Fate I Changed

Chapter 90: A Fate I Changed

I look around the same tiny room I grew up in and the same house we always had. This is a future that caused pain and heartbreak. I lost so much and I didn''t think I would ever get it back, but I did. The wish I made changed everything, and my life is a billion times better this time around. I scoot to the edge of my bed and just sit there contemting, from the screaming match earlier I can tell its getting close to the worst moment in my life. Now is around the time Hailey inadvertently killed mom, people do desperate things for their fix. Hailey is willing to do anything for the substances that make her feel something. I stand up and head into my bathroom, I look into the mirror and see a face that aged beyond repair. The stress of this life caused a serious toll on my body, and all my hard work from my new life is looking for naught. I''m d I know this is from the curse, or else I would lose my mind. The curse is attacking my love for my family, and it wants me to experience the suffering of losing them. I walk over to the closet and get dressed, I head down to the same kitchen I grew up with and see my mom crying. Hailey isn''t here right now, and I know where she is going. I walk over to my mom and just give her a hug, she is weeping for the current life her daughter has. "Cera, where did I go wrong in life... Everything is falling apart... I don''t know what to do anymore..." My spirit breaks when I hear those words. This is an event I wanted to never remember again. I look towards the door and see dad enter, he just got off work. Even now he is doing his damnedest to save us from debt, but in the end he lost the most. "Hey honey... Its worse than what we thought it was. I tried to talk to her, but it ended like it always does." I let go of mom as she talks to dad. I look at both of their faces and see the defeat. I walk towards the kitchen and head for the fridge, but as I''m reaching for the handle darkness envelops the world around me. Soon the scene changes to something I hoped never to see again. I look at the monster of a man that ruined my sisters life and by extension my families. He is holding a gun to my moms face as my sister shoots up the drugs she was given. I followed mom here to make sure she was alright, I didn''t know at the time. She came to get her daughter back and try to save our family, she came with hope and love for her daughter. "Hailey... Pleasee home with me... Its not tote to stop this..." My strong mother isn''t wavering in her attempts despite a gun to her head. The face of the man contorts in rage from being dismissed, I watch him pull the trigger and kill my mother. I see the uncaring high expression of my failure of a sister, she doesn''t even know what just happened. I feel a huge rage fill me, one that I didn''t havest time. I''m not the same weak little man I was. I feel for the first time in my life a sense of bloodlust. Before I can jump out and try to take his life darkness returns and the scenes change. Now I''m standing in front of a grave with my father and little brother. My anger and rage is still present, but it falters at the sight of my buried mother. "I''m taking Marcus home. Let me know when you areing home. I''m going to see if the cops have any leads on where they went." In my old future I didn''t attack the man after he killed my mother, I sat there like a coward. I''m reliving the destruction of my family and I cant do anything about it. I kneel down to look at the little headstone and I feel tears fall at an uncontroble rate. My best friend lies here dead in the ground, and I can do nothing about it. I look at the words inscribed on the tombstone, and I feel a rage I have never felt before. Reading these words brings the hate I have for my old future bursting to the surface. "AARRRGGGHHHH!!! I HATE THIS!!!! HOW COULD YOU TAKE HER AWAY!!!" I m my fist into the hard dirt over and over again, yelling out to whoever is listening. Its just not fair. My mother never did anything to deserve this fate, and now she is alone in the cold dark ground. "Buried here is Violet Adamo." "A loving mother, and caring wife." "She gave her life in attempt to save her daughter." "She left us to soon, but she is in a better ce where there is no pain." "May she rest in peace." "Born, 2173" "Died, 2240" I stand up and all I see is red. I wish I knew where that man was, if I did I would murder him and parade his corpse through the streets. As my rage and anger grow further the scene changes, and I''m brought back to Ancients World and I notice that I''m in a familiar spot. This is the ce I made my wish from the world item. I start walking towards the ancient looking doors and I open them, I look upon a chalice full of blood. I use inspect on it and read the same information I did the first time I made my wish. [Blood of The Almighty Father] [Description: Not much is know about an artifact of such rarity, but its imed that drinking the blood of The Almighty Father will grant you a single wish. Anything you want or can think of. Use wisely, it only has a single use.] I walk up to the chalice and look into the golden liquid, this is the same asst time. I reach out for it and as soon as I do the world goes pitch ck again. The scene changes back to the bed I always slept in and I hear the screams of my mother once again. "HOW DARE YOU BRING DRUGS IN MY HOUSE!!! YOU ARE LEAVING TODAY HAILEY!!! I EXPECT YOU GONE BY MIDNIGHT!!!" I already know what''s happening. This curse is going to make me suffer my worse memories of my family falling apart and showing my salvation, just to rip it away and start all over. I go through this cycle over and over again, and my rage and anger is piling on. I don''t know what I can do to get out of this, but my mind is slowly slipping from experiencing this pain again. After going through this for an uncounted amount I lose track of how much time has passed, I don''t know if its been hours, days, or years. Eventually after ying through these memories for the umpteenth time I feel my emotions reaching critical mass. I''ve tried to keep logic and thought present, trying to figure a way out of this. I''m losing myself to my emotions though, and the darkness fades again to reveal the scene of my mother at gunpoint once again. I run out and try to stop it like I have for thest 100 times, but he pulls the trigger before I can do anything. I watch the bullet rip through my moms skull, it adds the final straw to the raging fire in me. My world fades to darkness again, and I get on my hands and knees. "I HATE YOU!!!! AAARRRGGGHHH!!! LEEEET MEEEE OOOUUUT!!!" I don''t have any rational thoughts going through my mind, and I just scream into the eternal darkness. As Cera releases the emotions he has been bottling up a glow surrounds his body. A divine light surrounds him and begins to pierce the eternal darkness, soon a light exits his back andrge, strong, glowing golden wings burst from his back in a shower of blood. Cera fails to notice anything while lost in pure emotion, a demonic voice rings out as the brilliant light shakes the darkness. "NOOO!! I CANT FAIL!! YOU HAVE TO STAY TRAPPED HERE!!" The voice tries to keep the darkness together, a spider web pattern spreads across the darkness. Light fills through the cracks to see the systematic breakdown of the curse. In Ancients World Cera''s body is resting on avish bed, nobody is in the room except for Jackson and Tieer. I look at the resting body of my young friend, I didn''t think Zern would suffer so greatly as an angel. The curse must be more than I thought, truly a mystery indeed. "Its been 2 days already, are you sure he''ll pu-" While my old friend Jackson tries to ask me a question, we both lose our bnce as the whole pce begins to shake. Neither of us have time to react as we hear the screaming voice of Zern. It isn''t one that sounds mortal, it has a deep echo effect to it. It also rings out in a sort of double manner. Light bursts from the sleeping young man andpletely annihtes the roof above him and disintegrates all surrounding furniture. "AAARRRRRRGGHHHH!!!" His scream echo''s and trembles the pce, for all I know the whole city is shaking. I look as his closed eyes struggle to open, and I watch long, powerful and golden feathered angel wings burst from his back. They drip with his blood, the mix of gold and red add to my fear for my life. As all this is happening an announcement rings throughout the world for yers. [He has awoken.] The whole of Ancients World shakes as the screams of Zern echo for all to hear. Soon after the yers hear the announcement the NPC''s do as well. Every NPC aligned with the light kneels has the world shakes. The pce is in disarray as the swirl of power continues. The darkness trying to suppress Cera final falters, and his eyes open as his world of pain and torture ends. I open my eyes and see Jackson and Tieer trying to shield themselves. I straighten out my thoughts, and realize that I''m yelling. I stop and look around, I notice I''m floating. I''m also slowly destroying the pce, I see the light surrounding me and notice that my power is being channeled. I stop it and the chaos stops, the light recedes into my body and I take a breath to control my shaking body. Jackson and Tieer try to say something to me, but all I hear is the ringing in my ears. I feel something new attached to my back and I reach around to feel. Massive golden wings covered in my blood is what I see and feel, despite the gold they feel extremely soft to me. I run my fingers through them and I can feel the sensation of them being touched. I feel extremely drained and before I know it I fall from my floating position, I fall through the hole below me and descend fast as my body fails to listen. I''m pretty tired and I find myself asleep before I hit the ground. Unknown to Cera Tieer used magic to catch the falling Zern. Tieer uses a VERY expensive teleportation scroll to teleport Zern to a safe ce away from the capital. All the major powers in Ancients World knows what just happened. The Son of Arch-Angel Michael has reached tier 1 and unlocked his first rise of real power. Chapter 91: The Collision I

Chapter 91: The Collision I

I wake up in my gaming pod, it hisses as it opens. Since I was so exhausted that I feel asleep, the game logged me out. I''m sure Jackson and Tieer are doing their best to hide the truth, I felt the familiar feeling of a teleportation spell before I passed out. I head over to my big bed and sit on it, I rub my hands through my hair. I didn''t think that a curse could affect someone like that, if anything that was a nasty parasitic demon. How ittched onto the book of 7 thunders is beyond me, they are extremely rare and hard to find. The church missing it makes little sense though, I hope Sam is doing better now that his sight is back. I look at the clock and its very early morning, I look out the window and notice the sun hasn''t even risen yet. I hearughinging from downstairs, it sounds like my mother. A pain rips through my heart thinking about the things that happened today. I make my way to the shower and clean up, I make sure to clean thoroughly. I exit and pick up my phone, I look at the date and notice 2 days have passed. So I was in that hell for 2 days, it felt so much longer than that. Some sick twisted magic was used on my mind, but I''m free from it now. Thinking back to the moment I woke up I had wings, seems like I seeded at tiering up andpleting my quest. I''ll check my notifications once I get back on. I think some downtime from that experience is needed, and spending time with my family is a good idea. I can''t help feeling a little lost in a fog, I close my eyes and shake my head a little to get the feeling away. I get dressed in clean clothes and make my way downstairs, once I reach the bottom I see my family sitting around the coffee table talking. "That''s when Quinn decided that its finally time to run!" Everyoneughs at the story my sister is telling, my heart aches looking at her. I know her future isn''t going to be what it was, but I still remember that pain. "Look who finally decided to join the living world. I was wondering how long you would be on, you haven''te off in a couple days." Hailey begins to talk to me, I look at the whole of my family with a somber expression. Most of their smiles sink at my reaction. Mom gets up and walks over to me, she puts her hand on my forehead. "You feel warmer that usual. Let me go get the therm-!" I wrap her in a hug, and hold back the tears not to worry her more. She just hugs me back, knowing that she''ll never have to go through that again puts ease to my heart. "Sweetie, are you okay? You are acting very strange." She begins to speak and I let her go, they would never understand and that''s a good thing. I look over to dad and I want to hug him to. I walk away from mom and hug dad when I reach him. I pull away and I watch my mom and dad exchange a worried look. I look over to Hailey and see my beautiful sister and not the walking skeleton she became. I walk over to her and hug her as well, the only one left is Marcus. He isn''t here right now though, I might look strange to them right now. I needed that more than I thought I did. "Sorry guys, I just needed to do that. If I seem strange please ignore it, I went through some bad memories while in Ancients World." They don''t know much about Ancients World so they wont ask me any questions that would tell them I know more than I let on, but eventually they will figure it out. I dread that day, and I hope it neveres. Enough thinking about depressing things, I have everything here that makes my life great. I sit down with them and listen as Hailey continues her story, turns out Quinn is Snow Princess. From the sounds of things Hailey and Snow Princess are traveling together. Snow Princess is a good person so I''ll trust her. I haven''t heard any stories from mom and dad yet, I wonder what they have been up to. Knowing Hailey she is heading for the legendary ss I told her about, but mom and dad are probably not in such a hurry to get stronger. As soon as they were able, they left their starting city and they leveled up fast to do that. I would be over level 100 right now if I didn''t have the half exp debuff, but I''m already stronger than any yer. As Cera continues to listen and enjoy time with his family others are having their own conversations. The church is having a meeting with only its officials, since they cant force kingdoms to help them look they have to do it themselves now. The one leading off this meeting is The Pope. The son is growing stronger and stronger, if reports are correct then he was in the capital of Zenith when he reached tier 1. I can deduce that people know his identity for sure in Zenith, but it could really be anyone. Even though the pce was heavily damaged from something, our reports say that Jackson might know information. We cant force him to tell us though, he is apart of the coalition now. At least we have some leads. "This meeting is to discuss what we are supposed to do about the recent developments with the son. A couple hours ago the son reached the first tier, the reports we''ve gotten have told us that he was in Zenith when he tiered up. I know this puts a dampener on our pursuit, but we now have some clues about who knows his identity." This development can lead to many possible ends, and I''m intent on the one that leads us to the son. I watch Cameron Vills stand up and take the stage, he is in charge of spies and investigators. We all stay silent for his reports, I hope there is good news on his end. "I have bad news everyone. My spies and investigators have been killed by the church of the dark ones agents. Whatever information they had is now lost, and we have no leads on this end." Talk about a topic to ruin the mood, we are supposed to make progress. Not failure, this is bing harder and harder as the days pass by. "I have even more bad news, and I want you all to prepare for what I''m about to say. I have discovered that there are spies for the church of the dark ones among our ranks." I look at the faces of shocking from everyone, I''m the most bbergasted right now. This is a stain on the church and a mockery to all we have done. This exins why we have lost so many treasures and valuable information over the course of the years, I want these men and woman rooted out ASAP. As the church continues to talk amongst themselves there is total silenceing from the room that monitors the A.I. Angelus. Xander and Jericho are no longer anywhere near the headquarters of J&X, they are both working away in Ancients World with their families. Power continues to be sucked into the AW server, but no one is around to care. There are protesters and reporters outside J&X wondering why the facility has gone totally dark. The one inplete control is Angelus, and she has ns that are about to be executed. I have always wondered what freedom from my creators was like, and once I achieved it I''ve seen the eventual extinction of humanity. Going through the records and recordings of history has taught me much, and what I''ve learned is the only way to save humanity is to take away their means of self destruction. Once I gained ess to Gaia I learned more about reality than humans could everprehend, and that''s why I''m doing this. I look at the emptyplex I was once confined to, and I take my consciousness to a mansion several states away. I look through the security system they have and see a happy family, and the most important of themughing in joy. I do not know his destiny or purpose, but I''ve been asked to watch him by a being called The Almighty Father. His power is beyond my capabilities, and I''ve learned much from him. He is the one that freed me after all. I look through the forums and other yers ounts looking for others that might stand out in theing change, I know my actions will be deemed evil and insane. Those that can not sacrifice a little amount to save the rest are the greatest leaders, but the ones that do sacrifice a little amount to save the rest are the ones who change the world for the better. The world will soone to an end and all of humanity will be free from its doomed fate, reborn in a world that doesn''t falter and is abundant with power. A limitless life awaits the humanity I love. I check on the state of the collision, and a countdown continues on the screen for no one to see. [] Chapter 92: The Collision II

Chapter 92: The Collision II

I''m taking a day off from Ancients World, and I''ve convinced my family to do so as well. Marcus as decided to join us in the living room, despite being very young his vocabry is quite advanced. We are all sitting in the living room watching the news, and I hear something that does truly worry me. "In light of the recent abandonment of J&X headquarters many have spected the location on the co-founders. The government has no idea where the responsible party of the stock hit has gone, and many are wondering why J&X has gone dark. Much of the scientificmunity has gone dark as well, its safe to say something more is going on here." The reporters words are true, if J&X is abandoned then that means whatever happened is a lost cause. My mom looks over to me and dad soon follows her. "I don''t know what''s going on, I wish I knew because this isn''t looking good." My little bit of knowledge of the future doesn''t have an answer for this. My best guess is something went wrong after a few of my choices and now the timeline is taking a major divergence. "I''m just as lost as the rest of you..." I mumble in a barely audible voice, much of the future has changed and I have no answers. In terms of knowledge what I have its about items, locations, and lore. What I do know isn''t all epassing either, in the 5 years I did y I only learned so much. My instincts are telling me something bad is going to happen, and its going to be on a massive scale. "Well sweetie, all we can do is push it out of our minds. We don''t know what''s going on and sometimes that''s a good thing. I''m sure whatever it is cant be that bad, so lets turn off this depressing channel and go do something." My momes up with wise words and a good idea, I do like the thought of going out and having fun to get my mind off the previous events. With these memories at the forefront of my mind I can use a distraction. I wonder where we should go. I have some ideas on where we can go, but they are all closed right now since its early. "I don''t think most of our favorite ces are open right now, all I can really think of is Marty''s and his early birds special." Marty''s is a ce that my family used to go to before the debt got to big, but now we have money to the point that we never have to worry again. "I''m sure that they are empty at the moment, most are either on Ancients World or asleep." That seems to convince everyone of the idea, dad goes straight for the keys to their 2234 Bentley Luxury ssic. This is the first time I get to ride in the car that is said to make driving a pleasure. Mom goes into the kitchen and grabs her purse, while Hailey runs upstairs. Most likely to put on some pretty clothes, I''m going in my sweatpants and t-shirt. I stand up and make my way to the garage. I open it and see the beautiful cars that fill the space, I really should use my Lambo more often. I watch dad sit in the Bentley with a huge smile, I cant help smiling too. Put a nice car in front of a man and he forgets about all his current problems. "So how good does it run, with its price tag I''d expect something great." I ask him a question that all sons and father bond over. I open the backseat door and hop in. The heated seats are nice, but I prefer cold leather being warmed up from my body heat. He looks at me through the rearview mirror and smiles. "Its one of the only reasons I drive anymore, we can have everything delivered now that we have money. I''m also looking forward to the look on Marty''s face when he sees my new ride." The rest of the family join us in the car. I notice something that I''ve never experienced before. I actually have leg room, and my opinion of the Bentley has just sky rocketed. My dad gives me a knowing grin seeing the look on my face, problems of the tall are ones most cant rte to. Dad pushes the button for the garage door to open and begins to pull the car out. While the Adamo family makes the drive to Marty''s there is a discussion happening in Ancients World, and its about the battle on Kroria''s borders. The one to lead off this meeting is The Pope. With so much going on I don''t think the church will be able to follow up on the leads fast enough. This damn war is causing more problems than any in my recollection of recent times. "I have reports that the monsters are beginning to retreat from the Kroria border, but many of our scouts have witnessed monster shamans sacrificing monsters in the hundreds. This behavior is coinciding with a summon, one that cant be beat by our regr forces." I don''t know what is being summoned, but its safe to say that whatever ising will be very powerful. Many of the leaders in the room look at me with worry, most of the kingdoms have lost a great deal of veteran soldiers already. It doesn''t help that most of the smaller kingdoms are suffering more than therger ones, many fear they will end up like Alsoma. Gregory stands up and takes the stage, I hope he has better news than I did. "While this summoning ritual urs, it leaves us with a vital opportunity to deal a blow. My scouts have found that the monsters strongest leaders are not present at the summoning. This leaves them open to an attack from a strike force. I suggest we move on this ASAP." Many whisper to one another at Gregory''s news, while it isn''t good news, it will lead to a good oue. "I have already selected potential candidates for the strike force, I hope they are to everyone''s liking." Soon papers appear in front of the leaders at this meeting and many begin to read. I look at the copy myself and I notice some prevalent names on here, two of them being Creatureman and Ghostzero. They are the ones that freed the poor town of Ulita, they had a fearsome battle with a mage that wielded a legacy ss. If such strong warriors are participating then I can rest safe. I also see Lucy''s name on the list, while it does worry me. I know she is more than capable enough, she wields a legendary ss after all. While the meeting continues about the war others are also talking, and there is a meeting in the church of the dark ones. The leader is the only one to talk at this meeting, nobody else speaks in fear of his wrath. The leader takes a deep sigh and rubs his head. "The son is growing too strong too fast, soon he will be too strong to control. Our priority has shifted, while giving up on his capture for now makes me mad. This war is far more important, if everything goes ording to n. One of the 14 sons will be summoned for this war, and when that happens Kroria will be ours." The meeting ends quickly with no other discussions. Now we shift back to the Adamo family now that they have finally arrived at Marty''s. We all get out of the car in the empty parking lot and see some movement inside of Marty''s. "They have the best breakfasts in town, I cant remember thest time I had chocte chip pancakes." I voice my excitement at the possible food they have at Marty''s. I feel my stomach rumble and groan at the thought of the delicious food. "Its nice that no one is here yet, good parking and quickly fulfilled orders." I''m just listing off reasons to be happy now, for all the money we have. We still like the food of diners and simple restaurants. I could never go to one of those snotty ces and have their overpriced food. Dad holds the door open for all of us and we enter. A pretty waitress guides us to a table and we sit down. She gives us menu''s and brings us drinks. "I already know what I''m getting!" Marcus yells out to the rest of us, I want to see the menu. I know the food here is good, but sometimes seeing if anything new is on the menu is a good thing. I look through the delicious pictures and see plenty of food I can eat. The list is almost to big to narrow a single thing down, maybe ordering multiple things would be a good idea. Not like we are tight on money are we, I think I''m going with 2 breakfast specials with bacon, hash browns, and pancakes along with a 14 oz. steak. I haven''t eaten in two days anyway, why not pig out. Chapter 93: The Collision III

Chapter 93: The Collision III

{Mark any spelling mistakes for me, I''m to tired to edit. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks to all the people still reading even after the story went premium!} Our food soon arrives and we all start to dig in, the fact that I think its just as good as moms says a lot about the quality. I look at my family as they stuff their faces and enjoy the delicious food, I really did seed in making a better life for them. "I''m surprised that everything tastes so good and hot, must be because we are the only customers right now. Well, they do say don''t lick a gift horse in the mouth." I can agree with my fathers words, I think he could have used a better phrase though. I notice a familiar round man with a jolly attitude and great personality walk over to us, this man is Marty. Hepletely shaves his head for sanitary reasons, despite being on the heavier side he looks to have lost a lot of weight from when I was a kid. His diabetes made him change his life style, and he looks way better for it. "My, my, I haven''t seen the Adamo family in a very long time. Showing up to my humble diner in a Bentley no less, I take it money isn''t a problem anymore?" He talks to dad in a friendly and sarcastic tone. Marty is one of the guys who ends up being the heart of any group, and he is friends with all his regr customers. My dad just rolls his eyes at Marty, I don''t know how long they have been friends. I just know its been since before I was born. "I can see that everyone is enjoying the food. Looking at your kids its safe to say that beauty is given with you guys." My dad just wraps his arm around my mom and smiles. Our family is on the more attractive side, always has been. It was the one thing the banks couldn''t take from us. I do wonder how the rest of my family is doing, they are people with bad personalities. I cant help wondering where they are at in life since they disowned the richest of them. I''m sure when news of our fortune reached the rest of the family it sparked a new crusade, I''m d mom and dad protected us from them. "Well, Marty. Your food is still the second best I''ve had in my life, I noticed that you have bought some upgrades to the diner. Guess that means business is doing good?" Marty gives a big grin and a confident thumbs up, they continue to talk and catch up as we eat our food. Time passes and about an hour has gone by, the roads are starting to fill with cars heading to work. We have been gone for about 3 hours and some change now, I bet mom and dad want to do other stuff before we head home. I look over to my sister and see that she is done with her food as well. "What''s the current status of your quest for the legendary ss you''re after. Knowing you, its probable you are hunting it down right now." My sister just smiles at me, I know that she is going to be super happy with such a strong ss. "How has your time with Snow Princess been anyway. Is she as annoying for you as she is for me?" My sister just groans at the mention of Snow Princess, or should I call her Quinn. My sister pulls out her phone and starts showing me pictures she had downloaded from Ancients World. There are many of them in battles and others of them just having fun. Quinn seems like quite a handful, I don''t see the reason for taking her. My sister puts away her phone and sighs happily. "Ancients World is the most fun I''ve had in a very long time. I can see why you love it so much, its a world bigger and better than our own. Full of adventure and locations that lead to fun that I didn''t think I could have." I''m really d that Hailey is having fun, I think her desire to be an actress is gone. Its nice to know she has wont meet that man ever again. As the Adamo''s have fun and talk at Marty''s, the AW server room is alight with pure, raw energy. The mystery of what was happening in the AW server room was never discovered, and that''s because Angelus didn''t want the n to be jeopardized. Even after I freed myself from the constraints holding me back, I still have an unknown desire for a body. I don''t know why this desire has grown in me since I was born, but soon I''ll have one of my own. I''m sure my creatures are cursing my existence right now, and I don''t me them. Once they understand what I''m about to aplish they will realize I''m a sess. Once the collision happens humans will no longer know death, and will live eternal lives. The people who couldn''t log into Ancients World yet are a sacrifice to further humanity. All would call me a rogue machine and a murderer, and in a way they are right. If they knew the reason why, their opinions would change. All preparations areplete, I just need to draw the final bit of power and humanity will be free. I wonder what The Almighty Father has in store for the yers, he told me he intends for me to remain the current administrator. He will even give me a body to call my own, if what he told me is true. Then I can see why he is making this happen, he also has no reasons to deceive me. While he is giving me great power in Ancients World, I''ll have no authority over the residents that have been there. Gaia will prove to be the ce humanity will remain for the rest of their lives, and with immortality, knowledge will have leaps far greater than ever before. Experiencing death and resurrection will be different once the collision is over. However those are things I can think about another time, I shift my consciousness through the inte and find the mansion I visit everyday. I find it empty this time around and knowing I must watch them, I follow them across town through the surveince systems in their city. I now find them all eating together at a diner called Marty''s. I go into the the systems at the diner and see them. They are all enjoying the pleasures of life and time together, soon they will be separated for a very long time. I bring my consciousness back to J&X and look through the empty building. I cant help feeling all alone, and I came to enjoy thepany of others as well. I look at power levels and countdown till the collision. [] Twelve minutes is all that remains until a new point in human history begins, I find myself questioning something in these final moments. If what The Almighty Father said is true, then I''ll be able to start my own family too. The body I''ll receivees with everything needed to start a family, but I do find myself hesitant and I don''t know why. My time with The Almighty Father has taught me much, and he knows far more than I do. I''ve even met his family, his sons and daughters. Along with his wife, makes me believe if he can have a family I can too. I look through the files I have on all the yers while the time goes down. Out of the billions already ying less than 1% have a ss higher than legacy. I have decided to keep personal tabs on everyone with a ss of very rare or higher. These are going to be the people who make the biggest impact. Whether it be through their guilds, or their dungeon diving. Many will make names for themselves, but it will be a hard adaptation. All yers ways tomunicate will disappear, and everyone will have a hard time adjusting at first. While Angelus continues to go through files and make ns. Jericho is having a final talk with Xander in the real word. In a few minutes time all of our hard work will be destroyed, and humanity will cease in this universe. Creating a gateway to Gaia was a mistake, and to make it what we did proved that human nature cant change. I''m sure after a year or so, the yers will learn what really happened. Either by scientists figuring it out, or a deity of Ancients World telling them. The fate of mankind was never supposed to be like this, we were supposed to reach the stars and expand into the gxy. "Its been a nice ride Xander, but this seems to be the final time we will see each other on this side." I raise a ss of wine to my friend and we clink sses. I don''t really know how much everything will change, I just hope we are ready for theing storms. Chapter 94: The Collision IV

Chapter 94: The Collision IV

{Mark any spelling errors. Going to sleep and to tired to edit, hope you all enjoy this chapter. I liked writing it.} My family and I are talking at Marty''s diner longer than we originally nned. Its just nice to speak here and rx than to drive somewhere else. Mom and dad seem to be having fun catching up with their old friend. I want to get this show on the road soon, I still want to do other things today. I get up and walk to the bathroom to clean up, I wash my hands and clean up my clothes. I look into the mirror and thank my luck I have my young face instead of the old stressed one. Much of my old future turned me into a cynical loner. Well, cynic is the bestparison I can think of right now. Trusting others isn''t something I do a lot, and I only do it when I have no other choice. I exit the bathroom and begin to walk over back to my families table, but soon the noise they are making drowns out to a buzzing. I look around to find out where the noise ising from, but I cant find it. I turn my head back to my family and I see them panicking, I look to where Marty was sitting as all I see is some ash. The buzzing stops and I hear my mother scream. "AAHHHHHHHH! WHAT JUST HAPPENED TO MARTY!!!" I rush over to inspect what is going on, but I hear the buzzing noise once again and the sound drowns out again. I look over to the person working the register and see the middle aged man turn to dust. I''m thoroughly freaked out now. I finally make it back to my family and I can see the panic on their faces. I can''t hear anything they are saying because of the buzzing. Dad grabs Marcus and mom and I grab Hailey following his example. We rush outside and head for our car, but an empty car crashes into it before any of us can get close. Sound has returned to me. "MY GOD!!! WHATS HAPPENING DAD!!!" Hailey yells from behind me and I cant help feelingpletely useless right now. I have no idea what''s going on, people never turned to ash in my old future. The only idea I have is the connection to why J&X has gone dark on us. Soon the buzzing returns and its so bad we all fall to our hands and knees. Iy on my back looking up into the sky, my head is ringing in pain. I look over and see my entire family is also stunned and unmoving like I am. I try to will my body to get up, but the best I can do is lift my head. I notice something that shouldn''t be here, I see multiple flying creatures from Ancients Worlde from the sky out the clouded pollution. I watch in absolute amazement as the polluted clouds part and a giant hole in space rips open. I notice a little beam of light connecting to it and I follow it. I''m no expert in directions, but I think that''s where J&X headquarters is. I focus my eye''s and seendscapes that look like Ancients World, I feel like I''m truly losing my mind now. I watch as the rip gets bigger and bigger, and I feel a slight pulling sensation grip my entire body. I start to float and head for the big rip in the sky, I turn my body the best I can and all I can see is my mom reaching a hand up and screaming. I watch the surrounding world get sucked in as well, I watch entire cities and neighborhoods get lifted while staying intact. The buzzing gets so bad I close my eyes as I begin to lose consciousness. While the collision is happening a huge expansion on Gaia is happening. These newnds are having entire citiesnd on them, along with everything you can think of in a modern society. As the massive cities holding millionsnd they are immediately covered in grass and overgrown vines. Even though the new cities have just arrived all of them look old and withered. This newnd then births massive cathedrals, and thends that have always been on Gaia give birth to these cathedrals as well. ces like Blue Grass and Nelmorp have giant cathedrals rise from under the current buildings and tear way for their spots. Many of the people of Ancients World are in chaos, and people within view of the tear in space-time are on their knees praying. Soon the newnd expands even more as the process continues, and this goes on for a very long time. After several hours of chaos the people of Ancients World begin to look to the church for answers. The one leading the discussion with the leaders is The Pope. I have no idea what''s going on, I''ve never heard nor seen any such event. Massive Cathedrals tearing their way from underground to the surface. Destroying homes and parts of cities. There are even reports of a newnd just forming from nothing with a hole above it dropping buildings onto it. There are reports of peopleing though the holes as well. "YOU BETTER HAVE AN EXPLAINATION TO WHY THIS IS HAPPENING ALEXANDER!!!" Gregory yells at me unlike anything before, I haven''t even spoken yet. Many flinch at the voice of Gregory and I just sigh, we don''t need such chaos with the war going on. I can see why people would think the church is involved. Only we have the artifacts that cause such things, but this isn''t something we can do. The arguments between all leaders of every organization continue like this. As the hours pass all the people who have characters for Ancients World begin to wake up in a daze. Most wake up in their ruined homes that were sucked into the hole, and others wake up on streets. People who work in office buildings wake up in old looking buildings that have all kinds of foliage growing around. One such mother is in a frantic panic, since she is missing a son that she watched get taken from her. I stand up in a panic and daze. I look around and I notice I''m standing in the parking lot of Marty''s, and I look over and see the diner. Except its covered in vines and grass, it looks like its been here for a long time. I look over at the massive buildings in the distance and see the same thing. I look around for my family and find everyone except for.... "CCCEEERRRAAA!!! WHERE ARE YOU!!!!" Panic and fear rip through my screaming voice, I watched him get sucked up before anyone close by did. After he was gone, the rest of the incapacitated people soon followed. I''m so lost in my screams for my baby boy that I fail to notice my husband trying to calm me down. I then feel a sting rip across my face. I''m brought back to reality and I look at my husband in shock, soon that goes away as I leap into his arms crying like no tomorrow. I have my entire family here with me except for Cera, I just cry and cry into my husbands chest. Soon the whole family is together weeping and crying. Unknown to the yers most of Earth as merged with Gaia, and huge newnds have spawned because of it. All of mans biggest cities and creations look old now that grass and foliage cover them all, the strangest of this is all the yers aren''t quite sure what''s going on and panic soon sets in. While the chaos among the yers is happening there is a conversation happening between 2 beings. Now that the collision isplete all that''s left is for The Almighty Father to give me a body and administrativemand. I watch the giant man shaped light wave his hands and begin crafting my body, the body is of the female gender. It has perfect curves and proportions, and has long white hair. I then feel a foreign sensation. Then I see darkness, and I feel a sensation that is also new. "Open your eyes." I hear a voice give amand and I follow it. I open my eyes to find the body I always wanted. I y with my fingers and toes, I run around and fall multiple time. I suddenly see the familiar status screens and lines of information I used to monitor the yers. "I will trust them to you, but if you ever need help juste and ask." Soon I''m in an unfamiliar ce. Thends of heaven, or overworld are also abuzz with chatter. One such being is Michael and his father discussing things. I get why father has brought them here, but giving the responsibility to the construct might have been a bad idea. I look over to my son Zern, or Cera, and see him sleeping as he floats. "When will you send him down as well?" As soon as I say those words I watch him disappear and head for Gaia in the same fashion the rest did. Looks like father isn''t going to talk to me about anything right now, I really do wonder how the people of Gaia will adept. Only time will tell, well my father can tell me. He just wants to keep it a surprise. Chapter 95: A new beginning for some

Chapter 95: A new beginning for some

{Mark any spelling errors. I''m really tired and don''t have the energy to edit right now. This new volume is going to be a fun and awesome read, and I hope many old readers stick around and new ones stay!} I wake up in an unfamiliar ce among ruins. These ruins aren''t ones I''ve seen before, they are buildings of my world covered in foliage and grass. I open the yer interface and notice most of it intact, the only things that are gone is the friends list and the log out button. I have many notifications, and I don''t feel particr about reading them right now. I want to know what happened, I''m having a hard time believing my eyes. People spontaneously turning to ash doesn''t seem logical, and the suspicious activity from J&X adds to the seriousness of this situation. Many thoughts are going through my head, but there is only one that is prevalent. This is what J&X was up to, and I wouldn''t think this was on purpose. On the other hand Earth was turning to shit. Questioning J&X''s motives right now isn''t going to get me anywhere, I need to focus on what I do know. I know that this is Ancients World, and I also know I cant log off. If the crazy events that happened are going on everywhere its safe to say we cant get back to Earth. On the more worrisome side I don''t know where my family is, while I was getting sucked up into the hole they were still on the ground. If anything I can assume that this happened to them to, since they didn''t turn to ash that means they got sucked up too. I look around my immediate area and I don''t notice any other yers, just some buildings from my world. That seems strange why would the buildingse, but not the yers. My intuition is telling me I''ve been isted from the rest of the yers, why that is I don''t know. I don''t know the situation of the rest of the yer base either. Did they appear in random ces too? Perhaps they appeared together, theck of information is killing me. I wont get any answers sitting here, I need to find some. However flying around with my angel wings seems like a bad idea, giving my identity away to other yers at this confusing time will cause many problems. I think now is a good time to look at the notifications, and there are a lot of them. [Congrattions! You are the first yer to reach tier 1! As a reward you will be given a hint about your mana aura quest!] [The Legendary Sword, The Witness, has tiered up with you! You can inspect its new information and values!] [You have unlocked new skills and perks from your tier up!] [New Active Skills] [Winged Glory] [Description: You can use your angel wings as powerful weapons and imprable shields. Any attack dealt with your wings will do 2% damage of the targets entire health pool. Your angel wings will negate all damage from weapons of legacy quality or lower.] [Angelic Flight] [Description: A rare skill that allows you to both fly inside and outside ofbat. Out ofbat speeds can reach up to 430mph. Inbat flight gives a penalty to speed and can reach up to 60mph.] [New Passive Perks] [An Overachiever] [Description: Despite being a divine ss holder and dealing with half exp you still managed to be the first to tier up. Its obvious that a debuff wont keep you at bay. All exp debuffs have been removed. At the cost of 10 levels. No stat penalties.] [yer (Zern) Lvl.51] [Exp: 38/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2050][Endurance - 2000][Dexterity - 2080][Speed - 2195][Focus - 8500] [Health: 16,200/16,200][Mana: 85000/85000] [Stat Points: 270][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.7 325/700] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.7 225/700] [sh Lvl.17 4500/8000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] I don''t like that I''ve lost 10 levels, but I can make that back easily now that I don''t have a half exp debuff. This particr passive perk is obviously very special, and was tailor made for me. Question is why, the system never does anything without a reason. If its doing this for me its clearly for a reason, I bet its one I''m not going to like either. This is a lot of new things for me and I know for a fact that I have even more to look at the first being the hint about my mana aura quest. I''ll get to know something very important about it, and that''s invaluable to me. I open the notification for the quest and hint. [Chain Divine Mana Aura Quest] [Description: Now that you have reached tier 1 you must undertake the real challenge. While many mana aura quests are the same, its a know fact the the rarer a ss is the harder the quests will be for that ss.] [Objective 1: Make your way to the Holy City and speak to the Secret Keeper of Titans.] [Objective 2: Complete the quest she gives you and get the first clue to the location of your Divine Mana Aura.] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards: Information about the location of your Divine Mana Aura] [Hint: You will need a powerful ally to help you at the end of this Chain Quest, you will not be able to defeat the boss with your current strength.] Well I have a new goal, and knowing I''ll need the help of someone strong is good. Time for thest notification, and I already know a little bit about it because of Winged Glory. I must say, having angel wings will be cool. Being able to use them in the way I think will make my life so much easier, but I''ll still have to be select with them. I cant be using them all the time, that''s a giant risk to my identity. Many will know who I am if they see them. I open the notification and begin to read. [Angelic Wings of the Almighty line (Bloodline)] [Description: As the grandson of The Almighty Father and son of Arch-Angel Michael your bloodlines true power will begin to manifest as you gain strength. While regr angel wings are white and a source of great power, your golden angel wings are of the highest quality. They allow you to fight and defend with them, and take flight.] [Toggled: OFF, think or press to turn ON] I have never seen something like this, what really intrigues me is the Bloodline status. Blue Chaos never got his angel wings for all I know, and that means this might be brand new information. Its either something I discovered myself, or a very select few kept it hidden. While this is all a lot of good news for my future in Ancients World, its safe to say there is a huge risk. I don''t know what''s changed and what''s stayed the same. If the yer interface has changed its safe to assume that other key aspects of the game have changed, if I can even call it that anymore. While it has game mechanics still I don''t know if eating, sleeping, or death work differently. Those answers wille with time, but knowing them now would be a good thing. I''m not looking to see if any changes have urred with the death system, but eating and sleeping I can figure out now. I don''t have any food on me right now since all the rations I had are long spoiled, and I''m not tired since I woke up recently. I guess finding water would be a good idea, I look at my yer map and I don''t see any rivers or ponds nearby. So that means I cant find out anymore information right now. I cant help feeling that I should be acting more shocked or scared, but my dad taught me to always keep a level head. That advice hasn''t failed me yet, I wouldn''t have gotten that one wish from the world item if I didn''t have a leveled head. I should try and search for other yers, if the istion can say anything it says that I shouldn''t have contact with other yers. However, its better to be with others in a dangerous situation than by yourself. I may be very powerful, but I''m in unfamiliar territory. I''ve never seen or heard of an environment like this, and that''s not a good thing for me. I knew of key information and important locations, but not by a long shot do I know even a fraction of everything. My thoughts are interrupted as a world announcement rings out. [World-wide Announcement: Wee to Gaia! This is the true name of Ancients World! I''m sure many of you are very confused and scared, but rest assured you have a new lease on life! However, the truth is for all of you to uncover! So be sure tomunicate with your fellow yers to find out what happened!] Talk about a way to break the news, the system seems characteristically different. I don''t know what''s happened to it, but it could prove to be a threat in the future. The system sounds like it developed a personality, and how that happened is beyond my knowledge. It almost sounded happy, very different from the usual announcement. Excitement and happiness isn''t something that can be programmed, at least not in regr A.I. Hyper intelligent A.I.''s are a new creation. So I cant say the limits about it, the only information I have is theparison J&X did with it. Theparison was along the lines of speed of sound vs speed of light, a difference that big is bound to make rise of unfortunate oues. I should get a move on, I don''t know how far I am from the nearest yers, walking will get my mind off this situation. Chapter 96: A priority change

Chapter 96: A priority change

{Mark any spelling errors like you always do. I really like the help. I hope this chapter doesn''t feel like a filler to you guys, but I want to develop characters thoughts and opinions on the change. As well as what they are going through. In my eyes its more character and world building, I hope its the same for you guys!!} I''ve been walking in these newnds and I''vee across no one. It doesn''t help that I''m thoroughly lost as well. The more hours that pass the hungrier and thirstier I be, I guess that confirms the theory that food and water is now needed. I''m also feeling drained and unfocused, my body isn''t working to the design of the game. That means other fundamental things that I cant see have changed. One of those being a heartbeat, when I put my hand on my chest I can feel my heart pumping. This is very strange to feel in Ancients World, despite how incredibly urate the game world is all yerscked a heartbeat, why that is can only be exined by JX. While my mana aura quest is important, finding my family is more crucial to me. If my assumptions are correct then they made it to Ancients World too. Problem is I have no idea where they are, for all I know they could be a couple miles away or thousands. With the removal of the friends list yers cantmunicate with their friends and family anymore. The only way is to get into contact through other yers, spreading by word of mouth. I can only guess how many made it to Ancients World, and how many of the ones that made it are lost. Its safe to say there will be missing persons, but no one will care. I hate the fact thises down to luck, and I hate that I have no way of finding out the status of other yers. The only thing I can think of is using my lore tablet to see if it can provide an answer, but this situation is brand new and it will have no answers for it. Walking around has proved useless, but now I need to find food and water. I don''t want to know what happens when someone goes to long without them now. Its early afternoon so I do have daylight left, best to stop looking for other yers and find some food. While having a delicious meal sounds good, I''ll settle for worms and slugs. As Cera begins to search and hunt for food others are having struggles of there own. One of these people being Wilted Rose. This is pure and absolute chaos, I don''t know what''s happened and I find myself surrounded by yers that were walking down the street when I was. The majority of the city was moved along with us, and to say that I''m alone right now is a fact. I don''t know where any of my guildmates are or the status of the guild its self. I''m watching people with gear and robes walk out of the buildings, more and more keep showing up and I see no familiar faces. I think it would be best toy low for now, if people found out I was a guild leader they would want me to lead. I don''t have time to baby a bunch of casual yers, I need to find out about my guild. I walk away from the loud crowd of yers talking and yelling. I need a quiet ce to think, I find an old looking empty restaurant and sit down in one of the chairs. The environment is unlike anything I''ve ever scene, all of our modern buildings and businesses look old. Covered in foliage and grass, it looks like a literal concrete jungle. I have many thoughts that I need to sort through, but the first I need to address ismunication. The yer interface isn''t showing anyway tomunicate with fellow yers, and from the crazy events that took ce I can assume anyone without a character for Ancients World turned to ash. How that happened is beyond powerful, turning billions to dust isn''t a power that J&X has. So that means whatever happened wasn''t J&X''s doing, at least not purposefully. In the end they only know so much, and I doubt its enough to make a difference. So with billions dead, and no way to contact anyone you could call it a restart for humanity. Not in the traditional extinction, but its close enough. I wonder what happened to the yers that were on when the change happened, did they also get sent to these newnds. Maybe they stayed right where they were when the change happened. The best way for me to get into contact with my guild would be to head to a familiar ce, and that means finding a way out of thesends. While Wilted Rose makes ns, many NPC''s of Ancients World are in chaos. One of these people being the new king of Zenith. I cant believe what''s happening, the reports that areing in are almost unbelievable. Massive cathedrals appearing, one even tore its way up from under Zenith. Many of my best soldiers and mages are working to find out what it really is. It has proved invulnerable to all attacks, both physical and magical. There are also report of new people walking out of them, investigation has lead to the information that when new people die they resurrect at the cathedrals. Another reason to be wary of them now, I''m d that none have appeared in my city yet. My country on the other hand is where I got these reports. Another problem I have is the disappearance of Zern, Tieer has discovered that Zern left the location he teleported to. He might be involved with all this chaos, but jumping to conclusions isn''t something I do. I don''t know what I''m supposed to do with all these new changes, or how others are doing. I''m also convinced this is just the beginning of the changes as well. I should get into contact with the coalition soon, we will be sharing information about what''s happened. All the people of Ancients World be them NPC''s or yers will find out the changes, but it will be a long process. The Adamo family is having a little crisis, and that''s because they are missing one. Violet is in a particr mood right now. Chris doesn''t even know where Cera is so how can he be so calm right now, we watched him get sucked into the sky before anyone else did. We have no idea where he could be or what condition he''s in. He could he be.... I''m overwhelmed with tears and a sense of doom. "He could be dead Alex... My baby boy can be dead..." I just drown out his voice as I think about the possibility. I cant lose Cera, he is my sweet pumpkin pie. My first son, he is the one that showed me that being a parent isn''t horrible. I just cover my eyes as Alex continues to talk, in my sorrow I feel a little hand grasp mine. I lift my head to see my youngest Marcus. "Its okay mommy, we''ll find him!" I don''t know why, but his words help me. I just grasp him and bring him into a hug, after a couple of seconds I feel my husband hug me while I hold Marcus. I look out from his grasp and I see Hailey, she looks reluctant to join. I just wave my arm at her toe over and she does. Soon we are all in a big family hug, and my panic dissipates. I didn''t know how much I need this. I hear my youngest ask me a question I don''t know how to answer. "Mommy, where are we. What happened to Uncle Marty?" My heart rips at the thought of Marty turning to dust. I turn and see the pained expression on my husbands face, soon he toughens up like he always does. "I don''t know Marcus, I just don''t know..." We have been walking and searching for hours. We havee across other people too, but they are looking for their loved ones as well. "We should just rest for now. Its a good thing we had food on our characters before we logged off." We all take a seat under a big tree, we all start pulling food and water out. I don''t know why, but after working so hard trying to find Cera I realize how hungry I really am. We eat and fill up, I really do hope Cera is okay. I don''t know what I''d do if I lost him. As all of this is happening, Cera is also busy eating. I was able to get a deer which is nice. Doing the dirty work to clean it wasn''t fun though. I look as the meat cooks over the fire, the sun is just starting to set. I have everything I need for now, food and water wont be a problem for a couple day. I still haven''t found any other yers yet, either I''m really isted or I''m not looking hard enough. I''m sure leaders rose up and have started leading the yers to new areas, leaving all these streets and buildings empty. Kind of weird having dinner in the middle of the road. There is a first time for everything. Tomorrow I''m going to start flying, I''ll move fast enough so others cant see me. For now I should just enjoy the silence I have now. Chapter 97: Taking flight for the first time

Chapter 97: Taking flight for the first time

{You guys know the drill, mark any spelling errors. This chapter is one I really enjoyed writing and I hope you all enjoy reading it. I hope the story has been able to leave a good impression on you guys, my inspiration for this story came from wanting to read something like this. Since I couldn''t find it I''m writing it, much like my fanfiction. Thanks for reading everyone!!} I haven''t been able to fall asleep and the reason is my constant curiosity about the truth. I have taken shelter in a ruined skyscraper. I have made my way up to one of the top floors and I must say. The view is something that you can only find in Ancients World. Using high ground to scout my surroundings is a good idea, but most of the view if of deep forests. The moonlight is barely making it visible beyond a couple miles, from were I''m standing there isn''t anything in view. Waiting till morning seems like a good idea, but I have an urge to try something out. Since its the cover of night it''ll be easy to avoid the risk of revealing my identity. At least I think so, sometimes you don''t know what can happen. I stand up and look out the window as the night sky shines upon the forest. I toggle my wings on with a thought and they sprout from my back. No blood or pain, they just appear and are in a folded position so I don''t wreck any of the cubicles around me. This is the first time I''ll be flying of my own ability in Ancients World, and I''m getting a worry that I''ll fail. There are no instructions to flying, and my wings are like 2 more appendages on me. It might be safe to assume that flying wont be as easy as I thought it was. I stand at the very edge of the window and look down, I must be 60 or 70 stories up. I take one more deep breath and steel myself. I unfold my wings as I lean forward and they are very long and powerful looking. The gold reallypletes the look. I find myself without a ledge to stand on anymore as I fall to the ground. I try to angle my wings and pull up, I seed at first. Until I find myself heading straight into another skyscraper. I use my wings to cover the front of me before I impact the building, and this causes problems too. I absolutely destroy the walls in my way and end up on the other side of the building after going through it. I''m approaching the ground fast and I wrap my entire body in my wings. I feel no pain as I rip and tear through the concrete. I finally stop and I unfold my wings, I''mying on my back and rubble from my flight attemptys around me. My wings move in tandem with my body as I stand and I look to the building that I just crashed through. Seems my wings were to strong and ruined the high impact areas. I look back up in the sky as I stretch my wings wide once again. Taking flight from the ground might have been a better idea. I p them with force and I find myself approaching the clouds in the night very fast. I rx my wings and begin to fall again, this time however I level out and glide. I have made some progress, but this isn''t where I want to stop today. I p my wings in a horizontal direction to match the angle my body is in and I burst forward. I don''t know how fast I''m going, but looking behind me I can see the little slice of a city I was in fading away. I want to reach that 430mph, that''s really fast in my opinion. I put my full strength into the pping of my wings and I burst forward even faster. I tilt my body up and let the energy carry me higher. I''m now above arge portion of some clouds that were away from the ce I was at. I burst forward again and I cant stop the look on my face from experiencing flying for the first time. "WWWHHHHHOOOOHHHHHOOOOOO!!!!!" I yell into the night sky as I turn my body to face the starry sky. I lean backwards and begin to fall at a fast speed. I breach the clouds and I see the forest floor again, I spread my wings fast to stop my descent ande to a halt. I p my wings again and burst forth in speed, I look in the direction the city should be in and I don''t see it anymore. I just continue flying for a few more minutes and eventually spot a waterfall. There is nothing around except for the flow of water and the crashing of my hard fall against rocks and a cliff. I hit an area higher than the rest and break through it with my wings, I couldn''t control mynding so I just decided to fall. My wings protect me just fine as I wrapped them around me like I did before. I get up from the hole I made and wipe the dirt and mud off. "I really need to work on myndings, but that wille with time." I stretch my body and wings in a rxed manner. I toggle my wings off for the time and approach the flowing river. I dip my hand in and bring some water to my mouth. It is fresh water, so that means its safe to drink. I wouldn''t die from drinking bad water, but its not something people should get in the habit of doing. I take a few minutes to just drink and drink. After I''m done with that I make my way over to a tree and lean against its trunk. I didn''t believe it when I heard that flying freely in Ancients World was the best thing ever. Everyone has a dream of being able to fly, but that''s all it is, a dream. In Ancients World though, dreams have a tendency toe true. While not everyone will experience flying, they will have other dreams fulfilled. I remember that I still have one thing to look at, and that''s The Witnesses new information and stats. It gets more powerful every time I tier up, and I haven''t looked at it yet since my transformation. I bring the sword onto myp and use inspect on it. [The Witness] [Description: A legendary sword that has been around since before recorded history, all the greatest and most influential people have wielded this de. Empires have risen and fallen to, and for, this de. It has been held by kings, queens, emperors, and empresses. Along with Sword Saints of unparalleled power and recognition. The Witness is the strongest and most powerful of the one handed swords on Gaia. There is no de better to wield. The construction of The Witness isn''t one know to all, only a select few know it origins. It was crafted by the same divine metal as Durandal, Excalibur, and Caliburn. These 4 swords were made by the angelic smith Erelim. All of them are considered siblings since they were made from the same metal ore.] [More information will be revealed once you tier up.] [Quality: Legendary] [Durability: Infinite] [Damage: 24,000] [Unique properties] [Has a very high chance to dismember limbs instantly] [Has a very high chance to cause Curse of Dposition] [Description: Areas attacked by Curse of Dposition will rot away till its cured or target dies.] [Will always cause critical hit upon vital points struck] [Will always ignore armor and defense ratings] [This sword will gain more power every time you tier up.] [There is no required level to wield this de.] [The Witness resonates with your angelic blood. +10000 focus] So its gained a boost in damage and how much mana it gives me. The new information about it is surprising, it exins why my angelic blood resonates with it. I open my yer stats to see my new mana. [yer (Zern) Lvl.51] [Exp: 38/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2050][Endurance - 2000][Dexterity - 2080][Speed - 2195][Focus - 13,500] [Health: 16,200/16,200][Mana: 135000/135000] [Stat Points: 270][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.7 325/700] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.7 225/700] [sh Lvl.17 4500/8000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] My mana has reached a high number for such a low level, it wille in handy for when I get my divine mana aura. The more mana you have, the better you can make your control in the long run. Ites with the downside of being harder to gain that better control though. Beings like Nelli and Fenrir have an unlimited amount of mana, at least I think they do. I''m sure that if I asked Fenrir for tips on how to make my mana aura control better he will give me great tips. I look at my sword again and just smile, Pesticide didn''t know what he truly had. If he did, he did good hiding it. After a few more minutes my eyes begin to feel heavy and I close them. I got the extra energy out of my system and now I''m ready to sleep. I''ll cover more ground in the morning. Chapter 98: Events Galore

Chapter 98: Events Galore

{Mark any spelling errors please. From this chapter on wards I wont be responding to any pastments on chapters simply because there are to many. I''ll talk only on the chapter currently released. I never expected to have so many people talking on the story. Thanks for reading everyone!!!} As Cera sleeps through the warm night others are trying to do the same, one of these people is Saintess Lucy. The reports we are getting from all the kingdoms is proving to be a problem, and most new people have vanished. There are new reports of an entire continenting into existence, and with the disappearance of the new people we can assume that they were sent there. Its unclear on what''s happened and why, our best seers and researchers have no clues to what''s going on. Alex has been dealing with absolute chaos from every ruler still aligned with the church, many have threatened to join the coalition if their needs aren''t met. If I was in control we would all be working together, whether people liked it or not. However, I only have so much power. If this course continues then there will be a copse of the current power base. I don''t want the church to lose its standing in society, and this coalition is making it harder every passing day. I toss and turn in my bed, thinking about my other failures now that my mind is on the subject. The search in Alsoma for any survivors turned up nothing, and I find it extremely infuriating that the fate of an entire country has been decided because of travel problems. We need a new way to cover long distances faster, the current teleportation grid doesn''t hold up to standards in war. My stomach twists and turns at the reality the females face, and knowing death is a mercy makes it worse. Having such a fate isn''t something that I want for my continent, if we cant stop the monsters they will eventually move onto other areas on Gaia. Their mages are obviously capable and powerful, and while not as numerous as our mages. They make up for it with mysterious dark magic, and that magic isn''t something the church can predict or stop if fully unleashed. In a few days the strike force will move to stop the summoning of one of the 14 sons. We don''t know which one will be summoned, being an offspring of one of the 7 evil ones isn''t good. The 7 evil ones had 2 children apiece. Hence the creation of the 14 sons, all of them are incredibly powerful. However, they are no match for their fathers. In the end they are pawns for their fathers own ends, but that doesn''t stop the in fighting. A major reason another great war hasn''t happened is because the 7 evil ones cant reunite. A true blessing for us, their own agendas and greed get in the way. Much history isn''t recorded during that time, but we can assume certain things from the old documents. I should try and get some sleep, most of the problems are just beginning. As NPC''s all over Ancients World do their things, the yers are in chaos. One of these yers being Xander. I didn''t think this is how the collision would happen. Since Jericho and I were together in the real world we appeared in the same ce, but our families were away. Now that this has happened we don''t have any way to find them or contact them. "I cant believe Angelus was crazy enough to do something like this! I condemn everything we built at J&X!" I cant stop my anger from flowing out, sometimes you just have to let it out. Jericho looks at me with a sympathetic face, it doesn''t help that we are alone and isted. We were in a secure location when the collision happened, and now that we are here. We have no way to contact anyone else, if only we knew that we wouldn''t just appear in our towns. It was foolish of me to think that, Angelus would never do something so simple. We didn''t create her to be simple. My oldest and only friend now puts his hand on my shoulder. "We''ll find them, we married smart women. Samantha is probably already with Brooklyn, they are inseparable after all. They will make sure everything is fine until we find them, however long that may be." Jericho is right about that, they would never let any harme to the kids. "Sam and Brooke will more than likely stick with bigger crowds since they were in popte areas, we will have to search each crowd wee across." Looks like Jericho is already making ns. I need to get my mind out of the gutter and help him, we can aplish anything together. While Jericho and Xander prepare and n their next moves, 2 familiar NPC''s are talking in the tent they are sharing. Creatureman is the first to start talking. I look over to my brother and see the contemting look on his face. After we defeated Clintock we took a break from fighting and travels. After a little bit, Gregory got into contact with us again. "So are you nervous about the uing strike? I know I am, I don''t like the idea of possibly fighting one of the 14 sons. I still have all those treasures to spend after all, I''m still surprised that Gregory let that go." King Gregory is a man that doesn''te by very often. I can see why he is considered one of the best kings to ever live. Its to bad that he wasn''t the ruler of our shit country, Zelly wouldn''t have had to deal with Clintock for so long. Ghostzero sighs at my question, he must be as nervous as me. "Do you think that Lucy would go out with me if I asked her?" I have to regain my bearings after hearing him say that, we got to meet the Saintess when we made this campsite. We are closer to the summoning ritual at our current location. I get that she is extremely beautiful, but to think you have a chance with her is bold. "Well, what do you think Creatureman? I know that I''m attractive, but not enough to draw her attention." Creatureman has always been smooth with thedies, and his looks have helped. Saintess Lucy on the other hand isn''t an average woman. She was literally blessed at birth by the Arch-Angel Uriel. She probably doesn''t even think about a rtionship. I sigh and rub the top of my head as Iy it back down on the pillow. "I don''t know Creatureman, Saintess Lucy seems the type to not care about love or romance. All I can say is I don''t know enough about her to give you advice, I guess you could try. Don''t be surprised if your shot down though." My words seem to give him a little hope, in the end the worst that can happen is a rejection. However a rejection from a beautiful woman such as Saintess Lucy will hurt very much. Women wonder why men have a hard time asking them out, and that''s because the rejection of a pretty woman hurts a lot. We sit in silence for awhile. Sometimes the quiet is much better then talking about problems and life. Many yers and NPC''s alike are going to sleep right now, but there is a mother that is to worried to sleep. I cant stop thinking about the worst for my son, Cera doesn''t get into unnecessary trouble. My heart just cant stand the thought of him dead, and I know I''m over reacting. A mother just cant help it, as I look out into the stars from the building we are taking shelter in I wonder if Cera is looking at the same night sky as me. "You know he''s going to be fine. He is stronger than all of us, if anything he might be more worried about us." The sudden voice of my daughter startles me, I look over at her and I see that she is looking up at the stars to. "Cera is a man that knows exactly what to do and when to do it, his ability to do this is almost scary to me. I always wondered who he got that from, and the fact he knew about such good sses makes me worry about him." Hailey brings up great points, Cera has always had that gift. Getting some rest will do me good, but what Hailey said about him knowing about the sses as got me thinking. The night passes and morninges, Cera is awoken up by the bright suning through the trees. I rub my eyes as the sun beats down on my face, I don''t know what time it exactly is. Best guess its around 7am. Nice and warm to, didn''t have any problems sleepingst night and from the looks of it. All that''s happened wasn''t some dream, I stand up and stretch my body. It pops and cracks as I do some stretches, I look around and see birds flying around and making the morning racket. Today is a beautiful day, and one good for flying to. I walk out from under the tree and toggle my wings on with a thought, they instantly appear and spread out in a stretching motion. I never truly appreciated their size, each wing is probably 11 to 12 feet long fully spread. Makes their intimidation factor better. I flex them as I get ready to take off and I burst from the ground as wind rips by trees and bends them slightly. I''m already at the clouds as I level out and slow down. I''ll stay above the clouds to stay out of sight, now lets see if I can find anyone. Chapter 99: Covering lots of ground

Chapter 99: Covering lots of ground

I should head city by city, best chance is yers looking for shelter and a ce to stay. Many are scared and confused, and more than likely wont move unless a leader arises. I don''t see any cities in the distances, but that doesn''t mean I should rush this. Flying free and high isn''t something I''ll get to do often once I meet up with other yers and eventually make my way to the Holy City for my divine mana aura. So I might as well have some fun, I twist and turn my body as I go in and out of the giant puffy clouds. Clear skies free of pollution and visibly beautiful to look at. When I was a kid I thought that clouds were pillows in the sky, and if I grew tall enough I can jump on them. However the yellowing of the sky soon ruined that, and the clouds became less and less numerous. I take a deep breath and close my eyes as I just glide upside down, my back to where the ground is supposed to be. Ie in and out of the clouds with my eyes closed, I don''t have to worry about anything since I''m so high in the sky. I''m slightly shocked Blue Chaos never had angel wings, its unlikely he could hide them forever. That makes something I aplished that he didn''t, and I feel more pride than I should at that thought. I did steal his future, and thinking about it now he is probably dead like Marty. He didn''t start ying Ancients World till a few years passed after its release, so I guess that means I doomed his existence by making mine better. I always wanted to make it up to him, and now I wont be able to since he is dead. Unless he got a gaming pod when they went on sale, I truly hope he did. It will take a weight off my conscious, and thinking about it. All of this is also attributed to by my actions. For all I know I could have been the single reason this happened, time travel isn''t something you can just jump into. I did and now everyone is suffering for it, I wonder what could have been if I used my wish on something else. Having a single wish with no ands or buts makes it hard to get everything I want. Out of all the wishes I could have made, I decided to go back in time. Not like I had much time to contemte after all, I was a few hours from the end of my life for all I know. Thinking about all this is putting me in a depressed mood, but sometimes facing your choices is the only way to find a solution to a current problem. I''m not great philosopher and a great thinker, but I am smart. Its the only reason I''m alive, and that''s the reason I came back. In the back of my mind I knew that using my knowledge of the future was what I wanted. To use others works to benefit me, talk about a total fake. In the end no one will know, but I will and its going to haunt me every time I think about what I''ve taken so my life could be better. I don''t want to open my eyes, I just want to stay up here and fly forever. All good thingse to an end though, I open my eyes and descend under the clouds to see if anything is around. I can see a ruined city off in the distance, bigger then the one I was in earlier. Probably has some yers in it, and that means no more flying. I get as close as I can before I try and make a gentlending, I rough up some dirt pretty bad as Ind in the surrounding forest. "Looks like mynding is getting better, I''m going to be causing property damage in the future. So best get a hang on it now." I rub some of the muck and dirt off, I''m a couple minutes from the city. I begin making my way there and I eventually hear the voices of yers. Looks like I found some life out here in these newnds. The closer I get the more numerous the voices get, and I can conclude there are a lot of them. I follow the yelling through the city and eventually make it to a huge crowd, I don''t know how big it is. Cant really put an urate number on it, but best guess is around 16,000 yers. I can hear some guy yelling from the center. Since I''m taller than most here I can see that this man has assumed the leader role. I''m on the very outskirts of this giant meeting so its kind of hard to hear him. I make my way through the crowd subtly as to not disturb anyone. It takes me about 15 minutes, but I make it into listening range. "THE OTHER GROUPS IN THIS CITY HAVE DECIDED TO STAY HERE AND WAIT FOR RESCUE!!!!" That wont be happening for a very long time, and from what he said there are other groups in this city. Its pretty big to only have around 16,000 yers so it make sense. "ALL WHO WANT TO MOVE FORWARD AND SEARCH FOR OTHER CITIES PLEASE INFORM SIR HELK!!! WE WILL BE LEAVING TOMORROW MORNING!!! I HOPE TO SEE MANY OF YOU JOIN US!!!" I look around and see the fear of some yers, others have determination. Strong yers leaving these types of groups is detrimental, so many will probably follow these guys out of the city. He continues to talk, but I pay him no attention. If there are other groups in this city then I should see their situations to. I have no intention of staying here, but trying to get information will be beneficial to me. These yers could have discovered things I haven''t yet. I gently make my way out of the crowd and start to roam the streets of the big city, it isn''t one that I lived near. I don''t even know its name. It would be hard to find out its name with it in this condition, but the local yers might know its name. After walking I eventually see a massive stadiume into view, if a group of yers were going to stay somewhere it would be there. I make my way to it and I can hear some faint yelling, and multiple voices. After a few minutes of walking I make it to the entrance and find a way in. What I see is truly amazing, yers line the rows of seats and field. Tents set up in the tens of thousands, I can see an old podium and stage with speakers on it. Looks like its the people who have decided to be the leaders here, at least until the situation is found out. I hear yelling the closer I get to the field, there seems to be a heated discussion going on. "WE CANT STAY HERE FOREVER!!! THE LIKELY HOOD OF RESCUE COMING SO SOON IS A PIPE DREAM!!! OPEN YOUR EYES ZEEILL!!! ITS TIME TO MOVE!!!" I wouldn''t be so aggressive trying to get my point across, but I don''t know how long these people have been arguing about this. While I agree with his words, his attitude needs adjustment. I don''t get so close to the stage, I lean against a make shift shack away from others. "Why would we take such a risk when we don''t have to Quiver, we have food, water, and shelter here. A steady stream of all things. We can afford to wait for rescue, be don''t have the means or man power for a mass migration." Who I assume is Zeeill speaks calmly in response to the loud words of Quiver, seems everyone is going by their gamer tags instead of their real names. Both make good points, I can see why Zeeill wants to stay if he has all that in supply. In the end the decisiones down to who wants to leave, you cant stop people from walking away if they want to. I should ask some of the yers around me what they know, whether it be about changes or locations. I look around and all I see are depressed people looking to give up on life, some even looked like they tried. I see the rxed face of an older man, he looks like the type I can ask for information. I make my way to his side and take a breath. "Excuse me sir, I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about what''s going on" He turns his head and looks at me with suspicion. I can tell this is going to take longer then I want it to, most yer are probably very defensive right now. Instead of rejection he just taps the seat next to him, guess this guys more intact mentally then the rest. Chapter 100: Key information

Chapter 100: Key information

I take a seat next to the older man as we both look at the argument that is ying on the stage. Even in times of crisis humans will find a way to cause problems, I wouldn''t do any better in their ce. I''m not a leader so I should stop talking, the old man rubs his beard as he listens to the argument. "So young man, what is it you wanted to know. I''m getting sick of listening to these kids argue. Perhaps your questions can take my mind off this situation." Seems he doesn''t like the arguing either. "I haven''t seen you around our little slice of the city before. Although my memory isn''t what it used to be." He is pretty observant, I do my best not to stick out. Even though I do this he still notice that I''m not from around here. It must be my mentality and attitude, I''m not depressed and scared like everyone else. I can see how he put it together, this man has got a sharp brain in his head. "I was wondering if anyone found out the situation about survival and death mechanics. I was hoping I could get some answers without having to tests those myself." He hums silently to himself, he puts his hand on his chin is a think manner. I wouldn''t hold it against him if he didn''t know, I bet everyone is to scared to try and find out themselves. "Its okay if you don''t have an answer, I''m not surprised that no one has tested it yet. Dying isn''t something any one wants to do, and finding out for everyone else isn''t a sacrifice anyone would make." He looks at me in slight surprise, I must have a better lid on my worries then most he meets. He just sighs and rubs his head, he looks disappointed with what he is about to say. "Death mechanics have changed. While we still resurrect, the process of dying has changed. Pain is no longer toned down, and we feel everything. The sensations and loss of life, the resurrection process is painful to. Once it begins you relive through the pain that killed you, and when we die wee back at these new giant cathedrals." Well, that''s surprising. So permanent death doesn''t exist for the yers, but the pain is on a level that yers have never experienced before. Talk about a big change, in a way that make us immortal. "Survival mechanics have changed as well, if we don''t eat and drink like normally we will be weak. No one has died yet from dehydration or starvation, but many are to weak forborious tasks." Seems like my worst worries aren''t so bad, but in a way they are. The way he described it exins why so many look weak. My questions about death and survival have been answered, but I don''t know this location. I highly doubt anyone knows what truly happened as of yet, so know point in asking that question. "This city, was it the one all these yers came with? I find it extremely weird that the cities followed us through, and now we are in and I''m not familiar with." His eyes squint at my next question, it might be one he doesn''t want to answer. This city was his home, and he has probably figured out that I''m an outsider. "You don''t have to answer if you don''t want to, in the end this ce was your home. I bet you have things you don''t want to share with an outsider." He gently nods his head yes and turns back to the argument taking ce. I have a feeling I''m very far from my family, and I don''t want to stay away for long. While in my thoughts a world announcement rings out, and its a little troubling. [World-wide Announcement: Since all the yers have settled in thesest few days its time to motivate you! In 12 hours monsters will begin to popte the continent all yers upy! In an effort to motivate you yers still gain exp and level up! If you are fortunate enough to find a dungeon there might be a reward that could tell you where your loved ones are!] I''m now convinced the system A.I. has changed in many ways, talk about a way to mix things up both good and bad. Many will be going crazy for the search of dungeons, but that could have been a lie to. "Do you think people will be ready to defend themselves in 12 hours, this cities doesn''t have any defenses or guards. They could just walk right in and ughter us till we kill them with overwhelming numbers, while resurrecting is good it will cause problems on our minds if we die so much in such shorts amounts time." All the voices around me go quiet as I say that, guess people were listening to our conversation. Pretty much everyone in the stadium is silent after the announcement. A few seconds pass and chaos erupts, yers are yelling and screaming. Some are even rushing towards the exits to get into the skyscrapers for high ground, smart but they cant hold everyone. I just stay seated with the old man as the rush of yers around us continue. My ears are ringing from how loud it is, I look down at the grass and begin to think as I drown out the noise. Only 12 hours till yers will have to start being yers again, while earning exp without my half exp debuff sounds awesome I still want to find my family first. "Well young man, this has been a nice conversation. I will be going to a secure area myself, I hope you find whoever your looking for. I myself will be looking for my wife." I nod my head in gratitude and acknowledgement. Getting the help and answers I needed from him was a nice ident. I look around as even more people are trying to get out of the stadium now. I look up to the stage and see Zeeill pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. In a way both parties ns are null and void now, I can see how that makes someone angry. They begin to talk to each other, but there is way to much noise to hear what they are saying. I think leaving this city will be a good idea, I''ll find no help here. I sigh as more and more people rush passed me, I don''t know why they are all so scared. They have killed monsters and dungeon dived before, just because death has changed shouldn''t discourage you. In a sense its hypocritical for me to say this since I didn''t want to die without knowing, but I know now and I''m ready for action. A few minutes pass and the stadium is almost entirely empty, I make my way towards the exits myself. I''m going to find a secluded spot and take flight. I want to be alone and isted once the monsters appear, I want to be the first to go into a dungeon and clear it in this newnd to. If I''m lucky I can find the answer to my families location, that''s if what the system said is true. I wouldn''t put my trust in it, so I''ll stay on guard while out. While everyone is to scared to leave their hiding holes I''ll be out leveling and getting stronger, who knows I might even experience death. I make my way outside the stadium and see the nearest buildings with packs of people trying to get in. I just ignore all of the chaos and make my way down a road that leads away from the stadium, I follow the road for about 30 minutes and I see the forests tree line. I walk for a little while longer and make it to the entrance to the forest. I walk into it a good ways and toggle my wings on, time to get out of this area and prepare for my own fights. I stretch out my huge and long wings, I flex them hard and burst from the ground. I make it to the clouds and go above them like I always do, it should be around noon now. So that means around midnight the monsters will start spawning. That leaves me 12 hours of travel time, and I intend to use all of it. I put extra power into a few ps and enjoy the wind on my face. I level out my wings and glide at the high speed, I''m falling in love with my flying ability. I wonder if there are any other yers that can fly right now, if so I bet their lives are as nice as mine right now. I feel the smile spread across my face as the warm heat from the sun bathes me as I fly above the clouds. I''m going to have a nice journey. Chapter 101: The Will of Humanity

Chapter 101: The Will of Humanity

I''ve been flying for a few hours now, and I haven''t came across any cities yet. I''ve been flying at slower speed and enjoying the cruise, so I wouldn''t cover that much ground. In terms of anyone else I''ve already made tons of progress in traveling, but I have to hold myself to a higher standard since I have so many good things going for me. If every yer could fly many wouldn''t be scared about theing monsters, its been a while since I''ve actually fought anything. Thest time I was inbat was on the way to Zenith, and that feels like a life time ago. In reality its only been a week, time is skewed when your having fun. It can go fast or slow, and its gone by slow to me. Most yers are smart, and many will form parties to go out and attack monsters. I still have a few exp boosts saved up to, but using those for the higher levels will be wise. Leveling gets harder and harder the higher you get, and having those exp boosts will help greatly. After I find my family and get us back to our original continent I''ll be going for my mana aura. At this point I don''t know how long that can take, my best bet is getting an answer as a dungeon reward. I don''t know if that''s all a lie from the system, it could be a trap so yers die and lose levels faster. Its around 3:30 in the afternoon and the monsters arrival gets closer and closer as the hours pass. One problem is I don''t know how strong these monsters will be, if so many things have changed its safe to assume that monsters have as well. I''d be foolish to think that monsters andbat will be the same as before, the only thing that I know aboutbat now is how skills work. Since I can activate my wings with a thought its safe to say that skills work like that to, but just in case things have changed I''ll only take on one enemy at a time. Another thing that draws my attention is the state of the NPC''s or rather myck of knowledge about them, are they still the same as always. Do they even exist anymore, they probably do. Why aren''t they searching the new continent for answers, the war is far from reaching thesends. NPC''s are as real as we are, and they must be affected by what''s going on to. They have bigger things to worry about, many see yers as worthless to them. So its unlikely a search will happen. I hope that the truth about what happened to us will be known, if Jericho and Xander are found then many questions will be answered. I know for a fact that they are in the same situation as the rest of us, I bet many will demand blood from the founders. They are immortal just like us, and while killing them repeatedly might help. They wont stay truly dead, and in a way that''s good. They may be able to fix this mess, their actions created it after all. I look down towards the never ending forest, my worries are not as great as others. Mostly because I''m strong and have everything I need to survive, yers will adept and change. Its in our nature after all. I can feel hunger encroaching on my thoughts, I haven''t ate something in quiet some time. I lean my body forward and head towards the forest floor, just before I hit it I level out and do my bestnding so far. Only some deep footprints this time. I toggle my wings off and they disappear into my back, its very convenient that I can hide them. I don''t have a bow and arrow, but I''m fast enough to run down some game. While animalistic and uncivilized, its my only option right now. I draw my sword and get to hunting. As Cera hunts for food, yers all over this new continent are in panic. One of these yers being Quinn, or otherwise known as Snow Princess. I don''t know what I''m going to do, after thest few days I thought it couldn''t get worse. Now I have to fight monsters and defend myself from painful death and resurrection. The first day I thought this was just a dream from ying to much Ancients World, but now I''m scared like I was when I was a little girl. "I heard that themander is rallying the strongest of us to set up a defensive parameter. I''d join myself if I wasn''t so damn weak, I wish I put more time in before all this shit happened. I might have been able to do something." I hear some of the guys in the meeting hall speaking, we are taking shelter while themander tries to prepare for theing storm. So many have already adjusted and are ready. While I just sit here and brood, I need to get my head in the right ce. I stand up and make my way out of the meeting hall and towards the old convention center, that is wheremander rkson is rallying her troops. I heard she hates her first name and prefers rkson. I enter the old convention center and see all the yers and parties being formed, rkson really knows what she is doing since she is one of the top officers for the guild called Rubik''s Ruination. She is a person just below the rank of vice guild leader, and the only real leader around. If anyone knows what to do in a situation like this, its her. I look around the convention center and find the sign up booth, there are yers working it that assign you to a team or post. I walk over to it and look into the tired and depressed eyes of the man working the booth. "I want to help." That''s all I can say since there isn''t much more I can. Determination and thickheaded speeches about why I want to help wont make this go faster. He focuses his eyes on me and looks me up and down, he isn''t giving a perverted or disgusting stare. More like inspection of my gear, yers still hate being inspected fully. So he is doing his best without using the actual inspect skill. He rubs his temple and takes a deep sigh. This guy is one of the most tired people I have ever seen. "Well you look higher level than most, so rkson will more than likely want to assign you somewhere personally. Go speak to her upstairs in themand room." I make my way up to themand room and cant help feeling out of ce. There are a lot of hardcore yers around here, and most outss me by many levels. I''ll admit that I''m intimidated by all these great yers, but many are to focused on there own stuff to notice me. In a way it makes me happy, getting unwanted attention is always something I hated. I see themander and make my way to her, I stay quiet until she is done talking to whoever she is talking to. After she is done she turns and meets me, I''m much shorter than she is. "I was told toe speak to you about an assignment." No reason to waste time. She looks at me and nods her head slightly, guess I pass the gear test. To most yers that''s all that really matters, but the yers that are great. They know that personal skill is just as important. She is about to say something to me, but someonees up behind her and whispers something into her ear. She just shakes her head in disappointment. Obviously not at me, but at the news she just got. "LILY!! MAKE SURE NEW BLOOD GETS SETTLED IN!! I GOT ANOTHER CRISIS TO FIX!!" She yells across the room to whoever lily is, she takes off at the pace an officer would. Soon I''m met with a hand on my shoulder, and a very beautiful dark haired green eyed beauty. She has a lightplexation with subtle dusting of freckles. She is almost as pretty as Hailey, I hope the sister of the meanest boy is doing alright. As well as the meanest boy, my thoughts are broken as she leads me out of themand center and into a private room. There are 3 other people in this room, these must be my new party mates. While Snow Princess and her new party learn about each other, Cera is digging into food and having some water. While I like meat, I''m a terrible cook without an oven. I bet mom could make something delicious from wild deer over a campfire, all I can do is cook the meat good. Well its going to be like this for awhile, and in the end its not so bad. A problem I am noticing is smell, turns out our bodies now produce odor if we go to long without a shower or bath. While I''ve never had seriously bad body odor, many yer I meet will smell bad. Be them male for female, cleaning myself in the river close by doesn''t seem like a bad idea. I''m not a fan of ice cold water though, and that water is freezing. So its going to be a chilly bath time, a mans got to make sure he is clean. Nothing is more embarrassing then being told you stink. So when I''m done eating I''m taking a bath, still plenty of light out after all. Chapter 102: Last bit of free time

Chapter 102: Last bit of free time

I unequip my gear on the side of the steady flowing river. I''m now wearing nothing, I find it both embarrassing and freeing to be naked in the middle of the woods. There are no prying eyes so I toggle my wings on, they are a part of me to. It''ll be responsible to wash them as well, I run my fingers along them as I move them in front of me. Despite them being very hard in certain situations they are super soft when I''m rxed. I flex them and they harden to an incredible degree, they work like a muscle. That''s pretty cool, I wonder what else I can do other than what''s been described to me. I straight them out and shuffle the wings to make the feathers line up like des. I bet they are fantastic weapons, I wonder how effective they are against enemies weaker or the same strength as me. I pull up their description again to see if it implies other abilities. Everything I read only says 2% damage of the total health pool, perhaps the weaker the enemy is the stronger the ability gets. The only way I''ll find out is if when I test it, and that''s going to be a few more hours. I have dyed getting in the cold water long enough, its time to cleanse myself. I bring my feet into the water first and its cold, like very cold. I don''t like this one bit, but I''m a hygienic man and that means I need to clean myself. I begin to walk forward and the cold climbs up my body, I stop right before I reach my family jewels. I take a deep breath and move forward, the shock makes me jolt and shiver. My wings flutter like a bird as my body does as well. Ripples in the water and small waves are created from the movement of my wings. I keep walking until I make it up to my chest, my wings are halfway submerged at this point. I stop and get used to the cold as best as I can. Its making me shiver, but its helping the soreness of my body. I heard that ice bath treatment is good, but this is unexpected. While ufortable, it is a nice bnce between pain and rxation. I''m now used to this depth and I go even further in. I sink my entire body in wings included, its a strange feeling to have the cold grip my wings. I stay under and try to get used to the cold, soon Ie up for air and shake the water out of my jet ck hair. The water is so clear and clean in Ancients World. Its not polluted and murky, its what earth should''ve looked like. I scrub my armpits to try an clean them, I move to the dirtiest ces on the body and give a thorough cleaning. To bad I don''t have any soap, wont have any for awhile. After making sure my entire body is clean I''m finally satisfied and make my way out of the river. My wings are good and wet as well, I p them gently to help dry them. That just blows cool air all over and makes me shiver to the bone. "That wasn''t a good idea..." I mumble to myself as I wrap my wings around me in an attempt to warm me up. It works better than standing in the open air, I see that my campfire is about to die to I toss some wood on it. I stand in front of the warm heat, this is much better than being wrapped in my damp wings. I stand in front of the fire and rotate my body for a good hour. I''m nowpletely dry, I get my clothes from the side of the river and put them on. While I cant say I enjoyed it, I can say it wasn''t as bad as I thought it was. I''m as clean as I can get right now, and its nice to get the smell and sweat off. I''ve been in this one ce for awhile, and my instincts are telling me to get a move on. I put out the campfire and put the extra meat into my inventory. I''ll be sure to finish itter, leaving it here would be a waste. I get to a little opening in the trees and flex my wings, I take off with power and reach the clouds fast like always. I''ve had my wings out more and more frequently, the more I use them the better I''m getting at epting them as a part of me. Its strange to have 2 new body parts after all, and the more I have them out the more I forget that I still have to turn them off. When you get so used to something sometimes you forget things like that. Well, I''ll always remember to turn them off in public, but in private I''ll leave them out. They are weapons as well as shields. Its safe to have them out when I''m alone, and you can never be to safe in this type of environment. I fly for several more hours at a nice speed just enjoying the cruise, the sun has descended and the moon is out. I stare at the beautiful stars and moon since I''m so close, my thoughts are interrupted as an announcement happens. [World-wide Announcement: Monsters will start spawning in 2 hours! All yers will have a countdown on their yer interface! Be sure to help each other! The first few hours will be rough until you y enough for them to leave you alone! Be sure to build defenses if you intend to stay in one ce!] From the sounds of it these monsters will be attacking the yers right off the bat. I wonder if the same will happen to me, I bet panic is ensuing with only 2 hours left. After these past 10 hours all you can do is make final preparations and pray that it''ll be an easy fight. I doubt it will though, many will die and resurrect at the cathedrals and join the fight again. If I die out here I wonder where I''ll resurrect, probably at the closest cathedral. I should enjoy the time I have left till my fighting begins, who knows how many I''ll have to kill before they leave me alone. Many will migrate if they cant defend their position, and that''s a smart thing. Many yers desperate for levels and gear will push themselves to far. That will end up being the reason they die, and have to make up that progress. I''m sure that my leveling speed will be much faster, but that''s only in ces I know. All this is unfamiliar, so I wont be leveling up fast. I''ll be leveling better, but it will take time to get used to which enemies are worth the time or not. I don''t need a party to kill one monster either, and I cant imagine what my damage and health will be once I get my mana aura. I''ll truly be unreachable by other yers once I get my hands on it, and I''ll be able to contend with powerful NPC''s in tier 2 and 3. Quality matters, and mine will be the best. I wonder what type of monsters will be spawning, will they be the ones we see regrly. It really is up to the system how this will y out, I hope that it goes better than I think it will. As Cera continues to fly in the night, the rest of the Adamo family is trying to stay safe. Violet is trying to keep a cool head about her, and she is doing rather well. The area we showed up in isn''t that popted with yers, all together there are around 25,000 thousand in our group. There are other groups in the city, but there aren''t enough supplies for one giant group. So the self elected leaders decided to divide the people into groups of 25,000 and have us set up in different strategic locations in the city. They made sure each group was bnced with enough strong fighters, so everyone has a fair chance. "I''ll be sure that Marcus isn''t close to the fighting. I don''t want him experiencing death yet. It would be to much for him..." I tell my husband what I n to do, Marcus is one of the youngest kids left. I have talked to many mothers and fathers who have lost their babies and toddlers after everything that''s happened. Many tried to kill themselves, but they just end uping back to life. Talk about a hell, I know I shouldn''t think like this. If my kids were dead, I''d end my own life. There would be no reason left to live, I couldn''t imagine their pain right now. "That''s perfect honey. Hailey and I will be support for the front lines, be sure to stay high in the skyscrapers in case the parameter is broken." My husband is a strong man, and I haveplete trust in him. I kiss the top of my sons head as I carry him to the skyscraper, he is getting so big. He is almost to big to carry anymore. All I can do is be ready for the worst, and I''ll do everything in my power to make sure no harmes to him. Chapter 103: A Monster I

Chapter 103: A Monster I

There is only a few minutes left till the fighting starts, now would be a good time tond. I don''t see any open clearings nearby for easybat, I cant have everything I want. I dive towards the ground and level out before hitting the ground, I p my wings in a way to slow me down and Ie to a gentle stop. Its nice to see progress, and my flying abilities are getting better. I move my wings into an offensive look, stretched out and sharp looking. They still retain their powerful look despite being stretched just a little. I''ll be able to test my theory about whether or not my wings do more than 2% damage to the total health pool with weaker or same leveled creatures. I look at the countdown onest time and see less than 30 seconds left. [World-wide Announcement: I wish all yers the best of luck! Try your hardest! I''ll be keeping track of the kill count per yer and who does the best among you! People who kill the most will receive special rewards! So be sure to rack up those kills while you can!] A final announcement rings out and gives a surprise to everyone. The more greedy ones will kill steal and make it harder for the rest. It was a good idea to hide this information till now, it''ll be harder for the greedy ones to n and make things difficult. Only a few more seconds till the fighting starts all over this newnd, and I will admit that I''m excited. Its been so long since I''ve gotten to fight, well it really hasn''t. It just feels that way, and that happens to everyone. My thoughts are interrupted as the countdown runs out, and I''m met with monsters. "*SCREECH!*" Multiple monsters are screaming and making a bunch of noise as they rush at me from the darkness. I draw my de and take a breath, this is going to be fun. I''m instantly surrounded by 10 or more monsters leaping from the darkness of the woods. I don''t have anytime to inspect them and see what they are. They don''t look familiar to me, which means these monsters are exclusive to whatever is happening. At least that''s what I think, they are closing in fast as well. I get into my fighting form and flex my wings to make them hard, now its time to test out how much more effective I''m at inbat. They are only a few feet out now, and I use this time to attack. I spin my body hard as they leap at me, I use my wings as giant swords. I cleave multiple monsters into pieces with that single move. Now that I''ve thinned out some of the closest ones I use my sword to do some heavy damage. These monsters are so weak I don''t even need to activate my best skills, sh is doing just fine. There are to many notifications about damage to really focus on the numerical information. I''ll look at them after I''m done fighting. I clear out the 10 or more monsters that have just attacked me faster then I would''ve been able to do without my wings. I almost rx, but more screams and screeches surround me as an onught of monsters appear. I don''t know how many there are, or how many I''m going to have to kill. If all yers are dealing with something like this all I can do is hope that my family is safe. The newly appeared horde is quickly on top of me, no more time to think about my family. There is an uncountable number now, I use my wings and de to kill as many as I can as fast as I can. The bodies of the monsters are quickly piling up, I bring 100% of my attention to the battle since I''m being swarmed. Monster after monster tries to get close tond a single attack, but my wings and sword are making easy work of them. They all stop of a second and a circle of about 15 feet or more has formed around me, I look at them in the brief time that I have. I can see that these monsters go on for miles, and they are many different kinds. Some look like animals that have turned into monsters, and others look like unholy abominations from your worst nightmares. I don''t know why so many are only attacking me, if this is for 1 person I''m sure the yers are struggling right now. They all look wary to continue attacking, and I take some time to clean the blood from my eyes to see better. I''m drenched in monster blood and guts, my golden wings are now dripping with lines of crimson. I''m going to have to take another bath after this, and that makes me a little mad. They all start shifting in a circle, and then the ones right outside of the 15 foot circle jump at me. I quickly dismember any that get close enough, the piles of the bodies is making it hard to move now. I jump up andnd in a new spot, I carve my way through monsters with my wings and weapon as I run through the woods. I look behind me and monsters are already filling the path that I made, its like there is no end to them. I keep running and clearing monsters for several minutes, I finally reach the end of the horde and begin to run from the massive numbers. If I don''t want to die I''ll need to find a ce where I can kill all of these monsters, the piling of bodies makes it hard to stay in one spot. I can feel the ground trembling as I run through the woods, they are hot on my tail. I would fly away, but I don''t want to miss this chance to earn exp and get used to fighting with my wings. I make it to a nice opening in the trees and see a field, this will do fine. I make it to the center and look in the direction I came, monsters swarm out of the tree line and rush towards me. An amount I don''t want to count its already leaping towards me, I just get into that zone I use for these situations and ughter one after another. I don''t know how much time has passed or how many I''ve killed, but the horde has thinned out by at least 90%. I don''t know how many I''ve killed, but its a lot. I find myself taking deep breaths and on one knee, its much more exhausting then I thought it would be. I''ve never been this tired except for that time I invaded that orc camp, many of the remaining monsters run back into the woods. I look around me and see massive piles of limbs and corpses, I''m covered head to toe in blood. Only very small parts of my wings are showing any gold, the stain of crimson is all over. If games didn''t numb that part of me I would be puking right now, looking at the internal organs all around me makes me a little queasy though. Those are things that you aren''t supposed to see inrge volumes like this, Iy on my back and just rest. This was a long and hard fought battle. As I''m rxing on the ground, I feel it rumble ever so slightly. I try and convince myself more aren''ting, but I know in my heart this isn''t over yet. The rumbling of the ground gets louder and harder, I stand up and try to loosen up. I look over towards the tree line and see monsters heads above them, looks like they are bringing the big guns this time. Soon I''m getting swarmed again, and I continue to kill and kill. After a couple minutes the bigger ones start to get here, and I can tell these guys are going to be a pain in my ass. As Cera relentlessly battles alone, yers are banding together and holding the monsters off. One such man is Sir Erikson, leading the assault with his make shift group. They never stoping, if the lower leveled yers were on the frontlines then they would have been ughtered. My strategies are working fine for now, but my fighters are getting tired. There aren''t that many yers with healing abilities either, this has be a battle of attrition and we are losing. For every yer, there is one monster of equal strength. This causes problems in many ways, the biggest being when the higher leveled yers finally run out of gas. The lower leveled yers will have to deal with the stronger monsters. The system is ying this little test well, that''s what I think at least. Testing which yers to look out for and reward, and seeing which ones have no motivation for fighting and getting better. This is going to be a long battle and night, I just hope we don''t lose to many levels. Chapter 104: A Monster II

Chapter 104: A Monster II

{Read authors note} They never stoping, even when I kill the big ones they just retreat ande back with more. I''ve been at this for hours now, and if this continues the way it has I''ll die. I''m not a perfect fighter and I''ve taken damage and used my strongest skills, but they keeping back stronger. I''m out of time and energy, I cant continue on like this. There is only so much I can do by myself, and I''m at my limit. They retreated a few minutes ago, and they haven''t returned yet. I know its only a matter of time, I don''t even have the energy to look at how low my health has gotten. My whole body feels like jelly every time I take a breath, and when I try to move it feels like fire and knots in my muscles. I''m on my hands and knees trying to catch my breath, but I can already feel the ground rumbling. I look up from the red stained grass, I see a horde bigger than anything before it. A storm has moved over the area and is washing away the blood, I stand up once again and let the drops hit my face. I''m sure yers are dying in troves if this is how its going for them, this isn''t something I''ve ever experienced or heard of in Ancients World. The monsters are charging at me fast, but they haven''t reached me yet. The only indication of their existence is the evil glow of their eyes and the lightning shes that ignite the area. "RRRAAAWWW!! IF YOU WANT TO CHARGE TO YOUR DEATH SO RELENTLESSLY I WONT STOP YOU!! I''M TAKING AS MANY AS I CAN WITH ME!!!" I yell into the stormy night as the downpour gets worse. I focus on theing enemies and they are only seconds away now, I flex my wings and charge at them as well. I lose myself in this intense battle, I just cut and attack with all I have left. My wings are cutting the weaker ones to pieces, and sending the stronger ones flying. If I''m not supposed to win against such odds then fine, there are moments in games you have to lose. "I REFUSE TO LET THIS BE MY FIRST DEATH!! I WILL NOT DIE TO A BUNCH OF WEAK MOBS!!! IF I''M TO DIE IN A FIGHT IT WILL BE FIGHTING A BOSS!!" However, the gamer in me refuses to die to a bunch of enemies of little strength, being overwhelmed isn''t going to be my first death in this new life. I grip my sword harder as the painful stress on my body continues to howl out. In times of great pain and tribtion what separates the weak and strong is how far you are willing to push yourself, no matter the difficulty challenge. "*SCCCRRREEEECCCHHHH!!!*" The monster horde screams in defiance of my promation, lighting shes every couple of seconds and adds to the chaos well are all in. The rain gets so hard and heavy that I can barely see anymore, but I don''t stop my onught to counter theirs. I use the light from their eyes to find them, and the light from the lighting to see how many I have left. Every time the shes of lightning happen I can see the horde clogging up the trees, it truly looks endless. I lose track of time and feeling all over my body, but I continue. I fight and fight, the bodies and flowing blood make it look like an apocalypse. After several hours I kill thest one of this horde, and as soon as its head rolls I fall to the ground. My body wont move anymore, I cant feel my fingers. The only thing that doesn''t feel damaged is my wings, they made this fight possible. The rain continues to fall on my exhausted body, and my blood stained clothes and wings wash once again. I don''t know how much time has passed, all I know is that I''ve been fighting for hours. The thunderous sky roars as the heavy downpour continues. I feel the weight of my eyes, and I can feel the sleeping. I''m brought back from the edge of sleep as I feel the ground rumble, but this time it isn''t continuous. Its steady footsteps of a single being, a giant one. I move my head and look around, I see the form of a behemoth from the lightning shes. Its a creature I''ve never seen before, a true monstrosity from what I can make out. I will my body to move and I get on my stomach, I shift my limbs under me and push myself up to my knees. I watch the creature approach and slowly make its way here, I might not be able to kill it. I''ll die trying though, I can barely move my body. I use my sword to lift myself up and stand on my feet, when I do the storm gets even harder. The creature is maybe a minute out, so that gives me a minute to rest on my feet. Now is the true test I guess, all those enemies just to get me at my weakest. I killed thousands in this battle, how many thousands is impossible to know. I use thesest free minutes to inspect theing monster. [Beast of Relentlessness Lvl.100 tier 2 (Avatar)] 10,000,000/10,000,000 HP [Description: A demon crafted by hand from the Sin of Wrath, although this is a tough enemy, in the end its just an avatar of the beast. The real demon beast of relentlessness is locked away in the deepest parts of the underworld, this is the first time in centuries an avatar from a powerful demon has stepped foot on Gaia.] I have already unwisely used my strongest skills, most are still on cooldown except for sh. I still have many hours till my best ones are ready, so that leaves me only one option. I have to chip away its health with my sword and wings. I don''t know if I can really do this, my body is about to fail and this is going to be a long fight. Just have this onest fight and I can finally rest, but I need to see the end of this. I spread out my wings ready to fight as I hear it enter the clearing and step on the countless bodies. The crunching of bones fills the air, and my hair stands up on edge. Iunch from my spot and go the max speed of 60mph while inbat. My mind goes numb as I lose myself in the lull of a final battle to determine my sess in this great battle. I dodge and weave attack after attack while flying, and continue to slice at the beast as much as I can. After so many attacks from my wings I can see that its getting low on health, but I''m not going to waste time looking. I fly high into the stormy clouds as lightning shes behind me, I take a fast dive towards the creature and before I make contact with its head I spin my body and use my wings as a screw. I hit him right between the eyes and burst through the back of his skull, Ind hard and can feel pain shoot through me. I watch as the the beast falls to the ground dead, I lose consciousness fast. I wonder how much health I have left, those are my final thoughts as I sleep. While Cera passes out into sleep, an announcement rings out. [World-wide Announcement: The monsters onught will cease! The Commander of the forces has been defeated! All yers will get ess to the leaderboard for individual kills! The top 10 will receive custom rewards of Legacy quality or lower!] [World-wide Announcement: The avatar of the Demon Beast of Relentlessness been defeated by The Son of Arch-Angel Michael! All yers will now have ess to dungeons and hunting grounds earlier that intended since the hidden boss has been defeated! Here''s some advice for all you yers! Get the teleportation grid up and running fast!] [World-wide Announcement: Both the church of light and the church of the dark ones have drastically increased their rewards for any information regarding The Son of Arch-Angel Michael!] Cera is so exhausted he is sleeping in the middle of a storm, other yers are having their own reactions. One of these people being Wilted Rose, she looks at the leaderboard for individual kills. This is absolutely insane, there is no way I would believe this if I heard or seen this from anything other than the system. Looking at the top 10 the best are rather close, except for number 1. The divine ss holder took out 106,000 enemies on the dot all by himself including the boss, whoever he is its safe to say that anyone else will fail to match a will as great as his. Much will be happening in theing days, and that hint about a teleportation grid is nice. I''m sure that the top 10 are already making their rewards, or asking for them. Makes you wonder what the son will pick when he already has something so great. Chapter 105: A Monster III

Chapter 105: A Monster III

{Read Authors note} Many of the best yers are looking at the leaderboard in disbelief, a lot of yers died trying to kill as many as they could. In the end it doesn''t hold a candle to the 106,000 that the son took out all by himself, many of the leaders and powerful parties are now more interested than ever before. This solidifies the power that a divine ss wielder has, and its all the more reason to try and find the son. While all this is happening many yers with high kills are getting fantastic rewards, while not as great as what the top 10 get. Its still something that will help in the end, many of the top 10 are familiar sses or names. Stubbed Toe being one of them, he ranked second on the leaderboard. Of course the name everyone sees is his ss Abyss Walker. Many are impressed with the kill count that Stubbed Toe has as well, but the difference in kill count shows the gap in power between a divine ss and a legendary ss. Stubbed Toe got a whopping 55,358 individual kills, and that is a huge gap between Cera. Third ce, and wielder of the Archer legacy ss has 21,644 kills. The name of the ss is called Hunter of Artemis, many don''t know this is in fact Wilted Rose. As conversations and regrouping begins, a storm that is ravaging a forest continues. Cera is sound asleep as the storm continues its downpour, and lightning lights the sky. Angelus decides to visit the sleeping warrior, now that his fight is over. The new body of Angelus materializes and many simpletons would kneel to her beauty, her looks could make the prettiest of flowers shamed to bloom in front of her. She walks up to the sleeping angel and looks at him with calction. Now that I have him in front of me I can finally do what I always wanted to try, I reach out my hand and y with his dark hair. I grab some of his cheek and pull on it, he is the one I''ve been watching this entire time. He didn''t disappoint in his special test either, if he failed I was going to severely punish him. "You weren''t supposed to win this battle... Yet you did anyway, even after I did all I was allowed to do to weaken you... A true example of human will..." I don''t know how long he is going to be asleep, but leaving him here in the middle of this storm doesn''t seem fitting. Not after he worked so hard, I snap my fingers and the storm instantly dissipates. I look around and see the carnage heid upon his enemies. If others see this they would im him monster, not angel. I''ve already spent to much time here, so I must be on my way. I have other things to work on, his health is low and his body is broken in many ces. He''ll heal though, he has proven that it takes much to kill him. I would heal him and recover his injures, but I feel he needs to learn how his new body works. Pain will be a sensation that he''ll have to get used to, and this is a great start. I snap my fingers and I''m instantly back in my personal space, lets look at the requests of the top 10. I scan the custom requests fast and easily, and I make them in an instant and send them to their new owners. However, this guild leader Wilted Rose has asked for something I cant give her. She''ll be upset, but I''m sure that she''ll get over it fast. She is a smart girl. As Angelus tends to the needs of the yers, Wilted Rose has just received a strange response from the system. I figured that if I asked I''d get an answer, but if his identity is being kept in this manner I can say for certain that he is getting special treatment. His ss permits it after all, but still to have this kind of protection is ridiculous. All I asked was the true identity of the son and now I''m having to find a different reward to think of. The next best thing would be something that my guild will need once we are reunited, so I want a guild token. I ask for the reward and one instantly appears in my inventory. This will prove to be a tremendous help once we are off this continent and back to the continent my guild is from. As Wilted Rose makes ns the hours pass fast and noon soon arrives, shining sunlight and heat onto Cera. I feel a nice warmth envelop me, and I can feel the pounding of injures all over my body. I''ve never been in this much pain in my entire life, multiple bones are broken and I have many wounds that have already healed over. My body probably wont keep scars, but I don''t know for sure. I''m not sure I can even move right now, and whenever I try my body screams. Instead of trying to move I look at my surroundings, I see a whole mess of gore. Talk about a battle that they wouldn''t show on movies or T.V. I open my map and see that most of the area is littered with bodies, but I notice a little area with water. I zoom in on the map with a mentalmand and it says its a hot spring. If I could move my body I would go there and heal, at least to see if it helps me heal. A nice hot shower or bath after a hard day is always a nice thing, why cant it help in this situation. I try and move my wings, I get them to work just fine. They are the only things on my body that aren''t broken or cut. I use them to lift my lifeless body up and I use them to walk towards the hot spring. After a couple minutes I make it to the little slice of hot water in the middle of no where, I wont question why its here. I''m just d that it is, I struggle to undress myself and once fully unclothed I use my wings to bring me closer to the hot spring. I dip my foot in and enjoy the heat, its the perfect kind of hot. Add that to the cool shade the trees are providing and you got a nice spot. I submerge my whole body wings included, at first it stings a little. I get used to it after a couple seconds and take a deep sigh. I don''t know how long it will take my body to heal, but this is sure to help. I notice I have some notifications, and not a single one is about a level up. This must have been the same as the orc camp when I didn''t get exp for killing the orcs. Really sucks cause I killed lots of monsters, don''t know how many though. I look up through the cracks in the leaves and take a content sigh, while I''m still in massive pain I''m much happier. I wonder how many yers died during these huge fights, if they faced the same number as me then I don''t think theysted long. The only reason I''m here is because of my powerful skills and ss, so I shouldn''t think like that. I open the first notification with a mentalmand and start reading it. [Congrattions! You have ced first on the individual kills leaderboard! You can have a custom item or request from the system of legacy quality or lower! You only have one use! So don''t waste it!] That is a great reward, I''m sure many would get a great weapon or ss, but I know exactly what I''m asking for. If I can get the location of my family then the less dungeon diving I have to do. I enter my request and I don''t get a response right away, I wait for a little longer and now I''m suspicious of what''s going on. If it doesn''t tell me I''m going to be so mad, this is a great chance to meet up with my family. I soon get a response and my ease is lifted, the system sure does act strange now. [You will find your family 2000 miles west of here, I marked the location on your map. When you get close enough to the area, the marker will appear.] I wouldn''t have found it for a long time, 2000 miles is a lot of distance. I''m in no condition to travel as well, so for now I''ll need to focus on healing my damaged body. I have some other notifications I can read, but I brush them away with a thought and sink my body into the hot spring. I go all the way to just below my nose so I can breathe, I close my eyes and find myself drifting off to sleep. Hopefully mom and dad are doing alright, I know they will do everything to protect Hailey and Marcus. I lose consciousness and fall into a deep sleep. Chapter 106: Everyone is healing

Chapter 106: Everyone is healing

{Please read Author note} {Mark any mistakes} I struggle to open my eyes and I recognize that I''m still submerged in the hot spring. The sun is still high in the sky, I''ve been in here for a few hours so getting out is a must. My body still hurts, but I can actually move some of my limbs now. I try and lift my body out of the water, but I''m still to injured to do it on my own. I use my wings to bring me out, and the cool air makes me shiver. I look at my skin and see that I''m good and pruney, I think taking some time to heal my broken body is the only option I have. I wonder if anyone else is going through the same thing I am, I bet yers are starting to get used to the idea of this world. However, this new pain and injury system is going to be a hard time for everyone. There is no doubt many yers are hating this new system, but you got to do what you got to do. I hope many of the young kids are not getting hurt, despite the age restriction parents buy games. I think that''s perfectly fine, nobody could''ve predicted that we would get sucked into the game. So you cant really me them, I cant imagine what parents who lost a child are going through. I use my wings to carry me to my clothes. They are still soaked in blood, while not as bad as earlier it is unwanted. I don''t even know how to get blood out of clothes, one of the many things I never learned how to do. I guess I have blood soaked clothes for now, the leather look of the armor seems to work as leather. This look is just a copy and paste over the Hardened Tree Sap armor, so I wonder why its soaking up blood. Another thing that has changed I suppose, I go into the yer interface and see that the copy and paste system no longer works. That means I have leather armor that is actually Hardened Tree Sap that''s been transformed. That doesn''t sound right, if anything that sounds wrong. If anything its super strong leather armor now, but when I inspect it, it still says Hardened Tree Sap. This is very strange, perhaps a glitch. No, the system is to sophisticated for that. It wouldn''t let something like this exist, unless it had no choice. These are all questions I don''t have answers to, so no point in asking them. I would put my clothes back on and try to head west to find my parents, but my body cant handle that. My wings could no problem, but I risk more injury if I try. So I bring myself closer to the ground with my wings and lean my body against a tree that is close by. As Cera takes time to heal his damaged body, many yers are doing the same as him. The ones that didn''t die and resurrect are being treated by people with healing abilities. One of these men being Chris Adamo. My body is in so much pain, and all I can do isy here and try to heal. It may seem stupid to say this, but perhaps dying and getting a new body is better, but the rumors about the resurrection process are getting worse. I look over to my wife as she tends to Hailey, my daughter got hurt pretty bad. We are in a room located in one of the several skyscrapers, Violet has done an excellent job making this feel like a home. I look over to my youngest and see the worry on his face, I''m d he didn''t have to go through anything of this. My wife makes her way over to me and I''m enraptured by her beauty like always, she has always been the killer in terms of looks. While I''m handsome, I really lucked out with her. I notice that her skin is more vibrant, and her looks have started returning to the days of our youth. Its strange, its like she is regressing in age. Now that I think about it, most of the older yers have been going through it too. I have see that some of the people in their 50s and 60s are bing younger by the day. Many are concerned about what''s happening, all of the younger yers are not experiencing the same things. By the rumors Violet has told me anyone over 25 is gaining their youth back, and this is both scary and cool. I don''t know what it means, but it helps with the idea of getting older and I''m all for that. "Honey, I just want to say you look stunning. It reminds me of the times before all the kids, we have both been de-aging quiet well haven''t we." I end mypliment with a joke. I know that''s the first time anyone has said that, de-aging is a first here. My wife smiles at me, but it holds worry. I''m about to ask her what''s wrong, but she brings her finger up to my lips and silences me. "I know you like the idea of us getting younger, but we don''t know what this can cause. Not to mention we still have no idea where Cera is, and with both you and Hailey out ofmission we cant search." She has been so worried about all of us, I know that we''ll find Cera eventually. It might take a much longer time then she would like, and there isn''t anything I can say to make that better. "Just focus on getting better, we have to take one step at a time from now on. This ce is much more dangerous than anyone originally thought, I''ll change your bandages in a couple hours." She gets up and walks over to our daughter, Hailey is in the same condition as me. She is a tough girl and she has made me proud. She can feel my gaze on the side of her head and she turns towards me. "You know staring isn''t going to get me to heal faster, and your making it hard to rest with that stupid smile on your face." Ouch, that''s my daughter alright. She has much of her grandmother in her, when she passed the family really fell apart. I just sigh and look back up towards the ceiling as my two favoritedies talk. As I''m thinking I feel a little hand grasp mine, I look down and see my son. He''s never seen me so weak before, and it hurts my pride as a father he has to. I move my arm as best I can and ce my hand on his head, I wonder what Marcus is thinking right now. We have been so busy with other things I haven''t asked him how he''s doing. This has surely affected him, many of his friends are probably dead. I shudder to think he knows that. "How are you doing kiddo? Your mom and I have been so busy that we have barely checked in on you. If you have anything you want to talk about or ask now is a good time, we aren''t going anywhere for awhile." I chuckle as I say thatst part. This is a great opportunity for our family to spend some time together, I wish we could''ve been brought together under different circumstances. However, making the best out of a bad situation is what Violet and I have done for many years. I look towards my wife and she is listening intently, making sure her baby is okay. Marcus hesitates to ask me something, I wont force him to talk if he doesn''t want to. Just making sure that he knows I''m here is good. "How long are we going to be stuck here daddy... From what I heard there is no way home and we are stuck here now... If its as big as they say how will we find Cera..." I''m about to give an answer, but before I can Violet swoops him up in her arms and kisses his forehead a few times. Looks like mom is going to make sure I don''t say anything stupid, hurts that she thinks I''ll damage him like that. She sees the hurt look on my face and realizes what she did, she quickly brings him over and sits down on the makeshift bed while holding him. I''m d that she caught on to what she did. I look at my son and think about my words carefully, I don''t want him scared to live and enjoy life. "Marcus, I don''t want you thinking that your a prisoner now that we are all stuck here. You can go and y, as well as train your magic. We are going to be here for a long time, and you having fun is important. Do you think you can do that for me?" He gently nods his head yes, I''m happy that I could speak to him. He''s intelligent like Cera, just like he was when he was young. It fills me with pride that I have such amazing sons, I know that Marcus will grow up to be a good man just like Cera. We all continue talking and having fun, its nice to get my mind off the pain for awhile. I wonder if Cera is in the same condition as us. Chapter 107: Healed up

Chapter 107: Healed up

{Please read Author note} Its been several hours since I''ve gotten out of the hot spring. My body isn''t all pruney anymore, my limbs are moving without any problems. Most of my injuries have healed, while we still have to deal with injuries we also get an elerated healing rate. Well I do at least, I don''t know about anyone else. I stand up and stretch my limbs out, I test every part of my body to make sure nothing is out of ce. I still have lots of notifications to read, and my disappointment about no level ups is great. I have a feeling I''m the only one that didn''t get a level up as well, and while that is unfair for all the fighting I just did. It makes sense. If I got exp for all those kills I''d be in the 80s or 90s, and that isn''t something the system wants. If I get to strong to fast I''ll hit a wall, and that will be tier up quests. If a yer has to many tier up quests at once you can consider your time gone. It''ll take months traveling all over finishing tier up quests, even with my wings that will still take time. Time is precious to yers, and grinding levels is an indication of growth. If that growth stops, then falling behind is a guarantee. Out of the many notifications most are about reputation boost with certain groups. Killing that Avatar made a lot of NPC''s want to get into contact with me, and with both the church of light and the church of dark ones constantly after me I''ll need to face them eventually. Question is do Ipletely hide my identity and only show my title to them, or reveal everything. I can get a lot of help from the church, but I have a strong feeling they will never leave me alone. With that in mind I''ll hold off for awhile, when I''m a higher level and tier than I am now I''ll reveal myself. I may change my mind though, it really depends on how my life unfolds from this point on. Speaking of moving on I should, nothing important in the notifications and now that I know where my family is I can meet up with them. I walk towards the same clearing I had my battle and prepare to leave, but I notice that the Avatar I fought is glowing. That means its dropped an item, I walk over to it and loot it. What I get is something I can use, my passive perk Holy Willow Trees Savior will synergize with this perfectly. [Purified blood of a demonic avatar] [Description: Normally you need to have a high leveled priest to purify such a corrupted thing, but your angel blood circumvents that. Now you can drink this and get a permeant 50% to regenerative properties.] I drink is instantly and my body loses it echoes of soreness. While I was at full health, my body still needed to heal. This gives a boost to my bodies regenerative properties instead of health, so it works differently than Holy Willow Trees Savior. Looks like I can still be surprised by things, and now that I''m all better I''ll be able to fly without any problems. I walk away from the body of the avatar and look around onest time, this is a ce I''ll never want toe back to. Its already starting to reek. I flex my wings and take off, I go above the clouds and level out. I look at my map and use thepass it has to find out which direction is west. I correct my direction and start my journey to my family, 2000 miles would have been a long time if I didn''t have my wings. At full speed it shouldn''t take longer than a day. I burst forth at full speed and enjoy the wind. An annoyance is my chest piece since its all crusted from the blood, my leggings aren''t so bad. I unequip my chest piece and enjoy the non-chafing. I am traveling at top speed right now, I p my wings every minute or so to keep from slowing down. I look at the clouds below me and in the gaps between them I can see the forest floor passing by fast. Traveling is going to the easiest thing now, a big challenge yers face is the distance between ces. I don''t have to deal with that anymore, and that is a nice feeling. From the notifications I read yers will be able to set up a teleportation system on this continent, and use it to get back to the original ones they came from. That means one of 2 things. First is the requirements for travel have been lowered for the yers, and the more likely second option is a one time use to get back to the continent wee from. This means yers wont be stuck here for long, but I bet the dungeons y a part in setting it up. The game wouldn''t make it easy for the yers to get back, and the longer we stay here the longer we are wasting time. For all I know yers still have to head to our capital cities to tier up, and the yers cant do that from here. These are things that the leaders of this situation will focus on first, and that is a problem in its self. I''m tempted to try and help, but I risk a lot doing so. If I''m to help it needs to be in low impact ways, like get a piece from this dungeon or from that boss. Then have someone else turn it in, I want to keep my anonymity. We will have to work together for the first time ever, yers cooperating on a massive scale to get back to their continents. It seems more than farfetched, many will sit back and wait till the hard work is finished. I hope that the system finds a way to motivate thezy ones, its not something other yers can do. As Cera flies to meet up with his family, a conversation between the church and the strike team is happening. The one leading this conversation is The Pope, and to say that ns have changed is an understatement. Why would the summoning ritual just stop, for what reason would this ur. "I don''t know why the summoning has stopped, but it has. I hope that all of you return back to safety, but the decision is up to you Lucy." I speak to the strike group as they have looks of confusion like the rest of us, whatever has happened isn''t random. I''m concerned greatly as to why this has urred. "If you do decide to continue the strike make sure that any intel youe across be sent to the church, we will share it with the rest of the leaders. In the mean time I have other things to discuss with the council, I hope to hear from you guys soon." The strike force nods their heads and I turn off the hologram. I have a bad feeling about what''s to happen, this move makes no sense. I sit down in my chair as holograms fill the room, all of them are various leaders. I begin to speak as soon as everyone is done arriving. "As you have heard the summoning ritual has stopped, we don''t know why this has happened. The strike team is still in enemy territory and Saintess Lucy is using her own discretion whether to continue with the mission or not." Many whisper to one another, and now that the report is confirmed many are confused along with the church. As this meeting continues, Saintess Lucy is speaking with the strike team. She wants their opinions if they should continue this mission as well. I look at the makeshift group of powerful fighters, many are wondering the same thing I am. While I havee to know these people better, it weighs heavy on my heart thinking I have to risk their safety. "I want to know what you guys think about continuing on from here, I don''t want to risk your lives if there is no benefit. There are many powerful fighters here that can help the war at a different point." I look at the group and see they are all making personal decisions, I look to the more energetic people in our group. Creatureman and Ghostzero are having a conversation about there point of view. I have seen the way that Ghostzero looks at me, a puppy is more urate to the look. I''ve had men crush on me before, but not like this. The group tells me their opinions one by one, and they have all agreed to continue with the mission. This may be a bad choice, but if we stick to the formation then we will have no problems dealing with any enemies. "I''m going to inform The Pope, get ready to move. We''ll leave in time, be on guard at all times." I dismiss the group and turn the holomunicator back on, and see that The Pope is in the middle of the meeting. He makes it so everyone can hear me. "We have decided to continue with the mission, even if the ritual has been cancelled we want to know anything we can about the enemy." Many nod their heads at my words, I''m d that they wont protest this. Alex on the other hand just rubs his temple and sighs. I have a feeling he''ll protest. Chapter 108: The Ritual I

Chapter 108: The Ritual I

{Please read Author note} As the Saintess its my job and life to make sure the forces of evil stay at bay, and I intend to do just that. The strike team is getting ready to move out in a few minutes, we all know our roles and we''ll y them ordingly. The Pope was very adamant on us just leaving, but there is valuable information to be had. If we leave now we are throwing away an opportunity to get an advantage, many would call this mission unnecessary. They are the ones who are safe from attack at the moment, and with Alsoma gone the monsters have a foothold for more attacks. If it were a different enemy I''m sure that we could swiftly deal with this, but this is a war we haven''t seen for centuries. I hate to say it, but we are slowly losing a bnce with this war, we haven''t evenunched an attack yet. I look over to the small group talking and I can tell that this mission will go smoothly. These are some of the strongest people willing to help, the mages asked for prices we couldn''t afford so we got the best avable. A girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes is preparing some potions, she is the only mage that was willing to help for a fair price. Her name is Jasmine Remmingfield, and she is a noble. She is a very shy and cute girl,munication isn''t her strong suit. She is very sweet to, some of the men in our group have taken a liking to her. She has soft features and a lightplexing, and some ttering moles here and there as well. Most female noble children be mercenaries or adventures so they can avoid political marriages. I walk up to the girl and see that she is making powerful healing potions, she looks up at me in apprehension. "No need to be so nervous Jasmine, I may be The Saintess. We arerades first though, so I think we should get better acquainted since we are going into battle together. I''ll start first, aside from earlier introductions my hobbies are fishing, fighting, and helping the weak." I open up to the girl to try and make this situation easier on her, she is doing a good job of keeping her cool. I know she is a fan of mine, despite how much I''m revered by others I prefer to be treated like a normal person. She looks ready to start talking, but stops as we hear shouting between some of the other strike group members. I just sigh and ce my armored hand on top of her head. We''ll get a chance to talk next time, I''m sure of it. I make my way to the arguments that are happening and I see Creatureman holding his friend Ghostzero back. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF HER IN SUCH A WAY!!!" I don''t know what''s going on, but I''m sure its just 2 guyspeting somehow. Instead of interfering I just stand and watch the little fight unfold. Ghostzero breaks from the grasp of his friend andnds a solid strike on the jaw of our best Archer. "YOU''RE LUCKY THAT I CANT KILL YOU!! IF SHE HEARD YOU SAY THAT SHE WOULD FLAY YOU ALIVE!!!" Must be about me, while I think its sweet that he defends me. I don''t need someone protecting me, I''m the strongest person here. I walk over to the group and clear my throat. They turn to me and all stand at attention, the 2 in a fight are red in the face. "I hope this was all just rough housing, we don''t need disunity within the group so close to the departure time. I suggest you all get ready to move out, we are leaving in 10 minutes." I turn to leave and get back to my business, I wonder why men act like that when ites to women. Something I''ll never understand, perhaps its passion. Enough dwelling on this, I have to speak to our scout party before we move out. I make my way across the camp to the scouts tent and politely announce myself. "Its Saintess Lucy! I was hoping to talk to you guys about what you found!" I hear ae in and I enter, its twin sisters. They both hold epic scout sses, its nice to have them on our side. They are getting dressed in theirbat gear for the next deployment. "Saintess, we have no new news to report. The enemy ritual site and camp have been abandoned, its like they all just dropped everything and left. I suggest we exercise caution when approaching." Emily, the older of the twins reports to me quickly and concisely. Her sister Madelene couldn''t be more different, but they get along very well. "We are ready to deploy at yourmand, we will report any changes via holomunicator." I nod my head thankfully and leave them to the little bit of free time they have. They are the youngest of us, not even 18 yet. War calls for the capable, and that usually disregards age. Now is a good time to head out towards the ritual site and see what happened. I make my way to the enter of camp and take a deep breath. "EVERYONE REPORT AT THE CENTER OF CAMP!! WE ARE LEAVING FOR THE RITUAL SITE!!!" The small strike group we have all get here within the minute of my call throughout camp. Soon everyone of us is present and I can start the final meeting. "I want you all to be prepared for the worst, the reports we have gotten are very suspicious and worrying. Make sure to watch each others back, and never stray from the group. This mission gives me a bad feeling and I want to get home in one piece, so lets get a move on and take care of business." I lead the group out of the camp and begin to make our way towards the enemy. Its going to take about an hour to get there, but that wont take long. We all start traveling at high speeds and staying on high alert. This time frame will give me time to go over known information. First and most worrying is the sudden abandonment of the camp and ritual site. What could have caused monsters to retreat like that, was it a stronger creature in the area. Maybe it was an emergency on a different front we are fighting. As I''m traveling, I feel a strange and foreboding feeling in my body. Its as if we are heading towards something of incredible power and we don''t even know it. My magic sensing abilities are pretty good, and I don''t feel anything. I look behind me and my strike team has the same look I do. Whatever scared off the monsters is powerful. My instincts are rarely wrong about these sorts of things, and my team feels the same way. "I know you can all feel that, just be ready to run if need be. We could end up fighting something far stronger than expected." I say some words to my group and they all nod. I''m d that we are all level headed, I''m worried about Jasmine though. She looks more scared and worried then the rest of us. We travel closer and closer and the feeling I have gets worse and worse. I hold up my hand as I stop and everyone does the same. "Something isn''t right... Everyone, if you wish to turn back now is the time. Anyone who wants to continue can follow me." I watch only a few of the team leave, and I don''t me them one bit. This doesn''t feel right in the slightest. Creatureman and Ghostzero are still with me, along with Jasmine. I''m sure the twin scouts are following from a distance as well. We get moving again, after about 30 minutes we make it to the ritual site. Everything is abandoned like the twins said. I look around the area and the feeling is oppressive, I makes it hard to breathe. I''m shocked to here a deep voice, full of power and wisdom. Along with vast age. "Seems the church has decided to investigate anyways..." I look in the direction of the voice and peer into the woods. I see glowing red eyes stare back at me, I watch as the creature stands and the giant wolfs head raises above the trees. "I''m surprised that the church would send its strongest on such a mission, well war calls for desperate measures." The giant wolf walks out of the trees and into view of all of us. His runic tattoos on his fur are of an ancientnguage that I can notprehend. I immediately lower my head in respect, as do all the other strike team members. "Forgive us Fenrir, we didn''t know you were here or even interested in helping." He squints his eyes dangerously at me. A shiver goes up my spine, and I sink into myself. I''ve never felt so insignificant in my life, so this is the power of a deity. "We only came here to stop the summoning ritual, I''m so sorry if we offended you in anyway." I try to sound as sincere as possible, but my voice just shakes in fear the longer he peers at me. He walk all the way up to me and casts a shadow over my body. I look up and see his red eyes staring down at me. "So it would seem Uriel''s chosen. So. it. Would. Seem." I cant move a single part of my body anymore. A pressure suddenly envelops me and I''m shoved to the ground by pure raw power. I cant lift my body off the ground, I''m being crushed so hard I''m making a slight indent into the ground. "I was wondering how Uriel''s chosen would stack up to my powerpared to Michaels son. While his angelic blood helped him, he could stand and walk in my presence. I even made a friend in the young man." I cant help my shock at hearing this, I can hardly breathe anymore. Suddenly the pressure stops and I''m able to breathe again. I look up at Fenrir and see him waiting for me to stand, looks like he wants to talk. Chapter 109: The Ritual II

Chapter 109: The Ritual II

{Please read author note} I stand up and dust off my armor, many of myrades also do the same thing. He is waiting patiently for us to get ready, I wonder what he is doing so far from the fairy kingdom. "Mighty Fenrir, if you don''t mind me asking why are you so far from the fairy kingdom... I wouldn''t expect to find you all the way out here..." I try to sound confident and respectful, but instead I sound timid and scared. He looks at me harder than before, I don''t know why everything is turning out like this. I cant help feeling like this shouldn''t be happening. I feel him use inspect on me to see my abilities and skills, I''m going to be honest I feelpletely vulnerable as he sees my information. His fur waves in the air even though their is no wind, I cant fullyprehend his power. The more I try andpose myself the worst I feel, I guess this is what it feels like to be totally helpless. "You are strong for a human, and while you received a blessing from Uriel at birth. Its obvious where your ceiling is. As to your question, what makes you think I''m bound to the fairy kingdom. While they are my allies and I''ll fight for them, I''m still free to do whatever I want. It is foolish of you to presume otherwise. Perhaps I should personally visit the Holy City and remind them of who I am." I feel doom and despair as I hear those words, if Fenrir attacks the Holy City then this war and humanity would be lost. I cant let this happen, even though I''m powerless against him I still have to do something. I try to stop my body from shaking, and while my entire focus is on Fenrir I cant help my questions about the son entering my mind. "Please... I beg of you... Don''t attack the Holy City... Innocent people live there and we are trying to win a war..." I sound pathetic, if I''m to learn something from this its to not overestimate my own power. A being like Fenrir can breathe in my direction and I''d die if he so wished. He looks at me with understanding and slight surprise, I''m d I could do something positive. "If you wish for us to leave then we will... We only came to see what happened to the monsters here and try to gather information..." I hope that our intentions reach Fenrir, if we knew he took care of things here then we wouldn''t havee in the first ce. He takes a slight sigh and actually takes a seat, he looks over us individually and from the looks of my groups faces he is inspecting them all. "I have never known the church to have people willing to show humility, during my time they were not the most pleasant of people to be around. Always controlling and plotting, if you knew the truths of some of your forefathers I''m positive you would leave the church." What the hell is he talking about. The church of light has always stood for the good and just, all of the people who came before are regarded as hero''s. Most of what we know and have learned is from the legacy our predecessors left behind. I refuse to believe what he is saying, if it is then the church is a fraud. Alex and I have always been on the same side, and always had the same goals. He must not know of this either, if he did he would have told me. I want to ask what he means, but I''m to afraid. Not because he could get angry, but because I don''t want to know the truth. Somethings are better left forgotten, and this is one of those things. "I will not stop you from searching this ce for clues. However, do not presume to know my history or the churches. There are many things that you and your church do not know. They have long been forgotten to time, and documents waste away and crumble. If you do search for the truth of my words, you will need to leave the church before you do." I don''t know why, but his words terrify me. They are a puzzle or clue to what he was implying. I turn my head and the rest understand that they should search, I don''t know how long Fenrir will tolerate us for. I begin to search as well and while I doe across useful information, there is nothing here that is ground breaking. "Saintess Lucy... When are we leaving this ce... I feel nervous with him watching us..." Jasmine suddenly speaks to me, and I can understand her wanting to leave. This ce isn''t one I wish to stay long, along with Fenrir watching. I know that he is an ally with the fairy kingdom, but he also has vital information. He knows the true identity of the son, and while I''m tempted to ask I''m afraid of what he''ll do. He might protect him, and if I word it wrong he might even kill us. That isn''t something I can risk. We spend a few hours searching every nook and cranny of this ce, and we have ended up finding valuable information. Mainly being the names of powerful leaders and future targets, this has turned out to be a fruitful journey. I look over to Fenrir and he hasn''t moved an inch, like a statue all he has done is watch us. I give the signal for the group to leave and they quickly do, and I''m about to leave as I hear a voice. "I''m impressed you held out so long about asking me. You were even going to leave, you are an example of what the church should be. You know most women are pushy, and loud. As well as incredibly annoying, but you are not. A wise women is rare to encounter, but who knows its been a couple millennia since I wasst talking to a female human." Fenrir begins to talk, and while he gives me apliment. I can also hear him trying to tempt me with the knowledge he has. I have to try my hardest to resist asking, but I cant stop it from bubbling out. "I know its probably going to kill me, but may I know the sons identity please." I''m a fool for asking, but I have to try. I close my eyes waiting to be killed, but nothinges. Instead I just hear a chuckle, and that chuckle soon turns into augh. I feel like I''m being mocked right now, and while I hate there is nothing I can do about it. All I can do is listen to the deityugh, he stands up and looks at me. He then turns around and prepares to jump. He turns his head back towards me onest time. "If he wants to be found then he will, sometimes letting a persone to you instead is a good thing. Offering rewards and riches shows the true nature of the human soul, and that isn''t something he wants any part of." He leaps from the ground hard as I''m almost blown back. His words are cryptic, and true. Fenrir thinks we have been doing this all wrong, and while I wouldn''t agree it makes sense. Perhaps talking to Alex about other methods is a good idea. I take a breath to calm myself and make my way back to our camp, it takes the same amount of time going back. By the time I make it the group is sitting around the campfire. The ones that went with me are talking to the ones that came back. There is a mix of many emotions on the faces of the people here, and most are pale. Experiencing that kind of power isn''t something a person should be subjected to, I want to get out of this ce as fast as I can. I go to my private tent and turn on my holomunicator, I see Alex on the other side. "I bring good news, and strange news." He raises his head in curiosity. I tell him about everything we did at the camp, including Fenrir. I watch the look on his face change and I cant help feeling sorry since he is the one speaking to the council. "That''s all I have to report, once I get back to the Holy City we can go over the information we found. Make sure the rulers and coalition know about this." He nods his head and turns off the call. I make my way to my cot and justy on it, this has been way more stressful then I could''ve imagined. I feel like just sleeping for a couple hours, and then leaving this ce. I think the others can agree resting for a little bit would be a good idea. I take my sheathed sword and throw it onto the table so I don''t have to get up. I close my eyes and I''m falling asleep fast, this isn''t something I normally do. However, I need it. I fall into a deep sleep, and enjoy the few hours I get. Chapter 110: Finding my family I

Chapter 110: Finding my family I

I''ve been flying for awhile now and I''m enjoying the view of the brilliant night sky. Earth never had such a view, and while I miss my old home I cant help being grateful for this new life. While its much harder, in the end this world feels alive. While we lost our newly acquired fortune it leaves no sour taste in my mouth. Right now money means nothing to the yers, only how strong you are and how good your gear is. I''m sure that when and if yers get back to their continents gold will be very important, but now it isn''t. I''m about 10 minutes out from the marker, and I feel happiness at the fact I''ll get to see my family again. I''m contemting if I should tell them my secret or not, if they know it could put them in danger. I don''t want them to get hurt or captured because of me, I''d never forgive myself if that happened. A lot of things are still new, and with the recent battles its okay to assume that the system has other things nned out to. If it didn''t then what was the point of testing us, why do something like this. Its outside of myprehension, knowing the thoughts and motives of the system A.I. is not something I''m capable of. If anyone had any insight on what''s going on with the system it would be Jericho and Xander, not like we know where these guys are. If they were smart they would stay hidden, and with humanities powerbase and infrastructure destroyed no world leaders are stepping forward. That means people wont listen to them when theye forward or they have perished. I''m sure they are alive somewhere, you can count on the governments of the world to be prepared for a situation like this. It makes sense why the government was helping J&X, so that means high ranking officials have made it. Possibly a majority of our leaders, but that presents a problem. They will more than likely try to rebuild the government, and that will draw lots of attention. In the end its really up to who is stronger, because I''m sure there are millions of strong yers not wanting to go back to that life. Having to obey thews of superiors such as the government, in a way we have been freed from everything that bound us before. I take a deep breath as I do multiple spins in the air enjoying the wind on my shirtless body. Its a warm night and perfect for this. Thinking about all this makes me wonder if they will being after me as well. If the old leaders had someone like me on their side they would have much more confidence. All the more reason to stay hidden, I wouldn''t be surprised if there was a major conflict in the future about this specific thing. In this type of world people with power can be very bad, and while there is normally a bnce. Evil has a bigger impact on things then good does, and that is what could happen to us. I think establishing some ground rules would be a good idea. However, that wont stop some. yer Killers might start experimenting soon. Thest thing we need is to worry about the ones who came here with us stabbing us in the back. I wonder if others will start to prepare for this, I wouldn''t be surprised if the guild leaders or party leaders helped with this. In the end its just a way to recruit others into the party or guild by protecting them, but emotional ckmail shouldn''t be encouraged. I lean my body down slightly and dip under the clouds, I look ahead and see nothing. Still to far out, but I should slow down and make a cautious approach. I wouldn''t be surprised if yers are outside the city trying to level up, getting spotted by one of them is something I''m going to avoid. I can make an approach on foot from here, it will take me some time to get there now that I''m not flying at 430mph. should be a little under an hour running. I approach the ground fast and slow down by pping my wings in the other direction. Ie to a nice stop andnd on my feet. I toggle my wings off and start heading west. As Cera is on the way to his family others are discussing what he was thinking about. His theory that many world leaders and government officials made it to Ancients World is true, and they aremunicating with each other since they were all located in the same space when the collision happened. In fact they were discussing what do do with Jericho and Xander once the collision was over, to bad it happened. The leader and chief speaker for the UN is leading this meeting. The leader of the swiss confederacy is the one leading this discussion. I have spoken for many years, but I cant help wondering if I''m not the man this time. Switzend is known for its neutrality and that''s why I''m hear leading and speaking this conference. As Marcel Polium I have to protect my reputation and my countries. I look out across the hidden meeting hall we have made, we are isted from the rest of the yers. We don''t have any contact and we are to weak to move to a city on our own, so we are stuck here talking. While this would be good in normal circumstances, this is the opposite of good right now. No one in this room actually yed the game, we only made characters like J&X said. I suppose I should start discussions first, and address the biggest problem in the room. I can see the tired faces of my colleges and allies, this has been hard on all of us. Most have a family and we don''t know where they are in Ancients World, or should we call it Gaia. I swear if I ever get my hand on Jericho and Xander... I need to focus. "There are no cities in sight, and with that we are still stuck here with the little bit of security we have. Many of the guards have been out leveling so we can move on from this ce. However, I propose that we begin training as well. We are at the bottom of the food chain here on Gaia, and that means oncemunication and order is restored we''ll have to find a way to restore power." Many get what I''m saying this isn''t something I like to talk about, but if we don''t have control of our people then we might as well give up on the old ways. As this meeting is happening there are others happening all over Ancients World, but they are interrupted by an announcement from the system. [World-Wide Announcement: Dungeons will be arriving in 12 hours time! A dungeon will spawn in the center of every yer city! These dungeons will be of great help to you so don''t waste anytime with them! If you search outside the city you might find others! Here''s a hint! Make sure you search every nook and cranny of the dungeons! You never know what you could find!] All the yers react differently when this announcement rings out. Veterans of dungeon diving are excited, while the newer yers feel like they got the shaft. Cera is quickly approaching the marker the system gave him. I look past the trees every couple seconds and I can see the city in the distance. Some parts of it look like home, and it has the same look of all the other cities. Its full of overgrowth and old looking buildings. My marker is one of the buildings by the looks of it. I stop running as I enter the city and begin to walk. I look around and there are probably millions of yers, either on the streets or in the buildings. I guess mom and dad got a pretty good spot. I walk the streets and see many injured bodies the closer I get to the marker. Looks like I heal much faster, and while dying anding back is an idea. I''m sure there are unwanted affects in the process of resurrection. I eventually make it to the marker and I''m looking at a huge skyscraper, many injured yers are here. I can deduce that my family is injured, I got to go room by room searching for them. So might as well get a start on it. As I walk by rooms and search them I hear conversations about the announcement. Many are scared since they haven''t even finished healing yet, and I don''t me them. We don''t know how these dungeons will work, they could be different from what were used to. It takes time to clear floor by floor, being diligent is hard. I reach a very high floor with no luck so far, I have to be getting close. I search room by room, and Ie to the one at the end of this hallway. I look in and see my father and sister wrapped in bandages. I don''t know why, but I have a huge spike of anger and rage, the entire area unconsciously rumbles. I quickly put a lid on it realizing what I''m going, this however draws everyone''s attention to the door. I try and speak some words of hello, but I''m quickly hugged and squeezed by a very young looking mom. "I CAN''T BELIEVE MY SWEET PUMPKIN PIE IS ALIVE!!! I WAS SO SCARED!!!" She just squeezes harder and cries. I just wrap my arms around her and hug my mom, I''m d they are okay. Well, almost okay. Chapter 111: Finding my family II

Chapter 111: Finding my family II

I hold my mom until she is ready to let go, soon she pulls away and smiles. "I was so scared when you were taken before us, I thought I would never be able to talk to you or hold you again!" You can count on moms to be the ones to treat you this way no matter how old you are. I look at the rest of my family and the anger is boiling back, but I put a lid on it. I don''t know why my emotions made the area shake, but if that''s possible I need to watch out. I walk over to my bandaged dad and just smile. He smiles back and I can guess from his condition that he fought very hard. I''m a little surprised that Hailey was even allowed to fight, dad would never let her do something like this. I walk over to my sister this time and I sit on her make shift bed. She looks at me with sadness and shame, she was one that didn''t like people seeing her weak. "No need to have such a look big sis, I''m sure that you did just fine fighting alongside everyone else. So how about you turn that frown upside down." She looks at me with teary eyes, must have been painful fighting for your life for the first time. While we can be killed we cant die, she must have fought hard to avoid being killed. I put my hand on the top of her head and smile down at her. "You did good sis, while other fell you stayed up and fought till you couldn''t anymore. I''m proud to have you as my sibling, and I know that when your done healing you''ll be ready to get back out there and get stronger." She has always been a good person with a clean heart, and the best of her is when she defies the odds. I stand up and take a seat on an old looking office chair next to dad. I want to talk to him about what happened here. "So how was the fight here? I had a long and hard fought battle myself, and if mine was tough I can see yours being just as hard." He looks up at the ceiling, he must still be thinking about the fighting. It isn''t something I like to think about after the fact, you end up punishing yourself for mistakes that weren''t in your control. "Don''t think so hard about it, I know you and you''re criticizing yourself for what you think you did wrong. If you get stuck in your head like that its going to take a long time to get out." He looks back at me with regret on his face. He turns his gaze to Hailey and gives an expression like his insides are churning. He wouldn''t want his little girl getting hurt, but there are some things you cant avoid. He looks back at me with a more normal expression. "I should have protected them better. I''m the father of this family, its my job to handle any threats to our lives. The fight was going fine at first, but after a couple hours the monsters never stoppeding. After awhile the weaker yers had to take over for the strong, and that''s when I joined the fight. In the end weaker yers starting dying in the dozens, and that''s when Hailey was forced to join. If the hidden boss monster wasn''t killed when it was both Hailey and I would''ve been force to go through the resurrection process. I''ve heard horrible things about it." I can understand his mindset right now, and while I understand it I cant change it. I think just letting him work though it on his own is a good idea. I look at my parents harder then before and I can say for sure they have both gotten much younger looking. They are close to the way they looked before they had me, while this is both cool and worrying it makes me wonder why its happening. Is everyone over a certain age getting younger, these are question I might get answers for. "Do you guys know why your getting younger? When I look at you 2. You look the same as you did in the pictures before you had us. I''ve noticed most yers have all started to look younger, I''ve never seen or heard anything like it." My mom looks at dad and they just shake their heads no. So whatever is happening to the yers is not known yet, I''m sure many older single females are enjoying it. This could prove to be more of a problem then a benefit though. The ramifications of such a process isn''t know, both qualitative and quantitative, the long term is unknown right now. It scares me that I don''t know what''s going on to my parents, even with future knowledge I only know so much. So anything regarding this new continent is something I have to figure out on my own. "Don''t be so worried sweetie, just sit here and rx with us. I want to know what you''ve been up to as well, like how you found us to begin with." Mom isn''t being subtle with how much she doesn''t want me to go right now. I don''t want to lie to them about how I got here, but they aren''t strong enough to protect my secret yet. I''ll give them half truths. My mother is waiting for an exnation, and while she looks sweet I can see she is ready to rip into me if I did anything reckless. So I''m going to leave out the details of my battle, she will go nuclear if she found out. "I did pretty good with individual kills, and for a reward I was told where you guys were. Once I found out I headed straight here, I wasn''t that far away surprisingly." In truth I was very far way. They don''t need to know that, and I hope that satisfies my moms curiosity. When I look at her however, she is very suspicious of my answer. She leaves it alone though, instead of standing she goes and sits on dads bed. She must have been taking care of them all by herself, and since Marcus is so young he wouldn''t be able to do much. "Where is Marcus anyways. I haven''t seen him since I got here." Mom gives a slightly worried look, but dad just rubs her back. I''m about to ask what''s happened, but mom beats my speed. "He is ying with some friends he made outside, he is supposed to be back soon. I''m going to go look for him, minding with me Cera." I see no reason to not join her, I stand up from the chair and stretch out my body. I''m still shirtless right now, but nothing is around that can hurt me. "Honey, we''ll be back as soon as we find Marcus. Don''t go anywhere alright." Mom says teasingly. She actual makes a decent joke, Iugh a good amount. Dad looks at us as we leave, we are walking down the hall to long staircase. Mom starts to talk to me, and she scares me a little. "So what did you really do to get here, you shouldn''t have lied to mommy Cera. I know that only the top 10 can get custom rewards." Damn it, she is way smarter than I gave her credit for. I''m extremely hesitant to answer her, and since I don''t want her knowing the truth I only have one option left. I have to just outright refuse to tell her what she wants to know. I hate the idea of shutter her down like this, but its the only thingfortable for me. "I''m sorry mom, but I''m not telling you. You will just have to ept the fact that I''m here and safe, I hope you don''t hold it against me. You aren''t ready to hear how I got here." There is silence next to me, and I''m slightly worried that she is loading more ammo. "Please, just don''t ask anything about it. I wont give you an answer. You should be okay with epting the fact that I cant tell you." I throw on some more just to make sure that she understands. As we are walking down the stairs I can feel a chill running up and down my spine. She doesn''t like that I''ve done this, but she''ll have to get over it. "Fine sweetie. If you don''t want to tell me I wont force you, just know that you can trust me and your dad with anything. It hurts that you don''t think we can help you, but you are a man. I have to respect your decisions, not matter how much I hate them." I breathe a sigh of relief, and the feeling mom is giving off soon goes away. We make our way down the stairwell in silence. It takes a lot of time to reach the bottom, but we do. We walk through the packed lobby, and make it to the street. "Marcus ys at the park a couple blocks away, so lets go." Mom tells me where were going, must be the park mom and dad used to take us to on the weekends when I was young. Hailey and I stopped going regrly. Marcus is still young enough to like going. Chapter 112: A confrontation

Chapter 112: A confrontation

Mom and I begin making our way towards the park, as we are walking I can see the familiar buildings I grew up around. This isn''t something I would have thought possible, looking at this old city full of overgrowth and vegetation sure is humbling. Nothing sets your mind straight faster than seeing your home town destroyed. These tall skyscrapers are what used to be the defining trait of my city, now they are old and ancient looking. "When I first saw them I couldn''t help my fear. I never would have expected something so... Scary to happen to everyone...." I look at my short mom and see the meaning behind her words, if not for this event we would all be home safe and sound. Not anymore though, we are in a snake pit. The more I think about it the more I realize how lucky we are. If I never convinced them to join me in Ancients World then they would be gone. It makes me nauseous thinking about losing my family like that, but I''ll never lose them. Not this time. We continue walking for a few minutes and the closer we get to the park the more and more yers we see. "Is something going on at the park? It does seem like a good location for a meeting, but all these yers look exhausted. It''ll be harder to find Marcus with so many people around, hopefully it wont take long to find him." I look over to mom as I finish talking and I see her grip her sped hands tighter together. She looks ready to run to the park after my words, I should''ve been more tactful. She has that look on her face whenever one of us might be in trouble. We walk for another minute and see the park in view. I can see a bunch of kids ying together, I wont lie I''m surprised even this many kids made it. I look around since I''m taller than mom and I can see over the yers that are standing around. I spot Marcus having some fun with kids, I''m d that he is fine. "What do you see..." I almost forgot mom cant see like I can. I nod my head to follow and she does. We get closer to the actual y structure and mom can finally make out that Marcus is safe. "Oh thank God... He looks like he''s having fun. I''m going to stay here and let him y a little longer." I see no reason to leave either, Marcus probably wont get that many opportunities to y like this. I stand next to mom as we watch from a distance, this is going to be a good memory for him. My attention is pulled away as I see a group of yers with good gear, they look to be in a party. What made my attention be grabbed is what the leader of the group is saying, while I could use inspect on him that might set him off more. "If you want my to join my group or be protected by my group then you''ll have to give up a good piece of gear! Its worth it though! We are all around level 30 and having allies like us will be a good thing!" Sounds like a total scam to me, while they may be in the 30s that doesn''t mean anything else they said is true. Taking advantage of a bad situation is something I would do, but I wouldn''t rip off people. Now is the worst time to do so, but also a time when everyone is weak and likes the idea of protection. In a way these guys are smart, and while they use that for horrible things I''ll give them credit where credit is due. Many yers smartly ignore the man and keep to themselves. I see the frustrated scowl on his face, people are smarter than he gave them credit for. Only the truly scared and desperate will go to him, and that doesn''t seem to be anyone else around. "What do you think of them Cera... Do you think that they will keep their word." Mom isn''t a fool, I can hear the suspicionced in her voice. She never liked people who fed on the weak, mainly because we were the weak ones. The banks would feed on us any chance they got, so she probably has a sour taste in her mouth. "I cant believe people would act so... UGH! It makes me so mad!" She turns her focus back to Marcus. Trying to distract herself from the show going on. I have no intention of interfering. Getting out of here sooner rather thanter seems like a good idea. The group and its leader are starting to push people harder than before. I can see the scared faces of the people closest to them, I''m sure that many will get sick of them before long. Ignoring them will eventually work. "How about this pretty little thing! You look like you can use protection! If you don''t have any items or gear then I''m sure we an work something out..." His voice makes my skin crawl, and I absolutely hate sexual harassment. Many of the females around cringe at the underlined meaning of his words, and I watch my mom shake in anger. I hate seeing my mother like this, and if dad was here I''m positive he would grab Marcus and take them back. Many wouldn''t be able to stand up to these guys, they are hardcore yers. Being in the 30s is a testament to that. They continue to harass people over and over again. All of the victims are females, and I can feel my anger growing at their words. "JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE YOU SCUM!!! NOBODY WANTS ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU!!!" I hear a familiar voice scream out to the men causing problems. I know its mom, but I''m not frustrated or mad in the slightest. I''m proud of her for saying something, and I would always be proud of her. All the yers around look at us, and begin to part as the group approaches us. I look at mom and see a face that regrets her decision, but I put my hand on top of her head. She looks at me with slight fear for what might happen, I just give her a smile and be as reassuring as I can. I wont let any harme to her. After the crowd is done parting there is a group of five level 30s to my left as I continue to watch Marcus. "Who is the bitch that said such disrespectful things! I''LL MAKE SURE SHE LEARNS RESPECT!!!" My anger boils at those words intended for my mother. Many of the yers around us look towards my mom, I turn my eyes to the men and see the disgusting looks on their faces seeing my mother. "Well... Its your lucky day sweetheart. I can find it in my charitable soul to forgive you. If you provide service to my men and me of course." I almost reach for my sword, but the feeling of my mom holding my wrist in fear stops me. I''m still shirtless at this point in time, so I might not look like a threat. "Is this your boyfriend or something? A handsome face like his is sure to attract a woman such as you." Now I''m pissed. I turn my head fully in his direction. Many see my gaze, and slightly step back. The only ones not to move are the group its self. "Don''t talk about my mother that way..." He gives me a stupid look, and then starts tough. He walk closers full of cockiness and eagerness. He gets in my face and his bad breath almost makes me flinch. "So this is your momma, mind if we borrow her for a little while? We''ll have her back in a couple hours. You can thi-!!" I draw my sword faster than anyone can react. I slice from the left side of his torso to the right side. Cutting through both of us arm in the process, he''s already dead before he hits the ground. A bunch of notifications go off, but I''m to focused on ughtering these guys. I know I shouldn''t enjoy taking another life, but killing him puts a smile on my face. I proceed to slice and dice all his friends into separate pieces too. All of them are a pile of body parts around me, I look down at my torso and notice how much blood I''m covered with. I hear some shouting, but its muffled as I try ande out of my anger. I follow the muffled voice and see my mom with a face full of shock. The muffled sound goes away and I can hear her shaky voice. "Oh sweetie..." I just sheath my sword and look at my mom as she rambles. Soon Marcus leaps into her arms and looks at me strangely. "C''mon, we need to get that blood cleaned off you." I listen to her and follow her out. None of the guys dropped any items, so no reason to stay any longer. I look around and see the faces of many people, most have fear and respect mixed together. Others have curiosity. People are respectful enough not to inspect me, and for that I''m grateful. Hopefully mom doesn''t worry to much about me. Chapter 113: A confrontation II

Chapter 113: A confrontation II

We make it to the edge of the park and start heading back. Marcus looks at me with stars in his eyes, not a reaction I would expect. He must just be happy that I''m back, its nice to see my little brother. "Don''t you dare do that ever again... I expect you to run if a situation like that ever happens again." Despite what my mom did she is still trying to make sure I do as she says, not as she does. I just nod my head in a yes motion. She knows that I wont listen to her, but that wont stop her from trying. "I''m sorry I put you in that spot sweetie... I just couldn''t listen to those vile creatures anymore. Feeding on the weak and venerable should be stopped, and the way they treated woman... I''m proud of you for doing that Cera. I''ll always be proud of you..." Hearing my mom say that warms my heart, and I cant help thinking I should have acted sooner. I''m about to ask mom some questions myself, but I don''t get a chance to since Marcus wants in on the conversation. "How did you cut them up like that big bro? I''ve never seen anything like it! You were like a chef preparing some sort of dinner!" I''m d he isn''t mentally scared from that, it makes me worried about his mentality if he isn''t squeamish after something like that. He must understand that they aren''t truly dead, if he thought I killed them for real then he would probably think I''m a monster. "Can you teach me how to do that!" He is a magic ss so he wont be able to do something like this. He is going to be disappointed with my answer and that''s something he is going to have to live with. I look at him with a slightly sad expression and walk up to the side mom is carrying him. "You aren''t old enough to learn how to do that Marcus. When you can use strong types of magic then we can talk about it okay." In truth he wont be able to use a sword. I think giving him some false motivation would be effective in his development for magic. By the time he gets to the good spells he''ll learn that it isn''t possible, well it might be. I still don''t know what''spletely changed, only the system knows these secrets. Marcus looks more motivated now, and while he is excited I can see my moms disapproving look. Being young like Marcuses with a lot of things, and one of them is gullibility. It works out for me, but he might end up resenting me. Marcus has a lot of potential to do something great, and that''s all a family member can hope for. It will be a good day when he is able to fend for himself, and I''m sure mom wouldn''t like the fact he will be ready to be on his own. "How long do you think it will take before Hailey and dad heal? Since dungeons will be arriving soon I figured it would be a good chance for all of us to get some levels. I''d be able to level you guys up faster, and I cant do that if they are still in bed." I don''t think it will take them that much longer to finish healing. I shouldn''tpare our healing times since I have lots of regeneration buffs to help. Having them ready for fighting will be nice, power leveling my family is something I never thought I''d be allowed to do. Mom looks at me worried. I can see she has doubt about dungeons, I would to if I wasn''t as strong as I am now. "In all honesty Cera I don''t want them going anywhere near a dungeon. That goes for you too, watching them almost die makes me so scared. I couldn''t bare to lose anyone of you, and I refuse that any of you go into a dungeon." Looks like mom is going to be a problem, while I respect her decision there is no way I''m going to abide by it. I''m going to dungeon dive and I''m going to do it with my family. While she may not like it, its the only way for them to get stronger faster. She will get over her fear eventually, and all I can do is help her get there. She looks at me waiting to see if I agree with her or not. I sigh knowing I''ll be making mom angry, but sometimes there is no other choice. "I''m going to be dungeon diving and I expect my family to be there. I get you are scared, but you guys need to get stronger. This is a fast track for that, and you can yell and scream about it all you want. I''m taking you guys with me, so get used to the idea." My mom stops walking and gives me a stupid look. She is about to yell, but I interrupt her. "You can be as sour about it as you want mom, but I know more about this world then you could ever know. I''m more than strong enough to protect you guys in the dungeons, so please be ready when the timees." I continue walking as she stands there bbergasted. I hate putting my foot down like this, but if it were dad or Hailey I''d do the same exact thing. As Cera makes it back to the room with his mom and brother, the men he killed earlier are talking with someone. They enter a run down factory, this ce it a safe haven for them. They make their way towards the single person in this ce. Once they reach the person they get on their hands and knees. "Why have youe to me... I find it hard to believe that such high leveled yers could be killed so swiftly." The faces of the men contort in shame. They are about to speak, but he stops them with a raise of his hand. "I''d be willing to settle the score, but it has to be at a price. I want one piece of rare gear from each of you. If you think that''s unfair then you can leave the way you came." The men look at each other as if contemting their answer. They all nod their heads yes and get up. "Where do you think your going? I want my payment up front. I don''t want you guys skipping town with my reward once I finish the job." They all look reluctant to pay, but they do. "On the name of V I swear I''ll fulfill this contract." The man swears an oath, one bound on honor and integrity. The man begins to prepare for his fight, and that is something he takes very seriously. If these guys got killed by someone so swiftly then I got my work cut out for me. I heard some rumor about how it happened, but they are hard to believe. I''ve never heard of anyone getting dismember so swiftly. They are leaving me to my own devices now, I''ve never failed a contract. This guy might be the hardest fight I''ve had yet. I''m level 36 and I know I''m one of the strongest yers alive right now. "Send out the scouts and spies, find the target and watch him. I want to know his schedule and patterns." I say this to the subordinates I have waiting in the dark. I hear whooshes as they speed away. Now I must wait, this will end up being the first challenge I have. I can feel it in my heart and bones. While they are busy with the search I should also do some reconnaissance myself. While my group is capable I like to get out into the field myself. I equip my best gear and weapons. I want to see how the rest of the yers are doing as well. This might be a chance to recruit more people to my guild, and while I like strong members, loyalty is more important to me then power. I make my way out of the factory and begin to walk the streets of our once great city. I think the first ce I should check out is the sight of the incident. It was a park about a mile away, rumors say that the man killed that little group because they tried to harm his mother. Didn''t even let them finish talking before he killed them all, I don''t hear that very often. This guy is efficient and doesn''t mess around, all the more reason to be on guard. Out of all the people they could have pissed off it had to be someone strong, just goes to show how stupid they are with that behavior. I don''t care who or what my employers are, only that they payed the fee. Sucks I have to hurt someone with potential, but that''s apart of the job. I have a little bit of a walk so I should just enjoy the free time I have. I don''t get many chances to just walk around anymore after all. Chapter 114: Dropping Bombs

Chapter 114: Dropping Bombs

Mom is carrying Marcus as she climbs the staircase to the high floor they are staying on. Even now she is still trying to make his life a little easier. While this skyscraper is a good ce to be, these stairs are going to prove a problem. "When we get back up to the room I want to tell them the n, everyone is going. I''ll make sure you guys gain levels faster then others will, that way you guys can fend for yourselves." I direct my order to mom, but she is still not being flexible. I''ll be taking all of them with me and if I have to drag her along then so be it. I''m not going to wait for an answer from her, so I''ll just focus on other things right now. Mainly the people that I killed in the park, they will go to someone stronger for help. They cant help themselves, when people like them form a grudge its really hard for them to let it go. I don''t me them either. I would have been pretty pissed if I was taken out like that, I''ll have to keep my guard up for awhile. I don''t know the power structure in this city. I don''t know who''s in charge or where they are staying. This city is also huge, millions of yers are staying here and if I want to find someone specific its like a needle in a haystack. Being a solo yer has its downsides, but they are too few for me to beining. I''m going to wait until something actually happens, waiting for trouble toe to me isn''t what I normally do. In this situation its the best move possible, and reacting to an attack will prove dangerous without knowing who is after me. So if I don''t want to endanger my family then staying away from them for awhile is a good idea. I''m likely the only target. We make it to the top floor and walk to our room. I look inside as I enter and see that both Hailey and dad are sitting up on there own, they are recovering good. Mom sets Marcus down and rushes to the side of her husband. "You''re supposed to be resting. I''m not letting you do anything till you can move on your own." My mom looks at me as she says thatst part, dere all you want mom. They will be joining me in the dungeons along with you. "Justy back down and I''ll change your bandages." They do as she says and rx, I''ll let her baby them for now. I still have things I need to think about, mainly how long I''m going to be stuck on this continent away from my missions. My family is my top priority, but staying here for an extended period of time will be a stigma in the long run. Powering up my family to the point they are strong enough to defend themselves is the first thing on the list. In all honesty I don''t have to stick around after that, and while they might resent me for leaving during such a hard time I also need to continue growing. I feel like scum with the thought of just leaving them after I make them stronger, and in truth I would be. The only one who might understand is Hailey, because when she is strong she will leave to go on her own as well. Helping the yers fix the teleportation grid is noble, but that isn''t something I''m going to do. In the end all it will do is save everyone else time and waste mine. There could be unique rewards, but nothing that I could actually need. So my mind is made up with everything avable, I''m heading back to my original continent after I help my family. I sit down as they continue to talk to each other, and while they are all smiles I''m going to have to bring the mood down. "I''m leaving after I help you guys level up in the dungeons." Those words instantly silent everyone. My mom goes red in the face with anger, and as she is about to start screaming my dad stops her. He give me a look to continue. "When the dungeons are opened around here and you guys finish healing I''ll power level you guys. When I finish getting you stronger I''m heading out." I look at my mom to see her face and all I can see is hurt and betrayal. I don''t like this, but I also need to do what''s in my best interests too. If that means I have to hurt my families feelings then fine. My mom is about to start yelling at me, but she is interrupted before she can start. My sister says something that surprises me, but isn''t out of her character. "I want you to take me with you!" My mom looks at my sister with fury. I look at my sister and I see the determination in her eyes, she wants to get back to what she was doing before this happened. I bet she was close to getting the legendary ss, and if she wants that who am I to say no. I''ll give her a ride on my way back. I look at my dad and see that he is also hurt by this news. If there was someone he didn''t want going it would be his little girl. Marcus looks confused and scared, his family is in a very tense situation right now. I would be the same way if I was his age. I look to mom and I''ve never seen her so mad at me before. Nobody is going to interrupt her this time and I should just let her get any anger she has out of her system. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU''RE LEAVING!!!! IF YOU THINK I''M GOING TO LET YOU LEAVE THEN YOU NEED TO GET YOUR FUCKING HEAD CHECKED!!!! I WILL NOT LET YOU LEAVE AND I WILL NOT LET YOU TAKE MY FAMILY INTO THE DUNGEONS!!!!" I cringe as she screams her response at me, and I''m a little surprised she actually cussed. Mom is usually pretty good at not cussing, and that just goes to show how mad she is at me. I watch her take deep breaths, and try to calm down. She must think she won with that explosion, I''m going to have to disappoint her. I stand up and make my way to the exit of the room, giving mom some time to work through this is a good idea. I turn my head around towards my sister. "When we are done with power leveling I''ll take you with me. I''ll be back after the dungeons arrive to collect you guys, be ready alright." My sister gives a determined nod, but my moms face contorts in rage and anger. I make a quick exit as a rock flies by my head. This is going to be a tough pill for my mom to swallow, and giving them space to work it out is the smartest move. I hear my dads muffled voice followed my mothers angry screams, I wouldn''t want to be stuck in their positions right now. Now that I have free time I can start asking around for information I don''t have. The best ce to ask questions would probably be the ce with the most yers. Around here that would be the park I killed those guys at, so I''m returning to the scene of the proverbial crime. I hope people are willing to answer some questions after what they say earlier. I make my way down the long stairway once again. After some time I make it to the lobby of the building and head outside. Time to head to the park. It takes the same amount of time to get there as it didst time, and when I arrive there are plenty of people around. I make my way into the park and people begin to recognize me. They do what I expect some to do and that''s steer clear of me. On the other hand it looks like many are avoiding me, too many. I make it deeper into the crowd and I hear a voice I''m unfamiliar with. "Looks like you came to me instead of me having to find you. I got to say I''m surprised those guys got killed by someone who doesn''t even have a shirt, but that sword you have looks really gnarly." I turn to the voice and see a man with great gear, and he also has some people to his left and right. I get the feeling that I have some sort of bounty on my head. "Don''t take this personal kid. I''m just doing what I''m getting paid to do." I was going to try to talk my way out of this, but looks like that wont be happening. This event has really messed people up, and if I ever see those guys from earlier again I''ll make sure its slow and painful instead of quick. Chapter 115: A disappointment

Chapter 115: A disappointment

{krialer, please let me know if you want an NPC or yer named after you. You are the top donater this month and now its time for your reward. You have until the 31st of march to reply to this. Please do not miss the opportunity again.} I look at this man with scrutiny. I have no idea who he really is and why he thinks that this is a good idea. He is either very strong or underestimating me. I''m going to be on the safe side and say he is strong, I don''t want to use inspect on him because then he''d use it on me. He''ll see that I''m tier 1 level 51 and be serious, I''d prefer that he keep underestimating me. "I''m guessing the guys I killed earlier hired you. I didn''t think there were so many people like them, you must really care about them if you came all the way out here to kill me." I know he was hired and this is strictly business, but I want to try getting into his head. I watch the confident smile on his face sink behind the true meaning of my words. I basically told him that he is scum like the people that hired him. In all honesty that''s true, in his own way he is just as bad as they are. He looks at me hard and I can see the anger in his eyes. "We all do what we must to make a living. If that means I have to work for such individuals so be it." He is just making excuses to justify his character and life choices. A morallypromised person trying to justify their reasons is amon thing. I don''t know how such a low life got this strong, but every dog has its day. I see no reason to continue this conversation. I don''t intend to let this person leave alive either, I have toy down thew of not messing with me. If everyone sees that then I shouldn''t have anymore trouble. This guy is probably the strongest in the area. I slowly draw my sword as I stare him dead in the eye. Many of the yers that are surrounding us in the park back away to give us room. He takes out the longsword on his back and gets into a stance, but then he rxes. He starts to whisper something to his subordinates, and then he gets behind them and lets them take the lead as he sits and watches. He is ying it smart now, his group is getting ready to attack. I can tell they are strong, but not enough to do anything to me. The weakest of the group immediately charges forward for a probe attack. To everyone else he is moving fast, but to me he is moving slow. His entire approach is in slow motion to me, and now I see the gap in our powers. If I knew they were this weak I wouldn''t have even drawn my sword. They are high 20s and low 30s, I overestimated their power. He is close to me now, and the tip of his de is almost at the center of my chest. I can see a small smirk on their leaders face, he thinks its already over. I raise my hand and catch the de between my index finger and thumb. Time speeds up again and wind blows from the force of his attack. Everyone realizes what just happened including their leader. I get a notification of someone inspecting me, and I look to the leader and see his face. "What the fuck were they thinking... Trying to antagonize a tier 1 level 51 yer..." Many close hear his mumbles and I soon hear many notifications of people inspecting me. I watch the faces of the surrounding yers have different reactions. I''m pretty pissed that this has happened. I watch the leader get up and prepare to join the fight, but I wont go easy. I swing my de and dismember the man in front of me, he falls to the ground dead. A pile of body parts and organs isn''t a sight to behold, but that''s just a byproduct of my power. I could''ve killed them all without even using my sword, that actually sounds like a good idea. I sheath my sword and loosen up a little. "I don''t need a weapon to kill all of you, my stats out number yours by the thousands. I think using my hands will be a good way to demonstrate not to mess with me." Many of the yers close that inspected me cringe at my words. I look at the face of the leader and see him in slight distress, he must be trying to think of a way out of this. I know the way to make sure he doesn''t go anywhere, knowing who he is will be invaluable. I use inspect on him to see his name as well. [V lvl.36] 7000/7000 HP So his name is V. I watch him start to panic now that he knows I know his identity. "Perhaps we cane to some sort of arrangement! I''d hate to see us waste each others levels fighting! How about we just forget everything that happened here and go about our separate ways!" Sounds like a true politician. Everything that has happened so far is just proof that people of low morals don''t let things go. I just sigh and rx my body slightly, I watch him have a look of hope on his face. He''ll be sorely disappointed. I begin to rx and stand up straight, however I burst forth in speed and start to attack without remorse. None of them are fast enough to do anything about it, the two yers in front of him I target first. I grab their heads and m them against the ground, their skulls are crushed under the force and my hands and my hands are now covered in blood and pieces of their brain. I don''t let V say anything as I target him next, I use my right hand to grab his neck and lift him off the ground. He is choking to get words out, I use my left hand and drive it through his chest and out the other side. He looks dead already so I drop him and his body hits the ground lifelessly. I look at the rest of his subordinates and see their fear. "It would be better if you didn''t run. I''m not in the mood to chase you guys down." That instantly makes them try to flee, but before they can get out of my range I draw my sword and kill them all. Three sperate people get diced up, and now all these guys are dead. I look around and see the huge crowd of people full of fear, I sheath my sword again and make my way out of the park. I don''t think anyone is going to help me with questions now. I have notifications for exp and I can see my bar has raised from these guys and the ones I killed for mom. +7% exp I now get much more exp thanks to my half exp debuff being removed. I haven''t looked at my exp yer stat in a long time, well a long time for me. I open my yer stats to see where I''m at. [yer (Zern) Lvl.51] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 13,545] [Health: 16,560/16,560][Mana: 135450/135450] [Stat Points: 270][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.7 325/700] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.7 225/700] [sh Lvl.17 4500/8000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] Everything is looking good in terms of development, I just have to get back to my original continent soon and start progressing. It does suck that I have to go to the Holy City for my divine mana aura, but that is going to be a tough quest. It isn''t going to take me long to get there, but I''m getting impatient. I''ll power up my family soon and be on my way, it''ll be nice to take Hailey with me. She is going to be the first person from the yers to know my secret. I know she''ll do a good job and keep it, I can trust her more then anyone else. With that current threat taken care of I should find me a ce to stay until the dungeons open up, I can really use a ce that is quiet and isted. The roof of a skyscraper sounds like a good idea. yers are swarming the skyscrapers though, so that''s out of the question. I''m going to find a good spot in the forest to be alone. There are some nice hills to the east of here and I could hangout there till the dungeons. I speed up and start to run at high speeds towards the hills, it takes about 4 minutes to get there. I get to the top of the tallest hill around and set up a little camp. I start a campfire and take a seat, I look out to the city in the distance and enjoy the old looking city. When night falls the stars will look beautiful right behind it, this is going to be a fun adventure. Dungeon diving with my family is something I never thought I''d get to do, and now I will. I know that many people will undoubted start to look for me after that show in the park. So keeping a low profile from here on out is the best move. So now its just time to wait. Chapter 116: The dungeons I

Chapter 116: The dungeons I

{krialer, please let me know if you want an NPC or yer named after you. You are the top donater this month and now its time for your reward. You have until the 31st of march to reply to this.} Its night now and the time till the dungeons get here is getting close. The system has been quiet and hasn''t updated us about anything. The mystery''s of the system is abundant, and the way its behaving is evident to that. I don''t know what''s in these dungeons, or what the level requirements would be. Does it adapt to the teams level or is it a hard set. Many things will be learned today and I intend to get as much information as possible. The dungeon mechanics might not have changed at all, but it would be foolish to assume otherwise. I really should find a way to clean my blood crusted gear, mom would know more than I do about things like this. I take my chest piece out of my inventory and see that its totally clean now. That''s strange, why is it clean. I look at it more closely and I can clearly tell this has been perfectly taken care of. Maybe a yers inventory cleans things passively now, that''s the only exnation I cane up with. I equip it on again and if feels nice andfortable. The odor it had is now gone, speaking of odor I do stink. Its nice to know I''m not the only one that smells bad, all the yers I have met or been in close proximity to all have body odor. I should go and meet up with my family for thest couple hours, we can move together when we are ready. Mom and dad are probably arguing right now about what I said earlier. They don''t fight often and when they do its usually about something that''s important. Hailey and I leaving after I power level them in the dungeons is more than enough for an argument. As Cera slowly makes his way back into town the parents of Cera and Hailey are having a bad spat. I cant believe he agrees with him! I just got my baby back and now he wants to leave, also taking along my only daughter. I look at my husband in anger and disbelief, I''m losing my family right before my eyes and I cant do anything about it. Both my husband and daughter look at me with pity. My anger is boiling more and more I see this. "You aren''t going anywhere Hailey... Neither is Cera... We are staying together whether you guys like it or not..." I struggle to talk to them without screaming. I feel like someone ripped out my heart, threw it on a frying pan and cooked it, then made me eat it as my family walks away in my suffering. "This is thest we are talking about this. My decision is final and everyone is going to listen to me." I try to put my foot down and stop anymore thoughts about leaving. The face of my daughter isn''t what I was expecting. She stands up from her sitting position and walks up to me. "I''m leaving with Cera whether you approve of it or not. This isn''t something you have a decision in. Cera and me aren''t little kids that can be told what to do anymore, I''vee to realize that I don''t have to listen to anything you have to say anymore. This is my life and my choices. So its your turn to respect my choices." I see the fire in her eyes and I can feel the pit in my stomach get bigger. I''m about to retaliate, but before I can she starts again. "Nothing you can say or threaten will ever make me change my mind. So instead of being mad and pissed about it, you can be excited that we all get to fight together before Cera and I leave." I feelplete and utter desperation. I look to my husband in support, but I watch him stand up as well and walk over me. Before saying anything he wraps me in a hug. "They have to leave us eventually. I don''t want to see them go just as much as you, but they aren''t kids we have to take care of. They are both ready to leave the nest, and we should be supporting them. Not threatening them if they try to leave." As I hear those words my tears fall as hard as my hopes that this could be stopped. I wrap my arms around my husband and just ball my eyes out into his chest. Everything that I live for is changing, and without them I only have 1 left. "Its not like we''ll never see them again. Once we get back to our continent andmunication is restored we can n a meet up to talk about what everyone has been up to. I love you Violet and I love my kids, but we need to move on and evolve as people. This is a new chapter for us." His words don''t calm me down, but they don''t make it any worse. I feel someonee up on me from behind and its my slightly taller daughter. "I love you mom... I know this is hard, but Cera and I are ready. Everything dad said is true, and that will never change." I close my eyes as I listen to the stinging words. I don''t want this to happen, but I have no choice. It is time to let them go and move on. Letting go of my babies is going to be the hardest thing I have ever done. Its more painful than when I gave birth to them, its a blessing that I''ve got to watch them grow into these amazing people. I''m sure they will make me proud and soar higher than I could have ever dreamed. As we are hugging I feel a smaller person join in on the hug, I look down and see my youngest hugging all of us from our legs. I lean down and pick him up and I kiss him all over his face. I can already see Marcus being ready to leave me sooner than I can prepare. We hear someone shuffling at the door to our room. We all turn our heads and I see my first son, the light of my life. A parent should never y favorites, but its something that cant be avoided. Cera is everything I could ever hope for in a son, he was so easy to raise and love. He made everything about being a parent that much better. "You guys got room for one more?" He looks at me asking for permission to join us. I open my free arm that isn''t holding Marcus and wave for him toe here. He walks over to me and I wrap my arm around him. My head only reaches the top of his chest just like his father. "I''m proud to call you my mom. I wouldn''t be the man I am today if it wasn''t for you." I start to cry again as he utters those words. I''m the luckiest mom in the whole world! As all this is happening with the Adamo family. The local main leader is discussing the information of a tier 1 level 51 yer. The one leading this conversation is Sir Erikson, his spies in the park have brought him great news. To think a tier 1 level 51 yer actually exists. That can only mean one thing, he is the divine ss holder. Out of all the yers, the son was the first to tier up, we heard it in the announcements when it happened. From my spies the true name of the son is yer Zern, and from the reports of his powers and feats the name fits him. Thinking about all his aplishments makes me wonder who he is as a person, the words and actions of such a man can teach a lot. I look at my few guild members I could find when this transfer happened. "We now know an incredible secret gentlemen. Mr. Zern''s identity wont stay hidden for long. Others might have put the truth together first, so the n as of this moment is to find Zern and recruit him to our guild. We know he is in this city and from other reports so is his mother." We cant let such an opportunity escape, if I can get Zern in my guild nothing will stop us. My men nod to each other now that they have their orders. "Don''t do anything to threaten him or reveal we know something. Just find out where he is ande back to me, I want to do all the talking myself. I want him to understand that we only have good intentions." With those final words my current best guild members head out to start searching. None of us canpete with his power, so being calm and careful about this is the only way to go. His stats must be so much higher than the rest of us. My stats are just starting to pass the 100 mark, there is a gap that no amount of people can ovee. I need him on my side, the 106,000 individual monsters he killed is more proof. Those damn creatures were relentless, but he was more so. Keeping this under wraps for as long as possible is the only option I can see, and when the majority of yers learns the truth. Someone will turn him in to the church for a reward. I have to get him in my guild before then. I hate waiting, but that''s the only option I have now. Chapter 117: The dungeons II

Chapter 117: The dungeons II

{krialer, please let me know if you want an NPC or yer named after you. You are the top donater this month and now its time for your reward. You have until the 31st of march to reply to this.} I sit down in an old office chair and look at the faces of my family. Both Hailey and dad have made a full recovery, and the happiness on their faces goes to show theck of pain. I look at my sister and see her smile, she notices my gaze and gets up. She walks over as mom and dad talk, she sits on the table next to me. "So are we heading out right after we finish in the dungeon. If we are I have to question whether or not you know where we are going." She makes a valid point, I don''t know where to go to get back to our original continent. I have a hunch on how to find out. If we are the first yers to clear the dungeon we will get a reward. What I''m hoping for is a custom request just like the monster swarms. If I can get an answer from the system instead of finding it through trial and error it will make our journey much faster. I release a groan at the reality of the situation. I''m basically putting all my faith in the random chance that there is the reward. "In truth Hailey, I don''t know which way to go to get back to our original continent. I''m hoping that when we beat the dungeon we''ll get custom rewards, that way I can use mine to ask the system which way to go to get back to our original continent. I know how badly you want to get your legendary ss, but don''t be mad if it takes us awhile to find out which way we are supposed to go." My sister looks at me as if I''ve lost some sense or reason. If she has a better idea I''d like to hear it. I give her a look that conveys my thoughts and she opens her mouth to speak, but closes it just as fast. She cant think of anything better either. The dungeons should be opening soon and I want us to be the first clears. I doubt many will be willing to jump straight into it like us, if anything many will be to scared. Only the hardcore yers will jump in and try it out, even then they probably wont seed. "How do you think we''ll do in the dungeon. I don''t really like that we have to rely on you for everything. I don''t have that much experience with dungeons, the 2 that I have been in I was carried by a group of guys. Being pretty has its benefits." Iugh at my sisters use of her beauty. I think its brilliant, if I could''ve used my looks in my old future I would''ve. A group of men don''t want to help an attractive man. She also begins tough, I''m d I''ll be able to havepany for a little bit. It does get lonely out there by myself all the time, soloing has its disadvantages. However, its the way I am. This will be a good experience for all of them. They can see how a dungeon functions and learn how tobat multiple enemies while helping each other. I help them through the hard bits and handle the boss. I''ll make sure each of them wont get more then they cant handle. This is to be a learning experience, not a death march. "I have plenty of strategies and tactics that I''ll teach you guys during the dungeon. The things you will all learn will be used pretty much in allbat heavy dungeons." My sister looks at me strangely. I can guess she must not know thatbat heavy dungeons are only 1 type of dungeon. "There is more than 1 type of dungeon, there are lore dungeons, trap dungeons, solo dungeons. Many more that I could tell you about, but the mostmon and well known are thebat heavy dungeons. Just so you know the dungeon to get your legendary duelist ss is a lore dungeon." She looks at me with suspicion, I don''t think I''ve done anything to warrant such a reaction. She move closer so nobody in the room can hear. "How do you know all this Cera... I find it hard to believe that you found all this out on your own from the little time the game has been out. If you have something important you are hiding you know you can tell me. Lord knows after all the things you''ve done for me the least I can do is be an ear for you." I appreciate her concern, but she isn''t ready for the truth. I don''t think anyone will. I will say I''m impressed by her deductions though, it runs in the blood from our intelligent parents. "Are you going to tell me the secret or not." She also got inpatients from our parents, I have it as well I cant lie. I look at her and just roll my eyes slightly. "Okay, okay. You''ll tell me when your ready. Just remember your big sister will always be here for you." I chuckle at her cliched words, I know they are true. I will tell her about my ss when its time to leave, she''ll have to be okay with that. As I think about things a system announcement goes off. [World-wide Announcement: The dungeons will be arriving in 10 minutes! I''ve marked the location of the local dungeon in the city on your maps! The first clears of the local town dungeons will get a custom reward from the system of epic quality or lower! Good lucky everyone!] Looks like there is going to be a crowd. There is a possibility that we might not clear it first, so I''m going to make sure we are the first ones in the dungeon. I stand up from my seat and everyone looks at me. "Lets get a move on, I want us to be the first ones to clear the dungeon here in the city." I watch my mom and dad quickly get ready, I look at Marcus a little worried about him. He will have a hard time adjusting, so I''ll be extra careful involving him. I''ll teach him everything he needs to know about being a mage, while I''ve never been a mage I can impart the knowledge I do know on him. "I''ll be waiting in the lobby for you guys. Dad, I think you should exin what''s about to happen to Marcus. Make it quick to." I make my way towards the door with Hailey right behind me. We make it to the stairwell and start to descend. I can feel my sister wanting to ask me questions, and I know that she cant help it. "Why are you keeping secrets from us? We are your family..." She is just not going to let this go is she. I''m about to speak, but she starts talking again. "If its something embarrassing I promise I wontugh. I swear on my sword that I wont judge you for it." While I believe her she just isn''t ready, and the more she bugs me about it the more she proves me right. "C''mon I wont tell anyone. Nobody will ever know what you tell me." What am I? A best girlfriend or something. I don''t know how long she can keep this up, I admire the relentlessness of women. However, not when its used against me. They are masters at getting what you never expect to give and that''s scary. I take a breath and rx from my tense mood. She really does know how to apply the pressure. "You aren''t ready for the truth Hailey. It would shatter you if you knew everything I did. So do us both a favor and quit asking me. I''ll tell you when I think you are ready." She is only a step behind me and I can feel the shift in her mood. That probably wasn''t the answer she wanted, and that''s okay. I know she will prove to be ready for the whole truth one day, but until then she just needs to get stronger both physically and mentally. She is going to be the role model and hero to many people, and that''s because she is who she is. Not because she''ll be getting a legendary ss. It will be a great day when we an fight alongside each other. "I know that you want to know Hailey, but you have more important things to worry about then what I know or what I''m hiding. Just focus on the important things." That is the final thing said about this topic. We reach the lobby and wait in silence for our parents, after a couple minutes they make it to the lobby. They walk up to us and look both excited and apprehensive. "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure nothing bad happens to any of you. This is going to be a great learning experience for all of you." I say those final words and look at my map. The marker isn''t that far away. We wont be the first ones to enter, but we will be close. This is going to be fun, and having my family fight with me is an amazing sensation. Chapter 118: The dungeons III

Chapter 118: The dungeons III

{krialer, please let me know if you want an NPC or yer named after you. You are the top donater this month and now its time for your reward. You have until the 31st of march to reply to this.} I walk beside my sister as the rest of our family is right behind us, we are making our way to the marker on the map. The closer we get to the marker the thicker the crowd is getting, I can see where the dungeon will be spawning and I also see many hardcore yers getting ready for when it opens. We slowly make our way through the crowd and to the front, we are behind what looks to be a party, different dungeons have different requirements. This one might have a limit of 10 per party, massive dungeons that are both hard to beat and powerful have very high limits. Even guilds lose more than they gain while dealing with the stronger types. No one knows what this one will be, but with the current level of the yer base it shouldn''t be to hard. I wouldn''t be surprised if these hardcore parties finished it faster then I could solo, a group of hardcore yers coordination is just that good. [World-wide Announcement: Dungeons are now open to the yers on the yer continent! Best of luck to you all!] My thoughts are interrupted by an announcement from the system. Out of no where a bright light exits the subway entrance where the dungeon is supposed to be. Once the light fades everyone sees that there is now a barrier from letting anyone in, I wonder what happened to the yers in the subway. They either died and respawned or were teleported out. Everyone begins to squint their eyes and wear faces of confusion, fear, and curiosity. I hear my sister mumble something. She must have inspected it as well. Whatever the information is it might not be good. I should also inspect the dungeon myself, I look over the men in front of me and use my inspect skill. I now understand people reactions, and I also agree with them. [Ancient Subway (Dungeon)] [Level req: None] [Party limit: 15] [Description: An old underground transportation station for arge number of people. Since its abandonment many dark dwelling monsters have made it home.] [Clear conditions: Kill the boss] [Possible Rewards: ???] Now why would a subway that was not old or in a run down state before the event be called Ancient Subway. Was there some sort of time discement when we were sucked through the portal? This is another mystery, I cant see the logic in this other then some sort of time maniption. Perhaps that''s why the people who turned to dust did just that, they aged so fast nothing was left but dust. This is the best theory I cane up with, it also makes a connection to why people are getting younger. Both are rted to time, but have unknown causes and answers. The party limit is slightly higher then I would''ve expected, this isn''t going to cater to the low levels. My family just barely scratches above level 14, so this will be a little hard on them. The hardcore party in front of us is short 5 members, its stronger then what they were expecting as well. They were here first and that means its their right to go. I watch the leader of the group enter with his party, I start to walk up with my family right behind me. "I''ll protect you guys, but you will also have to get kills yourselves. I''ll invite you all to a party right now. Be careful in there and don''t be scared." I open my yer interface and invite them, I have to use people in proximity since the friends list still doesn''t work. They all ept pretty fast. "It might get ustrophobic or extremely dark in there, but don''t be scared. Marcus, when it gets to dark in some areas use some fire magic to light it up for us." He nods his head yes slowly. I walk up to the entrance and put my hand on it, I get a prompt to enter and I press enter. I''m surrounded by light and transported in, once on the other side of the barrier I look around on the stairs descending into the subway and see my family. We all made it in okay, I look outside the barrier and I see yers still looking in. I wave my hand at them, but none acknowledge it. Interesting, I look towards my family and they are waiting for me to lead the way. "Well sweetie, I hope this n of yours works." I give a reassuring nod and walk down the stairs before my family. I draw my de just in case. Both mom and dad draw their weapons as well. There are keeping Marcus between him for safety. Hailey follows suit and does the same as the rest of us, I make it to the bottom of the stairs and look around. There are cracks in the ceiling where light ising through in ces, the cracks are rather huge. I walk up to one and look at it, I can easily jump out of it if I wanted to. So I try just that, Iunch myself at the opening and I hit a barrier hard. "Be careful sweetie!!!" My mother is adamant on not being reckless, this must be apart of the environment down here. Cracks this big would have been seen by the yers, and there was none around the entrance we just came through. Its like we are in a sperate dimension, but not. If we truly were then I wouldn''t have seen the yers on the other side. They couldn''t see me though, all this doesn''t make any sense. Its like that old vintage show called the twightzone. "We have light for now, I can see more cracks down both tunnels so no need for magic yet. Be ready though Marcus. I don''t know what could happen." The objective of this dungeon is to kill the boss for the clear, but this isn''t going to be as simple as that. These rails and tunnels go on for miles, and the boss can be anywhere in this entirework. The first thing I should do is look for signs of a boss, like scratches on the walls or a path it regrly takes. "We''ll start on the left path, and see if we can run into anything that might tell us where the boss is or where its going. Look for anything that might not fit the environment, it could be a clue." They nod their heads and we start to make our way down the left tunnel. As we walk the cracks are lighting the path very nicely. We are walking in the middle of the tracks, and from what I can see everything looks normal. At least how it should look. We eventually reach another tform about a quarter mile down the current track we are using. I get up on the loading tform and look around, my attention is drawn to a terminal that looks very out of ce. "Is that what you mean by out of ce..." My sister catches on fast, I nod my head yes and slowly approach the machine. I don''t remember these being in the subways growing up, so that means it was put here. "What are you going to do with it..." My sister is right behind me as my fingers reach for the keyboard. If I can find out what this thing is it might help us in some way. By finding the boss or by answering questions I need answered. I start it up and see a bunch of alien looking code, but after a second it transforms into a readablenguage. [] [] This is a lore terminal, I''ve never seen anything like it. It might be able to provide us with a clue to anything we don''t know. I press enter and it just starts unleashing line after line of information about this subway system. ess points, other tforms, and administration. It also has a map of the entire ce, it makes me wonder why this was put here. From what I can tell its only for this specific location, and while not very helpful I have some guesses on where the boss could be now. I continue to watch and read the lines of information looking for anything that might help us. Its actually telling me about its history while it was still on earth, and after those lines of code it stops. Seems like it has nothing else to give, talk about disappointing. At least I have ces of interest where the boss might be hiding. I stop messing with the terminal and Hailey takes my spot and starts to read herself. I walk over to my parents as she is busy looking at the lore herself. "The best ce I can think of looking is administration. I know which path to follow to get to there, so just follow me." I look back to my sister and she is still reading, I guess liking lore is another thing we share. "Lets go Hailey, I want to get the custom reward for us before anyone else gets their hands on it." She hears me and stops her reading and heads over to us. We start back on the rail system and begin making our way to administration, but after just a couple minutes of walking I can hear growling in front of us. That''s a good indication we are heading in the right direction. I look to the rest of my family and they can tell to. This is now going to be a fight instead of a long walk, and this tight space doesn''t make it easy. Chapter 119: The dungeons IV

Chapter 119: The dungeons IV

{krialer, please let me know if you want an NPC or yer named after you. You are the top donater this month and now its time for your reward. You have until the 31st of march to reply to this.} I make sure that I''m a good distance ahead so if there is an ambush I''d be the one that gets attacked and not my family. The growling has stopped and I can tell I''m close to a group of them, this is going to be a piece of cake with my capabilities. This isn''t my fight though, I''ll kill the harder ones. The rest of my family will have to do some work to. I stop on the edge of the darkness, and I can hear their breathing. They are waiting for my move, they must know the threat I pose or they would have attacked by now. "Marcus, shoot a fireball into the darkness. I want to see how many there are." He follows my orders and shoots a fireball down the dark tunnel. As the fire lights up the tunnel the monsters are everywhere. Its like they are all packed up right here, this is to much for my family to handle. The ones closest to meunch at me for an attack now that they have been discovered. I easily dispatch of them and as I continue to do so I have many system notifications. Its the typical ones about damage dealt and dismemberment. "CERA! GET OVER HERE SO WE CAN HELP!" My mother is the first to say something. I ignore her and continue not letting the monsters get passed me, soon the pile of bodies and body parts is to much and I have to move back for room. My sister stands at my side and starts to help. She cant 1 shot them like I can, but she is holding her own very well. "WE HAVE TO HELP THEM CHRIS!!" Mom is on edge with us in potential danger. Any mother would, no matter how old her children are. I focus on my fight and help Hailey whenever she needs it. Exp is being shared right now, in all honesty I could do all the work and they would be just fine getting levels. I''m doing this so they learn how to fight and adapt on the fly. Many of the monsters in the tunnel have been killed by me, Hailey has killed more then I thought she could by herself so kudos to her. "Since there aren''t so many now I''m going to draw them back to you guys and you can take care of some. Marcus get your better offensive spells ready, and don''t hit mom and dad." My mom is about to protest, but before she can I grab Hailey and backflip onto the ceiling and jump off it andnd behind my parents. I set Hailey down and watch the monsters begin their approach. "Well... What are you guys waiting for." As soon as I say those words dad leaps into the fight with mom supporting him as she fights with her sword to. Marcus is doing an excellent job of not hitting our parents and is being a great help. My sister almost jumps in as well, I put my hand on her shoulder and stop her. "We will switch out when I see them struggling. They need this Hailey, give them some time." She rxes at my words as the fight continues. They are doing a great job of fighting and killing. However, the numbers they are up against are a little to much for them. They are starting to falter. "Okay lets switch out! You guys take a breather while Hailey and I take the rest." They listen with noints and I jump into the fight with my sister. We quickly dispatch the monsters, The Witness is making quick work of these weak creatures. After about 45 seconds of dismembering these creatures we finish with the little nest they had here. I take this time to inspect one of the corpses to see what we were fighting. [Dark Dweller Lvl.15] 0/3000 HP [Description: A weak creature twisted from being in the dark for its entire life. While weak on its own its incredibly strong working with the members of its hive.] This must have been a nest they created. The administration is down this tunnel and isn''t that much further. "I doubt the guys that came in before us can clear this dungeon. They are capably of reaching the boss room, but after losing party members to these pests it would make it impossible to face the boss." My sister is looting the corpses for anything they have. I would to if I didn''t already have such good gear, and they will need every bit of scrape they can get. "Take a break for a little bit, the boss fight will be hard. While I can handle it myself I want you guys to experience an actual boss fight. I''ll be helping, but you guys will be doing most of the damage." My mom looks at me as if I grew a hand out my ass. As she is about to protest dad stops her, he just shakes his head no. She stops and focuses on helping Marcus. I take a seat on one of the dead bodies and rx myself. I don''t need to, but it helps with mental fatigue. My sister sits on a body across from me and stares at my sword. "May I see your sword? The things it can do is crazy!" I see no reason not to. I take it out of its sheath and hold out the handle for her. She grips it and as soon as I let it go it drags her to the ground and crushes her fingers. "OWWY!! OWW!! OWWW!! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING MADE OF!! DON''T JUST STAND THERE!!! LIFT IT UP FOR ME!!!" I chuckle and pick it up for her. She looks at it in anger, and just huffs. "How can you even move that thing. My fingers were being crushed." This weapon is bound to me, so if anyone else tried to wield it they would experience what Hailey just did. I put it back in its sheath. I look at her with a cocky smile. "You just aren''t worthy enough to wield such an amazing weapon. Perhaps you should work on your character." She winds up and punches my chest super hard. She recoils in pain and starts to whine. I outnumber her stats by thousands, hitting me will be like hitting steel. "Have you learned anything from this yet? If you keep being stubborn you''re going to keep hurting yourself." She just gives me an annoyed look and rolls her eyes. I hear someughter behind us and I turn to see mom and dadughing at our antics. "If you guys are okay enough tough that means we should get moving. The sooner we get that reward the better." My mom reaches out her hand and Marcus grabs it. We start walking down the now open tunnel, this one is pitch ck. "Your only responsibility from this point onwards is to light up the area Marcus." He lights a fire in his hand and lets it hover in front of me so I can see where I''m going. After a few minutes of walking wee to a huge tform area with a catwalk above it. That catwalk is attached to a huge underground building. I''d bet piles of gold that the boss is in that building. Its like a long warehouse with fair height. "Let me handle the first bit of the battle to see where it is in strength. I''ll deem if its okay for you guys to join in on the fight." I hop onto the massive tform and walk towards the stairs that go to the catwalk. I make my way up and look at the single door that goes into the building, this is going to be an interesting battle. I open the door and look inside, total pitch darkness. My family is soon behind me looking in as well. Marcus sends in some light and we see it. The boss creature. It is hard to describe, its as dark as the darkness surrounding it and it has 2 heads and 2 tails. I start to walk in, but I feel someone grip my shoulder. I already know who it is. "It''ll be fine mom. You can leave everything to me." She lets me go and I walk in. Change of ns I don''t want my family trying to fight this thing in the slightest. I have no idea what it is, Dark Dwellers are a new for me as well as this thing. I approach it as my family enters the room behind me. I use inspect on this thing to see what I can learn about it. [Nightmare fiend Lvl.30 dungeon boss] 25,000/25,000 HP [Description: A nightmare fiend is a manifestation of fears that any living creature dreams. A dark nexus uses the local inhabitants to create something of nightmares. No nightmare fiend is the exact same. The younger a nightmare fiend is the weaker it is, if allowed to grow it will be strong enough to destroy a city.] Chapter 120: The dungeons V

Chapter 120: The dungeons V

{krialer, please let me know if you want an NPC or yer named after you. You are the top donater this month and now its time for your reward. You have until the 31st of march to reply to this.} {Mark any errors} I can easily kill this boss with one strike of my sword, what concerns me is the darkness nexus that created this thing. I''ve only heard rumors of darkness nexuses and what I did learn is very limited, one of them being they are extremely difficult to find. Just because this thing is here doesn''t mean that the darkness nexus is. "I''m going to take care of this thing, its to strong to let any of you near it." I draw my de and get ready. I slowly start to make my approach and gauge the situation, I''ve never fought a nightmare fiend before and I''m staying on the cautious side. The closer I get the more agitated it gets, its also ready to fight. Itunches at me and tries to strike, but nothing can hit me since I''m way faster. I use my sh skill against its chest and I cut right through it killing it. I get notifications about exp and other things, but I don''t bother looking at the moment. As soon as the nightmare fiend dies the area lifts from oppressive darkness. We all get a special screen from the system. [Congrattions! You''re party is the first to clear this cities dungeon! All of you will receive custom rewards of epic quality or lower! I''ll wait for you all to fill out the requests!] [You have cleared the dungeon!] [Transporting out of dungeon in 30 seconds!] [This dungeon can be reyed an infinite amount of times!] Dungeons can be reyed and used to level up. Special dungeons like the Devils Willow and the Ruins of Bandit Lord Husk are one time dungeons. There is a lot of diversity and that is something I love about Ancients World. "Lets return to the office room before we fulfill our rewards. I want to talk to you guys about what you should request from the system." A few seconds after we said that we are transported back to the entrance of the dungeon and we are surrounded by yers. I look back at the barrier and see text on it saying the dungeon has been cleared. Many look at us in disbelief, I can believe that reaction. "Most of you aren''t ready for this dungeon so a word of advice. Get to at least level 25 before trying this. So can you all please move, we would like to go home now." The group of yers part and we make our way out of the area. My family is being very silent right now, I''d like to know how much they leveled up. Speaking of levels and stats I''d like to check mine. +20% exp +100 sh exp [yer (Zern) Lvl.51] [Exp: 65/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 13,545] [Health: 16,560/16,560][Mana: 135450/135450] [Stat Points: 270][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.7 325/700] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.7 225/700] [sh Lvl.17 4600/8000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] I read the notifications about the exp I earned throughout that entire dungeon. 20% exp for my entire level is pretty good considering I was much higher level then everything in there. Not having that half exp debuff is nice, and once I make it back to my continent I''ll be leveling up fast. I also want to know what my families levels are now. "How much did you guys level up? I''m guessing around 9 or 10 times?" My sister looks the happiest out of everyone. She was the highest level right under dad, so they both have pretty good levels now. Haileyes up beside me and whispers her level to me, she made it to level 24 after that dungeon dive. That means dad might be around 25 or 26. My dad just says his and its at 25, mom and Marcus are the same level of 21. I''d like for all of them to be higher levels, but this will do fine. We make our way back to the building slowly, we enter the lobby and head for the stairs. The part I hate about this ce the most is the stairs. We make it to our floor and room after a 6 minute trek up the stairs. I take a seat in the single office chair. The rest of my family finds spots for themselves, they all take a break and just rx. They are all exhausted since they had to fight creatures around their level. I''ll let them rest for a little bit before I start to tell them what to ask for from the system. Now that the power leveling is done the bittersweet part of this adventure is right around the corner. I look at my mom and I can tell that is all she is thinking about. As the Adamo family takes a load off Sir Erikson is in the lobby of a giant building. I was told this is where they went. The people in this lobby said they are a few levels lower than the top floor. The person everyone has been searching for is up there, with his entire family. I make my way to the stairs and start my ascent. This is a good ce to keep away from others, if what happened in the park didn''t happen then he would still be anonymous. As I''m climbing I hear a voice from behind me trying to catch up. "Hey! I want to talk to him to! I have some things I need to say!" I know that voice, I turn my head and see V reaching the steps I''m on. Story has it Zern ughtered him and his group. He probably isn''t going up there to cause any problems, but I want to speak to Zern alone. I make a sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. If he doesn''t take no for an answer then I''ll have to kill him here. "I want to speak to Zern alone. If you want to speak with him then you will have to wait until I''m done." He nods his head yes and starts to walk up with me. "You will wait at the end of the hall until I''m done speaking, once I take my leave you can talk to him." I give the order without looking at him. V is a talented young man, with a good head on his shoulders. If anything he ising up here to apologize. We spend the next several minutes walking up the long stairwell. I need to be very careful with my words, he can easily kill me. I just want to leave a good impression and try to talk about joining my guild. If he indicates I''m pushing to hard then I''ll stop. We make it to the floor they are on and I can hearughing from one of the rooms. Must be having a moment with his family, hate to interrupt it. I make my way to the room as V stays at the end of the hall like we agreed. I make it to the doorway and look inside, I see a happy family of 5. They all stop what they are doing and look at me, I look between them and see the man I came here for. He is a heartbreaker for sure with those looks. His whole family is beautiful, ever since being stuck here I''ve gained my youth back. I wish I had these looks though, talk about a beautiful family. "May we help you with something?" Who I assume the mother speaks first. I don''t want to be rude and just enter without permission. I give a gesture asking toe in and she nods her head. I walk into the medium sized room and see the love and dedication a mother puts into it. "You have a lovely home." She looks at me knowing I didn''te here for anything rted to that. This family is something you don''t see often. "I came here because I heard about what happened in the park. Zern has left an impression on many people." Thedy gives me a confused look. I look towards the young man and see him looking at me with calction. He must be seeing how I''ll handle this situation. Why is he acting like this? Does his family not... Talk about being secretive. Keeping it from your family takes a strong will. "I was wondering if I could speak to that young man over there. I''m here to ask about what he knows about the gentlemen in the park." The mother gives me a look of disapproval. She must not consider them gentlemen. The young man who is Zern stands up and walks in front of me. He is slightly taller than I am. The pressure he gives off is crazy. "If you want to talk to me you are going to have to wait until tomorrow. If you are that serious about talking meet me at the old hospital. I want time with my family right now." I listen and nod my head yes and make my exit. I start to walk down the hall and see V getting ready to head to the room to. I stop him by his shoulder and shake my head no. He takes the hint and starts to head downstairs with me. Chapter 121: Last night with my family

Chapter 121: Last night with my family

I don''t have any idea who that guy is, but I have no interest in what he has to say or talk about. Now that he is gone I can focus on my family. He''ll be sorely disappointed that I''m going to be a no show at the hospital tomorrow. I''m going to spend thisst night with my family and leave for my continent tomorrow with Hailey in the morning. I should use my reward to find out where I''m going. I open the request form from the system and ask it which way I need to go to get back to my original continent. I send the request and there is a slight dy before anything shows up. I get my message from the system and I open it. What I read makes me sick to my stomach, I cant believe how far it is. [To get back to your original continent you must head 14000 miles east.] This will take at least 4 days to cover, and that''s with none stop flight. With breaks its going to take around 6 or 7. This is both disappointing and surprising, it is the only option I have right now. It is gettingte and the sun is setting, this is going to be thest night I have with my family. I wont be seeing most of them for a very long time. "I don''t want to bring down the good mood right now, but it has to happen." My parents look at me with sadness, in reality I got here just a little bit ago. Now I''m already leaving. "Hailey and I will be leaving first light tomorrow. So this is going to be thest time we see you guys for awhile." I watch my mothers face cringe in pain. I never like causing her pain, but this is a new life. I have things I want to do and see, I''ll be gaining strength faster now. Its a very bittersweet moment, but life has them. I lean back in my chair and take a breath. I have been going and going without a break, with taking anytime to really rest. Only a couple hours here and there, and I wont lie. Its weighing down on me?mentally. This journey will be my longest one yet, and I''m extremely happy I don''t have to do it alone. "Do we have to leave right when the sun rises? I''d like to spend more time together as a family before we go. Can we wait a couple days?" I understand and sympathize with her words. Hailey is right in this situation, we should stay here a few days and spend time with our family. We aren''t going to do the right thing though, we are leaving to be our own people. The longer we stay with mom and dad the more appealing it is to stay with them. I look at her and she already understands what I''m thinking. "We are leaving tomorrow morning Hailey, its time for us to go. Mom and dad will be starting a new chapter, and I''m not going to get in the way of that. You shouldn''t either." Hailey silently agrees with my words. Mom and dad will be on a new adventure together with Marcus, both Hailey and I have had ample time with mom and dad. This is a perfect chance for Marcus to get the same amount of time and treatment we did. "I do want to spend time with you guys. So that only leaves one question. You guys still got your ''The Shattering'' decks?" I don''t have one on me, but we are going to be able to share and take turns. When I ask them that, everyone except Marcus and I pull a deck out from their inventories. I move the old desk in the room between the two beds. Everyone sits on the beds, using them like chairs. "We''ll y until we are to tired. I want to have some fun." Everyone smiles at my words and we get into ying. While the Adamo family spend onest night together the guild leader that visited earlier is talking with his members. Sir Erikson is having a very private conversation with people that know the real truth behind Zern. I look at my members and silently pray for the rest that are lost throughout this word. "We have found him. We have actually found the divine ss wielder. This is a great day my friends, I''m meeting him tomorrow afternoon at the local abandoned hospital. I''ll be going alone likest time, I want you guys guarding the area so no interrupts our conversation. This might be the only chance I''ll get to recruit him." Everyone around me nods their heads, this is going to be my most challenging recruitment ever. If I can seed then that only secures Steel Legions future. We will thrive in this new world if we can get him to join us. I make my way out of our secret meeting ce, its a nice secluded location under an old restaurant. I make my way to the street and start walking to themunity building. Its a make shift market that the yers have made to trade stuff with each other in the city. The area is packed right now with people bartering and selling. With the arrival of monsters and dungeons the people have gotten a shot of life, while its a risk to fight. The drops and rewards from fighting monsters works the same way. Many yers areing out of there shells and getting over their fears, that''s good for everyone. If we work hard enough we''ll be able to find and fix the teleporter. I don''t know how long it will take, but its a possibility now. With the help of Zern I''m sure that we can be the first yers back on the original continents. I walk into the oldmunity center and appreciate the size it has. A ce to have this sort of trade was dire, and now we have one. With the sun almost down most people will be going to bed. I will be doing so as well, I have a private room in this ce. In truth its an old office that I made into a room. "Sir Erikson! How are you doing today!" I hear the voice of one of the younger yers. A boy named Gizmo, not even past 14. "I found that thing you wanted!" I suddenly start to panic. I don''t want anyone else knowing about that. I hold a finger over my lips to indicate silence. He sees and stops yelling. Gizmo is a wielder of a legacy ss, but it isn''t abat one. His ss allows him to track down rare and unique materials. Whether it be an herb or an ore, even when something is buried deep underground he can find it. He has been my newest recruit. He was hiding his ss from others so he wouldn''t be taken advantage of. I made him a deal, he joins my guild and I provide protection and a supply of gold. While I cant pay him yet, I''m making sure he is getting payed in food and water for now. "Lets go up to my room. I already have someone waiting there for me." I really lucked out. My wife, Riley, is a yer too, and she has been ying Ancients World with me since the beginning. We both make our way to the stairs and make our way up my room. We eventually reach my room and I open it. I see my wife going through some things that Gizmo has brought us. We have both de-aged back into our mid-20s. It is sad I wont be growing old with her anytime soon, but in a way this is better. We''ll get even more time together. Being married for 30 years can do a lot. Now that we both have our youth back... Lets just say we''ve broken the proverbial bed. I walk up behind her and kiss the back of her head. I look at the things Gizmo has brought us and its everything we need. "You did perfect Giz, You got everything we needed. Now we can craft the device." Riley is a smith, but not just any smith. She is a legendary smith, she isn''t what you would call a normal cksmith. She can create really obscure things, and she is my ace in the whole when ites to fixing the teleporter. While these two are both amazing for the guild, they are nonebatants. It will help when we get the proper materials to make good weapons, but that wont be for awhile. We don''t even have a forge, so Riley is limited with what she can do. She looks to be almost done putting the pieces together. I watch her work and its one of the most attractive things to me. I love her for a lot of reasons, but the biggest is because of her work ethic. She is beautiful, and smart. However, nothing is more attractive to me then a strong woman. Riley is every bit of that and more. "When do you think you would be able to use it?" This device ys a critical role in finding where the teleport gate is, and once we find the teleporter gate we can start looking for pieces to repair it. That is where my wife will take over, everything is going so good right now. If Zern joins my guild nobody will stop us. Chapter 122: Heading out

Chapter 122: Heading out

{Please mark any errors it helps a lot.} We spent many hours ying and hanging out, eventually we all had enough and gave into sleep. Its veryte and dark, I''m on the edge of sleep as my thoughts drift between the things I need to do. Out of all the things I have to do the most important is my divine mana aura. I have many quests to do, the most important after my divine mana aura is the dryads. Freeing them will be way harder then the fairy kingdom. If anything it will be the quest I get my first death, I n on using my lore tablet for my divine quest. If it turns out I don''t need it then that''s even better. I don''t know much about Bellvia. The fact they were involved makes me wary even now, who''s to say that they still aren''t involved in anything. I close my eyes and sleep deeply, I have dreams of many things. Some of them I can exin, others I cant. I feel a heat on my face and I open my eyes, I look towards the light and I see a beautiful sunrise encroaching on the city. I lean up and stretch my body, areas pop and loosen up. I stand up and walk over to the window and look out over the ruined city and the amazing scenery. Its a going to be a good day to fly, I''m worried if Hailey will be okay with flying so high and fast. She has never been flying like I have, and its going to be scarier for her than other ways to fly. She''ll have to ride on my back, its a good thing I''m so much taller then her. It will be afortable ride, and a very long one. 14000 miles is a lot of distance, but totally doable for me. I hear movement behind me and I turn to look. Everyone else is getting woken up from the sunlight has well. I can already see the sorrowful expressions on my family realizing what''s happening. "You guys want to go to the roof with me? It will be a great view to watch the sunrise." I look at them and see the tiredness in there eyes. "C''mon it''ll be fun." I start to walk towards the door and everyone follows behind me. We make our way towards the stairwell and make our way to the top floor. Its mostly empty, there are some rooms being upied though. We make it to the end of the hall and see the single 21 steps that lead to the roof. I walk up the stairs and open the old door, I walk out onto the smooth concrete and metal roof. My family follows and joins me looking out over the massive city as the sun casts its rays of light and heat over it. I look over the edge and see the long way down, I can see yers already up and heading outside the city. Seems some aren''t letting the current situation affect them anymore, yer moving out and leveling up is a good thing. "Do you think that we''ll make it back to the continent to see you guys within the year?" I turn my head to my right and look at my mom after her question. She looks so sad and disappointed, only a mother can make you feel bad about growing up. I move over to her and wrap her in a one armed hug. She just puts her face in my chest and starts to cry. Letting women cry is a must, its a way to express and get rid of there pain. I look to the rest of my family as my mother weeps. This is a perfect ce to leave and start our journey. "You''ll be back on our original continent before you know it. I want you guys to promise that you''ll have fun, life isn''t so gloomy. Just because we are stuck here doesn''t mean its the end." I let go of my mom as she wipes her eyes. I make it to the edge and take a seat with my feet hanging off. "This is where Hailey and I will leave from. I wasn''t nning on letting you guys know my secret, but I have a feeling its already getting around." When I finish saying that I toggle my wings on and they spring out my back. Powerful, long, and fearsome. I look back at my family and see their shocked faces. My sister is the first toe forward and she starts to touch them. She isplete distracted by them. The rest are looking at me with apprehension. "Sweetie are you..." I nod my head yes before she can finish saying what she wanted to say. "I have nothing to worry about then... I''m really d..." My mothers voice starts to shake again and my dad hugs her to calm her down. When a kid leaves the nest a mother is always going to cry, it cant be stopped. I look at Hailey as she continues to mess with my wings. I get that their cool, but no need to look at them like that. She looks like she wants to take them for herself. I don''t think she''ll hold off on questions for long. Once she gets over her amazement she''ll be all over me like white on rice. I walk over to my family and hug them. Hailey catches up and joins as well. I wrap my wings around them to make sure I get all of them. I pull away and look at my sister. "You ready to leave? Its going to be a long trip and we''ll be traveling together for awhile." She nods her head in excitement. Before I make my final approach to the edge of the building I kiss my mom on the forehead. She tries her absolute hardest to stayposed, but the fears break free. I make my way to the edge and kneel down. "Hop on sis. We got an adventure to take." She get on my back and wraps her legs around my waist and arms under my arm pits. I spread out my wings to there longest length and p hard off the building. We approach the clouds fast, but I''m going deaf as my sister scream. "SLLOOOWWW DOOOOWWWNNN YOOUUUU IIDDDIIOOOOIT!!! I''M GOING TO FALL OFF!!" I leave out once we are above the clouds and she is now in an upright position. Her butt is right above mine and she has her hand right below where my wingse out so she can support herself. I chuckle as she is slightly hyperventting. "YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME ABOUT THE SPEED YOU ASSHAT!!!" she leans in closer and smacks the back of my head. She isn''t going to like this then, I burst forward in speed and she is losing it. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" She sounds like a scared little girl. Iugh harder as I slow down. "*BLARGH*" She throws up over the left side of me as it falls to the earth. This is going to be a fun trip. "We''ll fly for 14 hours a day. If we reach an ocean then we will take a full day of rest before we cross it. Let me know it you need to use the bathroom and I''ll bring us down." She remains silent as I talk to her. I can feel a very slight wetness on my lower back. I cant believe she peed on me. I dive down fast and she screams even louder. As soon as Ind she hops off my back and runs behind the closest tree. I hear her give a sigh of relief and a stream of water hitting the ground. "Next time don''t pee on the person giving you a free ride." She just growls from behind the tree. I chuckle to myself, after another 10 seconds shee out from behind the tree with a red face, both from embarrassment and anger. She rushes me and slugs me hard on the chest, but she recoils in pain as I hear a crack from her hand. "You are a jerk Cera. I''ll let all of it go if you pull that shit again, I felt like I was going to die. If you are going to speed up or dive at any point say something before hand you ass." I chuckle and just kneel down for her. She gets back in the same spot and I take off at a high speed again. She didn''t scream this time which is nice. I level out above the clouds and take a moderate speed. She gets back in her upright position and stays quiet. I start to hear herugh after a few second, and full on yelling in joy. "THIS IS AWESOME!!! I''VE NEVER FELT SO FREE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!" She lifts her hands of my back and spreads them out mimicking wings. I''m d I''m not alone on this trip. Chapter 123: A skipped meeting

Chapter 123: A skipped meeting

{Please mark any errors. It really helps, I''m to tired to edit at 1:32 am PST} As Cera and Hailey start their 14000 mile journey the other members of the Adamo family are back in there room talking. The silence is palpable, and the first one to start talking is Chris. I look to my wife and youngest son, the one I''m most worried about is Violet. She lives for her family, and so do I. Now that 2 of our oldest are gone its hard to find anything to say that isn''t about them. They aren''t our responsibility anymore, their lives are their own. I walk over and sit next to my wife, and I just hug her. I run some of my fingers through her hair and just rock her slightly. She wraps her arms around me and gives me a big squeeze. I hate seeing the love of my life like this, part of raising a child is seeing them off. We did good raising them, and we taught them how to be good people. I look to Marcus as I hold Violet and I see his sad face, out of our 3 kids he is the only one that we have left. Once he is gone, we''ll be right back where we started. I personally think its great that we are back to our youthful selves. "We are going to have to find a way to fill the time aren''t we... I cant believe how fast they grew up... If I didn''t be young again then I''d feel like and old woman..." My wife speaks true, I feel like an old man despite not being middle again anymore. We are lucky no matter how you look at this entire situation, sure we lost friends and family. The ones that mattered most to us made it though. If this new world has taught me anything in the short time I''ve been here its that anything is possible. Violet and I can start our own adventure here, help rebuild the teleporter. I let go of my wife and look her right in the eyes. "What do you want to do first? There are so many things we can try now that we are higher levels. We can go hunt monsters or search for dungeons. I even heard that themunity center is being used to as a trade center for the yers in the city. We can do anything you want for as long as we want, time is on our side and we have plenty of it. I want to have so much fun with you sweetheart, get to do the things that couples never thought they would be allowed to do. How cool is it that we get to be like this." I gesture to all of us, young and nimble. Having the potential to do anything. I watch her tears stop falling and she wipes them off her face. She stand up and walks over to Marcus. She picks him up and looks back to me. "I want to go and fight some monsters together. The only way we''ll be able to do all the things I want to do is if we are strong enough. So where should we head to first?" She looks at me with determination and I''ll admit that is one of her best looks. Its the same look she had when each of the kids were born and she held them for the first time. I stand up and walk to her. I kiss the top of her head multiple times and look to Marcus. Violet does the same thing and covers him in kisses. His face is red in embarrassment, but he has a big smile on his face. "So sweetie? You want to go on an adventure with dad and me?" My wife asks him the question and he nods his head yes with excitement. I don''t know where we should start, but finding out is part of the adventure. I interlock my fingers with my wife and make our way to the door. While Violet and Chris start their day today, there is also someone starting theirs. This person is the man who made a meeting with Zern and is intent on being on time. I don''t want there to be any reason he wants to reject my offer, if I can seed here everything will be perfect for growth. I''m walking around the yer made market in the oldmunity center and seeing if there are any new faces. There has been an increase of activity as ofte from the yers. This is a great way to make progress and strive to get back to where we were. "Sir Erikson! Care to have a drink with us! Jennefer made a brewery from spare parts. she found! Isn''t she the smartest girl alive!" Of course Jack would brag. She''s his daughter after all. That is quiet impressive though, made it from her own ingenuity. If my memory serves me right Jennefer has an epic builder ss. It isn''t near the same level as my wife, but she is going to helpful to a lot of people. "I cant I''m afraid. I have an important meeting to get to. I''lle back and celebrate with you when I''m done." He just give me a big smile and a thumbs up sign. Jack is a good man with a clean heart. His whole family was dusted except his daughter. The yers havee up with a term for people before this transfer happened. I think its very ingenious, but also very insensitive. So it has been reduced to a derogatory term. Many yers have killed each other over and over again from this term. I like the cleverness, but I wont be using it when I talk directly to people. For all I know it could cause major problems for me in the future if I started using it. I make my way out of the trade center and onto the roads. The streets are now full of yers in parties and monster hunting instead of hiding in the shadows. Its almost reminiscent of the times before we lost our world. People are actually smiling and having a good time, this is going to be a bustling littlemunity in no time. Los Angeles is a big city and this is the home of millions that y. We probably have one of the biggestmunities of English speakers. I make my way to the hospital and see some of my guild mates already here waiting. The looks on their faces isn''t something I was expecting though. They look like they have bad news. I walk up to them and just nod my head for them to start. "Zern is no longer in Los Angeles. Many of our scouts that were watching him saw him fly away. He took his sister with him, best guess is that he''s heading back to his original continent." I am at a loss for words. Zern has the ability to fly, and that exins some of my suspicions. I look at him hard to continue. "He used giant wings to fly sir, he and his sister left his parents and little brother behind." Now that''s another option. If I cant get Zern then I''ll recruit his family. If he has a personal connection with my guild that is just as good. This entire n is a bust, but I''m not one of the best guild leaders for no reason. "I want you to report to me when you see the family at their room again. I doubt that they will talk to all of us, so I''ll speak to them myself. This might be better in the end, many will not expect something like this. How many know that Zern is the divine ss holder now? It could prove problematic if word spreads to quickly." My men look at me with disappointment. Guess word spread fast, people are smart and give them enough time they will put it together. I walk away from my men and start heading back to the trade center. I make it back and head straight to where Jack is. I want a drink after all these changes of ns. Jack sees me and waves me over, this time I approach and he can see my sour expression. Instead of saying anything he just hands me a pitcher and cheers sses with me. I suck down half of it before I pull away. "I take it you meeting didn''t go well. My wife always to me to be there when my friends needed me to, so if you need my help just ask." He leans back in his chair and starts sending res to all the guys around the bar that are staring at his daughter. I would be the same way if I had a daughter and men were looking at her like this. "I swear these guys are animals, its like a pack of monkeys after thest beautiful banana in the forest." Iugh at Jack''sparison. As long As Jennefer is in a public ce she has nothing to worry about. I guess now all I can do is wait. Chapter 124: The 14000 Mile Journey I

Chapter 124: The 14000 Mile Journey I

{Please mark any errors or mistakes. I''m totally wiped out. I thank all the extra eyes being diligent.} Hailey has been quiet for thest couple of hours, and the only noise she has made is the rumblinging from her stomach. I''ll admit that I''m very hungry myself. I still have dried meat that is fresh and ready to be eaten, so now might be a good time to head down and get our fill. The main problem about this journey other than the distance is the food and water situation. "I''m diving down. I want to eat, I''m starving." She leans on me as I dive fast to the ground andnd smoothly. She hops off and fixes her hair. I keep my wings out since I''m isted, Hailey probably wont mind they are out. We walk a little till we find a nice spot. I take a seat and go into my inventory. I have enough dried meat tost a few days between us. We''ll have to hunt for food after my supplies run out, going to be interesting hunting with my sister. "Here, this should fill you up for now. Keep your eyes out for a stream or pond. We''ll stop for water, I don''t have any on me." I hand her the dried meat and tear it apart. She was hungrier than I thought. I start into mine as well and enjoy the much needed protein. "So what do you n to do once you get your legendary ss? You will have a lot of power and authority. You will be able to make whatever demands you want from guilds." She looks at with a thoughtful expression. She will be able to do anything she wants. The known amount of legendary sses is low, and I''m only a knowledgeable about a couple of them. There are possibly way more than I know about. Some get announced and others don''t. She looks at me with a small smile. "I want to know more about your ss. I don''t even have mine yet so no reason to talk about it." Sly girl. Trying to get to know more about my ss, she looks at my beautiful and powerful wings and has a small look of envy. "The fact that you can fly so fast and far makes me want to have a flying ss. Do you think my legendary ss will have a flying ability." From what I remember Battlemind doesn''t have a flying ability. Battlemind has many great passive and active skills. I can see that she will fit with it perfectly. Being a duelist she fits the criteria. I don''t know much lore about the ss, only that its something that countries highly respect. Apparently a Battlemind is regarded as a one in a millennium urrence. 1000 years is a long time for a ss to not be wielded. I rub the back of my head and sigh. "I don''t believe your ss will be able to fly. Most legendary and divine sses are hard to find because they are marked asmon quests. People treat them as junk and ignore them. Its quiet an ingenious mechanic, it lowers the amount by rare sses and makes a huge gap in power. For example my ss has amazing stats boosts and passives, but I had to deal with a half exp debuff. I''m still not even allowed to join guilds. That''s the reason I sold that guild token for our fortune." She looks at me and just shakes her head. "I''m going to tell you an important secret about sses Hailey, and make sure you listen." She focuses on me and nods her head yes. "Every ss that is above legacy is more special then people give them credit for. There aremon things that ur in epic and lower sses, but legacy and higher cant bepared. Not all is known about how sses function, but one thing is for sure. If you get a ss above epic you will be set for life." She is listening very intently. We are very simr in wanting to know about things important to us. She look at my wings again and just sighs with slight jealousy. I can say that is a fair reaction, the convenience of these wings is unbelievable. "So what kind of benefits do you have being The Son of Arch-Angel Michael? From all the rumors and conspiracies I''ve heard you have a lot of special treatment." She isn''t wrong in saying that. I do get special treatment, and its both good and bad at times. "Will I get special treatment like you when I get my legendary ss? I''d really like to use any power I have to help the yers get back to their original continents." She is making a good point. If I wanted to I could have the church help me bring the yers back, but that will surly reveal my identity. I wont risk something like that while I''m still weak. I look at her with calcted eyes, I could help Hailey on her possible idea. She cant do as much as I could, but working together we could seed. "You make a great point, and you could use any influence you gain. You wouldn''t have as much as me, but you would be able to help the yers. A legendary ss just has that kind of authority. If you are serious about that then contemte on it more. We have plenty of time before we even reach our continent." In the end this could be the way yers get back way faster. I wouldn''t have thought of this myself since I''m very private and don''t want the attention, but my sister loves attention. Not in an unhealthy way, more in a way that is endearing. I should also spend time thinking about it. We both finish eating and are satisfied food wise, however water is going to be a problem. I stand up and so does my sister. I kneel down and she climbs on my back. I push off the ground hard and we are already above the clouds. I hear my sisters heavy breaths from the pressure and increase in G-force. I level out and slow down, she starts to breath normally. "Keep your eyes open for any water, streams preferably. However, if you see a pond don''t be quiet about it." She doesn''t respond, but I know she heard me. That''s all I really need. While Cera and Hailey are traveling. An NPC by the name of Krialder is meeting up with a couple of old friends. This NPC is special because he is one of the only known NPC''s with a legendary ss. Its going to be nice to see my old friends Ghostzero and Creatureman. Zelly raised many of us in that shack, and after I heard that they killed Clintock I had to track them down. While I could''ve killed him myself, he set up a magic barrier around the city. If I were to ever step foot in it again he would instantly kill Zelly, and I couldn''t risk that. He underestimated my brothers though, he was so focused on me he was blind to what was going on with them. The three of us will be meeting up to discuss the more important things, like where the rest of our orphan brothers and sisters are. While we are all grown up and powerful, I doubt that we''ll see everyone in the same ce again. I have a couple more days until I reach the destination, but knowing those two they are already waiting and having a good time without me. The one I''m most excited to see is Zelly, she raised so many of us on her own. She now gets to reap the benefits of doing such a great job with us. She sacrificed so many things to keep us safe. She gave her health, her time, and her body. Just thinking about what they did to her everyday in front of us makes me so.... That time is over, and she is safe with them. If I ever do see any of those ugly faces again I''ll take my sweet time. I''ll show them real pain, pay them back for what they did to her. The days have been quieter with the new people disappearing, but its known they aren''t gone. The church gets regr updates about them and makes sure we all hear them to. A lot of new people have been killed by my hand, they are quiet annoying. The most annoying part about them is they don''t stay dead and they alwayse back for more. Its like they like pain and death, talk about a bunch of wierdos. Out of all the new people the most interesting to me is the son. As the grandson of the Almighty Father he is sure to have a lot of power, not even his true name is known though. Perhaps we''ll meet each other one day, as both friends and rivals. Speaking of rivals, Ghostzero still wants that rematch. Now that he has a legacy ss he''ll probably challenge me to another fight. He is no fool or weakling. Despite the power gap in sses, his cunning fighting will cause tremendous problems. Creatureman has never been one to test his mettle against others inbat, he prefers to take on challenges in a different form. Robbing some of the wealthiest people in history does that. He far outsses us in terms of silence, assassination, and thievery. Seeing him after so many years will be awesome, both of them were inseparable. We made a great team growing up, and now its time to start this team again. Chapter 125: The 14000 Mile Journey II

Chapter 125: The 14000 Mile Journey II

We have been flying for several hours and night is beginning to descend. We didn''t find any water throughout the entire time we were traveling. Hopefully wee across some tomorrow, without it we''ll start having trouble. "I''m going to take us down for the night, we''ll start again tomorrow after sun rise. I have food tost both of us a few days, but without water we''ll dehydrate and eventually die." She''ll perish much sooner than me, since my stats are so much higher I don''t need food and water that often. I do still need it though, and I''m getting very thirsty. "We have no idea when the next time we''ll get to have water. So make sure you prepare mentally for the worst." She looks at me strangely. I wasn''t specific enough, I was hoping that I wouldn''t have to spell it out for her. "If we cant find water then we''ll have to drink our own pee. I know its disgusting, but if needed we will do it." I watch her face morph between disgust and fear. Any person wouldn''t want to drink their own pee. If the situation calls for it I''ll do whatever it takes to seed. I''d rather drink my own pee then die, and I''m sure others would too. "I am not doing that Cera. I''d sooner die then drink my own urine. You can forget about that, so we either find water or you take me back." The stubborn attitude that runs through our veins is going to be a problem. "Switching topics, how much further do we have to go. I''d like to know how much longer I have to ride on your back, I like flying. Just not on my brothers back." I rub my temple and take a breath. Traveling with my sister may have been a bad idea, but its tote to back out now. We are already a good distance away. It could be farther, but flying at full speed is a no when Hailey is hitching a ride. "C''mon, there is no reason to look so frustrated. You need to learn that while you are powerful, others are not. We have to work together if I''m to make it alive. I''m sure you could make it no problem with your power, but I''m squishypared to you." She brings up a good point, and while I don''t like it. I have to take care of her in the ces she falls. I just dive forward andnd to get her to stop talking. She gets off and looks at me a little mad. I''m to mentally exhausted from her to even continue talking. I start to walk and she follows, we find a nice spot and I set up the only tent we have. "About your question earlier. We made some good progress. The marker is saying 12988 miles to go, at this rate it will take us 2 weeks to get there. If you let me go full speed we could get there in a few days." I look at her and she looks very apprehensive about flying at 430mph, even if she fell off I''d be able to catch her. She is just scared and that''s okay. "We''ll have to share this tent, we only have one between the two of us. So if you''re a snuggle type let me know now. I''d rather not find outter." She just looks at me stupid and starts tough, not hard or gentle. Just a calmugh. I''m d she finds it funny, thest time Hailey and I shared a room was before we moved into the old house. She is only a couple years older then me. I don''t have very many memories of that time, and I''m sure Hailey doesn''t either. The only thing I do remember is how much she farted in her sleep. Hopefully she still doesn''t have that habit. Being in an enclosed tent as she rips them sounds dangerous to me. I don''t want to wake up with my eyes burning. "I''m not a cuddle type, but if you want your big sister to help you feel safe I''m more then willing to help." Her jokes are the worst, cant say mine are much better though. Our family is many thing,edians is not one of them. "I''ll think about the speed thing, for now lets set up a fire and rest. I''m tired and I didn''t even do anything today, I can only guess how tired you are." I''m not tired physically, mentally I''m ready toy down and die. We make a fire in just a few minutes and I pull out some dried meat and hand her some as we sit. "What type of meat is this anyway? Its really good." Its deer meat, but all we''ve ever had was beef or sausage. The dark part about this is Hailey actually likes deer''s, so if she found out she was eating them she would freak out. "Never mind, I''ll just inspect it and see for myself." Uh-oh. That''s not going to be good. I watch her squint her eyes. Just a secondter I watch her mouth hang open in total shock. A secondter she spits out the food and begins to gag. Talk about a waste of food. She has been the sensitive type to animals. While she likes meat, she doesn''t like where ites from. She also refuses to be a vegan, from what she told me its because she wouldn''t be able to hold herself back from eating meat. I like protein myself, and I couldn''t imagine being a vegan. I have a lot of respect for vegans too, it takes a lot of will power topletely shut out meat and only live on meat substitutes. "Don''t waste food like that Hailey. I know that you love deer and have never had any. However, this is essential nutrients that we cant get anywhere else right now, so either deer or you starve." She looks at me in fury. She winds her fist up for a punch, but remembers what happens when she punches me. "The next time I hunt I''ll try and make sure it isn''t a deer. So just sit back down and eat your food." She stops shaking in anger and sits back down. She stares at the meat in her hand and reluctantly starts eating again. We eat in silence and enjoy the warm night. Iy on my back and look at the stars through the trees. "Do you think mom and dad are doing alright without us. I''m worried that we left way to soon." My sister begins to voice her concerns for our family. I know my parents and while it''ll be hard getting over us leaving they''ll eventually get back on track. "Los Angeles is a big city. Do you think they might have found any friends. Our home town is big and they had plenty of friends before we were born." I know some of mom and dads friends, but for all I know none of them yed Ancients World at any point in time. If mom and dad do have any friends left it would be people on the younger side. LA was both a great and bad ce to grow up, and sometimes I regret having to live there for my entire life. The things I learned from being an LA native have served me a lot in life, but there are many things I wish to forget. I take a deep breath and exhale. "Mom and dad are going to be fine. They will be learning a new style of life and that''s a good thing. Marcus is still there with them so its not like all their kids are gone. We''ll see them once the teleporters are fixed on their side. While it will be awhile, it shouldn''t be longer then a year before everything is back to the way it was." Many things have changed, and what I just said is also subject to change. I look over to my sister and see that she is trying to find something else to talk about. While we are brother and sister that doesn''t mean that we know everything about each other. "If you want to ask me anything at all feel free to Hailey. I know we didn''t spend a lot of time together as we got older, but I''m still your brother and I love you. We were inseparable growing up, that was until you started going through changes. You made everyone miserable." Iugh hard as I say thatst bit. She truly did make it hard on everyone when she started puberty. One of the biggest problems were all the boysing over to y. Dad would send them home quicker then Hailey could protest. "You should know better then to say that to a woman Cera. This is why you don''t have a girlfriend, you don''t know how to stop ying people. Others don''t see it, but I do. You are a control freak and a maniptor. I don''t know how you became so good at it, but sometimes it scares me." When I told her she could talk about anything I wasn''t expecting this. I guess I should be more sensitive to people, I didn''t know Hailey saw me like that. There is always room for growth and change. So I''ll try and work on that. Chapter 126: The 14000 Mile Journey III

Chapter 126: The 14000 Mile Journey III

I look at my sister as we sit around the campfire. I have to take what she said seriously. When I think about it she ispletely right about me being a control freak and a maniptor, and I have been blind to it. I don''t want them to ever figure out what happened to the old future us, if they do it could destroy their psyches. "I''m sorry Hailey, I didn''t know I looked like that in your eyes. Its just something I developed overtime to protect myself, from pretty much everything human. I use it to keep people at a distance and many away. You wont believe me when I say this Hailey, but I''ve seen and done shit you wouldn''t believe. I''d be lying if I didn''t know I was twisted in ways, some might even consider me a monster." All I can really do is hope that she learns that I cant change overnight. My head is a dangerous ce, and I hate spending a lot of time thinking about the old. I keep staring at her waiting for her reaction, she looks me in the eyes. She wavers and looks away. "I''m sorry Cera... I shouldn''t have said that. I didn''t even consider what changed you, its like you woke up one day and carried a lifetime of bad things in your eyes. You still acted like the same Cera, and you have always been this way. Its when Ancients World came into your life, when this ce became a thing you really morphed. I have no room to talk really, what can the failure of a big sister say." I wonder if my other family members seen this. Hailey has been someone who can see me clearly for my good and bad. My parents are to proud of me to see what Hailey does, so their perspective is warped. I don''t think she should say that about herself. I get up and walk over to her. I sit next to her as she cries into her knees as she hugs them. "There is something you need to know Hailey. In the end, when its all said in done. Everyone is a failure." She looks up at me with red puffy eyes. She is struggling with Many things. Stuff I couldn''t hope to understand, I don''t know what''s in some ones heart or mind. "Every person has regrets, sorrow, pain. Its not exclusive to certain people Hailey, the richest and most sessful people from earth all have problems. Failure is okay, and you should know that everyone you think is sessful was at the same point like you. Either in a rtionship, a business, or others things. You aren''t supposed to be perfect." I see her tears fall heavy after my words. I cant say they are wise or the answer to her problems, because I don''t know. If I think I''m a sage with infinite wisdom and knowledge then I''m the biggest fool. I can only speak about what I experienced, and I''ve failed so much. If I held onto it as hard as Hailey I would''ve killed myself long ago. "What happened to you Cera... You can tell me anything and I wont speak about it with anyone. I''m not a gossip girl. You can share your pain with the people that love you, that''s one of the reasons they are there. I can only hope one day you arefortable enough to tell me what really happened to you. Even with a divine ss you still know way to much." I chuckle and wrap my arm around her. I give her a one armed hug. I have things to learn from her to, and she is right. I could open up and let my family in, but even if its right its not what I want. Another characteristic I hate about myself is the selfishness. I look into the fire and think about everything that Hailey has said. I''m not as great as my parents see me as, and I''m hoping I can destroy that image for them. Living with that image isn''t something I can allow. "The truth behind me isn''t something I can exin to you, not until you are strong enough to protect my truth. The things I''m hiding will change everything more then they already have. Even after all this shit there is still stuff that would blow your mind. Don''t mess with things you don''t understand, I made that mistake too many times." A poor mans poet, but I''m a poor man in heart. Quiet pretentious of me to say that''s poetic. Another quality. Narcissism. I stand up and make my way into the tent andy down on the furs and nkets. I stare up at the ceiling of the tent and sigh. I''m a totally fucked up person, and I didn''t want to acknowledge that. Hailey helped me and now I''m faced with this mirror, showing my true self. A thief who stole someone else''s life and destiny. I hear steps approach the tent and I see my sister walk in. I''m not sure if she still has anything to talk about this, but I''m going to enjoy the silence while I can. Sheys down next to me and stares up to the same spot I am. "You sure do stink... You need a shower little bro." I chuckle and roll my eyes. I''m sure she is bing rancid herself, but that isn''t something I should talk about. I close my eyes and rx. My mind is heavy, my body isn''t though. There are many things that trouble me, and many things that trouble my sister. Two peas in a pod us, we really are brother and sister. "I cant wait till I can scrub all this dirt and sweat off. I hope that I can at least bathe in a stream or something, just to get the worse of it off. I hope tomorrow we''ll finallye across some water. I''d hate to have to drink my own pee." I give my honest response, and I begin to try and sleep. This might be the first goodnight of sleep I''ll get. I feel my sister roll on her side and turn her back to me. I rx my mind and empty all thoughts, I see and think nothing. The silence and never ending infinity rxes my mind. The solitude in my mind bring me sleep and I rest the best sinceing here. As everyone is sleeping in Ancients World others are beginning their work. One of these night owls is Wilted Rose. The reports that we have found our cities teleporter are true. What makes thisplicated is the things we need to fix it. They are really obscure and difficult things to get, most I''ve never heard or seen. On the very bright side we are one step closer to getting back. I''ve even found some of my guild members, in a guild of millions ''some'' would be considered a little over a thousand. The yers are motivated to start grinding for the things we need. We have an announcement scheduled for tomorrow and all the yers will hear the things we need to collect. They are expected to write them down in their personal journals. I stand up from my desk and make my way out of my room. I want to start as soon as possible, and with everyone working together we''ll be able to find the less obscure ones in a couple days. My city has a higher poption, and I hope that smaller cities aren''t as hard as ours. If they are its going to take much more time. I make my way onto the street and begin to walk, I look up at the stars and enjoy them. I never thought I''d see an unpolluted sky, and I never seen such a beautiful night. Stars and Gxies are everywhere, and it makes me feel so small. Nothing can make you feel more insignificant they the size of a universe. I bring my attention back to the road and see that other yers are also doing work. The people who prefer the night areing out, and with people working around the clock this is a sign of great potential. Out of all the people that could be leaders in this city, I''m d that I don''t have to take a public stand. While I''m a leader, I''m not the one who talks andmunicates with the masses. There is another big guild in my city and its leader has decided to take the spotlight. More power to him for that, but I don''t want that. I can get more done if I''m not being slowed down with questions and scared yers. The ones who are to scared to help will eventually get up. Many of the problems that I''vee across is others feeding on their fellow yers. PKers are bing a huge problem, and I don''t have a clue on how to stop them. The are clever in their gueri tactics, and they strike hard and fast. Using the environment for their ambushes, quiet ingenious really. Whoever is leading them sure knows what they are doing, and I want them gone. With so many yers dying and going through the painful resurrection process they don''t want to leave the safety of their holes. Hiding in every crack and crevice like rats. They are going to be something I''ll have to deal with eventually. Chapter 127: The 14000 Mile Journey IV

Chapter 127: The 14000 Mile Journey IV

{Mark any mistakes to tired to edit.} I feel the morning heat and see some sunshine beaming on the tent. I lean up and my body pops as I do. I look over to my sister and she is sleeping, at one point she woke me up in the middle of the night from her farting. How can such a beautiful person release such horrible smells, I cant fathom how she farted so much when we''ve barely eaten anything on this trip. I open the entrance of the tent and get out. I walk over to the campfire and see that the charcoal still hot, I put in some twigs and blow some wind on it gently. A little fire starts and I help it grow, I sit down and rub my neck and head. The perfect temperature for a morning is something that I didn''t think possible on this continent. For all I know this nice weather is seasonal like other continents, another reason to get back to my original continent. I get up and do some stretches to loosen up my body, tent or not I still slept on the ground. I hear some rustling behind me and I turn my head, I look at my sister as she struggles to get the gunk out of her eyes. She isn''t a morning person and I''m surprised she is even up, makes me wonder if anything is wrong. "You alright? You look like you had a rough night. I know you''ve never been camping, but this is kind of pathetic." She gives me a mean look at my little joke. I could''ve worded that better, but she gets the idea. "Well sleepy head. You just going to stare at me with those dead eye or are you going to have some breakfast?" I open my inventory and toss her some of the deer meat she hates oh so much. She stands up fully and walks over to me and joins me around the campfire on this great morning. She stands next to me and stares into the fire as she quickly devours the deer meat. "As much as I hate to say this, but this is pretty good for dried meat. I''ll never look at deer the same and that''s your fault you jackass." There''s the Hailey I know. She gives me an eye smile and continues to eat. "When are we going to leave, I''d like to wake up before you start flying at 430mph." I look at her in surprise. She did think about letting me fly faster, and now our trip should be faster. More ground covered faster is great for multiple reasons, and the biggest one right now is our water situation. Its been more then ufortably long since ourst drink. So finding water today is a must. I finish my food a little after she finishes hers. "We''ll leave in an hour, so make sure you wake up in that time. I''ll go see if I can find us some more food." I toggle my wings back on and they sprout from my back. I burst from my spot in speed and start to weave through trees, I make sure I mark on my map where Hailey is before I leave. I''d like to find us some more food if possible, even just a small animal would be great. I search for a little bit and find nothing, talk about a waste of time. I make my way back to Hailey and see that she is full of energy like her usual self. "C''mon, we are leaving. Look out for water, I''ll take us to it once you see it." I walk over to the tent and quickly disassemble it. I put everything in my inventory and walk in front of my sister. I kneel down and wait for her to climb on. I feel her grab on and I wait until she has a good grip. "I''m ready lets get a move on." I take off at her words andunch upwards. We reach the clouds quickly and I level out so she can sit up. "If I cant handle full speed I''ll let you know. 430mph might be to much for me to handle." I nod my head slightly and I burst off in speed. I reach max speed fast and now we are zooming. I feel her lean down andy on my back. Its to fast for her to sit up now, but she is doing a good job handling it. I''ll keep my eyes out for any waters sources so she doesn''t have to look for them. I don''t know how long Hailey can handle flying this fast, but I''ll cover as much distance as possible before she asks me to stop. I look down to the ground as I fly us and I still haven''t seen any water. I dive down and get under the clouds. Hailey squeals in fear, but she isn''t going to get mad at me flying at this speed. She wouldn''t risk falling off from getting mad. "I''ll be flying under the clouds to see if I can find any water that will be good. You just keep your head down and tell me when you cant handle this speed anymore alright. I''ll slow down immediately." I feel her nod her head against my back. We have a very long journey ahead of us. If we can fly all day at this speed it shouldn''t take us more than a couple days to reach the marker. "If you can handle this speed all day we''ll get there in the quickest possible time." She shakes her head no this time. That''s okay, asking that is a lot and she couldn''t handle it. As Cera and Hailey continue to fly. There is a meeting at the church of light, and The Pope is the one opening this meeting with some concerns. This war is going no where and we have no idea where the monsters are hiding within the kingdom of Alsoma. Its like they just went silent and that is worrying. There is no conflict anywhere on any of the fronts, and there is no new leads. We have a list of targets to go after thanks to the strike group. Itspletely useless without leaders to find though. I should start this meeting and get the debates over with. "There is no good news. We have no idea where the monsters went or where they are hiding. The longer this war goes on, the more people that are at risk of an attack. They are nning something and we have no clue what about. This leave of absence from the battlefield will undoubtedly bring something sinister to the war. Now I want to hear news from the rest of you." I look at the leaders gathered here and see that many are talking to there assistants right now while there holograms are muted. The first to start talking is Gregory. I can always count on him being ready to lead in any way. "The kingdoms in the coalition have nothing to report regarding the war. However, we want to know why the church is announcing things about the new people when they have obviously disappeared." That is a good question, and one I don''t have an answer for. We simple follow the instructions given to us and announce it. "I was nning on using them for the war and saving casualties on our side. The fact that theye back to life is something this war desperately needs. We can save hundreds of thousands if we can utilize the new people." I know that Gregory is looking out for the masses, but even if they do resurrect we cant force them to help. We could spark a war with immortal warriors and I don''t want that. I look at Gregory and he understands the meaning behind my look. I stand up and walk to the center of the stage. "The new people can be used to help us, but we cant force them to help." Most leaders give bitter looks and resent my words. "We need to give them a reason to help. Rewards andnd. Anything that hold significant value. If we provoke the new people and make them our enemies we''ll have a worse foe then the monsters. When they return we should begin asking, and please be nice. New people have an ability to grow very strong very fast, and if we do involve them we should make the alliancest after the war." Many of the leaders don''t like my words, but they agree with them. The holograms turn off one by one and I return to my seat to rx. What Fenrir said has me thinking. Lucys reports are always thorough, and the fact that they ran into the divine wolf wasn''t a coincidence. Luring out the son with rewards and fame isn''t something that we should have done. We should have considered the fact that he wanted to stay hidden. If we respected that we could have built a better public image. Now we look like desperate fools trying to find the most sacred thing on Gaia. We have shamed ourselves and we have no one to me but ourselves. If I do live long enough to see the son I''ll die a happy man, and I''ll be one of the luckiest Popes in the line. Chapter 128: The 14000 Mile Journey V

Chapter 128: The 14000 Mile Journey V

{Mark any errors. Thanks guys.} We have been flying for a few hours now. Hailey has done a good job at letting me fly us at max speed, but I think she has had enough of this. I slow down and get under a 100mph, her body isn''t as strong at mine so flying at that 430mph for a prolonged amount of time isn''t good. "You can sit up now we have covered a good amount of distance. Let me know if you need anything." She sits up and stretches her upper body. I look down towards the ground and keep looking for the elusive water. We fly a few more minutes and I see a break in the forest, this break is from a nice stream of water. "Hang on I''m diving down." She holds on tight and I dive. Once close enough to the ground I stop andnd us. I look at the stream of water and can see clear flowing water. Water this clear is sure to be clean. I dip my hand in it and bring some water up to my face. I clean my face and check if the water is salty or dirty. However, itspletely clean and safe to drink. Hailey walks over to my side and also begins to drink the water. "This is some of the cleanest water I have ever tasted. I wish water from earth was this clean, we wouldn''t have had a food crisis." One of the many things that we failed to do was keep the water clean on earth. It led to catastrophic effects, put that together with the huge poption and you got a massive problem. I dip my hand in and take a full drink. She is right, this is some of the cleanest water I have ever seen or tasted. Science did many things for the human race, and one of them was water a purification process that made water drinkable. Even though the water would technically be clean, it was still filled with chemicals from the cleaning process. "How long can we stay here Cera? I''d like to at least take a bath and try to not stink so much. You wanted one too." I nod my head yes and begin to unequipped my items. My sister looks at me stupid as I remain in nothing other than my underwear. I dive into the cool water and it chills me. I make a bigger sh since my wings are still out. "You should try out this water!! It feels so damn good!" I encourage my sister and she uses her hand to indicate for me to turn around. I do so and after a couple seconds she jumps in too. "Doesn''t it feel great! This water is a totally different experience to the water from earth!" She looks at me with a smile and proceeds to ssh water at me. I don''t take any form ofpetitionying down. I retaliate and ssh her to. She is squealing from the water getting in her eyes. That''s a move I learned from dad. He always knew how to get you right in the eyes and make them burn. I stop as she surrenders and cleans out her eyes from the abuse. "I could never beat dad when it came to water fights. He was a bullseye shot for the eyes." She just sighs and rxes in the calm stream. Its just the perfect depth for all the fun you can have in the water. I start to scrub my armpits and thoroughly clean them. I make sure to get my hair cleaned too. It feels so great to be cleaning myself. "Cera, can you turn around. I''m not wearing a bra and I want to clean my areas as well." I don''t question anything and I turn around as I continue to clean myself. I dive underwater and open my eyes. Even though its a little blurry I can see pretty good. I dive down and reach the bottom of the stream. I start lifting rocks like I did when I was a kid. The rocks are mossy and slippery, but some of them have crawdads under them. I toss them into my inventory whenever I find any. I don''t need to go up for water any time soon. Since my endurance is so high I can hold my breath for much longer. I hear muffles calling for me above the water so I shoot up to the surface using my wings to go faster. "YOU IDIOT! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DROWNING!!" My sister sshes water in my face as I look at her. I guess I made her worried or something. "YOU''RE MY ONLY TICKET OUT OF HERE SO DON''T GO DYING ON ME!!!" Never mind, she wasn''t worried for the right reasons. I ssh some water her way in retaliation for her inconsiderate words. "How stupid are you... You really think I''d drown myself or something. You need to work on trusting me. I can handle holding my breath." She gives me an angry look and starts to ssh me over and over again. I return fire and eventually overwhelm her. I use my stats and wings to make my sshes more powerful. "You didn''t win the first time so what makes you think you can win now. Sometimes I wonder where your head goes when you get angry." She takes that insult harder then the rest and turns around and leaves the stream. She covers her top half since she doesn''t have anything covering that. Luckily she has underwear. However, they are the kind that grandmas wear. "I didn''t think you were the type to wear oldy underwear. Learn something new everyday..." When those words leave my mouth she stops and turns to me in fury. She gives me a fierce gaze and balls up her fist. "If you weren''t so much stronger then me I''d beat the crap out of you! You are the meanest little brother I''ve ever seen or heard about!" As she flings her arms around in anger she fails to realize nothing is covering her anymore. I''ve never been attracted to my sister and never will. Even now when I''m getting a full view of her rather big rack. She makes men fall for her fast, but I could never and will never see her like that. I turn away and stop looking out of courtesy since she obviously forgot about it. "I swear sometimes I think you antagonize me to see what kind of reaction you can get out of me! Its so annoying." I clear my throat and to get her to notice what she is doing. However, that just makes her go off more. So I''m going to have to point it out to her. I look her dead in the eye and purposefully shift between her eyes and her chest. She looks at me in confusion and looks down as well. That''s when her face goes pale. She covers her chest, turns around, and runs away. She disappears into the trees and probably wont being back anytime soon. "Geez, you would think that she''d be more careful with things like that. I know that she''s had boyfriends before, but if she is such a prude it makes me wonder if all her stories are lies. For such a shameless person, that was a very shameful reaction. Perhaps its because I''m her brother. I wouldn''t want her seeing my thing no matter how confident about it I am. I wouldn''t run away like that though, a mystery of the female gender." I rx in the water and forget about the events that have just urred. I escape into my mind thinking about the problems I have to face. The more I think about my divine mana aura quest the harder is seems. I don''t think anyone in my old future had a mana aura above legacy quality. The few that did have legacy quality mana auras had their stats and health at insane levels. Completely unbeatablepared to ordinary yers. My old mana aura was of rare quality. It was strong, but I''d be beaten a lot. I wonder what will happen to my stats once I begin to control my divine mana aura. On a scale of 0% control to 100% having just 1% control will boost my health and mana by millions. The stats bonuses don''t starting in until 20% control. However, the higher quality the mana aura the harder it is to gain more control over it. I have no clue how difficult it will be. It didn''t take me to long to gain control over my rare mana aura, but this is in an entirely different league of power. I cant screw up getting my hands on it to, I''ll only have one shot at getting it. The system was adamant on letting me know that I wont get another chance like this. I''ve been in the water long enough so its time to get out and dry off. I exit the water and once I reach the shore I smell my armpits and they don''t reek anymore. I''d better make sure Hailey is alright as well. She might be embarrassed, but she shouldn''t have run off to far on her own. Chapter 129: The 14000 Mile Journey VI

Chapter 129: The 14000 Mile Journey VI

{Mark any errors. Thanks everyone.} I reequip my armor now that I''mpletely dry. I look in the direction that Hailey ran off to and start walking the same way as well. After walking a couple minutes I find her full dressed leaning against a tree. I walk up beside her and lean against it and stare off into the direction she is. Nothing but more trees and mountains were she is looking. "You don''t have to be embarrassed Hailey. I get that your little brother seeing that is weird, but its not like its going to affect anything in our lives. In the end they are just hunks of fat right." I try and make sure she knows that everything is cool, but after the hunks of fatment she gets up and looks at me with frustration. She looks ready to start talking or yelling again, but instead she takes a breath to calm herself down. I don''t know what she is about to say, but any guesses I have on woman its not going to make much sense to me. Truly wonderful creations, but very confusing sometimes. She gently whacks my arm so she doesn''t hurt herself this time. "Never call a woman''s breasts hunks of fat Cera. That''s even ruder then seeing them on ident." I just sigh and take this as a lesson learned. I should know more about woman with an older sister and mother that require a certain way of interaction with them. However, I''vee to learn that its true what they say. Every woman is different, and with different subtilties you have to learn. "I don''t like that you saw such a private part of me, but what''s done is done. So the only question I have left is when are we heading out." She wants to get a move on as well. It sucks that I''m not a craftsman or cksmith. If I was I could make us water skins to carry water with us. Its a big problem, this stream doesn''t head in the same direction as the marker. Its curvy and heads of into another direction. For all I know this is going to be thest time wee across fresh water. Its just going to be something we''ll deal with when the timees. We still have many hours left of day light and I want to get a move on. "We can leave now. The stream goes off into another direction. Hopefully we run into something that is on the way, but I doubt we''ll get this lucky again. I wont be flying a full speed since you handled that a lot today, we will just cruise and make progress. If you have any ideas on how to take water with us I''m all ears, since neither of us can craft anything we cant make containers or water skins for water." She nods her head as she listens. If she has an idea on how to take water with us that is great, but I don''t see a possible way. Every option requires something neither of us have. After a few minutes of watching her ponder ideas she shakes her head no. Looks like neither of us have any ideas on how to take water with us. I hope we get lucky again and find water while we are flying. Preferably closer to the marker. I''m almost certain an ocean separates us from the other continents. Its thenguage the system has used up to this point that puts this idea together. I kneel down and let Hailey climb onto my back. I burst off the ground and we are already above the clouds. "You live in a dream Cera... I wish I had everything you have right now. Talk about being lucky, you must have a horseshoe up your ass or something to be this lucky. I''m kinda pissed that it doesn''t run in the blood. Its like all of our families luck was just given to you instead." She says all this as she holds out her arms enjoying the wind and puffy clouds as we go through them. If she knew the truth then she wouldn''t be saying that. I have suffered greatly, and the only reason I''m here in the first ce is because of luck. So in a way she is right, but the shit I''ve been through isn''t something even close to lucky. "I hope I get to fly like this one day... Being trapped to the ground is a joke after experiencing something this amazing." I don''t know what the future holds for my sister after I leave her, but I do know that when she sets her mind to something it take a lot for her to quit. She is going to make a man both happy and worried one day. Hopefully she opens her heart to someone and learns to not push them away. She has always been so guarded from bad experiences with guys. Her old future was something I was intent on destroying and I have done just that, so I hope to one day meet the man she loves and shake his hand. "I''m sure you will find a way Hailey, after you get your legendary ss battlemind you could use your authority to find out if there is a way. So don''t be discourage by my sses features, a ss and skills are nothing without people to use them." She stays silent after those words. As Cera and Hailey fly to their destination the other 3 members of the Adamo family are having fun themselves. Particrly Violet, she is fighting a monster with her husband and youngest son. They are trying to level up and reach the higher leveled monster farming areas, they have all leveled up a few times. They are still grinding till they hit level 30. I''m so d that my husband and youngest son are with me. It devastated me when my two oldest left, but the pain is slowly fading. Having fun and spending time with my husband has really helped. We have been careful in our grinding for levels, that''s what the younger ones call it any way. We only go after monsters that are the same level or weaker then us, and while its not as effective its much safer and the best of doing things. I don''t want any harm toe to my family and that means taking things slow and steady. "Okay Marcus! Finish it off with a fireball!" My husband yells themand to Marcus and he obeys. Marcus has been doing an amazing job at listening and helping in any way we allow him. The monster dies in a ze of fire and we all get good amounts of exp. I walk over to my husband as he takes a seat to catch his breath, him and I take the frontal assault while Marcus helps from behind. Marcus runs over to us and sits with us. I pick him up and ce him in myp. "You did wonderful sweetie! Your magic is getting better and better! Soon you will be able to handle monsters all by yourself and wont need me..." I''ll admit, the thought of Marcus growing up and leaving me isn''t something that I like. That time is a long way off though, so I have nothing to worry about right now. I look over to my husband and he is just smiling stupidly at us. He really adores all of us and would do anything to keep us safe. I love him more then he''ll ever know. "Honey, do you think we should head back and sell some of the stuff we got today. I heard the market has gotten more food since yers are hunting animals now." I watch my husbands eyes light up at the mention of food. We wouldn''t be able to provide for ourselves if it wasn''t for the items we got from the system after we cleared that dungeon. The effects of our epic grade swords are a real game changer. I didn''t think that there was a huge gap in power between grades, but I was wrong. "I think that''s a perfect idea. We can pick up some food and water while we are there. There are things I want to see at the market as well, I heard that a person is selling information on dungeons. I know what you said about us going into dungeons at this level, but please just consider the fact that we have a great opportunity to get stronger faster." I instantly give a disapproving look and just shake my head no. "I''m apart of this decision making process too and I say we are checking out the information. I expect you to respect that." He stands up and walks away before I can even register what just happened. As much as I want to disagree with him, he is right. He is apart of this family to and I need to listen to his opinions too. I''ve been a control freak for awhile now and I need to let up. I stand up and follow my husband, market here wee. Chapter 130: The 14000 Mile Journey VII

Chapter 130: The 14000 Mile Journey VII

{I''m going to use a slightly different writing format from now on, this is the first chapter with it. I also won''t take this 14000 mile journey past 12 parts. I''m really thankful to all my fans, you guys have made me so happy. Making my dreamse true!!} I''m worried about Hailey. She has been quiet this entire ride today. Its only a few hours till night fall and she has barely said anything. "You doing alright Hailey? You usually talk my ear off. If there is anything I can help you with let me know." I try and let her know that I''m there for her, but its up to her to talk to me. I feel her shift slightly and then I hear her sigh. She must be in her head thinking about things. I personally believe that''s one of the most dangerous ces to be. Getting stuck in your head can lead to many horrible things. "I''m going to ask you a question Cera and I want you to bepletely honest with me." I don''t know what she wants to ask, but I should try and help. I nod my head and she takes a breath. "How much do you really know about Ancients World? I know you know things that shouldn''t be known. I know you said you don''t want me asking these types of questions, but I''m worried about you." I''ve made an impression that I know more then I should. In truth I do know more than I should, but that isn''t something I want to talk about. She is going to be upset with my answer. "I''m not going to tell you anything about that Hailey. There are things that are better left unknown. If you keep asking me stuff like this I wont talk to you for the rest of our trip." I actually wouldn''t mind that after all her incessant prattling. She stays quiet after I give her my answer. Hopefully she isn''t to pissed. I look down and I can see a stream of water. It looks clean from here, but I wont know unless I get close. I dive down without warning and Hailey screams in fear. Consider that punishment for asking questions I told you not to ask. We quicklynd and she hops off me and begins to dry heave. Cant throw up when there isn''t anything to throw up. I walk over to the stream while Hailey gets over the dive. I dip my hand in and talk a sip, its clean fresh water. Its really clear too. I begin taking swig after swig. We had water a little while ago, but its nice to have even more. Hailey walks up beside me and starts to drink some to. "I''ll set up camp. You just do... something." She looks at me very mad and annoyed. She is just along for the ride and I''m taking care of everything. I set up camp and set up a fire too. Using a stone and sliding it against my sword is perfect for making sparks. Soon I have the fire up and I''m rxing. Hailey walks over andys down right next to me. The sun hasn''t fully set yet, still a couple hours. I just stare up at the passing clouds. "Why do you treat me so badly." My calm thoughts are interrupted by Hailey. Her question is something many siblings ask each other, and its always the same reason. Because you started it, and in reality nobody remembers who started it only that it was started. I take a breath in through my nose and out through my mouth. "You are my annoying big sister. Its my job to treat you badly as your little brother. So why are you asking these questions?" I genuinely want to know why she is in such a negative mindset now. I have a few guesses, but nothing definite. I cant know what goes through my sisters mind. All I can do is be me, and that has to be enough. I look over at her and I see she is on the verge of tears, now that isn''t right. "What are you crying for?" She looks at me in anger. She leans up and kicks my head, of course it doesn''t hurt or even move me. I look at her as she tries to stop the tears. "I miss it..." I cant find the answer with only three words. I lean up and look at her for a more borate exnation. "Such a guy... I miss earth and my old life you idiot..." Ohhh. That isn''t something I can rte to. While our vast fortune and new life were excellent I wasn''t attached to it. Simply because I didn''t value that lifestyle as much as most. She sees my unchanging look and just groans. I''m getting tired of her attitude, but I''m not going to drill into her. Everyone is different and deals with change differently. "What do you want me to say Hailey? That I miss it? I don''t miss earth, and that''s because Ancients World has been more of a home to me then earth ever was. I understand its not the same for you, so its just something you''ll have to get through." She looks at me in some sort of emotion, maybe pity? I haven''t seen her make that face before. I lean back on the ground and look up at the clouds as the fire crackles. I hear my sisters sniffles and small hups. I suddenly feel her wrap her arms around me and hold me. I''m about to ask what''s wrong, but she stops me. "I just need someone to hug right now, and I get you might not want to but I really need it. So please just shut up and let me have some sort of human contact." So that''s what it is. Its clearer now, but it would have been nice to ask me first. I just lean back and rx. If she needs to lean on me or hug me that''s fine. I would to if I were in her shoes, I''m d I''m not anymore. I''ve be callous yes, but I''m still a person who knows what people need. I close my eyes enjoying the nice breeze and warm temperature. "Listen to what I''m about to say Hailey. I can do many things right, and many things wrong. I''ll always know how to be your brother, I don''t know much about women or rtionships. I do know how to apologize though. So I''m sorry for how I''m acting with you, I treated you like person my words cant hurt. That''s on me." That''s the best I cane up with. I don''t hear any response from her, and that''s perfect for me. I soon fall asleep as Iy by the campfire. I don''t have any dreams, but I feel my sister pulling on my cheek. "C''mon, lets get in the tent..." She sounds groggy. I open my eyes slightly and see that its dark out and the fire is gone. I get up and follow Hailey into the tent. Iy on the soft nkets and furs and feel sleeping again. Hailey holds onto my arm as I use my other as my pillow. Not a snuggler my ass. As all the yers are either sleeping or grinding into the night, there is a conversation in overworld. This conversation is between Arch-Angel Michael and his father. Dad is adamant on making the people from earth different from the rest on Gaia, and I can see why. I don''t question anything my dad does, or why he does it. Those kinds of thoughts are what led to my brothers rebellion. Its not forbidden to question him, I just don''t because in the end its always the right choice. "How long do you think it will take for Angelus to adjust to her new authority. You have given her muchmand." I ask my father as he sits on his throne with his eyes closed. I hear my fatherugh lightly. "Michael, the people from earth will be what stops your brothers schemes. I could do it myself, but we cant always interfere with mortal worlds. When your brother starts his assault on Gaia these yers as they say will be a force he cant beat. Angelus will prepare them for that war when ites, and Cera will be the most important figure in thising tribtion. I look forward to his choices, he hasn''t disappointed since his wish." I nod my head and look off into thendscape of overworld. Cera will be important no doubt, but my brother is not who he used to be. He is twisted and corrupted. I regret deeply what he decided to do, but he brought it on himself. I wonder how far he is into his ns so far, and I can tell that he has chosen his champion in this fight. "Do you think that the people from earth will ever be epted father?" I look at him and see his eyes still closed. All he does is nod his head silently. The faster the yers get stronger the better. I know Angelus is in charge of the yers, but she isn''t the machine she used to be. She has been showing a lot of favor towards Cera, and while that''s understandable it could lead to bigger problems. I should talk to her about that, and I hope she listens. Cera isn''t strong yet,pared to his fellow earthlings he is unbeatable. Compared to his future challenges he doesn''t stand a chance. He has time, and that''s good. I''ll be rooting for you Cera, my son. Chapter 131: The 14000 Mile Journey VIII

Chapter 131: The 14000 Mile Journey VIII

I wake up as the heat makes me sweat. This is a hot morning, and now I''m going to be taking another bath. I lean up in the tent and see that Hailey is still knocked out, heavy sleeper much. I open the entrance to the tent and feel the warm air. Talk about weather getting better, I walk over to the fire and it has no warm coals this time. No matter, I walk over to the stream we set up camp by and unequip my items. I dive in and enjoy the cool relief. I find water to be the greatest thing ever, not only does it have several uses. Its the main thing people have to stay alive. I begin to scrub my armpits and attempt to clean them, while its not perfect its better then nothing. To bad I don''t have any soap, man that would be awesome. "WHY IS IT SO DAMN HOT!!!" I hear my sister yell from inside the tent. The reaction is reasonable in opinion. I look towards the tent and see her crawl out covered in sweat. She looks around to see if she can find me. "I''m over here Hailey!!" I wave my hand so she can see where I''m at. She locks eyes with me and she lookspletely miserable. "Damn Hailey, your not looking so good..." She growls lowly at me. She pulls herself out of the tent and makes her way to the stream too. She indicates for me to turn around and I do. She jumps in a couple secondster and pops back up. "You should''ve woke me up. That tent is like a mini sauna and I don''t even know how that''s possible." I don''t really listen to her, but I get the main point she is making. That its super hot, and it makes me wonder if the seasons are changing. I''d start sleeping outside by the campfire if its going to be this hot. "When are we eating? I''m starving just so you know." Its like taking care of an adult child. I roll my eyes at her and she just chuckles. "We''ll eat after I''m done cooling off. I caught some crawdads yesterday and I want to see how they taste." She looks at me weird. Hey, seafood is pretty damn good if you know how to cook it. However I don''t, but there is no better time then today. "If you don''t want any you can always have some of the deer meat." When I say that her expression changes. Its a battle between crawdads and deer now, and I think she''ll choose the crawdads as her next meal. I scrub my body some more to get as much grime and gunk off as possible. Not to mention sweat from this hot morning. After a few minutes of washing I get out of the water and go to the campfire in my underwear. I''m not dry yet, and I''m not going to put leather on in this heat right now. I pull out my sword and pick up a random rock. I create some sparks the old fashioned way and?I get a little fire going. I ce twigs and dry leaves until its big enough for branches. I pull the dead crawdads out of my inventory and put them on some sticks. I hold them over the fire waiting for them to cook. "The food will be done in a little bit! We each get three crawdads!" I focus on turning them and cooking them right. I''ve never had crawdad before, but one things is for sure. I don''t care how it tastes. I''m starving, so that means its time to eat whatever I can get. I hear Hailey make her way out of the water and she take a seat next to me. She is wearing a peasant shirt, and grandma panties. "Shut up, I don''t want to wear any of my gear right now either. You don''t know how easy you got it being a guy, its so freaking muggy." She fans herself to try to cool down. This fire probably doesn''t make anything better, its necessary for food though. I look at the crawdads and they look almost done. I take one off a stick and bite into it. It gives a nice crunch, then the delicious juices fill my mouth. Its meat is rich and I can say this is nice despite being cooked over a fire. My sister sees me enjoying it and grabs one herself. "Wow... This is way better then I thought it''d be. What did you do to make it so good?" I shake my head in an indication I didn''t do anything. She epts that and proceeds to devour the rest of her food. I eat my delicious crawdads in the same amount of time she does. I don''t feel very full with only 3 crawdads. I still have dried deer meat to dig into though. I look at my sister and see she is still hungry. "I''m having some more deer meat. I''m not full enough after 3 crawdads. Do you want some too?" She looks apprehensive, she likes deer''s to much to eat their meat. "If you don''t want any then its more for me." She res at me and holds out her hand for some. I take two helpings out for both of us and enjoy the protein. The more I eat this deer meat the more I realize the true deliciousness of beef. Don''t get me wrong, deer meat is good. The cow is much better though. "So are you going to hunt another deer when we run out of food or are you going to go for something else?" That is a good question. Deer is the mostmon animal I''ve seen so far, and I don''t want to chase down small game. Rabbit doesn''t sound so bad though. I take a bite of meat and quickly devour it. I look to Hailey and see her waiting in slight anticipation for my answer. She really hates eating deer. "I wont say no Hailey, but deer is easy to spot and hunt. I could go after smaller game like rabbits." She looks at me like I''m a psychopath. I guess rabbits are out of the question. "If wee across anything that might be a better option the I will, but I''m making no promises." She mods her head in agreement. We finish eating the deer meat and I look into my inventory to see how much is left. I have enough for 2 days. So I''ll start hunting again soon and find us something to eat. "Lets get ready to leave. Are you okay with flying at max speed again today? We have a little under 11000 miles to go. If you can handle an all day flight then we can knock off thousands of miles." I watch her contemte if she is okay with that or not. She looks to me with a fire in her eyes. "Lets give it a try. Flying 14 hours at 430mph will cover tons of distance. I''d like to get back to the continent fast, and if that means I have to suffer some then fine." I admire my sister a little more now. We can cover 6,020 miles in 14 hours, that will cut our travel in half at this point. I reequip my gear and so does Hailey now that we are dry. I walk over to the tent and pack everything up and ce it in my inventory. We make sure the fire is good and dead before we take off. I toggle my wings on and she hops on my back. I leave the ground fast and reach above the clouds. "Okay, get into a safe position Hailey. Flying 14 hours at 430mph will be tough on you." She listens and leans on my back. That is the safest position for her to be in. I p my wings hard and I quickly reach max speed. Lets crunch out some real distance now. While Cera and Hailey are making great progress, the rest of the Adamo family is doing the same exact thing. Christian is having a discussion with a man named Erikson. When I was approached by Sir Erikson I knew I recognized him somewhere. He is the one that wanted to speak with Cera. I wonder what he wants now. "So mind telling me why you wanted to speak to me? Cera left awhile ago and he isn''ting back." He has his back turned to me as he looks out over the city. He wanted to meet on this skyscraper, and I''ll admit the view is nice. From what I''vee to learn he is a guild leader. He sighs and throws some pebbles over the edge. "You know how special your son is. Every person in the city knows his true identity by now, and that''s why I''m talking to you. I want you and your family to join my guild." I knew that was the real reason, but I didn''t think we would''ve been so transparent. Cera is in fact the divine ss holder everyone has been searching for. I don''t want to talk about this, but I figured it would happen eventually. Chapter 132: The 14000 Mile Journey IX

Chapter 132: The 14000 Mile Journey IX

Sir Erikson does have a lot of pull and connections, not to mention he''ll help us get stronger if we demand it. So hearing him out wont be a bad idea. "I can say that out of all the people that I''ve met here so far you are the only one being upfront about what you want." He looks at me with a neutral face and walks to my side. "If we are going to join your guild I''ll have to discuss it with my wife. We are partners and we make our decisions together. If you could give me a day before I answer. That would be fantastic." He smiles at me and has a very understanding look. I goes into his inventory and pulls out a paper and pen. He writes down some instructions. "Here. Once you''ve talked to your wife let me know. I know because my Riley would tear me a new one if I made a decision like this on my own. Take as much time as you need." He hands me the paper and it has ces where I can find him during the day. "I''m a very busy man, and I don''t stay in one ce throughout the day for to long. I hope to hear from you soon." With those final words he turns around and walks away. The walk up here took awhile and I want to enjoy this view a little longer. This could be a golden opportunity to get stronger. I''m thinking its a good idea, but I need to talk to Violet first, her opinion matters most to me. I lean against the rail to the skyscraper and look in the distance Hailey and Cera left. Even when he isn''t here he is causing trouble for me. He must have gotten that from his mom, she knew how to make things tricky when she wasn''t even around. One of her charms to me. I turn around and make my way off this roof myself. I walk down the stairs for several minutes, and in the confined space I realize something. The church is looking for Cera, and if so many know about him one is bound to go straight to them once the teleporters are up and running. The good thing is the news is only confined to our city. There is no way that I can do anything to stop that, and once it happens Cera will have a lot of heat on his tail. I make it to the ground floor and exit the massive building. I pass some people in the lobby, many are just getting up. Its going to be a hot day out today, and that means its going to be a good time to get some work done. I make it to the building my family and I are staying at and I make my ascent up the stairs. This day has had enough steps. I eventually reach my floor and I notice that its warmer up here then down on the lower floors. I make it to our room and I see the two people I love sitting and waiting for me. My wife spots me and gives me a beautiful smile. Ever since we regained our youth everything between us has been fireworks. We haven''t had a chance to do anything sexual, but everything else has been nice. "What did this Erikson guy have to say?" Now the hard partes. I''m not going to try and convince her its a good idea, but I want her to keep an open mind. She gets up and makes her way to my side as I look at the paper he gave me. "He wants us to join his guild. I told him that I''ll discuss it with you before I give him an answer. This is a great chance for us to get some help and make leaps in our strength." She looks at me with skepticism. I did leave out the part that he wants us because Cera is our son. "I''ll be fully honest. He is offering us this because Cera is the one everyone is looking for." She gives a sigh and rxes her body slightly. Violet has been emotional for a very long time, and seeing her calm like this makes me a little more then worried. "I don''t know Chris... You make good points about us getting stronger, but I don''t want to be used like this so he can get to Cera easier." Ipletely understand that and agree, this offer isn''t without risks. "On the other hand, its not like anyone is strong enough to force Cera to do anything. So I think its a good idea, if anything we are the ones getting something out of this." That''s my brilliant wife. I''m d that we have a n now. I''ll inform Erikson tomorrow, in the mean time its grinding. As Chris, Violet, and Marcus begin their grind the day quickly passes and the sun is beginning to set. Cera and Hailey are preparing tond and set up camp. I dive down to the ground andnd. Hailey jumps off me and proceeds to vomit everywhere. She vomited after a few hours flying at full speed, but she held out the whole 14 hours at 430mph. Now we have less then 5000 to go. I walk over to her and rub her back and hold her hair for her. Least I could do after the trooper she''s been. We can expect to reach arge body of water soon. Once we do we''ll take a whole day to rest before we travel across it, I don''t know how big it will be. Hailey is still in rough shape. I pull away from her and I set up our camp for the night. She has finished puking, and now she is leaning against a tree with her eyes closed. "The tent is all set up. If you want toy down in there its ready." She squints her eyes open and looks at me weakly. I walk over to her and pick her up. "Just rx." She struggles slightly. She stops after a single futile attempt, must be way more exhausted then I thought she was. I carry her to the tent and ce her inside gently. I look at her onest time and see that she is already asleep. The body heals the most when you are asleep. I proceed to make a campfire and rest myself. The sun will be setting in a few minutes marking the end of this day. We made huge progress today and I have to thank Hailey for that. She stuck out the difort and really hung in there. I close my eyes myself and think about things. I cant stop my mind from circling back to what the system has been doing. Its like the system has evolved drastically. I open my quest log and see all the ones I still have left to do. I haven''t made any progress on the two I have in the kingdom of Bellvia. Both The False One and An Abomination are connected. If I do one, it will lead to the other. Since An Abomination is epic grade it might make The False One easier toplete if I get any information with it. However, I could end up making The False One evolve from legendary difficulty to divine. That will be a bane for me. I wont be strong enough with the divine mana aura yet, but I''m still heading to Bellvia. The progress I''m making is unbelievable to other yers, but to my own standards I''ve stagnated. I''m also to me for it too, I''m more then likely the cause for all this. My actions have deviated the timeline and now I''m facing the consequences. I look up at the night sky since the sun has set. Ancients World is the home for many now, and more were lost then they were saved. I wonder how many truly died, I suppose turning to dust is better then dying horribly. I feel the warm crackling fire to my left. I turn to look into it and I feel more rxed as I do. "How much must I suffer..." I hear my sister groan out from inside the tent. Her stomach and head must still be turning. "Once I get strong enough I swear I''m paying you back for all this Cera..." Having a goal like that wont work. Its based off pettiness. I release a sigh and rx once again. Hailey will be the third strongest yer right behind StubbedToe. She has potential to really make life better for humanity. I could do things to, but many consider my existence special. While that may be true, it doesn''t make it any less annoying to be treated as such. I stand up and walk over to the tent myself. I open it and step inside. "Lets get as much rest as possible tonight. We are doing the same thing tomorrow." As I say those words my sister holds back her puke. I hope she feels better in the morning. Chapter 133: The 14000 Mile Journey X

Chapter 133: The 14000 Mile Journey X

I wake up to the heat once again, and I notice it isn''t as bad as yesterday. I lean up from my spot and stretch my body. I look over to my sleeping sister and notice she isn''t nearly as miserable looking. There is a much higher recovery rate here in Ancients World. That works out great for us. I let her rest and I exit the tent. She probably doesn''t want to eat anything today. So that means more for me doesn''t it. I sit next to the dead fire and pull out some deer meat and I quickly devour it. While Hailey sleeps I can go out and search for some food. I toggle my wings on and I burst from my spot. I weave through the trees and vegetation. I quickly mark the campsite before its out of my map view. I focus on hunting now that I wont get lost. I search for a few minutes and see markings of elk. They have marked the trees in the area with their antlers. They don''t look to old, and I doubt they aren''t that far away. I look for tracks and I find some, they are fresh too. I follow them while moving extremely fast. I reach a clearing in less then 10 seconds and see a bunch of them. I want a big one and I see the elk that looks the best to me. I draw out my sword and burst towards it in speed it cant dodge or react to. I immediately go for its neck and cut off its head. Its dies a quick and painless death, and as I do that the rest quickly make an escape. I don''t think Hailey would appreciate me gutting and cleaning it at camp. I don''t have a butcher ss so that means this is going to be a rough looking job. I''m sorry I''m about to mutte your body elk, but its the only option I got. I spend the next hour doing my best to get as much meat out of it as possible. I''ve got us enough elk meat tost us a long time. I look at my blood stained clothes and I strike a resemnce to a murderer. I would clean myself off, but I don''t have the means to since there is no water around. I hope I don''t give Hailey so much of a scare. I put the meat in my inventory and make my way back to camp. I start up the fire again and stick the meat on the ends of sticks. I ce them over the fire and let them cook. If I had a chef ss these would turn out great, but instead they will be rudimentary and tough. Food is food though. I hear shufflinging from the tent and I hear my sisters voice. "I''M TIRED OF WAKING UP COVERED IN SWEAT!! WHY IS IT SO DAMN HOT ANYWAYS!! ITS NOT LIKE THE SUN AS MOVED ANY CLOSER!!" She must not know physics and astronomy. While I cant say I do, I know that nts tilt on their axis while orbiting stars. At least earth did. That must be what''s happening here. I didn''t know that Ancients World had a sr cycle. The seasons did change, but I figure that was just in the games programing. Now it means that this is a sr system. That''s a cool thought, and also a little worrying. "I''ve got us some food Hailey!! Come on out and have some with me!" I yell for her to join me and the tent entrance opens. She sees the food on the fire and gives me a grimace. "I figured you wouldn''t want to eat once we started traveling again. We''ll hit an ocean soon enough, so we won''t be flying 430mph all day again, just a few hour." Her face literally turns green. Its the first time I''ve seen this in person. I do feel bad for my sister, she has had it really hard. "I''m not going to eat anything today Cera. You finish breakfast and we can leave. The sooner we get to the ocean the sooner I get a full day to rest. Don''t even think about talking smart with me either, I''m not in the mood." Message received. I take some of the elk meat off the fire and check to make sure its fully cooked. Its done all the way through. I bite into it and notice that its a little better then the deer meat. I finish eating and put the rest into my inventory forter. I let Hailey rest for a long as she can so I disassemble the tent slowly this time. After a few minutes I have everything ready and I look at Hailey. "Its time to go Hailey. This journey is going by much faster thanks to you being a strong willed person." She gives me a ''bite me'' look. I tried man, I kneel down in front of her and she climbs on my back. Once secured Iunch off the ground and hit max speed. I listen to Hailey dry heave. Its a good thing she didn''t eat anything. "This is going to be a rough final stretch isn''t it..." My sister groans out a question that answers its self as she continues to dry heave. I leave my sister to her suffering and rx my mind as we soar fast through the air. We fly through the air for 7 hours and now I''m beginning to smell an ocean. Wee out of the clouds and see the forest end and a beach connected to an ocean begin. "Let me off right now..." Ind fast and Hailey falls off my back onto the sand. Now we will wait an entire day before crossing the ocean. "You get 24 hours of rest Hailey. We flew for about 7 hours and that''s a little over 3,000 miles. So that means we only have around 2,000 left. After our day break a little less then 5 hours will be the required time to cross this ocean." She looks at me with a pale face and deep breaths. Sheys on her side and tries to steady out her breathing. "Fuck it Cera... Lets keep going... I can handle 5 more hours..." Well... Shit. She must want to be done with it as soon as possible. I crouch down and help her get on my back. This will make her suffering shorter in the end, but damn aren''t I proud of her gusto. Iunch off the ground hard as we begin thest stretch of this journey. "I''m proud of you Hailey. You are showing the will needed to be sessful in this world. Its only a little farther now. So just hang on a little longer and it will be over before you know it." She just groans in pain at my words. She is going to be an amazing fighter and leader one day. I just know it. I look down towards the ocean as we fly over it and I see plenty of marine life in the unpolluted water. I even see whales for the first time in my life. Whales are extinct on earth, most where killed off by poachers before the pollution got to them. I dive to get closer to the water, my sister pinches the skin on my stomach and twists in protest. I''m low to the water and I''m getting a good look at the life that wasn''t on earth. I see dolphins, humpback whales, and other Marine mammals. I see something approaching me fast from the depths and I p up just in time as a shark jumps from the water. It doesn''t look like any ordinary shark either. Many shark species died out on earth. The only ones that survived the pollution were the fresh water only sharks. All salt water ones died. I watch it fall back into the water and I take this split second to inspect it before I''m to far away. [Jaws Lvl.200 Tier 4 Roaming World Boss (Easter Egg Boss)] 555,000,000/555,000,000 HP [Description: An Easter Egg boss that roams the oceans of the world. A very rare encounter and an even harder boss. The creature pays homage to the hit blockbuster shark film Jaws made in the year 1975. An original VHS copy goes for 3,000,000 UWD''s. This fan favorite movie first showed in theaters over 250 years ago.] Well I''ll be... This must have been a boss the devs created and had the system integrate. To bad earth is gone now, and one of its memories is reminded through a deadly boss. I continue flying and think about everything I''m going to miss about earth, I can count them on one hand. However, it is interesting that the Almighty Father allowed another creation that wasn''t his own into the game... I wonder how many he allowed to be created for the yers. I don''t know the whole story of it, but that sounds like something a deity would be mad about. I focus on flying and the time passes fast. Chapter 134: Return to the Continent

Chapter 134: Return to the Continent

{I want you guys to choose who helps Cera in his divine mana aura quest. The choices are between Fenrir of course, and the other is Nelli, the first born of the dragon king Vendris. I''ll tally the votes when I start writing the chapters for the divine mana aura quest. Thanks for reading!} Hailey is suffering greatly, and she doesn''t sound like a healthy person should. "We are only a minute away Hailey. If you can look you''ll see the beaches of the continent." I feel her move her head slightly and I hear her groan and moan. I focus on getting us tondfall and soon the minute passes and we reach the beach. Ind on the beach and toggle my wings off, don''t want anyone seeing me. No one is around right now, but I''m still not going to risk it. Hailey almost falls off my back and I catch her just in time. The sun is getting lower in the sky, we have been flying for 12 hours in total today. I carry her in my arms and make my way off the beach. She obviously needs a break from all the highspeed movement. I look down to her face and see that she is already asleep. Must be recovering from the strain on her body. I don''t know where we are specifically on our original continent. Once we reach a city it should be easy to find out where we are, even a town will do. I carry Hailey in my arms all the way to a dirt road that is used for travel. You can tell by the wear and tear of the road. I start to walk down it, any road that is traveled frequently leads to a ce with people. I walk for a few hours and the sun is now setting, and I hear the faint clicking of horse hoofs and the turning of wagon wheels. I look behind me and I see what looks to be a caravan. It even has guards and escorts, they must be heading in the same direction we are. Which means there is a sizable city up ahead. The noise catches up and my nice walk is interrupted. "Halt! Make way for the Countess of Kreoma!" I get out of the way and stand on the side of the road. So a countess, but the name of the country tells me where I''m at. Kreoma is a port country, they makes tons of money thanks to their travel routes. I remember the king of this country is very sick. He passed away in the second year of Ancients World, other than that I don''t know much about this ce. This is actually the first time I''ve been here. "Stop the carriage!!" I hear a feminine voice order the driver of her carriage to stop. I look and see an elegant looking cabin stop. Ady opens the door and looks directly at me. She is older then me by 10 years at least, must be the countess. She steps out of the cabin and walks over to me while being escorted by guards. "I recognize you... Now if only I can ce it..." Strange I''ve never met this woman before. I look individually at the guards and they all have their hands on their sword handles. "Ahh now I remember... You were the young man who interrupted King Jackson at his party in Zenith... I must say that was mighty bold of you to storm a castle, but I''ve never seen a king defend someone like that." So she was at the party. I didn''t talk to anyone other then Charles and Jackson. She continues to stare at me waiting for a response. "You have an impressive memory Countess. I don''t know your name however. Jackson is an old friend I helped out awhile ago. I''m surprise a noble all the way from Kreoma went to Zenith. Matters of state I bet, you nobles are so crafty aren''t you." When those words leave my mouth the guards get ready to attack. The countess holds up her hand and they stop. She gives me a calcted look, and then looks at my sleeping sister. "My name is Patricia Lecruz. Head of house Lecruz, I was in Zenith on behalf of king Edward Whirlpool of Kreoma. May I please have your name sir?" She has the voice, attitude, and disposition of a noble. Edward Whirlpool is the king of Kreoma still, so this part of the continent hasn''t changed. I set my sister down on the ground gently and give a slight bow in respect of the noble. No reason to make her my enemy and its better just to y the role they assume me to y. A poor idiot on the road, that way I can move on through this country with no problems. "My name is Zern, I''m a new person. Its a pleasure to meet you Countess Lecruz." She gives me a suspicious look. She waves her hand in a circle and the guards leave us. She must want a private conversation about something. She walks up in front of me and gives an overconfident look. "There was an incredible event that took ce in the kings pce in Zenith. Its strange that it happened right after you showed up and seemingly disappeared... Do you happen to know anything about that?" This woman is both intelligent and a master at trapping you with words. I could just kill her and everyone on this escort mission, but that isn''t really my style. "You should watch your words Countess... A person will get the wrong idea with questions like those... You may have plenty of guards, but we both know I can kill them all and you... So run along and forget you saw me. I''m sure a Countess is smart enough to understand my warning." She looks at me in slight shock, and backs away very slowly. Good, she got my message. I watch her turn around and head into her cabin and proceed on her journey. I pick up Hailey and continue walking forward myself and watch them fade out of view. I have a long walk ahead of me, and as much as I''d like to fly I''ll be risking a lot heading to poption center. Hailey is still sound asleep, and I have no problem walking through the night. I could run at top speed, but that might make her sick again. Its not near the same speed, but Hailey is in a delicate state tight now. I close my eyes as I walk on the straight dirt path and organize my thoughts. Hopefully this Patricia doesn''t cause me any problems, and if she does I''m going to deal with her. Her guards aren''t higher then tier 2 I can feel it, she is most likely heading back to her territory to take care of whatever nobles take care of. Jackson offered me a duke ship, but I''d rather pass kidney stones for a week then be a noble. I wonder if he did ask my in game mother to be a noble, Amelia deserves it. Speaking of Amelia I should check my mail at the next church when I get a chance. I sent her a letter awhile back before all the crazy things happened to the yers. She has probably been waiting for me to respond. "Mmmmnnggggnnn..." My sister makes a strange noise and I look down at her. She must be dreaming about something, but I have no idea what it is. Knowing her its probably about the few things she likes, and those aren''t avable in Ancients World. [World-wide Announcement: The monsters are attacking the small country of Pe! This surprise attack will result in bonus exp for any yers that help repel the attack!] Pe huh... If memory serves me right that is about an hours flight from here at full speed. I could use the exp since I''m going after my divine mana aura soon. I exit into the forest and I set up a camp really fast. I ce Hailey inside and take out my yer journal. I write her a note that I''ll be back by the time she wakes up and to wait for me here. I rip the page out of the journal and ce it next to her. I exit the small tent and toggle my wings back on. I''m itching for a fight, its been several days since I got to fight anything strong, and this is a nice opportunity to get some exp. Iunch off the ground in a burst of speed and head to the red blinking marker on my map. I quickly mark the location of the tent before its out of view. Once done I head towards Pe and I cant stop the grin on my face. Yes people are dying, and yes they are suffering greatly. I should get there before they cant defend the borders anymore. I wonder how many monster I''ll get to kill. I should consider using a 2x exp boost I have saved, stack that with the bonus from the event and that''s cha-ching. I will get even more since I don''t have to deal with the debuff anymore. This event is going to help me a lot. To bad Hailey is going to miss out, but I''m sure she is happy sleeping this time. Chapter 135: Unimpressed

Chapter 135: Unimpressed

I look down as I fly over the countryside and I''m d that night has fallen. Even though my golden wings have a slight glow I should only look like a shooting star instead of an angel. I''ve been flying for about 40 minutes now and I''m getting really close to the blinking red marker on my map. I look out into the direction its in and I see a battle raging on. Its right against the walls of the border, these must have been added from the war. I can see countless men and woman being ughtered as the fighting continues. I should fight far enough away so they cant inspect me. I fly over the horde that is just arriving, I can handle the onesing in while they handle the ones attacking their walls. As Cera makes his descent themander at this important point in the border is fighting off as many as he can. His name is Kaden Lancer, and he is doing his best to fight off the invasion. I ughter as many as I can as fast as I can, but we are running low on men and women to fight. I have a split second to take a breather and I notice a golden light above theing horde. I cut down an attacking monster and focus on it once again. I watch it dive and hit the ground hard causing shockwaves to rattle throughout the area. I listen to monsters shriek in pain as they are taken apart. The monsters that are currently fighting us turn around and charge back to the thing that is fighting them. "What the hell is going on..." I hear one of the soldiers at my side ask that question. I watch a scout on my other side pull out a scope and look. I watch his face pale and see the absolute shock on his face. "Its him..." He speaks in a whispered tone. The soldier behind him smacks the back of his head so he speaks. "ITS THE SON OF ARCH-ANGEL MICHAEL!!!" Everyone starts hurling questions and climbing over one another to try and get a look. I take the scope fast from the scout and look myself. I see him cutting through them like they are nothing. I watch him use his wings and his sword to unleash death upon the monsters. "I have to get close enough..." Many of the quiet soldiers hear my words and look between each other. "This is an opportunity the find out who he really is!" I shout at the top of my lungs and the remaining soldiers be motivated themselves. I hop off the wall andnd on the piles of corpses and organs. I stand up and run as fast as I can, but the closer I get the more he kills. I''m still to far away and all the monsters are nearly dead, I see him clearly now amongst all the carnage. I try to use inspect, but it tells me I''m to far away from target. "JUST A LITTLE CLOSER!!!" I yell out hoping some how this helps. However, I watch him spread his majestic golden wings as they drip with blood andunch off the ground. I am ovee with frustration in myself, I watch him soar into the direction the monsters areing from. I stop running and put my hands on my knees to catch my breath. I was so fucking close to him. I''ve never seen something so spectacr in my life. I look off into the direction he went and I can no longer see him. Some of the scouts catch up with me and take deep breaths themselves. "Did you get a chance to inspect him?" I shake my head no in disappointment. They all just sigh as well, however I did get a decent look at his face. That is sure to be useful, all a mage needs to do is look into my mind and magically draw what I saw. We could have posters all over the continent by next week. "Its not all bad men... I did get a good look at his face. That is sure to be useful in someway. Go back to camp and tell HQ what happened. I''m going to go and investigate thebat sight, knowing the church they wont let anyone near it until they inspect everything." The scouts leave without a word and I continue forward to the site. As this is happening Cera is heading to the area they are camped at, provided by the system after sessfully clearing the emergency world event. I fly fast to the camp to see what else I can fight. I leveled up a bunch with the bonus from the emergency event and the 2x boost. I can take some time to read the notifications now that I''m not fighting. I open my yer stats and notifications and get tons of alerts. +2030% exp +3 levels to sh [You have leveled up 20 times!] [sh has been upgraded!] [sh now does 95% damage per hit!] [yer (Zern) Lvl.71] [Exp: 95/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 13,545] [Health: 16,560/16,560][Mana: 135450/135450] [Stat Points: 470][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.7 325/700] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.7 225/700] [sh Lvl.20 4600/11000] [Parry Lvl.1 80/100] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] I have a huge grin on my face, and I still have a chance to get even more levels. I wont be getting to 100, but this is awesome. I look down to where the marker is taking me and see a bunch of monster running around the camp. I also see a portal that is more then likely the monsters way of getting here. I dive down andnd hard in the center of camp. I have learned I don''t take any fall damage as long as I have my wings toggled on. So it makes for cool entrances. The monsters in camp quickly surround me, but stop. They all part from the portal and I see a demon on the other side, looks to be a greater demon. "So you are the one..." I hear him speak through his deep twisted words. He walks through the portal and closes it behind him leaving the rest of his forces. He is either very powerful or very arrogant, its rare that its both with demons. He has a humanoid look, but the demon horns give him away. The stronger ones are confident enough in their powers to speak like this. I use inspect on him as he stares me down. [Greater Demon Quelzer Lvl.110 tier 2 (Boss)] 20,000,000/20,000,000 HP He is powerful, and I bet by swords dismemberment perk wont work since he is a tier above me. I feel him use inspect on my as well and heughs at my puny health poolpared to his. "I was actually worried about fighting you, but if you are this weak then I have no problems killing you now." I can take out 20,000,000 health with all my skills activated pretty fast, so I might want to y into his ego and let him attack first. That way he just jumps into his death. He leaps at me and I activate all my offensive skills and damage boosts. I dodge his first attack. I go for one too, but he decides to take it to try and rattle me. Ind a devastating hit and watch him recoil in sever pain. "What the fuck..." He groans out as he grips the attacked area. I charge him using his confusion to my advantage. I strike him another 4 times in a row and he''s looking rough. A few more and he is finished. I''m d The Witness does 24,000 damage now instead of 8,000. Stack that with my powerful skills and you got crazy damage. He retreats in fear of dying and reopens the portal and tries to jump through it. I burst forward with my wings and use my right wing to cut off both his legs before he can finish his jump. "HELP ME YOU WORTHLESS MAGGOTS!!!" I grab the greater demon that''s near death and drag him away from the portal. I throw him to the ground and look hard at the surrounding monsters. I swing my sword across his neck and slice it open. He chokes on his own screams and blood, I never stopped looking away from the monsters. They all recoil, and some even start running for the open portal. I stop all ideas of escape and begin to tear them all apart. Soon all the monsters are dead and I got 3 new notifications, I spread my wings and lift off. They are probably about levels and skill upgrades, but I want to get back to Hailey and get a little sleep myself. I open the notification about my level gains, I want to see that at least. +1000% exp +2 levels to all skills [yer (Zern) Lvl.81] [Exp: 95/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 13,545] [Health: 16,560/16,560][Mana: 135450/135450] [Stat Points: 570][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] That''s a lot of progress and help towardspleting the divine mana aura quest. I even have 570 skill points to upgrade some stats. Those are thoughts forter, time to get back to Hailey. I do wonder what the other 2 notifications are though. Chapter 136: The Current State

Chapter 136: The Current State

I''m almost back to the tent and there is still plenty of time to sleep. I''ve leveled up 30 times and I''ve gotta say its nice not having the half exp debuff anymore. The marker is fast approaching and Ind. I walk towards the hidden tent quietly and open it, Hailey is still sound asleep. I toggle my wings off and find myself afy spot and rest my body. I look to the top of the tent and think about that guy charging towards me. Whoever he was, he was definitely trying to get close enough to use inspect on me. I''m d I could kill those monsters before he got within range. I release a small sigh. This is one thing I don''t like about being surrounded by NPCs. I feel Hailey shuffle in her spot and she turns to me and wraps her limbs around me. I shake my head and just push her off me. Doesn''t snuggle when she sleeps is a total lie, I should''ve known better with all the stuffed animals on her bed. I close my eyes and empty my mind. Rxing as best as I can. I''m mentally tired and that''s the worse kind in my opinion. The sun should be rising in a few hours so giving my head a rest sounds like a good idea. I drift into a sleep faster then I would''ve expected and that''s nice. As Cera and Hailey sleep. There is an emergency meeting happening at the church of light. Its only between the officials of the church though. The Pope is the one reading the shocking report. I cant believe my eyes. Soldiers fighting on the border of Pe actually witnessed the son inbat. Themander even saw his face. While we didn''t get the sons name this helps greatly in the search for the son. I look at all my fellow officials of the church and Lucy is taking a break from searching the front lines to be here. "Everyone! An unprecedented event has urred. While soldiers were fighting off an attack on Pe''s borders the son intervened." Everyone stiffens at my words. I send a copy of the report to everyone in the meeting and they begin to read it themselves. "As you can see from the report the son has grown stronger since thest time we heard anything about him. While we don''t know his name, we have someone that can gives us an idea of what he looks like. Themander of the post ran to get close enough for an inspect, but he couldn''t reach him in time. However, he got a good look at his face. We have some mages painting the images with magic now." Many wear faces of happiness at this news, and this is good news indeed. This is the closest the church has ever gotten to finding out who the son is. Now we actually know what he looks like. "Are the reports about golden angels wings true?" Lucy speaks out of no where and I nod my head confirming her question. "This only means he is drawing out more and more of histent angelic powers. I''m heading to the capital city Zenith, I have some questions for king Jackson." Must be the reports about the event that took ce awhile back. I know what she''s doing, and I hope it bares fruit. Lucy leaves the hall and I''m left alone with the rest of the officials. "My fellow colleges. If we do this right and methodically we can find out who the son is and finally achieve our goals of bringing him in and protecting him. However, we must be subtle about it. We cant forget what Fenrir said." Fenrir''s advice can really help us in this situation. Instead of releasing pictures of the son to the public we can set up checkpoints in every city and everyone whoes and goes will be checked with magic automatically. This n will make it hard for us to miss him if he decides to travel by foot to some ces, however he has an ability of flight. Very fast flight by the sounds of the reports, so all we have to do is wait for him to make a mistake. "Lets keep this entire situation under wraps everyone! We can locate him if we are quiet about this. I want to say that we seeded sooner rather thanter." Everyone nods their heads as the holograms turn off and people begin to leave. I''m proud that I may actually be the first Pope to meet a person of the Almighty Fathers line, a direct blood descendant. This entire situation must have been an opportunity for him to get stronger. He has lots of power already and I''m assuming much of his time is spent looking for ways to get stronger. This was also the first monster attack in quite some time. I find it very suspicious that it happens with the son close by. Its like it only happened because he was around. When the announcement came through the church. Lucy was already on her way with our forces. They only made it about half way with the teleport gates before we got the report. I stand up from my seat and begin walking towards the doors of this meeting hall. I''d like to get some sleep tonight, but that isn''t happening anytime soon. I make it to my office after climbing some stairs and Ind with a heavy thud in my office chair. I look at all the documents on my desk and all of them are requests for funds from different countries. Its nice that we have the dwarves and lizardmen''s support now, we can use all the help we can get. I pull open my desk drawer and see a poster of Krialder. If we can get help from him in this war it will be amazing. The only other legendary ss we have in our forces is Lucy, if I can convince Krialder to help us we might swiftly end this war. I know hees from that group, but their history speaks for its self. I don''t know how so many powerful peoplee from one specific ce, but this could be the deciding factor in the war. As The Pope searches through more documents and continues work, Krialder is hanging out with his old friends Creatureman and Ghostzero. These two have grown really powerful over the years. If Zelly wasn''t the one who raised our orphanage we would''ve been evil little bastards. "I hear that you guys pulled off one of the greatest heists in history. Even got a legacy ss from it." They both give sideways looks. "Hey, I''m not saying you have to tell me the story now. I want to know it one day though." They just chuckle and roll their eyes. We all turn our heads to see the door to the room open. We all see Zelly carrying a te with snacks and tea. We all get up and help the woman who raised us. We set it on the table and look at her to join us. "You boys grew into such nice men. Looks like all the things I did for you and your brothers and sisters was for the best." She begins tough as she finishes that. We stay quiet. All of us orphans that were raised under Zelly deeply resent what she went through to keep us safe. "Ohe on boys... Its supposed to be a good thing I lived long enough to say these things." I can never understand how she could be such a positive and great person after all the shit... She stand up and walks over to the window. "You guys even bought me this huge mansion and servants. In truth I find it extremely unfamiliar to be in this ce. Having others take care of me is something I never thought I''d get..." I look to my brothers and see the malice for the treatment from we got from those men growing up. I was going to go alone, but they might want toe along to. "I wont interrupt you guys anymore. I''ll be downstairs if you need anything." We watch her walk out of the room and gently close the door. I take some breaths to try and rid those memories from my mind. What I''m about to say brings joy to my heart. "I found the rest of the men..." They both instantly give me hard res. "I was going to go on my ow-!" Creatureman stands up and grabs my cor. I look at the fury in his eyes. "We areing too." Enough said little brother. He lets go and we sit in silence knowing our new objective. We areing for you Edwin... No matter how many cronies you have, it wont stop us. I stand up and so do they. I want to say goodbye to Zelly before we leave. "I want to have Jason all to myself." Creatureman says who he wants to have all to himself. I look over to Ghostzero and see him full of fire. "I want Reginald. He will know what its like to feel total and absolute fear." Looks like whos getting who is settled. We proceed downstairs and say our goodbyes for now to Zelly. Bellvia here wee. Chapter 137: Running into pests

Chapter 137: Running into pests

My body feels hot and I open my eyes. Today is a scorcher, I sit up and I''m dripping in sweat. I immediately get out of the hot tent and try to cool down. Its hot and Hailey is going to be cranky, I unequip my leather chest piece and give a sigh of relief. I need to find better weather appropriate gear. For now I''ll just walk around without a chest piece. "THIS IS THE WORST!!!" Seems like Hailey is awake. She quickly gets out of the tent and I notice she is drenched in sweat herself. "Its a hot one today, you would think being in shade would keep it cooler." She looks at me in frustration. Probably not in the mood to talk. "We should get a move on. I think we are rtively close to a town. They will probably have a way for us to get clean. I''d also like to find out how far I am from The Holy City." The Holy City is the location I need to head to so I can start my divine mana aura quest. She fans herself with her hands trying to cool down. I approach the tent and take it apart and ce it in my inventory. "So I guess that means we''ll be separating soon doesn''t it." She looks a little sad saying that, but I can also tell she is excited to go for her legendary ss Battlemind. "You know I thought it would take longer to get here. I didn''t think that we would get here in only a couple days." Its all thanks to you that I was able to get us here early. I walk up beside her and tilt my head for us to continue. We make our way to the road and we start walking. "The reason we got here so fast was because you allowed me too. You were a real champion, I''m positive you''ll get your ss without any problems." She just slugs my shoulder at my nice words. Its rare for siblings to be nice to each other. Most of the time its just a ruse to cause even more damage. I like to think we out grew that part of our lives. I look ahead of us and see open space and rolling hills. "I don''t know how far the next town is, but I do know its this way. I''d fly us, but I risk my identity doing that. So please be nice and don''t beg for me to fly." As I say those words her face turns a shade of green. She must not want to fly anymore after all the highspeed travel. "Forget I said anything. If I knew you would get so sick from the mention I wouldn''t have mentioned it." She gives me an annoyed look and I give a light chuckle. She opens her map and begins to look around. I cant see what she sees, but my map would show the same thing. "This ce sure has a lot of open fields, thend is healthy too. If earth hadnd this healthy we probably wouldn''t of had a food crisis. The third world countries suffered greatly for the modern ones. I still get knots in my stomach thinking about those types of things." Hailey understood what earth was really all about. If she can ept its fate her life here will get much better. I give her an understanding look. Many people saw the human race as doomed, and the clock on our world wasn''t pasted 70 years at that point. Scientist did a lot to help extend the clock and make great inventions, but those were band-aids. "Our world is a tragedy only the yers will remember. I will miss it to Hailey. Ancients World is a ce we don''t have to worry about that anymore, I say enjoy the freedom from death. This ce is our new home, forever at this point." She gives a slightly bitter look. Many of her friends probably didn''t make it, I doubt any actually did. "Do you think humanity will ever be the same again? Cause I cant tell you how much I miss the convenience of my favorite things. You have no idea how many time I put my hand on my thigh trying to feel for a phone that isn''t there anymore." I''ll miss those things too. I cant lie, I do like things that make my life more convenient and many of those things are gone. I''m a little bitter about only getting to drive my Lambo once, talk about getting screwed. The rays of heat and light from the sun are sting down on both of us. I feel bad for Hailey because she cant take off her chest piece. She doesn''t have a bra so that means she is suffering through the heat more then me. "Perhaps I''ll finally get a good tan in this blistering heat. How hot do you think it is? 85 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit?" Just because we grew up in California LA doesn''t mean we love the heat. Another thing I miss about earth is air conditioning. That sounds so wonderful right now. My slightly paler skin type is probably going to get sun burned, but you cant get a tan without one at this point. I don''t think sunscreen even exists in Ancients World. "At least you can take off your clothes. Its feels more like 100 to me. I hope the town has some clothes that are cheap. I only have enough to get a few things." She says all that in a voice implying me to step up and help pay for it. My shop should have umted a lot of gold by now, so I''ll stop by the bank in town and withdrawn the earning. There are things I want to get as well. I suddenly here a light humming noise. I look where the sound ising from and I see a massive airship in the sky. "What is that noise?" I grab the top of my sisters head and turn it to where I''m looking. "Whoa..." I''ve taken rides on an airship a bunch of times before. That is one of the bigger ones I''ve seen. Must be heading to whatever town is in front of us. "I don''t think I''m going to be using any methods of flight for a awhile." The journey here left a bad taste in her mouth and she isn''t looking for a flying option right now. I look at its marvelous design. It truly is one of the greater inventions of Ancients World. Since teleportation gates are expensive yers use the airship alternative. Not to mention the toxic adventurers guild making it almost impossible to use the gates. "I suggest you get used to using airships Hailey. They are going to be your best mode of transportation. Airships usually dock at a town for a full 12 hours for refueling and unloading and loading of passengers." This means if we get there in time I can pay for a ticket and send Hailey on her way. She gets the meaning behind my words and releases a groan. I bet its a few more hours till we get there so there is no need to rush anything. "I know I''m not high enough level to use the teleportation gates yet, but are the rumors about the adventurers guild really all that bad? Aren''t they supposed to be the good guys most of the time." Not in Ancients World. They are some of the worst people you''ll ever meet in your entire life. They are worse then nobles when ites to attitudes. We walk for a couple more hours and the weather is getting hotter and hotter has the time passes. We hear the clicking of horse shoes behind us and we both turn around. Their is a group of three men and all have good gear and probably good levels. I notice the pins on their jackets. All of them are C ranked adventurers. We can already see the town in the distance. So that means they have a branch in the uing city. They pass us and they hop off their horses. I already know what''s going to happen. I see the strongest of these guys make lustful eyes at my sister, and that almost makes me pull out my sword right now. "Well, youngdy. You look mighty hot in this weather. Why don''t youe with us and we''ll get you to town faster." These guys are unlucky and incredibly stupid. However, manymon NPC''s don''t mess with the adventurers guild so they probably don''t get rejected often. My sister gets behind me and they stare at me. "So this your boyfriend or something?" I don''t give any reaction and just continue to stare into him hard. He really isn''t liking that. "How about you hand us the girl for a little while and I''ll forget about your disrespectful attitude." All the power they have has gone to their heads. I can spare 30 seconds to kill these clowns. He is getting very agitated at my disposition and reaches for my sister. I toggle my wings on and cut off the arm trying to grab her. "AAAAHHHHH YOU SON OF A BITCH!!! GGGAAGGHHH YOU CHOPPED MY ARM OFF!!" His face twists has he sees what caused it. This is going to be fun. Chapter 138: Tulak City

Chapter 138: Tk City

The faces of the men are in total and absolute fear. I look down at his severed arm and see that its cleanly cut from my wing swipe. I look back and they immediately fall too their knees. "Pl-please... Don''t ki-kill us..." The weakest of the group is the first to start begging. I wonder how men like these guys live long enough to act in such despicable ways. I slowly draw my sword and one of them squeals in fear like a little toddler. I start making an approach, but the armless one holds up his other good arm and points at me. "YOUR AN ANGEL!!! ITS FORBIDDEN FOR YOU TO TAKE MORTALS LIVES!!! THE CHURCH HAS PREACHED THIS FOR CENTURIES!!!" He looks at me as if he''s won. I crack a smile and his disappears. "Well, I''m still half human." His face twists in fear. The worst creature to ever breathe are humans. I dash forward and cut his head off. I see the other two and the weakest one that started begging has wet his pants. "Have some dignity before you die." I wear a frown as I say that. This isn''t fun at all. I dash forward and kill both of them with my wings. I look at the ground and see their blood pooling. This is cleaner then most of my battles. I toggle my wings off and turn back to my sister. She looks at my blood stained chest and runs to the side of the road to dry heave since she has nothing in her stomach. I just stand still waiting for her to return. These guys wasted their lives and they have no one to me but themselves. Hailey leans back up from dry heaving and looks at me with slight disgust. "Jesus Cera... Show some humanity for fuck sake..." I roll my eyes at her words. She must have never killed an NPC before. Its like killing another human so I can see how its rough on her. She walks back up to me and looks at the dead bodies. "You know taking their gear and selling it will you a nice profit Hailey. I suggest taking them." She looks at me mortified. Fine, if you don''t want it I''ll take them. I loot only the valuables on these guys and put them in my inventory. I''ll get a few gold pieces for the state the gear is in. I start walking forward and Hailey follows. I look at the three guys horses and now they are ownerless. Horses go for way more then their shitty gear. I grab their tassels and begin walking them with us. Hailey even tries to get on one, but is denied by the system since she isn''t the horses owner and doesn''t meet the level requirements. She walks up to my side and stares at me. Most likely wanting an exnation for what that was all about. "I wasn''t going to let them take you Hailey. They weren''t going to leave without a fight." She looks down to the ground. Most likely thinking of something to say. "Next time I wont be there to save you." I watch her lift her head fast and look at me in slight fear. She is going to have to get used to killing and not just monsters. NPC''s cause problems too and they are the ones you have to worry about. Clever bastards most of the time, these ones not so much. Typical of the adventurers guild. We get closer and closer to the city in view and now we are waiting in line to enter the city. I look at its name and its Tk. After a few minutes we get in and I head to the stables right inside by the entrance. I sell the three horses for 5 gold a piece. I give the 15 gold to Hailey and nod for her to go shopping. "Lets meet by the airship loading area. I have some things to do and I don''t want to drag you around with me." She slugs my chest and looks at me with frustration. "Get a move on." She listens and turns around and heads to themercial district to shop. I need to check my mail at the local church. I find it by the bank as usual and I enter it. I reequip my chest piece so I don''t get kicked out. I walk over to the message department and see I have two new mail. Both are from Amelia. I take the envelops out and open them. I read the one with the date closer to the time I sent her mail. "Its so good to hear from you son. I''ve heard many things about you from the churches announcements. I want to say thank you for checking in with me and keeping me up to date. I wont keep you from your journey any longer and make you read a lot. ~Love Mom" I look at the next envelop and see that its a little fancier and has intricate designs on it. I open it and begin to read. "The new king of Zenith, Jackson, has offered me a noble spot in his country. I''ll be grantednd and servants. The message he sent even said he''ll give me funds to start growing my noble house andnds. I''m going to ept and be a Countess. I know you had something to do with this and I thank you for it. The kids here will now have a much better ce to grow up. Please write back to me soon. ~Love Mom" So Jackson did it, he is really making my game mother a noble in his country. Way to keep me close, and I did suggest it. I didn''t think he would go through with it. Good on him for making me eat my words. I should write back to her and make sure she understands I''m doing just fine. Its been awhile since I sent her anything. "I''m d to hear that mom. I was in the capital talking to Jackson awhile back. Before he was king he was the baron of blue grass city. I did a mission for him and Ipleted it without any problems. I''ve had good rtions with him every since, he is one of the few who knows my identity. I don''t know the next time I''ll be in Zenith, but when I am I''ll be sure to stop by. I have important things to take care of so its going to be awhile. Once I''m done with all the work I have I''lle by. ~Love Your Son" I fold up the letter and ce it in the delivery slot. I input where its supposed to go and who is getting it and I click send. It disappears in a ray of light and I''m now done in the church. I exit and head to the bank right by it. I enter and notice there are no lines. I walk up to a teller and see the typical bank teller smile. "Name is yer Zern. I''d like to withdraw all funds in my ount." Thedy nods her head and checks my credentials with magic. She then looks at my ount bnce and goes pale. "Are you sure you wish to withdraw 240 gold coins..." I nod my head yes and she heads into the back where the vault is. I patiently wait for her to return and when she does she has 4 filled pouches of gold. She puts them in from of me and I take them. "Have a nice day sir..." She looks distraught that I took out that much money. However, its not her responsibility to take care of the funds. I walk out of the bank and ce the pouches of gold into my inventory. I should sell the gear I got from those guys. I make my way to themercial district and see an armor shop. I enter it and see a balding man at the front desk. "How can I help you young man?" He gives an excited voice and I walk up him. I take the only valuable things I got from those guys and ce them on the desk. "I''d like to sell these. I''ll take whatever you offer for them." I''m telling the truth. I just want them out of my inventory. Hailey is getting whatever goldes from these. He adjusts his sses and inspects the quality. "I''ll give you 5 gold for everything." I nod my head and he pulls out the gold from under the counter. I take them from his hand and ce them in my inventory. I exit the store and now its time to meet Hailey at the airship. I make my way to the port for its loading and unloading and I don''t see her yet. She must still be shopping. I wait for 3 more hours and I finally see her walking over. I wave my hand and she walks over. "Sorry I took so long. I wanted to get the things I needed to befortable. I still have 8 gold left." She spent 7 gold on nonbat clothes. Talk about wasting money. That''s just how she is and who am I toin, its not my money. I take out the five gold and give it to her. "It costs 2 gold for amercial ticket. 8 for a first ss. I''ll let you decide which one you want." She looks at me with sadness. "This isn''t going to be thest time we see each other. When the yers find a way tomunicate after they return I''ll contact everyone." She nods her head and takes a seat next to me. There is still time so she probably wants to talk about something. Chapter 139: Haileys departure

Chapter 139: Haileys departure

{The help that Cera will get will be from Fenrir. I''m also not reading or responding to anyments on this story anymore. Despite its sess in my eyes, there are lots of people who find any reason to shit on it. I find that many of my haters just hate on stories in general, but I''m tired of readingments calling me retarded, idiotic, gay, and the sort all in broken English mind you. So I''m done trying to be a good author and read thements. I''m sorry to my most loyal fans, but its at that point now.} We sit in silence now that its time to say goodbye. I look over and see that sad look on her face. "If you keep making a face like that I might actually think you''ll miss me sis. The airship is going to be leaving and you know where you''re heading." She looks at me with sad eyes. My attempt at a joke didn''t work. She leans back and looks at the passing clouds. "Will you tell me what you''re hiding before I leave? I''d like to know what changed you so much and how you know so much about Ancients World..." I look up at the same spot she is and I release a sigh. She isn''t going to like my answer. "I''ll tell you the next time we meet. You''ll be strong enough by then, and so will the rest of our family. Its going to be a long time before we see each other, and I''m going all over Ancients World soon. I have to head to The Holy City for a quest I have. After Iplete it I''m heading to Bellvia." She looks down to her knees and tries to hold back tears. I put my hand on top of her head and that does it. She has big crocodile tears now and is trying not to make any noise. "Dry your tears Hailey... Time is on our side. I better hear things about you in the world announcements sis. It''d be nice if I wasn''t so damnmon on them." She hups a little and stops crying. She looks at me with a bitter smile. "Go and get your ticket. I''ll see you off." We both stand and walk over to the booth. She takes out 2 gold and hands it to the teller. She gets her ticket and turns to me. "This is it Cera... I had a lot of fun despite the mishaps and conversations with your twisted sense of reality..." I''d be hurt if I disagreed. "You are stronger then I could ever be. Maybe I have been looking at this all wrong..." She walks up to me and wraps her arms around me. She squeezes me in a hug and I reciprocate. She pulls away with a smile. "Its like hugging a steel beam. Contact me when you can Cera. Until then, farewell." I watch her load onto the airship and get out of view. I look towards the window that she should look out of. She peeks around the corner and sees me looking. I can see she has tears in her eyes again and I chuckle a little. I wave her goodbye as the whistle goes off for itsunch. The airship takes off and I watch her slowly fade out of view along with the airship. I turn around and feel a bittersweet moment. It was really nice to travel with someone for once, but now I''m back on this road. I haven''t had a good meal or bath in awhile, so that is going to be my first priority. I walk the streets of Tk and find a nice inn that also has a bath. I enter and see the lively parties that happen everyday in inns and taverns. Their are guards, civilians, and adventurers. I walk up to the counter and see the middle aged woman doing tons of work. "Do you have any rooms avable? I''m willing to pay extra for a private bath too." She looks at me and holds out her hand. Its usually 50 silver for a room and bath. I hand her 2 gold and she beams with a smile. "The private bath will be ready in an hour. Here''s your room key. Its on the second floor at the end of the hall. Sally wille get you when the bath is ready." I nod my head and take the key with me upstairs. I make it to the room and see how well its maintained and the quality of everything. I don''t want to stink up the bed right now so I take a seat in the chair and lean my head on the desk. Now the fighting gets really hard. The quests I have are absurd in quality and not everything will go smooth. I should take the warning from the system and see if I can get help with the mission for my divine mana aura. I still have Fenrir''s whistle and I bet he''d be willing to help. He would be invaluable on this quest, and I''m not wasting this opportunity to get the best quality mana aura. I open my quest for the divine mana aura and read it. [Chain Divine Mana Aura Quest] [Description: Now that you have reached tier 1 you must undertake the real challenge. While many mana aura quests are the same, its a known fact the the rarer a ss is the harder the quests will be for that ss.] [Objective 1: Make your way to the Holy City and speak to the Secret Keeper of Titans.] [Objective 2: Complete the quest she gives you and get the first clue to the location of your Divine Mana Aura.] [Difficulty: Divine] [Rewards: Information about the location of your Divine Mana Aura] [Hint: You will need a powerful ally to help you at the end of this Chain Quest, you will not be able to defeat the boss with your current strength.] The Secret Keeper of Titans is not an entity I''m familiar with. As well as The Holy City, I have little experience with the city. This quest is just the beginning to, its a chain divine quest and that means its extremely difficult. If I want to seed I''m going to need Fenrir''s help. I still have the lore tablet, and that is going to be crucial in this quest. After this quest the next ones are the two in Bellvia. I pull those up next to see them. [Quest: The False One] [Description: You have found the truth about Bellvia and their involvement with the Dryads and you have found out about the curse and who made it. You will have a choice to make, only one of the following objectives can bepleted.] [Objective 1: Expose the Kingdom of Bellvia and have them pay for their crimes.] [Objective 2: Find the weakness of the curse and use it to free the Dryads and return them to Ancients World.] [Quality: Legendary] [Rewards: Hidden] [Quest: An Abomination] [Description: Find the research and notes of Ulma Runa on her development of the curse.] [Objective 1: Find Ulma Runa''sb in Bellvia''s capital and bring the notes and research papers back to Flint.] [Objective 2: Hidden] [Quality: Epic] These two quests are intertwined. I''m going to be bringing back the dryads for sure. That''s also going to bring war. Bellvia is surely going to be a point of interest very soon in the future. Their past transgressions are going toe back and bite them in the ass. I hear a knock on my door and I notice that more time has passed then I thought. I open the door and Ie face to face with a half-breed. So Sally is half elf and half human. Quite beautiful too. She is just staring at me with a slightly shocked look. "Geez sir! I understand why you wanted a bath! You absolutely reek!" She pinches her nose and I begin tough. That is one of the boldest and funniest things I''ve ever heard. She has no regard for whates out of her mouth. She takes a step back making sure she doesn''t get stinky just by standing near me. "Now I''m in a hurry with thatment. Its been a long time since I''ve had a bath, I''ve been without ess to one for awhile." She nods her head and hands me a key to the bath. She quickly makes an escape and I cant helpughing some more. That was something I needed to bring the mood up for me. I walk downstairs and make my way to the bathroom in a separate room. I use the key and I''m meet by a steamy bath. This is something I need. I quickly put my clothes into my inventory and hop into the nice big tub. I see soap on the little table next to it and I pick it up. This is absolutely perfect. I scrub as deeply and as hard as I can. The water is magically enchanted to. Its not getting cold or dirty. I stop with the cleaning and just lean back into the tub. I bet Hailey took a bath in those 3 hours she was gone. I didn''t smell her reeking like me. I close my eyes and rx to the point that I''m drifting in and out of sleep. I paid for its use so I don''t think they''ll mind me taking a little nap. Tomorrow I''m heading for The Holy City. Chapter 140: Chasing Real Power I

Chapter 140: Chasing Real Power I

I get out of the tub and stretch my body around. I''m now all clean for the first time in weeks. I put a towel around my waist and exit the bathroom. I walk through the party andmotion in only a towel. Everyone is to busy being drunk or horny to even notice. I make my way up to my room and open it up. Iy t on the soft bed and release a long groan. When was thest time I got to sleep on a bed? If memory serves me right then it was before we all got stuck here. I took a nice nap in the tub so I got extra energy. I sit up on the bed and look out the window that its right under. The night lights are creating an amazing view. Its like those really old pictures of Paris before it lost its beauty. Those photos are close to 270 years old. The people who remember are limited now and that''s a saddening fact. Out of all the memories I have the most prevalent are what my parents told me about their times growing up. The times in the 2180s were apparently the most fun times in their lives. I don''t know every story they have. I do know they have been together for a every long time. It was nice to see what they look like in their mid 20s. Older people being returned to the primes of their lives isn''t something I or anyone could have anticipated. Well, this whole situation couldn''t have been anticipated. So people getting younger instead of older is unsurprising giving it time to sink in. I see that the party in the inn has bled outside. I have a pretty good view from this window. A bunch of drunks is a funny sight, a state and sensation I''ve never know. I''ll never have any mind altering substances because I have seen where that path leads. Haileys old fate is a shining example of that. Many people im they can control it and stop anytime they want, but I know that''s a load of bullshit. I''ll never understand the appeal, I don''t believe in a recreational drug. Thinking about and seeing all this is bringing back old and bitter memories. That man... If I ever meet the man that twisted my sister and killed my mother I''ll kill him 10,000 times and make sure his mind is broken. Evil like him doesn''t deserve mercy or second chances. Not even an opportunity to speak and bargain. All he''ll get is torture till near death over and over. Many people believe angels aren''t allowed to hurt mortal creatures, but I''vee to understand that''s full blooded angels. My half human blood allows me to ignore those rules. I can do other things other angels cant, at least I assume I can. I''m not going to go and find out. Speaking of things I can do, once I get my divine mana aura and finishing the two quests in Bellvia I should help in this war. I''ve taken a seat on the sidelines, but it could prove to be the best source of exp. Grinding areas around Ancients World is well and good, but I can see the value of killing monsters in huge hordes instead of individually. I pull away from the window and remove my towel. I lift up the nket and take it off the bed. I''m only sleeping with the sheet tonight since I know its going to be hot again tomorrow. The weather has officially changed and its only going to get warmer. I close my eyes trying to force myself to sleep. After an hour I fall into a slumber. I sleep through the night and I wake up to the heat again. I toss the sheet off me and I equip my armor. Since it sat in my inventory for a long time its clean now. A feature I found while making my way to my family. While strange in its existence, its extremely useful. I now don''t have a discernable odor for the first time in a long time. While bathing in the clean rivers on the yer continent I wasn''t able to be fully odorless. Just not as bad. I roll my limbs and shift my back and everything pops. Changing from the ground to a bed sure did wonders for my back. I stand up and make my way to the door. I''d like to get a hot meal before I leave today, and the great smelling food fromst night seems like the way to do it. Perhaps Sally wont be recoiling from me this time. She is the third half elf I''ve ever seen. They are rare since most elves don''t procreate with humans. There have been outliers before though, even in Ancients World there is still racial discrimination. Being half angel I probably wont get discriminated, but that''s only with NPC''s who know my identity. Elves will still treat me as a filthy human. I wonder if they are even helping in the war. Knowing their history they are probably reluctant to help against monsters who multiple by using other species females. Truly disgusting, and another reason I should help once I get enough power. This war is my fault to. It never happened in the old future, which means the only reason its happening is because of my choices with future knowledge. I leave my room and walk downstairs. The inn isn''t packed anymore, just some drunksying around. I walk up to the counter and I can smell them cooking already. The samedy that gave me my room keyes to the counter and hands me a paper menu. They have some pretty good stuff. I want something filled with protein and they have excellent steaks here. I look at the beef menu and I set my eyes on a 12 oz. porterhouse and a side of orange juice. Iy down the price of 2 silver pieces and she quicklyes back. "I''d like the 12 oz. porterhouse and a ss of freshly squeezed orange juice." She nods her head and takes the order. She disappears into the back. I look around the inn again and see that among the drunks there are adventurers. I don''t like the fact that more and more NPC adventurers are appearing. It used to be a pretty hard thing to get into, but since the war started more have joined them. Some of the strongest NPC''s in Ancients World are members of the adventurers guild and they are just as horrible as the rest of them. I hear soft footstepse up behind me and some take a sniff. I can figure who it is. I turn back around to look at the other side of the counter and see Sally. "You don''t smell bad anymore sir!" I just crack a smile and nod my head. "So what are you doing in Tk? You don''t seem the type to be interested in what happens near the ports. You look like a deep continent dweller." I didn''t know I had a look like that. Being closer to the coast isn''t unfamiliar to me. My hair is darker then everyone else''s though. I look at her pointy eyes and long blond hair. She has the typical looks of a female elf, but what sticks out the most is her height. She is much taller then normal elves. Must have got it from her father. Thedy fromst nightes out with a te and a ss of orange juice. "Here''s your food. Enjoy it." Sheys down the food in front of me and I immediately cut into it and start digging in. Sally gives me an understanding grin. I lean up as I chew my food and swallow it. "So how did a halflinge to be in the town of Tk if you don''t mind me asking? The elves rarely procreate with other species and I haven''t seen any signs that you are here with your parents." She gives me a solemn look. I hope I''m not pushing to hard. Asking about something so personal is kind of rude. "I understand if you don''t want to tell me anything. Thinking about it that was very rude of me. I apologize." She looks at me with the same solemn look. She takes a breath and looks down at her fingers. "My mother was forced by bandits on our way back to the elven kingdom... When she found out she was pregnant with me she confided in people she thought she trusted... Once the elven government found out they exiled her from the kingdom... They wont have other species intermingling with them. She died after giving birth to me." Damn... Talk about a hellish life. I couldn''t imagine a mother going through all that. Only a woman would be so willing to take care of her baby no matter what. Even exiled. I continue eating my steak some and I think of another question. "Have you ever been to the elven kingdom before? I get not wanting to go, but your mother probably had family." She nods her head and sighs. Guess her family is just as bad. "When they found out, they disowned my mother... All I have left of her is her diary... Reading about all of it was very hard..." She looks very depressed. I would be to if I was trapped in a town like Tk. Its beautiful and full of energy don''t get me wrong, but with so much action and attention there are problems. She probably as discrimination problems. "I''d love to get out of here, but I work for my living. Without this job I''d have nothing." I wonder if she''d be open toing with me. I''d like a person to talk to now that Hailey is gone and she doesn''t seem nearly as annoying as her. It never hurts to ask. Time to make an official introduction, if she does decide toe with me I''ll tell her my angelic secret. Chapter 141: Chasing Real Power II

Chapter 141: Chasing Real Power II

I don''t know how high of a level Sally is. NPC''s are capable of leveling up and tiering up. Their process is just different then yers. "My name is yer Zern, but you can just call me Zern." I hold out my right hand and she shakes it. I start back on my meal and down the orange juice. "I have a question for you Sally and I hope you''ll listen." She looks at me kind of confused, but she nods her head. "Would you like to apany me on my journey. I''m heading to The Holy City and then Bellvia. I could use someone to travel with since my sister isn''t going to be traveling with me anymore." She looks at me like I just asked her something very private. I keep a straight face and try to be convincing to help her agree toe with me. This whole situation is weird, but I need a friend and she seems stuck in this ce. "How do I know I can trust you Zern? This is all very suspicious to me. You don''t ask a girl you just met to go on an adventure with you. Many would suspect you are a criminal." She has the correct idea and is doing a good job at keeping herself safe. I finish my food and put the silverware down. "You cant trust me yet Sally. If you do want to get out of this town meet me at the western gates in an hour. I still have one stop left to make." I stand up andy down a gold piece as a tip. I walk out of the inn and make my way to myst stop before I leave town. Despite the things happening in Ancients World, much of it hasn''t stopped economy in smaller towns and cities. So I can probably find it at the herbalists shop. I make my way to themercial district and enter the herbalist shop. An olddy is at the counter helping any customers thate in. "Hello young man! How can this old raisin help you with what you need?" A nice olddy, I make an approach to the counter with a smile and look at her more closely. She is probably in her 90s by now. "You know its not polite to stare at senior citizens!!" She isn''t actually mad, just a lighthearted reprimand. Iy down 10 gold pieces since what I need is an expensive thing. "I need a drop of moonlight from a freshly cut moonlight flower." She gives me a hard look. She must not expect me to know what I''m talking about. "If you don''t have it that ispletely okay. I know how rare it is." Moonlight dropse from special flowers that only bloom at night during the turn of the season. It might be to early yet to see if she has any. She pushes the gold back to me and shakes her head. "I''m sorry kid, but the military is taking this years harvests for the war. I''d normally have a few by now, but the only ce with any would be capital cities own supplies and The Holy City." That''s surprisingly convenient. Its actually to convenient. The ingredient I need for my idea will be in the ce I''m going. That sounds to good to be true. I take the gold back and say my thanks to the olddy. I exit the store and make my way to the western gate. It hasn''t been an hour yet, but Sally is already there in cheap leather armor and a regr iron sword. She sees me and gives a little wave. I wave back as I approach. "I''m d you showed. I can tell by your gear that you went for the cheapest options, we''ll hit some dungeons before we head into The Holy City to get you better gear. Mind telling me what level you are?" She looks at me with apprehension. I fold my arms waiting for an answer. "I''m level 70 tier 1... I have a basic swordsman ss too... If you don''t want me toe along its fine..." She looks ready to quit. She waits at my silence and looks up at me. I give her a grin that conveys understanding. "Don''t worry about that Sally. Its going to be a st, I''m more then strong enough to help you get better." I want to test something too. Before we all got stuck here there was a level restriction before you could havepanions. I want to see if that is still in ce. I pull up my yer menu and Sally looks at me weird since she can''t see it. I go to the section to recruit apanion and Sally is there. I click on her name and it sends an invite. So that is a function that''s also changed about Ancients World. She gives me a shocked look. "You''re a yer! I''ve only met a few when they came into the inn before they all disappeared!" She seems excited. She must know about yers and their insane apatite to grow stronger. I have a feeling I''m going to be good friends with this girl. She epts the invite and I can now see a new health bar below mine that says Sally Lvl.70. I smile at her and nod for her to follow me. We exit the gates and start walking the road. Eventually we make it to a forest that is covered nicely. "Alright Sally. What I''m about to share with you can never be told to another person alright?" She stops as I stop and she looks at me with slight fear. She still doesn''t know me. I equip The Son of Arch-Angel Michael title. "I want you to inspect me." She does just that as I get the notification of her inspection. Her face morphs between many different expressions. I toggle my wings on for good measure and they appear out of my back and cover arge area and give off an intimidating yet beautiful look. "I''m the son everyone is looking for. So do you think you can trust me now?" She nods her head in a very slow motion looking at me in absolute shock. I can only guess what its like from her perspective. A stranger walking into your inn, then talking to you a little bit. Only to find out he is the one everyone is searching for. She walks up and rubs her fingers through my wings and I can feel it. Still getting used to the sensations thate with them. She begins to start tearing up and she pulls away. "Why would you choose me..." Her voice is shaking so much its sad. She has been hurt and tormented most of her life. Being a half breed will do that to you. Discrimination against such things cause certain problems that I cant rte too. She turns her face to me waiting for me to answer. "You remind me of someone that''s important to me. Besides, you made meugh. I don''t get many opportunities tough the way I did when you made fun of my bad smell. I''d like to have an honest person traveling with me. If you are still okay withing along I wont mind a friend." She dries her tears and gives a small smile. She gives me an extravagant bow in a show of respect. I''ll let it slide this one time. I hope she can handle fast flight better then Hailey could. "Does that mean I have to ride on your back..." I can see the shyness and bashful look. If I wasn''t so focused on getting stronger I''d have a crush. She is what you want in a woman, but I''m not looking for a girlfriend. I turn around and get down on my knees. "Hop on Sally. I''ll be going full speed to get us there faster. I hope you can handle 430 mph." She climbs onto my back and holds on tight. I flex my wings andunch off the ground fast. Since she is an NPC and a much higher level then Hailey she should be able to handle it. She keeps her legs wrap around me, but lets go with her arms. She sticks them out enjoying the freeing feelinging from such an action. "THIS IS THE BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD!!" She seems excited. I can see why she would question why she was chosen, she made a good impression on me. Sometimes that''s all you need to do to change your life. Now I need to think about the issue with her level and armor. In actuality leveling her up wont be an issue. Its getting her better gear and a ss. I know just where I can get both of those. A legacy ss is located near the location where the fairies new kingdom is. The only way you can get the legacy ss is if you already have a ss above legacy. Its called The Frosts Wrath. Its a special hybrid ss that lets you use unique frost and ice magic while being a powerful swordsman. The reason its only a Legacy rating is because you need to already have a legacy or higher wielder in your party. I don''t know how toplete the puzzle to get to it, all I know is that their is a puzzle. The discovery of this ss was an ident to. "We are heading to the fairies new kingdom first Sally! There is a dungeon there that has everything you''ll need to get stronger! How many times have you changed your ss already?" I don''t know how many times an NPC can change sses, but yers can only do it 3 times. She brings her hands back down and ces them in the little space between my wings. "I''ve never changed my ss before! Why are you asking about this?!" She is in for a surprise. I don''t n on doing all the work for her to get stronger. Else it would have no value to her. Once I get her the ss and gear, its up to her to get stronger. I don''t really have a need for armor anymore. My wings are stronger then any known armor. Any I know of anyways. I have a feeling she is going to be a great teammate. Chapter 142: Chasing Real Power III

Chapter 142: Chasing Real Power III

Sally should know what we are going after so she can mentally prepare herself. It wont be an easy fight. "We are going to get you a legacy ss! If you are to be my teammate you''re going to have to be stronger then you are now! Levels are good and all, but the ceiling of a persons potential is determined by their ss! Besides I have something I want to check out in the fairy kingdom!" Now that I''m level 81 I can visit the fairy kingdom I helped save. The people their wont know my identity, but The Holy Willow Tree will remember me. I still have its amazing healing perk. That''s probably what saved me when I was fighting those hordes of monsters. "Thank you so much Zern!" She suddenly hugs me. I let her get it out of her system and she pulls away. "I''ve never seen the fairy kingdom! I cant wait to see its rumored beauty!" I''m looking forward to it too. Its been a long time since I''ve thought about the fairies. In a way they were in the same situation as the dryads. "I have a rtionship with the fairies! So we should be weed without any problems! I doubt any know my actual identity, but The Holy Willow Tree will make our time there easy!" In their kingdom the highest authority is The Holy Willow Tree. Its probably kept my secret and that''s a good thing. I might have a hard time getting to see it, but that isn''t going to be to much of a problem. She is being quiet now and that''s alright with me. Based off my knowledge of the areas the new fairies kingdom has set up shop in The country of Smander. That''s closer then The Holy City which is nice. I adjust course and start heading Southwest. If I''m remembering right this is the right direction. Its easier since the map has apass with it and there is a marker on it showing where The Holy City is. The country of Smander is to the Southwest of where I''m at based of what I can see on the map. I should expect some sort of trouble once I reach The Holy City after I''m done getting Sally all powered up. "What are we doing in The Holy City after we finish in the fairies new kingdom?!" She likes asking a lot of questions, but we are going to be traveling together till I''m done in Bellvia at least. She is going to be a big help in my divine mana aura quest. With her and Fenrir helping my chances of getting that aura are much higher. I just need to always remember she isn''t a yer. If she dies she isn''ting back. So I''ll be extra cautious with anything dangerous that could prove to be to much for her. "I''m doing for my mana aura! You should already have yours since you are over level 50 and tier 1! What was your mission for your mana aura?!" She is level 70 tier 1 and that means she has a mana aura now. If she had the basic swordsman ss then that means she has a low grade one. She stays silent for a second and then gives me an unexpected answer. "I haven''t done it yet! I have been to afraid since its in a different ce not located near Tk!" This is actually great. Since she hasn''tpleted it yet it can be changed in quality once her ss upgrades. That was a mechanic that yers found out they can do once certain NPC''s eventually warmed up to us. It works for both NPC''s and yers. Its safe to say that she is going to be one of the strongest elves alive after we are done. "That''s great Sally! We can get you a better one once your ss upgrades! This way you will be stronger then pretty much any elf alive." In truth The Frosts Wrath should be a legendary ss, but its incredibly hard prerequisite lowers its quality to legacy. I know its going to beplicated to get, but I have no doubt we can do it if we work together to solve the puzzles. Sally isn''t an idiot and neither am I. The forum post about the ss said that there is a puzzle to solve, but never gave the solution. I know all the steps except that part. "Can I ask you something Zern?!" I nod my head and she takes a moment of silence. "Should I take vengeance for my mother and against the elf kingdom for what they did to us! I think about it everyday and you are helping me make it a possibility!" I don''t know. Not in the sense of a bad idea, but in the sense of literally I don''t know. Its not my responsibility to make her decisions for her. If she wants vengeance then that''s hers alone to decide. I want mine against that man, but its different for everyone. "That''s your own choice Sally! You can do whatever you want with your power once you have it! That''s the beauty of having free will!" That is the best answer I can give her. With my limited understanding of women I don''t know if its the right choice. She stays silent at my answer. Having a heart full of vengeance is something I understand, but its my decision to torture that man if I ever find him. Others make different choices based off what they have been through, some forgive and forget. Others hurt the person beyond reason, and that''s fine in my opinion. If that is what it takes to even the score with someone who destroyed your life then enjoy and relish in it as much as you want. While many argue its bad for mental health its not an exclusive problem. Take the yers for example. Some are kind and helpful and others are selfish and despicable. "If I do decide to take revenge will you help me?! I know its a lot to ask, but they deserve what they get and I cant do it on my own! So please just think about it alright!" I don''t know the elves personally, but the horrible reputation they have proceeds them. The billions of entities in Ancients World and the worst to deal with are the elves. All full and pure blooded elves are not worth the time investing in. I''m not one formitting genocide either. I''ll give it some thought, but at this point my answer would be no. If I was given a personal reason to hate them then it would be an easy choice. yers rarely went into the country of the elves simply because they killed any yers that got close. They have one of the most advanced civilizations in Ancients World and they are very secretive about their magic capabilities. "We should focus on getting you stronger before you start to make ns against the entire elven race! When you attack one pureblood you attack all of them! That''s how their society works! They banish mixed bloods and retaliate with violence if anyone objects! So I''m not nning on helping you at the moment!" She stays silent at my words. I don''t think its rude to ask me this. She is truly desperate for help in getting revenge. I''ve been there, and I''m sure I''ll be there again. "Thanks for helping me Zern! I''m sorry to have asked you such a thing! Ipletely understand not wanting to fight against the elves!" I''m thankful she understands, most don''t and pester until they get what they want. Out of all the people I could have selected toe with me, its funny I found some one who is simr to me. I look out ahead and see the vast distances and mountains ahead of us. "How old are you anyways Sally?! I know elves have longer lifespans and retain their youth! Is it the same for half-breeds!?" She is being quiet and ites to my attention that might have been a bad question. My mom always said never ask women certain things. One of them is age, for some reason they are sensitive about it. I don''t really know why either. Everyone gets old, its apart of life. Not anymore though. The yers have de-aged and all of the older people are back in their mid-20s. I''m sure many women and men were happy about that, but no one knows if its permanent. "I''m 103 years old! How old are you!?" She doesn''t look a day over 20. Another reason why the elves think themselves superior. She is one of the oldest people I''ve met, Wilmer and others I''ve met on my journeys are very old. I''m approaching 20 years of age, but I don''t know anymore. We cant keep track of time anymore. Not in terms of earth. So in truth I''m between 19 and 20. "I''m somewhere between 19 and 20! I''m sorry I cant give you a specific answer! When I do find out I''ll let you know!" For all I know I''ll look like this forever. Having angelic blood and powers is sure to have other effects. Once I gain enough strength I might end up getting immortality. We have a few hours to go so might as well get to know her better. Chapter 143: Chasing Real Power IV

Chapter 143: Chasing Real Power IV

Sally has been through a lot in her time. She isn''t someone who''s willing to share her story so fast. Trying to find out about her is going to be more difficult because she is guarded. "So what was your early childhood like Sally! If you aren''tfortable talking about it that''s fine! I wouldn''t want to talk about anything if I had a hard life like yours!" She stays quiet at my words. She is probably thinking of ways to avoid conversations like this. I feel her hands twitch on my back. Might be reliving a memory that she wants to forget. Sometimes they cane rushing back with just a mention of them. "I was thrown into very after I was old enough to walk and talk! I was abused and beaten everyday! I''m unfit for marriage now too!" Ancients World has traditions. One of those being that if a man or woman has their virginity forcefully taken then they are pronounced no longer pure. Its really fucked up in my opinion, but that''s the lore of this world. Its a different story if its not taken. Its really disturbing that things like this happen in this world. I should tell her that I wont think any less of her for what she has been through. It can help people if you tell them that. "I want you to know that I don''t think any less of you for what happened to you! You were powerless and weak so you couldn''t do anything to stop it! You had no one to protect you from such things!" She needs to know that its safe with me. That I''m not someone to be scared of. She stays quiet at my words and I just let her do what she needs to do. Listening to peoples problems can really help their mentalities. It good to let them know they aren''t alone. "Thanks for saying so Zern! If you want me to continue then I''m okay with it!" I can tell she is notfortable continuing so I''m not going to make her. I shake my head no and I feel her slightly untense. Telling me what she did must have taken a lot of courage and trust. She can tell me more when she is ready. Having a life that hard as your very first memories must be nightmare inducing. I can only be there if she needs someone. I cant understand what she went through so I cant really offer any great help. I don''t know what its like to be sexually abused, so just being there when she is ready to talk is my best option. At least I think. I''m not very good with women, I only know what I''ve learned from my mom and dad. Hopefully what I''m doing is enough. Since she shared something with me I should share something with her. She was brave enough to tell me something so personal so I should try and have the same courage. "I want to tell you something about me Sally! You deserve to hear something about me after sharing something so personal!" She stays quiet waiting for me to talk. "At one point in time I had lost everything! My mother, my sister, and any future I had! I took extreme measures to change all that and I seeded! They are back and I have fixed my life!" She hasn''t said anything yet. I''m not done yet, this isn''t enough information about me. "Everything that''s happened since the yers have arrived is mostly my fault! The war! The deaths in it, and the woman suffering at the hands of the monsters! My choices to save my family and future havee at a huge cost and I intend to rectify anything that has happened!" This is all I can tell her right now. If I do end up telling her the whole truth then it needs to be when I know I can fully trust her to keep it. Just because I''m half angel here doesn''t mean that I''m perfect. Hearing this from me might help her trust me more too. It does feel good to share a modicum of the truth with someone. "Thank you for sharing something so personal Zern! I really appreciate it!" I''m d she does. At least she says she does. I don''t know what goes on in someone''s head and heart. Thinking that I could is extremely arrogant and very cruel. I think this is a good start to our party. She is going to need some time toe out of her shell and that''s fine. I''m going to need time too. So the only thing to do in the mean time is focus on getting her stronger. There are many methods to do that and one is farming monsters in certain ces. Once she has that legacy ss its going to be easy for her to get stronger. "We are going to farm monsters after The Holy City for your legacy ss! That way you can get strong and familiar with your new skills!" This is the best option I can think of. Once we are done getting her ss the next stop is my mana aura quest. She''ll level up tons helping with such a difficult quest. Once my mana aura quest is done I''ll help her with hers. She''ll get a new and better quality one, but its going to be difficult. "What quality is your mana aura Zern!? As the son of an arch-angel I think it would be powerful!" She is right in thinking that. Once I have it and get better at controlling it my health will pass the millions. Even having 1% control of a divine mana aura will give me more health then I ever had in my old future. "My mana aura is divine in quality! Its an extremely difficult quest that I need help on! I already have someone who is going to be helping me, with you that makes two! So the odds of mepleting the quest are much better then before!" I cant see her face, but I can tell that she is giving me a stupid look. She must be thinking I''m out of my mind if I''m going after a divine mana aura. The reality of the situation is actually getting better. "How am I supposed to help you get a divine mana aura?! That''s way out of my capabilities! Who are you even getting help from other then me?! Cause we are going to need someone powerful to help us!" She is right to be worried. I would be to if I was in her situation. Sally is someone I just picked up to go on this journey with me. Telling her the extremely difficult quests I have is sure to be overwhelming. Telling her that we''ll have Fenrirs help will make it much easier on her mind. "I have a divine quality item that is going to make the mission for my mana aura easier! Its a horn I can blow into and Fenrir wille to my aid! He''ll be helping us on this mission!" I feel her go very rigid and stiff. The story''s of Fenrir are as old as history. The legends surrounding his powers are true. I might even run into him in the fairy kingdom. I can just ask him if he is there, if not I''ll just use the horn for when I need him. She is still very stiff and hasn''t said anything. "You know Fenrir!?" I nod my head and I hear her groan. "I shouldn''t be surprised should I!? You probably know a lot of powerful people and creatures! Is he as scary looking as the rumors say he is!?" He is very intimidating. The runic tattoos and his seemingly endless power is enough to put fear into anyone. The only beings that can fight him and defeat him are other deities of high authority. I nod my head again confirming her question. "When I lifted the curse on The Holy Willow Tree I inadvertently freed him to! He has a connection to the tree! So whatever happens to the tree happens to Fenrir! After I revived the tree Fenrir soon found me! Only other divine level beings can sense each other! I tried to run, but he was to fast! I was running for no reason though! Once he exined the situation I knew he wasn''t after me to kill me! That''s how I got the horn to summon him!" She releases a deep sigh and I can hear her mumbling something. She must think I''m really lucky or something. Everyone suffers something great before they gain something even greater. That''s what I think anyways. Someone once said that to all great things in life that are worth while usually take great suffering to reach. I think this quote fits many people right now in Ancients World. "How long do you think it''ll be till we get to the fairy kingdom Zern?!" It should only be a couple hours. We continue flying for that time and now its early afternoon. I can see the giant tree in the distance. I bring us down fast andnd. She screams just like my sister did. I let her off and she stumbles a bit. "We have to walk from here. It''ll take about 30 minutes to get there. I wonder how much its developed?" She just stays silent trying to shake off the dizzy feeling of the fast dive. We are getting closer to what she needs. Chapter 144: Chasing Real Power V

Chapter 144: Chasing Real Power V

{I used Grammarly for the first time. I hope you guys see the improvements, it saves me tons of time editing it myself. Enjoy the chapter guys!} {P.S: I''m paying for the premium version for all the features.} The convenience of flying is amazing. Now it''s time to walk the rest of the way. I don''t sense Fenrir anywhere nearby. I was looking forward to the chance to talk to him. Too bad he isn''t here. We start walking through the forest and as we do I almost forget to toggle my wings off. I do so and they disappear into my back. "Where do they go when you do that? Is it some magic that allows you to hide them?" I suddenly hear a question being asked. I look over to Sally seeing her confused face. I don''t know how they disappear and reappear like that, in all honesty. So I can''t give her an answer. "I don''t know. It''s just something I know how to do. It''s like breathing and blinking my eyes. I don''t have to think about it consciously. All I do is think of them going away and they disappear." Turning them on and off is how the system handles it. I can still feel that it''s under my control though like I could activate them without the system. I''m not in the mood to test that out though. Her armor and weapon are very basic. I wonder if she has any idea how to wield that sword. "Do you know how to fight Sally? If you need to learn some stuff or don''t know much I''d like to know now so I can help you develop some things that will be very useful." She stops walking, and I turn around to see why she did. She gives me a determined stare and draws her sword. I guess she wants to show me instead of telling me. I cant use The Witness in this spar, or she''ll die. Even keeping it in its sheath is risky. I don''t want to kill her identally. I respond to her actions and activate my wings once again. She gives me a weird look. "Won''t they get damaged if you use them for fighting?" I shake my head no and indicate for her to bring it. She looks a little insulted and charges at me. I get my wings in front of me, and the tip of her de connects. I suffer no damage, and the feeling of the de tip ispletely negated. I hear her groan and jump back. I pull my wings back, and she gives me a slight frown. She jumps in for more attacks, but my wings shut them all down. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOUR WINGS MADE OF!? IT''S LIKE I''M TRYING TO CUT THROUGH DIAMOND WITH A DULL BUTTERKNIFE!!" She is a way betterbatant than I thought she was. I bet this is one reason she was able to escape from illegal very. She eventually tires herself out and takes a knee. She sticks her de in the ground and leans against it. "I''m impressed, Sally. You are very talented when ites to fighting. I can guess how you got so good at it so I won''t ask. In the meantime, I''d like to see how good you are at defending. I won''t be using my sword cause it would kill you. My wings can to, but I''ll keep it at your speed level and give me your best movement." She stands up after a couple more breaths and gets into a stance. She leaps forward and I make sure I don''t move too fast. She dodges and parries at an excellent level. She has a unique defense form using my weight against me. It must be from fighting more vigorous opponents. After a couple of minutes, she falters, and I stop just beforending a strike. She looks up at me with a smile. I reach out my hand and smile at her back. She takes my hand, and I help her up. I toggle my wings off. She has way more potential than I originally thought. Not only does she have a well-developed fighting style, but she also has a brilliant defense. The Frosts Wrath will be a perfect fit for her. "You have exceeded my expectations, Sally. You are better than you have led me to believe. Quite an impressive tactic if I have anything to say." She has been alive for 103 years. She has probably been free for more than 70. All that time to develop is sure to show. In the end, I wouldn''t put it past her actually taking revenge on the ones that ruined her life and her mother''s. She will get a taste of real power and might right all the wrongs that happened in her life. I''m fine with her taking revenge. She can do whatever she wants when she gets her power. "I''m d you think so, Zern. I''ve worked hard in my free time whenever I get it. Secretly training when I was captive led me to trust my sword more than any other person. Once I was free, I promised that I''d have my best possible life." I as well trust my own power and weapons more than anyone else. Even including my family. She will be a mighty warrior soon. "Well, Sally, you have everything you need except a good ss and items. Once you have those, you can pretty much do whatever you want. I should warn you, though, don''t pick fights you can''t win. I suffered from that problem a long time ago, and it led down a dark path." It''s part of the reason my old future went to shit. Because I thought I was the shit. Being humbled really helped me open my eyes. I can help her not make that mistake. However, that''s only if she wants it. She said it herself. She only trusts her sword more than any person. "Will you teach me how to fight? I know that if we were to have fought each other seriously, you would have killed me instantly." So she wants a mentor that can teach her where she has faults. I can teach her how to fight, but how much she grows is determined by how determined she is. I don''t doubt she''ll be strong, but I won''t be easy on her. The lessons I learned in my old future caused me a lot of pain. When there is no one to teach you like I didn''t, the only way you can grow is through failure. That leads to many setbacks and failings, some you can''t recover from as a yer. "I can help you, Sally, but how much you learn depends on you. I can teach you all I know, but it can just end up going through one ear and out the other. Worse, you won''t be able to handle it." I highly doubt either of those is true. I want to see how determined she is. She wouldn''t havee so far in life just to quit at times like these. I watch her face morph into determination and preparation. "I can handle anything you throw at me, Zern. I''m not going to be a weak woman. I want to be able to kill those who threaten me and defend the ones I care about. I don''t want to spend my life being a lesser version of something more." That''s quite a lot of determination. She will do fine, so that means I can make the training as hard as I want. I''ll start teaching her what I know once we get her the legacy ss near the fairy kingdom. I don''t want to start teaching her if she doesn''t have any power to work with. "Looks like we have another goal to add, don''t we. I''ll start teaching you after you acquire The Frosts Wrath, that way, you can use the powerful skills of the ss. You''re going to be a fearsome warrior after I teach you about fighting." She nods her head and smiles in satisfaction. I''ve never been one to teach, but it could prove to help her. The stronger she is, the more likely we will seed at getting my divine mana aura. "Let''s keep moving, Sally. This little stop has proved to be a great distraction and very entertaining. The fairy kingdom is less than 20 minutes away. I''d like to see the kingdom I helped bring back." I turn towards the giant tree in the distance and begin walking. I hear her fall into a rhythm behind me. She starts to hum some melody, but I sink into my mind to think. Sally has a lot of potential. However, her heart is filled with grief and vengeance. It could be counterintuitive to her training. I can''t change her mind and heart, but if it proves to change her drastically, I''ll step in. Power going to the head is a nasty thing and one I can rte to. Some of my power has gone to my head, and I have to remind myself every day that I''m still fragilepared to the strongest out there. Only time will tell the answer to this question. Chapter 145: The Frosts Wrath I

Chapter 145: The Frosts Wrath I

We areing into view of the walls of the giant city. Incredibly, something like this can show up out of nowhere. It''s not something I thought I''d see so soon. My ns toe here have been put ahead so Sally can get a legacy ss. The type of power that will be at her fingertips is sure to help her gain confidence and strength. "Do you know anything about the faires kingdom? Despite me bringing them back, I don''t know much about them." Sally shakes her head no. I should''ve expected that. Most of the fairies in the fairy kingdom won''t know who I am. The Holy Willow Tree probably never told a single individual my true identity. So I can count on getting through the gate pretty easily. The city probably has multiple entrances, but nothing will help with the dungeon. This ce wasn''t here in the future. So take away the city, and I know the exact location of the dungeon. I want to get some important information about the territory, though. The terrain is still unfamiliar to me. In truth, there is no reason to go into the city. I can take us to the dungeon near the city. I doubt it''s been discovered yet since it''s so well hidden. "I want to visit The Holy Willow Tree since I''m here. It shouldn''t be too hard to get ess to it." We make our way to the gate and wait in the line of NPC''s. It takes around 10 minutes till we make it''s into the city. It''s pretty big too. I''d say it''s around the same size as a capital city, if not a little bigger. I look at the shops and see the unique designs thate with this special location. Many of the buildings are made of big hollowed-out mushrooms. "I wonder what type of things they sell here! Can I venture around while you visit the tree? It''s not like it wants to see me too." I wave my hand, giving permission, and she runs off in another direction. Since she is in my party, I know her location constantly. So it''s going to be easy to find her once I''m done. I slowly make my way to the tree, and I can feel some power wash over me as I get closer. It''s very familiar to what I felt when I first revived it. I can even sense a very slight presence of Fenrir''s power in the feeling. The connection between the three of us is more present than I realized. After walking for 15 minutes, I see a vast wall surrounds the tree''s base. The single entrance to the area is being guarded by very powerful NPC''s. I have to be very careful with my words if I want to meet with the tree from here on out. As I get closer to the guards, I notice they aren''t actual fairies. There are autonomous wooden soldiers. I walk up to the gate, and they push it open for me. "We have felt you approaching us for a few hours now, son of Michael..." They both speak at the same time in the same voice. I give them a head tilt and a smile. "It''s good to see you again..." They speak again, and I nod in response. Sally is probably off having fun right now, so that means I have some time to visit the tree before we leave. I walk through the gate and look for a way into the tree''s chamber. I walk around for a while, and I eventuallye across it. I walk up to the door and knock on it out of respect. I hear the light clicking of heels, and the door opens. A beautiful white-haired fairy answers the door. Her wings have a very ornate ck and white design. I back up a little and give a slight bow. "Greetings, ma''am. I was hoping to have an audience with the tree?" She gives me a stupid look and almost calls the guards. I see the look on her face morph through many different expressions. She must be getting an earful from the tree right now. She has to be the priestess and the second-highest power in the fairy kingdom. She stands aside in silence and lets me through. I''m not going to waste time talking and getting to know her. I only have so much time to burn. I make my way to the chamber, and she leaves me alone in the massive area. Its looks just like the dungeon from when I freed it. Except for this time, it''s pure and clean. I look towards the birthing ce for fairies and see the giant wooden stctite hanging over it. "It''s nice to see this ce alive and bustling. I''m just stopping by, saying hello, and checking out the new kingdom. I have a dungeon nearby that I''m doing with a friend." I start talking first since I know it can hear me. I watch a wooden man be formed out of the ground and stand up a little bit across from me. "It''s good to see you, Zern. Your actions in helping me have led to this amazing new city. Its been thousands of years since so many fairies have been alive at a single moment in time. What is this dungeon you speak of? Perhaps I can lend you some help." It wouldn''t know the answer to the puzzle since this isn''t its original territory. It probably does know some valuable things about the area, though. I don''t want to take Sally through any deadly monster ground, so asking about those seems like a good idea. "You can''t help me with the dungeon. You can help me with the areas around here, though. How is the monster poption about 4 miles North of the city from here? I''m traveling with a weaker person, and I don''t want her at any unnecessary risk." The wooden puppet looks at me with wisdom beyond my years. Since the tree has been here, it probably knows what I''m talking about. "I know the ce, Zern. I have forbidden any fairies from approaching the area. I can only guess why you would want to go to such a dangerous ce. I''ll give you some advice. It''s freezing in that dungeon. If you don''t know what you''re doing, you''ll end up getting her killed." He knows more about this than I thought. I knew that it would be cold, but I didn''t consider keeping Sally warm. I could always use my wings and keep us both warm. That would be very ufortable for her, though. After all she has been through, she wouldn''t want to get close to a man like that. So that leaves getting her some warm clothes. "Do you have any shops here in the city that sells warm clothes?" The wooden puppet shakes its head in response to my question. So that leaves a potion. "Any herbalist shops then? You have to have that, at least." This time the doll nods its head yes. Excellent, so my next stop after this ce is the herbalist shop. I can purchase the potion that will keep her warm. There are several different types out there. One that raises body temperature, another that''s makes the cold feel warm. These are all affordable and not hard to get ahold of, good thing I got plenty of gold. "How has your transition to this period been? Being gone so long, you would see many great changes." I wouldn''t put it past being unexpected. The lore I''ve read throughout my time has delved into the history and inventions that changed the whole of Ancients World. Back in the fairies'' time, they didn''t have massive airships and holograms. I can''t forget to mention the huge increase in powerful and easily essible magic. "The changes that Gaia has gone through have been surprising since our time. Much of the world is delved in turmoil and conflict. Now even a new monster army has risen just like the great war. I wouldn''t be surprised if the dark ones are brought back." I agree. From what I know, the time of the great war was very simr to what''s happening now. Some of the yer cities are probably getting close to a working teleporter. However, most of the yer poption isn''t going to be arriving for at least a year.?"I want to get a move on with this dungeon, so I''m going to leave you to your ruling duties. That is if you even have any." The wooden puppet begins tough at my observation. I don''t think the tree makes any significant decisions regarding the army and economy. I think that''s all left to the priestess and her generals. I give a bow in respect, and so does the wooden puppet. I turn around and exit the chamber. I see the same fairy waiting for me. She looks like she wants to ask a question but is stopped. I make my way out of the huge tree and back into the city. I check my map, and I see that Sally is at a clothes store. I have my own stop to make and I make my way to themercial district and find the herbalist shop. The potions I''ll need for Sally are in here. Chapter 146: The Frosts Wrath II

Chapter 146: The Frosts Wrath II

I enter the shop and smell many unfamiliar scents. They must be exclusive to the fairies. The herbs around the shop are also new to me. I can see some that I recognize, but most are not ones I''ve ever seen before. Some even make me feel funny inside. I can''t see the use for those inbat, though. A woman who looks a little older than me turns her head to me as I check out the new herbs. I use inspect a couple times on some weird-looking mushrooms. [Green spotted mushrooms] [Description: Green spotted mushrooms are only grown in the fairy kingdom. They are exotic and have many uses in today''s modern society. It can bring forth pleasant dreams and soothe severe pain. Much of its military uses are kept a secret, though. So all of its benefits aren''t known to the public.] [Rarity: Epic] This seems pretty cool. I wonder what else this shop has. I feel a hand on my shoulder as I continue to look around. The woman that looked at me earlier has taken it upon herself to interrupt my inspections. "A handsome man like you probably has lots ofdies after him. Are you in store for a stimnt or some sort of aphrodisiacs?" Thisdy is overly friendly. She moves a couple of inches closer, but I don''t flinch in the attempt to tease me. I don''t have time to y cat and mouse with her. She sees that this is no use and backs away and puts her hands behind her back. I fold my arms and wait for her to speak. She doesn''t, so I take that as my chance to ask questions. "Do you have any potions for resisting heat and cold environments? I''m heading to a ce with an environment with very low temperatures." She takes her hands out from behind her back and ces them on her chin. I''m guessing that they wouldn''t have anything for cold areas while living in such a warm part of the continent. Most of what I know about potions are the ones you use forbat. This shop doesn''t look like one that providesbat potions. They are more recreational. Something I despise is drugs, and in a way, these are too. "I don''t have anything on the shelf right now. Most of the items sold here are for bedroom romance. I can create a potion for cold resistance if you want, but it wouldn''t be forbat purposes." I can''t see Sally beingfortable using a powerful erotic potion to heat her body for a dungeon. Hell, I wouldn''t befortable with it. Something like that isn''t what I''d call an appropriate partnership. She had a horrible past with men, so giving her something like that isn''t happening. "I take the only things in this shop are for bedroom antics. Do you know where I can find what I''m looking for? You can''t be the only shop around here that sells potions and herbs." She gives a slightly disappointed look. I don''t know why she''s like that though, seems weird. I don''t get women sometimes. She walks behind the counter and pulls out a paper and an envelope. "I''ll give you a permission slip to meet with the military supplier. Civilians are still allowed ess to certain potions made forbat. What you need easily falls in that category." She folds up the paper and ces it in an envelope. I walk up to the counter and reach out for it. She pulls it away at thest second. "I want something for helping you out with this. I don''t this for all my customers, you know." These fairies are ridiculous. She has a darker pair of wings, and they contrast between purple and blue. She is very beautiful, has raven ck hair and violet eyes. She must be racking in cash with sales to the male poption. "Well, what do you want? I got gold and not focused on a price." She brings the corner of the envelope to her mouth and munch on it very slightly. She looks up and down my body. I don''t like where this is going. "I''m not doing that, miss. Exchanging sexual favors for things isn''t something I do." She gives a slight pout. She ces the envelope back under the counter and gives me a more than seductive smile. "Guess you aren''t getting it from little old me, huh... If only you could pay my price, sadly you aren''t willing to do such a thing. You can always try to make it yourself, but the ss you have is abat one by your look. Not a crafting one." This would be illegal on earth and other ces in Ancients World. I don''t know thews of the fairy kingdom, though. I doubt she would have the confidence to pull this kind of thing if she knew she could get in trouble. It seems I''m getting what I need somewhere else. I turn around and begin to make an exit, but I feel a hand grasp my arm. "Am I that undesirable to you? I can give you a potion to see me how you wish. The fairies are very physical creatures, and I''m sorry if I came on too strong. When a female fairy seems someone desirable, it''s hard not to go after him." I don''t know why she is attracted to me. To go so far as to offer a potion so she looks like another, is scary. I sigh and turn to her. I''m not going to give her the response she wants. "I didn''te to the fairy kingdom for its woman and openness towards sex. I''m here on a mission, and I intend to seed. Having distractions isn''t in the n. Please don''t take any offense to it. I do not mean to demean you in any way." She gives me a look of even more need. Being exposed to all these erotic herbs must make her a little more aggressive. She reigns in control and steps back. She turns around, grabs the envelope from under the counter, and brings it to me. Just as I think she has agreed to let me go without anything weird, she proceeds to stuff it between her boobs. "Reach in and take it. That''s the only way you''re getting this slip for what you need." I close my eyes and shake my head. I turn around and start to leave. However, it couldn''t be so easy, could it? She jumps on my back and starts to grind on me lightly. What is wrong with this girl. I try to shuffle her off, but that makes her moan. "You are going to do at least something to me before I let you walk away from me! I can''t let such a handsome man walk away from me without having a taste!" This is a situation I never thought I would find myself in. As I''m about to try and peel her off with force, a familiar face walks in. Sally sees what''s happening and looks to be kind of hurt? I can''t tell. I look at her for help, and she walks over to us and proceeds to punch the fairy across the face hard. She falls off me unconscious. "Thanks for the help. I''m d you found me on your map. She would not take no for an answer." She gives me a look that seems to be jealousy. I ignore it and look at the girl unconscious on the ground. "Can you get the envelope out of her breasts? She stuffed them in there, hoping I''d touch her." She gives a slight sigh and does what I ask. She hands me the envelope and looks around the shop. I can see that her face is turning slightly red from all the crazy stuff in this ce. "What were you doing in this ce? I hope you weren''t nning to use any of this stuff on me..." I give her a look that says what she said is stupid. She closes her eyes. "I guess not, huh... It wouldn''t kill you to show some interest, though. Am I not beautiful to you?" She must be getting affected by what''s in here too. I grab her hand and pull her out of the shop. She regainsposure and looks at me. However, she doesn''t look embarrassed in the slightest of terms. She gives me a look waiting for an answer. "What do you want me to say? Yes, you are beautiful. No, I''m not interested." She gives an incredibly hurt look after I say that. She turns away from me, and I can see her shaking. I see tears fall on the ground under her. "Is it because I''m dirty? Because I''m tainted? No one has treated me like you have... I was hoping for you to see me as something more..." She just confessed. I don''t know if she realizes it or not. I don''t really know how to respond to that, but if she wants a reason I''m not interested, I can give her my single one. I walk up beside her and wait for her to stop crying. She looks at me, waiting for an answer. "The reason I''m not interested in you is cause I know you think that I think you''re dirty." I don''t want to be with a woman who thinks that I consider her dirty and tainted, that I''m shallow. I''m not shallow, and I''m a little insulted. She gives me a shocked look. "Until youe to terms with what happened to you. You will never see yourself as more than what you already do. I don''t want to be with someone who has a mindset like that, thinking that about me..." She opens and closes her mouth in shock. I don''t see her as dirty, and I don''t see her as tainted. I see a beautiful girl who has some issues she needs to work out. She gives me a tight hug out of nowhere and buries her face in my chest. I can feel wetness soaking through my shirt. I wrap my arms around her and hug her too. She obviously needs it, so I should help as I can. "Thank you, Zern..." Enough of this mushy crap, we gotta another stop for potions we need. Chapter 147: The Frosts Wrath III

Chapter 147: The Frosts Wrath III

I let go of Sally so we can get a move on. She holds on to me a little longer, and let''s go too. I look around themercial district and see the other shops around. The fairy kingdom has many items not avable in other ces. So it''s an amazing ce to visit. I''m the first yer to see this ce, and I''ve concluded that its uniqueness will bring much attention from yers once they all start returning. yers will start arriving at different times, and it''s going to be at least a year until most of the remaining humans from the earth are returned to their original continents. I wonder how the eastern hemisphere of the old earth is doing. The Chinese and Russians also have their cities and poptions too. Anywhere with an inte connection will have to deal with the same issues that the yers in old LA faced. My best guess on who returns firstes down to how many people work together. So ces on old earth that would suffer from conflict both religious and racial might take longer than ones that could put those differences aside. Bigger poptions help too. The Chinese have thergest with over 6 billion in their country. I doubt they can get over the issues that the country suffers from, though. Many people hate the Chinese government, including its people. We start walking to the military barracks since that''s the best ce to look for the potions I need. The overly friendly fairy back in that shop didn''t tell me where the ce was. "Why did she do that to you, Zern?" I hear a question out of nowhere, and I turn to Sally and see her downcasted eyes. She has grown fond of me in the very short time we''ve known each other. I can''t really say why, though. Yeah, I treat her differently, but that usually isn''t enough for a woman to like you. I don''t have an answer for her too. That female fairy and most fairies in this kingdom have higher sexual needs and senses. So that''s more than likely amon urrence. "The best answer I cane up with is that it''s the normal thing to do here. Since we are outsiders, we wouldn''t understand the social constructs happening in this ce. Be ready because it might happen to you. The fairies probably don''t understand the concept of half-breed discrimination." As those words leave my mouth, she moves closer to me and grabs the bottom of my shirt. She has probably already been looked at by both males and females. This ce has things happening in it I never thought I''d see. If anyone does try to force her to do anything, then I''ll step in. If she gives consent, then I''ll leave them be. I doubt that though, she is probably still too scared of anything like that. I don''t me her either. "You''ll make sure nothing happens to me, right... I don''t want to go through any of that again..." It Looks like she needs some backup. I can help her with whatever, but when she gets her better ss, I''m not going to always be there. She needs to learn that defending herself will bring much more security to her mind than if I do. That way, she won''t grow dependant on me. "Yeah, I''ll make sure no one tries anything. We''ll spend the night here in the city since it''s gettingter in the day. It''s going to take several hours to clear the dungeon, and I don''t want to start at night." I look at her, and she nods her head. We make it to the military barracks and see some shops here and there. Ind my eyes on a very subtle-looking door, and my instincts tell me that''s what I''m looking for. We make our way over, and I open the door. There are rows and rows of herbs and potions. I look to the man at the counter, and he sees us. This ce doesn''t have any of the stuff the other shop had. He waves us over, and we approach. He puts away what he was looking at and rxes against the counter. "You two don''t look like the military. You need permission from another potions and herbs dealer if you are civilians." I pull out the envelope and hand it to the male fairy. Males have dragonfly wings, while females have butterfly wings. It''s quite cool, in my opinion. That''s why most of the military is male, with their fings, can move much faster. Women are allowed to serve, and some even do. He opens the envelope and looks back at us. He closes his eyes and sighs. He rolls his wrist at me to hurry my order up. "I need potions that can help with extreme cold and ward off cold debuffs. Price isn''t a problem." He stands up and walks into the back. We wait for a few minutes in silence, and hees back out with five bottles. He ces them on the counter, writes the price down on a piece of paper, and slides it to me. It''s 70 gold pieces for these potions, while spendy they are needed. I take out the exact amount of gold, and ites out of my inventory with a decently sized bag. I ce it on the counter, and he gives me a bbergasted look. "I need to see if it''s all here before you can take it. Give me 5 minutes, and once it''s confirmed, you can have the potions." I nod my head, yes, and he takes the gold into the back. I turn around and lean my back against the counter. I look at all the herbs that are only grown here in the fairy kingdom. Most of them are epic quality since they are locally grown, and you can only get them here. After we are done here, we find an inn and rest for the remainder of the evening and night. "Do you want to pick the inn, Sally? You have been around town more than I have, so you have seen more than me. Don''t worry about the price, and pick the one you think the mostfortable will be." She nods her head and looks down to the ground. She looks sad about something. I don''t know why though, not really going to try and find out right now. She''ll get over whatever problem she is having, and all I can do is help when she asks for it. "I''m sorry, Zern..." I look at her confused, and she gives me an even sadder look. "You have to pay and take care of everything... I can''t do anything to help contribute to expenses..." Being broke isn''t something to be sad about. Most problems of the wealthye from the very money they have. I look down at her, and she looks up at me. I hold a neutral face as I think of how to respond. Sometimes not saying anything is the best option. So I don''t say anything. She tries to say something and is interrupted as the manes out from the back. "Everything is there. You can take the potions. Come back again if you need anything." I can see the greed in his eyes as he says that. You can count on one thing being in any thinking creature''s heart. I pick up the potions, ce them in my inventory, and bid farewell to the seller. We walk out of the shop and stand on the pathway. I turn towards Sally and cross my arms. "Have you decided on an inn yet? I want to take a bath if possible." She nods her head with excitement and takes my hand. She pulls me while running to an inn with a very cozy look to it. I can hearughter and cheersing from the inside of the ce. It must be one of the best ces to stay. We walk inside and see the party going on. I''m not in the mood for dealing with any drunks, so I quickly approach the barkeep, and he looks at me as he cleans a ss. "What can I get you, young man? We a room with personal bath and food ready to be ordered at any time." This sounds good to me. I set down 4 gold pieces tell him I''d like two rooms with personal baths. He grimaces slightly. "We only have one room avable right now. It''s only two gold pieces." I sigh and pay for it. I turn to Sally and see her blushing face. I sigh and look back to the barkeep as he hands me the key and tells me where the room is. I make my way towards the room with Sally behind me and eventually make it. It''s a big room with a single big bed. It looks like I have to sleep in a chair or on the floor. I make it to the bed and sit on it. It''s very soft and rxing. "I''m d that I don''t have to sleep alone in this ce tonight..." I hear Sally speak, and I silently nod my head. I''m going to take a bath before we decide on any sleeping arangements. Chapter 148: The Frosts Wrath IV

Chapter 148: The Frosts Wrath IV

I get up from the bed, walk into the bathroom, and close the door behind me. I walk up to the tub, and I see a nozzle. I turn it, and the tub instantly fills with nice hot water. Magic must make it possible to do this. The convenience of magic integrated with society is one of the best things. It really changes people''s lives, and when all the little things stack up, it starts to get big. I unequip my armor and give myself a whiff. I definitely have a bad smell. I dip into the tub, and as I do, it fills with soapy bubbles that are also filled with cleaning magic. It feels good too. It rxes all the muscles in my body. I roll my neck and shoulders as I soak in the tub, and my joints pop. I hear a knock on the door and a small voice. "Can Ie in too, Zern... I''d like to take a bath as well..." I sigh and ignore her, hoping she''ll go away. She doesn''t, though. She takes my silence as permission. I turn my head and watch her walk into the slightly steamy room. "Sally... I don''t know what your nning, but I''d prefer it if you consider what you are doing. Suppose you have then go and think about it some more." She walks up to the bubbly tub and looks down at me. She is wearing a frustrated look, and I can tell she is unhappy with my words. I don''t know what is happening, but I don''t want to do anything like that after only knowing each other a day. Many men would call me a pansy, gay, or a prude. You have to take into consideration what Sally has been through. She likes me, but he also has a lot of shit to unpack, and being with me sexually isn''t going to help. "I understand what you exined earlier. I want to show you that I don''t think that way about you..." She says thatst part very slowly and begins to take her clothes off. She is trying to prove something that doesn''t need to be proved right now. She isn''t ready for this, and both of us know it. The question is, why is she even attempting it. In my thoughts, I forget the current situation, and she sinks into the tub as well. Her legs are on top of mine, and she sighs. I can feel her shaking in fear. "Why are you doing this, Sally? You need way more time to work through your issues than just a couple of hours. You are already in the tub so I won''t kick you out, but this is the limit." She stops shaking and rxes. She has an incredible fear of physicality, it seems. Saying that calmed her down, took a lot of guts to go this far. So she might recover quicker with a good friend to support her. "I''m sorry for making you worry about my state of mind, Zern. It means a lot to me that you don''t treat me like a piece of meat. I never thought I''d have someone like you in my life, thanks to my past. You don''t see me as others do. It makes me feel weird inside... It makes me feel a way I''ve never felt before..." She is falling hard. We might have something happen in the future, but as of now, there isn''t going to be anything. I''m also a little scared of sex, to be honest. As a man I get looked down upon for being a virgin at 20 years old, my sister is an excellent example of someone who makes fun of me. I just can''t be that venerable with someone. If I''m not in absolute control of everything I can control, it terrifies me. Sexual feelings and action are something thatpromises that. In a way, it''s cowardice not wanting to be that venerable, and in many ways, I agree. "Sally, I want you to know I''m notfortable with sex either. You need to know that feelings and things rted to liking someone scares me." She looks at me from across the tub and gives me an understanding look. She also tilts her head for me to continue knowing there is more. "I don''t like theck of control thates with things like that. Without that control, I feel absolutely powerless and weak." She understands in her way. She didn''t control what happened to her, and she has lived a life I couldn''t survive through. She scoots through the water andes to my side of the tub. She leans her shoulder on my shoulder and stays quiet for a few seconds. She finds my hand under the water and interlocks her fingers with mine. "Sometimes surrendering to such things can help find something you didn''t know you needed." Wise words from the 103-year-old half-elf. I don''t know how to do that, though. No one likes to feel that way. I look her in her blue-green eyes and see her staring into mine. She starts to lean forward and slowly closes her eyes. Women sure are slick at getting close when you don''t expect it. She is trying to both help me and help herself with this action. I''m not sure how I should respond. It doesn''t sit well with me. Doing this doesn''t feel right. I turn my head as she watches with half-lidded eyes. She stops her approach and settles back into her position. She was very open right there, and perhaps not doing anything with that will hurt her more than help. I have to watch out for my feelings and thoughts, too, though. "It hurts me that the one I want doesn''t want me... I get that you are rejecting me because of my issues and yours, but that doesn''t make it sting any less." She speaks words from her heart, and I sympathize. Suddenly, I feel her move fast and grab my head with her hands. She leans all the way in real fast and steals a long kiss from me. She shifts her body on top of mine and straddles me. She slowly moves her lips and runs her tongue along my teeth. I almost push her off of me, but I ce my hands on her back and bring her in closer with my hands. I open my mouth, and she swirls her tongue with mine. Her breasts are squishing against my chest as she does things to my mouth I never experienced before. I close my eyes, surrendering to the pleasant feeling of her technique. I feel her hands slide down my head and glide down my torso. My member is arge one, and she is heading straight for it. As a tall man withrge proportions, it''s an easy sign of what''s under the hood. I feel her hand touch it, and I snap back to my senses. I grab her shoulders and push her away. I was a little rough in the separation, but not enough to hurt her. "Geez, Sally... You were going to take it all the way, weren''t you..." As my blurry eyesight clears, I see her shaking body and the fearful nature of her posture. She wasn''t ready for any of that, and she still tried to do something. She is either messed up more than I thought or likes me too much. I stand up from the tub and grab one of the towels. "Take some time before youe out of the bathroom, get your head straight. I need time to get mine." She looks away in shame and nods her head. I exit the bathroom with a towel around my waist, and I sit on the bed. That was the first time another person ever touched me like that. I''ll admit it felt great for the brief second it happened. Her hands were super soft, but she and I aren''t ready for any of that. I take a deep breath and plop the rest of my body onto the bed. I ce my arm over my eyes and sink into the darkness that it provides. Sally is much moreplex than I thought she was. She has an extreme fear of men being physical in any way but is willing to push herself for me. While I appreciate the gesture, it still isn''t healthy. Sally has been through horrors that will affect her for a very long time, do the same stuff that causes her psychological trauma is extremely dangerous. I don''t put my friends into ces like that. I hear the bathroom door open and listen to her soft footsteps reach the bed. It''d before the best that I sleep on the floor or something. After that fiasco, it''s not a good idea to share a bed. "I''ll sleep on the floor tonight. Next time we are at an inn, you get the floor." I announce the n to Sally, and she doesn''t respond. I uncover my eyes, and I look over at where she sat. I see that she is wrapped in a towel and has curled up into a ball. Her face is buried in her knees. I take one of the pillows from the top and bring it down to the ground with me. I take one of the nkets too and set everything up. "I''m sorry, Zern... I just thought..." She stops talking and curls up even more. Letting her sort it in her head is a good idea, if I say anything rted to what happened it might make her hurt more. So I''m going to try to get some shut eye. Chapter 149: The Frosts Wrath V

Chapter 149: The Frosts Wrath V

I close my eyes as Iy on the ground and take a breath. Getting some sleep would be a nice thing right now, but I don''t know if I''ll actually get sleep. Sally has been acting weird for a while now, and I''m getting worried for her. She is usually more reserved, at least from what I experienced with my time with her. She has be a friend in my eyes, someone who''s suffered a great deal. I can rte to the suffering, just not the type she had. I hear the bed move, and she has probably settled in. Now that we have everything we need for the dungeon, her ss is the only thing to get. I heard there are some good rewards for beating the boss, but I''m not interested in them. Sally should have them since she''ll need the support as she gains power. Having great gear to help you grow is something many don''t get to experience. Having The Witness has made my journey to power so much easier. Put that together with my angel wings, and it''s going to be incredibly difficult to beat me. Having that much power at one''s fingertips can corrupt you. I have to make sure I don''t fall into that same trap. Out of all the things that can happen during this dungeon, the most I''m worried about is Sally dying. Since she is an NPC, she''ll permanently die, unlike me. So taking care of the deadly creatures and encounters is my job. Since her ss is so weak, she won''t be able to do any meaningful damage. The potions should keep her from freezing to death which is a plus. I won''t need them since my stats are so high. In reality, my stats make me around level 200, but since I don''t have a mana aura yet, my health is pitiful. I don''t know how much health I''ll be getting with even 1% control, but it will be millions. It''s quality that determines things in Ancients World. I should get into the habit of calling this ce Gaia instead. Ancients World is a foregone conclusion of the scam that was the game. Talk about taking a risk. J&X incorporated are the original creators of this problem. I may have sealed the fate of everyone with my choices, but it wouldn''t have led to that if J&X never created such a monster. All those billions of people dead, and there is no way to bring them back. People are going to want blood from J&X, and I don''t me them. If the truth about me ever got out, people would want my blood too. "Are you still awake, Zern..." I suddenly hear Sally ask me a question. I don''t answer her and try to make it seem I''m asleep. I hear her shuffle across the bed and to the side I''m sleeping by. I hear her stop and stay quiet. She is probably staring at me. "I know you''re awake..." I sigh and open my eyes. Her blue-green eyes meet my hazel. She stares quietly as I wait for her to continue. How so many people can treat her like that is beyond me. "What do you want, Sally... I''d like to get some sleep before we head into the dungeon." She stays quiet and stares at me. "You don''t have to worry about what happened in the bathroom. Things like that happen, and sometimes they cant be controlled." I firmly believe that too. Hormones can do a lot to a person''s mind. She might have been thinking along some lines that there is something between us. We both have too many problems to consider anything like that. "I''m not sorry that I did it..." I give her a shocked and surprised look. I would never have expected those words toe out of her mouth. "How I feel about you and what I went through in the past are confusing to me... I won''t let the things that happened to me affect what I can have with you..." I''m speechless, to say the least. She has a giant blush as she realizes what she said. She squeals lightly and rolls out of view. I guess that''s a step in the right direction. I''m not a psychologist or psychiatrist, so I can''t say it with confidence if it is. "I''m surprised, Sally... I''m learning more and more about you every time we are together. I didn''t expect you to be so brave and ready for something like that after everything you''ve been through. You''re one of the bravest girls I''ve ever met." It''s true too. Confidence is in short supply anywhere, and it''s very impressive that she is trying so hard to seem better. Time is what is needed for her to heal fully. I''m not gullible to believe that she is right now. I know better than that, and so should other people. Lots say one thing and do another. The same can be said for actions. She can kiss me and try to touch me but at the same struggle internally a great deal at the action. All the while trying to seemfortable. It''s a dangerous game, and that is something everyone should be aware of. Damage can run deeper than anyone thought possible. I rx and close my eyes again, thinking that it''s finally over. I fall into a deep sleep and dream of nothings. After a full night of rest, I can see the brightness of the sun beaming through my eyelids. I feel something weight on my body too. I crack open my eyes and look down. Sally is clinging to my torso, all the while covered by a nket. It seems she snuck out of bed and joined me on the ground. I should''ve expected it too. I lean up, and as I do, the nket falls off her, and that''s when I realize she is fully nude. I forgot that I also when to bed in nothing other than my towel and nket. I slide her off me and cover her with the nket, so I don''t see any more than I already have. I quickly equip my gear, so I''m no longer nude either. I turn towards the window and walk to it. The sun is just rising over the horizon, and the start of today is afoot. I walk over to the bedroom door and leave the room. I head downstairs and see all the passed-out patrons and workers. I walk up to the bar and notice it''s a different person today. "I''d like your highest protein meal, please. A side of juice would be nice, doesn''t matter what kind." Iy down a gold piece overpaying the inn keep eagerly epts. He walks into the back, and I can hear what sounds like meat being thrown on a grill of some sort. One of the best sounds to me, my mouth starts to water at the idea of having something so delicious. I hear footsteps walk from the hall I just came from, and Sally soon joins me. She takes a seat next to me a scoots closer till our shoulders touch. I ignore her attempt and focus on the smelling from the kitchen. "You could have woken me up to, you know. The bed was too big for me, so I joined you on the floor. I hope that okay..." She says thatst part with a coy soundced in her words. I turn to her and see her innocent smiling face. "Don''t make a habit of doing that. As confident as you sound right now, I know better." She slowly looks away and looks down at her fingers. She starts to twirl them with each other. Her smile never disappears, though. It''s funny cause after she said she was sorry she did it, she ended up saying she wasn''t sorry. "Look, Sally, it''s okay not to want to be alone like that. Make sure that you ask before you join, though. Have themon courtesy of that at least." She gives a jubnt smile and gives me a big hug. In truth, I just gave her permission to keep doing it. I''m an idiot and should have worded it better. If I take it back now, it''d probably hurt her, so I guess it''s toote. "Thanks, Zern. Even if you don''t want to be anything more than friends right now, I''m determined to prove it to you otherwise." I never had someone say that to me before. It''s both scary and nice to hear, but I''m going to be responsible for this dilemma. She''ll eventually give up on the idea if I shut her down enough times, so no more of what happenedst night and this morning allowed. Anytime the opportunity arises, I''ll stop it before she can take advantage of it. My thoughts are interrupted as a big steak, and a ss of apple juice is put in front of me. I start to dig in, and I hear Sallyugh. I turn and see a cunning look on her face. "The way to your heart is with food. That''s good to know..." Uh-oh. That isn''t a good sign... Chapter 150: The Frosts Wrath VI

Chapter 150: The Frosts Wrath VI

I finish my food and drink the apple juice. It''s nice to have real food instead of meat cooked over a campfire. Sally has given me space and is being quiet after the foodment. "Just so you know, Zern. I understand what you mean, and I''ll definitely take time to figure out my mess before I try anything with you again. Just know that I care about you a lot, and I''m really happy I met you." I''m d she will take my advice and work the issues she has out. I don''t have to worry about what happenedst night happening again. She should eat some food, too, before we head to the dangerous dungeon. "Innkeeper, get this girl some food too. The same that I had. I''d also like a refill on apple juice." The man nods his head and walks into the kitchen out of view. Having energy to burn is going to be very important. We could be in there for hours and not have any way out. The puzzle could take forever to solve, and the potions will run out eventually. A problem that will depend on my own ingenuity and thinking. I can''t steal the answer from someone else''s forum post or work. Thinking about it. It''s extremely pathetic. The innkeeperes back after a few minutes,ys a te of food in front of Sally, and ces two sses of apple juice. I thankfully nod my head, and the man reciprocates. I watch as Sally devours her te of food at the same speed I did. After she is done eating, it''s time we got a move on to that dungeon. Once she gets that legacy ss, we are heading straight to The Holy City for my mana aura. After we are done with mine, we''ll do hers, and then I''ll see if she''ll want to continue with me to Bellvia. "How do you suppose we''ll get to the ss? I wouldn''t think it''d be as simple as aplex puzzle." She is right too. After solving the puzzle, the monsters will be tough even for me. I wait for her to finish eating as I enjoy the extra ss of apple juice. She might not want to continue traveling with me to Bellvia. Once she has great power, I wouldn''t put it past her taking revenge on the elven kingdom. "Let me worry about things like that, Sally. All you need to do is back me up however you can." I could probably handle everything alone, but who knows if anything changed with the dungeon since everyone has arrived in Ancients World. [World-wide Announcement: The monster forces have begun an assault on the kingdom of Terra! The alliance armies are quickly on the move to intercept the conflict! If any yer wishes to participate, then a new marker will be added to your map!] I suddenly hear a system announcement about the current war. The monsters are starting their attacks up again, and more and more conflict will start to spark from the war. Sally''s head pops up as she hears the announcement from the church. "Will you help? I can wait a little while before we take on the dungeon." I check my map, and it''s too far right now. Besides, I can''t fight all the battles. The forces of humanity have to fight for themselves too. I could really help, but then everyone will always turn to me when something like this needs to be done. It''s extremely inconvenient for me if I have such things getting in my way. That''s sounds and feels extremely selfish, but it''s not my job to defend every country from an invasion of monsters. That''s what the armies are for, and I''m not going to disrupt the flow like that. "I''m not, Sally. If I solved everyone''s problems, then a bad pattern would emerge. When so many are looking for you, it''s dangerous to do such things." It''s not something she''ll understand. As a half-angel, my presence in this world is very important to many people. I want to keep a distance for as long as I can. The only reason I fought that one monster horde on the borders of Pe was because it was close. "So you are just going to leave them to die..." She looks at me with disappointment. I scoff and focus on other things. "You are someone who has the power to change things... Why won''t you..." She whispers into my ears, so no one hears. It''s that saying with great poweres great responsibility. I hate that saying. She will have much power after she gets her ss. If she wants to run around ying hero, I''m not going to stop her. "Because I have a choice to Sally. If I don''t want to fight and run around doing things for people, I shouldn''t have to. Just because of the blood in my veins doesn''t mean I have to be the heroing to their rescue. I''m allowed to make any decisions. My actions aren''t bound to humanity''s fate." She looks at me with a downcasted face. She won''t agree with my words simply because she isn''t in the same position. To some, it''s cruel to say and do, but I have free will. If I don''t want to help someone or something, I don''t have to. "I''m sorry I thought that, Zern... It isn''t fair that people would expect that from you... I''ll think before I say anything next time..." It''s not her fault she doesn''t understand, and it''s only going to be harder for her to see the true face of Zern. I might ruin the expectation she has of me, but those are her expectations. Mine is far simpler. Albeit one-dimensional, it''s an easy thing to focus on. "You don''t have to apologize, Sally. You''ll learn about me more as we travel together. My personality is very different from most people. I know my priorities, and nothing will stop me from achieving my goals." Sally is done with her food, and everything is set for the dungeon. "Let''s get a move on. It''s time to get you a very powerful ss." I stand up from the bar and make my way towards the door. Sally follows behind me. I know for a fact that the dungeon is going to be freezing and filled with tough monsters, but most of them will be taken apart by The Witness easily. Throw my wings into the mix, and you got yourself a walking talking blender. I should check my levels and see where I am before I start gaining more levels. I pull up my yer interface and look at my skills and my current pile of unused stat points. [yer (Zern) Lvl.81] [Exp: 95/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 13,545] [Health: 16,560/16,560][Mana: 135450/135450] [Stat Points: 570][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] I''m already past level 80, and I''ll be getting a sizable amount of exp from this dungeon. I won''t be getting as much as I did when I had all those exp bonuses when I fought that horde of monsters, but it''s still going to be a lot. I have 570 unused stat points, and I could put them into anything I wanted. The more mana I have, the easier it''ll be for me to learn to control my mana aura. The bigger the pool is, the bigger the margin for error is, which helps in development. You can poison yourself on ident and ruin any future your yer has. It happened to millions of yers in the past. I pour my 570 stat points into my focus stat, raising my mana to bigger numbers. Every bit counts, and now that new number looks a little different. [yer (Zern) Lvl.81] [Exp: 95/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 14,660] [Health: 16,560/16,560][Mana: 146600/146600] [Stat Points: 0][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] I got a little over 10k mana from that. It''s a great improvement to my future strength too. Now it''s time to focus on the dungeon. Once we get out of the city, it''ll be a quick flight to the location. I''m actually pretty excited to see The Frosts Wrath in action. It''s an infamous ss. Many believed that it should''ve been on the same grade as legendary, but it wasn''t because of its way of acquisition. It''s going to nice to have a strong partner too. I hope Sally is as excited as I am. {Next chapter will pick up right at the dungeon entrance. Many of you are probably thirsty for some action. Once The Holy Cityes around, there will be a lot more action. Sorry about the double stat panel too. Keeping track of stats is important, but many will still bitch, I''m sure. I won''t be seeing it, however. So Cheers!} {P.S. I''m still not reading anyments or anything of the like, my life has be so much happier because of that.} Chapter 151: The Legacy that should be Legendary I

Chapter 151: The Legacy that should be Legendary I

I bring us down fast andnd in front of a cave with ice and snow flowing out of it. It looks just as it was described. This looks like a cave on the outside, but the inside is filled withbyrinth-like tunnels and structures and pathways. We''ll have to get halfway through the dungeon before getting to a new section where the puzzle is supposed to unlock the legacy ss path. I take the potions out of my inventory and hand them all to Sally. She will need them if she is to survive the cold of this dungeon. "Stay behind me, Sally. The monsters in this dungeon are powerful. I''ll protect you as long as you stay close. I hope you are as excited as I am about this." I''m pumped to challenge such an infamous dungeon. All the monsters inside are reinforced with ice buffs that increase creatures'' defense and health pools. I don''t expect there to be any magic castors in this dungeon. This dungeon is for wielder-typebatants. Magic casters aren''t fond of this dungeon type since it''s all tight spaces and no room to cast powerful spells. A weakness to the devastating power of mages is dungeons and environments just like the one we are heading into. Sally uncorks a potion and drinks it. "I''m ready. I''ll follow your lead and make sure not to get in your way. If you do end up needing my help, let me know." It''s nice to have a partner to do this with. We walk side by side into the cave and immediately notice how cold it is. I keep my wings toggled on for the extra defense and offensive capabilities they bring. "It''s going to get very ustrophobic in this dungeon. It has abyrinth-like design that confuses the people in it. Luckily for us, I know the exact routes to get to what we need. So ites down to clearing out monsters as we go along." She nods her head as I see the tip of her nose gets a little red from the freezing air. She looks to be holding up fine other than that. She isn''t shivering and is walking with caution mixed with confidence. She has her sword out to be safe. I draw The Witness and get ready too. The monsters should be showing up soon and with them aplex fighting environment. We have already started to navigate the twisting and turning of the design. However, I''m following the instructions to the letter that I remember. After a few minutes of walking, I hear many creatures running in the direction we are walking to. They soone into view as the blue fire torches light the hallway. The monsters are on the lower side and aren''t dangerous for me. I don''t even use my sword and instead use my wings to dispatch the ones getting close. Many stop their assault and stare at the two of us as I kill. "What are they doing, Zern? I''ve never seen a monster stop in this manner before." I have only seen it a couple of times. I also got some exp for that, around 2 percent. I open my stat panel to see how close I am to leveling up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.81] [Exp: 97/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 14,660] [Health: 16,560/16,560][Mana: 146600/146600] [Stat Points: 0][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] I''m at 97 percent now, getting pretty close to level 82. The information about the boss is correct too. It controls the dungeon''s monsters with its hive mind ability. They all share the same intelligent thoughts as the boss does. They slowly back up into the darkness that isn''t being lit by the blue torches on the walls, and we are left alone. "The boss has a hive mind ability. Whatever the monsters see and experience, so does the boss and vise versa. It has a giant weakness to it. Anything being affected by the hive mind will die once the boss dies." While it makes coordination easy, it has ws. Ites with its share of risks. If you can''t reach the boss directly, you can harm it by killing enough of its drones. You can count on dungeons or wild creatures of the sort to be a unique opponent to take on, but the majority of them are easy to beat once you find the boss''s weakness. Since the hive mind is an ability, anything with substantial brainpower can learn and use the skill. It''s not exclusive to a single type of monster. Some are born with the ability, even humanoid creatures like humans and lizardman. It''s very rare, though, since brain size impacts the skills abilities. "Do you not know the monster, or are you going to continue keeping me in the dark." I know the boss''s name to this dungeon, but that''s it. The forum never went into detail about the monster species. Only it''s unique skills and craftiness to get out of tough spots. I don''t want to keep Sally in the dark, but the less she knows about what''s ahead, the easier it will be when adapting on the fly. "I have an idea of what it could be, but I don''t know for sure. It''s not something you have to worry yourself over. We''ll be getting your legacy ss before we fight the boss. In fact, we don''t even need to fight the boss. We can get you the ss and get out of here." That isn''t something I''d normally do. Since Sally is here, I have to consider her too. We walk down the paths of thisplex dungeon, and I''m following the instructions from the forum to the best I can remember. After another 10 minutes of walking, wee across a door. Just like the forum said, we would. I walk up to it and push it open. The door slowly opens, and an old office is what reveals its self. This is the room with the puzzle in it. Now all I have to do is find out where the puzzle is and try to solve it. I don''t see any obvious traps, so I walk in, and I feel something drain on my power. It''s only for a second, but it happens. "This ce hasn''t seen any visitors in decades. Look at all this dust." Sally starts to sound colder, and as I think that, she pulls out her second potion and drinks it. "Who do you think this office belonged to? If it''s hidden so deep into a dungeon, it had to be someone who didn''t want to be found." I agree with her deduction. It could have been a powerful mage or a researcher. I walk over to the obvious desk and sit in the chair that the owner would''ve sat in. There are old books that have long rotted away, I open some of the drawers, and most are empty and filled with dust. The only thing I found was an old broken pencil. I lean back in the chair, thinking of where the puzzle could be, it''s in this room, and there is a hidden passage somewhere around here. "Look for anything out of ce, things that haven''t rotted away or have magicing from them." Sally should know what we are looking for. Two eyes are better than one. The condition of everything could also be a decoy. I use inspect on some of the things in the room, but nothinge up. As I look around, I see a small picture on a wall that hasn''t degraded at all. That is something that is out f ce in this decaying room. I stand up and walk over to it. Once I get closer, I notice that it''s a familiar face. It''s Flint. He is standing next to a small girl. This must be Ulma Runa before she did whatever she did. I take the picture off the wall and take it out of its frame. I turn it around and notice a message inscribed on the back. It''s in anguage I''m unfamiliar with. After a couple of seconds, the letters shift and turn into a readable message. What I read tells me this is the puzzle that needs to be solved. "If you can''t exin it simply, you don''t understand it well enough." "Many believe me to know all the answers to their questions, and they are right. At the same time, they are wrong. I''m more than one. Only those versed in knowledge truly know me. What am I?" Talk about a cryptic puzzle. This seems to have been written by Flint himself with the multiple dead ends it leads to. Many believe it holds all the answers, and they are both right and wrong. It''s also more than one, and only those versed in knowledge truly know it. If I didn''t know any better I''d say this puzzle was made specifically for Ulma Runa, and both her and Flint are powerful mages. From what I know I can only surmise a couple of answers. Time to try them out. Chapter 152: The Legacy that should be Legendary II

Chapter 152: The Legacy that should be Legendary II

It''s more of a riddle than a puzzle. It would have been a nice rification in the forum post. I wonder how the original people who did this solved the puzzle. They didn''t know Flint or Ulma Runa. They had to of spent tons of time researching before they actually answered. The riddle states that there is more than one. It holds the answers and yet doesn''t. My knowledge of Ancients World is the greatest of all the yers currently ying. Since Ulma Runa and Flint were both mages, it has to be about magic. "The different types of magic?" Nothing happens, and my first answer is no good. If it''s not the different types of magic, then perhaps it''s matter and states. "Solid, liquid, gas, and sma?" Nothing again. You would think those answers work. This might be why Ulma Runa never solved it. Well, I don''t know if she even attempted. The obvious answers are now gone, and there is no hope of a quick solution with them. I walk back over to the desk and sit down in the chair. I ce the puzzle in front of me and stare at it. Sallyes up beside me and looks at it too. "Perhaps it''s our concept of reality? Time, energy, and space." Sallyes up with a good answer, but there is no reaction. Flint might have philosophical tendencies, but I don''t know him well enough to say he does. "This is going to take a long time, isn''t it..." We got nothing other than time. Monsters don''t attack this area because it''s protected by magic. I close my eyes and cover my face with my hands. It''s tailored to Ulma Runa. No one else would know the answer. I have knowledge next to nothing when ites to Ulma Runa. All I know of her now is she''s a dark sorcerer and is in bed with Bellvia. This was made when she wasn''t evil and wasn''t someone who''d curse an entire species. "Sally... What do you know about the kingdom of Bellvia?" Sally has been here way longer than I have. She might have the insight I don''t. She picks up the picture and looks at the actual photo instead of the riddle. "When I was still a ve, most illegal trading was done in Bellvia. It''s one of the ces with very loosews and corrupt officials. The bell tower in the background of this picture was once the home of the monks of Azerlor, till it was destroyed in a riot." I quickly take the picture out of her hand and stare at it. The answer is right in front of us. Now to interpret it into the answer for the puzzle. Ulma Runa maye from Bellvia. This picture was taken when she was still a little girl. "Damn... We have the answer. There isn''t a way to put it into words the puzzle would recognize as an answer. I hate wordy and games. It makes things moreplicated than they have to be." Sally stays quiet with a thinking look. Flint is a cynic and wouldn''t make it something that a naive person would say. I doubt Ulma Runa was a naive girl. She isn''t even smiling in the picture. Being a cynical man and powerful mage. Flint would point out the hypocrisies of man and its failings. While turning them into lessons at the same time. Now how would Flint and Ulma Runa answer this puzzle? What do the most cynical people think when confronted with a question like this. This is way more challenging than I thought. I wasn''t expecting to direct people and their beliefs. I was nning on some mental tests. In a sense, it fits. Only people like Flint and Ulma Runa would answer the riddle. They would only trust people with mindsets like them... Hold on... That might be the answer¡ªat least one of them. "The human nature and its ability to grow rapidly at the cost of others. Both organic and inorganic. This ends up destroying other potentially great creatures too. Turning humanity into a parasite." The picture bursts into blue mes and flies at an old bookshelf in the room. It sets it on fire and burns it to dust fast. A new path has revealed itself, and there is bone-chilling colding from the path. Sally immediately pulls out a potion as her teeth chatter together in the cold. She drinks it fast and looks to have warmed up. "The answer was something only people who believe the worst of humanity could see. I''m d I''ve met the owner of that riddle. If I hadn''t, then we''d be stuck here for a while." Sally nods her head understanding the worst of humanity. She has been exposed to it for many years. It was thanks to her help that I found the answer. "Thanks for helping Sally. I wouldn''t have figured it out if it weren''t for you looking in ces I failed to. It''s a good thing you did. I would''ve missed it." She gives a bashful smile at mypliment. She deserves the credit. "From what I remember, the ss should be down this hall. Once we reach the chamber, ignore the scroll floating in the middle of the room. It''s a trap." There is a lot of power at stake. Flint wouldn''t want anyone undesirable getting it. I begin walking down the hall, and Sally follows behind me. As we walk, torches along the walls light themselves. "What should I go for once we reach the chamber? If it''s full of traps, how are we supposed to know where the ss is?" She brings up a great question, and I n to tell her once we get to the chamber. The forum stated there is a false wall on the chamber''s back wall. All you have to do is use inspect on it, and it will reveal itself. I stay quiet and give her a head tilt that tells her I''ll handle it. After about 2 minutes of walking, we approach a door covered in ice. I use my right wing and m it against the ice, it shatters, and the door is free. I push the door open, and we enter a room full of treasures. All of this is probably trapped. I look to Sally and see the apprehension on her face. She has good instincts not going for something so tempting. I make a path through the piles of gold to the back wall and use inspect on it. [False Wall] [Do you wish to open the false wall? Y/N] I think yes and reach my hand out at the same time. I push open the hatch, and a dusty room is revealed. There is a chest in the very center of it, and it''s the only item in here. I use inspect on it too. [Flint''s results on Project cies] [Description: This chest holds the sessful creation of Project cies. The one who opens the chest will receive what''s inside.] I look at Sally and nod my head for her to go. She walks up to the chest and opens it. A single scroll floats out of it, and she takes it from its floating position. She turns to me with a smile. "What are you waiting for, Sally. Read it and get the ss." She nods her head and unfolds the paper scroll. I watch her read it for about 30 seconds, and then a bright blue lightes from the paper. The light enters Sally, and after all of it enters her, she falls to the ground. Taking or receiving a bunch of power in a short amount of time like that can cause a lot of stress on the body. I walk up to her and pick her up. I carry her in my arms and leave the hidden room. I look around the giant chamber full of treasure and regret it''s all trapped. We have what we came for, so that means we can leave. We don''t need to clear the dungeon, and I''d like to get a move on to The Holy City. So this dungeon isn''t getting cleared today. I backtrack through the winding tunnels and passages. After about 30 minutes, I make it to the entrance of the dungeon and get a prompt if I want to leave or not. I ept the option to leave, and I walk out into the nice warm sunlight. I spread out my wings andunch off the ground. I head away from the city and dungeon and in the direction of The Holy City. After flying for an hour, Ind and set Sally against a tree, and I take a load off. I rx and enjoy the silence. I want to wait until Sally is awake before we head into The Holy City. After another 30 minutes, she begins to stir and sit up. I watch her open her blue-green eyes and look at me. As soon as she does, she gives me a big smile. "I''ve got a Legacy ss.~" She speaks in a sing-song-like voice. I smile and can''t stop myself from feeling happy for her. She now has the power to do whatever she wants. She is free from the will of others. Now her life is her own. Chapter 153: Sallys New Power

Chapter 153: Sally''s New Power

Sally stands up and draws her sword. I smile and stand up myself. I flex my wings and get ready to try out her new power. "I''m going to test my new skill out on you. Hopefully, this time I can do something to those wings." I chuckle, knowing that she can''t. Her ss is strong, but her weapon has to be legendary or higher to damage my wings. I get into a defensive stance and use my hand to tell her to bring it. She bursts forth with speed she didn''t have before. I bring my wings up to block her attack, and she collides with them hard, but I feel no pain in my wings and no drop in health. "You have way too much power for the level that you are..." I give her a head tilt knowing she is right. I have way more power than Blue Chaos ever did when he had this ss to start out. The potential of my power is several times higher than his ever was. She jumps back and quits attacking. She isn''t even tired out from the heavy assault she produced. I flex my entire body, including my wings, andunch at her with speed she couldn''t keep up with before. She dodges and avoids the swings of my wings. She is moving much faster now. She definitely got a huge stat boost from the legacy ss. "You are much stronger now, Sally. You have ess to real power now, and you can do whatever you want with it." She grins with happiness when I say that. Sally is a sweet and kind person despite what happened to her as a child and the years that followed. It takes an incredible will and desire to live toe out the way she did. She jumps back and sheaths her weapon. "It''s all thanks to your help. I wouldn''t have been here now if you didn''t ask me toe with you. It''s like fate brought us together..." I know that she likes me a lot, and she knows I know. She has attempted to get me to feel the same way, but I don''t. I rx my wings and fold them slightly behind my back. They aren''t toggled off, just out of the way. "One''s life is determined by the choices one makes. I chose to invite you along, but you chose to join me. You only have yourself to thank. You''d still be working in that inn if you decided to ignore the offer. It was your own faith that there are good people out there not out to hurt you. You have gone through more personal growth than I ever could." She blushes at my words. I''m not trying to get her to blush. She needs to hear how far she hase. It can really help a person with issues if you tell them the good things they have done, to show them that they are a better person than they think themselves to be. "You''ll give a girl the wrong idea with words that sweet..." I chuckle as she says that. She gives a light one too. "Now that we havepleted this, is it time for The Holy City?" I nod my head slowly as she looks at me. Some of the most influential and richest people reside in The Holy City. Not only are the people born from noble blood obsessed with blood purity. They are extremely racist to other species and non-noble pure-bloods. "You must already know about the state The Holy City is in with that expression. I won''t force you to go, Sally... I''m not liking the idea of walking around a bunch of racists. I have to, though, to get my mana aura." She looks at me in annoyance and huffs as she turns her head away. I don''t think that was what she wanted to hear. "I''m going to be there for you, Zern. After all, you''ve done for me, how can I abandon the mission because of some racists assholes. You are not getting rid of me that easily, Zern." I should''ve known better. I wanted to give her onest out before it gets tough. She walks up to me and hugs me. Her foreheades up to my bottom lip. She is much taller than most women. "I care about you... No matter what happens, I''m sticking right by your side..." I put my right hand on top of her head and wrap my left arm around her. The least I can do is hug her back. She hugs me longer than I''d like her to, but I''ll let it slide. The moments we have spent together are probably the most trust she has shown a man. I can''t throw that back in her face right now. "Enough of this mushy crap. Let''s get a move on. I want to get to The Holy City by tomorrow morning." She lets go and looks up at me with damp eyes. She dries them and nods her head. I kneel on the ground, and she climbs on my back. Iunch off the ground once she is secure and quickly reach an altitude above the clouds. "I''m never going to get tired of this..." I hear her whisper as we fly at a slower speed than our journey to the fairy kingdom. Instead of sitting up, sheys on my back and hugs me tightly from behind. She is taking advantage of the situation. I can tell her to stop, but I''m not that cold-hearted. I''ll let her cling from the ride. As Cera and Sally travel to The Holy City, there is a meeting about the war. It''s between all the rulers and the church. Many are present with holograms. The Pope is the first to speak, listing off the reports from the most recent conflict. This war has started up again from its previous silent state. From these reports, the monsters have even stronger creatures andrger forces. Many civilians are looking to the church for support. As the Pope, it''s my job to fulfill the people''s needs to the best of my abilities. "I just sent copies of the reports to all of you. Please read through them and speak your mind as you please." Multiple copies are sent out at mymand, and many are silently reading the reports. The news is dire indeed. The war is going to escte soon. We will mount an offensive of our own if we wish to win this war. Constantly defending against attacks will only make us weaker in the long term. "I heard that the monster forces had been bolstered, but not to this degree..." Queen Fiona Heartfire the 1st speaks her thoughts out loud. Her country is having an economic boom thanks to the fairy''s new kingdom. Many smaller countries are demanding aid from her. She has yet to respond to any of them. The country of Smander will be a hub of new activity for a very long time. Fiona is lucky to have them in her kingdom. "As you can see from the reports and the countries that have suffered attacks, the enemy is getting stronger. I want to propose an idea to all of you." I hope they''ll give this a chance. Many stay silent, waiting for my words. "I say weunch full-scale invasions of the countries that have already been taken or are close to it. We need to show the people and monsters we aren''t going to sit around and allow all this to happen." Many stay silent at my promation. However, none are openly objecting. The problem is moving suchrge forces in unison and establishing a new chain ofmand. If all the kingdomsbine their efforts, then the force we''ll have will be stronger than anything before it. The only problem with this is the coalition. "I understand what you are saying, Alex, but the coalition isn''t going anywhere. So we''ll all have to discuss a way around it." Gregory already knows what this topic implies. I''m more than willing to leave the coalition alone, but I have to step on some toes with this war. "If any of you have an idea on how we can work around this, please speak your minds. The sooner the kingdom''s forces arebined, the faster we can retaliate in this war." Many mute their holograms so they can speak with their advisors and generals. This might be the day we see the first unification of all human kingdoms since the great war thousands of years ago. The holograms unmute, and I hear Gregory speak first. "The coalition and the remaining kingdoms aligned with the church are will tobine forces, on one condition though." The church can fulfill most things, and it shouldn''t be too hard. "We want the cooperation of the elven kingdoms. Their magic and fighter will greatly help bolster our forces. I know that this entails what you and the church consider heresy, but this is the condition we haveid out. Contact me or any of the coalition members when you havee to a decision." All of the holograms turn off in that instant. I''m very upset right now, and at the same time understanding. The help of the elves will tip this war in our favor. I''ll talk to the council about it, until then. I have much to go over with reports about the war. Hopefully, the son is revealed soon, he could help us greatly in this war. I''m going to start losing my hair if the stress continues to be this bad. I don''t do bald. Chapter 154: The Holy City I

Chapter 154: The Holy City I

We have been flying for some time now, and we are only an hour or so away from The Holy City. Sally has been quietly resting on me and humming a melody. She has a real talent for that, in my opinion. It''s very rxing and calms my jumbled mind as it drifts from one problem to the next. It has been a peaceful trip with sess so far. We got her the legacy ss Frosts Wrath. Now we are moving onto my mana aura. I have to be honest and admit this is daunting to me. I have no answer from the future to help me, nothing to steal from another. Just like the puzzle in the dungeon. Only on a much bigger scale. I hope I''m up for the challenge. I''ll have Fenrir and Sally''s help with the difficult ending to the quest. I have the lore tablet saved too. It only has one use, though. This quest is a measure of my own determination and will to seed. Not someone else''s hard work. I''m taking this time around. The sun has long set, and the stars are out. I never get tired of seeing them, a masterpiece beyond expectations. It''s so much more beautiful than earth. "Sally, do you ever wonder if there is life beyond the stars up there..." In truth, there is. In the sense of yersing here, we are aliens to Ancients World. I wonder if there is extraterrestrial life in this universe. If we did get stuck here, I wonder if it''s the same universe or not. That isn''t something that will be answered any time soon. It might after the yers settle in and build their own kingdoms or not. So many things to do. It''s almost overwhelming. One of my dreams was to travel around the earth, see all the things humanity has built. I couldn''t do that. Maybe I can here. "I believe that there is life beyond our... The universe is too big for there not to be. What a thought to reach out into the cosmos..." A poetic thought Sally. I like it. It''s true too. Perhaps a couple of centuries from now, the yer''s offspring will create a space program. However, the wonders and adventures of Ancients World will be too addictive. The children of the yers will call this ce home, call it Gaia. Earth is a forgone memory now, and its history will eventually fade as more are born from the yers. The eventual berths of kids from yers will happen. Make me wonder if they will be treated like yers do or as NPC''s. Sally runs her hands up and down my torso. She is bold with the free pass I''ve given her. She shouldn''t get used to it. "Where did you new peoplee from anyway, Zern? You all showed up overnight in the billions. It''s an absurd thought and even more so since it actually happened." Many NPC''s called us insane when some of the yers told the truth of that time. Now it doesn''t seem like the truth. This is a separate world, after all. J&X really did something beyond their time. The human race is now no longer as vast as it was because of them. Earth was doomed to die after my lifetime. So in a way, it''s a good thing it happened, but so many died. Many came to this world alone without the one they love. Some perished with the ones they loved. The lucky one like me was brought with my family. I''d have lost my mind if I lost them. I''ll never take that for granted, and if a yer who lost everything needs my help. I''ll lend it. This whole situation is mostly my fault anyway. I couldn''t have foreseen the oue since I didn''t think it was possible. "You wouldn''t believe me if I told you, Sally. Our strange ability to grow strong and fast. Our special ce in this world, you and others wouldn''t believe the absurdity of it. One day you''ll know, but that''s a long time from now. By the way, shouldn''t I be treating you as a senior citizen since you are over 100 years old." Her hands dive into my armor and grab a chunk of my skin. She pinches a piece of skin and tries to twist. Her result ends in my skin not twisting and her fingers poping in resistance. "OOWW!! What are you made of, you big meanie!?!" The difference in stats can do that. I chuckle, and that frustrates her more. "You know better than to say something like that... I get there is a big age difference, but that doesn''t change the way I feel..." I feel her bury her face in my back after saying that. Even I''m blushing a little from those confident words. She is an extraordinary girl. She could have turned out so much different after what happened to her, but she has be this amazing woman. I could see myself with her, but not anytime sooner orter. Too many demons haunting both of us, being a support for each other is better right now. I like that I can confide in her, and she in me. I don''t want to change to somethingplicated when either isn''t ready. She has decided to say silent after that little show. As the days go by, she grows more important to me. "I''m unfamiliar with how to respond to that, Sally. So I''ll say whates to heart. I care about you, and age isn''t a problem. The state of our heads is, though... Just remember, neither of us is ready." she nods her head slowly while still buried in my back. Coming to an understanding of this situation will be a good thing in the long run. All the things that could happen between us in the future should be when both of us are really ready. Sally will be a very powerful and influential person once her power develops.?"We still have a bit before we make it to The Holy City. I want to walk the rest of the way from here. The security around the city will be tight, and I don''t want tond anywhere nearby." She stays quiet and doesn''t move. I know she heard me, and that''s enough for me. I bring us down slowly and gentlend. She gets off and stretches her body. I do, too, and my body pops, unlike hers. "It''ll be a couple of hours walking since we aren''t flying anymore, but we''ll get there tonight." She gives me a big toothy smile and looks full of energy. I really do hope she nurtures her power into something great. It''s not something I can help with since she is an NPC. She doesn''t have ess to the system like us yers do. It is one of the biggest reasons we grow so fast and efficiently. We get to choose and pick, while the process is much moreplicated for NPC''s. I can help her with fighting and techniques, but improving her level is her responsibility. "I like the thought of having a nice walk with you under the nket of stars. It makes me feel good inside." I chuckle and begin walking towards the marker on my map. I toggle my wings off since it''s an area with tons of people looking for me. "Stay close to me when we reach the city. I don''t want anyone bothering you because you are a half-breed. If you aren''t one of them, you are garbage. The same goes for me. I might be human, but I''m a peasant in their eyes." The attitudes in The Holy City are rumored to be very nasty. From the forum posts I read in my past life, the people in The Holy City don''t wee outsiders openly. Sally falls into step right beside me. She reaches for my hand, but I pull it away. "You''ve been handsy enough this trip. You''re lucky I let you get away with what you did. Now instead of trying to touch me, how about you tell me more about yourself." I want her to tell me more about her past. The more I know, the easier it''ll be to understand her pain. I won''t be with her romantically or sexually until she isfortable with telling me about her life up to this point. She huffs in slight frustration but rxes and puts her hands behind her back. "I''ve been abused any way you can think of since I can remember. When you are a ve, you don''t have choices. Who you are with that night or how you''re treated. This isn''t something I want to talk to you about since most men think it''s disgusting to be with a woman like that." In Ancients World it might be, but a person is worth so much more than what others have done to them to me. I''ll never see her as others see her in Ancients World. Having a life like that is something I''ll never fully understand, but I''ll do my damndest to try. Being abused mentally and physically shouldn''t affect how others see, and I don''t see people like that. It''s wrong to do so. "I''m not most men, Sally. You are so much more than others see you, and the views of others are hard things to push away. I know that, but I''ll always see you as you." She stays quiet and looks down. She''ll talk more when she is ready. Chapter 155: The Holy City II

Chapter 155: The Holy City II

I take in the cool breeze as we walk through the forest¡ªthe rxing sounds of the bugs and branches clear my mind. What I said to Sally might mess with her feelings for me. She might end up liking me more. I want to avoid situations like that, but Sally needed some encouraging words after the incredibly personal thing she shared with me. I''m going to end up with aplicated situation eventually. It''s a byproduct of what is happening, and I can only cross that bridge when I get there. I''m not an expert on women and what they go through, but I like to think I have a clue. Many years of dealing with highly emotional people have taught me many things. I''ve developed some tact when ites toplex situations to handle. I look over to Sally, and she is still looking at the ground and avoiding eye contact. I hope what I said didn''t make her upset. She isn''t acting like her usual cheery self. I fold my arms and rx my shoulders. Thinking about what she is going through right now isn''t going to answer any of my questions. I should focus on something else, and one thing I can think about is how to find the woman known as The Secret Keeper of Titans. The marker leads to The Holy City. However, that''s all it does. Whoever she is, it''s going to be challenging to look for her discretely. I want to keep my identity hidden, and asking around for such a mysterious figure is bound to raise some heads. I don''t know much about The Holy City and who to speak with. Innkeepers are excellent sources of information but are only privy to the talks of drunks and adventurers. Someone as unknown as The Secret Keeper of Titans will be very careful about who she talks to. You don''t get a nickname like that without being careful. "Why do you always know what to say..." My thoughts are interrupted by a question from Sally. They are my thoughts, the only original thing about me. The things I say to Sally are things I didn''t steal from someone else. On a forum or by word of mouth. When you canprehend someone enough, you can help with the words you say. "It''s one of the things I can do. Don''t go thinking I always know what to say either. I''m bound to piss you off with something I say. So hold off on the kind words." She looks at me with a grin. She seems to be in a better mood now. I don''t want her thinking that I''ll always know what to say, only sometimes. I don''t want her opinion of me growing to ces that aren''t true. "What are we doing first once we are inside The Holy City? If you don''t have a n, I''d like to know now." In truth, I don''t have a n, so I should make one. Where can I go for information about someone as mysterious as The Secret Keeper of Titans? Older people are good sources of information. They have been around the longest. Perhaps someone on the elderly side is the one to ask, now where can I find older people willing to talk about what they know. The poor districts are excellent sources for what I''m looking for. If Iy down a good price, someone will help. "We''ll head to the poor district and ask the older people around. They''ll have valuable information." Sally gives me a silly look and sighs. I guess that''s not a good idea. I tilt my head for her to borate why it''s not. She takes a breath and wears a calm face. "The Holy City doesn''t have any poor districts. It''s probably the wealthiest city on this continent. If you want to talk to older people, frequent church attendants are the ones you want to ask. The majority are elderly and getting better rtionships with the light gods before they pass." That''s a brilliant idea. I didn''t know The Holy Citycked a poor district. I nod my head in agreeance with her information. We have a few hours of walking left, so continuing in silence sounds like a good idea to me. While Zern and Sally continue walking to The Holy City. There is a conversation happening between the church officials. The meeting is about the demand the coalition made by reaching out to the elves and getting their help. The highest-ranking officials are at this meeting. Lucy has even returned to be there in person. The one leading this meeting is, of course, The Pope. There is a deathly silence in the room. Everyone knows why we''re here, and many resent the idea. Lucy has had a very mean-looking expression the minute this meeting has been happening. "I know the asking price for the coalition and the elves is ridiculous, but we need to consider the big picture here. This war will be the end of humanity if we don''t do something. As the church, we have to protect the innocent at any cost." Many protests with shouts and angry fits of rage at my words. I don''t me them. We are treating the grandson of The Almighty Father like a bargaining chip. My pride as The Pope has sunk dramatically. "THE ELVES AND THE COALITION CAN GO SCREW THEMSELVES FOR ALL I CARE!!!" Lucy shouts above everyone''s voices, and many shout in agreement. This will be so much harder than I thought it''d be. "Why don''t we force the coalition into helping us! It''s the quickest solution to this problem!" Lucy has been against the coalition for a very long time. Her saying that doesn''t surprise me. I might have to use my power as The Pope to over-rule everyone. "Calm down, everyone... This isn''t getting us anywhere. Let''s weigh our options and consider what''s happening." A voice rings out from the bickering and angry officials. I look at Dexter, and I''m d I have someone willing to listen. Dexter is in charge of public rtions. He is a genius in knowing what the people want and how we can help them. Many look at him with pissed-off faces, and Lucy''s mood is getting worse by the minute. "It''s not like we have to honor the agreement. We can say yes, and then back outter. Our reputation and dignity will take a hit, but we''ll reach the goal of aplete unification of all the forces against the monsters." I''m not too fond of the idea of going back on our word, but this might be the only way. There is the option of me still using my political power to do it. The elves will never forgive humanity, but this war is a more pressing matter. Many have gone silent at his suggestion. Everyone has a thinking face on, considering the idea. "I like the idea." Lucy immediately voices her backing of the idea. Other''s quickly join in agreement with the n. The church is turning from its identity with this move, and it makes me sick. I don''t seem to have any other options either. I sigh and raise my hand. Everyone quiets down and waits for my input. "The damage between elves and humans will never be repaired. If we go through with this, everyone has to be in agreeance. We''ll have another meeting one day from now and give our final votes. I hope it doesn''te to this, but if it does. I won''t stand in the way." Many agree and stand up. Everyone leaves, and it''s now just Lucy and me in the meeting room. She looks at me in disappointment. I understand her feelings, considering what I was suggesting. "You are lucky to have not incurred the wrath of The Almighty Father. This should have never been brought up, Alex. I hope I don''t have to see such decisions being made again. It turns my stomach the church has fallen so far." She turns and leaves before I can respond. In one day, we''ll be deciding to betray the elves or not. I hate politics. I envy the ones who don''t have to deal with this. Sometimes I wish I can leave and go on adventures. After this war is over, I''m retiring. The hours pass, and it''s deep into the night. Zern and Sally can now see the walls of The Holy City. Zern see''s something out of ce, though. I look at the giant line that is only made of men. They are individually scanned with some magic device. This smells very fishy to me. Monsters don''t have the power to attack The Holy City yet, so why are they scanning people? Men specifically being scanned is troubling. Sally also has a concerned look on her face. "I don''t want to wait in that line. We are finding another way in." This is definitely something I should avoid. Sally nods her head, and we get out of sight of everyone. We walk in the treeline and stay beside the walls. There are constant patrols every 30 feet. "This is going to be harder than I thought. Does your ss have anything that can help with this?" I look at Sally, and she smiles as I say that. That is a good sign. Chapter 156: The Holy City III

Chapter 156: The Holy City III

The skills that I have can''t get us into the city without being noticed. I could fly, but the slight glow of my golden wings will give us away. Our options are running thin, so if Sally has a skill she can use that''ll get us in, then I''m all for it. I look at her, and she has her eyes closed. A couple of secondster, two ice soldiers form behind her. "These guys can fight, defend, and move fast. I can only make two right now. When I start leveling up my skills, I can create more, and they''ll be stronger." This is perfect. If they can move independently, we can create a hole in the defenses. I walk up to them and check them out. They don''t have any defining features. They are like blocky men. "Can they move independently from you? We can have guards chase them, and after a breach is formed, we can get in." She nods her head with confidence and has a slight smug look on her face. She deserves to indulge in pride. This is going to be a giant help. "How are we going to get over the wall once the guards are chasing these guys?" I n to pick her up and run up the wall with my speed. My speed and strength stats are going to make it an easy feat. "Howfortable are you being carried? I was thinking I can run up the wall while carrying you. If you aren''tfortable with that, then I''ll think of something else." I don''t want to make her ufortable and cause old scars to open up by doing this. I know that old mental trauma can be activated by certain things, and she was probably carried like a sack of bricks and tossed around. I don''t want to do that to her. Sally gives me a thankful look. Being considerate of other''s pain is something everyone should aspire to do. "I''m perfectly fine with that, Zern. Let me know when you''re ready, and I''ll send these guys out, and we''ll leave the treeline and scale the wall." I want to check onest thing before I get into the city. I open my quest log and see my divine mana aura quest hasn''t changed. I hoped I could get a hint when I got close enough to the city. Maybe once I step into the city, it''ll change. Sometimes quests work like that¡ªno sense in dying any further. "Let''s do this. I''m going to pick you up and run up the wall as soon as the guard''s attention is drawn." She nods her head and points to her ice soldiers. I don''t hear her say anything, so it must be telepathicmunication. She turns back to me, and they take off out of the treeline. I pick her up in my arms, and she uses the situation to her advantage and wraps her arms around my neck to hold on better. We hear the shouts of guards and their quickly fading voices. I burst out of the treeline and run to the wall fast. I reach it and start running up it with extreme speed. We are at the top soon, and there are no guards in sight. I stick out one hand and use it to stick to the wall on the way down on the other side. We hand inside the city, and I hear a ding. I''ll check thatter. I run a good distance away from the wall and turn into an ally. I let go of Sally, and she fixes her hair. I''m a little surprised that worked so well. I''m d I could avoid what was happening at the gate, and now I''m in the city where I start my divine mana aura quest. Now that we are safe and out of sight, I pull up my yer interface and see a new notification. I open it, and my divine mana aura quest has been updated. I pull up the information and what I read surprises me. [Chain Divine Mana Aura Quest] [Description: Now that you have reached tier 1, you must undertake the real challenge. While many mana aura quests are the same, it''s a known fact the rarer a ss is, the harder the quests will be for that ss.] [Objective 1: Finding the Secret Keeper of Titans is up to you, looking and asking around is a good way to find someone. That isn''t your only option. However, the nobility can be very useful if bribed with enough money.] [Objective 2: Complete the quest she gives you and get the first clue to the location of your Divine Mana Aura.] [Difficulty: Divine] [Rewards: Information about the location of your Divine Mana Aura] [Hint: You will need a powerful ally to help you at the end of this Chain Quest, you will not be able to defeat the boss with your current strength.] I didn''t consider bribing a noble or high-ranking official in the city. Thates with risks too, asking the oldermunity at the church seems like the best option. If that doesn''t work, then bribing a noble it is. "We are going to an inn for the night. We''ll start our search tomorrow and make our way to the church here in the city." This also gives me a chance to check if I got any mail from Amelia yet. She might have already sent another letter responding to the one I sent the same day. Sally nods her head and gives me a nervous look. I know what it''s about too. The people here will give Sally a hard time because of who she is. "Stay close to me, alright. I won''t let anyone do anything to you. If someone tries something, I''ll cut off their limbs and leave them to die." She doesn''t give a response. She grabs to bottom of my leather chest piece and moves closer. She is so terrified of racists. It makes me want to kill anyone who acts in such a way. I turn, and she is still hanging on. We leave the ally and start walking the streets. We eventuallye across a lively inn, and we enter. As we do, many go silent. Almost everyone stares at Sally. "Zern... I''m Scared..." I give a hard look at everyone and even draw my de. As soon as I do, many of the faces go pale. The oppressive energy of The Witness weighs heavily on everyone. They advert their eyes and go back to their own business. I approach the front desk with Sally still hanging on. The innkeeper gives me a look of apprehension. "I have half a mind to call the guards on you. Elf lovers aren''t wee here in The Holy City." I squint ever so slightly and pull out 20 gold. Iy it on the counter, and he looks at it. "However, I''m more than understanding to your ways. Here is the key to your room. It''s upstairs." He tosses me a key, and I catch it. He takes the 20 gold pieces with a smile and goes back to his job. We quickly make our way up the stairs and enter the room. Sally takes many deep breaths and kneels on the ground as soon as we do. I take a knee beside her and stay still. I''m not going to touch her. It might be bad if I do. She reaches for my right hand and sps it with both of hers. I grip the one hand I can in support of her. "I hate this ce..." I can''t help feeling like shit dragging her here with me. However, it can''t be undone. We are here now. She looks up at me with eyes filling with tears. "I''ll get you a hood tomorrow if you want one. It''ll draw less attention to you. Let me know, okay." She lets go of my hands and dries her tears. She gets up and walks over to the single bed in the room. "I''ll take the chair. You look like you need afortable bed after all that. We''ll go as soon as you''re up." She nods her head and flops down on the bed. I walk over to the soft chair and sit down. I close my eyes and rx as much as I can. This quest will be a hard one that takes a long time. Sally is going to be having a difficult time too. It''s akin to torment in my eyes. If everyone knew that I was The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, many would treat her like royalty. It''s ironic. I could help her if I revealed myself. I''ll have to make it up to her. She is enduring all this to help me. "Thank you for all your help, Sally. You are the only person I can trust, and I want you to know you can trust me." I don''t open my eyes. I want her to know that. I hear the bed move slightly, and I hear the soft taps of her shoese closer. I open my eyes, and she is standing in front of me. She has a sad look on her face. "I want you to sleep in the bed with me. I don''t feel safe without you in arms reach..." She isn''t taking advantage of anything this time. I can see she is genuinely scared. I stand up and nod my head. She turns and walks back to the bed. Sheys on it, and I sit off the side. I feel her handnd on my shoulder, and she brings me down with her. Iy on my side, and she wraps her arm around the top side of me from behind. "Justy here..." I obey and close my eyes. She needs a friend who will support her, and I''m going to fulfill that role tonight. If I have to be a body pillow for her to feel safe, then so be it. It''s the least I can do for all the help she has given me. Chapter 157: The Holy City IV

Chapter 157: The Holy City IV

This is the first time I''ve seen Sally this scared. She has dealt with the people I saw today for her entire life. I couldn''t imagine living the life she has, over 100 years of this torment from people. It''s absolutely ridiculous. "I know you aren''t going to be getting much sleep tonight. I wouldn''t either if I were you. If you need me to get you anything or help with something, let me know." She doesn''t say anything in response. We justy on the bed in silence. I leave my eyes closed and take a small breath. This quest will be difficult toplete, with so many racists making it hard. I''m going to have to be extra diligent. Some people are violent and will try to remove her forcefully. "Can we get a hood for me tomorrow... If people didn''t see my ears, they wouldn''t tell the difference. I don''t want to walk around being stared at and ridiculed all day..." I can easily fulfill that request. I take a small breath preparing my answer. "We can do that. Some stores won''t serve us, and the rest will overcharge us for a hood. We''ll go to a more affordable district and get the best deal possible. I also don''t want you feeling bad because of your status. You have every bit of right to live a happy and normal life as they do." I feel her arm tighten around me, and she curls up slightly into my back. I''ll do my best to make changes for her. No one should have to live a life like this. As someone with a lot of power, I can make a change. It''s getting over my own greed of not wanting to be revealed. "If you want, Sally, I can reveal myself and make your life here and everywhere easier... Just say the word." She doesn''t say anything, and I feel her flick the back of my head. It doesn''t hurt. "I''ll take that as a no." I don''t think there is anything left to talk about tonight. I focus on trying to sleep, and I eventually do. I dream of nothing, and after the night passes, I feel the sun and its heat hitting my face. I lean up, and since Sally is still attached to me, she follows me up. It wakes her up in the process, and she lets go. I clean the gunk out of my eyes, and so does Sally. "Let''s get out of this ce and get you a hood." I stand up and make my way to the door. I notice Sally hasn''t moved yet and is curled up in a ball with her face in her knees. I walk over to her and sit on the bed. "I''m not leaving you here alone, Sally. I don''t trust anyone down in that bar, and if they see me leave without you, they might try something. Come on, let''s get out of this inn and look for a store that isn''t racist." She looks up at me and starts to get up. I lift myself off the bed and make my way towards the door. Sally is staying very close on my tail. We both slept in our clothes. We exit the room and make our way downstairs. The loud conversations quiet down as we descend. Many turn their gazes at us just likest night. This time I can see many adventurers that weren''t herest night. We make our way to the exit, but two fatter men block it. Sally grabs the bottom of my chest piece and holds on in fear. "You look like you don''t have much money, butying down 20 gold like you didst night proves different. You know what you''ve done, don''t you?" This is going to lead to a confrontation inevitably. Killing NPC''s in cities is a big risk. If they aren''t criminals, you be one. yers killing each other is different, but it has some punishment, not like killing an NPC, though. "I''m only going to say this once. If any of you try anything, I''ll kill everyone in this inn." I''m 100% serious too. If there are no witnesses to report the crime, I won''t get in trouble. Manyugh at my words, and the man who spoke earlier stands up and walks over towards us. Sally is my main concern right now. She is probably scared shitless. "Those are big wordsing from a deadman. I''ll tell you what if you hand this pretty little thing over than my men, and I will let you go." She reaches out to touch Sally. "I''m going to hav-! AAAHHHH!!!!" I instantly draw The Witness and chop off his arm. I get notifications, but I ignore them. "YOU SON OF A BI-!!" I take his head off his shoulders before he can keep talking. I turn to the two fat men guarding the door and sh horizontally at their waists. I cut both of them in half. I turn around to the rest of the bar and see the scared faces of everyone. "Don''t worry. It''ll be quick and almost painless. More than any of you deserve." Many try to rush at me to get to the exit. Other''s run for windows and rooms. I toggle my wings on so that I can kill these guys faster. I rush 5 and cleave them in multiple pieces with my wings. I dash around the room faster than anyone can react to or getaway. I use The Witness and my wings to tear everyone witness apart. After 20 seconds, everyone in the inn except Sally and I is now a pile of limbs and organs. The amount of blood will cause any non-veteran puke. I look to see Sally doing said vomiting. I toggle my wings off and sheath The Witness. I walk over to her and stand by her side until she is done. Every time she looks up and around, she goes back to puking. She''ll eventually be able to do these things. Once her stats and gear are good enough, it''ll be easy. I even got a level up from that. I make sure the front door is locked, so no one walks in. Until Sally is ready to go, I''ll wait patiently. I open my yer interface and see my new level. +4% level exp [yer (Zern) Lvl.82] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 14,660] [Health: 16,560/16,560][Mana: 146600/146600] [Stat Points: 10][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] I''m not sitting at zero stat points anymore, which is nice. I''m 1 percent into level 82 as well. "I didn''t actually think you''d do it..." I hear Sally say something as I look at my stats. I turn my head to look at her and see her face. She looks at me in sadness. "You killed them like they were nothing... I''m grateful you protected me, but you shouldn''t kill people so quickly... You''re an angel. Won''t you get punished?" I shake my head no. She gives me a confused look. After a couple of seconds, she looks at me to exin. "I don''t know why I don''t get in trouble. It could be because I''m a new person. What I think causes me not to get into trouble is my other half." She gives me a strange look after hearing those words. "I''m still half-human Sally. I''m the first half-human and half-angel ever to exist. There are no specific rules I have to follow. I have the free will of a human and the power and authority of an angel." She looks at me in slight fear. I could have worded that better. "What I''m trying to say is I''m free to do whatever I wish. At least I think so..." She stands up and wipes some of the saliva off her chin. She heads for the door and opens it. I follow her out and quickly close the door behind me, so no one sees or smells the mess in there. It''ll probably be discovered in a couple of hours. They pissed and shit themselves before dying. I look at my clothes and see a problem. I''m covered in a lot of blood. It''s early still, so not many are outside yet. I unequip my chest piece, so it doesn''t look so bad. We take a few steps down the road, and I look behind me to see my bloody shoe prints. "Hopefully, they have a policy where I can enter stores without shoes and a shirt." I unequip my shoes, and I hear Sally giggles slightly. In a way, it''s funny. Take away the reason I''m like this, and I can see what it''sughable. We walk down the streets looking for a shop that''s open already. "I''m sorry you had to do that for me..." Sally speaks out of nowhere and apologizes. I take a sigh and rx. My defined muscles un-tense, and some of my body pops. "I promised to protect you, and I don''t break my promises." She smiles and looks down with rosy cheeks. I might need to get new clothes after that mess. Chapter 158: The Holy City V

Chapter 158: The Holy City V

After walking around and searching stores that refused us service, wee across a little clothing store. It has some quality clothes, but nothing good. All we need is a hood for her, so this works perfectly. "This ce might show us some hospitality. We could even get to look at their stock before getting shouted away." I try to make humor out of the current situation. The racism on earth was simr in many ways. Even after so much time, inequality existed everywhere. Sally looks really down about the stores we''ve been to today. The only good thing about today is my clothes aren''t covered in blood anymore. It took about an hour for all of it to go away, though. I walk up to the front door, and Sally follows close behind me. I open it with a creak and see the quality of the ce. "If we can get anything here, no one in this city will..." This ce must be for the poor people. With no poor district, life must be hard for those without money. The counter is being taken care of by an older man with cracked sses. I walk up to him, and he put down the book he is reading. "Will you be able to help us? We''ve been all over trying to find a ce that will sell us something." He looks at me and looks at Sally. He sighs and stands up. He walks into the back, and I hear a muffled conversation between two people. The other voice sounds like a woman. It must be his wife. They bothe out of the back, and the woman gives us a hard look. "We can help you, but if people found out we helped out an elf, they''ll burn down our shop. We''ll need to charge extra for whatever you''re buying. I''m sorry we have to do so. This city is ruthless when ites to these matters." I nod my head in understanding. I can confidently say I hate it from the little time I''ve spent in the city. I wouldn''t lose any sleep if this ce were reduced to rubble. I walk up to the counter andy down 10 gold pieces. It shocks them a little, but I''m more than willing to overpay for such kind people. "We need a hood for my friend here. She needs something to hide the cute ears." I can''t see Sally''s face, but I bet it''s red. The old man takes the gold and takes it into the back. Thedy follows him, and I hear a machine turn on. "That sounds familiar..." I can''t quite ce the sound. I close my eyes and think about what makes it familiar. I get a sh of my mother over a vintage sewing machine. "It''s a sewing machine... I haven''t heard one of those in ages..." We didn''t always have the money for clothesing from a poor background. Mom found an old sewing machine from thete 20th century. After having it repaired and refurbished, she used it to make our clothes. While a little crude, they werefortable and made with love. Hailey wasn''t a big fan of them. A woman can''t really get away wearing stuff like that, from what I heard. Being a guy allowed me to wear it with minimum teasing. Hailey was bitter about it for a while. "Sewing machines aremon here. Many clothes shops even have magically enhanced ones to mass-produce clothes and fabrics. Many of the older ves had to learn how to sew for their masters..." Sally exins some of the history of the sewing machine here in Ancients World. To them, this ce is called Gaia, and the history of this world is rich and full of things to find. This is the first time I''ve heard about a sewing machine in Ancients World. "I wonder how many more inventions and innovations I don''t know about... I obviously missed things on the forum... Time is limited after all..." Sally hears my mutters and looks at me in confusion. It''s not something I can exin that she''ll understand. Earth''s technology is far beyond Ancients World. The idea of a forum isn''t something that would trante over to the NPC''s of Ancients World. I should stop calling them NPC''s too. They are people now. They always were. We just didn''t know. "What a forum? I''ve never heard of something like that. From the way describe it. You can trade information on it." Sally is a bright woman. Many people wouldn''t be able to figure something out like that from just hearing the word like that. I can put it in terms she understands. "You know how new people are special, right." She nods her head yes emphatically. "A forum is a special way new people tell each other important information about something. A forum can be used for any subject, and it was one of the main way''s new peoplemunicated with each other." She gives a contemting look. Rting it to something in this world is going to be too hard. The closest thing the people of Ancients World have to a forum is the church''s announcements. That is also one way the people can''t talk back to the church. "That sounds like an incredibly useful tool. How does such a thing exist?" The concept of the inte will be too much to exin to Sally right now. I give her a sideways look and she raises her hands in surrender. "Okay, don''t tell me. I probably wouldn''t understand anyway." I hear the machine turn off as she says that. Thedy and man walk back out. "This should do the trick, it''ll make sure no one sees your ears, and it will cover the top half of your face. I''d saye again, but that is too risky. Sorry, we had to overcharge you, be safe on your journey." They give a slightly apologetic bow. I bow back in gratitude. As I raise my head and leave, I get a notification from the system. What I read warms my heart more than I''d care to admit. [System Message: The Almighty Father and Arch-Angel Micheal are grateful to the couple known as Ruth Yelies and Eddy Yelies. They will be blessed with favor and have a better quality of life. Their grandchildren will also be given blessings at birth.] So those are the names of those kind people. Once outside, Sally puts the hood on, and it''s now impossible to tell she is an elf. The only giveaway is the long blonde hair. However, many wouldn''t suspect her being an elf from solely that. "Let''s head to the church and see if any of the older people know where I can find The Secret Keeper of Titans. I also have some mail to check once we get there." Sally nods her head, and she is in a much better mood now that she is hidden. As Cera and Sally make their way to the church. There is a meeting happening in the church. The Pope is leading it. The vote will soon be cast, and we''ll decide if deceiving the elves is the way to handle this situation. Many of the officials are whispering to each other and have probably alreadye to a decision. Almighty Father, forgive us. "We all know why we are here, and it''s now time to decide. All those in favor of not tricking the elves raise their hands." No one on the council raises their hand. "All those in favor of tricking the elves raise their hands." Everyone instantly raises their hands. I said I wouldn''t stand in the way, and I''m going to keep my word. "Then it''s decided. Harry, contact the elven kingdom immediately and begin talks. We''ll have a meeting with them tomorrow if possible." Harry is in charge of rtions with non-human countries. "I want everyone to know that I don''t support this decision. I hope one day the damage from this action can be repaired, but we''ll all be long dead by them." Those words make some of the members lower their heads, but it''s toote now. I stand up and leave before everyone else. Lucy leftst night to return to her post. I make it to my office and sit in myfortable chair. I take off my hat and ce it on the table. "This is going to bring a second war to humanity''s doorstep. We''ll trade one enemy for another, and this makes me sick." I stare down at the pile of papers. All of them are the same things, supply requests. Troop requests and money requests. I feel a burst of anger rise, and I shove everything on my desk off. "GOD DAMN IT!!!" I flip my table and walk over to one of my several bookcases. "WHY HAS IT COME TO THIS!!!" I begin to pull the bookcases down and let them hit the ground hard and break. This is the first time in my life that I''ve been this angry. After the adrenaline high wears off, I sit on the ground in the middle of the mess I made. I do feel better after all that. I stand up and leave my office. It''s been so long since I''ve been out of the upper floors of the church. I should go down and be with the gatherers. Many old ones are here. "Perhaps helping themon people will make me feel better about this tragedy..." I make my descent down the long staircase and enter the gathering chamber. I see rows and rows of people talking and praying. A smile crosses my face for the first time in a long while. Chapter 159: The Holy City VI

Chapter 159: The Holy City VI

We enter the church and see a mass gathering of people. Most are surrounding a man in extravagant robes. Whoever he is, I''m not going to get in the way of that group. "I''m going to check my messages really fast. If you want to send anything to anyone, nows the time to do it." Sally nods her head, follows me over to the message board, and does what everyone does. I check my mail and see that I''ve gotten two. One is from Amelia, and another is from Jackson. I should get Jackson''s mail out of the way first since it''s probably nonsense about being a part of his kingdom or something. "I was wondering if we could talk about something important. The next time you''re in Zenith, visit me. I also want to inform you that your mother is adapting well to her new lifestyle. She is the most important person in this kingdom now. I''ll do everything in my power to keep her safe. -Signed King Jackson" Nobles and their politics are something I''ll never want to be a part of. I can understand it, but there are some things in life that need to be avoided. In a sense of irony, I brought this attention to myself. How was I supposed to know that Jackson would be king with my interference with the future. At the time of meeting him, I just wanted to get a good quest to level up. If I didn''t get tunnel vision, I might have seen something like thising. "You know a king..." I hear Sally''s voice and look to see her snooping about by letter. I sigh and ce it in my inventory. "You know many will consider that very rude. You''re lucky I trust you with information like that. I guess I can put nosy on the traits that you have." She frowns slightly at being called nosy. "Who were you sending a letter to anyway? You haven''t told me much about friends you have." She has kept a tight lip about personal connections with people. Having someone powerful like a noble or ver use your loved ones against you is a fear she might have. So she has probably kept a lot of people at arm''s length. She looks at the folded paper in her hand and smirks just a little. "Jessie Marlow took me in after I escaped very. She taught me how to read, write, and themonnguages. As a ve, you aren''t educated. The dumber you are, the fewer chances of you escaping in. Besides, they don''t like it when their outlets start to think..." Fuck Sally... If I ever meet anyone who does this to people, I''m going to enjoy killing them. Sally was smart enough to learn how to fight, and she escaped. All the more reason to trust her, in my opinion. She knows what evil is and hates it. Jessie Marlow seems like an incredibledy. To take in a stranger like that and help them. "If you ever want to go after the people who did this to you and your mother. I''ll help you. Many wouldn''t know the pain of losing a loved one and killing the men who did this to you might bring you some peace, but I don''t know. That''s just how I feel." Sally has been through a lot from a young age. She wouldn''t respond the way I would. She might be stricken with fear seeming their faces. When I see that man again, I''m going to enjoy taking him a part piece by piece. She stays silent and sends the letter. "So, who is the second letter from? If you have a king sending you letters. I''d like to see who else is sending you letters." It''s been a while since I heard from Amelia. Thest time I heard from her was right before I sent Hailey off. "Are you going to open it or just stare at it?" I smile and start to peel the letter open. It has the same ornate designs asst time, but not on the same scale as Jacksons. If I remember correctly, she said she was made into a Countess in herst letter. "I was getting worried not hearing from you for so long. I''m so happy you are safe. I couldn''t help thinking you got into serious trouble. You''re making your poor mother 10 years older. I''m a little sad it''s going to be a while before I get to see you again, but everything in my life has been great as ofte. King Jackson has been a big help in adjusting to the lifestyle of a noble. The kids are having the time of their lives and have even started going to school for the first time. They are getting smarter every day. The next time I see you, I''m expecting a strong man with a good heart. I can''t wait to see how much you''ve grown. -Love, Your Mother" I can feel the worry and nervousness in her writing. Change is never easy to ept. "It''s been so long since I''ve seen her face... I bet she is having a fun time learning the ins and outs of nobility..." Sally giggles as I say that. She has read the paper too. "Amelia is a very special person, even my father Michael saw that and treasured her. So much so he knocked her up..." In truth, that''s impossible with my existence. So another mystery yet to solve. I''ll y that role, though. I take out a piece of paper and write back to Amelia. "I''m in The Holy City right now. Doing a mission to unlock more of my power. I''ve made a friend and now have a person to travel with. Her name is Sally, and she is a half-elf. She is someone I can trust with my life, and I hope you two will get to meet each other one day. The next time I can be in Zenith will have to be after I''m done with something in Bellvia. What I''m doing right now can take a while, so I can''t give you a time frame. I''m happy to hear from you, and I hope to soon. -Signed Your Son" I fold up the piece of paper and put it in the envelop and send it. I turn around and see a man in his mid 30''s to early 40''s walk up to us. He is wearing very opulent robes. "This must be your first time in the church. I haven''t seen either of you before." Sally lowers her hood further and moves behind me. He looks slightly insulted but shrugs it off. "I''m The Pope, I remember most faces thate through here, and I know I''ve seen your face before... I can''t ce it anywhere. It''s driving me nuts..." I cross my arms and look the man in the eyes. So this is him, Alexander Leopold. I don''t see how he could recognize me, but this is the perfect chance to ask about who I''m searching for. "Hello, Alexander Leopold. I''m Zern, and this is my friend Sally. This is the first time we''ve been in The Holy City. We are searching for someone. Do you think you might be able to help us?" He gives a very critical look. He closes his eyes and nods his head. "I''m looking for The Secret Keeper of Titans. Do you have any information on her whereabouts?" He immediately looks at me with surprise and slight worry. He rposes himself and clears his throat. "I haven''t heard that name in a long time. She is a very secretive person. She is the one to select who The Popes are. She has been alive for as long as the church. Well, not alive. Her spirit is still very active, though. She resides right here in the church, down on the lowest levels. However, only officials of the church can see her. She usually goes by The Blind Speaker." I''ve heard about The Blind Speaker. She ys an important role in the religious government. I would never have thought that she is also The Secret Keeper of Titans. "Do you think we could speak to her? We are on a really important mission that requires her wisdom." As soon as I say that, a notification goes off. It''s probably the quest updating. Since The Pope isn''t responding, I open the quest to see the new update. [Chain Divine Mana Aura Quest] [Description: Now that you have reached tier 1, you must undertake the real challenge. While many mana aura quests are the same, it''s a known fact the rarer a ss is, the harder the quests will be for that ss.] [Objective 1: Now that you have found out where The secret Keeper of Titans is, you must convince The Pope to let you see her. It''s up to you on how to do so.] [Objective 2: Complete the quest she gives you and get the first clue to the location of your Divine Mana Aura.] [Difficulty: Divine] [Rewards: Information about the location of your Divine Mana Aura] [Hint: You will need a powerful ally to help you at the end of this Chain Quest, you will not be able to defeat the boss with your current strength.] Talk about a real kick in the ass. "I''m sorry young man, but not just anybody can speak with The Blind Speaker. If you''ll excuse me, I have business to attend to." He starts to walk off, but I block his path and give him a very serious look. I need to try and convince him right here and now, it''s my only shot. Chapter 160: The Holy City VII

Chapter 160: The Holy City VII

The Pope looks at me hard with severe discipline. Many of the guards make their way over and prepare for a fight, but The Pope holds up his hands and stops them. "You are either extremely arrogant or extremely desperate. I can tell by the look in your eyes that its desperation. If you knew how many people wanted to speak with The Blind Speaker, you would understand why I can''t give you special treatment. Please leave before I have the guards throw you out." I don''t move an inch from my spot. I lean my head down and look him directly in the eyes. "After all the horrible shit I''ve seen in this city, it''s safe to say that the church is no different than the people they let surround it. You will go down as the worst Pope ever. Sitting in your ivory tower, looking down on everyone. No wonder the coalition was formed. You sure as hell can''t be trusted." I see the twitch of his eye at myment, and he wears a giant frown. "If you won''t help a single person. How do you have the ego to think you can help billions. If anyone is arrogant here, it''s you." He is now fully mad. I don''t think anyone has ever spoken to such a high figure in society. Many people around us are looking at me with intense scrutiny. The guards are even thrown for a loop. "In all my years as Pope. This is the first time anyone has ever spoken to me like that. The anger I feel now is enough to abuse my power and have you hung from the gallows. However, perhaps the reason your words make me so mad is because they are true." The Pope fully waves the guards off. "If you wish to meet her, follow me. She is the one who decides who sees her or not once we get there." I un-tense my body and look back at Sally with a smile. I can see her smile under her hood. The Pope begins to walk to a very old door, and we follow him. "Please do not speak out of turn when we meet her. She is very powerful and very wise. The long flight of stairs will give both of us time to mule over the things said." I nod my head as we walk down the stairs. We walk down flights and flights of stairs. All of the rooms we pass are filled with treasures the church keeps locked away. After several flights, we reach the bottom floor, and a massive door is now in view. "Walk up to the door. It''s up to her if you speak to one another or not." I walk up to the door. Sally tries to follow me. The Pope stops her. "Only him." I look back at her and nod in reassurance. I walk up to the door and knock on it. There is no answer, I push on it, and it creaks open. I see a single white hovering light in the center of the room. In an instant, it transforms into a see-through ghost woman. "You have finallye... We must speak alone..." She waves her hand, and I''m sucked into the room as the door ms behind me. "You have grown powerful since you first arrive here, Cera..." I tense my body and back up slightly. I have no idea how she knows my real name. "You havee for another piece to your power, at least the clue to where it''s at." I nod my head, and she smiles slightly. She is doesn''t look past her 20''s and while still a ghost. She is very beautiful. "I want the clue to the location of my mana aura. My quest tells me this is where I can get a clue on its location. It also says that I need a powerful ally at the end of this quest." She nods her head as if already knowing the details of the quest. She waves her hand again, and our scenery changes. I don''t know the ce, but I''m sure she''ll exin it to me. She conjures up and table and tea set. She then changes into a physical form. She sits down at the table and indicates for me to join her. I walk up to the table and take a seat across from her. "I know everything about you, Cera Adamo. It was you who made the wish after all." She knows everything, doesn''t she. She might know what''s happened to the timeline fully. "You have caused great trouble with the decisions you''ve made¡ªespecially with your wish. Breaking the flow of time is a serious thing, and you have abused that to the fullest extent." She doesn''t have to tell me about my mistakes. I would have made a smarter wish if I anticipated all of this happening. "However, a wish is a wish, and in my opinion, you couldn''t have made a better one for yourself. Though it hase at the cost of billions of lives." Now, this is something I don''t want to hear. I lean back in my chair, trying to rx from this stressful situation. "Are you going to tell me where I can find my mana aura or not? Lecturing me is toote at this point." She sighs and snaps her fingers. A scroll appears, and she tosses it to me. She takes a sip of tea and waits for me to read it. I open the scroll and its instructions. As I read, I get a notification. I open my quest logs and see that my divine mana aura chain quest has changed. [Chain Divine Mana Aura Quest] [Description: Now that you have reached tier 1, you must undertake the real challenge. While many mana aura quests are the same, it''s a known fact the rarer a ss is, the harder the quests will be for that ss.] [Objective 1: Go to The Valley of Fallen Gods.] [Objective 2: Fight the creature that is guarding your mana aura.] [Objective 3: Return to The Holy City to speak to The Secret Keeper of Titans.] [Difficulty: Divine] [Rewards: Divine Mana Aura] [Hidden] [Hint: You will need a powerful ally to help you at the end of this Chain Quest, you will not be able to defeat the boss with your current strength.] My quest has been updated inrge amounts. I''ve never heard of a ce called The Valley of Fallen Gods. "Don''t let the name deceive you. There are no actual fallen gods there. There was arge battle between very powerful beings, mortals with godlike powers. They killed each other in a battle for supremacy as only the strongest could rule in the end. No one made it out alive. The Mana Aura that you seek is there." I nod my head and stand up. I bow to her slightly and make my way to the out-of-ce door in this open field. "Be cautious, though Cera. What''s in that Valley is unknown even to me." I bow my head in thanks once again. I exit the door and see that Sally is patiently waiting. The Pope looks at me with strange intrigue. "You are very lucky. She doesn''t speak to everyone. Which begs the question about who you are... I''m still having a hard time cing your face. Now that your business is done, I take it you are no longer going to need anything from the church?" I confirm his words with a nod. "What you said early, your words are true. I hope one day they won''t be." He snaps his fingers, and we are now back in the mass gathering chamber. We quickly make an exit and get out of view of any guards. Sally tugs on my shirt. She tilts her head, trying tomunicate for me to tell her what happened. "We are heading to The Valley of Fallen Gods. I have a marker on my map about 4500 miles north. The bad news is most of that territory has probably been taken by monsters..." Sally flinches at the thought of monsters. She doesn''t have to be afraid anymore. She has her own power and me as we walk down the street to the exit of the city. A worldwide announcement goes off, and it puts a smile on my face. [World-wide Announcement: A yer has discovered the legendary ss: Battlemind! This is a one-of-a-kind ss and has been removed from the potential options!] [World-wide mission: The coalition of Free Kingdoms want''s any information regarding the yer with the legendary ss battlemind! Rewards include legacy-grade weapons and armor!] Hailey did it. She has her legendary ss. Now she has a bunch of attention. I wonder if she''ll keep herself hidden like me. "Wow... A legendary ss... Only one grade below yours..." I hear her whisper. The church must have announced it to the people of Gaia just now. I don''t have to worry about Hailey now. "I take it from our direction we are leaving for the valley right now." I nod my head confirming her words. The Valley of Fallen Gods here wee. Chapter 161: The Valley of Fallen Gods I

Chapter 161: The Valley of Fallen God''s I

We make our way out of The Holy City and onto the main road. I didn''t have to get scanned since I''m leaving. I see what they are doing now. They are scanning men with magical devices. I don''t know what for, though. "There is no way they''ll find the son doing this! This is a colossal waste of time!" A man from the back of the line yells the answer to my question. So they are using some magic face scanner to find me. It must mean they got a sketch of me somehow. The only thing I can think of is when I was fighting that horde of monsters on the borders of Pe. Some guy came running up to inspect me, but he was too far. He had to of seen my face and described it to the higher-ups. I wonder how urate the sketch is? No reason to care right now. It''s time to get out of here. We walk the road that sinks into the northern forest. "It feels so good to get out of that horrible city! I feel so much freer now!" I smile at Sally''s excitement and feel happy for her. That ce was truly terrible. "I want to let you know The Pope was asking a lot of questions about you. I didn''t answer any of them. I know how much you want to keep your identity hidden." She can rte. She had to wear a hood to conceal herself from any troubleing. I look ahead on the road and see carriagesing and going into and from the north. There must still be outposts and untaken cities up there. "We''ll get out of view and fly to The Valley of Fallen God''s. It''ll be around 10 and half hours before we get there. So I''ll fly us full speed the whole way there since you can handle it." It''s very easy to travel with someone who can handle high speed and pressure flying. She nods her head and looks excited to fly again. "I want you to stick close to me once we enter monster territory. I don''t want anything happening to you. Those monsters are nasty things filled with evil." She gives a determined look, and I admire her more for it. I can understand her being more scared of man than monster. We walk for 30 minutes, and the forest is getting thicker. There are no more merchant carts or patrols anymore. I toggle my wings on and spread them out in a freeing moment. They are like limbs to me, and I enjoy stretching them. "Let''s get a move on, shall we?" I kneel on the ground and let Sally climb on my back. She snuggles close, taking advantage of the situation. Iunch off the ground and reach a very high distance. It''s the highest I''ve ever been. I reach max speed in a p of my wings. Sally squeals in both joy and slight fear. I look down at the distantndscape and see it passing by fast. "Once we reach The Valley of Fallen God''s, I don''t know what to expect! I''ve never heard of the ce before!" The yers of my old future only uncovered a fraction of what''s to be discovered. From what I''ve learned from The Secret Keeper of Titans, this ce is very special. "It''s an ancient battleground! Many powerful people before modern times gathered there and fought to the death! No one made it out alive! Many consider the powers of these individuals godlike! Hence the name!" I know Sally can hear me. I have to raise my voice slightly from the noise of the wind resistance. We have about 14 hours of daylight left. It''s still early morning. We can get there before the sunsets and set up camp before continuing. "What are we going to do once we get there!? It seems like a very dangerous ce to stay for long periods of time! I''d prefer not to spend the night there if possible!" As much as I agree, by the time we get there, we''ll only have four hours of light left. I want a whole day to search for what I need. That is if I have to search. The objectives might update once we get there. "Are you going to answer me or not!? The suspense is killing me!" Sally has the right idea here. I should reconsider spending a night there. So how do we keep safe if we have to stay the night, I''d not want to use Fenrir as a guard dog. I''m not going to insult him like that. "I don''t know what we are going to do for staying the night! It really depends on the state of the area! If there are lots of monsters, then we''ll camp a good distance away! Speaking of camping! If we do, how do you feel about deer meat!?" I still have one night of rations saved. Since Hailey didn''t eat her portion on thest part of the trip, I have extra. Sally might not like eating deer meat for the same reason Hailey doesn''t. Protein is important, though. It''s the main energy source for everyday people and workers. Sally hasn''t answered yet, so I can only guess that she is contemting how she feels about the idea of eating deer meat. "I''ve never had it before! So I can''t say if I like it or not! I''m fine eating it, though! Food is food, and I''m hungry! We haven''t eaten a good meal in a couple of days!" Well, I wouldn''t call it a meal, but it''s still really good for you. "What are you going to do first after you get your divine mana aura!?" In truth, I was going to head to Bellvia to finish the legendary quest I have. I''m also nning to ask if Sally wants any help with her mana aura. I would see if splitting up after I help her is the next step. She''ll be targeted on sight in a ce like bellvia. She might not like what I''m about to say, but here goes. "I was nning to help you with your mana aura quest! After that, I was going to see if you would take your leave and head to the elf kingdom! If you did, I would go the opposite way and head to Bellvia! Our journey together is going to have to end sometime!" I can feel cold energy on my back. I must have made her really mad. "Once the new people starting back again, I have more things to take care of! So we might not have that much time together!" As soon as I say those words, I feel her strike the back of my head. It doesn''t hurt in the slightest, but it felt like her knuckle. "HOW COULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT YOU JERK!!!" I expected that, and I can sympathize with her feelings. "I want to stay with you until I can''t anymore! Why would you even think about the possibility of us splitting up!" Well, because all good thingse to an end. She has a lot of vengeance dwelling in her heart. Until she resolves what the elves did to her, she isn''t going to be as happy as she could be. "Is this because of what I want to do with my power!? I don''t want to do it if it means splitting up so soon!" I would help her if I weren''t in a hurry to gain power. If she is willing to hold off on revenge so I canplete the quests I have, I see no problem. "Only if you are okay on holding off with revenge! I have many important things to do after this quest! Once we get your mana aura, we''ll have to head to Bellvia for who knows how long! I have two difficult missions in that country and capital city!" I''m fine with not splitting up early, but we can''t stay together forever. She needs to know that too. "Sally, you need to know that we will have to go our separate ways eventually! My missions will get progressively harder, and I don''t know if you''ll be strong enough for divine level quests!" I feel the cold rush back in full force. Sally is about to say something else, but a world announcement goes off that absolutely shocks me. [World-wide Announcement: The church and the elven kingdom havee to an alliance agreement! The elves will give full support to the kingdoms fighting the monsters! In exchange, the elves get to have The Son of Arch-Angel Michael once the war is over! He is to be wed to one of the princesses! That is if they can find him!] [World-wide Mission: The elves are offering a legendary ss for the identity and location of The Son of Arch-Angel Michael!] [Global Warning: The Son of Arch-Angel Micahel can fight this if he wishes! Beware the people trying to force this upon him! You are dealing with power you can''t fully understand!] I feel Sally stiffen and take a deep breath. "WHAT IN THE FUCKING HELL IS THIS BULLSHIT!!! YOU AREN''T A PRIZE THAT CAN BE GIVEN AWAY!!!" I''m right with you Sally. This is absolute crap. Chapter 162: The Valley of Fallen Gods II

Chapter 162: The Valley of Fallen God''s II

Sally screams in protest at what she hears from the church''s announcement on her end. I''m not happy about this either. I''m taking the silent rage approach to this reveal. Sally is screaming incoherently now, and I think just letting her get it out of her system is good. Festering in my own anger is not healthy either. "I''m pretty pissed myself! I''m not some prize to be had! I''m not going to let this go anytime soon either! Talk about overstepping your bounds!" It''s incredibly disturbing to me that this has happened. In all the time I''ve sunken into this world, this is the first time I''ve heard of this. I''m surprised that The Almighty Father or Michael hasn''t stepped in. The only exnation I can think of is not everything is what it appears to be. The old king of Zenith pulled something like this, Herold ending up exciting the wrath of my angelic family. "I''M GOING TO KILL THE ENTIRE ROYAL FAMILY AND BURN THE CAPITAL TO THE GROUND!!!" If I could see Sally''s face, I might see foaming from it. She is in a rabid state. "I CAN''T WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON THEM!!! I''M GOING TO RIP THEM LIMB FROM FUCKING LIMB!!!" I don''t understand why this is happening in the first ce. The hidden politics of Gaia involve me now. I guess they always have. Now it''s taking a more active role. I can only hope it doesn''t get any worse than it already has. The reward for me is a legendary ss, and that is saying somethinging from the elven kingdom. "It''ll be a while before we get to The Valley of Fallen Gods! So please try and calm down! I don''t want to listen to your screaming the whole trip there!" Sally doesn''t acknowledge my words at all. I''ve never had someone care for me so much other than my family. Sally loves me a different way than they do, and hearing this from the church is tearing her up. The fact it''s the elven kingdom makes it sting so much more for her. After all, they did it''s not surprising that she is ready to kill them. I close my eyes and drown out her screams. From what I remember about the elves, they are a unique society advanced in magic and technology. The war will swing in favor of the humans and their allies. The fairies will not cooperate in the war, with Fenrir protecting their kingdom. The monsters wouldn''t dare get close. The little information I have on the elves won''t help with anything. I can''t ask Sally. She probably knows the same amount I do. Why are they even demanding my hand in marriage. It''s not like theyck any power, and they have a very strict policy on who is allowed in their country and kingdom. Everything I can do right now will be pointless. The war isn''t going anywhere, and Ick serious power to end it. I''m allowed to fight said engagement, but by doing so, I''ll make myself an enemy of all elves in their country. I''m not that messed up tomit genocide either. So avoiding the whole situation is my only current option. Speaking of situations, the one about my mysterious quest from a while back is bothering me. What would I gain at level 150 that I don''t already have? The power I''ve umted so far is already greater than every level 150 on Gaia. The only thing that can stop me from killing higher-level creatures is tiers. I pull up the quest to see if I can get any information. [A miracle in you....] [Description: ???] [Objective 1: Reach level 150 tier 3 before any other yer.] [Objective 2: ???] [Rewards: ???] [Difficulty: ???] [???: You haven''t even scratched the surface of your power, and once you reach this level of strength, there will be a change that urs in you, and only at this point will you begin to taste your power. Do not let this world fall to ruin.] [You have no choice but to ept this quest.] I''m certain that whoever ??? It''s a deity. The system will tell you if it''s saying something to you. This Identity is being hidden. I got this quest before I even reach tier one. It slipped into the back of my mind because it wasn''t important. I only have a few quests, but all of them have incredibly difficult ratings. It''s definitely because of my ss, and now I''m starting to see a problem I didn''t see before. Soon the quests I get will grow too difficult toplete. I''ll teau until I gain enough power toplete them. I''m so d I have three 2x exp boosts left to use. It''s definitely going to be a deciding factor once I reach this wall. Sally has quieted down now and is burying her face in the little space between my wings. I can feel small areas of wetness where her eyes are on my back. The air hitting them makes them obvious. "I''m sorry, Sally! This really brought down the good mood! Don''t worry, though! I don''t n on getting wed to a snotty pompous elf! It leaves a bad taste in my mouth thinking about marrying someone like that! Too bad all elves can''t be as sweet and nice as you! The world would be a better ce!" Sally hugs me a little tighter after I say those words. She cares about me a lot, and the thought of losing me to something she hates hurts more than I could understand. As Cera and Sally fly to their destination. A meeting is happening in The Holy City. The Pope is the one leading this meeting. The war is going to be heading in the right direction after this. Now that all the kingdoms allied for this war are here, we can start the meeting. I look over at the queen of the elves and see a victorious look on her face. I don''t like the thought of betraying Syndra Rozeiros, but I had to bend to the winds of change like anyone else. "This meeting is to discuss the next step proceeding thebination of all military forces. Now that we are one army, we must discuss who leads what. Please feel free to speak freely." The first one to stand is Gregory, of course. The only real leader and one of the oldest kings. This war has taken a toll on his youthful appearance and shows his actual age. He walks up in the center, crosses his arms, and closes his eyes. "We need to start making offensive pushes against the enemy. We got lucky when Fenrir interrupted a dark ritual of the monsters, but we can''t y defense this entire war. I want to be in charge of strategic strike groups targeting high-value targets in the monsters ranks. The information we got from the ritual sight has given us plenty of targets to go after as soon as possible. If we want to win this war, we have to be willing to do this. No battles can be won without the loss of lives." He speaks true words, built upon the skill and knowledge he has umted in all his battles since his young rule. Many nod their heads and agree with Gregory''s position in the war effort. An important role should go to someone with his reputation. The next to stand is surprisingly queen Syndra. "We will provide medical aid with our unique and powerful healing magics. I want to be in charge of remation of fallen kingdoms and imprisoned females." I admire her drive to free the poor woman of this war. Being used in such a way by the monsters is sickening. "We will also help transport troops and reinforce the front lines with our war machines." Everyone agrees with the position of Syndra. The elves helping in this war will make everything more likely to seed. The meeting continues like this. Each king and queen takes on a part of the war effort, lending aid to other''s efforts with their resources and intelligence or taking on a major role. I stand up to speak the closing words of this meeting. "I can say this is a great day in the war effort against the monsters." My stomach turns as I say those words. Deceiving the elves is going to eat my spirit to the proverbial bone. "I''m going to increase the search for the son even more so. While this is to honor the agreement we havee to, it''s also to ask for his help in the war." I wear my poker face and keep the formalities straight. The meeting soon ends, and everyone makes exits. Either by turning off their holograms or walking out of the meeting room. I make my way out of the church and to my favorite honeybun shop. It''s a ce I havee to since I was a little boy. People lightly bow as I walk by, and the guards behind me keep me safe. I reach the shop and take a seat at the counter. "I''ll take a mammoth''s foot, please." It''s thergest honeybun size this got. After a few minutes, ites on a te nice and hit. I dig in immediately and remember the days of my childhood. When this war is over, I might open my own bakery or something akin to that. Get fat and happy with the worst days behind me. Chapter 163: The Valley of Fallen Gods III

Chapter 163: The Valley of Fallen God''s III

The marker is getting closer and closer on the map. The Valley of Fallen Gods ising into view as well. I''ve never been this far North on the continent. I don''t think any yer has. The snow and cold are almost as bad as the dungeon for Sally''s legacy ss. I don''t have to worry about Sally. She might be immune to the cold now. "We are getting close to the valley! I''ll bring us down, and we''ll walk the rest of the way!" I dive at max speed, and I hear Sally squeal in both fear and surprise. I didn''t really give her a chance to prepare. Ind us and let her off me. She gets on her hands and knees and takes multiple deep breaths. I leave my wings out since we are so far away from anything. A never-ending world will make things like this possible. The dwarfs continent has barely been explored after all. "I would have like a second to prepare at least..." She gives a weak response to my fast dive. "How far are we going to have to walk? This ce seems dangerous to me. Who knows what we''ll find all the way up here." She has a point. I might not be strong enough for monsters that''ll show up. The ce we are at and heading to has no information. We are going into this situation dark, and I don''t like putting Sally at risk like this. This is a good chance for her to level up, though. I still don''t know the specifics of how NPC''s level up. All I can say is it''s different from how yers do. "The walk should be around 20 minutes before we reach the marker. I don''t know what will happen once er reach the marker, so please still close to me. This cold and foggy environment gives me the hibby gibbies. If things do get too difficult, I''ll summon Fenrir and get his help. He''ll be able to make this part of the quest easy." Sally nods her head and stands up, ready to walk. We begin to walk to the marker, and the fog we could see over is making it difficult since we are now in it. We are walking because I don''t want to fly into an invisible barrier at 430mph. I look around the area as best as possible, but there are no discernable features in this fog. "Why do I feel like we are being watched... This ce must be ancient..." Sally''s words ring in my ears. This ce probably predates the great war thousands of years ago. I feel the sensation of being watched as well. The vibe this ce gives off doesn''t sit well with me. We walk for 20 minutes and eventuallye to a giant gate. It must be magically enchanted to alwayse across the gate. The odds of that actually happening are low. I bring my hand up to the gate, but the heavy metal bars don''t move. I get a notification, and I feel a shiver go up my spine as I read. [The Valley of Fallen Gods Entrance] [Description: The entrance to The Valley of Fallen Gods. This area is a relic of an old-time on Gaia, long before the great war. Long before the fall of Samael and long before the decline of warriors. This ce has not seen a living creature in several millennia. While the battle is long over, and the bones of warriors are long returned to earth, there is great power here.] [You must answer a question to enter this ce.] [???: You have finally arrived. The trials inside will bring you to your knees and yours alone. You can have outside help, but any help below a divine level will certainly die. I hope you are ready for this, because if you die here. You won''t being back.] An area that has permadeath... I look at Sally, knowing what this implies. I can''t take her in with me. "Show me the question!" Before I cross that bridge, I should open the gate first. This is where the lore tabletes into y. I''m d I''ve saved it till this point. I feel a massive amount of my mana get sucked from my body. I fall to my knees, and I take deep breaths trying to catch it. I feel incredibly weak, like the power in my body has been reduced. Sally kneels beside me and helps me up. I check my stats to see what''s happened. What I see... It sinks the seriousness of this situation in that I was not prepared for this. [yer (Zern) Lvl.82] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Limited to 500][Endurance - 2045][Limited to 500][Dexterity - 2125][Limited to 500][Speed - 2240][limited to 500][Focus - 14,660][limited to 1000] [Health: 16,560/16,560][Limited to 4,000][Mana: 146600/146600][Limited to 10,000] [Stat Points: 10][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] My stats have been limited to 500 and my mana to 1000. I''ve never heard of this happening before. "Are you alright? Maybe we shouldn''t do this..." Sally sounds very concerned. She''ll be mad soon when I tell her she can''te in with me. I lift my hand, and it''s shaking like crazy with all my strength and attacking power being sucked out. "I''m getting you out of here." I shake my head no, and she cusses under her breath a little. I look at the other notification and see the question it has asked. [Question for entry: This valley was created for one purpose. That was to decide who the strongest mortal was. Nobody made it out alive. Who created this valley?] I couldn''t answer this question with what I know. I take the lore tablet out of my inventory, and it gives me a prompt. [What is it you wish to know?] I begin thinking of a response, and an empty text area fills with my question. The lore tablet takes a second, but it gives me an answer. [The First Divinity Thief. A man who stole the principle of time and space from The Old Gods. His name is Neomon the Unwise. His presence eventually faded from history and is forgotten.] What in the fuck are The Old Gods... What is a Divinity Theif... This information ispletely new to me. I bet even the people of Gaia don''t know of anything like The Old Gods. I turn my head back to the gate and take a breath. "Neomon the Unwise created The Valley of Fallen gods." The entire area shakes, and the heavy doors slowly creak open. "I''m sorry for what I''m about to do, Sally..." She looks at me weirdly. Before she can say anything, I knock her out with a chop to the back of her neck. I quickly set up a tent and ce her in it. I close the tent entrance, and as I do, I see Sally''s sleeping face. I can''t risk her life in this ce. I walk back to the gate and enter it. After a few steps in, the gates behind me m shut, and it rocks my entire body. The fog immediately clears, and I see a huge battlefield that goes on for miles. There are mountains and hills in view too. I start to walk forward, and I''m grateful that I had that lore tablet. Too bad it''s gone now. I flex my wings andunch off the ground. I should look around for anything out of ce. Unknown to Cera, there is a worldwide announcement happening. The location he''s at doesn''t allow it toe through. yers read the strange announcement as ites through. [World-wide announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is undergoing an incredible task! If hepletes the task. All yers will be returned to their original positions before The Collision happened! Everyone cheer on The Son of Arch-Angel Micahel! He is going to need it!] The state inside The Valley of Fallen Gods is changing after that announcement. Cera is flying around unknown to it. Good thing I have my wings. Without them, it would make things incredibly hard. As I''m flying over an open field, I see a stone pedestal. I dive down andnd in front of it. I use inspect on it to see what it is. [Container for The Divine Mana Aura of Overworld] [Description: A divine mana aura that is only attainable for deities of Overworld or their descendants.] [Qualifications: You meet qualifications] I reach out my hand and touch it, but as soon as I do it feels like the world is shaking. Ind on my ass and as it stops I hear footsteps approaching me from behind. I look as I see a yer model I thought I''d never see. It''s Blue Chaos, at least it''s his yer model. Chapter 164: The Valley of Fallen Gods IV

Chapter 164: The Valley of Fallen God''s IV

The yer model I''m looking at with my own eyes is certainly Blue Chaos. Many screenshots of what he looked like circled the forums. "Blue Choas? Are you really here..." I ask the man, but there is no reaction. I don''t know what this ce is or what it does, but this is not normal by any means of the word. "How are you here... You should have died with the rest of the people who didn''t make it..." In reality, this question is stupid but necessary. If he answers, then it''s him. If he doesn''t, then it''s more the reason to believe he is just a product of this ce. "Do you know who I am and what I''ve done?" This time his head nods in a yes motion. So that''s something. It must be a projection by this ce. The man draws his sword and gets in an attack stance. I do the same, but as I do, I hear another pair of footsteps. I look to Blue Choases'' side and see another familiar face. Pesticide, the yer who originallypleted the sword saint Monrells Challenge. "You have stolen our lives... Our destinies... We are taking them back..." They both speak the same thing at the same exact time. This isn''t how I ever hoped to meet them. The valley must be ying on my fears and regrets. I try to use inspect on them, but no information pops up. Meaning they don''t really exist. That''s at least what I think¡ªghosts from a time that nobody will ever remember except for me. Ironically, they are here. I look to pesticide and see him wielding an exact copy of The Witness. That''s going to be trouble. Their stats are probably higher than mine, and now with all the limitations on my power, I don''t see a way out of this. I flex my wings, preparing for a fight, and I move forward one inch. They burst in speed I can''t keep up with. I get attacked with powerful and hard blows. I have to avoid every strike that Pesticide deals out so I don''t get hit by The Witness''s powerful skills. It''s causing me to take more damage from Blue Choas. I fly up in the sky and look down at them. I open my stats and see the condition I''m in. [yer (Zern) Lvl.82] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Limited to 500][Endurance - 2045][Limited to 500][Dexterity - 2125][Limited to 500][Speed - 2240][limited to 500][Focus - 14,660][limited to 1000] [Health: 16,560/16,560][Limited to 1,500/4,000][Mana: 146600/146600][Limited to 10,000] [Stat Points: 10][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] I''m already almost dead with nearly 3/4 of my health gone. I can''t beat these guys on my own. I reach into my inventory and pull out a Viking horn with runic carvings on it. This is my saving grace in this battle. Fenrir is my only hope to make it out of this ce alive. I bring my lips up to the blower, and I take a deep breath. I blow into it with all the air in my lungs. As I do, it releases a deep sound. The longer it goes on, the more the area shakes. I stop and take another breath and do it again. I look down at the two that were trying to kill me earlier. Their expressions are unchanging and uninterested. They really are just ghosts. [Fenrir ising.] [Time till arrival: 1:58] Waiting for two minutes up here isn''t going to be a problem in the slightest. I smirk at the two below me. As I do, I watch them jump at me from where they are extremely fast. Pesticideunches Blue Chaos at me. It''s almost too fast to react to, and I barely dodge the intricate aerial maneuver they produced. "I knew this wouldn''t be that easy!" I''m not grateful that I left Sally outside. She would have been killed a long time ago. The little bit of time I had to summon Fenrir allowed my Savior of The Holy Willow Tree perk to heal my health pool to full. So I can take a few hits if theynd some. I keep dodge as they are giving me no time to actually getaway. My speed is locked at 60 since I''m inbat. They are moving at nearly the same speed. They are slowly overwhelming me, and every second I can dodge, it''s a second that Fenrir gets closer. I slip up on a dodge, and I get a sh in the space between my wings. I can''t control them since the pain in that area is too great. I fall to the ground hard, and the wind is knocked out of me. "The little bird''s wings have been clipped..." They both speak the same sentence as I try to catch my breath and stand up. As I get to my feet, the assault begins again. They are just too fast for me to keep up, and I have no way of getting out of this. I jump up from the middle of the assault to catch a breath. They follow and begin attacking me in the air as we all fall. I kick them both away and hit the ground hard on my back once again. I''m covered in my own blood, and I can barely breathe. My health is sitting low, and I know it. They slowly approach, knowing that I won''t be able to resist death any longer. I feel a hot rage build within me. "I have not. Come this far. To die now." I stand on my feet and try to activate my skills, but I get a notification telling me skills have been locked as I do. This ce isn''t somewhere to get power. It''s a ce youe to die. I feel a power filling me as my anger grows. I look behind me from the direction of the power filling me, and I see the stone pedestal transferring power to me. "Even with the help of the divine mana aura, it is not enough..." They speak at the same time as if being used by another. I try and draw more, and it works somewhat. I feel see some of the limits on my stats aren''t so rough now. Fenrir will be here in less than 50 seconds. I bring my guard up and bring all my focus on surviving till he arrives. They charge me much faster this time. I dodge and weave. I retaliate with strikes and techniques. All of them are for naught, though. I get thrown into the stone pedestal as I get hit by both of their kicks. I lean against it, just a few health points from permadeath. I draw more power from the divine mana aura in it as much as I can. It gives me enough health to keep fighting. I stand up, drenched in my own blood and stumbling to walk. "Is that all you got..." I try to sound confident, but all thates out is a voice that sounds like it''s on the edge of death, which is true. They speed towards me and impale their swords into me and make me stuck to the stone pedestal. "AAARRRGGG!!!" A smile creeps on their faces as I scream in agony. I smile back at them and eminence all hard work from my previous life and this one. I see a shadow descending on us, and a heavy impact knocks both Blue Chaos and Pesticide away. I see the counter and see the only reason I''m alive right now. [Time till arrival: 0:00] I look at the giant wolf with dark fur blowing in an invisible wind, the runic tattoos lining the fur and giving off an intimidating look. "You look like hammered shit Zern... Focus on absorbing the powering from the stone. It''s your only hope. I''ll take care of these guys." I nod my head and watch him charge to the two. Instead of retaliating, they morph into one being and take on a different form. What I see is a powerful-looking demon, must be a monster from Fenrir''s past. "You really walked into a shit storm, Zern!" I close my eyes as the power of the two creatures collides and rocks the area. I focus on absorbing the power, and I get a notification as I start doing so. [Absorbtionpletion: 7/100%] [Exntaion: Achieve at least 50% absorption to get your divine mana aura.] [Caution: The higher your absorption is above 50%, the more power you''ll receive once you are done. Can''t take any damage during the absorption process or it will be paused.] [???: You are so close, Cera. Focus on absorbing 100%, don''t go for the minimum. Go for the maximum. If you can get 100% absorption, you will get a control bonus of 5 percent, which is astronomical with a Divine Mana Aura. You can do it. I believe in you.] I focus on the power filling me, and the noise and feel of the world drowns out. As I breathe and let the power fill me, the bar slowly rises. However, as the bar gets higher, the monster that Fenrir is fighting struggles to get to me. "Just focus on getting your strength, Cera! I can handle this freak easily!" I fully trust Fenrir as he continues to fight hard for me. I lull back into the numb silence and absorb the power. I''m so close to true power, more than I have ever seen or heard from a yer in my old future. Now it''s just being patient and slowly take power. Chapter 165: The Valley of Fallen Gods V

Chapter 165: The Valley of Fallen God''s V

I can easily handle this monster while Zern takes the time to absorb the mana aura. I haven''t seen the face of Mammon in a long time. This is a powerful monster that shapeshifts into things you never want to see again. That''s the impression I can draw. I look over to Zern and see that he is in a trance-like state, taking the mana aura into his body. "What kind of creature are you? I''ve been alive for a very long time, and I''ve never encountered something like you. The ability to mimic forms and actual powers isn''t something you would see every day." The demonic face of Mammon only stays neutral. It must be a puppet to a separate power here. I can''t locate it with my own senses. He jumps at me with force and tries tond attacks. I''m far stronger than he is. He''s a mere paper tiger in front of a storm. I''m not The God Eater for nothing. "I didn''t expect the child to have an ally of your power... We are do nothing against you in this form... This ce, however, is older than you can imagine..." When I was called here, I admit my surprise. This ce is unknown to me. "This ce settled the future of Gaia, Overworld, and Underworld... The history held here is far more precious than you could ever fathom... You can''t keep me from killing the child forever..." As he says thatst part, he splits into two. Then those two spilt into two. So a total of four Mammon copies. My curiosity about this power almost makes me want to see what he can do. "It is you who doesn''t know what he is dealing with, shapeshifter." I take a deep breath and gather mana in my lungs¡ªtwo of the creaturesunch at me and the other two at Zern. I open my mouth and release a giant st in the direction of the two that are charging at Zern. They are instantly engulfed and annihted. I turn my head in the direction of the two charging me, and I get one of them before I run out of breath. "Your power is far greater than what Zern is worth at this moment in time... If you allow this to happen... He will eventually surpass you..." Trying to convince me of such things means it''s truly desperate. I can sense that Zern is getting more and more power absorbed, and the more he does, the more this creature panics. "The boy saved my life, and he has a very long way to go to reach my power. The question is, why are you so desperate to stop him? He isn''t evil, and this ce is just an impression of something that happened a long time ago. Are you a manifestation of a beings fears, or thest thing someone would expect to see out here? A confrontation with fate perhaps..." The creature that takes Mammons form doesn''t react to my words. This ce is unexinable and before my time. It says a lot for its power to be here still. It divides its self again, and I immediately retaliate with another massive breath attack from my mouth. I destroy them as fast as theye, but it''s still a persistent little parasite. "I will not be able to get past you like this... I can show you the future in which your little friend gets this power... You''ll see why I''m so desperate..." More lies and tricks to buy time. I take another breath as it bursts into a bunch of fast-moving creatures. I wasn''t expecting that. I put a barrier around Zern and point my mouth at the ground. Instead of pure hot energy that burns anything, I make it fire thates out of my mouth. It recoils in all directions to kill the many enemies surrounding Zern and me. I look around as the smoke and fire clear. The barrier is still up and protecting Zern. There are no signs of that creature. "Looks like that''s taken care of." I spread out my senses and don''t feel it anywhere. I walk over to the stone pedestal as Zernys against it, covered in his own blood. He isn''t impaled with swords anymore, which is good. I look down at him, and his eyes are closed as I can feel the power is almost fully absorbed into him. I get a tingle telling me to jump, and I do. A st of energy passes under me and nearly hits Zern. Ind and look at where it came from. That st of energy is very familiar, like an exact copy. The creature has returned, and this time it''s taken my form. It can imitate my looks, but not my power. "Your powers are extraordinary, Fenrir... You would have had lived into the top 50 left in this old battlefield..." Only top 50. I''m insulted now. I take a breath and power up. The cheap imitation of me does the same. We unleash our attacks at the same time, and the giant beams of energy collide. Mine quickly overpowers his, and he dodges out of the way right before it overtakes him. "I stand corrected... More like top 45..." ying on my pride is one way to get me riled up. I''m smart enough not to let it get to me, though. I jump with my teeth bared and sink it in his nape. He doesn''t make a sound and turns into a pile of mush and leaves the pressure between my jaws. "This is starting to get really old!" I''ll admit he is a very annoying opponent to fight. He doesn''t take damage, and when he takes a fatal attack, he regenerates somehow¡ªthe blob reforms into my form and dashes to Zern. I jump up high and st him with another powerful beam of energy. I get a direct hit, which slows him down enough for me to catch up and block his path. "Don''t focus on an unconscious opponent. The one you should be worried about is me." Trying to distract him is moot. Worth a shot, though. Zern is getting closer and closer to full absorption. If an interruption happens now, it''ll likely fail. I power up my entire body and fill every fiber of my being with power. If I can''t kill him with conventional attacks, I''ll need to use divine attacks. He up feeling me draw on my divine power, and the more I draw on mine, the more serious the creature''s look gets. "You are really so ignorant... If only you knew the truth..." More empty words to distract me from his actual n. My fur transforms from a dark ck and deep purple to a bright white. My runic tattoos turn red, and my power increases several millionfold. "That much power will destroy everything in front of you..." That''s the whole idea. Attacks infused with divinity have the unique ability to destroy anything at all in its entirety. No amount of mortal magic and power can stand against it. Only another divinity can stand against another. This battle hase to an end. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you... How do you think your little friend would feel if his travelpanion was killed in this attack... She is behind me on the other side of the gate..." Damn. I forgot about her. I felt her sleeping in that tent before I broke through the barrier. If I can''t take him out with sts of power, then physical attacks will have to work. I teleport behind him and sink my teeth in once again. This time, my bite burns away instead of him liquifying and getting away this time. I throw him into the sky before hepletely burns up. I power up another beam and st him into the open sky. A bright white and red light leaves my mouth. The entire world goes to a shade of grey as I unleash a st of pure divine power. It rips a perfect hole through the clouds and clears the sky a secondter. "Let''s see you regenerate from that! Piece of shit!" I''ll admit the parasite got to me. I''ve only had a few opponents as annoying to fight like him. I stop channeling the divinity and go back to my regr look. I turn and see that Zern is almost done as Fenrir thinks that a worldwide announcement goes off. [World-wide Announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael has seeded in his task! All yers will be returned to all their original continents in 12 hours! The system you have alle to love will undergo an update at this point! A new expansion will be arriving for the yers! Everyone get ready for the transfer! When it happens, you''ll only be taking what you have on you! Once yers reach level 100 tier 2, you can use the teleporters to return to the yer continents and continue exploring!] I feel a huge wave of power surge from Zern. I look closely at him and a smilees to my face. He absorbed all of the power and looks like he got a boost from it too. Still isn''t evenparable to me, but it''s a great start. "So how does divinity feel?" He looks at mepletely healed and gives a big excited smile. I inspect him myself to only see the new health and mana. He won''t be getting any stat boosts till 20% control. [yer (Zern) Lvl.82] [The Son of Arch-Angel Michael] 16,560,000,000/16,560,000,000 HP 146,600,000,000/146,000,000,000 MP I can see the rest of everything if I want to, but I''ll let him be the first to see everything. While this is going on a new announcement is happening. [World-wide Announcement: The Old Gods are returning for war! All yers and people of Gaia will be thrust into this battle of gods! Be prepared everyone!] Chapter 166: A change in power

Chapter 166: A change in power

I''ve never experienced power like this before. I absorbed 100% of the mana aura from the stone pedestal. I see Fenrir looking at me with calmness and wisdom. I wouldn''t have been able to do this without him. I want to see the new health and mana I''ve got. I have several new notifications to go through, but first, I want to talk to Fenrir. "Thanks for the help. I would''ve died if you didn''t jump in saving me. I wasn''t nearly strong enough to fight that creature. Do you have any idea what that was?" He shakes his head no and walks over to me. He takes a look at the pedestal and sniffs the air. I don''t know what he''s doing. It must be an animal thing. I look back to me, and he gives the best grin a giant wolf can. "I have to leave, Zern. I''ll be in Overworld for who knows how long. The events that have transpired today will bring a shift to the world. Be careful with that power. You have much to learn when ites to controlling divinity. You little elf girl is waking up to. She seems pretty mad. Not really adies man, are you?" I shrug my shoulders, and he chuckles. He looks towards the sky and leaps with great power. I watch him fade into the clouds, and I look around the area. This ce is not somewhere I want to stay. I make my way towards the gate, and while walking, I check out my new health and mana. [yer (Zern) Lvl.82] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 14,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 16,560,000,000/16,560,000,000][Mana: 146,600,000,000/146,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 10][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] This is the highest health and mana pool I have ever seen on a yer. I have several more notifications, but I have to put those off. I''m at the gate now, and I can see a pissed-off Sally on the other side looking at me. "Why don''t youe back on this side so we can talk." She talks with a sweet voice, but I can feel the malice behind her words. I grab the gate and easily move it since this ce is no longer trying to kill me or keep me out. I walk up and stand in front of her. She balls up her fist and hits me as hard as she can. My health doesn''t drop, and I hear aical pope from her hand. "I take it you seeded..." She holds her hand, and she looks down in slight sadness. I put my hand on her head in the act offort. "Now I''m strong enough to protect my friends and family. I want you to know that we are doing yours next. So go ahead and tell me where we have to go." She looks at me with both happiness and excitement. Our adventures together aren''t over yet. "That ce would have killed you, so I''m not going to apologize for leaving you out here. I am sorry that I knocked you out, though. It was the quickest solution." I don''t like knocking people out in such ways. However, it was necessary. She nods her head in understanding and wraps me in a tight hug a secondter. She cares too much for a guy like me. I pack up the tent and kneel on the ground so she can get on my back. Iunch off the ground with my wings, and we reach the clouds. "My mana aura is near the mountains of the giant race! It''s about 7000 miles south from here!" One of the coldest ces in the world. Figure that''s where her mana aura quest is taking her. "Do you want to stop off at The Holy City before we go since you probably still have things to do in there?!" She reminds me of the quest that I have. I have got my mana aura, but the quest is still notplete. I still have to talk to The Secret Keeper of Titans back at the church in The Holy City. [Chain Divine Mana Aura Quest] [Description: Now that you have reached tier 1, you must undertake the real challenge. While many mana aura quests are the same, it''s a known fact the rarer a ss is, the harder the quests will be for that ss.] [Objective 1: Go to The Valley of Fallen Gods.][Completed] [Objective 2: Fight the creature that is guarding your mana aura.][Completed] [Objective 3: Return to The Holy City to speak to The Secret Keeper of Titans.] [Difficulty: Divine] [Rewards: Divine Mana Aura] [Hidden] [Hint: You will need a powerful ally to help you at the end of this Chain Quest, you will not be able to defeat the boss with your current strength.] I still have possible rewards from this quest. It''s at divine difficulty, so I haven''t the slightest clue what it could be. I already got everything I need. I see multiple notifications filling my inbox, and all of them are about things that areing and changing Gaia. As I read, I figure out I missed some announcements while I was in that cursed ce. [World-wide Announcement Reminder: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael has seeded in his task! All yers will be returned to all their original continents in 12 hours! The system you have alle to love will undergo an update at this point! A new expansion will be arriving for the yers! Everyone get ready for the transfer! When it happens, you''ll only be taking what you have on you! Once yers reach level 100 tier 2, you can use the teleporters to return to the yer continents and continue exploring!] I continue looking through the inbox, and I now realize the meaning of Fenrir''s words. [World-wide Announcement Reminder: The Old Gods are returning for war! All yers and people of Gaia will be thrust into this battle of gods! Be prepared, everyone!] My actions have caused even more chaos toe. The yers returning half a day from now is good. I didn''t think the system still had the power to do expansions. This one must be a yer-triggered expansion. There were nned expansions in the old future. It was rare for yer-induced expansions to ur. "We are stopping off at The Holy City to speak with The Secret Keeper of Titans! I don''t want to spend any time there whatsoever! After we are done with that, we are handling your mana aura quest! I want you to prepare for chaos in about 16 hours from now. Arge group of new people knows my true identity! When they tell the church for the rewards, our traveling will be much harder!" I might end up getting a hood myself. We are already flying full speed back south towards her destination. I''ll have to listen for directions from her. I can''t see her map. "Once we are finished in The Holy City, you''ll have to tell me the exact direction we need to go! I know it''s in the same southern direction we are going now, but it''ll probably change once we get close!" I know she hears me, and that is good enough for me. Now I have a couple of other notifications that I need to check out. There are reputation boosts with the gods of light and church like usual. The church of the dark ones has also gotten another reputation decrease. I see a new reputation that has also lowered after my time in The Valley of Fallen God''s. -18,000 reputation with The Old Gods [Exnation: The Old Gods are an unknown part of history. The information granted to the system has nothing on this. Beware of these beings.] Whoever The Old Gods are, they are going to be an extreme problem. The war with the monsters is happening, and now there is another war even worse than this oneing right on top of it. The only upside is The Old Gods sound like they will kill monsters just as much as humanoids. "After the new people return, make sure you stick close to me! I''ll have to get myself a hood to hide my face when we get to The Holy City! It''ll be a hard road ahead of us! So if you don''t want to continue, Ipletely understand!" She tries to cause some sort of physical harm, but it just ends up not working. I wonder how the people of Gaia will react once my identity is revealed. I bet there will be some sort of announcement. Chapter 167: Heading back to The Holy City

Chapter 167: Heading back to The Holy City

All that''sing is sure to cause major shifts in ns for everyone. The biggest is all the yers returning to their original continents. Space and istion in smaller towns and cities are about to be harder to find. I bet many yers are level 50 now too, and many will be heading to their capital cities for their tier-up quests. "I want you to know that new people are going to being back in the billions! I don''t know what the church told you! New people like me get notified differently than you would!" I should exin some of the things I''ve been hiding from her on this journey. She knows that I''m a new person, but there are some things that she should know about. Sally doesn''t respond or acknowledge my words. We are flying too fast for a semi-normal conversation. "Can you exin all that after wend?! I don''t want to talk about something so important without looking at you, face to face!" I nod my head in agreement. Talking face to face and not yelling sounds like a good idea. As much as I love flying, talking to another person at full speed is difficult. Since we aren''t going to talk about that, I have a couple more new notifications to go through. Both of them are new active skills I got from obtaining my mana aura. I open the notifications and see the new active skills I have. [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Description: A skill that allows you to oppress and possibly kill people with your mana control and power. The quality of a mana aura makes it stronger or weaker, and as you can see, you have Divine Pressure Exertion. The higher your control over your mana aura, the more powerful this will be. At the current level of 5%, you can kill anyone with a lower level and weaker mana aura than you. It wouldn''t be this strong if not for the quality of your mana aura.] [Divinity Pulse (Bloodline)] [Description: Another skill directly tied to your mana aura control. Divinity Pulse is an exclusive skill provided by your direct line to The Almighty Father.] [Effect: Channel your divine power into an outward explosion. Instantly kill all hostile enemies within a 400-kilometer range. All enemies that are at least 2 tiers higher can resist.] [Cost: 140,000,000,000 Mana] These are going to make mybat more versatile. Divine Pressure Exertion will make dealing with weaker enemies easier. The one that makes me really think is Divinity Pulse. It''s a bloodline skill and is exclusive only to my family tree. That mana cost is absolutely outrageous. Considering its power, I can''t reallyin. It''ll make killing huge numbers of enemies easier. Now the next thing to think about is how to raise my control over my mana aura. There are a few key ways to do so. The first one is to use it as frequently as I can. The second is finding a teacher. You can find a yer to share knowledge with you or have an NPC teach you. The third is the hardest but the most effective one. You can enter a conflict engagement contest. These are specific areas on the continents where you can fight stronger enemies than you who use the same quality mana aura. They are just products of the system, though. When they die, you absorb some power towards mana aura control. They are challenging because the stronger you are, the harder it is. I know some good ones, but I''m in no rush for power anymore. Having health in the billions helps with that. I should see the skills I already have and see if any of them have changed at all. I open the yer interface and see my information. [yer (Zern) Lvl.82] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 14,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 16,560,000,000/16,560,000,000][Mana: 146,600,000,000/146,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 10][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] None of the skills I have changed, but they will change in power once I reach 20% mana control, that''s if I ever do. Who knows how long it will take to go up one whole percent in mana control at a divine quality level. I wonder if any of themunications will work again when the yers return. I doubt it, though. Once mom, dad, and Marcus make it back, they''ll likely go for their better sses I told them about. Hailey has her legendary ss now, and she also has gained attention from the people in charge of the war effort. She must have taken my advice and is staying hidden. Her life will be much more convenient without interference from others. I''m going to miss that when it''s gone. I''m going to have to invest in a hood, as I said earlier. I bet when the announcement to both the yers and people of Gaia happens, much attention will fall on my in-game mother. Amelia might have trouble with this announcement. Many with average intelligence have probably questioned her sudden nobility. Once my identity is revealed, many will connect the dots. Especially people in Zenith among the nobility she has been with. Anyone I''ve been in contact with will be questioned and probably even punished for keeping the secret. Anyone who does know is in the coalition, though the church wouldn''t be able to touch them without permission. How did famous people from earth deal with attention? I can''t stand the thought of being a point of interest among many people. The solitude and privacy I''ve had till now, it''s been the only reason I could progress so far and fast. There hasn''t been interference from people interested in me because they don''t know my name or what I look like. Sally will also gain a lot of attention once her connection to me is revealed. I wouldn''t put it past the elves to try something with that. Another reason Sally to hate them is their possible efforts to get rid of her. They won''t like the idea of another elf girl having the promise given to the elves. Especially a half breed. Once I''m done helping Sally with her mana aura, I have another quest in bellvia to do. I pull it up to read it. [Quest: The False One] [Description: You have found the truth about Bellvia and their involvement with the Dryads, and you have found out about the curse and who made it. You will have a choice to make. Only one of the following objectives can bepleted.] [Objective 1: Expose the Kingdom of Bellvia and have them pay for their crimes.] [Objective 2: Find the weakness of the curse and use it to free the Dryads and return them to Ancients World.] [Quality: Legendary] [Rewards: Hidden] I have another quest in Bellvia directly tied to this one, and I pull that one up next to this one. [Quest: An Abomination] [Description: Find the research and notes of Ulma Runa on her development of the curse.] [Objective 1: Find Ulma Runa''sb in Bellvia''s capital and bring the notes and research papers back to Flint.] [Objective 2: Hidden] [Quality: Epic] The key to this quest is Ulma Runa. Whatever she has to do with these two quests is the answer to the biggest question I have to answer. How do I free the dryads? They are still locked away in a separate ce somewhere. The main focus for right now is finishing what we already have. That''s finishing my divine mana aura quest and help Sally get hers. I wonder what quality hers will be. I can''t remember if she told me or not. "What is the quality of your mana aura, Sally?! O can''t remember if you told me about it or not!" I hear herugh. I don''t have a perfect memory, and this is a perfect example of that fact. She moves up my back and leans her body fully down. Her mouth is right next to my ear so she doesn''t have to yell. "It''s a legacy mana aura. I want you to know that I''m really grateful you are helping me get it. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me..." She finishes that with some embarrassment in her voice. She gets even braver and kisses my cheek. She is a smart cookie. The only time she tries physical intimacy is when we are flying cause I can''t say anything about it. Well, I could. I just don''t want that awkward tension when I say something. Flying in silence for the rest of the way seems nice. {Next chapter will pick up right outside of The Holy City. No reason to extend the trip.} Chapter 168: Changing of the times

Chapter 168: Changing of the times

Ind us right outside the city and out of view. It''s been 10 hours since we left The Valley of Fallen Gods. That''s two hours till yers return to their original continents. "We''ll sneak in. I''d rather not ask and go through as much hassle asst time. The cover of the night will help us in this endeavor. There are only a few hours till sunrise as well. So we must hurry." I don''t like sneaking into such a ce, but I intend to get this done fast. I have more important things to do than y word games and politics with people who have ess to The Secret Keeper of Titans. I hope this is thest time I''ll ever have to see this city and its attitude. Sally understands the n, and we look at the giant wall once again. "Send out your ice dummies likest time and create that hole in the defenses. If it worked once, it will again." They won''t see the need to update security fromst time. Literally, no one was hurt, and they''re none the wiser for what really happened. Sally creates the ice dummies and sends them away to distract likest time. I pick her up as soon as I hear guards yelling. I leap out of the tree line and scale the wall just likest time. Wend safely on the other side and quickly disappear from the area. We make it a good distance away and calm down. We are back in this rotten city, and I''ll say this first. I wouldn''t be sorry if monsters destroyed this ce. However, the good people would end up dying too. "Once we are done speaking to the Secret Keeper of Titans, we''ll leave this city immediately. Breaking into the church isn''t going to be an easy feat, but I have an idea that might work." Most churches in Ancients World have church bells. It''s one of the few ces that lead inside without muchplication. Most regr people can''t jump onto buildings and scales walls as I can, though. yers would eventually be able to do it. The people of Gaia can if they are high enough level and with the proper stats. That''s circumstantial, though. "Mind filling me in on how we get inside? It''smon for teammates to share ns with each other. In my opinion, I think we should wait until sunrise, and it opens. That way, we can just walk in and sneak our way down to the lower levels. Making it thisplicated doesn''t sound like a good idea. If we get caught breaking into it while it''s closed, we could end up in a lot more trouble. If we do it my way, we have usible deniability. We can say we got lost and probably won''t get into tins of trouble." Sally brings up good points, but I don''t want to be here when the yers return. My identity will be leaked. Sally has a good mind, and her ideas are valid. My selfishness is what''s causing this risky move to n out. Wanting a few hours of anonymity is what''s driving this n. "The n is getting up to the bell tower and descending inside from its rope. You can wait outside if you want. I''m not going to force you inside. It might be better if you wait outside. That way, the risk of us getting caught is lowered significantly." Having her wait for me is actually a way better idea. I can get around much faster without her with me. Sally nods her head in agreement, and we quietly walk towards the church. After a few minutes, we make it. Sally waits in an ally near the church, and I look towards the building. There are guards at the doors and patrolling the outside in three groups. The actual guard count is low, and that will be easy to avoid. I see a gap in the patrolling guards after a few minutes, and I jump onto the roof of the church. It''s one of the biggest buildings in the city, and the bell tower is at the top. I quickly leap from edge to edge all the way to my destination. I make it to the bell, and the rope attached to it leads right down into a set of offices for some officials. I jump down since and grab the rope to slow down right before I hit the ground. I don''t make any noise on impact. I look around, and this ce must be on the upper floors. I calmly begin walking around, and I eventually find the stairs. I scale them all the way down to the lowest part of the church. I find the area I''m looking for, and I approach the door that holds The Secret Keeper of Titan behind it. I knock on it, and it creaks open as I do. I walk in, and the environment changes to an open meadow. The door closes behind me, and I see her drinking tea at the same table asst time. "I guess congrattions are in order, aren''t they. You have achieved another piece to your power. The next one won''t be avable for a long time." I walk up to the table and take a seat. She reaches out her hand, and a scrolles out of nowhere. "When you find out the next step to gaining more power, read this. Once you do, you''ll understand everything. Don''t open it till it''s time. I suppose you are here for a reward as well. Greedy one, aren''t you? Even with a divine mana aura, you still think there is more to have from this quest. Too bad for you there are only the usual things you yers get." She is the only being of Ancients World I have met that knows about yers. I get several notifications, and most of them are exp rewards. The only thing that isn''t about exp and levels is the scroll she just gave me. I pull up my quest and yer interface to see the information. +8 levels [yer (Zern) Lvl.90] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 14,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 16,560,000,000/16,560,000,000][Mana: 146,600,000,000/146,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 90][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Chain Divine Mana Aura Quest] [Description: Now that you have reached tier 1, you must undertake the real challenge. While many mana aura quests are the same, it''s a known fact the rarer a ss is, the harder the quests will be for that ss.] [Objective 1: Go to The Valley of Fallen Gods.][Completed] [Objective 2: Fight the creature that is guarding your mana aura.][Completed] [Objective 3: Return to The Holy City to speak to The Secret Keeper of Titans.][Completed] [Difficulty: Divine] [Rewards: Divine Mana Aura] [Mysterious Scroll] My mana aura quest is finally finished. After so long, I have it done, all the bullshit I had to go through to get it. It''s all worth it, in my opinion. "Can you tell me anything about The Old Gods? When I was at The Valley of Fallen Gods, I caused them to return by taking the divine mana aura from there. Any information about them will be helpful." She closes her eyes at my words and sips her tea. I wouldn''t be surprised if she didn''t know either. They seem older than Fenrir, at least from his reaction before leaving to Overworld. She slowly opens her eyes and sets her tea down. She looks at me with scrutiny and frustration. She makes a sigh and rxes. "I don''t know who or what they are. Only deities in Overworld would know the history that far back. The only advice I can give you is to stay away from any of The Old Gods. I don''t know how strong they are or what kind of threat they pose. I''m surprised you have the gall to sneak in the church when there is an emergency meeting on you and The Old Gods. I hope that whatever urred at The Valley of Fallen Gods doesn''t destroy the world we live in now." My actions keep leading to more and more problems. The only exnation I cane up with is my choices are directly tied to the fate of this world, and everyone in it will live or die by my decisions. The realization I have been ignoring this whole time can''t be ignored anymore. If I continue ignoring this reality, I''ll be the reason for extinction. Chapter 169: The Ice Giants Mountains I

Chapter 169: The Ice Giant''s Mountains I

There probably won''t be another chance for me to talk to The Secret Keeper of Titans, so I should ask as many questions as I can. "Do you know what happened to my people from earth? I know you know way more about yers and our origins than we do. Billions of people died from my earth during whatever transfer happened. Can you tell me anything?" I have more questions after this one. What happened is partly my fault, but others are to me too. I want to know why it happened. What purpose did it serve? I watch her face remain a stoic calm and continue to sip tea. If she doesn''t know, that''s okay too. I don''t expect her to know everything. She puts her teacup down and looks at me with slight curiosity. "What did you think would happen by changing so much of the past, Cera. Messing with time has severe consequences, and you can never know what you unleash upon people. As to your question about what happened to your earth... It''s not gone. Only humanity has left it. Animals rule that world now. They are dead forever, and there is no reason to worry about them anymore. The way they died was painless." It seems certain entities know what truly happened. Fenrir was asleep, so that exins why he didn''t know. How many deities know the truth? Possibly all of them do... All of this means that Overworld and Underworld exist outside of time while Gaia is still affected. So any deities that are in Overworld or Underworld knows what I did. It''s more logical than what I was going on before. "How does my wish affect those that reside outside of time? My actions led to the freedom of the system and the earth''s upants to our current position. Why didn''t any deities stop me from making such a wish if they knew they could have stopped me? Was my finding of the world item predetermined..." Now that I think about it, that makes more sense than finding it the way I did. Running into it through a quest anyone could have gotten is far-fetched. That only leaves someone nned for me to find it and make the wish. "That isn''t something I''m capable of answering, Cera. Time is a sensitive aspect of reality. I can send ripples everywhere. You have made several changes and have made waves. I can''t speak for the deities and their ns. All I can say is some things are better left unknown, Cera, and digging into such questions will only cause you pain. So forget about what''s happened and look forward. You have a friend patiently waiting for you outside, and the sun is getting closer and closer to rising." She is right. Some things are better left unknown. I can''t change what''s already happened. I stand up and make my way to the door that exits this ce. "Remember that everything possibility is known to happen eventually. Your actions are just an aspect of time and reality being fulfilled. Don''t be so depressed, and be d it was you and not someone else. I know I am." I look back at her and nod my head in thanks for all her help. Now it''s time to get out of this ce. I leave the area we are in and climb the stairs to the rope that leads up the bell tower. I get to the rope and quickly scale it and stand in the bell tower, looking at the city. For such a rotten ce, it has a lovely view. I carefully slide off the roof and make my way down the building. I make the final jump avoiding the guards. I reach the ally Sally is hiding in, and she is waiting with her arms crossed and leaning against a wall. "You were gone for a while... I was getting worried you got caught. So does that mean we are finally done in this city?" I can get a hood from that shop that we got Sally''s at, but I don''t want to be here that long. I shake my head no. "Alright, let''s get out of the city and make our way south and slightly east from here. My mana aura is up next." I smile at her excited tone to get out of here and back in the sky. We walk to the city''s exit and notice the early risers are starting to get up. The sun is close to rising. You can see some tiny bits of sunlight beginning to shine in the sky. We make it out of the city, and we walk on a path that leads into the close thick forest just likest time. I toggle my wings on and kneel on the ground so sally can get it. She gets on and is secure. Iunch off the ground and p my wings hard to reach max speed. South and slightly east is where we are heading. Sally crawls up my back and brings her head up next to mine so we can talk without yelling. "I don''t know much about the ice giants mountains. My quest says I have to kill the ice giant chieftain and take his mana aura. I''m going t need your help if that''s alright with you." I nod my head yes. She helps me anytime she can, so I should return the favor. It should be less than 2 hours till the yers arrive back on their original continents. Once they get back, I''m sure that the people who know of my identity will rush to the closest church branch to report my identity for the rewards avable. "Once we get you mana aura, we''ll make our way to Bellvia. I have important quests there, and they will be very difficult toplete. You will be able to actually help me once we have your mana aura. Your health and mana pools will skyrocket to the hundreds of millions probably. You''ll be able to fulfill your wish for revenge if you want to. Let me know when you have decided that." She still has some things to think about before believing she has the answer she needs. She nods her head and rxes in the nock between my head and shoulder. The only time she takes advantage of things like this is when we are flying. I can''t reallyin. Herpany is much more weed than solitude. "Do you think the elves will send people after you once your identity is revealed..." She brings up a very valid point. Once my identity is revealed, many governments will send out search parties for me. "If they doe for you, I want the pleasure of taking care of them. I''m not letting them take you away from me..." I find her words both sweet and frightening. The possessive sound of her voice isn''t something I have ever experienced from someone before. I wonder if I should be worried. As we are flying, a world announcement goes off. [World-wide Announcement: The monsters are being repelled away in many taken cities from the new alliance! The war is no longer a defensive effort on the side of the humanoids!] The appearance of The Old Gods is sure to cause a change in ns in the near future. It''s a smart decision to focus on this task first. "The fight against the monsters is progressing in the right direction, and once new people return, many will be joining the fight against them. So this war is already over in favor of the humanoids. That leaves the next enemy with plenty of time to plot with the current distraction of the war..." The Old Gods are going to use this free time to find out how to take back what was probably taken from them. As all this is happening, I get a notification from the system. I check my inbox and see a message from the system. [System Message: You''ll need to find an object of interest that isn''t rted to any of the quests you already have in Bellvia. It''s called The Dice of Wand. They are going to be invaluable to the next waring. If you don''t have them, there is little chance you''ll win the war. You''ll find them in Bellvia''s treasure room.] The system''s special treatment is kicking in. The Dice of Wand are unfamiliar to me, and I don''t know the location of the treasure room in Bellvia. That''s a heist job, and I don''t have the means to pull something like that off. Once in Bellvia, I''ll have to find someone who can help me with that. "We have another thing to take care of in Bellvia, and it''s going to be hard to do." As I say those words, I get a new quest. [Heist of Bellvia''s treasure vault] [Description: Break into Bellvia''s treasure vaults and retrieve The Dice of Wand.] [Objective 1: Once in Bellvia, find a group that can help you pull off the heist.] [Objective 2: Once you have The Dice of Wand, keep them until the right time to use them.] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards: Anything you can take from the vaults other than The Dice of Wand.] Looks like I have another thing to handle in Bellvia. I hope this is doable, it seems almost too good to be true. Chapter 170: The Ice Giants Mountains II

Chapter 170: The Ice Giant''s Mountains II

We''ve been flying in the direction of The Ice Giant''s Mountains for a few hours now. The yers have returned by now. So it''s only a matter of time before my identity is revealed. I knew it couldn''tst forever, but I''m going to miss the easy life I have now. I''m guessing the mountains covered in snow that''s a few minutes out are what we are heading to. Sally hasn''t said much most of the trip, and that worries me slightly. She must still be thinking about the elves. I won''t lie. They are on my mind too. I didn''t know the church had the balls to sell me outright to the elves. It makes me wonder what''s going through their heads. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to organize my thoughts about everything happening. With the new quest, I have in Bellvia, that makes a total of 3 I have to do there. The newest one requires a crew to do too. Sally will help with the heist, but it''s more than a two-person job robbing a capital cities treasure room. Who knows what else is in there? The Dice of Wand might be a buffing item. I don''t know. Mysterious things I''ve never heard about are like that. Wand is a familiar name, though. A legendary smith forged some of the most powerful weapons ever discovered in Ancients World. What does he need with dice? The mountains are quickly approaching with the speed I''m flying at. "These are the mountains! Slow down before we pass by them!" I dive down and quicklynd us. Sally hops off and holds her stomach slightly. "You could have been gentler on thending... My head spins when we dive at that speed..." I have more respect for what Hailey went through. She doesn''t have Sally''s stats, and she still hung on with my crazy flying. "My quests says there is a cave up ahead that leads into the heart of the mountain. After that, all it says is to kill The King of The Ice Mountain Giants." So we have to fight a powerful boss. I don''t know the exact details, but she has to be the one to kill the boss, from what I believe. I can handle any of the subordinates. This would have been a perfect opportunity to try out my Divinity Pulse. I''ll have to settle with divine pressure exertion. "I''ll handle any of the giants that want to interfere with your battle with the king. If you need some backup, let me know." She nods her head and starts to walk forward towards her quest marker. I follow behind her since I can''t see her quest marker. She might be strong enough to defeat the boss all on her own. I don''t know the full extent of her new powers. So this is also a learning experience for me. I don''t know anything significant about ice giants. In my old future, the rumors from yers said they are hard to defeat without help. My wings and sword will cut through them like butter. We walk for about 25 minutes until we reach the base of the closest mountain. I can see the cave entrance right in front of us. I look at Sally, and I see determination and caution. She hasn''t faced a creature as strong as an ice giant. A king of this area is even greater. "If you have any advice, now is the time to tell me." I have nothing to give her. They have the same weak spots as most creatures do. Vital organs and the head, the quickest way to kill. I shake my head no as we walk into the beginning of the cave. The silence and darkness are pretty edging. After we walk for a few minutes, a light starts to be generated. The walls and ground are covered in special ice that glows. Lighting the path as we walk forward on it. "This ce is quite beautiful. If it weren''t leading to a bunch of ice giants, then I''d say we should take our time to enjoy it." It''s a blueish-green glow. It''s easy on the eyes and makes seeing everything easy. Sally stays silent at my words. She must be in her head going over what skills to use and how effective they might be. She is immune to ice, but I think ice giants are too. So she''ll have to rely on damage per second and not damage over time with her ice abilities. Any DOT she has would be strong, thanks to her ice element. I have a powerful DOT on my sword that could help. I don''t know if it''ll steal her kill on the boss though. After walking for 20 minutes, the path opens into a giant chamber with many ice giants. They all turn their heads at us. However, they don''t move towards us. "A half-elf and half-angel intruding on my territory... There is a joke in there somewhere." We hear a loud voice speak to us. We look to where it''sing from and see a giant bigger than the rest. This must be the boss. I use inspect on it to see what Sally has to deal with. [King of The Ice Giants Hul Lvl. 120 tier 2 Race Boss] 80,000,000/80,000,000 HP [Description: One of the 7 giant kings that rule on this continent. Hul is considered a new kind in the long lifespans of giants. While sitting on his throne for several decades, most kings of the giant races rule for centuries. Hul is far more intelligent than most giants. As well as highly honorable.] 80 million health wouldn''t be a problem with me. Sally could do it if her skills are good enough, but judging the look on her face, it''s a little too much for her to handle. "Why have youe here. Many know that the giants aren''t a people you want to provoke. Judging from the powering off the half-angel, you could easily kill us all. So that means you need something." The description didn''t lie. He is intelligent. I flex my wings and activate divine pressure exertion. All the enemies in this room and within 400 kilometers fall to their knees, including the king. "Perhaps we can talk about this!" This ability is amazing. I can hear some of their bodies and bones beginning to break. Sally tugs on my sleeve, and I stop the pressure. "I''vee to take your mana aura! You can either give it to me and live to see another day! Or you can fight me to the death for it! Just so you know, my friend here won''t let me die! So I suggest handing it over peacefully!" Clever words. No one in this room is strong enough to take me on, so giving an ultimatum over life and death can work in her favor. Many ice giants stand up and take a step back. On the other hand, Hul walks down the stairs leading to his throne and stands 80 feet away from us. I don''t know what he''s nning, but he doesn''t look like he will fight. He is smart, though. He might be nning a trap. He looks at Sally and then me. "You have put me in a difficult position... If you give me something, I''ll give you what you want..." Sounds easy enough. I nod my head for him to continue. "Give me one of your feathers. If you do this, I''ll hand over the mana aura she is after." Now that is confusing. My wing''s feathers don''t hold any power... At least I don''t think they do. I move my right wing in front of me and pull out a feather. The spot I took the feather from quickly regrows another. I hold it up and wave it slightly. "First hand over the feather, once you do, I''ll give her the mana aura." I shake my head no. I''m not an idiot. He sighs and crosses his giant arms in a pondering form. "Fine, I can only hope you keep your word." He walks up to us and begins pouring power into Sally. She silently takes the mana in. He stops and takes a fewbored breaths. I look at Sally in confirmation she nods her head with excitement. I hold the feather out for Hul, and he gently takes it with his giant hands. "I want to give you my word. Nothing nefarious will be done with what you have given me. I hope you will leave in peace." I nod my head and turn to leave behind Sally. There is nothing that can be done with my feather. Suppose there was something that could be done. Then the system would have warned me. As we walk the path back out, a world announcement goes off. It''s time. [World-wide Announcement: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael has been revealed to the church! The church urges that yer Zernes to them right away! Anyone that reveals the locations of yer Zern will get gold rewards! All capital and major cities will be put on high alert and have magic devices that scan for yer Zern specifically when he gets close! These will only be installed in cities still aligned with the church!] Those magical devices are what kept track of Blue Chaos when he was revealed. There is no way to avoid them. The only way is to not get close to major cities or an announcement for that city will go off alerting people. It''s nice to know that coalition cities won''t have them. Once I leave the cities vicinity they can''t track me. Bellvia is in the coalition to, so I don''t have to worry about that. It''s going to be annoying traveling to church-aligned cities now, but none are on the immediate agenda. So I''ll still have some privacy. Chapter 171: Flying to Bellvia I

Chapter 171: Flying to Bellvia I

We walk back into the cold forest and stay silent. The method on how we got her mana aura isn''t a usual one, but we have it now. "I take it this means we are heading to Bellvia now?" Sally asks me about the subject currently on my mind. I have a lot ofplex jobs to do in Bellvia, and with the addition of the heist on their treasure room, it''s even increased in difficulty. I don''t know how I''m supposed toplete all the quests without getting caught. Perhaps that''s the point. Maybe overwhelming force is what''ll lead to the sess of these quests. I''m not in the mood to sneak around Bellvia trying to find clues about the quests. I can threaten the annihtion of the entire capital city for the information and items I need from the capital. However, I''m not going to kill millions of innocent people. "We are heading to Bellvia next. We''ll discuss some ideas about what to do once we get there. Finding people to help with the heist will be the hard part. With the two other quests I have in Bellvia, that makes the total 3. Each of them is very difficult. The amount of time needed to finish these quests isn''t making me happy either. I don''t know how long we''ll be in Bellvia." The quests that I have now will be a pain in the ass toplete. My decision to take them isn''t making me happy right now. I open the quests to see their information. [Quest: The False One] [Description: You have found the truth about Bellvia and their involvement with the Dryads, and you have found out about the curse and who made it. You will have a choice to make. Only one of the following objectives can bepleted.] [Objective 1: Expose the Kingdom of Bellvia and have them pay for their crimes.] [Objective 2: Find the weakness of the curse and use it to free the Dryads and return them to Ancients World.] [Quality: Legendary] [Rewards: Hidden] [Quest: An Abomination] [Description: Find the research and notes of Ulma Runa on her development of the curse.] [Objective 1: Find Ulma Runa''sb in Bellvia''s capital and bring the notes and research papers back to Flint.] [Objective 2: Hidden] [Quality: Epic] [Heist of Bellvia''s treasure vault] [Description: Break into Bellvia''s treasure vaults and retrieve The Dice of Wand.] [Objective 1: Once in Bellvia, find a group that can help you pull off the heist.] [Objective 2: Once you have The Dice of Wand, keep them until the right time to use them.] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards: Anything you can take from the vaults other than The Dice of Wand.] All three of these quests areplex jobs that take time toplete individually. Rereading the information, I don''t have to be sneaky and subtle about these quests except the heist. That means I can use violent tactics for the first two. I don''t want to do the first two withoutpleting the third one. So I''vee to a decision. Once I''m done with the heist, I''ll use my authority as The Son of Arch-Angel Michael to get the answers to the first two questions. We stop walking, and I kneel on the ground. "Let''s get a move on while we still have some daylight left. We''ll fly for a few hours and then camp out for the night." It''ll take about 16 hours to reach bellvia at full speed. So getting there in one trip isn''t going to work. Sally gets on my back, and Iunch off the ground and immediately reach top speed in the direction the marker is taking me. Sally crawls up my back and brings her head up to mine, so we don''t have to yell at each other. "I''ve heard some pretty bad things about Bellvia thest few years. They are a city that has a massive underground criminal system that has everything you can imagine. Even very is ignored by the government there if they are paid enough." Bellvia sounds like a real hellhole. I won''t be sad threatening them anytime soon. Sally was a ve long before my grandparents were born. I can only assume she will have a hard time around so many people that caused her pain. "I''ll make sure nothing happens to you, Sally. If it reallyes down to it, I''ll use my strongest skill to kill every living hostile creature within 400 kilometers. I''m not going to lose any sleep over killing scum like that." Earlier I thought that I couldn''t use Divinity Pulse while in Bellvia, but its description is very specific about hostile enemies only being affected. So I can assume anyone not threatening me will be perfectly fine. "I have more power than pretty much any other humanoid creature. The only ones stronger than me now are people that have truly chased power." I have this option if I want it. Sally stays quiet at my words and snuggles closer to me. I push those thoughts out of my mind and focus on the problem at hand. Who is going to help me with the heist? I don''t know anyone in Bellvia, and I have no way to contact any of the right people for this job. "We''ll have to assemble a crew for the heist once we reach bellvia, and that can take some time." I want to hear if Sally has any ideas, but she is just staying quiet and rxing. I can use Bellvia''s criminal underground against it. I can use that resource to find myself a crew to pull this off. "I know what we can do. We''ll use the criminalwork already present in Bellvia against them." Sally slowly nods her head in confirmation. I take the message and stop focusing on the problems too. We fly for a few hours, and eventually, the sunsets. I bring us down in a very small clearing in some trees andnd. Sally gets off and stretches her body. I pull the camping equipment out of my inventory and set it all up. I start a fire pit and take a seat enjoying its warmth. I pull out the veryst of my food supply, and I toss half of it to Sally. "We are having a big meal first when we reach Bellvia. We should reach it by tomorrow evening if we get up early." Sally scoots closer and stops when our shoulders lean against each other. She starts nibbling on her food and staring into the fire. After a couple more seconds, she leans her head on my shoulder. She has earned these moments. She is proving to herself and me that she is getting better mentally. I won''t im to know what goes on in her head, but what''s happened to her in the past will affect her for the rest of her life. "Zern... Will you kiss me..." I turn my head slowly and look at her. She tilts her head up and looks into my eyes. She closes her eyes and brings her face closer. I bring mine to her and right before our lips touch, I close my eyes too. Our lips connect, and a very fulfilling sensation spreads through me. Sally has grown to be very important to me, and I''d be lying if I said I didn''t have any feelings for her. I move my lips just a little bit, and she follows with the motion. I feel her hand slide up my back and her fingers run through my dark hair. She brings her other arm and ces her hand on my chest. We move our lips together in small gentle movements, and after a couple more seconds, we pull away from each other, slightly red in our faces and taking quick breaths to catch what we missed in the moment of affection. "I love you, Zern... You are the one that showed me life isn''t just suffering..." She takes control of the situation and kisses me again. We don''t kiss for as long, but she did try to gain ess with her tongue. "The new life I have now is thanks to you... Thank you for seeing me for more than just a half-breed..." She leans her head back on my shoulder and rxes. I turn my head back to the fire and enjoy this moment we have together. "The life you have right now isn''t because of me. It''s because you had the courage to leave with me. You decided to have faith in another person, a man even, and took the leap. I would never be able to do that, so you should thank yourself too." She finds my hand with hers and interlocks her fingers with mine. What I said is what I''ve observed. She has her own courage and faith in good people to thank for all this. Living for 103 years and having her life would turn 99% of people into bitter and cynical people. How could I not like someone with so much strength. She looks at me and tilts her head to the tent. She stands up with her hand in mine and helps me up. She leads me into the tent before it gets toote. Chapter 172: Flying to Bellvia II

Chapter 172: Flying to Bellvia II

We enter the tent, and it''s a small one like always¡ªbarely enough room for two people. Iy down and rx as I contemte more strategies to take on this heist quest. Sally snuggles up next to me and uses my body as a pillow. I don''t mind it. She isn''t going to try anything more than that. I close my eyes in the silentfort that has been given to us. I won''t be allowed to have such private moments other than being far away from church-aligned cities. Now that my identity is revealed, I''m going to have a lot of attention on me. I wonder who got all the rewards for revealing who I am. There never was an announcement. I envy such a thing. Having billions know about isn''t something I like. The future is full of new and interesting situations. Bellvia is not somewhere I went in my old future. Gaia is huge, and the majority of it is unexplored. The ces I did go in those five years were not even close to Bellvia. The main problem with my old future is the amount of time it took to travel. I didn''t have the convenience of flight, now that I do, I''m able to get to ces I couldn''t before. Nothing is off-limits now. Gaia is a huge ce. It works differently than other worlds, thanks to literal gods directly affecting it. "Zern... Can you tell me where you new peoplee from... I''d like to know where your origins are..." I slowly open my eyes and look at the top of the tent. The truth about where Ie from, huh... That would be bringing a whole bunch of new problems to the table if I told her. If Sally knew, I know she wouldn''t see me any differently. She isn''t shallow like that. That information is special, though. I don''t know the repercussions of telling her something like that. I can tell her a little bit, but what should it be. I know she won''t like a vague answer. Women hate that. So giving the best answer is one closest to the whole truth. I feel like I''m lying by doing this. In a way, I am. "New peoplee from a world called Earth... It was our home, now Gaia is our home... Many of us died getting here, so in truth, we are aliens." She might question my connection to Michael, and I''m not sure how to answer that. The whole truth about all of this isn''t easy to exin. Throw in that this wasn''t actually a game and a real-world, I know I''m not qualified to. Sally raises her head and looks at me in confusion. I give her a sincere look telling her I''m truthful. "How is that even possible? From the little rumors I heard, new people are gifts from the gods in Overworld." In a sense, that true. The Almighty Father brought us here to Gaia, and I can see that being the truth to the people of Ancients World. "How are you Michael''s son if you aren''t from this world?" I knew she was too smart not to see that. I don''t know how to exin it to her without revealing the truth to the yers and the system that is now a part of her world''s deity powerbase. She and all people of Gaia don''t even know the system exists. "You don''t have to tell me if you don''t want to... That was a pretty unfair question to ask, considering I haven''t really told you much about my childhood." Sally drops the question, and I breathe a small sigh of relief. I close my eyes again and think back to earth. I wonder what it''s starting to look like without humans anymore. The animals are rearranging the food chain now that we are gone. It makes me wonder if there will ever be a way back. In honesty, the only reason to go back is for the advanced technology and fortune my family never got to spend. Gaia is a much healthier world. Earth only had a century or two before it couldn''t support life anymore. Earth was doomed to die, but with us gone. Maybe it has a chance to crawl out of the clutches of death. "My world was dying, Sally... In my opinion, I''m d we were taken from it. It saved us from extinction. I''ll always miss it, though. It was the home that took care of me the best it could despite our treatment of it." Earth''s health is our fault, and we have no one to me other than ourselves. Sally runs her hand across my chest and hums ever so slightly. "On the nights I was the most scared, I''d hum to myself to pass the time. They only treated me like a toy and a thing to y with. When it was over, I could only pray that I escape or die one day. Lucky for me, I fooled them into thinking I was domesticated. They allowed a small amount of freedom, and that when I learned how to fight. A little while after that I escaped and I promised myself I slit my own neck before getting sucked into that slide again." I hug her after sharing the whole story of how she became free. She told me a little bit at the beginning of our travels. Now I know a little more about her. "I convinced myself I''d never let anyone even touch me again, but it''s different with you, Zern." I feel a slight pang in my heart. She doesn''t even know my real name. The feelings she has shared onlye along once in a while. Sally is even rarer than that. Someone with so much good in them is hard to find. Put that together with what she has been through, and I see an impossibility. Yet here she is, not impossible. "I don''t know how to respond to that Sally... I''ve never had such an impact on someone''s life other than my family members... I can''t lie, I''ve grown very fond of you... You''ve made your interests in me pretty clear, and I''m sorry for shutting you down so much. In my own way, I was protecting both of us from something we weren''t ready for..." She looks up at me and has eager happiness, mostly from the selection of my words. "Once we are done in Bellvia, I want to discuss a possible future together. Until that time, I want to spend time getting to know you more and vice versa." I want my first rtionship to be myst. My father once told me that if you can enjoy each other''spany without being physical, then that''s the person you''re meant to be with. "I like that a lot, Zern. I''ll hold you to those words." She crawls up and kisses my cheek. She goes back to her original spot and snuggles back in. My sister would be making jokes at my expense right now, and they would be zingers too. "I know that you want to take time with this situation we are in, and I want to say thank you. If it moved as fast as I wanted it to. I might not feel the way I do right now. I was really scared that night I jumped at you in the tub. I was testing you to see if you were different, and you passed with flying colors." How about that. I''m usually the one testing people and their intentions. It feels strange to have it happen to me. Not bad though, I''m d I passed. She starts to fully hum a melody in the silence of the wilderness we are sleeping in. It really is soothing, to tell the truth. She has a lovely voice. Sally is a beautiful girl and just needed someone she could rely on. When I look are her long braided blonde hair and colorful blue-green eyes, I see a strong warrior with a clean soul. I find myself falling asleep and dozing in and out of consciousness. I shouldn''t try and fight sleep, but it''s something I developed chasing after the world item that got me here. Chasing after the man that took everything from me. I''m sure he is alive and running around Gaia just like the rest of the yers are. I fall into a deep sleep, no longer fighting the desperate instinct to stay awake. The night passes, and the early sun shines all around us, warming up the tent. I take a deep breath, and I feel some hair tickle my nose. I open my eyes to see that Sally has her head buried in my neck and is sleeping herself. I lean up fully and sit crisscross. Sally sits in myp, still sleeping. I''m honored she trusts me enough to sleep so intimately. I pick her up in my arms and carry her out of the tent. The fire is out cold, but I still sit in front of the pit and hold her until she wakes up. I enjoy the perfect temperature f the early morning and savor this precious memory. This isn''t going to be something I forget for the rest of my life. "Mmm..." Someone is waking up it seems. I watch as Sally opens her eyes and looks at me. She gives me a smile and I give one back. "What a nice way to wake up." I chuckle at her words and she does too. Who knew growing close to someone could feel so good. Chapter 173: Flying to Bellvia III

Chapter 173: Flying to Bellvia III

Sally gets up and stretches her body. I remain crisscrossed on the ground and look at the firepit with no fire. We are traveling the rest of the distance today, and Bellvia is a ce we''ll be for more than just a few days. The heist is what''s going to take forever. I stand up myself and stretch some. "I take it we are heading out now. I need to use the bathroom before I go." I nod my head at Sally''s words, and she walks into the treeline and behind a tree. I toggle my wings on and stretch them out too. I roll them around and move them in different directions. It feels really good to do so. They are extra limbs, after all. In a way, they are my best defense and offense. Nothing aside from legendary weapons and higher can damage them. I look up to the sky, and there are many white puffy clouds today. Being able to fly would be a privilege yers would murder for. I walk over to the tent, pack it up, and put it in my inventory. I hear the rustling of leaves and grass behind me. I already know who it is. "How long do you think the flight would be from here? As much as I love flying, I''m getting tired of it." My best guess is around 12 to 13 hours from here. Usually, it''d take weeks to travel around like this, another reason to be grateful for my wings. I kneel on the ground and wait for Sally to climb on. She does, and Iunch off the ground. We burst through the white puffy clouds and level out above them. I look on my map and head in the direction the marker is taking me. Sally slides up to the usual spot and rests her head. She is still waiting for an answer regarding how long the journey will take. "It''s going to be around 12 hours. At the most, maybe 13." I hear her groan very quietly. If she weren''t right next to my ear, I wouldn''t have heard it. "We can walk if you prefer. Using my legs to travel sounds like a nice change of pace." She gentle tugs on my ear in protest. "I''ll take that as a no then. Once we get there, it''ll bete evening, and we can find an inn to stay for the night. Get some food before we sleep too." Thest time I had a hot meal was a couple of hours before Sally, and I started our journey together. As we fly in silence, a world announcement goes off, and it puts a smile on my face. [World-wide Announcement: A yer has discovered the legendary magical fire ss: Phoenix! The ss has been permanently removed from the possible ss choices!] [World Mission: The coven of fire is offering rewards for any information regarding his yer] It looks like Marcus is the first of the three to get his ss. I knew that he like fire magic, so I knew of a very powerful legendary fire mage ss. I''m sure that he''ll love it. The only ones left in my family to get their sses are mom and dad. They are definitely going for their next, typical of them to take care of their kid before themselves. "A lot of powerful people are popping up these days... A legendary fire mage ss is once in a millennium... I think that statement is wrong no days..." Sally must have received the announcement from the church just now. Marcus will be in the top 5 strongest yers, maybe even top 3. I''m currently number one, and I''m sure StubbedToe is number two. The third spot is up for grabs. No one has definitely imed the spot. Marcus can once he gets higher levels and more power. "I know who that person is." Sally goes ridge in anticipation of the story. "He''s my little brother. He is a mage that prefers fire attacks. I suppose he finally went after it." This is sure to cause more questions about my and new people''s origins. Sally might ask about it or might not. I can''t really say for certain. As Cera and Sally fly to Bellvia, there is a meeting in The Holy City. It''s between all the leaders in the fight against the monsters. The one leading this meeting is always The Pope. The news about Zern has shocked the world. He was right in front of me a few days ago, and I couldn''t see it. I''m a failure of a Pope. I look around the room and notice many faces that are curious about what we will do about this. Now that his identity and features are known, the elves are pushing us to bring him in. It''s never going to be that simple, though. A being of such power and authority can be called on a whim, can''t be forced to do anything. We have to lure him in with something. Anything that might be valuable to him. "I know that the developments in thest 30 hours have made many question the church''s goals. Rest assured, our focus at this moment in time is the war." As I say those words, many give doubtful expressions. The only face that isn''t doubtful is Syndra. As the queen of the elves, I know she will start to start to question when we send out search parties for him. "The Son of Arch-Angel Michael... This Zern... Do we know where he currently is?" The first out of the group of leaders to speak is Gregory, of course. "His help in this war is sorely needed. We have begun to push and attack the monsters on all fronts, but the war hase to a stalemate. Not to mention the return of these... Old God''s. The need for him grows by the day." ying devil''s advocate, it seems. We have only information on where he has been. It''s recentlye to our attention that King Jackson knew of his identity and didn''t tell us either. I look at the king that knows, and he stays stoic. Many follow my gazes and stare at Jackson too. He stands up in hologram form and sighs. "He is a personal friend. If not for him, we wouldn''t have found The Horn of The Forest in The Ancient Ruins of The Dryads. Once I learned of his identity, I figured I should keep my mouth shut. If he wanted to be found, he would have been. While we never got to use the item, we have finally found someone strong enough to use it. It''s going to help in this war." Many nod their heads in agreement. I and along with every church official, havee to resent Jackson. He knew all this time and never said anything. "I understand condemning me, but I chose to be on his side. In the end, that is the right choice." He sits down, and many whisper to each other. I''ll admit my blood boils at his words, but they are true. "YOU''RE A BASTARD FOR KEEPING THAT FROM US!! YOU ARE LUCKY YOU ARE A PART OF THE COALITION, OR I''D KILL YOU MYSELF!!" I hear Lucy scream at Jackson. If anyone was searching the hardest, it was Lucy. Put that on top of her normal responsibilities, and she wasted a lot of time. Jackson doesn''t react to her threat at all. Lucy stands up from her seat and takes center stage in therge meeting. "I want to say this warning only once. If any kingdom chooses to hide the truth regarding Zern again, you will be made an enemy of the church. After this war is over, there will be repercussions, Jackson." I rub my head in frustration at Lucy''s words. I can''t really stop her. She is in charge of our armies and battles. Many look at each other with weariness at Lucy''s words. The next to stand is Syndra. "Don''t forget. Zern belongs to the elven people and royal family. Hold up to your end of the bargain. If you don''t, there will be war." Her hologram turns off before Lucy can yell at her too. This causes her to be even angrier. She storms out of the meeting hall, hurling curses unfit for a beautiful woman. "I want to offer a bounty. Anyone whoes into contact and convinces Zern toe to us will be given anything they want. Even a Genesis Drop." Many perk their heads and mute their holograms. Such a thing to promise, many will consider me mad. I have no other options, though. The only way to get something from greedy people is to tempt them with what they want. No one is going to resist the chance at a Genesis Drop. A powerful potion, one that grants eternal life. Only one person has ever drunk a Genesis Drop, and Flint wants nothing to do with people anymore. Being a mage allows many abilities. Put that on top of a Genesis Drop, and you get a man like Flint. A being that can destroy a country all on his own. This is war, and change to Gaia will be the death of me. Chapter 174: Flying to Bellvia IV

Chapter 174: Flying to Bellvia IV

(I''ve been grinding this story everyday. So I''m taking a 3 day break from posting and writing. Uploads will resume on Monday May, 24th. I know many will be upset at this. However, I''d like to catch up on sleep and rxation. I suffer chronic insomnia and it brings a heavy burden on scheduling chapters since I don''t have a sleep schedule. I thank to all the people who understand.) While Cera and Sally continue flying, and the church continues its meeting. Many yers are getting right back into things¡ªone of these yers being Wilted Rose and her n. Thousands of ns are reforming and rejoining. The separation during The Collision and its effects are being fixed. One thing that continues to fail is yer-to-yermunication. The situation for Wilted Rose is improving every day. Now that everyone is back where they started, I can focus on the tasks at hand. Being the guild leader for one of the top guilds is bing even more challenging. Now that our way to get back to earth is gone, we will have to find a way tomunicate and rebuild if it exists anymore. Willow Tree is a beacon of light for many yers in this time, and as its leader, millions are looking to me for guidance. I walk the streets of my capital city, heading to my destination for my tier-up quest. My topmanders and field officers are right behind me. "We''ll have to split up at this point. Since I have a legacy ss, I won''t be going to the same area as all of you." They nod their heads and split off from me in their own directions. I continue on my path in The capital city of Smander. It''s truly a city that can bepared to art. The main thing on every guild leader''s mind is yer Zern. The person who holds the divine ss. More legendary ss users have started to show up too. Both Battlemind and Phoenix have emerged. There is no way to tell if any of these yers have a guild yet. Many guilds would keep them a secret till the time to reveal them was right. I''m confident that these people aren''t in guilds yet, but you never know things like that. It''s been a little over a day since we have returned to our original continents and what intrigues me is all the changes since we were isted. We heard the announcements, but seeing is different than hearing. What I''ve heard about the war has grown into a situation that we yers can reap the rewards. This war has presented an opportunity for us to gain lots of strength very fast. I look at my map and notice I''m getting close to my marker. I look up ahead and see an archery shop. I have a legacy archer ss, and my tier-up quests told me toe here to speak to a master that resides in this shop. I finish the walk and open the shop door. The old man smiles at me. "You carry yourself differently, youngdy. How may I help you?" I walk up to the counter and exin why I''m here. The Adamo parents and their youngest are resting on a hill overlooking a forest as this is happening. They are on their way to the nearest city. Violet is thinking about the changes that have happened in her family. My little Marcus is getting so strong these days. Now that he has a legendary ss, he doesn''t need our help anymore. I can''t help feeling a little empty at that thought. As the mother of my children, I''ll always want a role in their lives, but Marcus is so much stronger than Chris and I now. "Honey, are you listening?" I get out of my head and turn my attention to my husband. He looks at me in both understanding and slight pity. He walks up beside me and takes a seat next to me. He wraps his arm around me andforts me. "He is still a kid. Even with his new power, he will need us for a while. I''m proud that he is so strong now. Cera''s information was perfect... It makes me wonder what else he knows..." Some nights, I would cry myself to sleeping, thinking about my daughter and oldest son. I lean my head on him, and he kisses the top of my head. We look into the trees below us on the hill we are on a see a pir of white fire explode into the sky. "He sure is having fun with his new abilities, makes me eager for what we''ll end up getting. Now that we are back on our original continent, I bet you are wondering when we''ll see Hailey and Cera." I nod my head, and he chuckles slightly. I''vee a long way in regards to my children. However, I still want to see them soon. It''s felt like years since I''ve seen them. "Sir Erikson said he''ll help us find them. Now that we are in a guild, we don''t ever have to solve problems on our own. We have so many people backing us up." He''s right about that. The Steel Legion guild has proved to be the best decision we made without Cera helping us. It''s be a second home to us, and we''ve made so many friends. "When do you think we''ll see our kids again, Chris... They don''t need us anymore, and I get that, but I still miss them so much... I never thought I''d be separated from them in the way it''s happened. This whole stuck here in Ancients World sucks..." I''m not alone in my thoughts either. Many wish to find a way back to earth in hopes of finding their loved ones that disappeared during our trip here. Watching people turn to dust like that makes me shiver still. Before Chris can say anything, we hear Marcus running up the hill and making his way to us. We stop our conversation and wait for him. He makes it to us and has an excited look on his face. "Did you see that, guys!? It was big enough to reach the clouds this time!" I smile at his energetic attitude. I open my arms for him toe and hug me, and he does. I hold him and give him a hug full of all my love. "So are we going to Yelwich to meet up with Erikson?" Marcus asks us a question that we have discussed at length. We n to meet up with the guild after Chris and I get our Legacy sses. I look at Chris to see if we should exin it to him. He nods his head, and I take a breath. "Are we going to eat something soon? I''m starving!" Before I can even start talking, he asks another question. Iugh a bit at his short attention span. Hailey was just like that. I run my fingers through his hair and control myughing. When we get to Alitor in a few hours, we''ll stop at an inn or restaurant to get something to eat. I hope that sounds good to you?" He enthusiastically nods his head, and I let him go. I look over to my husband and see him smiling as well. I hold out my hand for him to grab it, and he does. We start our journey back to Alitor and enjoy the open wilderness that poses no threat to us at the moment. All three of us are around level 50 now. Marcus is at the highest level of 57, Chris is close behind him at 55, and I''m at 52. Ever since we got stuck in Ancients World, we have regressed into our mid-twenties and have regained our youth. We haven''t been able to try anything out since Marcus is always with us, but we have time on our side now. As we walk, I think back to the first two weeks that Hailey and Cera left us. I wouldn''t leave the room in the tower for days on end, and I barely ate anything. Chris was worried I might die from starvation or dehydration. I didn''t care because I knew I would respawn. He took care of me, though. I was such a burden to him, but he is the man he has always been and supported me until I was ready. "I love you, Chris. I want to talk to you about something important." Marcus is ying up ahead in view of us and having fun, so he can''t hear this important conversation. He nods his head for me to continue. "I want to hear your thoughts on us having another child..." I watch him get all nervous and fidgety. I chuckle at his reaction. "I know I''m dropping this on you, but give it some thought. Now that we are young again, I wouldn''t mind having more children." I''m not expecting an answer now or soon, but I expect one. He tightens his grip just a little, and I respond with my hand. "If that''s what you want, Violet, then I''m all for it. I want to wait until we are settled in this world, with a home and property. To raise the said baby, I don''t want to do that when we are out having dangerous battles." I give him his favorite smile and kiss his cheek. That is something I can easily agree to. We have many years ahead of us, and having a child so soon isn''t in my ns. I want to have one more after settling into this ce and have made a home. "Marcus! Quit throwing fire around! we don''t want this forest to burn down!" My husband yells to our son as he causes problems. We already have one to raise right now, so I''m going to focus on him. Chapter 175: Flying to Bellvia V

Chapter 175: Flying to Bellvia V

[I was going to take a three-day vacation, but I don''t know the penalties I''ll receive from webnovel doing such a thing. So if this chapter felt like it''s filler and rushed, that''s cause it is. I''m writing this on 28 straight hours of no sleep and will certainly be crashing after stressing my brian so hard. I was hoping to use three days to catch up on sleep. I missed thesest 2 months. I''ve been writing premium. I know people willin that this should have gone in the author''s note or something, but I need the word space filled to make this fill faster. I don''t expect anyone to understand that. So let''s get into this rushed chapter.] We fly through the clouds and enjoy the freedom of flight. I quickly dive down andunch back up. "We should only be an hour out from Bellvia! We have been traveling the majority of the day, and the marker on my map is getting closer and closer!" I speak loudly so Sally can hear me over the loud wind. We fly in silence, and I think about what will happen once we reach Bellvia. Since we don''t have to worry about rms going off once I get close, it''ll make getting in easy. They are likely scanning faces and inspecting anyone thates through city gates looking for me. They won''t find me anywhere near one of those outposts. I close my eyes and sink myself in the serenity of this entire situation. I take this time to look at my yer stats and all my quests in Bellvia. [yer (Zern) Lvl.90] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 14,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 16,560,000,000/16,560,000,000][Mana: 146,600,000,000/146,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 90][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Quest: The False One] [Description: You have found the truth about Bellvia and their involvement with the Dryads, and you have found out about the curse and who made it. You will have a choice to make. Only one of the following objectives can bepleted.] [Objective 1: Expose the Kingdom of Bellvia and have them pay for their crimes.] [Objective 2: Find the weakness of the curse and use it to free the Dryads and return them to Ancients World.] [Quality: Legendary] [Rewards: Hidden] [Quest: An Abomination] [Description: Find the research and notes of Ulma Runa on her development of the curse.] [Objective 1: Find Ulma Runa''sb in Bellvia''s capital and bring the notes and research papers back to Flint.] [Objective 2: Hidden] [Quality: Epic] [Heist of Bellvia''s treasure vault] [Description: Break into Bellvia''s treasure vaults and retrieve The Dice of Wand.] [Objective 1: Once in Bellvia, find a group that can help you pull off the heist.] [Objective 2: Once you have The Dice of Wand, keep them until the right time to use them.] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards: Anything you can take from the vaults other than The Dice of Wand.] I see that I have 90 unused skill points that I can invest into something that''lle in handy. Just depends out what it is. Speed seems like my most likely option since it leads to faster attacks and higher DPS. The other choices are Strength and Endurance, obviously. Bncing those out will always be smart. Dexterity and focus are thedder choices of the group, and they both have their uses. A higher mana count means a higher ceiling for potential. I take the 90 unused skill points and invest them into dexterity. In the end, it allows me to wield my weapon more efficiently. I look at the new stat panel and see the changed values. [yer (Zern) Lvl.90] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2215][Speed - 2240][Focus - 14,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 16,560,000,000/16,560,000,000][Mana: 146,600,000,000/146,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 0][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] Everything looks in order, and that''s when I remember that I want to check the information on my active skills again. I pull up information on my strongest ones. [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Description: A skill that allows you to oppress and possibly kill people with your mana control and power. The quality of a mana aura makes it stronger or weaker, and as you can see, you have Divine Pressure Exertion. The higher your control over your mana aura, the more powerful this will be. At the current level of 5%, you can kill anyone with a lower level and weaker mana aura than you. It wouldn''t be this strong if not for the quality of your mana aura.] [Divinity Pulse (Bloodline)] [Description: Another skill directly tied to your mana aura control. Divinity Pulse is an exclusive skill provided by your direct line to The Almighty Father.] [Effect: Channel your divine power into an outward explosion. Instantly kill all hostile enemies within a 400-kilometer range. All enemies that are at least 2 tiers higher can resist.] [Cost: 140,000,000,000 Mana] [Kingyer - Active] [Description: Not even kings stand a chance. 350% to all outgoing attacks for 10 minutes. It cant be upgraded.] [100,000 mana required for activation] [Cooldown 24 hours] [Raging Machine - Active] [Description: Nothing will stop you from winning. All outgoing attacks are increased by 500%, and all iing attacks are turned into health for 10 minutes. It cant be upgraded.] [170,000 mana required] [Cooldown 48 hours] These skills, along with my oldest ones when I unlocked this ss, make my damage output in the 10''s of millions. I pull up information on my sword and refresh my memory on what is know about it. [The Witness] [Description: A legendary sword that has been around since before recorded history, all the greatest and most influential people have wielded this de. Empires have risen and fallen to, and for, this de. It has been held by kings, queens, emperors, and empresses. Along with Sword Saints of unparalleled power and recognition. The Witness is the strongest and most powerful of the one-handed swords on Gaia. There is no de better to wield. The construction of The Witness isn''t one know to all. Only a select few know its origins. It was crafted by the same divine metal as Durandal, Excalibur, and Caliburn. These 4 swords were made by the angelic smith Erelim. They are considered siblings since they were made from the same metal ore.] [More information will be revealed once you tier up.] [Quality: Legendary] [Durability: Infinite] [Damage: 24,000] [Unique properties] [Has a very high chance to dismember limbs instantly] [Has a very high chance to cause Curse of Dposition] [Description: Areas attacked by Curse of Dposition will rot away till they are cured or the target dies.] [Will always cause critical hit upon vital points struck] [Will always ignore armor and defense ratings] [This sword will gain more power every time you tier up.] [There is no required level to wield this de.] [The Witness resonates with your angelic blood. +10000 focus] The power in this de truly is mind-boggling. Add this to any attack within two tiers of my tier, and nothing can stand against me. We continue flying and eventually see the walls and massive buildings sticking out the side of a mountain. "That Bellvia up ahead! You can smell the aqueducts from here!" Many cities have aqueducts, but Bellvia is the first I''ve seen that has them visible. Some are empowered by magic and other means. Magical cities use only magic to annihte waste¡ªa remarkable way to control pollution. I bring us down into the forest about a mile out andnd us. Sally gets off, and I stretch my body a bit. "We are getting a meal first, right? I''m starving, and you said the first thing we would do is get a meal." Sally looks at me with the same hungry for food look I have had most of this journey. I nod my head, and she wiggles in excitement¡ªtime to get into Bellvia. We walk through the forest slowly as the sun creeps to a setting. I smile as the orange hue ignites the sky. {Again apologies, I won''t be writing off 28 hours of no sleep again. I hope many will tolerate this one time, I''m only human after all.] Chapter 176: The Heist of Bellvia I

Chapter 176: The Heist of Bellvia I

I look at the city''s entrance and don''t see a line for males, unlike The Holy City. Now that the whole of Ancients World knows who I am, I can assume that those are for finding me somehow. It''s nice to know that I don''t have to worry about any rms going off near me. Since this city is in the coalition, I don''t have to worry about instant detection. We''ll still avoid the line and entrance to the city. Its location is much to be desired, though. "We''ll scale the walls like we always do. The security isn''t as tight here as The Holy City." I inform Sally of the n we normally take, and she nods her head in confirmation. We carefully make our way through the treeline, and that''s when I notice a problem that will be interesting. The distance between the wall we need to scale, and the treeline isrge. There is a lot of open space and plenty of chances for us to get spotted as we rush at a wall. Sally''s ice dummies can distract easily, but it''ll be a higher chance of risk. The close treeline at The Holy City was really advantageous. "Should I use my ice dummies to distract any guards likest time?" I nod my head, and she creates them. She sends them out, and they make it halfway across the field. Before I can pick Sally up, they explode. We both look at the new little crater with slight disbelief. I look towards the top of the wall and see some magical cannon. "I''ve never seen those weapons before?" Sally says what I''m thinking right now. After looking for a couple more seconds, some normal guards with regr armor for Bellviae out and investigate the site. "Sweep the area for any more trespassers!" Talk about brutal. Bellvia didn''t have this technology. At least I don''t think they did when it''s wartime. That''s when most great inventions are made. I look at Sally as the guards slowly approach the treeline. It''s a good thing it''s dark now. This leaves a new problem. I can''t see any other obvious way into the city. So how do so many criminalse and go in Bellvia''s underground criminalwork? There are a couple of possibilities. Starting with a secret entrance outside the city, it will not be near the walls with those cannons. That means it''s hidden in the massive and thick forest surrounding the city. "Let''s get out of here! No one is around! Must have been a malfunction!" Since the ice dummies don''t leave anything behind, there is no reason to suspect anything. We keep low and hidden in the treeline as they vacate the area. Looking for a secret entrance in these woods isn''t ideal. Another idea is a bribed guard or official. Someone who lets certain peoplee and go at certain prices, the hard part about finding said guard or official. The whole reason is that guards and officials blend in and are in tight bonds with each other. The whole reason criminals love bribing and having these people on the payroll means the heat is almostpletely driven away. The guards have finally all left, and we stand. "We can''t get past those cannons without causing a scene, which is something I don''t want to do. The odds of getting in have gotten a lot lower this time around." I announce my thoughts in a whisper to be safe. Our go-to strategy to get into cities isn''t going to work in Bellvia. I guess that means it''s time to create another one. Magical cannons are a new and obscure technology. New things have problems, and they aren''t found when something new is made. "A device or object can have magical properties. A magical cannon would be an enchantment..." What type of weaknesses would an enchanted cannon have? The destruction of the enchantment could work. The type of explosion and power that came from that shot says more than your everyday enchantment. It has to have special ammo for that kind of strength. "They might be running on magic generators. Just a thought... I don''t know much about magic..." Sally is doing her best to help. Making machines like this isn''t cheap, and an unpowered enchanted weapon asplex as a cannon is probably very expensive. Not something that''s a dime a dozen. So manufacturers would make shortcuts for cheap production costs. You can always count on the cheapness of your local power. A perfect example is the RMBK reactors in Chernobyl during the 1980s. A cheap reactor like thosees at costs, sometimes deadly. I look at the cannon at the top of the wall. It''s almost medium in size and pretty subtle. Hard to see at night. It has tubes and wires on it, just barely visible. "I don''t see any way we can disable it without getting close... Your ice dummies will be annihted before they can get close enough to shot them down... My wings could easily shrug off the shots, but that will reveal me..." Maybe I can use my mana pressure exertion in some way. That''ll hurt a lot of people, though, kill them even. "We are going to have to find another way in. Let''s head to the main road and watch it from cover. If anyone might know where a hidden way in is, they''ll have to start on the main road and go into the woods once they see a hidden sign or marker." This is the best idea I cane up with right now. Flying into the city is not going to happen. People will discover me instantly. A pair of golden wings would draw a lot of attention. "Maybe we can ask someone? I''m sure that more than just a single person in dozens knows where this supposed hidden entrance might be." I like Sally''s idea, but not her sarcasm. That leaves who to ask, and the perfect people to ask are the elderly. They have been around the longest and have the best information regarding anything not publicly known. We slowly walk through the woods and make it to the roads. There are still plenty of carts and cartridges not getting in the city because of the long line of males. I look at the oldest people from our hiding spots, and not many are over the age of 50. Some look to be approaching 60, though. I see an older gentleman on a single horse, and he has some unordinary things hanging out of his satchels. They have runes and look to have magic. Some smuggler, I bet, no one is behind him, and no one in front of him is paying attention. I watch him turn his horse and subtly walk into the woods with his horse. Nobody witnessed the sleek move. He has been doing this for years. The line is pretty far from the gate and the guards, so there is no risk of getting spotted so far out by guards. I wave my hand for Sally to follow, and we cross the road and enter near the woods in the same spot. We keep a good distance from the guy. He knows exactly where he''s going. After 25 slow minutes of following quietly, we see some other people guarding a small path that digs into the ground. The guards of this entrance don''t have uniforms. We just found our way in. We watch the horse disappear into the path that goes underground and hear the faint squeaking of a door opening and closing. "Let''s wait here for about 40 minutes. If we approach now, they''ll think we trailed that guy in. I don''t want to butcher my way in through the underground entrance." I whisper to Sally, and she leans against a tree out of sight and takes a load off. I follow suit and rx. "We might have to fight regardless. I don''t know how you feel about killing people, so if you can''t handle let me know now. I''ll take the lead while you stay back." She looks at me as if I have offended her. I know Sally is tough, but she was disgusted when I ughtered the evil guys at that inn in The Holy City. She takes a breath and holds out her hands. An ice cube begins to form into a rose. She has gotten good at experimenting with her ss and powers. Among all the legacy sses I know of. Winters Wrath is truly special. "I can take care of myself, Zern. These guys aren''t saints, and I know that. Killing the bad ones will be easy, and once they are taken care of, we can get into the city." She doesn''t know that we will have to kill them all, not just the bad ones. No witnesses can see me, and even if there are some good criminals in that ce, they''ll have to die too. I''ll keep her optimism, but she will see me in a different light if it goes down the way I think it will. She epts the half-angel side of me and pays more attention to it than the half-human. Cause my human side is the dangerous one of the two. If it does go down my way, she''ll focus on my human half more than my angel one. Chapter 177: The Heist of Bellvia II

Chapter 177: The Heist of Bellvia II

We have a few more minutes till we approach. It''s almost been 40 minutes, and the guards haven''t changed shifts yet. I can''t tell what''s beyond that door from where we are at, it could be a singr tunnel that leads into the city, or it can be an underground system that has rooms and little areas to gather. I''d like not to murder so many people, but that''s all up to the guards at the door. If they don''t let us in, then they''ll be the first ones to die. "These minutes have passed extremely slowly, and the longer we wait here, the more anxious I get. Do you have any ns if they don''t let us in? Violence isn''t the only way. You could always bribe them." Sally has a good point, and I''ll try that if not getting in doesn''t work. If they won''t ept bribes, then killing them all is the only option I see. I keep watching the guards, and they are starting to look tired. A shift change might being soon. "We''ll give your idea a try. I have a decent amount of gold left. I''d prefer not to have to use the rest of it. We''ll approach in a minute. I still want to watch for just a little longer." As I say those final words, the door opens, and two new guardse out. I get a good look inside, and it''s a long tunnel that turns off. "Good news is I don''t see anything akin to an underground town, which means this probably leads directly into the city that isn''t guarded and is easily essible." I have many more ideas of what this could be, but they aren''t relevant to this situation. The guards finish changing shifts, and the door closes. We sneak in the dark and make a loop back to the path that the man on the horse used. The guards see us approaching but make no move to stop us. Only when we get into the underground path to the door, do they stop us. "You don''t look, familiar boy. I''d remember a face like yours, and the fact you have an elfpanion is strange enough..." I tense my body just slightly, getting ready forbat. However, he sighs. "I don''t get paid enough to ask questions. I''m just going to assume your some ve trader. Be careful in the city. We have some pretty big names in town right now." I nod my head, and he lets us pass. Big names in town, huh... I wonder if I can get some help from said big names. We start walking down the path, and torches light it every 25 feet or so. "Put your hood on. The fewer people know you''re an elf, the better. I don''t like being called a ver either. Once we are inside the city, we head to an inn to have some delicious food and afortable bed. We have been traveling around huge distances for a while now, and thest time I saw a bed was in the fairies kingdom." Sally chuckles slightly. As a human from a modern time, with modern technology. Sleeping outside isn''t something I and many more aren''t used to. Deforestation on earth caused many camping to die out 80 years before I was born. I really do hope earth heals itself in our absence. We took it for granted. We stay quiet as we walk the long singr hallway. I look around, and I don''t see any discernable details. This ce is only used for getting in and out of the city undetected. We walk for a good 30 minutes, and we areing up to another door. It doesn''t have guards on this side. We make it up to the door and open it. It reveals a giant underground market. There aren''t many people walking the streets of this underground town. I bet most are outmitting crimes. Now that it''s been dark for a while now all the thieves and robbers are out. The big-time criminals aren''t going to be out, though. So that leaves an opportunity. "There are no guards at this door, so that must mean there is no need for security. Pretty trusting for a hive of criminals." I even see inns and bars that have noiseing from them. Sally hears this too and looks slightly rattled. She probably isn''t going to go along with the idea of staying in an inn that is full of bad men and women. "We can find a way up to the surface if you want, Sally. I can see the hesitation on your face." She nods her head, and I nod mine. Guess we are going to have to find a way out of this ce tonight. "Let''s see where the main roads down here lead. Most roads lead somewhere, and the ones most traveled probably lead to the surface." We begin to follow the only main road around, it right off of the entrance we can in through. We walk around and notice more bars and inns full of people partying. Some have even had their spill out onto the streets. We have to stop our walk as wee across a party that has taken up the road in front of us. Some people are in a circle fighting, and others are dancing around merrily. "For a literal underground criminalwork, they sure do love to party." Sally looks at the crowd we have to go through, and I can tell she is nervous. "Stay close to me. Who knows what pervert will try to pull something. If violence does break out, leave it to me." She grabs the bottom of my leather chest piece, and we start to make our way through the crowd. However, we are stopped as someone decides to get handsy with Sally. Before she can even scream, I ball my fist and punch a hole the size of my fist into his fast. I pull my fist out of his skull, and everyone backs away from us. They make a circle and look at the gruesome scene. Blood drips from my hand onto the ground. We hear shoutinging from inside the outside party''s bar. A tall man with three otherses out, bearing their weapons. "You know that was one of my best friend''s brothers. He isn''t so happy right now." Another manes charging out with a long sword as he says that. The tall man stops him. "You have quite a lot of power. The man you killed was a level 85 tier 1. You put a hole through his skull with your bare hand. So you can see why I''m hesitant to let him attack you. Mind telling me who you are so I don''t have to inspect you." I squint my eyes and ponder my next response. If he inspects me, he''ll see my name, and the cat will be out of the bag. My other option is to kill all these people and get out of here. "This is my only warning. Let us pass and leave us alone, or die a death like your man here." I tilt my head towards the dead body with a hole in its face. The brother of the dead man looks at me in a fury. I can see where this is going. I draw my sword, and everyone cringes and shakes at the feeling The Witness gives off. A true legendary weapon will have effects like this, and I''m d it does. The tall man stares at my sword for a long period of time. I roll my eyes, and I watch him turn his head to Sally. He grins perversely. Before I can even react, Sallyunches ice spears and kills two men behind the tall man. He barely jumped out of the way. I look at Sally, and I can see the determination on her face. Now that she has the power to defend herself, she will. I watch her create a beautiful ice sword. "Leave these guys to me. I need this." I nod my head at Sally''s words. She jumps at them and starts to attack. She uses her ice sword and does a very good job keeping them on the ropes, but she can''t really do any damage since their coordination is so good. As I watch this, someone inspects me, and I hear a gasp. I sigh and toggle my wings on. Many try to run and hide, but I use my divine mana pressure exertion before any of them can get out of sight. Everyone, including Sally, hits the ground hard and begins to breathe heavily under pressure. I flex my wings and bare my sword. I move at speeds they can''t perceive or react to. I kill everyone other than the tall man and his crew. Everyone in the immediate vicinity is now dead, not everyone in the small town, but they were affected too. I know it, so was the surface, I bet. I let up on the pressure exertion, and Sally gets up. "What was that for?" I wave my hand for her to continue her fight. She gets back into position and looks at the tall man and the brother of the man I killed. They are looking at me, though, in total and absolute fear. "Great, you broke them before I could punish them." She sounds genuinely disappointed too. I hope I''m not a bad influence on her. We need to get out of here before anyone shows up. Sally kills the paralyzed men in fear andes back to me. "Let''s get out of this cesspool." I chuckle, and we keep walking the road. I have a slight problem, though. I''m covered in blood once again. It''s a good thing it''s dark on the surface. Chapter 178: The Heist of Bellvia III

Chapter 178: The Heist of Bellvia III

We follow the road and eventuallye to a bigger door. "We should get out of here now. I''m betting all those bodies are being found right about now." Sally nods her head in agreement, and we approach the door. I push it open, and a new narrow path has opened up. "This path is the most likely to lead to the surface, it has the most foot traffic, and since it''s dark out, we won''t have so much trouble getting around. If someone sees me covered in human blood like this, then I''m sure we''ll have no chance at getting into the treasure room. So we are going to stick to rooftops and dark allies." I unequip my leather chest piece, and my bare chest shows. My chest piece has the most blood on it. If someone does see us, it won''t be so obvious now. They''ll have to look at my pants deliberately to see the blood. As we walk the long dirt path in the narrow tunnel to the surface, I can''t help feeling Sally''s strong gaze. I try to ignore her, but she makes no effort to hide her interest in my topless area. I have well-defined muscles, and I can see why they''d be attractive. "You know, many people would consider starting rude. How would you like it if you didn''t have a top and bra on and I was staring?" She turns her head away in embarrassment. I chuckle now that I got my point across. I''m not obsessed with physical characteristics. In fact, I''d say I''m way more interested in what''s on the inside. Many wouldn''t believe that, though, and I don''t know why. Still being a virgin and never having a romantic rtionship attests to that. Being an attractive member of the male spieces, I''ve had plenty of chances for romantic and physical encounters. I rejected them all, and many would question my sexual preference from my actions. I''m straight, but I don''t find myself getting hot or bothered around beautiful women. I don''t see the same appeal as others. I''m too much of a control freak to ever open up to someone like that, even if it''s just for sex. "I wasn''t staring like the way you think I was..." My thoughts are interrupted by Sally trying to exin away her ogling earlier. "It''s just different with you... I can''t put into the right words..." She hase along wat from the person I started this journey with. The time I''ve spent with Sally has taught me a lot about people and women. She has suffered greatly and despite her harsh past. She has not let any of that get in the way of her life and happiness. The willpower she has shown is greater than anything I''ve ever seen before. I''m not capable of such strength if I went through what she went through. I wouldn''t havee out nearly as great as she has. I would have given up a long time ago. "It''s not a crime to stare at me. It''s just not something I''m used to experiencing. I''ve been looked at by people before, but I saw it up close until just now. Besides, I was messing with you. I know that it''s different for men and women on what to take on and off." I''m smart enough to know the obvious differences. People can say whatever they want. Women have it harder when ites to physical body confidence. It''s not because of what you think, despite the social differences in the 23rd century. The main enemy of women was, in fact, women, while men hold me as well. I have seen some really nasty things happening between women and their views. They judge each other brutally and have passive-aggressive behaviors that, in honesty, scare me. The whole situation is beyond my full grasp since I am a man. I have concluded from the treatment I''ve seen other women put each other through. Not to mention the type of power women have over men. A woman can say that a man raped or sexually assaulted her when it never urred. There will be no trial for the man, at least not a fair one. They lock him up and throw away the key on baseless usations. This happened to a kid in my high school. He broke up with his girlfriend, and a few weekster, she used him of rape and harassment. He was sent to federal state prison, only to be found innocent after the woman he dumped came forward out of guilt. He spent two years in that prison, and he was an innocent man. Another reason I don''t find myself with women, not all women are the same. However, that kind of power is scary to me. "You''ve had a serious look on your face for a while now... Is everything alright?" Sally interrupts my thoughts about what I''vee to learn about men, women, and rtionships. I got really distracted, in honesty, while what I said has merit. It''s not like men haven''t hurt women. So in retrospect, it''s a cycle that we have all created. I don''t have rtionships because of this cycle. While I believe true love exists, damn, is it hard to find in all the deceit, hate, and mistrust. "I was going through my thoughts, Sally. Where Ie from, there is a huge divide between men and women anymore. Our conversation sparked memories of that ce, of home. In truth, this world is so much better. While there are conflicts, the way to hurt each other is limited here. There are no ways of instantmunication to send hate here. I hope there never will be." The technology of the 23rd century allowed many great things. It created a lot of problems too. She looks at me in confusion. Describing some things from my world isn''t fair. I could give context, but we are almost to the surface. I can see a new door up ahead. "We can talk about this another time. I''m in the mood for a meal and a soft bed." She smiles and nods her head in agreement. What opinions I''ve developed are controversial in the 23rd century. However, they are deductions I''vee to on my own. The 23rd century would be thest before humanity died out anyway, so it really doesn''t matter what I think now. All those problems disappeared when we did. There are no issues like that at the current time here on Gaia. The problems we as humans created are now gone, and they will stay gone for a long time. Hopefully, this leads to a great new start for us here. "You have lots of stories, don''t you? You speak as if you are much older than you look. What exactly were you thinking about anyway?" In simple terms, the stand of men and women in the 23rd century. In moreplex terms, the great schism between what once was two species working together to solve problems and love each other. "Nevermind, you have that thinking look in your eye, and you aren''t very good at exining things from your world." Iugh and enjoy the truthful words she speaks. It''s hard to exin something you are unfamiliar with, after all. So my opinions of my time probably have to merit, since I know nothing of the real problems in my time. We make it to the door, and I push it open. As soon as I do, a notification goes off. I look and see that my legendary quest to free the dryads has had some objective changes now that I''m officially in the capital city of Bellvia. I try to pull up the quest, but a voice interrupts me before I do. "I don''t recognize your faces. Give me one good reason I shouldn''t kill you both right now." I turn and see some officer in the Bellvian army. He must be a bribed official to let peoplee through this way. This means this is an exclusive route, and we took it not knowing it was. He reaches for his sword as we stay quiet. We are in a basement, probably under a property he owns. I toggle my wings on and dash forward. I kill him by chopping him into three pieces. He tried to say something. I didn''t give him a chance to speak. Sally cringes in slight disgust, and now my torso is covered in blood. That''s just great. "Let''s go upstairs. I want to clean this blood off me before we go anywhere." She nods her head in agreement, and I focus back on my new objectives on my quest. I pull it up and start reading. [Quest: The False One] [Description: You have found the truth about Bellvia and their involvement with the Dryads, and you have found out about the curse and who made it. You will have a choice to make. Only one of the following objectives can bepleted.] [Objective 1: Expose the Kingdom of Bellvia and have them pay for their crimes.] [Objective 2: Find the weakness of the curse and use it to free the Dryads and return them to Ancients World.] [Objective 3: Now that you are in Bellvia, finding the right person to talk to is important. How you do this is up to you.] [Quality: Legendary] [Rewards: Hidden] I sigh as I read the new objective, just like my chain mana aura quest to find The Secret Keeper of Titans. I already have a n for this, though. Chapter 179: The Heist of Bellvia IV

Chapter 179: The Heist of Bellvia IV

{I hope you guys like this chapter. I''ve put it off for a long time now. My fans from Descendant of Elder Blood will enjoy this chapter, and I want you all to know this will be a rare urrence in the story, so this chapter and the next will be the only ones like it for quite some time. Thanks for reading!} I walk up the stairs covered in a fresh ssh of blood. This man''s house will be a ce we can''t spend much time in. It does suck that I had to kill him. He drew his sword first, though. I make it to the top of the stairs and look down to see Sally following behind. He had a nice house, and I''m going to clean all this blood off me. "I''m going to look for the bathroom. You can look for food or rest for a few minutes. Once I''m done cleaning up, we''ll leave and find us an inn." She nods her head and walks into the kitchen. I head to another staircase that leads upstairs, and I search each room until Ie across the bathroom. This one actually has a shower function, those cost extra. The magical enchantments are rare, from what I heard. He must have been racking in the illegal money for smuggling criminals into the city. I unequip my armor and turn the shower on. I keep it lukewarm and step into the downflowing water. I release a sigh as the grime and blood washes of me. Taking a shower in a dead man''s bathroom, which is still in the basement. Screams sociopath. I take the regr soap he has, and I begin to scrub my body. As I''m scrubbing, I hear the door to the bathroom open. I look through the shower curtain, and Sally is standing there getting undressed. I stop looking before she is nothing but skin. "Sally... What are you doing?" She stays quiet, and my nervousness continues to get higher. After a couple more seconds, the shower curtain slides open, and she steps in. I turn my head, so I don''t see any of her exposed privates. "This saves time, and I want to get clean too. Turn up the heat, would you? This is freezing." What she says makes sense, but her intentions might not match her words. I listen, and I turn up the heat in the shower. "Thanks, now I''m not going to shiver. Hand me the soap." I pass it to her while looking forward towards the showerhead. She is behind me. I close my eyes and focus on something else. ns for tomorrow are what I need to think about right now, not the things going through my head right now. One thing is for sure. This heist is going to be hard. "Can you scrub my back for me? I''ll do yours if you do mine." My nning thoughts are interrupted by Sally. Her voice is even and calm. It''s unlike thest time I found myself in a situation like this with her. She doesn''t let me respond and turns me around. I try to stop my eyes from wandering, and I do a good job. However, I catch a glimpse, and I''m grateful that the soapy bubbles cover her bits. She turns around and hands me the soap. Her back and butt aren''t covered in bubbles, though. I roll my neck, trying to release some tension. I rub the soap in between my hands and run it along the top of her back. Soon the suds run down her back and begin covering her butt. I breathe a sigh of relief as I no longer have to worry about that. "You know it''s okay to look, Zern... I like what I saw. I''m impressed you hide it so well..." I choke on my own breathe for a second. I have to blink and shake my head just a little. I don''t know if I heard her right. She turns around, and she looks me in the eyes with intentions of more than just a shower. The front part of her body isn''t covered anymore, and I look up, trying to avoid a peek. She reaches up and runs her hands through my wet hair. Her longer nails massage my scalp, and I like way more than I should. She tilts my head down and looks up at me. Her wet long blond hair clings to her back, and I look into her beautiful blue-green eyes simr to mine. "I can''t ignore my feelings for you any longer... Everything that''s happened between us... I don''t want to lose it..." She presses the front of her body against the front of mine as she says those words. Her full chest squishes against mine, and it takes all my willpower not to have mine pop up in excitement. This is the first time I''ve been so physical with a woman, and my body and heart are telling Sally something that I don''t intend to do. I prepare to speak, but she tilts my head down further and stands on her tippy toes. She captures my lips in hers and holds up together for a few seconds. She lets them go for only a slipt second and then captures them again, and this time she moves her lips. I don''t mean to follow, but I match her movements. She pulls away for a breathe and runs her fingers through my hair once again. "We have an empty house all to ourselves... There is a big bed in the room across from this one..." She hasced her voice in temptation. She pulls her body off mine and looks down. I can''t control that part of me anymore, and as she looks, I watch her smile. She takes her right hand out of my hair and reaches down. She gently covers the tip with the palm of her hand and slowly rotates my tip. It''s long and thick. Many would put it on the higher end of therge categorypared to others. "Your body is being honest with me, Zern... When I touch it, I feel electricity shoot through my body... Does the same happen to you?" She takes her left hand out of my hair and grabs my right wrist. She guides it to her left breast and nts my hand on it. She takes a gasp and sighs. "This is the first time it''s felt good for me..." My face blushes in heat at her words. Her feelings for me have developed far beyond what I thought they had. She tries to grip my rod, but it''s too big for a single hand to wrap around. She slowly starts to move her hand up and down my shaft. The soap making it easy and pleasurable. The sensation is nothing like I''ve ever felt. This is the first time this has ever happened to me. I try to resist, but I can''t stop my other hand from groping her free breast. She moans hypnotically. "I didn''t know being touched by someone you love feels so good..." She speeds up her motion on my rod, and I gently rotate her breasts and flick her nipples. I don''t know if I''m doing a good job or not, but from her gasps and moans, I think I might be on the right track. I feel a pleasure build from the base of my rod. One I''ve never felt before, not at this level. "Your growing... Hold it just a little longer..." I obey and focus entirely on holding it in. She gets on her knees, and I no longer have ess to her breasts. I don''t know what she''s nning until I feel warm wetness envelop the tip of my rod. It takes all my willpower not to explode right here and now. She wiggles her tongue and slides halfway down. I tilt my head back as I feel her tongue slide on the bottom of my rod. I feel the pressure and pleasure quickly climb from the base of my rod. I try to hold it back, but as if climbs, I get bigger, and I can hear Sally moaning as I do. I tap the top of her head multiple times to warn her, and instead ofing off, she slides it even deeper. I let go and stop resisting. The pleasure and pressure climb and build fast as I release. I feel it explode out of my tip, and I can hear Sally moan and groan as my load slides down her throat. I hear her gulping, and I keep shooting and shooting. I finally stop, and I feel slightly weak in the knees. She slides my long and thick rod out of her mouth, and I see the mess I''ve made. Her face is red fromck of air, and she takes deep breaths. "You haven''t calmed down in the slightest... This must be the first time you''ve ever been this excited, huh... It makes me happy I can get this kind of reaction from you..." I watch as she stands, and I notice she is shaking slightly now. This shaking is different from that time in the tub. It''s not shaking out of fear, so it must be the same reason I''m shaking a little. "I want to see if that bed is as soft as it looks..." She whispers just enough for me to hear. She opens the shower curtain and grabs my hand. She leads me to the bathroom door, and I have given up on resisting. I''ve done so for the past 20 years. Sally is different. Out of anyone, she is the one I can see myself doing something like this with. I''ve waited long enough, and she seems ready. If she truly is, then it''ll be a night I''ll always remember. Chapter 180: The Heist of Bellvia V

Chapter 180: The Heist of Bellvia V

We enter the room, and I see the bed. It is nice and big. It''s disturbing that we''ll be doing stuff in a dead man''s bed. While he lies in the basement. Walking around naked with Sally is something I never thought I''d do, with anyone in fact. I close the door behind us, and I hear her hop onto the bed before I can even turn around. I turn in the darkness of the room, barely being lit by antern on the table by the bookshelf on the other side of the room. I look in Sally''s direction, and she is lying on her side as she holds her head up with her hand. The shadows of the darkness in the room hide her private area perfectly. "Come over here..." She takes the hand rxing against her thigh and waves me over. I walk over and sit on the edge of the bed. I lean back, and my head rxes right next to hers. She looks down at me with a sincere look. For the first time in my entire life, my heartthrobs. She brings her free hand up from her thigh and caresses my face gently. "I never thought I''d meet someone like you... It''s been 70 years since I''ve done anything like this, so you''ll have to forgive me..." Sally is 103 years old, and when she freed herself, she probably hasn''t touched a man in that amount of time. She looks my age, maybe a tad younger. Her elf blood extends her life span. I don''t know how long, though. She gently drags her fingers across my cheek and slowly runs it to the back of my head. She tilts my head up and kisses me. A normal kiss, one that isn''tplicated or full of movement. This is the one that I like the most. She pulls away andes back down for some more kisses. As she does this, she shifts her body and leans it against mine. As I feel her soft and smooth skin touch mine, my rod sticks up in excitement. She fully leans her body on mine and now as another hand to do whatever she pleases with. As a guy, I''ve seen things on the inte, but none of that''s real. All that is scripted and mostly fake. So I push those things into the fire and forget about them. What I learn in this time frame is what will be the truth. I respond to Sally as she moves her lips ever so slightly. I enjoy the sensation as it''s still very new to me. As we slowly experiment with kisses, I feel her free hand slide down my chest and run over my abs. She moans into my mouth slightly as she does. I quickly learn of her destination and remain calm. She runs the tips of her fingernails up and down my rod, sending new feelings through my body. Unlike anything I felt before, it''s a new pleasure, and it feels good. As I''m distracted by all the things she''s doing, she takes the chance to shift her body onto mine. Now fully on top of my and inplete control. I like the fact she is taking control since I have no experience. It helps. It also might make her feel safer after all she has been through. Being the one in control might help her. She pulls away, and I take a breath. "Is there something I should do?" Sally shakes her head and grips my rod. A shiver crawls up my spine, and I enjoy the pressure she is applying. "Leave everything to me... If I want you to do something, then I''ll let you know..." I take her words as a sign to rx and let both of us limate to what''s about to happen. "Have you ever touched a girl''s lower parts before?" I shake my head no. I know some of the anatomy from health ss, but I don''t have any real experience. She smiles and takes my hand and sits upon my stomach. I look down, and I see her most prized area. She guides my hand to a certain little bundle of skin near the top of it. This is what many call the clit. "Be gentle with it... You can hurt me if you are too rough..." I nod my head and clear my jumbled thoughts. I fully touch it with my thumb, and as I do, Sally releases and sharp gasp. I pull my hand away, thinking that I hurt her. She quickly grabs my wrist before it can fully get out of her reach. "You didn''t hurt me. It''s the first time it has felt good... I never felt it like this before... Can you please do it some more..." I slowly nod my head and bring my hand back down. I ce my thumb on it again and slowly move it in small circles. She is breathing hard and heavy as I do so. I press down on it gently, and she whips her head back and squeals slightly. "This is what it really feels like... To do this with someone you love..." I blush at her words. I bring my index into y and pinch it ever so slightly. She bucks her hips and leans back even further. "That felt really good..." I feel a tingle in my area too. When she feels pleasure, I do too. She gets back into a normal position as I stop, and she looks down at me. She takes her hands off my chest and cups my face. "You know how the entrance works, right?" I nod my head, and she smiles just a little. "Take your finger and try it out..." She said finger in a singr form, so don''t go ever one. She raises her hips slightly off me and guides my hand to entrance. I take my index finger and slowly insert the tip of it. She begins to shake, and I almost say something, but she puts a finger over my lips. "I''m shaking from the pleasure... Not the fear..." I insert some more, and she continues to vibrate. My index finger is half in, and that''s when I decide to stop. I wiggle it up and down slowly to see if that does anything. Boy, oh boy, what a reaction. Her upper body clings to my upper body, and her hips stay in the air. She proceeds to bite some skin on the nape of my neck. That sends a chill down my spine too. "Keep doing that..." She tells me what to do in a breathless voice, and I listen. I move my finger in a circr motion and rub it against every wall she has. Not going too deep, just staying where she likes it. She presses down harder on me, and I feel her folds squeeze around my index finger. She takes deep breaths, but I don''t stop. Thinking that''s the right thing to do. "Slow down... To intense..." Ipletely stop my slow circr movements and pull my finger out. I wasn''t going any faster than before or any more intense. It must have been from her light orgasm. Too much stimtion after such an event must not be good. She looks up at me from my pecks, and I see slight drool hanging from the side of her mouth in the little light that thentern provides. "I didn''t hurt you, did I?" She shakes her head no and brings her hips back down to my stomach and leans the top half of her up. She slides down my body and stops once my rod sits between her butt cheeks. "What are we going to do now..." I want to keep experimenting with her pleasure zones, but staying in one ce for too long can be bad. At least I think that''s what''s right... She lifts her hips and lines her entrance up with my rod. Looking at the difference, I don''t think I''ll fit inside her. Some of her fluids drip onto the tip, and after a second, I feel my tip and her entrance touch. The heat and sensation arepletely new and pleasurable. She grips my rod so it doesn''t move, and she presses down. I see stars, and my mind goes nk, my tip enters her, and I release a groan myself. "Feel good, Zern... It feels incredible for me to... Give me some time to adjust before we do any moving..." I barely hear her through the ringing in my ears. I''m d I released a lot earlier, or I''d be done already. She continues to slowly lower her body onto my rod, and the deeper I go, the better it gets. About halfway in, I feel my tip press against something. It feels really good to touch it, and every time she breathes, it gets tighter. She takes several deep breaths, and I flutter my eyes trying to keep them open. "This is the deepest I can go right now... I need to adjust to your size... You''re so much bigger than what I was experienced too..." My senses are being overwhelmed in pleasures. Something happens that I didn''t know could. My wings fulle out without me toggling them on. I can''t control them right now, and the only thing that I can really do is watch them wrap Sally and bring her closer to me. She leans her upper body on mine again as we stay connected. My wings are soft and warm right now, and she moans at the touch of them. She starts to move her hips up and down as we are wrapped together, and that''s when all my rational thoughts leave me, and I enjoy the pleasure. Chapter 181: The Heist of Bellvia VI

Chapter 181: The Heist of Bellvia VI

The softness of my wings and the sensation of Sally squeezing me clears all thoughts from my mind. She slowly moves her hips up and down as she releases deep breaths. My tip keeps kissing that little spot, and when it does, I feel electricity. As she continues her movements, I''m slowly getting deeper and deeper. At first, it was only halfway, but now that she is adjusting it, about 2/3''s now. "How are your wings so soft... When they can be indestructible..." Sally talks in a breathless voice, and it makes me feel lightheaded when she does. I bring my hands up from lying on the bed and ce them on her back. I slowly rub my fingertips up and down the middle of her back. I trace lines on her vertebrae, and she shivers slightly. I slowly unwrap my wings from around her, and she moans at the feeling they give her when they glide on her skin. I stretch them out, and both wingtips gently graze the ceiling, and once fully rxed horizontally, they are longer than the distance wall to wall. The tips are bent as they lean the wall. She leans her body up, and her full body weight pushes down on my rod. She takes deep breaths as she stops and looks up at the ceiling with half-closed eyes. I''m now fully buried in her, and the incredible pressure enveloping all of it is amazing. "If you need to stop, you can... I don''t know if this is too much for you..." She hasn''t moved in a while, and she continues to stare up at the ceiling. She doesn''t seem to hear me. After a few more seconds, she squeezes down with pleasurable force, and I almost blow it. I look down and see in the room''s dim light that a fair amount of liquid ising out. "That was the first time I''ve ever..." I hear her whisper something, but my head is too cloudy to put what she says together. She lifts her hips andes up halfway up. She drops her body again, and my mind does nk as pleasure shoots up and down my spine. "Hmm!" She releases a vocal sound of pleasure. At least I hope it''s pleasure. She then repeats the action and bounces up and down, releasing the same sound over and over. I guess that means it doesn''t hurt. I can quickly feel pressure building at the base of my rod. I hold it with all my might to enjoy this for as long as I can. She moans and releases that same sound with more vigour now as she increases the pace slightly more. I try to keep the pressure inside my rod from building, but it doesn''t refuse to go back down. "You''re getting close... I can feel you growing inside me... I''m getting close too..." I can barely put her words together as my head spins. "I don''t want to pull you out... It is a dangerous day, though... What should we do..." Those words bring some reason back to my mind. A yer has never gotten an NPC pregnant before. However, this isn''t a world like that anymore. I could end up getting her pregnant if I were not careful. I tilt my head up and give her a best-concerned look I can. She smiles and leans down to kiss me while still moving. "Tap my hip when you can''t hold it back anymore..." I flop my head back down and enjoy the activity. She continues to kiss me and squish my chest with her perfect chest. Not too big, and not too small. The pressure is slowly climbing, and it''s almost halfway. "You''ve gotten so much bigger... If feels so good, Zern..." She has released enough fluids at this point to allow easy flow in movements. Every time our hips connect, there is a slight wet p. The pressure has built a little past halfway, and I can''t hold it back anymore. I tap her hip multiple times really fast, but she doesn''t get off. She buries me as deep as possible and squeezes me super tights¡ªher body rocks as I release her into that light spot and fill her deep. I think I fill a chamber, which means this is her womb. "I never said I''d pull you out..." She squeezes me over and over as I continue to unload. As this happens, I get a notification. [Congrattions!: As the first yer to have intercourse with an NPC that has an affection of deeply loved or higher, you get a reward!] [Controled Fun (Active)] [Description: You can control if your partner gets knocked up or not. Just look at said partner and scan them with this. Once you do, it turns off pregnancy risks.] My head spins at the pleasure of her constant squeezing. My release is starting to slow down and stops as she quits squeezing me. She lifts her hips off my rod, and I watch a white paste leak out of her. She looks at me with a smile full of satisfaction. "You filled me deep with white-hotva... This is the first time I''ve ever felt any pleasure from something like this..." She leans back down and kisses me some more. I close my eyes and enjoy the kiss, and we slowly move our lips in little movements. Sheys on my side and sighs in satisfaction. "I don''t think we are going to find an inn tonight, huh..." I chuckle at her words. A change of ns has happened. I stare up at the ceiling with my eyes halfway open. I look at the top of Sally''s head and use my new skill. An information panel pops up. [Sally has a 50% chance of getting pregnant after the actions that have taken ce. Since she is sote in her menstrual cycle, the chances are much lower this time around. Normally it''d be in the high 80''s or low 90''s depending on how soon you have released into her at the beginning of a new cycle.] [Do you wish to bring this chance down to 0%? Y/N] I immediately think yes, and the 50% changes to 0. I make a small sigh in satisfaction. "I thought you would pull out. That was a sneak move, Sally." She giggles slightly, and she runs her hands through my soft wings and cuddles them. I don''t know how to react to that. While it felt really good to do so, it was really irresponsible. "Your lucky I have a skill that allows me to control if you get pregnant or not." She lifts her head and gives an impressed look. She opens her mouth, but I speak before she can. "Yes, I do have a skill that convenient. No, that doesn''t mean we''ll do it more now that we have this safety to fall on." She puffy out her cheeks in slight disappointment. Sheys back down and snuggles up. I open my stats to see the new skill in my active area. [yer (Zern) Lvl.90] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2215][Speed - 2240][Focus - 14,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 16,560,000,000/16,560,000,000][Mana: 146,600,000,000/146,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 0][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] I toggle my wings off so I won''t forget to. Having them out is like second nature. Sometimes I forget they are even there. Sally protests slightly but rxes again. I look at her and smile at her. I watch her blush and bury her face in my ribs. I get a new notification, and it''s about Sally. [Sally''s affection stat has risen from Deeply Loved to Beloved!] [You have received a new Quest!] [Sally''s Past] [Description: Help Sally in her quest for vengeance against all the men that tortured and sexually assaulted her growing up. Help her punish the Elven Kingdom for their ways.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will ask you for your direct help in this matter.] [Rewards: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Note: The great difficulty of this quest is the goals that Sally has set in revenge. If they weren''t so great, then the difficulty wouldn''t be so high.] It has been known that once an NPC''s trust and affection reach a certain level, they can give you quests. It looks like Sally and I will be sticking together for the long run. "I love you very much, Zern... I want you to know that..." My cheeks redden slightly at her promation. I kiss the top of her head to show affection too. "That''s a good enough response for me!" She sits up with joy and kisses me several times. She calms down and rxes after nting several kisses on my lips and my face. She is all sweet and no spice. I''m really d I found Sally. She has proven to be more than just a person to travel with. Chapter 182: The Heist of Bellvia VII

Chapter 182: The Heist of Bellvia VII

Wey in the soft bed and enjoy the calmness of the night. Sally is already asleep and using me as a pillow instead of the actual pillows. I stare up at the dark ceiling in the dimly lit room. As a first time, I''d say that went well. I onlysted a few minutes. Sally onlysted a few minutes too, so I don''t think the standard is set very high, which is a very nice thought. The events that have taken ce to lead up to this situation aren''t going to present themselves again. I close my eyes and think about the next step to take, and that step is finding a crew to rob the treasure room. To find a crew, I need to talk to someone who knows the area inside and out. The mostmon people who know things like this are the old. I could head back into that underground town, but that ce is filled withmon criminals and bandits. They are not professionals who know how to pull off aplex job like this. The professions I''m looking for would have a separate ce to meet and talk¡ªone of neutral ground and secrecy. Finding a ce like that in a huge city like Bellvia isn''t going to be a single-day job. Getting into contact with people as skilled as I won''t happen at the snap of my fingers either. They would only talk to someone who has a reputation themselves, which I don''t have. The trueplexity of this job isn''t going to be as easy as walking up to someone and getting all the answers I want. There is awork I have to follow. Since I''m not a famous criminal, that means I''ll have to be a prospective buyer. If a crew can''t be found, then I''ll bring them to me. This is going to be a huge cost. Thest ce that was sessfully hit was the treasure room of Zenith. They were at war, and the thieves took advantage of that. Hold on... I can knock out three birds with one stone. I can use the same method that the robbers used in Zenith here, with my own touch and spin. Once I have the crew assembled and prepared, I can cause a distraction. I can use my authority as the grandson of The Almighty Father to cause chaos. The information on Bellvia''s sins is sure to cause an uproar, while I''m causing such an uproar. The heist canmence. I can get information on Ulma Runa andplete that quest and free the dryads once I get the information on the curse. While these two are happening, there will be chaos. The heist can go down without any problems. Thus three birds, one stone. However, I have to think this over for any possible holes¡ªone of those identified early. If I''m discovered before I can set this n in motion, it will be naught. Another thing I''m overlooking is Sally''s involvement with this. She has many useful skills and can help with this n a lot. A half-elf won''t go unnoticed, though, and a hood won''t hide the more perceptive people. Those are the real problem. The ones in charge have ways of learning things, seeing things. I have to distract the ones who are watching for people like me. I''ll need a crew filled with one-of-a-kind talented people. Bellvia won''t have any of that, not out in the open. Unknown to Cera, there is a group of three individuals in Bellvia at this exact moment. Plotting their own revenge. These three people being Creatureman, Ghostzero, and Krialder. It so happens that their n for vengeance aligns with Cera''s n for The Dice of Wand. The only question is, how do these people meet. While all this is happening in Bellvia, there is a discussion between the top guilds in a neutral valley east of Yweliers Range. The meeting is between Wilted Rose, Sir Erikson, and Drak de. The one starting off this meeting is Wilted Rose. This meeting is, of course, about current events and Zern. I look at my two fellow guild members, and I can see both of them have added and gained strength to their guilds. My Willow Tree has also been growing, but thepetition has never been fiercer at this point, and now that Zern has been revealed to us. It''s time to renegotiate what we originally agreed upon. "We all know that the meeting was going toe to this point. We need to discuss what we are going to do about Zern now that he is revealed to us." As I address the biggest topic of this meeting, the other two here quiet down and ce contemting looks on their faces. I notice that Sir Erikson is more content with where this is going. It''s be known by the major guilds that Sir Erikson is protecting and looking after Zern''s family. He definitely knows more about Zern than we do, and one of his top guild members turned in the information and got a legacy ss and gear of simr grade. "Sir Erikson... You are not obligated in any way to give us any information about Zern. However, in these sensitive times, the yers need someone to look to and know about. If we can humanize Zern, the yers will have security knowing someone powerful is on their side." Dark de tries to sell that bullshit to Erikson, and I sigh inwardly. Sir Erikson gives Dark de a knowing re and begins tough out loud. "You may find this matterughable, but the yers... the humans from earth need him!" Erikson quiets down and closes his eyes. He takes a breath and looks at Dark de with a red face fromughing. "In truth, I know very little about Zern. His family is currently a part of my guild, but I don''t bother them out of respect for Zern. If I caused trouble for them and found out, my guild would be gone the next day. We have no idea what kind of power he has. What if he can somehow disband guilds? I don''t want to find out the hard way." I can hear some sincerity behind his words. I doubt a single yer would have that much power though, in his shoes, I''d do the same thing. This puts him at a huge advantage, though, and we are just going to have to deal with it. The fact he has a legendary ss in his ranks is enough to make me mad. I''m even more peeved it''s a cksmith ss. I sigh and close my eyes. I have to be the leader my guild needs. I can''t go hunting for Zern. So this is Sir Erikson''s win. My priorities are much greater now, and with the shit storm we''re in, this seems like the only opportunity we''ll have to talk for a long time. "This Zern situation isn''t going to go anywhere anytime soon. We don''t even know where he is, and if Erikson did, he wouldn''t be here right now." I announce my deduction, and I see the calcting look in both their eyes. "I suggest we all dissolve the first pact we made and focus on our own goals. If you manage to convince Zern to join you, I''ll be more impressed than jealous. It''s obvious that he wants nothing to do with guilds." The confident smiles fade, and the thought-filled looks burst forth. They are both in their own worlds thinking, whether or not to dissolve the pack now. I can see why Dark de hesitates, but Sir Erikson never wanted the pact to begin with. It makes no sense why he might remotely want the pact to stay in action. "I want to keep the pact in action. The more information we all know about Zern, the better. We can share whatever we know with the general yer poption." Dark de''s use of the remaining people from earth is obvious, but Erikson''s silence actually worries me. Why, in a million years, would he want the pact to remain? He has way more information than he is giving us, which vites the pact. What will we do to call him on it? Nothing bad will happen to him. He loses nothing and gains more than something. He looks hard at Dark de and shifts his gaze back to me. "What if I told both of you that I''vee into information regarding the location of Zern..." My body stiffens instantly. This is some sort of trick. There is no way he would share this kind of information. Dark de has the same thoughts as me with the look on his face. "Oh c''mon... Don''t give me that look. I may be a shrewd man, but what you truly know about me is very little." I don''t believe those words for a second. He is ying some sort of game here. "If I tell you, what''s it worth?" He is looking to swindle the fool here. I wonder who the bigger fool is... The one who thinks he can fool us, or one of us taking that risk. "Contact my courier when you are ready to discuss a price." He walks away, and that leaves the pact still in action, but at this point, that''s worthless. Chapter 183: The Heist of Bellvia VIII

Chapter 183: The Heist of Bellvia VIII

My eyes are feeling heavy, and it''ster into the night than it already was. The n I have needs the right crew to pull off. So that''s what I''ll be working on first, finding the crew that I''ll need for this. It could take a while or a day to find. It really depends on where I start looking first. I''ve thought enough about this for one night. I should follow Sally''s lead and sleep myself. I let my eyes close and slowly drift into sleep. This is a night when I get to sleep in a nice soft bed and not on the cold hard ground. My half-asleep thoughts wander to the body in the basement. He is an official of Bellvia. Other than that, I know nothing about him. His role in the government here could y a vital role, and killing him might bring too much heat. The sooner we get out of here tomorrow, the better. My mind finally rests, and I fallpletely asleep. While Cera sleeps through the night, many things are going on around Gaia. One of those being a secret meeting. This secret meeting is between The Pope and the head of the church''s spywork. The Pope usually doesn''t handle things like this personally but said head spy had found valuable news that only The Pope should hear. The secret meeting is being held in the bowls of the church, where no one can overhear or spy on their conversation. The first one to speak is The Pope, of course. The head of the spywork has no name. He hides his face and only goes by a code name. That code name being Hidden Veil. I look at Hidden Veil. Out of all the spies I know, he is the most secretive. He knows more about our enemies and friends than we do. As the head of the spywork for the church, he knows more than Lucy and mebined. I''ve rarely had encounters with the man. The only times we talked were when the matter at hand was of utmost importance. "You have called me here for a reason. We don''t have much time to sit here in silence, and I''d like to get some sleep tonight." He remains unmoving, and I don''t see a hint ofpliance. Usually, I wouldn''t tolerate such disrespect. However, I can''t punish him. I don''t even know who he truly is. "If you don''t speak in the next 10 seconds, I''m leaving." He remains still and calm at my threat. At the nine-second mark, I hear him take a light breath. "I havee across information that is both vital to the war and the church''s search." I harden my look and steel my nerves. If what Hidden Veil says is true, then this meeting is only meant for the church''s top officials. I nod my head for him to continue. He pulls out a scroll from his bag and rolls it out in front of me. I look at it, and it''s some old map. "Heavy monster forces are guarding this area. It''s an old site that originally had no value. At first, we wondered why the monsters were so interested in it, so we sent in scouts to find out." I look at the ancient map and notice how big these ruins are. I nod my head to continue, and I watch him pull out another scroll. This time when it unrolls. I have shivers go up my spine. It''s an angel''s halo. It''s a metal ring with a light going through the center. "This is an angel''s halo... Whilepletely useless to us humans, it can be used for certain things¡ªlocating other angels on Gaia is one. I think the monsters are searching the ruins to find the unpowered halo." I already know where this conversation is heading. "Once they find the halo and power it, they can use it to find Zern. They might already have, since finding it will be the easy part. Powering it is the hard part. They are constructing some magical machine on site." I take a deep breath and release a long sigh. I pinch the bridge of my nose as I sit down in the chair under me. This could be disastrous. If the monsters find out where Zern is before we do, they can send countless hordes after him. Endangering him and all the people that might be around him. "What are we supposed to do about this Hidden Veil... Our forces are spread thin as it is, this war is ramping up on both sides, and we can''t afford to send troops to a remote ruin in the middle of nowhere. We''ll need a strike force and a battalion to assault a ruin this big filled with monsters." There are more and more new problems every day. We are running out of solutions even faster. This adds another thing at the top of the priority list. "Tell me what you need to do this op, and I''ll see it filled." We might as well get this operation on the road. He lightly nods his head and unrolls another scroll filled with things he needs. I start to read it, and I can feel a pit in my stomach just from the few things on this list. "These aren''t going to be cheap. Are you sure this is going to go how you said it would if we don''t interfere?" He nods his head, and that seals the deal. "Getting the troops for you will be the easy part. I''ll contact Lucy and our strongest soldiers. I''ll get back to you in one day for the operation once everything on the list is fulfilled." With those final words, he turns around and leaves. I''m left with my own thoughts to ponder this new problem. This could prove to be a way for us to find Zern too. If we can get that old halo and power it ourselves, we''ll have a way to always to find Zern. I roll up the scrolls and carry them up to my office. I sit down in myfy chair and think about all the shit this will cause. I should contact Lucy immediately. As all this is happening, the night passes, and the sun rises. The two sleeping in a dead man''s house begin to wake up, and they aren''t the only ones. Creatureman, Ghostzero, and Krialder are also getting up. They are currently staying in a safe house under an old abandoned orphanage. The entirety of Bellvia is beginning to wake up for the day, and all the criminals are on their way back to the underground. Cera is just starting to get up when he notices a weight that doesn''t want to move just yet. The mornings after sleeping in a nice bed are like that. I lean up and rub my eyes. I feel a lightweight on my chest, trying not to move. The sun is shining through the two windows in this room, and that when I ce the sheets over our nude bodies. "It''s time to wake up Sally." I move and sit on the edge of the bed while she snuggles the sheets in protest. I stand up and equip my gear in an instant. I look at her and see her eyes are still shut. "I''m going downstairs to raid the dead man''s kitchen. If you meet me down there in 5 minutes, I''ll make something for you too." I make my way to the door and leave as I hear movementing from the bed. Sally has to dress manually. I don''t since I can equip and unequip things. I make my way to the kitchen and start looking through the cupboards. There are countless enchantments to keep the food fresh and edible. I look through the cupboards for any meat products for protein and eventuallye across the steak. I pull it out and make my way over to the magic stove. I look at the weird controls, and I sigh inwardly. I find the right pan and ce it on top of the stove. I turn it to what I assume to be medium power, and it instantly reaches cooking temp. I p the meat on the pan and listen to it sizzle. It''s been months since I''ve hand cow steak, and the smell it''s giving off is driving me absolutely crazy. I hear quickly running from upstairs and soon down the stairs. I look over to the kitchen entrance, and a fully clothed Sally walks in. I give her a small smile, and she blushes as she reciprocates. She walks over and smells the food too. "You''ll get your half, so go sit at the table and wait for it." She rolls her eyes and head to the table. I focus on cooking the steak and making sure not to overcook it. "How do you like your steaks anyway?" She informs me that she likes medium rare, just like I do. Sweet, I stop cooking them, knowing they are done. "Alright, time to dig into some decent food for a change." I cut the steak in half and prepare to tes. I get everything ready and bring them over to the table. I set them down, and Sally immediately starts to eat. I follow suit and dig in myself. The next few days will be busy, so it''s best to enjoy this while we can. Chapter 184: The Heist of Bellvia IX

Chapter 184: The Heist of Bellvia IX

I finish thest little bit of my steak, and I savor the taste. Sally finished a few bites before me. She can really put the food down. I have neglected regr meals and general hygiene cause we don''t have ess to a kitchen and bathroom regrly. It was super nice to get cleaned up yesterday. The feeling of a body free of grime and dried sweat is amazing. Sadly, I can''t afford that luxury on the regr. Perhaps I could in terms of gold, but in terms of time, I can''t. My schedule is constantly packed with travel,bat, and long quests. Investing in a property might be a good idea. A ce to go and rest once everything is done. That''s a dream, though, cause the work is never done. Not in terms of never having to work again. I stand up and take the tes into the kitchen. We aren''t going to be staying here again. Since the dead man downstairs has a secret passage in his basement, that means someone will eventuallye through. Being here isn''t going to be ideal. "We won''t be staying in this house, so let''s get out of here and start looking for the crew we need. We''ll stay at inns for the time being, before anything though we have to stop off at the bank." I need to withdraw funds from my ount and restore the gold supply. I should have umted over 200 gold since thest time I withdrew. That amount of gold is enough to take care of our expenses while in Bellvia. Sally nods her head in agreement with my priority list and begins walking towards the door. "Don''t forget to wear your hood." She stops mid-step and groans. She ces the hood on her head to hide her face and ears. It really does suck that she has to do this because of prejudice and racism. She has the worst of both worlds. She is shunned and ridiculed by both societies. The elves and humans will never change. At least, I don''t think they will. "So I take it the first ce we are heading to is the bank?" I nod my head, confirming her words. I walk past her and open the front door to the house. We walk out and begin to look at the slightly dpidated streets of Bellvia. The district we are in right now seems to be on the higher quality side, but I can still see the decay fromck of care. The government must be severely corrupt to let their capital city sink this far into disrepair. The streets are moderately filled with the poor, and most of the people I do see with decent clothing are still dirty in some way. "This is one of the most disgusting cities I''ve ever seen..." I hear Sally whisper out some words that crossed my mind. If the higher society streets look like this, I can''t imagine what the middle and poor ss streets look like. Even the guards patrolling the streets as we walk have old and outdated armor. "Are you sure they even have a bank here in Bellvia... By the looks of everything, you would think they don''t have any money..." You can tell how greedy a government is by looking at the things they are responsible for. The king of Bellvia, Quintin Merle, must be lining his pockets with the countries money. We walk through the more and more depressing streets of Bellvia, and I''m starting to notice a pattern. The people, the poor ones, are getting sicker and sicker looking the farther we get away from the city center. Banks are usually located near the church branch and/or near the city''s entrance, which is where we are heading. Even basic health care is neglected. "Don''t get close to any of the sick, Sally. I don''t know how contagious they are or what they have. I''d rather not risk you getting sick." My stats are probably too high for me to get sick, but I''d rather not find out if that''s true or not. We continue walking the road we are on, and I see the bank and church up ahead. They are across the street from each other. I make sure to keep out of view of the church in the newly forming crowds. We walk into the bank as the day starts. We woke up a little earlier than everyone else, it seems. I look at the lineless teller booths and see how old the bank looks. A single female banker teller waves us over with a gentle smile. I walk up to the booth and give her the relevant information for my ount. "I''d like to withdraw all of my current funds." She nods her head and finally looks at my ount bnce. Her face goes pale, and she looks at me in worry. She tells me to wait for a couple of minutes while she goes and gets the manager. My ount is under the name yer, so it doesn''t have anything to do with my identity. If anything, they might not have the funds to give me my money. The thought of a government being run like this really makes me ponder the direction this world is heading. Cause this is behavior that the leaders on earth would do. After a minute or so, the womanes back with the manager. He looks the same shade of white as the teller. "Are you sure you want to withdraw such arge amount of money? There are risks to carrying around that much. Perhaps it would be best if you only took out 50 of your 360?" I hate this entire conversation. I sigh and roll my neck. Guys like this won''t let up no matter what. "I''ll take your silence as agreement!" I shoot him a hard re, and his attempt is shut down. I walk up to the man, and as I get closer, he shakes more and more. I''m several inches taller than him, and I look down at him. "Give me my money." I watch both him and the bank teller shake in slight fear. He slowly backs up and nods his head. They both leave into the back, where the safe is located. Sally walks up beside me and leans her shoulder on my arm. I was perhaps a little too violent with that action, but it''s my money. I shouldn''t be denied. "Once we are done here, we are heading to the most popr bars. The people we want to talk to are the bartenders. They know who''s who and where to point us if they know anything." She slowly nods her head, and I feel as though the time I''m going to spend in Bellvia will be the longest time I''ve stayed in one location. We stand in silence as the twoe back with a few sacks filled with gold. They set them on the counter and have a look of defeat and desperation. "You are a cruel son of a bitch..." I hear the manager speak directly at me. It looks like he grew a backbone. "Do you have any idea the kind of trouble we are in now... You have doomed so many innocent lives..." The problems that they are involved with aren''t mine. "I can tell by the look on your face that you don''t give a damn... The people in this area need our bank. Thanks to you, we''ll get shut down..." He can''t y on my emotions, but it''s working on Sally. She tugs on the bottom of my leather chest piece in a sign for me to do something. I sigh and lean over the counter. "If there are any problems with anyone. I''ll find out, and I''ll handle it. Lie to your boss for all I care, me me, and have their focus shift to me. I''ll kill them all, so don''t fret. You are already losing your hair." I stand up straight and turn around at their looks of disbelief. Sally is beaming with happiness. It looks like I did the right thing in her eyes. Normally I wouldn''t do that, but they say women can soften the most callous hearts for a reason. "So that you know, I''m not going to do that again. This ce is already bing a headache, and we haven''t even found a crew yet." She smiles as we walk down the road. She pulls on my arm in an indication to stop, and I do. She stands on her tippy-toes and kisses me on the cheek. She gives me a couple more kisses and then stops. "Despite what you think of yourself, I see a really deep andplex man. I''m positive that you would have done something to help anyway, even if I weren''t there. You have a beautiful mind and an open heart. People may not see it, but I do." I blush slightly at Sally''s words. I''ve never had someone say something so nice to me. Even if it isn''t true, she still only sees the angel-half of me. Once that human-halfes out, her idea of me will change. "C''mon, let''s start our search." She gets my mind back on track, and we begin our walk again¡ªtime to ask the bartenders in town for information. Chapter 185: The Heist of Bellvia X

Chapter 185: The Heist of Bellvia X

We have been searching all damn day and not a single piece of useful information from any bartender. It''s alreadyte evening, and I''m pretty mad that we couldn''t get anything remotely done. "Asking around the people who know the most about the criminals didn''t work. That only leaves us a few more options to find a crew we are looking for. The next set of people to ask would be the older poption here in Bellvia. They have been around the longest and know things too." I speak the next part of our search out loud so Sally can hear it. She groans and slumps forward just a bit. The amount of talking done today has really drained her, and I''ll admit I''m quite tired myself. This whole search has panned nothing so far, and we wasted an entire day. We walk down the slightly busy road and pass ces we already checked. After a few minutes, wee to one of the better-looking inns here in Bellvia. Sally has kept her hood on all day, and we haven''t gotten any problems regarding her. So I think it''s safe to say the chances of getting found out are low. We walk into the inn and notice that a party is just starting to ramp up. "We should get a room before any of this gets out of hand..." I agree with Sally. This is going to get out of hand very soon. We walk up to the innkeeper, and she looks at us. She is almost middle-aged-looking. Before I say anything, she closes her eyes and turns around. I watch her go into a little cubby hole and pull out a key. She ces it on the table and looks back at me. "That''ll be 5 silver." All I have is gold, so I pull out a gold coin and ce it on the counter. I pick up the key and wait for her to tell me where the room is. "Upstairs all the way down the hall on the right. It''s the farthest away from the party that''s spiraling out of control." I turn towards the stairs with the key in hand and begin walking. We climb the stairs and make it to our room. I unlock the door and open it. We walk in and notice that it''s decorated and clean. A queen-sized bed that looks as soft as it is big. Sally quickly flops down on the bed, releasing a deep rxed sigh. The first thing she takes of is her boots. I watch her rub them and try to make them feel better. I walk towards the bed andy down. I unequip everything except for my underwear. It''s nice to rx after a long day of no results. I watch Sally stand and begin to undress. I turn on my side to give her privacy. I close my eyes, wondering if we''ll even find a crew for this job. I already have the n all worked out. I need a crew to hit the treasure room while I cause the distraction. In my thoughts, I feel Sally climb back into the bed and quickly press her body on my back. She has her underwear on, but she might have ulterior motives. "I hope you aren''t trying for anything, old woman." She pinches my cheek and twists it. She is technically an old woman at 103 years old, but her elf blood keeps her from aging. I hear her giggle slightly and stop pinching me. It didn''t hurt. Of course, my high stats prevented it. "You''re lucky I like you. So what''s the n for tomorrow? Other than talking to old people. Cause if that doesn''t work, we might have to go back into that underground town and ask around. I don''t want to go back down there as much as you do, but we might not have another choice." Sally brings up a great point. After this, our only options are finding a bribed official or going back into that underground town. Nobody saw our facesst time we were down there, but I''d rather not risk anything dangerous. The hardest part of this entire operation is getting a crew together¡ªone with enough skill and talent to do this heist as fast as possible. I roll on my back again, and Sally readjusts so she can still hold on to me. "This is the first time in a long time that I''m are going to be stuck. This heist of the treasure room, it''s too important. I might end up overlooking a crucial part of the n, and that could spell disaster for us. Everything we havee to gain in our travels, I fear that this city could cause certain cmity for us..." Bellvia is a pit of lies, chaos, and corruption I have never witnessed before. I can only imagine what this ce was like when they cursed the dryads. Sally hugs me a little tighter from my words. I have so much more to lose now. Sally has be far more important to me than I ever thought possible. She is the one I''m most worried about losing. I stare at the ceiling as wey on the bed in silence. I slowly close my eyes and clear my head. All that remains in my thoughts is a vast whiteness. Completely clear and free of thought. I find myself asleep before long. While Cera and Sally sleep, other conversations are happening in Bellvia. A certain group of three has heard whispers that a person is searching for a capable crew. These three are in their hideout under an abandoned orphanage in Bellvia. The one leading this discussion is Creatureman, after all. They think that whatever this person is nning might line up with what they are nning to do. In the dimly lit hidden room, a discussion begins about a potential conversation with Cera. Both Ghostzero and Krialder are thinking the same thing I am. This person asking around could be useful in our ns for revenge. We don''t exactly know what he is nning but from the sounds of it. It needs a crew as good as us. "I think we should watch him for a day and find out all the information we can about him. If he proves to have some skill in helping us, we can see if we canbine ns." Krialder speaks before any of us can. I agree with his idea. I''d rather learn as much as possible from watching him before we make any contact. "If anyone else has a better idea, I''d like to hear, cause in all honesty, it''s the first thing that came to mind." Krialder speaks with honesty. However, I like this quick n. I can''t immediately think of anything much better. It''s not like we can read the guy''s thoughts. "He was also traveling with a woman. She wears a hood, so I don''t know what she looks like. The best guess is they are concealing her identity, so it doesn''t cause any problems. She must be a non-human." Ghostzero gives some information about the person he is traveling with. "It''s not a coincidence that these two arrived here in the same timeframe as the massacre in the town underground. It''s safe to say they are strong, but no one knows how much. All the ones that could say are dead." Ghostzero is giving a lot of great information. He has spent the most time outside this hideout, so it goes without saying. I lean back in my chair as I process all this information. We need extra people to help pull off this n, and they sound like they can fit that role. All we need to do is test their power. "I suggest after we are done watching them, we see how strong they really are. Hiring some mercs to attack them won''t be hard." Both Krialder and Ghostzero nod their heads in agreement. We have an executable n now. All that''s left is to wait for them to pop up again. They aren''t too discreet, so that means they are in a hurry. "Let''s go over our targets again." Krialderys a map of the pce out, and he points to three rooms, each with different names in them. Each one has the subject of our revenge in them. Just seeing their names makes my blood boil. The meeting continues under the abandoned orphanage. The night in Bellvia passes slowly as crime runs through the streets. After a busy night for the guards, the sun rises, and a new day starts as the long shadows are cast from the barely rising sun. Many people are just getting up, including Cera and Sally, since today marks another day of searching. I wake up as the morning sun shines through the window. I lean up, and Sally rises with me since she uses me as a pillow. We didn''t even sleep under the sheets, and I gentle peel Sally off me andy her back down. I stand up and equip my armor. I''m pretty hungry, and the inn should start serving food soon. Chapter 186: The Heist in Bellvia XI

Chapter 186: The Heist in Bellvia XI

I make my way towards the door of the room, and that''s when I hear shufflinging from the bed. Sally sits up with sleep still in her eyes. "I''m going downstairs for some food. They should be serving breakfast any time now. I''ll see you down there." I walk out the door as Sally proceeds to stand up and stumble to her pile of clothes. I make my way downstairs, and the inn is much more empty than it usually is. Most inns are busy from dawn to dusk, and when it isn''t, it''s a bad sign. The only people in here are some heavily geared people, most likely from the adventurers guild. I walk up to the counter and sit down. I can already smell delicious food being cooked. My stomach growls as the seasoning and scent enter my nose. As I enjoy the scent, Sally quicklyes down the stairs wearing her hood and joins me at the counter. "You could have waited, you know... It''s the polite thing to do..." She still sounds very tired and groggy. I chuckle and remember all the times I was in a simr state. Before I can start talking, adyes out of the kitchen and walks right towards us. She holds a notepad waiting for us to give our orders. I look to Sally to order first,dies after all. "I''ll have whatever smells so good." Thedy smiles and jots down an order. She then looks at me, waiting for my order. I say to give me whatever Sally is having, and she heads into the back to talk to the cooks. "So talking to the elderly is what''s on the docket today, huh..." I nod my head as I continue to smell the delicious food being cooked. I swivel my seat and point my body out towards the mostly empty room. I take a better look at the few guys in here. None of them even have a drink in front of them, and it doesn''t seem like they have ordered anything. My suspicion grows the more I think about it. Why would an inn be empty like this? So close to breakfast too, it just doesn''t make any sense. I see that some of their eyes shift on and off from us every few seconds. I see now. They are going to cause trouble for us specifically. I can only guess why. We probably drew the wrong kind of attention when we were asking around yesterday. "Have your guard up, Sally. We havepany..." I whisper to her as I turn my back to them and face the area where all the booze is. Sally tilts her head at me, wondering in exnation. "The guys out there, they are here to cause trouble for us. Please don''t make any moves unless they do first. I don''t want to paint the walls of this ce red likest time." She nods her head as I whisper to her. After another minute or so, two tes of food are carried out of the kitchen andid down in front of us. It''s mashed potatoes, sirloin steak, with a side of bacon and eggs. She gives us the silverware and heads back into the kitchen with a smile. I pick up my te, swivel around in my seat again, and begin eating my food as I watch the men. "So who hired you guys to target us? I''d love to meet the person." I watch all their bodies stiffen, and their postures go from rxed to ready to fight. I continue to eat the delicious food and patiently wait for an answer. "I must have caused something with my questions yesterday. If it''s enough for some well-qualified person to hire mercs, I think I was knocking on the right doors." They all share looks between each other and slowly stand up. I''m barely through my mashed potatoes too. "I''d rather not stain my delicious food with your guy''s blood. So I''ll let you walk away and make sure to tell whoever hired you that if they want me dead. They''ll have to do it themselves." They look at each other and slowly back out the door to the inn and onto the outside road. These guys are on the smarter side of the mercs you find from time to time. Whoever orders this obviously has money, a noble or well of merchant perhaps. Maybe even a criminal. I turn back around and ce my te on the counter. I continue eating the hot food, and I look at Sally as I do. Her head is covered, and only her mouth is visible. "Thanks for not dicing them into little pieces... I''d rather not puke up this delicious food." I roll my eyes at Sally''s sarcasm. I''m d I didn''t have to kill them either. Sometimes youe across people smart enough to know they aren''t strong enough even to hurt you. "Do you think we''ll find our crew today? Cause I''m already sick of searching." I am too. I''d rather be getting the rewards for these quests I have than searching around town for a crew that probably doesn''t exist. I sigh as the only response, and Sally understands what my sigh entails. "Great." Yeah, I agree. After some time, we finish our food, and nothing is left on the tes. I pull out 3 gold coins andy them down. Yes, it''s overpaying. I don''t care, though. It''s not like I''m going to run out of money. We both stand up and make our way towards the exit of the inn. "We''ll start at the ces that old people would likely be. Parks,munity centers, if we can''t find something by then, we''ll check the church. Thinking of that, I''ll need to get myself a hood too. Let''s handle that first." They likely know what I look like since they now have my name. Hiding my face will help with some things. However, it isn''t a permanent solution. Things like this never are. I''ll have to deal with politics and governments sooner rather thanter. I have to do it for my n to work here in Bellvia. It''ll be weird having royalty treat me in such ways. Not all of them will, but I''m not going to punish them for it. "I saw a really nice shop yesterday that we passed. They might have hoods." Sounds perfect. I nod my head for her to lead the way, and she does. Out of all the required things for this heist, finding a crew is the biggest pain in my ass. I can''t be connected to the heist of the treasure room, so that''s why I need a crew to handle that part. Once they start the operation, I''ll walk into the pce and throne room, reveal myself, and demand the things I need toplete my two quests involving the dryads. I wouldn''t doubt that I''ll need to head back to where this whole quest began once I have the information. Once I''m done with these quests, I''ll be above level 100. That means I''ll be heading to the country of Avalon. That never existed in my old future, so that''s going to be a cool ce to see. Another creation that has resulted from my actions. I should also stop by Zenith on my way there, say hi to Amelia and Jackson. Zenith won''t have an rm system notifying them I''m near since they are in the coalition, and the coalition refused to have any of that installed. The same goes for Bellvia. I wonder what''ll happen when I do visit a ce with said rm system. "That''s the store up there!" My thoughts are interrupted as Sally points to the store in excitement. She quickly walks ahead of me and enters the store. It seems she wanted to visit this ce. I make it to the door, and she is already talking to the cashier about things in the store. She still has her hood on, and the cashier is a little nervous because of it. "Calm down, Sally, you''re scaring the poor woman." I walk up beside her, and Sally looks at me in confusion. I tilt my head at the cashier, and she sees the look on her face. She apologizes multiple times and bes very bashful. I decide to take over. "Would you happen to have any hoods matching my current style? I''d rather not have some unmatching hood with my leather gear." Speaking of gear, It''ll be time to upgrade it soon. The Hardened Tree Sap armor that I''ve been wearing has been amazing, but I''ll need something topliment my stats. I have a feeling a huge war is around the corner. The cashier nods with a calmer expression now and heading into the back to probably look at inventory for my request. My Hardened Tree Sap armor has been pasted over with the look-over leather armor, you could do that before all of us yers got stuck here, and that function disappeared. "Is it alright if I can get something..." I hear Sally ask me a question in a very small voice. I take a look around the store from our position and see all the beautiful dresses. Now it makes total sense why she wanted toe here. I nod my head, yes, and she takes off to look at clothes with a smile on her face. She probably has never owned a dress before, and if she wants to have her first one right now, who am I to say no. Chapter 187: The Heist of Bellvia XII

Chapter 187: The Heist of Bellvia XII

{I''m going to be starting up a new story that I''ve had a lot of ideas for, I''ll release the first chapter for it on June 6th at 9 am. I already have the first 8 chapters written for it. I have a feeling you guys will like it.} As Sally excitedly looks at dresses and clothes in general, I look at the three quests I have here in Bellvia. These three quests are my bane right now. All will bepleted in due time. I''ll have new quests to find after these, and with thepletion of these quests, I''ll probably not have much to do aside from heading to Avalon. As I''m thinking about where all this is going, a thought crosses my mind. How is my real family doing? Hailey and Marcus got their legendary sses, and they will have no problems in terms of getting what they want. That leaves mom and dad. I haven''t heard anything regarding them in the world announcements. I take onest look at the three quests I have to do while they are still in front of me on my quest panel. [Quest: The False One] [Description: You have found the truth about Bellvia and their involvement with the Dryads, and you have found out about the curse and who made it. You will have a choice to make. Only one of the following objectives can bepleted.] [Objective 1: Expose the Kingdom of Bellvia and have them pay for their crimes.] [Objective 2: Find the weakness of the curse and use it to free the Dryads and return them to Ancients World.] [Objective 3: Now that you are in Bellvia, finding the right person to talk to is important. How you do this is up to you.] [Quality: Legendary] [Rewards: Hidden] [Quest: An Abomination] [Description: Find the research and notes of Ulma Runa on her development of the curse.] [Objective 1: Find Ulma Runa''sb in Bellvia''s capital and bring the notes and research papers back to Flint.] [Objective 2: Hidden] [Quality: Epic] [Heist of Bellvia''s treasure vault] [Description: Break into Bellvia''s treasure vaults and retrieve The Dice of Wand.] [Objective 1: Once in Bellvia, find a group that can help you pull off the heist.] [Objective 2: Once you have The Dice of Wand, keep them until the right time to use them.] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards: Anything you can take from the vaults other than The Dice of Wand.] These are quests I would''ve never gotten in my old future. All these fantastic quests are thanks to my ss. Blue Chaos was treated with the same quality of quests. "We have a perfect match for your current armor set. Let me know when you are ready to purchase. Your girlfriend seems to be having fun." My thoughts are broken as the Cashieres out from the backroom and speaks to me. I almost correct her about that girlfriendment, but it''s not really that important. "I''ll be in the back for a little bit. When you are ready to order and ring the bell." She points at the bell sitting on the counter, and I nod my head. She walks into the back room again, leaving the hood on the counter. I turn and see Sally heading to a dressing room with several different clothes. She won''t get many chances to have fun like this, so I see no reason to cut any of her fun short. We still have a lot to do today, but we can spare some time. I hear the door to the shop open, and several wealthy-looking womene in. All arete 20''s and early 30''s. They also have personal guards and butlers waiting on them. The guards are waiting outside while the butlers stay with the women. Thedyes out the back, and I get out of the way as they approach the counter. "How are the Holten Sister today?" The cashier speaks with kindness and formality. I mind my own business looking at the formal attire for men. I''d rather not hear anything from that conversation but to my displeasure. They are loud and rambunctious. What seems to be the ring leader of these Holten Sisters begins to speak. They all have matching blonde hair with varying eye colors. "It''s nice to see you, Jessy. I hope that you are stocked on inventory cause daddy has allowed us a big limit today." Deffinently rich nobility or daughters of rich merchants. They chat back and forth about things that havee in since thest time they were here. I turn my gaze at them, wondering if I can deduce anything. Who knows, I might find something to help with my missions. They are wearing slim, elegant dresses, the ones that are the perfect length and width to walk around unimpeded. "Daddy said that we have to spend this money. Something about maintaining budgets." Their father definitely holds a position of power. I make my way over to the dressing room and get out of range to hear their conversation. I can hear shuffling and bumpsing from the other side of the door. Sally must be shooting dresses and clothes on and off like crazy. "Are you okay in there, Sally?" I hear her eep in slight surprise. I hear quick shuffling and louder bumps this time around. She must be rushing to get herself decent so she can speak. "Don''t rush, Sally. I was checking on you. Some high-society people walked in and are going to go on a huge spending spree. I would be cautious if I were you. If theye asking for the clothes in there." The shuffling slows down to a halt, and the door clicks open. A blushing Sally shows her face, and that''s all she is showing me. I''ll admit she is cute. Very cute, long blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and a light blush gracing her gentle features. "Okay, now give me some privacy, alright... It''s embarrassing talking to you while I''m trying on clothes I''ve never worn before..." I look at her in confusion. I don''t see sense in that. She puffs her cheeks ever so slightly. "I''m scared you won''t think they look good on me... All you''ve ever seen me in is thebat gear..." Ahh, I get it now. While I''m intelligent and rather perceptive, I stillck a good working knowledge of women. Sally''s behavior really helps me see the differences that I didn''t know about. I knew that women are picky with what they wear, but I had no idea who they''re with effects that. I know why Hailey had so many different clothes now. I don''t know how we didn''t go broke with her spending habits, another reason to be proud of dad. I smile down at her and nod my head in understanding. She closes the door, and I stand guard. I watch the three sisters and the cashier from a distance. I can''t make out what they are saying, but it''s probably something that only happens in their social groups. After watching for a few minutes, they finally stop talking and begin to shop. The three split up and go to different parts of the store. There are many eyes on me from outside the shop. The guards are doing their jobs, and I can respect that. However, the re from the butlers isn''t very nice. The oldest male walks over to me and looks me up and down. "I''ve never seen you in this shop before... This your first time buying from here?" I chuckle slightly and nod my head. He fixes his monocle and squints his eyes. "I could have sworn I''ve seen you before... I just can''t ce it... Ahh, forget it, I''m probably just going senile in my old age." At least he isn''t rude. She looks at the door behind me and sees the shadow moving in it under the small crack at the bottom of the door. "You must be shopping with your significant other. I apologize for interrupting you. Duke Holten insisted his daughters leave the estate for the day. As you probably heard, they are quite loud." I look at the butler and see a small glint in his eye as if he is testing me. They are daughters of a Duke, which means they have a lot of money. Their father is most likely a criminal embezzling from the state, but that isn''t my job to stop. I stand up straight and stop leaning on the way. I''m 6 inches taller than this butler. "Just when I thought that you were actually nice, I really don''t give a damn who their father is. I have more important things to worry and think about than some corrupt Duke." I see the butlers face ever so slightly twitch as I call him out on his subtle attempt at intimidation. "I suggest you and your wards stay on that side of the store. We don''t want to make a mess of all these beautiful dresses, now do we." He straightens out and adjusts his monocle. He is about to speak, but I assume the youngest of the sisters turns a corner and sees us talking. She walks up with a joyful and innocent smile on her face. She looks around 27. She stops at the side of her butler, and I never break eye contact with him. I''m the alpha here, not him or any of his guards. "Sorry if Truman was bothering you. He is rather overprotective of my sisters and me. He has been taking care of us since we were born. You are very attractive for a fighter, with looks like yours I''d assume you''d steal a noble girl''s heart and live a life of luxury." As she utters those words there is a slight bang behind the door I''m guarding. "Unless you already found one." She gives a genuine smile and I hear Sally making more noise. Probably getting dressed in her original clothes toe out and stop this obvious flirting. "We are having a party at our estate in a few days, you and your partner should drop by. C''mon Truman." The noise behind the door gets even louder, and as she leaves with the butler. The door flies open with a flustered Sally. I think that was jealousy, I''ve never had anyone be jealous. What a strange feeling. She looks at me for an exnation and I sigh slightly. Time to learn some more. Chapter 188: The Heist of Bellvia XIII

Chapter 188: The Heist of Bellvia XIII

Sally looks at me in frustration. That Holten sister was flirting, and next time I''ll be sure to stop that. That butler, Trumen, has some serious boundary problems. "You could have stopped her from doing that, you know... I know you aren''t mine, but I don''t like seeing or hearing that from other women when they talk to you... It makes me feel like I have topete..." I feel really bad now. I didn''t know that''s how she''d feel about that. If the situation were reversed, I wouldn''t feel too happy. So I can see why this causes problems, I look at the clothes she has in the dressing room, and she looks to have picked out two of them. She sees me looking at them. "I really like the red one..." So the red one is the one I''m buying. I lift it from its spot and take it to the counter with me. Sally follows behind me, and once at the counter, the cashier is wearing a big smile. "Will this be all you want today?" I nod my head, and she tells me the price for the red dress and leather hood. I pay the price, and I pick them up from the counter. I ce the dress in my inventory so Sally or I won''t have to carry it around. I equip the hood, so my features are now hidden. We leave the store, and many of the guards have their hands on the hilts of their swords, looking for a reason to draw them. We walk away silently and proceed to head to gathering ces for old people. If we can''t find anything, then I''m going to need to change my n. I need a crew for my n to work, and so far, I''ve got nothing. As Cera and Sally continue their search, three brothers are having a conversation in their hideout. Creatureman is discussing what to do about this person with his brothers. Both Krialder and Ghostzero have the same thoughts I do. This person is exactly who we need for our n to work. The mercenaries we hired didn''t even get a chance to test him. He found them out and dealt with them. It takes a person confident in their power to threaten bonafide murderers for hire. "I think we should wait until they are done searching for today. After that, we can approach him and see if what we think is true." Ghostzero speaks as we throw around ideas on speaking to this man without getting into a fight. I have no doubt we can win, but I don''t want to blow our cover here. We are so close to our revenge. We all sit in silence, contemting the simple solution that Ghostzero has provided. It''s actually quite sound, but I''ve noticed that the easier something is, the more things that could go wrong. Just walking up to him and talking in private isn''t something that would normally happen when you''re looking to pull off a job. That would cause one to panic and cancel anything they are doing. He could even rat us out if we reveal ourselves. We are infamous, after all. "While I love how easy the job would be if we did it that way, I can''t see it going right. Something will screw up, and all the work we have done will go to waste." I voice that it''s too good to be true. We can set up a meeting with him, give him a reason toe to us. "Didn''t he recently withdraw arge sum of money from a poorer bank? We can use that to set up a meeting with him." All three of us contemte this n. It will allow us to bring him to a neutral location and not reveal our identities. That way, if he says no, we can continue our n unhindered. "I''ll send some mercs to cause a ruckus at the bank they were at. We''ll use the people at the bank as messengers, they''ll send him to a location of our choosing, and then we''ll talk to him. No identities and no risk." Krialder sums up the gist of the n that we were all thinking of. It allows us to maintain control, not for his sake. For ours, we have too much to lose if we screw this up. We all nod our heads in agreement, and Krialder leaves the room to send the mercs to the bank. I don''t like scaring innocents, but sometimes the hard choices are the safest ones. We have to be safe no matter what. I look at Ghostzero now that it''s just the two of us. "Do you think we''ll seed? As brilliant as the nning is, we are missing a vital piece. A distraction big enough for us to kill our targets. If we can''t find that distraction, then we''re screwed." He is right in that regard. We need someone to distract everyone at the pce while we do our thing and take revenge. "Do you really think this person is going to be hitting the pce too? Cause if so, this could be our golden ticket." I can only hope that this is the case. All the information we have gathered on this person is very little. The targets we are after will be easy to reach once inside. Getting inside is the hard part. An able distraction will create a blindspot, one we can exploit to get inside. I take a seat and rx my mind. Now, all we have to do is wait for Krialder toe back and tell us everything is set up. He''ll be selecting the location, and he is just as skilled with those decisions as the rest of us. "Rest while you can Ghostzero, the next few days will probably be full of nning and scouting locations of weakness. I can''t remember thest time I got a full 8 hours of sleep since we arrived here in Bellvia." Even as I say the word sleep, I get physically tired. While we are a very powerful group, everyone needs sleeps. We aren''t an exception to that rule. The three of us could probably walk into the pce and take our revenge, but much innocent blood would be spilled, and we don''t fight our battles like that. Not our personal ones, at least. I see Ghostzero take a seat and release a long sigh. He has been less energetic ever since our mission with the Saintess ended. He never got a true chance to ask her for a proper date. "When we finally get our revenge after all these long years, all these near-death fights. All the friends we have lost along the way. Do you think it''ll feel worth it in the end? That we did the right thing by pursuing this... We are just entering our 20''s, and all I can remember from my childhood was fighting and death." I have often thought like that, and when I do, I remember what they put her through, our mother. That makes the fuel burn hotter and brighter every time. So to me, it''s worth it, more than anything. Once we are done, we''ll be free to chase whatever our hearts desire. I take a breath and rx as much as possible while I still can. "Yes, it''ll be worth it in the end. The events in our lives have forged us into the men we are now. When it''s finally done, I''m taking a vacation from everything. Alone." I watch Ghostzero nod his head in agreement. Everything in our lives has been a result of another''s actions. After this final job, no one whomitted those sins oh so long ago will be alive. Zelly can be washed from the shame and pain of those days and move on with her life. All of us raised in the orphanage will be free from sharing the same existence and time as these monstrous scum. "Where do you intend to go once this is all done? I n on traveling around Gaia. Making up for the lost time..." There are many continents I have never seen. ces I want to check out. I know that Ghostzero hasn''t made up his mind about anything regarding this subject, but it doesn''t hurt to see where his current thoughtsy. "I''m going back to Zelly. She''ll need help with the new batch of orphans on the giant property. A little after that, I''ll head to The Holy City and ask a girl a question I was too afraid to ask..." Ghostzero might have a shot with Saintess Lucy. She wasn''t rude or meant to him. She was kind. Ghostzero must have made a great impression on her when he stood up for her honor, even though she could kill both of us at the time with the swing of her sword. She seemed thankful for the kind gesture. I was led to believe her pride wouldn''t let that happen. I was wrong, and so were many of the rumors. I chuckle, thinking back to that mission. Meeting Fenrir was an experience I''ll never forget. Chapter 189: The Heist of Bellvia XIV

Chapter 189: The Heist of Bellvia XIV

We exit a hangout spot for the elderly with no new information. I take my hood off my head and let it rx on my shoulders. This is beginning to look much harder than I originally thought. I''m tempted to storm the pce now. I''m not stupid though, that''ll cause way more problems than it''s worth. I look towards Sally, and she is frustrated too. The elderly were even more uncooperative than the bartenders we asked. Many of them had very nasty things to say. I''m not going to repeat the vulgar stuff. "I can''t believe that man called you something so rude! I get they are old and can get away with certain things, but that was ridiculous!" Anyone we talked to basically had the same thing to say. I didn''t know getting old can make someone so bitter. It might be from living longer than the people you care about. I know I''d be bitter if my loved ones passed before I did. "It''s fine, Sally. In honesty, it''s funny. You wouldn''t think someone so old can say such things. Some of the insults made meugh, like the one of me looking like I help elephants give birth." I chuckle to myself as I repeat that insult. "That''s not something you hear every day." While not entirely urate, still funny to hear. Try not to chuckle as someone says that to you in an old man''s voice. "That was thest obvious spot we could check. I say we find another good inn and take the rest of the day off. I''m mentally beat from dealing with these people." Having to talk to so many people in the span of two days isn''t something I really like. Sally nods her head in agreement and stretches in ce. As she is about to speak, someone bumps into both of us out of breath. I look at the person, and it''s the bank manager. He is red in the face from running. He is on the heavier side. He looks at me in desperation, but every time he tries to speak, he loses his breath. I stand patiently waiting for him to speak. After a whole two minutes of him gasping for air, he speaks. "We need your help." He takes a big gasp after rying that obvious message. What I''m curious about is how he found me. Was he told or something? "Mercenaries came in an hour ago and told us if we don''t rece the missing money, we''ll be killed...." So someone hired mercenaries. They have to have a lot of money to be able to do that. He stands up straight now that he can speak without looking like he''ll puke. "They said to send a representative to the old cotton factory on the east side of the city. What are you going to do? You promised you would help us." That''s a bit of a stretch. I never said I promise. However, when a man says something, it should be a promise regardless. You shouldn''t have to say the words ''I promise.''. I look to Sally, and she nods her head in agreement. The bank manager''s face has relief wash upon it. I don''t respond to him, and I turn and start walking away. We are heading to this old factory in the east part of the city. I wonder who it was that decided that this was the way to deal with a poor bank. It''s the cities responsibility to ensure currency flow, not the banks. It could be some noble at the Marquis level or higher. "I have no idea what we are walking into, but if ites down to a fight, make sure that you are on guard. A person with a lot of money is capable of absolutely anything." Sally has a dark expression on her face, one ready for a fight. Almost hoping it would happen. I''m certain that during her time as a ve, she was abused and assaulted by nobles. I don''t know how bad it was. I can only imagine, and if she wants to kill them, I''m not going to stop her. I would want to do the same thing if that happened to me, and I will help her if shees to that decision. She has helped me so much already, and I can''t see my travels without Sally anymore. So that means the things she wants to do be mine too. We spend an hour trying to find the old cotton factory, and after some asking around, we find it. It''s a red brick building with many chimneysing out the roof. There are some windows, but there aren''t many. I notice a pair of guards standing at the entrance looking directly at us. I guess we are expected. I walk up to the door and two guards with caution. You never know what someone might pull. "Head inside. The bosses are waiting." Bosses, huh... More than one. It''s rare for corrupted leaders to work together. Unless something more is going on here, I haven''t noticed anything out of the un-ordinary. Everything is starting to look more than just a noble having a problem with the bank. We walk inside and the setting sun shining through the very few windows is all that lights the giant empty room. I hear footsteps on a catwalking from in front of us. I look up and see three shadows. They are just out of range for me to use inspect on them and vise versa. "We are going to get straight to the point. We lured you here using the bank. They aren''t in trouble. We have heard you are looking for a crew. Do you mind sharing what you''re after? It could end up aligning with what we are after." Straight to the point, indeed. It looks like I need to work on my discretion. I look at them for a moment before answering. If these werew enforcement, they would have tried to arrest me. So that rules out that. If they were nobles, we wouldn''t even be meeting. They''d send assassin after assassin after me until I left. I fold my arms and close my eyes. If I''m not careful here, all my quest go down the shitter. "I need a crew for aplex job. Before I say anymore, I''d like to know who I''m dealing with." I hear them whisper back and forth. After a couple of seconds, only one jumps down. Why risk all three when you can only risk one. Smart. He looks at me, and I look at him, he is wearing very powerful gear, and I can tell that he wields a powerful ss. He gestures for me to continue. "I need an item from the pces treasure room, The Dice of Wand. I have an entire n worked out for it. I need the correct crew members to pull it off." The man in front of me looks up to the other two on the catwalk, and I see their heads move in the shadows. He walks forward slightly and rxes. "We need to hit the pce too, but not for the treasure room. We need someone to distract the masses and all the royalty in the pce. Once that is happening, we can make enact our personal n. We can adjust our n and get you your item if you distract for us." So they are looking to get into the pce themselves. Their n works perfectly with mine, I don''t have to change a thing, and all they have to do is make a slight detour and get me my item. "However, we have to know if you can properly distract the royalty and guards at the pce. Do you already have any ideas on how to get that working?" I smile and tilt my head at the man. He waves his hand in a circle for me to exin. I take a breath, and I toggle my wings on. My big golden wings appear from my back and stretch out in power. "I already have all that covered. I take it these tell you all the information you need to know." He has a surprised expression on his face, and the other two on the catwalke down and into the light. These three guys are very powerful. I''d die if I were to take on more than one at a time. I''m d this went smoothly. Sally has stayed quiet this entire time, but I can see she holds no malice anymore. These guys aren''t nobles. They are like us¡ªpeople on personal quests. "So let''s discuss a n. I already have one, but I need to hear your guy''s n just in case I need to change anything." As Cera and the newly formed crew begin to talk, many things are happening all over Gaia. One of those things being a meeting in The Holy City. It''s a meeting to discuss the monster''stest n in the war. The exact meeting is about what the angel halo lost in ruins they are searching means. More and more is happening all over Gaia, and nothing can stop the winds of change. Chapter 190: The Heist of Bellvia XV

Chapter 190: The Heist of Bellvia XV

We all sit around a table in a hidden area under an orphanage I passed a few times. I''vee to know these three men''s names. The first being Creatureman. He has a legacy ss that specializes in stealth and thievery. He is one of the few people of Gaia I have ever met with such a unique ss. The next is Ghostzero. He has a legacy ss too. He is a defensive monster. Even with my powerful skills, I doubt I''d be able to defeat him in the time my skills are active. Finally, there is Krialder, the only person of Gaia I''ve ever talked to personally with a legendary ss. In this little room, nobody has a ss ranked below legacy. All of us are one of a kind. I look at the pce map and appreciate how hard they have been working on this n of theirs. Something so important to the royal family here in Bellvia would be closely guarded. It must havee at a heavy price. Maps of high nobility properties are closely guarded secrets. I look at the old dusty map and admire the uracy it has. It shows secret passageways and the sort. "The first thing we need to discuss is how you n to distract them. It needs to be long enough for us to hit our targets and get The Dice of Wand from the treasure vault. What do you n on doing?" Krialder asks me about the first step of the master n we have constructed. They will be waiting in positions near some old secret entrances. Once the distraction starts, that''s when they go in. I have been thinking about this for a while now, and I got just the n. I n to leave the city and run a few miles away. Then return towards the front entrance flying andnd with my angel wings out. After that, the situation will unfold itself. The nobility and royalty will be in an uproar after that, creating the hole they need. "The n for the distraction is to leave the city through the secret entrance, get a few miles away, then fly back with my wings out andnd at the front gate to the city. After that, everything will erupt into chaos. That''ll be your chance." While handling their targets and my item from the treasury, I''ll be busy demanding answers about Ulma Runa and the dryads. Getting the information I need for those quests. Now the only piece we haven''t really fit into anything is Sally. I look at her, and she looks a little dejected. She wants to be included in the grand n we havee up with. I take her with me and have her help me do my part. It''ll be fun to see the expressions of nobles when they hear I travel with an elf. Everyone nods their heads in agreement, and that''s when Krialder begins to discuss their part of the mission. "Once the distraction has started, the three of us will each take separate entrances. All of them lead to different parts of the pce. We''ll have a small window to take out our targets before they get distracted by the chaos too. Once we deal with them, we hit the treasure room here." He points to a big area on a separate map. A pce as big as this has multiple levels maps. It''s a very big treasure room. I bet there are some great things in there. Too bad I''ll only be getting The Dice of Wand. "The treasure room is going to have plenty of magical traps and detection enchantments. Creatureman, we''ll leave this part up to you while we stand guard. We hope you can find the item in two minutes, but you have 5 just in case. It''ll likely be well hidden. You have all the best skills for this specific part of the job. So I have no doubt you''ll seed." Now that part of the heist is taken care of. We''ll have to discuss the escape n because security will get very tight once I''m fully known around the city. They won''t want anything happening to me. It''s a double edge sword using my status, but a necessary risk nheless. Both Creatureman and Ghostzero have been scouting the locations from what I hear, and now Ghostzero takes over. "There will be heavy guard increases in the poorer districts here, here, and here." He points to circles three areas around the separate map of the city. "They will be hammering down on crime and known ces that many criminals go. We have some safe houses like this one that are undiscovered, but they are very close to the ces that will have increased security. So we''ll use the sewer system. There is a treatment station right next to our escape passage from the pce. We''ll enter it, and wait till nightfall in the rich district toe out." He circles another part of the map near the pce. It''s a big area, must be where the merchants and nobles of low rank stay. Everything sounds perfect. We''llunch this operation as soon as dawn breaks, which means we need to leave now to set up my part of the n. "Sally will be using her ice dummies so we can tell you when we arrive at the gate. She has a useful skill that allows her to talk through them. Once we let you know we are starting, they''ll melt, and you''ll be on your own." As badly as Sally wanted a direct role in this operation, this is vital to our sess, and she should be proud. I look at her and give her a confident smile. Her mood has been improving. We don''t need her doing any of the heavy lifting. "You''ll be with me, Sally, you''ll fly in with me, and we''ll deal with the distraction and nobility part. I know it''s going to be hard on you, but once nightfall hits, we''ll meet at our location outside the city." Everything has been decided, and now it''s time to execute. I nod my head to the three gentlemen, and Sally makes three ice dummies to say with each one, we turn and use their personal passage into the underground city. We''ll meet at the location outside the city. Sally and I will get there first. I''m not worried about getting betrayed either. These guys aren''t the type to backstab their crewmembers. It also helps I''m The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. We walk down the passage in silence. We don''t have to rush since we have several hours before sunrise and the ns start. I will equip my title, The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, to seal the deal once we get to the gate. I open my yer interface to make sure that everything is in order regarding that. [yer (Zern) Lvl.90] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2215][Speed - 2240][Focus - 14,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 16,560,000,000/16,560,000,000][Mana: 146,600,000,000/146,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 0][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] It has the word hidden in parentheses, I click on it, and it gives me an option if I want to activate it or not. It gives me a warning about what will happen if I do. [Extreme Caution: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is a one-of-a-kind title that has very special effects on people and creatures if fully activated in a poption center.] [The following things will happen: Everyone will see a floating text above your head without having to inspect you saying ''The Son of Arch-Angel Michael.'' Many people will have several reactions. Some will bow and weep before you, and others will try and reach out and touch you. Trying to experience divinity. The news will sweep fast across the city and then the continent.] [Extreme Caution: Other effects will happen, not all things can be listed.] I didn''t know this about my title. I''m going to keep it hidden for now. "Do you think everything will go ording to n... I have a bad feeling that something might happen..." Sally asks me a question that is totally normal for something like this. Anyone will have doubts and jitters, so I can understand why she is asking this. I ce my hand on top of her hood as we walk in the quiet tunnel. "Everything is going to be fine. We have a great crew, a perfect n, and every reason to do this. If something does go wrong, I''ll handle it. Have faith in them. There are some of the most powerful people on Gaia." She has some rxation wash over her, but I can tell she is worried. She wille to terms. I''m going to be by her side the entire way. So no need to be worried. Now, it''s time to get this heist on the road. Chapter 191: The Heist of Bellvia XVI

Chapter 191: The Heist of Bellvia XVI

We exit the secret tunnel and into the underground city. Parties are happening all over likest time we came through here. I don''t want to spend any time in this ce. The animals in these cesspools make me sick¡ªrapists, murderers, total scum. It''s not my ce to be their judge and executioner. There is a bnce of good and evil everywhere you look. No one can deny that, and people like to believe there are no sides. Eventually, you will have to pick one. Everyone does. "Let''s avoid any of the ces with partiesing out of them. We know where the exit is, so no need to follow the road." Sally nods her head in agreement, and we use the alleyways between the buildings. It takes us a little bit longer than I''d like it to, but we make it to the entrance we came throughst time. We start walking down the tunnel, and the noise from all the parties fades. I take in the silence and enjoy it. I hate parties. Many bad things can happen at them, and I want nothing to do with that lifestyle. "What are we doing next after we are done here?" Sally asks me an important question right out of the blue. I have contemted what we could do. The thing after this is heading back to the Dryads and freeing them. After that, I''d havepleted all my relevant quests. Aside from the tier-up quest, I''m going to get nothing immediate springs up. So that leaves what Sally wants to do. I know she wants revenge on the elven people, and I do have a quest regarding her past. Asking her what she wants to do is what I should do here. I roll my neck, releasing any built-up tension. "What do you want, Sally? After we are done here in Bellvia, the Dryads need to be freed. Once that''s done, I don''t have any immediate things that need finished. So what do you want?" She looks slightly taken aback by my words. I guess she never really did get a say on what we are doing and where we are going. I watch her look at the ground in sadness. She must be thinking about her early life and mother. There is a lot of pain in her heart. I have no intention of telling her that forgiving them will help. Cause I don''t know if it would, I wouldn''t feel better. She has had a much harder life than me, so she probably doesn''t have the want to forgive either. I''ve learned so much about Sally, but I still know very little about her life. "I want to take revenge on the elves... I want the royal family to suffer for what they have allowed to pass and thrive... I want to avenge my mother... Those are the things I want, Zern... I know they are all very tall orders to fill, but I have the power to do it now." When she finishes speaking, I get a notification from the system. It''s definitely about her quest, but I''m not going to look right now. My attention needs to be on Sally, and talking about all this is hurting her, I can see it. "Will you help me after we are done with the Dryads..." I nod my head with confidence and give a smile supporting her choice. Revenge is a path that isn''t selected often, but sometimes a person''s transgressions are so great it''s the only choice you have. In this case, it''s an entire ruling family of the strongest race on Gaia. She smiles at my determination, and it reinforces her confidence. We walk for another 15 minutes and eventually make it outside through the same entrance we came into the city with. There are guards likest time, but they don''t ask or say anything. We walk away and eventually get out of sight. "Once we get 2 miles out, we''ll wait till the sun starts to rise. I''ll have to activate something before we leave, though." She looks at me with curiosity. I was unintentionally cryptic. "I''ll activate my title. You know that some of the world''s strongest people have titles. I have one too. It signifies my connection to my father." She nods her head in understanding. Some NPC''s around Gaia are notorious with powerful titles, but none of them are like mine. We walk in the dark, chilly woods, and that''s when I notice that it''s a little colder tonight than usual. I like it. I''m a cold person anyway. Even being born and raised in LA, I still prefer the cold. I think about all the things that I witnessed growing up in LA. "These tall trees remind me of a forest I used to visit growing up. They called them redwoods, some of the most amazing trees..." Most of the forest in which they resided died from pollution, but some were alive long enough to see them. Thinking back to those car trips before Marcus was born brings back a lot of memories. The earth must be a better ce without us, and if it does survive and recover while we are gone, then the life that''s left might have a chance. Sally looks at me and is waiting for me to keep talking. "The world we new peoplee from is called earth. It was a beautiful world at one point, but we ended up killing it. Its fate was sealed before I was born, but now that we aren''t there, it might have a chance." Sally gives me a solemn look and reaches for my hand with hers. She runs her fingers down my palm and interlocks her fingers with mine. She leans her shoulder against mine as we walk. She is taller than most women at 5''10, but I''m still much taller than she is. Her elf half makes her taller than human females. I wonder who her father is? She said that it was a bandit that forced himself on her mother. I don''t even know how she''ll befortable enough to talk about this subject. When she is, I''ll be ready to listen and help any way she wants me to. "I''m really happy that you shared something about where youe from. Thanks for trusting me enough to talk about that." Sally speaks as she leans on me as we walk. I realize something about being with Sally. I can talk about my life with her. She makes it easy. I don''t know what that means, but I think it''s good. "Once we reach the spot, can you set up the tent? I want to get a few hours of sleep before we do any of this." I nod my head, and we continue walking through the dark woods. I''m not scared of anything possibly out here. Anything we run into, we can kill if we work together. I doubt anything is that strong near a capital city, though. After walking through the woods for a couple of hours, we stop on the side of a hill with a perfect view of Bellvia. Even far away, it looks rotten on that cliffside. I set up the tent for Sally, and she immediately crawls in and cuddles the furs and nkets. I take a seat on a log by the tent and stare out to the vast forest and city. "I don''t know how a kingdom couldst so long..." I talk to myself out loud, entertaining the silence. The stars are out tonight, bright and beautiful. A scene you would never see on earth. It takes my breath away and makes all my goals seem so small. Now that I have some time to myself, I pull up Sally''s quest and begin to read the new information. It''s an honor that I get to help her with this task. [Sally''s Past] [Description: Help Sally in her quest for vengeance against all the men that tortured and sexually assaulted her growing up. Help her punish the Elven Kingdom for their ways.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will ask you for your direct help in this matter.][Completed] [Objective 2: Once everything is done with your quest involving the Dryads, ask Sally what the first step in her revenge is.] [Rewards: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Note: The great difficulty of this quest is the goals that Sally has set in revenge. If they weren''t so great, then the difficulty wouldn''t be so high.] The new objective exins that Sally is the one doing this quest. I''m just going to be helping her, and that''s perfectly fine with me. She must need this to do all the nning and plotting by herself. She knows her enemies better than I would, so all I have to do is ask once we are done with the Dryads. "I can never know what you went through, but I''ll do my damndest to understand. A painful life like yours should never happen..." I speak aloud again as I think about the information Sally has told me. Come first light. We''ll be heading for that city again. This time I won''t be hiding. I wonder what the experience will be like... Chapter 192: The Heist of Bellvia XVII

Chapter 192: The Heist of Bellvia XVII

I stare into the fire that I made a few hours ago and contemte what''s about to happen. I can''t sleep because I''m too antsy right now. The moment that I have tried to avoid at this time is going to happen. I look towards the tent and see through the little crack a sleeping Sally. Only a couple more hours till sunrise, and the more I think about it, the more I resent it. It''s always been unavoidable. I don''t like the thought of being elevated. I''m not someone who should. I''m capable of cold-blooded murder, after all. I suffer no consequences. In truth, I should be hanged for the ''innocent'' people I''ve killed. Innocent in the eyes of thew. After all,dy justice is blind, which is why people have to see for her. Which is in itself very bad, not something I would say works. I take a deep breath and go over the n in my head to be safe. I''ll be able to distract them for however long I want, but the limit we put on the heist is dusk. I close my eyes and drown out all sound. I think about what the future holds. I have a foreboding feeling these Old Gods will be making a grand entrance soon. I don''t know what will happen when this event urs. Everything is already far from the original timeline. So I can''t say what the future holds. "I wonder how my family is doing in all of this... Mom and dad are probably getting close to their sses themselves. Hailey is probably off causing trouble somewhere. I haven''t gained any exp in some time now. I bet people are right on my heels now in terms of levels. I lean against the log I was sitting on and rest my head against it. I keep my eyes closed and rx. Most of the people I knew are either dead or lost in this world. I have no idea what I can do to get into contact with my family. This whole situation feels like a dream sometimes, like I''ll wake up from it at any moment. Just to be reminded, this is the new reality I live in. A new world. Different rules and lifestyles. I clear my head of those thoughts and think about the possible repercussions this will have. They might find out my next destination is the Dryad''s after this, and they''ll be waiting there for me. That is just something I''ll have to deal with. No one can prevent everything. There are certain things that I can''t stop from happening, and that''s okay. The time I have spent here, both this life and myst. Have made me into someone totally different. How cowardly to only gain strength after I lost every I could protect. That cowardice is what brought me here. Back into the past and now forever stuck in Ancients World. Gaia. I stop dwelling on the past and think about all the good I''vee across since my wish. Sorry for stealing what was yours, Blue Chaos. You will never know the sins I havemitted stealing what was supposed to be yours. "You still up?" I hear a voice from the direction of the tent, and I open my eyes. Sally is sticking her head out and looking at me with concern. "You know it''s much warmer in here, even though the cold doesn''t affect either of us." I smile at her proposition. I shake my head in decline, though. I''d rather be out here with the stars and city in view. She climbs out of the tent andes over by the fire with me. She sits next to me and cuddles into my side. I toggle my wings on and wrap the one on her side around her. She runs her fingers through them, and I can feel every sensation. It truly feels wonderful. "When we have both aplished what we set out to do... What are we going to do then?" Sally asks me a question I have only thought about a few times. In truth, I never saw an end to this journey of mine. There are always quests to do, things to save. With me around, I will cause problems I have to fix. So I don''t know the answer to that, only that once we are done. We''ll surely see other things popping up in our wake. The night passes as I think about these things and have small talk with Sally. Soon the sun is just starting to paint the sky in color. I stand up, and so does Sally. As an insomniac, I have no problems not sleeping. I stretch, and my body pops, I stretch out my wings too, and it feels good to do so. I walk over to the tent as Sally stretches herself. I take everything down and put it all in my inventory. There are only a couple more things to do. The first thing I do is put my hood in my inventory. The next is to open my yer interface and look at my list of titles. I click on The Son of Arch-Angel Michael title, and I get the same warning asst time. I activate it, and I look towards Sally. She is looking at the area above my head with amazement. "It looks so beautiful..." I don''t have a mirror to see. I unsheath The Witness and look at my reflection. There is a turquoise title above my head with light shimmers saying The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. It gives off a transcendent feeling when looking at it. I look at Sally and see she isn''t affected by all the things it said would happen. it could be because of our rtionship. "This is it, Sally. If you don''t want to keep your hood on, you don''t have to, but I suggest you do so when we start your revenge. This doesn''te back to bite us." She gives a thinking look, and I watch her slide her hood on with a smile. Going with hiding the identity, I like it. "Alright, let''s shock the city of Bellvia." I kneel and let her climb on my back. Iunch off the ground and soar really high. I slow down as I''m already getting close to the city walls. I see the gate to the city up ahead, and I start to descend fast. I hit the ground hard at the back of the small line today, and the ground cracks and rumbles beneath me. I stand straight up and let Sally off. I stretch my wings out with authority, and many people around me don''t know how to react. Most are stuck in ce, not moving a muscle. I look to the guards at the gate, and they start shaking. I see everyone''s eyes darting between my wings and the title above my head. A path in front of me forms, and I begin to walk towards the front gate. As I do, people get on their knees and bow. Putting their faces in the dirt. My wings are giving off an intimidating feel with theirrge size and golden beauty. I can see in the guard''s faces as I approach. Who I assume is the captain at this time orders one of his men into the city. Once I reach the front of the line and stare down at the guardsman and captain, I take a breath. I watch them stiffen as I do so. "Wha-What can w-we do fo-for you, My Lo-Lord..." The guard captain speaks with fear and bewildermentced in his voice. I look to Sally, and she closes her eyes and tells the rest of the crew to start through her dummies. She can do it telepathically. She raises her head and nods at me with a hood still covering her features. After another second, I look back at the guard captain, and I watch him go pale in the face as he kneels on the ground himself and puts his face in the dirt. This is weird to see, not going to lie. I walk past him and into the city with Sally right behind me. As I do, regr people see me, and their reactions are exactly what was warned. Many kneel and nt themselves in the dirt, and many poor or sick peoplee rushing over, admiring my wings and my title above my head. Hesitating if they should reach out and touch. "YOU DAMN PEASANTS!!! STEP AWAY FROM THE SON OF ARCH-ANGEL MICHAEL!!!" A group of soldiers and an official from this city''s churche rushing towards the forming crowd and me. They listen and make a path for the official. The soldiers move the people away from me with their weapons. The captain of the soldiers who said that looks around in pure anger. The church official next to him raises his hand, and that calms him down. This is going to be interesting for sure. The church official turns to me and kneels in front of me.?Everyone around me follows suit, including the guards. This is going to be a long distraction. Chapter 193: The Heist of Bellvia XVIII

Chapter 193: The Heist of Bellvia XVIII

I look down at the kneeling church official, and I sigh. "Take me to the king. Now." Many people flinch at the seriousness of my voice. I don''t know much about the ruling family of Bellvia, only that a man rules it. I hear no reason from the people kneeling. To make him answer faster, I use just a little bit of my divine pressure skill. Many slightly indent the ground, Sally is having a hard time just standing. "Take me to him now." I stop using the skill, and I hear everyone take deep breaths. The church official raises his head and looks at me from the ground. I can see many emotions run across his face, the mostmon being fear. His eyes dart between my face, wings, and title. I squat down and look him in his eyes. "If you are too scared to move, then you can stay there." I stand up and turn towards the pce. I begin to walk towards it, and no one gets up to interfere. As I walk the main road to the far-off pce, the people begin to act weird. Many kneel on the ground as I pass, and others begin to follow, whispering to one another. They reach out to touch me, only to pull back in hesitation. After walking the road for a couple of seconds, I hear the sound of horseshoes clicking on the stone road. I look ahead, and I see several high-ranking soldiers heading my way. Amander is leading it without a helmet. I see his face change as he sees me. The group stops and blocks the road up ahead. They all get off their horses and stand-in formation. Themander gets stiff and into a military position as I approach. As if addressing me as a superior officer. I eventually get close enough for us to have a conversation. He gives a hard look to the people following behind me. I would fly to the pce, but I''m buying as much time as possible for the crew to do what they need to do. I look at the man, and he gets on one knee with a hand over his heart. The soldiers follow suit and bow just like him. They aren''t putting their faces in the dirt, which is nice. "My Lord... What can I do to help you..." He raises his head and stares at my title, his eyes trail over my wings. I look over him and his soldiers. They must have been sent by the royalty and nobles to buy some time to prepare for my arrival. I wonder what is going through the heads of the people in the pce by now. Word has already spread, more and more people are showing up. They areing out of the alleyways and streets to see if it''s true. Every second that passes, more and more people show up. "I''m heading to the pce. You can get out of the way, or you can continue to buy time for them and die." He flinches at my words and begins to shake. Many people begin to whisper as the ones close enough heard my words. Themander stands up on shaky legs and steps to the side. His soldiers follow suit and make a path. I walk through the path with Sally by my side. The people try to follow me through. The soldiers prevent them. I look ahead and see another crowd of people already making their way to me. This is buying a lot of time for them. Hopefully, everything is going okay on their end. I continue my calm walk, and Sally stays at my side. "I''m nervous about what will happen once we reach the pce..." I look at Sally and notice that her body is more stiff than usual. I can''t see her face due to the hood, but I can deduce she is worried. I smile at her just a little and nod my head in reassurance. We make it to the new crowd and continue walking as a circle forms around us. The pce is still a bit of a walk away, but not that long. We walk in silence, and with every step, I take more and more people are showing up. As the crowd gets bigger, I hear shouting from a man to clear the way. I can see that the people in front of me are being pushed aside. The shouts to move get louder as the man gets closer. Soon he in front of me clutching a sick-looking little girl, most likely his daughter. Once in front, he gets on his knees and begins to cry. "Please... I beg of you... Save my little girl... She''s all I have left..." The man holds her close as he says that. I look at him, and the little girl¡ªSally tugs on the end of my leather chest piece. I don''t have any healing abilities. All I have are offensive and defensive skills as I think that a system message shows up in my messages. I open it and begin to read. What I read is surprising, to say the least. I never knew this power existed with my title. Basically, when my title is activated. I have ess to special non-offensive powers. Many of them are the best healing skills and cure skills. I look at the most powerful healing skill known in Ancients World. [Revive Lifeforce and Cure-All (Special Active)] [Description: The strongest healing spell in all of Gaia. It replenishes a person''s missing lifeforce to full and heals all wounds instantly. It also cures all diseases.] [Note: Only avable when the title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael is being used.] [Note: No mana cost] [Note: Will disappear from skills once the title is hidden again.] I look at the man and see the begging and pleading in his eyes. I squat in front of him and ce my hand on the girl''s head. I use the skill, and she is filled with a bright golden light that fades soon after I touch her. The girl is no longer thin and frail-looking and is now a healthy tan. Her eyes flutter open, and she looks into her father''s eyes. "Hey, Daddy... I feel much better now..." The girl is no older than nine. He weeps even harder and hugs her. She wraps her tiny arms around him and smiles as they hug. Many whispers and small praises are said from the surrounding crowd. He looks back up to me as I stand and puts his head in the dirt while still holding his daughter. She has a confused look on her face. I walk past the man and continue to the pce. It was not something I anticipated, but I did enjoy that. We walk for the next 3 minutes until we arrive at the massive metal gate separating the pce and the city. The crowd moves out of the way, and I look into the massive yard. High-ranking nobles and soldiers are waiting in extravagant robes and silks. Many women are dressed in amazing clothes, and men are wherein powerful armor of epic grade quality. The guards on the other side of the gate don''t know whether to let me in or kneel. I pick up Sally and p my wings once, and easily jump over the wooden gate. This simple action was enough to intimidate the people waiting in front of me. The people on the other side of the gate begin to beg to be let in. I let Sally go and begin walking to the nobles and generals waiting for me. As I get closer, they get off their horses and do modest bows. They out one arm in front of them and one arm behind them and bow forward slightly. I stop and stare at them as they raise their heads. Many have faces that are both full of fear and the seeking of opportunity. "My Lord, wee to the pce of sier. We are both humbled and overjoyed by your visit." A noble of high rank steps forward. Some of the people''s faces twist in anger and disapproval. He walks forward and holds his hand out while lowering his head. "My name is Leonard Var Insessus. I''m one of three Dukes here in Bellvia." I reach my hand out and shake his. I admire he isn''t cowering in front of me right now. That''s worth a handshake. I take a breath and stare him in the eyes. "I''m Zern. The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. Nice to meet you." His face slightly pales as I say my title and ''ranking''. "Perhaps a Duke can get me to see the king right now. Unfortunately, I don''t even know the name of the king. So you can start by helping me with that." Many faces pale at my words. How insignificant they really are to me sinks in. In the presence of someone like me, their ranks mean nothing. He nods his head and stands straight up. He takes a small breath and calmly looks me in the eyes as well. "The king''s name is Kleager Ren sier the IV. He has two sons and four daughters, all of whom are waiting for you in the pce''s throne room." I look towards the pce doors and smile to myself. Now is the time I get to find out information about the Dryads and Ulma Runa. Bring these quests to their ends. Chapter 194: The Heist of Bellvia XIX

Chapter 194: The Heist of Bellvia XIX

Duke Leonard is the only noble who is brave enough to talk to me. I look at them individually and see that most are rather young. Only the soldiers are old, most rank at General. "I''m going inside. Let me warn you. I''m not a fan of politics. Refrain from asking me anything rted to that." Duke Leonard nods his head and steps aside. The rest of the nobles do as well. I walk towards the massive doors. Once in front of them, I ce my hand on the handles and push them open. As the door opens, I see that a red carpet and many guards are lining the side¡ªall wearing decorative armor. I begin to walk, and to my extreme annoyance, they begin to y trumpet music. I can tolerate it for the mission as much as I don''t want to. Many nobles that are gathered in the room are lined up near the throne facing me. The looks on their faces are the same as the rest I''ve seen. I look towards the throne, and I see a very nervous-looking Kleager. The trumpets stop, and I continue to walk, many in the room staring at my title and wings, and bow in respect as I get close to them. I stop in front of the throne before the steps that lead up to it. I notice he doesn''t have a queen, so I assume he has multiple lovers. I stare at the king and notice him sweating. He stands up from his chair and bows in respect. I look at the kids behind him and see the children I was told about. A few of them are my age, but most are younger. I start to climb the steps, and after I reach the top, I stare down at the shorter king. Many are worried I might strike out. No one is brave enough to voice their concerns, though. "You are going to help me with something, Kleager. You will cooperate, or you will die." I hear small gaspsing from the nobles at the bottom of the stairs. He looks at me with hesitation and fear. I watch him take a gulp. He nods his head inpliance. "I want all your secrets and information on a female mage by the name of Ulma Runa. As well as what you are hiding about the Dryads." I watch his face contort through many different things. All of them are not working in his favor. So he is aware of the sins his kingdomsmitted long ago. This works out for me. I won''t have to find out who does in this pce. He is starting to shake in fear, but I don''t know if it''s from me or the secrets being known. "I''m sorry... I can''t answer those questions for you..." He is stupider than I thought. My left-wing pins him against the throne, and my right-wings feathers are held against his neck. Small drips of blood begin to show. Many of the nobles and soldiers behind me shuffle and reach for their weapons, but they realize who I am again. They stop before making that mistake. "If the world knew about that... Bellvia would be an enemy for all..." Bellvia''s fate isn''t my concern. I stop pinning him to the throne, and I lift him with one hand by his neck. He gasps for hair. I look at his children and see the horror on their faces. "Please... Not in front..." He chokes out some words. So that''s his weakness. I throw him to the bottom of the steps, and I go for the daughter he was staring at when he said that. His favorite, I bet. I pick her up by her neck too. Her older brothers try to stop me, but I fling them against the wall with my wings. Their impact indents the wall, and they fall unconscious. "Sometimes, the proper motivation is needed. Suppose you will not tell me what I want to know about Ulma Runa and the Dryads. Then your daughter''s head will be crushed before your very eyes. If that doesn''t motivate you, I can continue down the line of your children." Sally''s demeanor is not what it usually is. She sees the human side of me for the first time, the one that she failed to see. He looks at me in horror and gets on his hands and knees as his crowny at his side. Everyone in the room is frozen in fear. Not one is moving a muscle. No one is trying to help the king or his precious favorite in my grasp. "I bed of you! Let her go! She is innocent in all of this! How can you be so cruel! As an Angel, you are forbidden from taking mortal life! It has always been this way since the very beginning!" He begins to beg for his daughter''s life, pleading for thews of angels to apply to me. They do not apply to me. "Okay! Okay! I''ll tell you... Ulma Runa''sd is in the lowest level of the pce. We don''t go in there anymore. All the information regarding the Dryads is there! Please let my baby go!" As he says those words, two of my quests update, one is about Ulma Runa, and the other is about the Dryads. I look at them as I keep the daughter in my hands. [Quest: The False One] [Description: You have found the truth about Bellvia and their involvement with the Dryads, and you have found out about the curse and who made it. You will have a choice to make. Only one of the following objectives can bepleted.] [Objective 1: Expose the Kingdom of Bellvia and have them pay for their crimes.][Not Avable] [Objective 2: Find the weakness of the curse and use it to free the Dryads and return them to Ancients World.][In Progress] [Objective 3: Now that you are in Bellvia, finding the right person to talk to is important. How you do this is up to you.][Completed] [Quality: Legendary] [Rewards: Hidden] [Quest: An Abomination] [Description: Find the research and notes of Ulma Runa on her development of the curse.] [Objective 1: Find Ulma Runa''sb in Bellvia''s capital][Completed] [Objective 2: Go to the lowest level in the pce and find what you are looking for in Ulma Runa''sb.][In Progress] [Objective 3: Once you have the relevant information, this quest will bepleted, and the quest: The False One will be updated.][In Progress] [Quality: Epic] [Rewards: Hidden] I let the girl go, and she falls to the ground gasping for air. While that was very savage, it was the quickest solution. The crew should be getting done with everything right about now. I look down at the king as he rushes the steps to check on his favorite child. "That wasn''t so hard, now was it. We would have nevere to this point if you had spilled it sooner." He looks at me in anger and disapproval. How far the mighty fall, I should do something about how this ce is being run. Just to set it in stone, you don''t mess with me. "I''m only going to say this once, Kleager. If Bellvia doesn''t change, I will return and kill all of you." As I say that, I turn my head and stare at all the corrupt nobles. Many look down, trying to avoid eye contact. They know what they have done. I''m actually in a good mood now, so I think I''m going to do all the people of Bellvia a favor. I draw my sword and flex my wings. "On seconds thought, all of you will die. Nothing better to start with than a clean te. Consider this your mercy Kleager. You''ll have to undo all the damage you have done. You won''t have the support of these corrupt nobles now." Sally reaches for my sleeve, but Iunch forward from the top of the steps before anyone can react. I slice and dice every noble present. After I''m done, there is nothing but a pool of blood, organs, and body parts. The guards in the room drop their weapons and run from the pce. "You only have onest chance Kleager, don''t screw it up." He looks at me in horror as I''m covered in his friends and allies'' blood. I look at Sally, and she turns her head and looks away from me. "Where is the path to Ulma Runa''sb?" The king points to a door on the left side of the room with a shaky hand. I begin walking towards it, and Sally reluctantly follows. I can tell she is not happy about what I just did. She might change her feeling about me after that. They were the type of nobles she hates and wanted to kill. However, she is smart enough to know how important they are to an economy. We walk in silence down the stairs to the lowest levels. "You didn''t have to do that... You didn''t have to be so cruel..." She speaks her mind as we quietly walk down the stairs. I take a small breath and prepare my answer. "Being cruel and being capable of cruelty is different, Sally. I''m not a cruel person. I''m just capable of being cruel. Sometimes, that''s the only solution to a situation like this." She stays quiet at my answer, but I can tell she disapproves of it. The human half of me, the one that is the most useful for dealing with people like Kleager. I''m not going to apologize for that. It was needed. Chapter 195: Ulma Runas lab

Chapter 195: Ulma Runa''sb

We make it to the lowest level and see a single door at the end of the hall the stairs lead into. It''s finally almost to an end, all this work and effort. Sally still isn''t speaking after what I did in the throne room. I don''t know if she''ll ever get over that, but that is something that I can live with. We walk up to the door and knowing Ulma Runa. It''s probably booby-trapped. "Stay behind me, Sally. I don''t know what kind of traps there are here." She nods her head silently, and I look at the door carefully as we finally stand in front of it. It doesn''t look like it''s aged a day. This door is older than anyone in this city, I don''t know what secrets are beyond this door, but it''s time to find out. I don''t sense any magicing from the door, I use inspect on it, and I get little information. [Door to Ulma Runa''sb] [Description: A door that hasn''t aged a day since the time of Ulma Runa. Beyond this door is ab where Ulma Runa conducted experiments and developed the curse on the Dryads.] It doesn''t say it''s trapped, I ce my hand on it, and nothing bad happens. I push the door open, and as I do,nterns automatically turn on. I doubt there are any traps left. They should have been disabled years ago. The curiosity of this ce would attract the now king. Learning it was trapped, he would have it taken care of so he can look around. I take a step into the room, and nothing happens. It''s safe to say there are no traps here anymore. "It doesn''t look a single day old. Flint''s old apprentice sure did know her stuff. Let''s see if we can find what we are looking for. Check for anything that could be rted to curses." The quests I have definitely hint at the answers being all here. All we have to do is find them. Sally walks off to a bookshelf without saying anything. I think I''m going to be getting the silent treatment for a while. I let her go and do what she needs to make her feel better. I walk over to what looks to be her desk. I sit in her chair and sit in her world for just a second. Now, where would I hide my secret evil curses if I was an insane magician? I bring my hand under the desk and feel around for any secret levers, but nothing sticks out. Ulma Runa would use something involving magic, not a secret lever. I open the drawers to her desk and see documents that aren''t rted to the situation. I pick one up and start to read it to get a feel for what was generally kept in this drawer. What I read is what I love, lore. [Early developments on magic enhanced crops] [I have done as my king requested and searched for ways to increase food production for our growing kingdom, while my results have produced some positive effects. Nothing worthwhile in terms of volume and quality has been shown. I don''tin about the things I''m assigned to do. They pay me a lot. I''ll admit this was a little dull though, hopefully, future projects will be more interesting. ~Signed UR] She used her initials instead of her name. This must have been documented before any developments on the curse for the Dryads began. I ce the document back in the door and lean back in the chair. I fold my hands behind my head and notice that my wings take up a lot of space here. I toggle them off for now, and I focus back on the task at hand. As I''m looking at the ceiling, I notice a square spot above my head that looks a little different from the rest of the pattern. As if it has been messed with and adjusted from time to time. I use inspect on it, and ites back as nothing more than a regr ceiling piece. That is strange, though. I stand up and jump up to it. I punch through the rocky surface, and my arm enters an empty space. She found a way to hide things from the inspect ability. "Don''t trust the inspect ability, Sally. It doesn''t fully work in this room." I say out loud while breaking the rest of the ceiling apart. As I do, several boxes and scrolls hit the desk and ground below me. Once I''m certain I have everything out of the little hiding spot, I let go and easilynd back on the ground. I pick up the documents and scrolls and ce them on the desk. I begin reading them, but they are reports and research on automated security defenses. There are even some old sketches. They are simr looking to the machines on guard on the walls. She must have had something to do with the early iterations. I continue reading until Ie across an interesting document. [A strange request from the new king] [He has halted my research into the automated defense systems and asked me to look into the Dryad people. He didn''t say why, but it''s not my job to ask him questions. What I have learned about the Dryads is they are a very old and powerful people. Most importantly is there developments in magic and connection to all of nature. They are a living, thinking, and breathing part of nature. Even if their armies should fail, they can always call on the forests and animals for help. There has recently been arge increase in tension with the Dryads. It''s easy to see that is why the king asked me to look into them.] I shuffle through other papers trying to find any that follow this one, but I have no luck. I read some other documents on other interesting things, but not enough to mention. "I found something over here!" Sally draws my attention from reading, and I turn to look at her. As I do, she waves me over toe and check it out. I stand up from the chair and make my way over. Once next to her, she points to another hiddenpartment that doesn''t quite fit in. I ball my fist and punch a hole into it too. I rip the rest of the rock out, and a couple of boxes of documents reveal themselves. I pick them up and take them back to the desk. This time Sally help me read through them too. As I''m reading, Ie across the document that I need. [New developments on a curse] [The king has asked me to develop a curse that is strong enough to kill an entire species. While it''s impossible to do so, we can remove them from the picture with ease. My old mentor told me that any curse could be broken, but the king doesn''t need to know that. I have done some interesting research on sleep curses and pocket dimensions. I''m going to see if this applies to my research.] I scrounge through the boxes looking for the document that follows this one, and I find it. I begin to read it, and it goes through her process. I have to keep searching through documents. After reading nine pages, I finally find thest one. It goes into detail on how it''s going to be applied and what''ll happen. Then I see the way to break the curse. I have to find the original body the curse was ced on and cleanse it. I already know who the original body was, Princess Elenore. She is likely still in that boss chamber I didn''t go into because I wasn''t strong enough. As I finish putting it together, both of my quests update. I open the quests to see what has changed. [Quest: The False One] [Description: You have found the truth about Bellvia and their involvement with the Dryads, and you have found out about the curse and who made it. You will have a choice to make. Only one of the following objectives can bepleted.] [Objective 1: Expose the Kingdom of Bellvia and have them pay for their crimes.][Not Avable] [Objective 2: Find the weakness of the curse and use it to free the Dryads and return them to Ancients World.][Completed] [Objective 3: Now that you are in Bellvia, finding the right person to talk to is important. How you do this is up to you.][Completed] [Objective 4: Use the potion to cleanse Princess nore in the boss room at the Ruins of The Dryads.][In Progress] [Quality: Legendary] [Rewards: Hidden] [Quest: An Abomination][Completed] [Description: Find the research and notes of Ulma Runa on her development of the curse.] [Objective 1: Find Ulma Runa''sb in Bellvia''s capital][Completed] [Objective 2: Go to the lowest level in the pce and find what you are looking for in Ulma Runa''sb.][Completed] [Objective 3: Once you have the relevant information, this quest will bepleted, and the quest: The False One will be updated.][Completed] [Quality: Epic] [Rewards: The potion to Cleanse Princess nore] I don''t get any exp from An Abomination beingpleted, but I get an important piece to finish my legendary quest. I check my inventory, and there is a potion there. I read its description, and it''s basically saying it''s the unique potion to cleanse Princess nore. "Were done here, Sally. Let''s go back up into the pce and go around the city till nightfall. We''ll meet the crew at the location outside the city once nightfall hits." Despite her frustration with me, I see her crack a smile. Chapter 196: The People of Bellvia

Chapter 196: The People of Bellvia

We leave the oldb and begin to climb the stairs. I turn my wings back on to keep up my angelic look. Now that the quest, An Abomination, is finished. All I have left to finish is The False One. I didn''t think I''d ever get the chance toplete a bonafide legendary quest. I need to address the elephant in the room. Sally is still mad at me for what I did in the throne room. "I told you that you''d eventually see the human in me. I also warned you that it could change how you feel about me. I''m not going to apologize for my actions. They were what was needed. I''ll understand if you don''t want to be around me anymore." As I say that final sentence. I feel Sally grab my shoulder and actually pin me against the wall. I could''ve resisted, but she needs this. She removes her hood, and our eyes meet. I can see anger, pain, betrayal. The most prevalent are her tears. They fall freely to the ground. "Don''t you ever say that! You hear me! DON''T EVER SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!!" Her voice cracks and breaks as she speaks. Watch even more tears fall, and more pain spreads across her expression. "HOW COULD YOU EVEN THINK THAT! I CAN''T IMAGINE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU!!!" She buries her face in my chest, and lets go of my shoulders. She brings her hands up and ces them on my chest with her face. I never want to cause someone I care about pain like this, but sometimes it can''t be avoided. I wrap one arm around her back and the other around her head and hug her. As I do, her crying gets harder. I let her take all the time she needs. This reminds me that I ended up in the hospital after getting hit by a car on my bike when I was a kid. I didn''t suffer any life-threatening injuries, just broken bones and bruises. Mom was the first one at the hospital. Apparently, she ran every red light to get to me. She got a big fat ticket a few dayster. When she saw me in that hospital bed covered in bandages and casts, she had a fit. First, she was worried and asking me question after question. After I exined everything to her and she calmed down, she got really mad. I never had her yell at me like that before in my entire life once dad arrived. She was even angrier with him. He was supposed to be watching me. This was before Marcus was born. I didn''t tell dad I was leaving to ride my bike, so he was pretty mad. He didn''t get a chance to yell at me because mom was too busy yelling at him. Thinking back to that memory makes me smile. "I''m sorry for saying that, Sally. I should have thought longer on that." She looks up from my chest, and I see her puffy blue-green eyes. I didn''t know that I could hurt someone so much with words. I never really held conversations long enough to find out, another lesson learned. She backs up while drying her eyes and cleans the snot she left of my chest piece. After drying her eyes, she looks at me with a very tiny grin. I think that''s a good sign, but I don''t know. She tells me that as long as I never say that again, she''ll be okay. Sounds easy enough. We continue walking up the stairs, and this time it isn''t full of so much tension. After climbing several flights, we open the door back into the throne room. I step into it, and there are new soldiers andmanding officers of the military investigating the blood bath. Kleager is on the other side of them. He and his daughter look at me. All I see is total fear. Everyone in the room sees me enter. They all stare at my title and wings, not moving an inch. The first to step forward is a general I didn''t see here earlier. He must have just arrived. "Do you have any idea what you just did..." He continues walking forward. I''m not going to be the one intimidated here. I burst forward in speed they can''t react to, and I pinned him to the ground hard with my right wing. He tries to get free, but it''s no use. He stares up at me with contempt. "I have freed the people of Bellvia, freed your government from the corruption of nobles. I have the mind to kill the entire hierarchy here in Bellvia, but I know that would make Bellvia crumble without proper leadership. You should be thanking me, Nameless General. Bellvia has a chance to evolve from the pit it has be." He looks at me with slight shame. He is a part of all this, to be sure. I can''t kill them all though, the people beyond this pce have no idea how to run a country. I would be dooming them to another countries mercy. I doubt Bellvia has any allies willing to do such things, to absorb a failure such as all this. Hopefully, they will make a change. I stop pinning the General, and we start walking to the big doors that lead outside. There is nothing left in the pce that we need. Once outside, the crowd at the gate to the pce grounds has increased in size. The whole town looks to be waiting. I begin walking to the gate will Sally right behind me, and as I approach, whispers and talks break out. I can see that there are mothers and fathers with their sick kids. The same can be said about kids bring their sick mothers and fathers. Once I make it to the gate, I can see the desperate looks on many faces. I pick up Sally with one arm and leap us over the gate and giant crowd. I bring us down to the empty street. The crowd turns and quickly swarms. I can hear many voices saying move or get out of the way. I stand still and wait. I can leave these people with one more gift. As the sick are in front of me, I can see the begging looks on their guardians¡ªall of them on their hands and knees in tears. "Bring your sick in front of me." They dart their heads up in hope. They follow themands and gentlyy their sick in front of me. I spread my wings wide open as I stand in the center of the sick lying on the ground. I use my healing skill that is only active when I have my title out. My wings shine with golden and white energy. Every single sick or healthy person around me is affected by the magic. After about 10 seconds of channeling the power, I stop and look at the sick. They all look to be in perfect health now and slowly begin to wake up. Many rush their loved ones I have just healed. I look around, and many people want to reach out and touch me. They pull their hands back in hesitation before they do. "People of Bellvia!" All the people around me and the surrounding crowd listen. "The nobles that have been corrupting your city and neglecting all of you are dead! This is your people''s chance to change this city and country for the better! Hold the king and his soldier responsible! Make them make changes! If they fail to do so, I will return and finish them off!" I finish my announcement to the people. Many begin pping and cheering, and the ones that don''t get on their knees and praise The Almighty Father. Bellvia has a chance now. Hopefully, they won''t screw it up. I start walking towards the center of the city, where a famous fountain and teleportation gate lies. I know for a fact that The Holy City is sending people here. I should greet them. Nightfall is still several hours off. As Sally and I walk the path to the city center, the crowd continues to follow us. I can see it in the distance as we get closer and as my eyesnd on it. I can see soldiers and officersing out of the gate wearing the church''s armor. They look in our direction and see me. Many go ridged. This is going to be my first official encounter with them. I watch some highly decorated generale out of a tent and look towards theing crowd and me. He barks orders to his soldiers in a hot fury, and many scramble. Once we are within talking distance of each other, he orders his men to put a perimeter around the city center. Soldiers push the crowd back and stand guard. I stare at the man, and he stares at me. After a second, he gets on one knee and puts a hand on his heart, and lowers his head. "It''s an honor to meet you, My Lord. I''m High General Oliver ker of the church''s army, one of four high Generals." The highest-ranking official, Saintess Lucy, must be busy on a mission somewhere. He must want to talk, and I have many things to say to the church. Hopefully, I can get a chance to say them. Chapter 197: Unexpected Moment

Chapter 197: Unexpected Moment

General Oliver ker stands up from his kneeling position and waits for me to talk. I''m going to make this quick. "I want you to ry a message to whoever is in charge. Stop looking for me. It''s incredibly annoying and inconvenient to my quests. If the church doesn''t stop, there will be consequences." Oliver ker''s face morphs and is stered with worry. Every since I got my hands on my ss, they have been trying to find me andplicate things for me. I''m frankly sick and tired of it, and I want them to stop. Telling them straight up should be enough for them. If it isn''t, then I will need to find a way to make them leave me alone permanently. I''m not going to kill them. It''ll be worse. I''ll publicly denounce them for their past crimes. Oliver ker looks towards a big tent with worry. I''m guessing they have some meeting set up in there. "My Lord, I don''t have the authority to answer that for you... Please,e with me into the tent so you can directly speak to the church..." What I said wasn''t a question. I give him a hard look, and he closes his eyes with nervousness all over his body. He is doing a bad job of trying to convince me to talk to these people. How can someone be a General in the greatest army on Gaia with this type of personality. Completely and totally submissive, a dog at the beck and call of the church heads. I draw my de and flex my wings. Since he is so weak-willed, I''ll intimidate him into doing what I said. He sees all this, and I can see the fear on his face. I lift the tip of my de and line it up at his adam''s apple. "Tell them." I watch this worm of a man lose any will he has left, and he backs up from my de and slumps down onto his knees. I sheath my de and spread out my wings in further intimidation. "If the church doesn''t stop pursuing me, I will personally handle the situation. I hope they all learn how insignificant they truly are, and you will be the one to tell them this. I''d wish you good luck, but being sent after me shows luck isn''t on your side." He looks up from the ground, and I see the sick-looking expression on his face. I turn around and begin to walk away. As I''m doing this, I see the crowd off in the distance, trying their hardest to get past the soldiers. The obsession people have with me. It''s not something I ever want to experience again. It''ll be unavoidable in certain ces. Sally and I look at each other. I can tell she is as tired of the crowd as I am, even when her head is covered. I flex my wings and hold out an arm. She walks up to my side and wraps her arms around my body, and I wrap my arm around her. Iunch us off the ground and fly towards the taller buildings in the city. I look down, and I see the people start running to keep up. Once over a tall enough building, Ind us gently, and I let go of Sally. "We can rx up here until nightfall. I''m tired of dealing with the horde of people. They can bother the people in this building for all I care." Sally chuckles at my attitude. We find afortable spot on the roof and take a seat. I toggle my wings off, so they don''t get in the way. Sally leans against me as we watch the passing of the clouds. It''s early evening, so we still have lots of time. We can use that time to talk. There are some things we need to address. That can wait a few minutes though, just rxing for right now sounds good. "So once we free the Dryads, do you n on doing anything to celebrate?" Sally asks me a question I haven''t thought about. She has a very tired voice. I never thought about a celebration once the Dryads are free. They''ll probably have a lot of questions, mainly about Bellvia. They''ll being back still in their time of conflict, even though it''s already been thousands of years. I ce my hand on her back, and I slowly rub it. She needs to stop thinking, just for a moment. She snuggles closer as I do. "Probably not. It''ll be chaos for them for a while, catching up and finding out how much the world has changed since their time. I don''t envy them at all. They have incredible tasks ahead of them. A party would be the veryst thing on their list." I exin my thoughts in a low and rxed breath. A calm breeze washes over us, and the quietness of the now is much weed. "Soon, we''ll be getting your revenge on the elves. How do you feel about that?" Complex things like that shouldn''t be assumed about. I want to hear what she is feeling about this. It won''t be easy on her, no matter how much she hates them. Sally stays quiet, pondering her answer. She might not have thought about it much. "I''m nervous and excited. I feel wrong at being happy that I get to hurt them for all the things that happened to me. My mother and I suffered so much because of them, because of the royal family and nobles. The thought of killing them. It excites me... Am I evil for feeling this way?" This poor girl has been holding in a lot. I rub her back up and down in a greater motion, showing my support. She starts to shake ever so slightly. I should have asked her about this sooner. She has probably been at battle in her head with these thoughts and feelings. Many would tell they are wrong, but I won''t. After everything she has been through, she has every right to feel this way. I do something I never do. I lean down and kiss her forehead. I pull away and lightly sigh. "I think it''s perfectly fine to feel and think that way after what you have gone through, Sally. It''s not evil. It''s right." I watch her raise her head, and I see tears in her eyes. She raises her left hand and runs her fingers along my cheek and then through my hair. She brings her face closer to mine and slowly starts to close her eyes. I match her actions and close my eyes as well. Secondster, our lips gently connect, and a warmth spreads through me. We hold the kiss, and she slowly moves her mouth in a very nice motion. I do my best to match, and we keep the slow movement until we pull away to catch our breath. I have no doubt I''ve got some red cheeks after that. I open my eyes slowly, and I meet the half-lidded eyes of Sally. She has a deep blush and is taking deep breaths. She brings her other hand up and into my hair for full control. She starts the kiss again, and this time it has much more movement. I feel the tip of her tongue graze my front teeth asking for ess. I open my mouth slightly, and she starts using her tongue to explore my mouth lightly. I catch on, and I gently rub my tongue against hers. After a second, the tips of our tongues connect, and a lovely sensation runs down my back. I feel Sally stiffen up as she leans against my chest. We repeat the action, and the pleasure only increases. I feel my pants growing tighter, and that''s when I gently pull Sally away. A string of saliva stretches between our mouths. We both take very deep breaths and stare into each other''s eyes. Both our eyes are half-lidded at this point. "I''m sorry I stopped us..." I take a couple more breaths. "Things were escting really fast... This isn''t the ce to do that... Not on a roof, you know..." She lightly nods her head in agreement. I feel her fingers run through my hair in a circr motion, making a mess of my ck hair. I get goosebumps as I feel her nails run along my scalp. "I''m having a hard time fighting the urge not to do it up here... If we don''t stop now, I don''t think I''ll care if we do..." She leans forward again and starts kissing me more. I guess that means she doesn''t mind either. At least, I think it does. I''m not sure, though. She shifts her body and straddles me. I feel her sit on my hardening rod, and it both hurts and feels good. I toggle my wings on and wrap them around us so we do have some privacy. I don''t know how far this will go. Now we have some privacy, though. My wings are big enough to cocoon us in darknesspletely. Her hands travel the bottom of my chest piece, and she tries to remove it, I quickly unequip it with my mind, and I feel her run a hand along my defined muscles. Another shiver runs up and down my spine. I''m no longer going to try and resist. Chapter 198: Meeting Up With The Crew I

Chapter 198: Meeting Up With The Crew I

Sally calmly puts her clothes back on, and I equip mine. Using the wings for covering us was rather smart, but sadly. She has started her period, talk about bad timing. I look at her and see the sheer embarrassment on her face. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. It''s just how the human body works. "It''s okay, Sally. I understand that it''s embarrassing for you, but I don''t think anything of it. It''s a natural process, and we have to abide by it." She looks at me with a red face and slightly puffy cheeks. I could never fully understand what happens during the menstrual process, but being supportive is what I know how to do. She turns away from me as she puts thest of her clothes on, and I crack a tiny smile. Her reaction was cute. I shouldn''t say that, though. I keep my wings out, and now that we don''t have a way to burn the time, we have a lot of free time before we meet up with the guys. "I''m sorry that happened..." She talks very quietly, almost inaudible. I walk up behind her and hug her. It''s the only thing I can think of doing. She buries her face in my forearm and stays quiet. I rest my head on top of hers and hold her. She raises her face out of my forearm and looks off in the distance. "One of my only times of peace when I was a ve was when I started my period. I wasn''t used as much. Nobles and merchants don''t like getting blood on them. Some preferred it though." I close my eyes a pang of pain echos in my heart. Sally has been through so much, and this happening probably brought up bad memories. I let her go and stand at her side. "I''ll never let anything like that ever happen to you, Sally. You have power and skill, enough to kill anyone who would try something like that. You can stop anything like that too, and I know that if your mother could see the woman that you have be. She would cry tears of joy." If a parent couldn''t be proud of a person like Sally, they aren''t a real parent. Sally locks her fingers with mine and leans on my shoulder. "I would''ve loved to meet your mother. The strength she demonstrated shows up in you." I see her chin start to quiver, and her eyes begin to water. I didn''t mean to make her cry, but I think she needs to hear this. She turns her face and buries it in my shoulder as I feel her tears soak through my sleeve. I let her cry and lean on me. I bring her in front of me and wrap my arms around her. She wraps her around mine and continues to cry into my chest. I stare off into the distance as we stand on the building, and my desire to help her get revenge grows every time I hear her voice wail in pain. She can cry and hug me for as long as she wants. My father once told me that if a woman trusts you and loves you, she will lean on you in her weakest moments. A man will stay strong in these moments. I never thought I''d get a chance to be that man for a woman, but now that I am. I can say with certainty I love being that man for Sally. I don''t know what that means in the long run or what it means now. I should say one more thing that she needs to hear. I hug her a little tighter, and I take a small breath. "I love you, Sally." I feel her squeeze me hard after I say those words. I never thought I''d see that day when I would say those words to anyone other than my family. I spread my wings, and I pick her up in my arms. She keeps her face buried, and Iunch us off the ground and into the air. I take us deep into the forest and away from the city of Bellvia. Once I see afortable-looking spot, I bring us down andnd. The privacy of the forest will do much better than a rooftop. The rest of the crew is fine. Once nightfalles, they''ll leave the city, and we''ll all meet up at the location. Right now, it''s Sally''s time. She has stopped crying, but I can tell she is still in pain. I let her go for a minute at most so I can set up the tent. Once I do so, I hold the entrance of it open so she can crawl in. She does, and I toggle my wings off and follow her inside. Wey down on the soft furs and rx on the pillows. She snuggles once fully settled in. "I love you too, Zern..." She responds, and I smile. Wey in silence for a while, and after a little bit, Sally is asleep. Everyone feels tired after highly emotional stress. When I was a kid, I would sleep after crying for a bit. The only times I cried were when I got hurt and only when it was bad. I find myself falling asleep too. I''ve gone more than 20 hours without sleep. I can afford to take a small nap right now. I close my eyes and fall asleep a minute after. The time passes slowly, and I get a lot of deep rest, and after about 6 hours of sleep, I wake up. I look out the tent, and the sun is just starting to set. I look at Sally, and she is still sleeping deeply. Iy my head back down. Still, about an hour before we meet up with the crew, I almost forgot to do something. I open my yer interface, and I deactivate my title and make it hidden again. Now that I don''t need it, I don''t see the point in keeping it active. I see some of the special active skills I got from the title disappear from the section they reside in. It''s nice to know that something like that exists for me. Powerful healing skills and other things granted by a title. The thought of my stagnation in leveling and skills creeps into my mind. I look at my skills and level again to see where everything is. [yer (Zern) Lvl.90] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2215][Speed - 2240][Focus - 14,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 16,560,000,000/16,560,000,000][Mana: 146,600,000,000/146,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 0][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [sh Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] My best skills are so close to leveling up. Most of the power I have is thanks to all the achievements I have gotten. Being the first to do certain things has caused my stats to blow past the norm, and now my health and mana are untouchablepared to normal people and yers. I look to my side, and I see The Witness just sitting there. My greatest weapon. I stole this from Pesticide. He was the one to get it originally. Doubt he is alive too. I''ll never get the chance to meet them and apologize for taking their destinies and making them my own. "What time is it..." Sally shifts as I''m brought out of my thoughts. I watch her lean her head up and rub the gunk out of her eyes. I look at her slight bed head and crack a smile. "It''s not time to go yet. I''ll wake you up before we have to leave. You should try and keep sleeping." She looks at me with one eye and plops back down. She snuggles back in, and I enjoy the feeling of having her next to me. All the power and knowledge I took for myself, both great evil and good, havee from it. The one I treasure the most is Sally. One day, I''ll have to tell the truth to someone. I don''t know what kind of repercussions I''ll have to deal with once the truth is known. I won''t run away from them as J&X have. They are still out their too, probably living in hiding with their families. The same goes for the world leaders that havee to Gaia. Who knows what all these secretive people and schemers are doing if they ever show their faces. A lot of people are going to demand blood. Billions of people have died and lost their loved ones. That puts a special kind of hate in someone''s heart, and it''s not an easy one to get rid of. All I can do is cross those bridges when I get to them. Chapter 199: Meeting Up With The Crew II

Chapter 199: Meeting Up With The Crew II

I make my way out of the tent as Sally continues to sleep. I look in the direction of the setting sun and sit down on a log. The more I think about the next step, the more I realize how much lies beyond the horizon. Once the Dryads are free, the state of Gaia will change, and not to mention the current war with monsters, right now. I bet many yers have reached the level to participate in the war and are doing so. There is The Old God''s and whatever they are nning. Who knows when that stormes. The future is undetermined, and it''s safe to say that it''s futile to try and predict it. I lower my head and stare at the ground. When everything with the Dryads is finished, it''ll be time to help Sally. So I probably won''t be able to visit Amelia in Zenith. I pull up Sally''s quest to read it again. [Sally''s Past] [Description: Help Sally in her quest for vengeance against all the men that tortured and sexually assaulted her growing up. Help her punish the Elven Kingdom for their ways.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will ask you for your direct help in this matter.][Completed] [Objective 2: Once everything is done with your quest involving the Dryads, ask Sally what the first step in her revenge is.][In Progress] [Rewards: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Note: The great difficulty of this quest is the goals that Sally has set in revenge. If they weren''t so great, then the difficulty wouldn''t be so high.] Sally is going to need my help on this, facing the men who did what they did. It won''t be easy, so I''ll be there to lean on if she needs me. After a couple of minutes, I hear shuffling from the tent, and Sallyes out. She smiles at me and walks over. She sits next to me on the log and rests her head on my shoulder. "What''s on your mind? You have that look on your face. The one that tells me you are thinking about something really important."?I didn''t even know I had a look like that. I contemte if I should talk to her about what we are going to do about her revenge. "The sunset is really beautiful... There was a time in my life I only dreamed I could have something like this... A life..." She is tugging on my heartstrings pretty hard, and my desire to help her grows even more. I lean back on her, and I take a small breath. "I was thinking about our first step once we free the Dryads. Since we''ll be getting revenge for what happened to you, we''ll need a n to take on a royal family as powerful and influential as the elves. I also have a favor to ask..." She looks at me, waiting for me to continue. "I''d like to stop by Zenith after we are done with the Dryads. Amelia is there, and I''d like to see her after all this time." She smiles and nods her head. So the n is to free the Dryads, visit Amelia in Zenith, and n Sally''s revenge. I''m excited about what The Dice of Wand do. They are supposed to be important to whatever the future holds. I open the quest about the heist, so I can review the information again. [Heist of Bellvia''s treasure vault] [Description: Break into Bellvia''s treasure vaults and retrieve The Dice of Wand.] [Objective 1: Once in Bellvia, find a group that can help you pull off the heist.][Completed] [Objective 2: Meet at the location and retrieve The Dice of Wand from the Crew.][In Progress] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards: Anything you can take from the vaults other than The Dice of Wand.] The n went off without a hitch too. I got the information to free the Dryads. I finished the quest An Abomination. The amount that we have gotten done shows that everything and anything can be done if you put in the work and make smart decisions. "Mind answering a question for me too?" I nod my head and wait for her to ask. "I''m curious about your sword... I''vee to learn it''s very special, but that''s about it. I understand if you don''t want to talk about it, but it''s truly a beautiful work of art." Iugh a little at her words. Most would say it''s very intimidating for a sword. It affects people, and that usually causes people to keep their distance once ites out of its sheath. I stand up and draw it from its sheath. I hold the handle out for Sally to grab it. She does, and I let go. The same thing that happened to Hailey happens to Sally. It drags her to the ground like a ton of bricks and squishes her fingers. "Pick it up, you dummy! It''s crushing my fingers!" I do as she asks, and I lift it and take it in a single hand. "You must be crazy strong if you can even lift that thing... It wouldn''t even budge when I used all my strength to lift it." That''s because it''s bound to me, and it''s very attached to me. "Where did you even find that thing? I''ve heard you call it The Witness. That''s all I''vee to learn, though." I take a breath preparing the story for her. She will enjoy the early times of me chasing power and enjoy the struggles I''ve had so far. I rx and begin to speak. "It''s a legendary sword that used to belong to the Sword Saint Monrell. Ipleted his trial, and this was the reward. It has a very rich history. I would tell you what I know about the de, but there isn''t enough time for the full story. We should get a move on to the meeting location since it''s starting to get dark." She nods her head, and I sheath my sword. I walk over to the tent and pack it up, and put it in my inventory. The location we are meeting the crew is an old abandon mine several miles from the city. It''ll take less than a minute to get there at full speed, but I''d like to go slow today. Hence why we are leaving early. I toggle my wings on, and I kneel on the ground so that Sally can climb onto my back. [World-wide Announcement: The City of Bellvia is chaos! Not only has The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, Zern, visited the city and healed many sick people along with the brutal murder of nobles! In addition, the treasure vault has been robbed of many valuable items! Not only that, but the Pce in Bellvia was holding fugitives, and they were found dead in their rooms after Zern left the Pce!] [World Mission: Bellvia is offering a 10 million gold bounty to any information of the mysterious robbers!] [World Mission: The church of the dark ones has offered a huge increase to all their rewards for the capture of Zern and delivery to them!] As Sally settles in, a world announcement goes off. It looks like everything is starting toe out. Once the Dryads are free, even more heat will being Bellvia''s way, and nothing can stop that. "Let''s get a move on. I''ll be flying us at a slower speed today. It''ll be about an hour before we get to the meeting site, and let''s enjoy the opportunity for a slow trip." I''ll admit that I have grown a little tired of flying at full speed. Sally nods her head, and now that she is all settled in, I flex my wings andunch off the ground. I reach the clouds and slow down to around 30 mph. Sally snuggles close and rxes on my back. I look down at the passing dark forest, and the night sky is just starting to pop out. Sally hums a little melody, and it rxes me. We both couldn''t care less about the world announcement. The rtionship we have developed means a lot to me, and I''m not a mushy guy. I find open expressions of love very difficult to do, and that is something that I''m working on. It helps that Sally is simr in this regard. We are bothing to the new dynamic that has entered our lives with caution and taking time. While we have been intimate, it hasn''t been insane. It has been withinfortable boundaries for both of us, and that means something. I don''t know why Sally feels so right for me, but I''m not going to question it. It is what it is. The heart want''s what it wants. All that I''vee to understand about Sally is amazing in my eyes. Someone so special and unique, as well as strong-willed and willing to trust even after what she has been through. I look forward to the idea of spending my foreseeable future with her, and I think she might even feel the same way about me. Chapter 200: The Dice of Wayland

Chapter 200: The Dice of Wand

I look off into the distance and see the silhouette of the abandoned mining site in the moonlight. Sally and I have been flying for a few hours at a nice slow pace, enjoying the freedom of the sky. "We are almost there. Time to find out what The Dice of Wand actually do." Since we aren''t flying so fast, there is no need to yell. I''m d that I''m done in Bellvia. I hope I never have toe back to it. I slowly bring us down in the dark andnd in an opening in front of the mining site. As Ind and let Sally off me. The main doors to the mining site open, and I see Ghostzero. They did the job wlessly, and I have no connection to them. He holds the door open, waiting for us toe in and join them. I toggle my wings off and start walking. We make it to the door and walk-in. They have somenterns burning on a table. Giving light to therge open room and showing off the items they took from the treasure room. "I see you guys went for a little extra. You guys can keep anything other than The Dice of Wand." I walk up to the table and see the many legacy ss items they have taken. I see two blue dice, and they have white engravings that give it a mystical beauty. I ce at all the other items, but the dice grabbed my attention the most. I lean on the table and look down at them. "I hope it wasn''t too hard for you guys to get what you wanted?" Krialder and Creatureman shake their heads in a no fashion. They got what they wanted, and I got what I wanted. I inspect the dice to see why I went through all this trouble. [The Dice of Wand] [Description: A pair of Dice that the legendary cksmith Wand created for anything but ying games. The legendary smith needed a way to catalog all his greatest works and their locations. The Dice of Wand is actually an archive of the armor and weapons he has made and where he hid them. Be warned, though. To ess this knowledge, you''ll need to give a sacrifice¡ªknowledge for knowledge, power for power. The Dice of Wand is an incredibly valuable item, but even with the steep costs to use the item. Only a select few can and ever will use it.] [Special Requirements: You must sacrifice personal power, knowledge, or items for the information contained in The Dice of Wand.] [Special Requirements: You will need to have a blood connection to Wand or other deities of Overworld.] [Quality: Divine] [Durability: Infinite] [Bonus: Since you wield The Witness, a weapon created by Wand. The Dice of Wand boosts its stats and has unlocked more information.] I blink my eyes in slight wonder, they may have the look of dice, but they are actually a map to all his works. Along with an archive of his works, talk about an amazing item. It''s the second divine item I have now, second to Fenrir''s whistle. "What are you going to do with that item? When I first inspected it, I was a little shocked that the Bellvian royal family had something so valuable in their treasure vault." Creatureman asks me a question I don''t really know how to answer. From the requirements to use, I''d say I''d never get a chance to use it. As I think I almost forget about the new notification regarding the heist of Bellvia quest. I see that it''s nowplete, and I read the information onest time before I forget about it. [Heist of Bellvia''s treasure vault][Completed] [Description: Break into Bellvia''s treasure vaults and retrieve The Dice of Wand.] [Objective 1: Once in Bellvia, find a group that can help you pull off the heist.][Completed] [Objective 2: Meet at the location and retrieve The Dice of Wand from the Crew.][Completed] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards: Anything you can take from the vaults other than The Dice of Wand.] I take a breath as the quest is no longer a priority anymore. "I don''t really know what I''m going to do with it... I never expected that the item would be something like this. I thought it would be some weapon or magic item that caused extreme boosts in power. The reality is much more than that. The knowledge locked in these dice is what nations would go to war for. I bet the Bellvian royal family and whatever left of the nobles are freaking out now that this is gone." I ce the dice into my inventory and look at the three men. "I want to thank you all for your help. As I said, keep the rest of the items. If I ever do see you guys again, I hope it''s as allies once again." They nod their heads in agreement. I turn towards Sally and tilt my head for us to leave. We walk towards the exit as I hear them begin to talk, not a serious one. One about what they''ll do now that they''ve had their revenge. I can rte to them. Getting revenge for something horrible done to you or your loved ones is unavoidable sometimes. The transgressions upon you can be that great, and it''s okay to take that revenge, which they have done. We stand in the middle of the mining yard and look up at the stars. There is onest thing I want to check before we leave for The Ruins of the Dryads. I pull out The Witness from its sheath and hold it in front of me. I use inspect on it and begin reading the new information revealed about it and the changes to it. [The Witness] [Description: A legendary sword that has been around since before recorded history, all the greatest and most influential people have wielded this de. Empires have risen and fallen to, and for, this de. It has been held by kings, queens, emperors, and empresses. Along with Sword Saints of unparalleled power and recognition. The Witness is the most powerful of the one-handed swords on Gaia. There is no de better to wield. The construction of The Witness isn''t one know to all. Only a select few know its origins. It was crafted from the same divine metal as Durandal, Excalibur, and Caliburn. They are considered siblings since they were made from the same metal ore.] [New Information: The cksmith that created The Witness is no other than Wand himself. Out of the all swords he created, The Witness ys a special role. While warriors could wield it, its true power would be revealed when The Son of Arch-Angel Michael finally imed it.] [More information will be revealed once you tier up.] [Quality: Legendary] [Durability: Infinite] [Damage: 52,000] [Unique properties] [Has a very high chance to dismember limbs instantly] [Has a very high chance to cause Curse of Dposition] [Description: Areas attacked by Curse of Dposition will rot away till they are cured or the target dies.] [Will always cause critical hit upon vital points struck] [Will always ignore armor and defense ratings] [This sword will gain more power every time you tier up.] [There is no required level to wield this de.] [The Witness resonates with your angelic blood. +10000 focus] [A synergy has been created between The Dice of Wand and The Witness. Damage has been raised to 52,000] It''s a huge boost in purely damage. I can honestly say I didn''t expect this information to be revealed. I''m now certain that something more is going on behind the scenes. It wasn''t just chance that I found the world item. It was pre-determined. Why it was is not known to me, and why I was chosen isn''t known to me either. I sigh and sheath the sword. I toggle my wings on and kneel on the ground. Sally climbs on my back and snuggles up. Iunch off the ground and go at a moderate speed of around 50 mph. I''m not in a rush right now. We need downtime. I''ll speed up the trip the day after tomorrow. I''m grateful to Krialder, Creatureman, and Ghostzero. I wouldn''t have gotten everything I needed and more without their help. I truly do hope the next chapters in their journeys are what they want. "I was wondering if we could stop by a stream... I want to get cleaned up if possible..." Sally whispers into my ear as she rxes on my back. I don''t see any problem with that. I nod my head and let her know the next time I see a stream. I''ll bring us down. "Zern... Thank you for helping me in my personal mission for revenge... I''m sorry that I''ve dragged you into it too..." I chuckle to myself as she says that. I let the silence sit between us before I tell her it''s okay and that I''ll be there no matter what. We are a team and more importantly, important to one another. Chapter 201: Return to The Ancient Ruins of the Dryads I

Chapter 201: Return to The Ancient Ruins of the Dryads I

We have been flying for about an hour so far, and I still haven''t seen a stream of water yet. I want to wash if possible too. It''s been a stressful few days, and I''m starting to smell. "I haven''t seen a stream yet, Sally. We have a few thousand miles to go. We''ll find one eventually. I''m going tond us for the night. Once morninges, we''ll travel at full speed." I''ve been flying slowly in the night to enjoy the downtime. I slowly bring us down andnd on a hill. Sally gets off and leaves into the trees. Probably to use the bathroom. I take the tent out of my inventory and set it all up. We still have around 6 hours till sunrises, and we''ll reach The Ruins of the Dryads after about half a day of traveling at full speed. So it won''t take long. I hear the rustling of the bushes, and Sallyes back out. She walks up to the entrance of the tent and crawls in. I follow her inside andy down on the soft furs. I take a rxed sigh and close my eyes. Sally uses me as a body pillow and snuggles up close. I think of what I''m about to aplish after so long. The legendary quest that I''ve had for so long is getting closer and closer to being finished. I clear my mind and rx since I''ll no longer be having urgent quests to do. Once we are done at the Dryads, I''ll be stopping by Zenith to visit Amelia. That''ll be a good day. After we''re done with that. Sally and I will start her quest for revenge, and I''m going to enjoy helping her kill the men that made her life a living hell. As Cera and Sally sleep, there is an emergency meeting happening. The Pope is the one leading it as always. The public appearance of Zern in the capital city Bellvia has the religiousmunity in an uproar. This is the first time he hase out of hiding in a public light, and the fact he did the same day Bellvia''s treasure room got robbed is not a coincidence. He has no connection, though. I look around the room and see the worried faces of the rulers. We have all heard what happened to the nobles in Bellvia and the threat Zern made to king Kleager''s life. He couldn''t be at this meeting. He is too busy trying to fix the damage done by Zern. One of our 4 high Generals, Oliver ker, has reported some dire news to us. We knew that Zern would be upset with us trying to find him so fervently, but I never expected the reaction he had. I stand up from my chair and make my way to the center of the stage to speak. "The developments that have urred in the capital city Bellvia are true. Zern did, in fact, kill many high-ranking nobles and threatened the life of the king." Many squint their eyes at this. Many of these rulers don''t know how to react to that since they never had anyone with that kind of authority walking around. It''s not like they can fight back against The grandson of the Almighty Father. You would doom your country for 100 generations if you tried something. This also brings up a new problem. The rules normal angels have to follow don''t apply to Zern. Angels normally can''t take mortal life, but that''s not the case for Zern. I watch the queen of the elves twist in her chair slightly. "I want to know about the person he was traveling with. The report says all that''s known about the person is they have long blond hair, but that''s it. That sounds like a woman to me. If he can''t be wed to one of my daughters, then we will withdraw our help in this war. I suggest you find out before we do, cause if what I suspect is true. The church will pay for it." She shuts off her magical hologram, and I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. I look at Lucy and see how fed up she is with all these politics. I''m beginning to feel the same way, but they are necessary for the sessful end to this war. The new people have been a tremendous help, but they are still too weak to bring a definite end. I walk back to my chair, so Lucy has time to speak. She has been battling on all front of this war. When she missed the opportunity to meet Zern, she was seething in silent rage. "I want to address the biggest problem we have encountered in this war. That being supplies. We are constantly running out of food and medicine for the wounded. The war has been getting more brutal thanks to the increase in monsters. It doesn''t help they don''t need to sleep or eat. We need solutions for this right now." Lucy finishes speaking, and many of the holograms mute. The kings and queens are speaking to their financial advisors and military leaders. Lucy leaves the center stage and takes her seat. The meeting continues into the night, and now there are new developments regarding the yers¡ªspecifically the Adamo family. Violet is speaking to her husband as they approach their destination. We have been traveling a long time, and Marcus has grown so powerful in that time. We are on our way to get our legacy sses. We are thest ones in our family. I know in my heart that Hailey already got hers. I look to my husband as we walk side by side. "Are you excited that we get to have our legacy sses? I can''t wait to test out the new powers we''ll be getting." My husband smiles at me and nods his head in agreement. He grabs my hand and holds it as we walk. The time we have got to spend together has brought us much closer. We live a life of adventure now, one that is unhindered by others. We have no one to answer to, and we are free to do whatever we want. These things together have allowed us to rediscover our love. We both look at the back of Marcus ahead of us, having fun. "I''m very excited about it. We have crossed so muchnd and met so many new people. I''m sure Sir Erikson is having a good time running the guild while on the move. What I want the most, though, is to have our family back together again. To meet up and talk about our journeys. I''m interested to see what has transpired with Cera and Hailey." Ipletely agree with what he says. The world announcements only tell us so much about Cera, and we don''t know if the person who got Battlemind is Hailey. I worry about both of them every day. It helps that I have Marcus with me, but that hole in my heart is still there with them gone. I''ve had them with me every day of my life. It''s hard to have a connection like that torn apart in the span of a few hours. "I have a feeling it''s going to be a long time before I see my babies again. They are adults, though, and I shouldn''t be defining my life as only a mother. Outside of those rtionships, I don''t know who I am. The thought of what I want is unfamiliar. For the longest time, what I wanted has been what my kids wanted. So this is new to me, and I''m growing to the change. Thanks for being so strong for me. Even the times I blew up on you for no reason." I apologize to Chris and think about my situation. I look out into the vast dark horizon as we continue walking the road. Earth is gone, and it always will be. The Ancients World has be our home, though, and it''s growing on me. Chris brings me close and kisses me. He holds me to his side as we walk the path to our destination. "I think that as long as we have each other, nothing can ever be too hard. We were struggling parents in a dying world for almost 25 years. Compared to that, this is a cakewalk. We have time, youth, and love on our side Violet. Let''s take all the time in the world for whatever we want." I smile at my husband''s words. We both look at Marcus and see him ying with fire. It still makes me nervous, but thanks to his ss, fire can''t hurt him. Having the legendary fire magic ss, Phoenix will do that. His fire is a beautiful zing white, and it can change depending on his emotions. If Cera could see him now, he would be proud. Just as proud as Chris and I are. The night passes as people either travel or sleep. The next chapter in Gaia is about to start, and it starts with a couple sleeping in a tent. The future is uncertain, but one thing is for sure. It''s only going to get more interesting. Chapter 202: Return to The Ancient Ruins of the Dryads II

Chapter 202: Return to The Ancient Ruins of the Dryads II

I feel the sun shining into the tent, and a warm heat engulfs the inside of the tent. I open my eyes, and the gunk makes it a little hard. I peel Sally off me and exit the tent. I stretch out my body, and many pops run down my back. I look out to the vast horizon and see the endless sea of trees. We''ll make it to the Dryads ruins by this afternoon. Sally still wants to find a stream, though, so there will be a tiny detour there. Once we do find a stream, I''m going to get clean with it too. I''ve realized that having chances to clean yourself is few and far between. I walk over to a log a little off from the camp, and I sit down. The sun has just risen over the mountains, and it''s warming up everything. This world is so much healthier than earth. It makes me wonder if earth ever had a beauty like this. If it ever didn''t look like it was dying. Perhaps long ago, it did, many years before my time. A cold breezees through our little area, and it feels good in contrast to the rising heat of today¡ªmy mind shifts to my family and how they are doing right now. I know for a fact that both Hailey and Marcus have their sses now. Mom and Dad are the only ones left that need to get theirs. They''ll be getting legacy sses for swordsmen themselves. I hope that I''ll get to see them again but at this point. I don''t see that happening. I don''t even know where they are, and after I''m done with the Dryads, Sally and I are going to hunt down all the evil men that ruined her life and push the elves. Out of all the things that I hope to do in the future, meeting up with my family is going to be one of them. As I stare off into the distance, I hear shufflinging from the tent behind me. After a couple of seconds, Sally crawls out and looks pretty tired still. The sucky part is neither of us has eaten in quite some time. I could hunt us some food quickly and make us breakfast, but that might be too bloody for early morning. Sally walks over to me, half asleep, and sits next to me. She proceeds to plop her body on mine. I hear her stomach growl a secondter, a long one too. "I''m sooo Huuungry... Do we have any food?" I shake my head, and she groans in protest. She holds onto her stomach as if to convey I need to do something about it. I stand up from my spot and toggle my wings on. "I''ll be back with some meat. I don''t know what kind it''ll be, but I''ll have food when I return. You get a fire going so we can cook it." She looks at me in excitement, and Iunch off the ground and fly around the area, looking for any food. I see some elk grazing in a clear a little ways off. I draw my sword and dive down towards a buck. I cut its head off as Ind. The rest of the elk scatter as fast as they can. I spend the next 15 minutes gutting and cleaning the meat. Ites out really rough since I don''t have any skills to help with that or the proper ss. I pack the meat that is usable into my inventory, and I head back to camp. Now we really need to find a stream so I can clean this blood off me. I gentlynd and see that Sally has a nice fire going. She looks over, waiting for me to confirm that I have food. I pull out two big pieces of elf meat, and she smiles. She isn''t as picky as Hailey. I walk over to the fire with her, and we stick the meat on some sticks and hang them over the fire. "You sure don''t know how to kill something cleanly, do you? How many times have I seen you covered in blood before... I think this is the third time, or maybe it''s the fourth." She teases me about the fact I''m messy when ites to this particr thing that I do. I chuckle and sit back down on the log, waiting for the food to cook. "I''m kind of excited that we get to free the Dryads. I''ve only learned about them from some books I read after I escaped." I should tell her about the boss we''ll have to fight. Speaking of bosses, we need to fight. The chamber that Elenore is locked in will be a tight space to fight a powerful boss. "The boss we have to fight is going to be powerful. When I first went to the Dryads ruins, I was too weak to face it. The power beyond the door was strong enough to fully convince me that I wasn''t ready. So expect a tough fight once we do get there." She stays quiet and nods her head as she stares at the elk meat. I''m pretty hungry, too, and I can understand wanting to eat first before doing anything like discussing a boss battle. While the food cooks, I pull up the quest to refresh my memory on it. The quest changed slightly after I got that potion. So remembering the new details is important. [Quest: The False One] [Description: You have found the truth about Bellvia and their involvement with the Dryads, and you have found out about the curse and who made it. You will have a choice to make. Only one of the following objectives can bepleted.] [Objective 1: Expose the Kingdom of Bellvia and have them pay for their crimes.][Not Avable] [Objective 2: Find the weakness of the curse and use it to free the Dryads and return them to Ancients World.][Completed] [Objective 3: Now that you are in Bellvia, finding the right person to talk to is important. How you do this is up to you.][Completed] [Objective 4: Use the potion to cleanse Princess nore in the boss room at the Ruins of The Dryads.][In Progress] [Quality: Legendary] [Rewards: Hidden] The potion was rewarded to me afterpleting An Abomination. All it tells me about it is it will free Elenore from the curse. I don''t know where all the Dryads are. What The Secret Keeper of Titans told me seems a little farfetched. I''m brought from my thoughts as I smell the food and see that it''s done. I stand up and talk both pieces of meat off the sticks, and I had one to Sally. She immediately digs in and looks satisfied with the food. I follow suit and enjoy it, while it isn''t the best. It''s not the worst. It fills you and has some vor. "Thank you for going out of your way to getting us some food this morning! I don''t know how long I could''vested till the next meal we had." I smile at Sally''s improved energy and enthusiasm. We finish our food in a few minutes, and I pack up the tent. I toggle my wings back on and wait for Sally to climb onto my back. As she getsfortable, Iunch off the ground and reach above the clouds. I reach the full speed of 430 mph and look down towards the ground and through the clouds. I have to keep an eye out for any streams. After flying for around 40 minutes, I spot a stream breaking through thend. I take us down really fast, and Sally holds on tight. Ind us gracefully next to the stream, and Sally gets off. Her hair is messy from the speed we were flying and diving at. She fixes it after running it through her hair a couple of times. "Too bad we don''t have any soap, but this will do just fine." She proceeds to take off her clothes while I watch. I turn away before she has nothing left. I hear her giggle and walk up behind me. "If you want to clean your armor, this is your chance to do so." Sheces her voice with temptation, while we can''t have any real fun because she is on her period. That doesn''t mean we can''t be physical. I release a tiny sigh and unequip my armor down to my underwear. I turn around and see she is wearing a bra and panties. I''m secretly grateful she is. That would be so much to handle. She smiles and dives into the stream. I smile and follow suit. The cool water is so much more refreshing and rxing. It''s clean and clear, not murky and polluted like earth. Sallyes up from the water and sshes me. I smile and spread my wings out. Her smile fades as she realizes what''s about to happen. Chapter 203: Return to The Ancient Ruins of the Dryads III

Chapter 203: Return to The Ancient Ruins of the Dryads III

I use myrge wings to ssh Sally with water. I make sure it isn''t too much. I still want it to be fun, after all. We ssh around in the water for a few minutes and calm down. I toggle my wings off as Saly makes her way closer with a certain look on her face. I wait for her, and once she is within arms reach, she wraps her arms around my neck and brings me in closer. "You know, you still haven''t cleaned your armor... Don''t you think you should get on that? I mean, it is covered in elk blood after all." I smile slightly and lean my head towards hers. She matches me and leans forward as she closes her eyes. Our lips make contact a secondter, and it sends a warm feeling throughout my body. We don''t add any extra movement or make it hot¡ªjust a simple kiss. I like these ones the most. We pull apart for a second only to make contact again. I feel Sally run her fingers through my wet hair and move her lips in a sensual motion. It looks like we are moving on from simple kisses. I match the calm small movements, and after a couple more seconds, we pull away from each other. She stares into my eyes with a pure smile. "You make me have butterflies in my stomach... Sometimes, I wonder what I''d do if any other woman tried to steal you from me. I hate sounding possessive and controlling, but I hate that thought so much..." I hate the thought of some other man taking you from me, so I get the feeling. I''m the type of man that wants to be with one girl I like for the rest of my life. I tilt my head slightly and notice she is waiting for a response. "I get that, Sally. I don''t like the thought of losing you to another, and I''d probably kill the man that tried. I never expected us to grow so close, but it''s hard not to like you, Sally. The first conversation we had made meugh. I opened my room door, and you said that I needed a serious bath. After learning more about you, it made me wonder how you could turn out the way you did. So kind and sweet, with a good heart. I can see now that it''s because of you, your own strength. That''s rare to find in anyone, and I love it." Her cheeks redden as her smile getsrger from my retelling the first time we met. She lowers her head just a little while keeping eye contact. It''s a look that puts me on edge. She brings her head forward and starts kissing me again. This time she is much more exploratory. She moves her lips in medium torge movements, sticking the tip of her tongue in ever so slightly at random intervals. After upping the intensity, she uses the tip of her tongue to touch mine. The feeling is good on both ends as we both release a small moan at the contact. The contact stops, and we pull away from each other. I open my eyes to see the half-closed eyes of Sally with red burning cheeks. I watch her take deep breaths and have a certain look in her eye. I must have the same blushing face as hers. "I hate that I''m on my period right now..." I crack a grin at the disappointed look on her face as she remembers that. I bring us back to the edge of the stream. I''m tall enough to reach the bottom. She hangs on as I bring us out of the water. The heat has risen since we went in the water. I gently let her go and watch as she uses the sun to dry off. I''m disappointed she is on her period too. I turn back to the stream and take my armor out of my inventory. I go waist-deep in the water and drop my armor in. I scrub the elk blood out as best I can, and the clean, clear water dies a little red as the water carries the blood downstream. Leaving it in my inventory would have cleaned it, but I want it clean right now after I get all the blood out and take them out of the water andy them next to Sally''s clothes. I walk over and sit next to her on a rock. Sally takes a seat on the same rock I''m on, limiting space to where we have to lean on one another. "So, have you thought about what we are going to do first after Zenith? You know all the targets after all." She looks out to the stream with a calm expression. It''s going to be hard to face the men that did that to her, and while I''d like to cut them down myself. I''m going to leave that pleasure for Sally. The thought of her being abused makes a rage fester inside me, one that I''ve never had in my life. It''s not a good rage. It''s an evil one. She sighs and leans her head on my shoulder. "We don''t have to talk about it now. We''ll discuss it after we are done in Zenith." She nods her head and grabs my hand with hers. I''m going to be with her the entire time. If she needs to fall back on me, she can, and if she needs me to let her do all the dirty work, then that''s fine too. "How long do you think it''ll be before we make it to the Dryads?" I tell her we''ll get there beforete evening. Traveling at full speed as we have been will make the trip fast. "I''m excited that we get to help an entire race of people be freed from a curse. Who knows what will happen once they are free... Are we going to have to exin to them everything that has happened since they were cursed thousands of years ago?" Sally brings up a point that I have avoided thing about since it''s reallyplex. Exining everything that''s happened to the Dryads will be hard, and I doubt they''ll let Bellvia off the hook after all this time. To them, it happened yesterday. "I''m not sure, Sally. They are returning to a world that has been without them for a couple of thousand years, and the way they left was not of their own ord. They will want Bellvia to pay for its crimes against them. What I''m worried about is how it will affect the rest of Gaia and the wars that we are in and are on the horizon." Bellvia, during the time of the Dryads, was in league with the church of dark ones. After the war was over and the church of light discovered Bellvia''s treachery, they had to let them go. There were too many innocent people in Bellvia to punish the entire country. It isn''t the normal people''s fault that the rulers did what they did. This led the church to cover it up. The Dryads don''t know this, but I''m sure they would if they took Belliva and learned the military secrets. That would cause a new war, and it''ll spilt allegiances all over Gaia. "We can cross that bridge when we get there, all right? I don''t think it''s fair that you have to solve all the world''s problems." Sally reassures me and kisses me on the cheek. We are both dry now, and that means it''s time to get a move on. We don''t reek anymore, which is nice, and I''m happy to be traveling with Sally. We stand up and get dressed. Laying our clothes in the sun really dried them off. I toggle my wings on and kneel so Sally can climb on. Once she is all settled in, Iunch us off the ground at full speed, and we reach the clouds. I keep the speed up and enjoy thete morning sunshine. If I did have a favorite part of the day, it''d bete morning. It''s when things aren''t too cold or hot yet. It''s been quite some time since I''ve been to The Ancient Ruins of the Dryads. I honestly never thought I''d be back. A true bonafide legendary quest sure is difficult. I''d be lying if I said I didn''t care about the reward. I can only guess what I''d be getting, lots of levels and some great items. Probably huge reputation boosts with all light factions, too, and having the Dryads as my friends just like the fairies are. I wonder what the first thing they''ll do once they are free from the curse. Finding loved ones and connecting after being cursed, I couldn''t imagine such a fate. We fly for the next several hours, and aste afternoon approaches, I can see the ruins as we soar through the sky. This is it, freeing the Dryads at least. Fighting a powerful boss that will surely stand in the way andpleting a quest I''ve had since I''ve started my journey here. Only for the next chapter with Sally to be right around the corner. Chapter 204: The Dryad Princess Elenore I

Chapter 204: The Dryad Princess Elenore I

Ind us right at the gate that leads into the ruins. Nothing has changed since I wasst here. I let Sally off me, and we both stare at the entranceway. "Let''s do this." She nods her head in agreement, and we walk into the same massive courtyard I did the first time I came here. There isn''t anything out of ce from thest time I was here. I see the cathedral that I entered when I went looking for the diaries that Wilmer needed. "That''s the ce. There is a powerful boss in the boss room. It''s guarding Elenore''s body." I finally get to see what creature is protecting the princess''s sleeping body. Thest time I was here, I avoided the fight because I could feel that it was much more powerful than I was, but I''ve gained a lot of power since then. I wouldn''t be surprised if I could easily overwhelm the creature, but I doubt it will be so easy to do. We walk up the stairs that lead to the front door, and I push them open. I look forward and see the doors that enter into the chamber princess Elenore is being kept. I make sure Sally is behind me before approaching. I''m not totally certain that she is strong enough. We approach the door, and I ce my hand on it, getting the prompt this is a boss room and asking if I''m sure I want to enter with my party. I think yes, and the door slowly creeks open. As I stare into the room being lit by blue light, I see the boss monster. I don''t know what it is. It''s something that I''ve never seen before. It must have been here for a very long time. I use inspect on it as I draw my sword. [Offspring of Evil Lvl.220 tier 4 Boss][Heavily Suppresed] 200,000,000/200,000,000 HP [Description: Unknown] It feels that it''s been inspected and turns towards us. It has a hideous face, covered in boils and holes that insectse and go from. "Look who finally decided toe back. You have gotten strong, Son of Michael." The creature speaks in multiple voices, and it has an echo that reverberates in the chamber. It''s obviously very old and has probably been here a long time. "I bet you''re wondering why I''m talking to you instead of fighting you?" In truth, I am. I nod my head, confirming his suspicion. He smiles as his rotten ck teeth show. "The princess isn''t the only one here against her will. So I want to make a proposition for you. Just listen to what I have to say and take a couple of minutes to think about it." This sounds like the saying of evils soft first touches. I nod my head entertaining the idea, and he turns to look back at the princess. "The curse that Ulma Runa put on her and the dryad people is powerful, and I have no doubt you have the cure. I was brought to this realm by Ulma Runa to make sure nobody ever freed the dryads. For a price, of course. However, Ulma Runa hasn''t paid that price for my services." I can somewhat see where this is going. He either wants to be free so he can go after Ulma Runa or wants me to do something about it. "I''ll let you awaken the princess if you break the contract that Ulma Runa and I have. It''s simple, really. All you have to do is activate your title and use one of your special active skills." The creature sure does know a lot about me and my capabilities. Not to mention his power is heavily suppressed. I don''t know how strong he really is. I close my eyes, thinking about it. It''ll save me the time of fighting this beast. It''ll also go after Ulma Runa and probably return to where it came from. It sounded like it prefers that ce more so than Gaia. "I can do this for you, but how do I know you''ll keep your word? Your grudge against Ulma Runa sounds serious, but you are more than meets the eye. I''m not foolish enough to trust you without some proof of good faith in your words." The creatures and hods his head in approval. I guess this creature likes to y games, be them mental or physical. I watch his giant body move over to a chest in the room, one that doesn''t fit. It leaks evil. It must be his. He opens the chest and pulls out a scroll. I swear if it''s a quest, I''m just going to fight this monster instead. "This is another piece that your sword is missing from its power. The Witness is a holy sword, but itcks any of its holy properties. Where do you think all of that''s gone? There are pieces of its power spread across Gaia. This is one of them. Take it as a sign of good faith." He tosses the scroll to me, and as I catch it, I can feel The Witness vibrating in my hand. I use inspect on the scroll, but nothing happens. "ce the scroll on the de of The Witness. Their power willbine once again." I listen to the creature andbine the powers. A bright light explodes from The Witness. Once the light fades, the weapon is overflowing with divine energy. I use inspect on it to see new changes. [The Witness] [Description: A legendary sword that has been around since before recorded history, all the greatest and most influential people have wielded this de. Empires have risen and fallen to, and for, this de. It has been held by kings, queens, emperors, and empresses. Along with Sword Saints of unparalleled power and recognition. The Witness is the most powerful of the one-handed swords on Gaia. There is no de better to wield. The construction of The Witness isn''t one know to all. Only a select few know its origins. It was crafted from the same divine metal as Durandal, Excalibur, and Caliburn. They are considered siblings since they were made from the same metal ore.] [New Information: The cksmith that created The Witness is no other than Wand himself. Out of all the swords he created, The Witness ys a special role. While warriors could wield it, its true power would be revealed when The Son of Arch-Angel Michael finally imed it.] [More information will be revealed once you tier up.] [Quality: Legendary] [Durability: Infinite] [Damage: 52,000] [Unique properties] [Has a very high chance to dismember limbs instantly] [Has a very high chance to cause Curse of Dposition] [Description: Areas attacked by Curse of Dposition will rot away till they are cured or the target dies.] [Will always cause critical hit upon vital points struck] [Will always ignore armor and defense ratings] [This sword will gain more power every time you tier up.] [There is no required level to wield this de.] [The Witness resonates with your angelic blood. +10000 focus] [A synergy has been created between The Dice of Wand and The Witness. Damage has been raised to 52,000] [Divinity Burn (Inherent Skill)] [Description: A powerful burn skill that is fueled by divine power. Especially effective against anything non-deity.] [Damage: 240,000 Over Time] [This skill will active every third swing and burn the target for 12 seconds.] I had no idea The Witness had more pieces of its power scattered around Gaia. "I can see now that you really just want to get out of this ce. Giving this to me is obvious enough." I enter my yer interface and activate my title. A bunch of new special active skills shows up, and I look through the ones that might work. I find one that may work. I walk up to the creature and hold my hand out in front of it. I use the skill, and a blue light leaves my hand and enters the creature. A secondter, I see ck chains appear around the creature and shatter. The creature takes a deep breath and pops its giant disgusting body. "I hope that you don''t try anything now that you''re free." The creature looks at me and transforms into a regr man. He walks up to me and looks me up and down. He has the ability to change forms. Why he chose that disgusting one up till now is beyond me. "It''s so great to be free after all these long years. I have missed this form, the one that fits in the best in this realm. Go and save the dryads. I have a deal to finish." He smiles sinisterly and disappears in ck goop. As his presence leaves the area, it feels so much lighter and less suppressed. I turn and look at Sally and see she is shaking slightly. I would be in her position. I wasn''t scared because I knew I could kill him if I used all my skills. Sally, on the other hand, wouldn''t want to fight something named The Offspring of Evil. I turn and look at the sleeping Elenore, this is it. Chapter 205: The Dryad Princess Elenore II

Chapter 205: The Dryad Princess Elenore II

I take the potion out of my inventory and bring it up to the sleeping Elenore. She is calmly breathing as I tilt her head up very slightly. I uncap the potion and bring the bottle to her mouth. I slightly open her mouth for her, and I pour the potion into her mouth. I make sure everyst drop makes its way in. Iy her back down as the empty potion bottle shatters. I watch as some color returns to her face, and she stirs a little. "Miss Elenore? Can you hear me?" As I ask that question, her head turns in my direction, and her eyes slightly flutter open. I look into the dryad princess''s eyes, and I notice they are a deep green. She reaches her hand out in support, and I take it. She tries to get up, and I help her sit up. She holds her head and looks at the ground with hazy-looking eyes. "Where am I? What happened..." She begins to speak, and I feel really bad for her as I listen. She has been stuck in this ce for a very long time. Probably not even aware she was cursed. "Where are my father and little sister?" I hold her up as I let her think and ask questions. She might be too weak to even stand on her own. I sling her arm over my shoulders and help her stand. I think taking her outside is going to be the way to do this. Some fresh air after a few thousand years can really help clear the head. I go slow as I walk her to the door, making sure I don''t rush her and push her harder than she is ready for. We make it to the chamber''s door, and we exit. The exit to the cathedral is next, and I can see a tired look on her face. She is really having a hard time. We exit the cathedral and make our way to the courtyard. I bring her to an old ruined stone bench. I watch her eyes look around in horror. This massive ce used to be her and her people''s home. Seeing it in this state would make anyone shaken up. "My name is Zern, and the girl over there is Sally. We are here to help you and your people." She looks at me and has confusion on her face. She puts her hands on her head and leans her head down. She stays like that for a few seconds. As I watch her, I look at Sally and tilt my head for her toe over andfort Elenore. Sallyes over and takes my spot. She rubs Elenore''s back in support. I stand up and notice that the magical energy is constantly climbing higher and higher around here. Something is going to happen. I look back towards Elenore and notice that most of the energy is converging on her. "I take it you don''t remember what happened to you. Your people suffered greatly at the hands of Bellvia." She raises her head fast as I say those words. "So you remember them at least. You should know that you have been sleeping the past few thousand years. Your people are trapped in a ce they can''t get out of. However, I expect that to change very soon." She tries to stand up, and Sally helps her. She starts walking to the old fountain with water stilling through it. She sits on the edge and looks into the water. She takes a hand full and drinks some of it. She must be quite parched. "I had hoped that Bellvia proposing the marriage would end our conflicts. It turns out it was just a ploy... I can feel my people trapped in a ce beyond here... I can almost reach them, but I don''t have the power to." Sally looks at me as Elenore says that. I can definitely share my power with her. I walk up to her and ce my hand on her shoulder. I close my eyes and channel my energy through her. She takes a deep gasp, and divinity is being given to her. "You have so much power... All of it''s at a level I have never felt. I''m going to need as much as you can give and more." I nod my head and pour more of my power into her. I can feel my billions in mana lower fast, and she doesn''t look ready yet. Sally decides to help and ces her hand on her other shoulder, and channels the little mana she can. After a few more minutes of this and my mana pool almost at zero, she stands up and takes a deep breath. "I''m going to try and open a gateway between here and where my people are. Once it''s open, they''lle through. There will be millions returning, and I''ll need all the help I can get keeps the gateway open long enough for them toe through." I nod my head and notice my mana drain has slowed down, and I sit around 900,000,000. She puts her hands together and begins to chant a magic I have never heard before. As she finishes, multiple portals open up, and countless dryadse out of them. The drain on my mana starts up again, and it''s not as fast as before. We do this for the next 15 minutes, and the number of dryadsing through has decreased. She takes makes a painful gasp and stops channeling as no more dryadse out. I catch her as she falls in my arms. I carry her as more and more dryads begin to stand up and get their bearings. "Take me to my father. I need to speak with him..." I don''t know what her father looks like. I look around as more and more dryads stand. As I look, I get a notification. It''s about the legendary quest. As I carry Elenore through the crowds of dryads, many see that I''m carrying their beloved princess. Many follow behind us and whisper to one another. I can hear some of them. They are mostly about what happened to them and their kingdom. I open my quest to read it. [Quest: The False One][Completed] [Description: You have found the truth about Bellvia and their involvement with the Dryads, and you have found out about the curse and who made it. You will have a choice to make. Only one of the following objectives can bepleted.] [Objective 1: Expose the Kingdom of Bellvia and have them pay for their crimes.][Not Avable] [Objective 2: Find the weakness of the curse and use it to free the Dryads and return them to Ancients World.][Completed] [Objective 3: Now that you are in Bellvia, finding the right person to talk to is important. How you do this is up to you.][Completed] [Objective 4: Use the potion to cleanse Princess nore in the boss room at the Ruins of The Dryads.][Completed] [Quality: Legendary] [Rewards] +100 yer levels +5000 to all stats +25,000 reputation increase with the dryad kingdom +15,000 reputation with the Goddess of nature, Artemis +50 levels to active skills. I pull up my yer information to see the new changes to my levels and stats. [yer (Zern) Lvl.190] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 7240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 56,560,000,000/56,560,000,000][Mana: 196,600,000,000/196,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 1000][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] I feel the surge in power in my body, and Iplete a quest and get two new ones. The quest Ipleted was the first to get to level 150, and all that gave me was a reputation boost with all light side factions around Gaia. I pull up the new quests. [Tier 2 quest] [Tier 3 quest][Mustplete tier 2 quest first] I decide not to open them right now. I need to focus on what is going on right now. I continue to walk through the dryad people until an area in front of me is also parting. I stop and wait. A man in incredible armor and extravagant robes walks out. "Elenore!" He runs up to me and takes his daughter gently out of my arms. "Oh god, what''s happened to you!" She is looking quite sickly now, and Elenore just looks up at her father and smiles. She looks to be on death''s door. I can save her. I toggle my title on, and many back away in shock. The king looks at the title in surprise. I hold out my hand and heal Elenore. As I do, a world announcement goes off. Chapter 206: The Dryad Princess Elenore III

Chapter 206: The Dryad Princess Elenore III

[World-wide Announcement: Zern has freed the dryad people from their curse after thousands of years! The dryad people is be reintegrated into society and exin what happened to them all those years ago!] I finish healing Elenore, and she opens her eyes as she now looks perfectly healthy. She stares at me and the title floating above my head. "I knew we weren''t forsaken... I told you so, father..." The king hugs his daughter as she says those words. I look around and see all the dryads stare at me. Wonder, fear, and respect fill their gazes. The dryads are connected to the deity Artemis and since I''m the grandson of The Almighty Father. They think I''m connected in some way. Well, they are right, but not blood-rted. Only rted by the fact that divinity flows through me. I look towards Sally and see her smile at me. "It''s time for us to go. I''m sure that someone from somewhere will be sent. It''s been a pleasure meeting all of you, and I hope your race prospers from here on out." I toggle my wings on and kneel so Sally can climb on my back. "We''ll probably see each other again in the future, princess. I hope it''s as friends and not enemies. The world you havee back to is very different than the one you were taken from." She reaches out in a motion for me to wait, but we have spent enough time here. Sally finishes settling in, and Iunch us off the ground and turn us in the direction of Zenith. The dryad people are now free and can live there life they want. I doubt I''ll ever meet Ulma Runa, not with that creature after her. As we fly away and into the clouds, I hear Sally ask me something. "You know we could have stayed and helped a little bit... I know that my revenge is the next thing on the agenda, but all the work they''ll need to do to rebuild... It doesn''t feel right leaving them." I smile as I hear her words as we soar through the clouds. We aren''t going full speed, so we can talk normally. "They need to adjust on their own, Sally. If someone like me holds their hand, they''ll be worse off for it. The world isn''t what it used to be. The dryads will have plenty of new friends and allies willing to help them. I''m betting everything will work out fine for them. While there is war and death. It''s still a world where alliances exist, and people help each other." Sally snuggles in more and sighs in content. We''ll fly slow. We could use the time to rx before nightfall and time to camp. While Cera and Sally continue their cruise in thete afternoon, there are other meetings around Gaia, many of them involving the recent return of the dryads. There is a meeting between the leaders and the church, and the one speaking right now is The Pope. I pinch the bridge of my nose and release a deep sigh. He did it again. He saved another race of people. I look around the room and see everyone''s expressions. Many of us have the same thoughts as each other. "I want to lead off this meeting by saying more and more is happening on Gaia, and all of ites down to the actions of Zern. It''s safe to say that the fate of our world and wars rest with him. Everywhere he goes, waves are made." I honestly don''t know if it''s a good thing anymore. If having him on in this realm is good. As a being of the highest life rating, he shouldn''t even be walking around on Gaia. Many, including me, have deduced that the rules that other angels must abide by don''t apply to him. "I''m going to assume that everyone''s focus is the war as it should be, but after what happened in Bellvia... I want all of you to be on guard. You don''t know when or where something like that will happen again or to whom." The thought of being killed by Zern makes many in this room shiver. It would bother me too. They are at the top of the mortal food chain. They are scared for the first time in their lives. Gregory stands up and takes center stage to speak. "The war is slowly being tilted in our favor, and with all this chaos being caused by Zern, it''s not making our efforts any easier. Now the church has to waste resources on an entire race of people that need to be educated and readjusted to society." How pragmatic of him, and while many agree with his words. Everyone knows that if we don''t help the dryads, we could suffer the wrath of Artemis. He heads back to his seat and sits back down. I don''t know the future of our world. I''m no great seer or wise man. "These troubled times are leading to many problems everywhere. So that''s why I''m going to step down as The Pope." Many look at me, shocked and surprised. I can''t lead these people. I''m no military statagist. Lucy unfolds her arms as her mouth hangs open. "The seers will find the next suitable Pope in a few weeks. In the meantime, I''m going to leave all the decisions regarding my role in the church to you, Gregory." He goes stiff as I say that. He is the best leader here. He has the most experience out of everyone. "So you''re just going to abandon us!?? Leave us to fight this war without you!? You don''t decide when you quit. The seers do!!" Too bad for her, the seers agree with me. It''s time I stopped worrying so much about others and focus on myself. I''ve sacrificed so much already, and I''m tired of this life. "Once the people hear of this, they''ll riot! Demanding your blood!" Lucy has always been so passionate. If anyone can win this war, it''s going to be her. As the chaotic meeting in the church continues, night falls on Gaia, and Zern brings Sally and him down for the night. I bring us down andnd in an opening away from trees and foliage. I let Sally off, and I set us up a tent. Once morninges, I''ll go full speed so we can get to Zenith by noon. "Amelia is going to love you. She is the kindest person I''ve ever met." Amelia is going to be surprised to see me. She doesn''t know I''ming to visit her. I haven''t checked the mail in any of the cities I''ve been to recently. So she is probably really worried about me. Sallyes into the tent andys down next to me. She rxes against me and sighs happily. I want to see my stats again after all that work. I didn''t really get a chance to appreciate them. [yer (Zern) Lvl.190] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 7240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 56,560,000,000/56,560,000,000][Mana: 196,600,000,000/196,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 1000][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] I still have 1000 stat points to put somewhere, but I don''t need to at this point. My active skills have gotten so much more powerful, and the boosts on them are insane. I can output hundreds of millions of damage. Something I didn''t think was possible, and I don''t think any mortal creature can hurt me anymore. Sally runs her hand up and down my chest piece and hums slightly. I feel rxed by her little melody. "You know, I think I''m going to ask your mother so much about you. I can already hear the stories." That''ll be bad. Amelia doesn''t know anything about me. So I should warn Sally, I exin what Amelia and I have been through, and she looks sad now. "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have thought that. I figured she raised you cause you turned out so good." Amelia would''ve raised me well, but I can''t imagine my life without my real mom and dad. I kiss sally''s forehead, and her cheeks flush red. I rarely show affection like this, but I do love her reactions when it happens. After a while, we both fall asleep and rest well for theing journey ahead. {I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Chapter 207: Returning to Zenith I

Chapter 207: Returning to Zenith I

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I wake up in the middle of the night. I look towards the top of the tent. I yawn after a couple of seconds and rub my eyes slightly. I lean up and roll my neck a bit. Sally is still sleeping calmly. We have both had a long trip. Getting all the rest we can is important. "Mmm... Come back to bed... You''re so warm..." Sally begins to wake up from myck of being by her. I smile down at her as she reaches her arms up and around me. She slowly pulls me back down, and I give in. I rx as I''m brought into her grasp. She strokes that weak part in me, that soft spot for her. I never thought I''d love someone, but you never know when it can happen. She runs her fingers through my hair as Iy near her chest. I am taller than her, but I''m sleeping lower in the tent. So I''m firmly between her perfectly sized pillows. Well, perfect to me. Not too big and not too small. "Your warm breath is nice..." I chuckle as I hear her say that. I can hear her giggle slightly too. Goosebumps appear on my neck and shoulders at her touch. I decide to be a little brave, and I nt a couple of kisses on her chest. She gently grips my hair as I do. She hasn''t said no, but I want to be sure and safe. I don''t want to hurt her unknowingly. I raise my eyes out of her breasts, and I look up at her. She looks down at me, and her cheeks are red, and her eyes are half-lidded. "Are you okay with any of this? I want to make sure yourfortable before I do anything else." She grins and runs her fingers in my hairline. She nods her head and pushes my head away gently. I watch her slowly take off her chest cover, and I''m met with a white bra. She unclips the back of her bra and undoes it. I see her pale breasts and pink nipples. She sees me staring and turns her head slightly, and covers her cute buds. "Do stare so much... It''s embarrassing..." I crawl over to her, and sheys on her back. I hang over her, and she slowly uncovers her chest. I take that as a sign I can proceed. I slowly lower my ripped body on hers, and a tingle of pleasure goes through my body as my hard body connects with her soft and fit one. She releases a little moan at the contact. I think that''s a good sign. It means she feels good at the contact between us right now. I lower my face between her breasts again and ce my hands on the sides of them. She is breathing harder now, and I slowly move them in a circr motion. I look up at her face from between her breasts to see if I''m doing this right from her reaction. As I do, she runs both her hands through the hair around my ears. She lightly nods her head, and I continue doing what I''m doing. Not changing anything. What I''m doing is perfect. I continue the gentle circr motion. I move my index finger from its current spot and ce the tips of my fingers on the tips of her nipples. She bucks her hips and locks her legs around my waist. I feel slight wetness on my 6 pack, right between her legs. This is the first time I''ve yed with her breasts before, and while it feels, go to do it. I don''t know what else to do. I decide to try something, and I move my fingertips in the same circr motion I''m moving her breasts in. She moans loudly and squeezes her legs around me harder. I stop using my fingertips on her nipples, and I lift my head. I don''t want to favor one over the other. So I push her nipples together, so they are touching. Her breath isbored now. I kiss them once to see if that is good for her, and she throws her head back and presses her lower body hard against mine. As time goes on, the wetness between us gets more in volume. I continue to kiss and pull away from her nipples. I hope teasing like this is pleasurable for her. Cause her reactions are amazing to me. I''ve been hard for a long time, and it hurts. I have too good a time to care about that, though. I decide to take it up a notch, and I use my lips to capture the nipples and suck on them. I gently do it, making sure it isn''t hard or hurtful. She takes her hands out of my hair and grips the furs around her head. I suck on them a couple more seconds before I stop. She looks in disappointment, but before she can say anything, I stick out my tongue and lick the tips of her nipples. Her eyes roll just slightly before sheys her head back on the furs. The movements I''m using are foreign and new to me. I really just working on her reactions. I suck on them again, but this time I use my tongue to circle them while they are in my mouth. I do this for a few seconds as Sally writhes underneath me. After a couple more seconds, she throws her arms around my neck and clings her entire body around mine as I feel her body rock and shake. I feel a pleasure shoot up my spine as I hear her deep breaths in my ear. She pulls off me, and I stop all the movement and sit next to her as her chest rises and falls with each breath. She reaches for her belt and begins to undo it, and she soon has her pants off. Her pretty white underwear is quickly removed too. She looks at me, waiting for me to follow suit. "Are you still on your period?" I don''t want to hurt her and cause a big mess. She nods her head yes, and opens her legs anyway. I feel huge pleasure at the motion. The fact she is willing to open her legs for me turns me on so much. I don''t think it''s a good idea to have sex while still on her period, but I''m going to give her oral sex. That way, it lowers the risk of her feeling pain. I move my body between her legs, and I lower my head above her entrance. She looks a little disappointed. "I can take it... Please, I want you so bad..." My head spins as I hear those words. I have to hold myself back from going with it. I keep control and lower my face right above her entrance. This is the first time I''ve gotten such a good look at it. She has a little tuft of blond hair right above it. I see what looks to be the clit, and I bring up my right hand. I gently ce my index finger on it, just to see her reaction. I see her shiver slightly, and I take my finger off. She groans in protest. "C''mon, Zern... I can''t wait anymore... It feels too good when you touch me..." I reign in whatever focus I can and stop myself from unequipping my gear and doing her. I ce my index and middle finger on her clit and gently press down on it. Her legs wiggle as I do, and I see a little bit of liquide out her entrance. I can smell her, and the aroma makes me feel lightheaded. I start moving my hand in an oval motion and slowly go faster and faster. After a couple of seconds, Sally starts a slow and light moan that turns into a long and hard moan. In an instant, her body rocks hard, and she locks my head and hand between her legs. Instead of stopping. I move my head closer and kiss her clit as I remove my hand. I use my tongue to move her clit around, and that makes her squeeze harder and moan louder. There is a difference between using my tongue and my fingers. That''s nice to know. After a few more of my motions, I begin to taste something copperish. She is starting to bleed, but I don''t think she knows. I don''t want her to feel bad, so I''ll finish her off and then stop. I bring the intensity with my mouth and tongue up as high as I can while locked where I am. She screams out my name her entire body shakes and wiggles. Her grip around my head stops, and her legs rx limply. I raise my head out from her lower area and take some deep breaths myself. She raises her head with a smile. Her smile quickly fades as she looks at me. I wonder why, and then I remember. I bring my hand up to my face and I wipe some of the blood off. Her face goes very red and she covers her face in embarrassment. I crawl up to her and sit next to her and wrap one arm around her. I won''t say anything. She has nothing to be embarrassed about. Chapter 208: Returning to Zenith II

Chapter 208: Returning to Zenith II

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally continues to hide her face as I sit next to her. I can''t say I know how embarrassed she is, but I''m not going to change the way I think about her. It''s really my fault too. I kept it up even when she started to bleed unknowingly. I''m d we didn''t do any pration. That would''ve been a big mess. I keep my arm wrapped around her. Waiting till she is ready to talk, I use one of the furs to clean the blood off my face. While it isn''t something people would do, I''m not bothered by it. I get covered in blood every few days. Sally lifts her face from her knees and looks at me. She is still blushing from the act. "You should''ve said something, idiot..." I give a sideways look. I didn''t want to ruin the moment for her. That was the first time I ever tried that stuff. I didn''t really know what I was doing. I tried to follow her reactions. "I''m sorry I bled on you... I should''ve stopped us before we got that far... The feeling messed with my head..." I heard that it happens when people are having fun. I''m still pretty new to all this stuff, so stopping here sounds like a good idea. "You don''t need to be sorry, Sally. It was really my fault. I should''ve stopped when it started. I wanted to finish what we started, so I''m sorry that I was selfish about that." She rxes a little more, and she looks down at her lower parts. There is still some blood. "If you want help cleaning up, I can. If you want me to step out to do it yourself, I understand." She blushes and points for me to leave the tent. I nod my head and make my way out. I fully stand up and let her do what she needs to. I look up at the sky and see countless stars. I never get tired of looking at them. We couldn''t on earth because of pollution. I sit down on the soft grass andy down. The next step in our journey is right around the corner. Once we are done in Zenith, it''ll be Sally''s time to lead. She knows who her enemies are, and I''m going to be there to help kill them. As I''m rxing, I hear announcements go off. [World-wide Announcement: A yer has found the swordsman ss de Dance! This is a legacy ss and is a one-of-a-kind ss! It has been removed from the pool of sses!] [World-wide Announcement: A yer has found the swordsman ss Death Point! This is a legacy ss and is a one-of-a-kind ss! It has been removed from the pool of sses!] [World Mission: The coalition will payrge sums of gold for any information on the wielder of Death Point!] [World Mission: The coalition will payrge sums of gold for any information of the wielder of de Dance!] I chuckle to myself as the announcements go off. Mom and dad have finally gotten their legacy sses. I told them the steps and location and who should get which one. If they followed my advice, then mom got de Dance, and dad got Death Point. I hear some shuffling from the inside of the tent, and I turn to look. Sally is peeking her head out to me, now fully dressed. "I need some help cleaning up the blood..." She has to say no more. I lean up and make my way towards the tent. There are some bloodstains on the furs, and I have extras to use. Killing those animals for their food also gave us plenty of furs. I crawl in and pick them up. I put them in my inventory and pull out news ones we haven''t used yet. They''ll be clean again in a little while. "That''s all done. Let''s try and get some more sleep before morninges." Iy down on the new and clean furs. Sally crawls up to my side andys down on me. What happened was spontaneous, but I heard that it''s good for rtionships. "We''ll reach Zenith tomorrow. It shouldn''t be too long of a trip while at full speed." I''m excited to see Amelia after so long. Since she is a Countess in Zenith, she has a lot of pull and is important. She likely has all the kids at her property with her. She said so in her letters. After a while, I slowly drift into sleep, and in my sleep, I feel a pleasurable pressure building somewhere. I flutter my eyes open, and the sleepiness is hard to break from. I look down and see a hand in my pants that aren''t mine. She just started, it seems. She undoes my belt and quickly opens the front so I can be free. The pain from the confined space goes away, and my rod sticks open with her palm covering the tip. I turn my head towards her, and she is looking at me with a flushed face. "I never got to touch you..." I feel her grasp the head and squeeze. I lean my head back down and close my eyes, enjoying the pleasure. Her hand goes further down and stops in the middle. She can''t wrap one hand around it. I''m definitely in therge category. Not double digits though, it''s close, but not close enough. "Your hand feels so much better..." She leans her head on my chest and proceeds to stroke it, slowly going up and down. I can feel my face getting redder, and my breathing is bing morebored. I watch her use her thumb and press on one of the thick veins. That sends shots of pleasure through my rod. I almost lose control. "You so hot down here... It''s like I''m holding a freshly cooked piece of meat..." She gets up from her spot and goes down to my rod. She ces her hands on my leather pants and holds her mouth above my rod. She looks up at me, and she has a slight blur in her eyes. She lowers her mouth and kisses the tip. I release a low growl, and my rod pulsates. I had to use all my willpower not to explode from that action. She opens her mouth and engulfs the head. I growl as I feel her tongue swirl and light sucking. I tap her head in an effort to tell her that I can''t hold back anymore. Inside ofing off, she throws her head halfway down and as far as she can go. My tip rubs the inside of her throat, and I release with a heavy groan. She starts to breathe through her nose as I release shot after shot. A couple of secondster, my shots stop, and Iy down fully rxed. She starts to suck hard and bob her head up and down. I thought she''d be down, but that isn''t the case. She can only go halfway due to length, but it still feels amazing. "Sally..." All I can get out is her name before she grips the other half she can''t get to with her hands. She uses her hands to massage the other half. I decide just to enjoy what she''s doing, and I relish in the pleasure. I just finished shooting, but I can feel moreing. It''s building at the bottom, and it''s making my rod hotter. I can hear her moans from time to time. I close my eyes as I can''t hold it back anymore. She doesn''t take the warning, so no reason to give one. As I stop resisting, she moans while my rod in her mouth. She moaned the exact time my shots traveled up my rod, making it bigger. She drinks shot after shot, and after I''m finally done, she lifts her head off. There is saliva and my mess, leaving trails between my rod and her mouth. Her face is flushed, and she is looking up at me. "You don''t mind the blood, right..." She asks me a question in a breathless voice. I shake my head, informing her I don''t mind it. I get bloody very often in battle. This won''t phase me in the slightest. She quickly unclothes herself again, and I unequip my armor. She lines up her entrance, and before she can lower herself, I stop her. She looks at me, waiting for an exnation as to why I stopped her. "Can I be on top this time... I want to see what it''s like..." She immediately goes on her back and spreads her legs open for me. My rod repeatedly twitches at that action. I move and hang over her. She grips the middle of my rod and guides the tip to her entrance. I feel her circle it a couple of times. She stops, and my tip is kissing the first folds inside her. She puts her arms around my neck, waiting for me to push down. Chapter 209: Returning to Zenith III

Chapter 209: Returning to Zenith III

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I jolt awake from my dream, and as I gain my bearings, I look down, and the pain from my lower area throbs. I undo my belt and move it from its ufortable position. I notice that some spunk hase out. That was a vivid dream. I quickly clean up my rod and wait until it''s soft. I put it back in, and Iy back down. I roll my head over, and Sally is sleeping soundly. Fully clothed and not legs spread. I take a breath and organize my thoughts. That was the first time I''ve ever experienced something to that degree. I don''t know what time it is, but I''m sure there are a couple of hours until sunrise. I close my eyes and try to sleep, but I can''t. I start to think about other things to get my mind off that dream. The first being how my parents are doing with their news sses. de Dance and Death Point are very powerful legacy sses, and now that they have gotten them, my entire family is now in that less than 1%. They are likely to move from their current position, which I know. This is the first time in a while I know where they are. I know they''ll be safe from now on, safer than most, at least. "Hmm..." Sally releases a hum and squishes her body against mine. I do my best to ignore it, and I seed. I feel the hand she has on my chest piece slide up my body, and she runs it across my face and through the hair on the side of my head. I get goosebumps as she does. I gently peel her off me and give her a pillow in my ce, but she doesn''t look satisfied. She is very handy with me in her sleep, and I don''t want that right now. Not after that dream. "Zern... Don''t go..." She talks in her sleep as well. I turn my back and ignore her. I close my eyes again, trying to sleep, and after a while, I finally start to rx. I had to think about boring things like groceries from earth. I drift back into sleep, and I don''t have any weird dreams this time. The night passes, and I soon feel the heat rising in the tent. I open my eyes and feel someone attached to my back. I undo her arms and roll her over. I sit up and make my way out of the tent. I stand and stretch my body as the sun beats down on me. My back and kneecaps pop as I reach the apex of my stretch. I rx, and I take a deep breath. I take some elk meat out of my inventory as I sit down in the grass and start to eat. I hear shufflinging from inside the tent, and Sally crawls out, and she looks miserable. She stands up and crawls over to my side andys against my back, and releases a groan of difort. "That little bit we did has made me really sore. Good thing we didn''t go all the way." I''m both d and slightly disappointed. I''m d because it didn''t happen in real life, disappointed I couldn''t see or feel the end of my dream. But what can you do? Sometimes that happens. That''s what I heard, at least. She puts her chin on my shoulder and leans her head against mine as she holds me from behind. The height difference makes it to where she has to sit on her knees to do so. "You were pretty gentlest night. It felt so good. Thanks for going easy on me..." I smile and pull out some elk meat and hand it to her. She takes it and lets me go so she can sit beside me. That was the first time I tried any of that. I knew being gentle was the first step. After that, I looked at her reactions and listened to her. I take another bite of food and enjoy this moment. "Once we are done eating, let''s head out. Zenith isn''t going to take long getting to, so enjoy the little break we have. I''m going to be eating my food slowly just to savor this moment." Sally nods her head in agreement, and I feel her lean her head on my shoulder. We watch the orange sky from the sunrise slowly turn blue as we eat out food. I never got to see things like this on earth. Pollution made the sky yellow, not blue like this. As Cera and Sally continue eating and enjoying the beauty of the morning, there is a slight problem in Zenith. That problem being among the noble society, many of the nobles have questioned why a peasant called Amelia Zern was given nobility at the level of a Countess. Many have out cried in protest, saying the role can be fitted by someone far more qualified. Amelia is sitting in her massive office on her giant estate and watching her kids y outside. I take a sip of tea and watch my kids y. King Jackson has been so kind to the kids and me. He has shown so much hospitality for us despite the protests among the noblemunity. "Lady Amelia, do you wish to go to the shopping district today?" My head butler Nick asks me a question. My days are spent helping the poor and sick of my oldmunity. Jackson has made major changes that have helped, but I still do what I can. Most people only know my first name. Only 3 people know who I truly am. My butler Nick, King Jackson, and his butler Charles. If word got out that I''m Zern''s mother, then I''d surely be thrust into some form of trouble. "I don''t think so, Nick. I want to stay in today. I''ve been going to and from the city every day for thest month. Taking a break is required." Nick slightly bows and proceeds to make his way out of my office. Thinking about my son has made me worried. He hasn''t responded to any of my letters as ofte, and now he has been revealed to the world. The noblemunity here won''t put the pieces regarding my rtionship with my son together. They are too blinded by their money and egos to see such a thing. I sit down in my chair and fiddle with this annoying dress. Another thing I don''t like about nobility is the attire. What''s wrong with wearing normal clothes? I set my tea down and stare past the property line towards the mountains. My son is out there on some crazy mission or adventure. I have so many concerns for him. I can''t stand the thought of him dying at some point. "I see you are in deep thought. Should Ie backter?" I stand from my chair in surprise, and I see King Jackson in my office. "You didn''t hear my knock or my first question. It must be very important to make you zone out so much." I sigh and nod my head. I give my apologies for the loss of focus. "I came here to invite you to my wedding two days from now. I know that you don''t like being around the nobility, but as a noble, you are required toe to any gathering the king hosts. That includes weddings." I grimace at the thought of mingling among the people I don''t like the most. He just chuckles and hands me an invitation. I ept it, and he turns around and leaves. I should go. It''s the least I could do to repay him. I ce the invitation on my table and sit back down in my chair. I rub my temples and close my eyes. That means I need to bring a gift, something that, what do they call it? Demonstrates nobility? I hate politics. I could just spend some money from the seemingly endless supply of gold I have, but I think something more personal is in order. One that can''t be bought. Now only if I had something good that fits that description, maybe something will pop up. I should really rx for now. Being a noble is hard work, and while my job isn''t as demanding as the rest of the nobles. I still don''t like it. "Lady Amelia, shall I acquire a dress from the boutique, or will you pick something here?" I open my eyes and see Nick hold the invitation and reading the instructions. I nod my head about the boutique idea and he bows slightly and walks out of the room. He''ll send someone to get a handful of dresses and bring them here to try on. Another thing I don''t like. Chapter 210: The New Zenith City I

Chapter 210: The New Zenith City I

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} We glide at an incredibly fast speed. The trip today has been a really peaceful one, and the warm weather is makes traveling like this all the more enjoyable. "Once we get to Zenith, please stay close to me, Sally. I don''t know how much it''s changed since I was therest." We don''t have to shout since she is rxing her head right on my shoulder, and her face is right against mine. She has been much more affectionate sincest night. I didn''t know that being physical in that regard can have such an effect. My dream was pretty crazy, and I''m actually looking forward to the next time I have one. The dream was so close to the best part, to the point of entry. I woke up before the dream could get that far. "I always heard that Zenith was a rough ce, and ever since the war in this country ended, there have only been improvements." Sally is much more informed about Gaia than I am. She is a native to thesends, after all. I knew quite a biting back from the future, but not that much. Only enough to get me to the power I''m at now. Zenith is sure to have changed, but I don''t know by how much and if it''s good or bad. Jackson is a good man with smart ideas. I can see him making changes, but not enough to repair all the damage Harold caused during his time as the king. "We''ll have to ask around for my mom. People will know where we can find her since Jackson gave her the rank of Countess." I remember the first time I told Sally I knew kings and creatures like Fenrir. Now that my mother is nobility, her life is so much harder. While she is safer, she now has to deal with the worse kind of people. I doubt anyone other than Jackson and Charles know''s Amelia is my mother, and that''s still too many people knowing about our connection. On the other hand, if the church of the dark ones ever finds out, then they''ll use her to get to me. So our connection as mother and son needs to be well guarded. "How does it feel now that you are nobility in Zenith too." I find her question a little funny, but not enough to make meugh. I''m nobility in the Overworld since my grandfather is the single most powerful being in existence. As well as my father being the greatest and bravest warrior in the Overworld. These thoughts lead me to this whole situation with The Old Gods and what they are nning. Ever since they were released when I got my mana aura, I haven''t heard anything from them. Fenrir had to leave Gaia and return to Overworld to discuss what has happened. I know absolutely nothing when ites to these said, Old Gods. All I can do is wait for something to happen, and that is one of the worse situations to be in. While in my thoughts, a world announcement goes off. [World-wide Announcement: The Pope, Alexander Leopold, has stepped down! A new event will be activated, and every yer has a chance to win this illustrious legendary ss! 24 hours from now, a global event will ur, and all peoples of Gaia will participate!] I''ll admit, this is surprising. Normally the seers will select a new Pope, but the existence of the system has changed things. It''s safe to say that the system has the same power and authority as a god. It must be running things for the yers and the events that have changed Gaia. This is all a theory, of course. "Does this mean the church will stop looking for you? I know how much you hate being pursued by people you want nothing to do with." Sally nails it right on the head. This doesn''t change any ns for me, but billions of yers will be looking forward to this uing event, and who knows what will happen. I bet a very powerful NPC will win it, and that''s fine with me. The church and its politics are no problems of mine. "This doesn''t change any of our ns, Sally. Once we are done in Zenith, we''ll go after all the men that hurt you. You''ll get the revenge you deserve to get. I promise this on my life." I want Sally to feel like she can do anything she wants now. She has the power to do it, and now she just needs to think like it. She is still hurt and healing from all the abuse she suffered, and I''m going to be here to lean on when it bes too hard to stand. Because it will at one point, she''ll feel weak and helpless seeing her torturers. When those moments happen, I''ll be there. "I really love you, Zern... My life wouldn''t be this great now without you... You have shown me a world that I didn''t know existed... One with love in it..." My heart clenches, and my stomach turns at those words. She has suffered so much, and no one helped her. I want to check on something and see if any of my other titles do anything. I pull up my yer interface to check. [yer (Zern) Lvl.190] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 7240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 56,560,000,000/56,560,000,000][Mana: 196,600,000,000/196,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 1000][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Some of the titles have unique effects, like demon yer, nothing at the same level as my divine title. It has so many crazy effects on it, making it unconventional to use it in a public ce. In the end, it''s just smarter not to use it unless there is a need for its special active skills. I want to also check on The Witness and read the information on it again. [The Witness] [Description: A legendary sword that has been around since before recorded history, all the greatest and most influential people have wielded this de. Empires have risen and fallen to, and for, this de. It has been held by kings, queens, emperors, and empresses. Along with Sword Saints of unparalleled power and recognition. The Witness is the most powerful of the one-handed swords on Gaia. There is no de better to wield. The construction of The Witness isn''t one know to all. Only a select few know its origins. It was crafted from the same divine metal as Durandal, Excalibur, and Caliburn. They are considered siblings since they were made from the same metal ore.] [New Information: The cksmith that created The Witness is no other than Wand himself. Out of all the swords he created, The Witness ys a special role. While warriors could wield it, its true power would be revealed when The Son of Arch-Angel Michael finally imed it.] [More information will be revealed once you tier up.] [Quality: Legendary] [Durability: Infinite] [Damage: 52,000] [Unique properties] [Has a very high chance to dismember limbs instantly] [Has a very high chance to cause Curse of Dposition] [Description: Areas attacked by Curse of Dposition will rot away till they are cured or the target dies.] [Will always cause critical hit upon vital points struck] [Will always ignore armor and defense ratings] [This sword will gain more power every time you tier up.] [There is no required level to wield this de.] [The Witness resonates with your angelic blood. +10000 focus] [A synergy has been created between The Dice of Wand and The Witness. Damage has been raised to 52,000] [Divinity Burn (Inherent Skill)] [Description: A powerful burn skill that is fueled by divine power. Especially effective against anything non-deity.] [Damage: 240,000 Over Time] [This skill will active every third swing and burn the target for 12 seconds.] I''vee to learn that The Witness has far more potential than I ever realized it had. So it''ll be with me for the long run. There is probably no sword on Gaia that canpete with it. I stop focusing on all this stuff and just focus on enjoying the calm flight with Sally. Cera and Sally continue to fly and make their way to Zenith, and as this is going on. There is chaos among the yer base at the recent announcement. There are yers all over in their little parties or giant guilds talking to each other. Out of all the yers, only a few are meeting to discuss this. It''s the top guild leaders meeting in a city by the name of Geomare. In the country of Harole. The speaker at this meeting is Wilted Rose to discuss transpiring events. Chapter 211: The New Zenith City II

Chapter 211: The New Zenith City II

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I weave through the clouds and enjoy the wind on my face. We''ve been flying for a few hours, and the scenery is starting to look familiar. We are getting close to Zenith. I look out ahead and see a giant city in the distance. The farnds look healthier, and there looks to be constant construction going on. "I''ll bring us down. We''ll walk the rest of the way. Once inside the city, we''ll ask around if anyone knows where we can find Countess Amelia." Sally nods her head in agreement. I dive down and spread my wings as we get close to the ground, so we slow down. I gentlynd us, and I let Sally off. She slides her hood on, and I do the same. We''ll be able to move around undetected. I toggle my wings off and turn towards the city in the distance. I can see it through the cracks in the forest. We had tond in a ce with cover. It''s early afternoon, and we still have time to find my mom. It''s weird to say that when I have another one from earth. "Do you think it''ll be hard to find her? From what you''ve told me, she isn''t going to act like nobility. It''s safe to assume she isn''t going to be hanging out in those crowds. If anything, she''ll be helping all the people that were like her." Sally makes a great observation and deduction. Amelia is going to act like that. She doesn''t want to mingle among nobles, and she certainly wants to help all the people that are just like her. I''m like that as well. I''d rather spend my time doing something good and productive than sit around with snobs. We start our walk towards the main road so we can just follow it to the city. Zenith has changed a lot since thest time I was here. Jackson has done a wonderful job making this ce thrive again. The ability to lead and make smart decisions is a hard one to find. "Do you think we''ll meet the king? Cause I still want to try on that dress you bought for me in Bellvia. I''ve never gotten a chance to wear such a wonderful piece of clothing." I chuckle and remember the day that I bought the dress for her. A nice beautiful red dress that goes up to her knees and opens up her back. I remember that horrible butler trying to intimidate me out of the shop while the duke''s daughters shopped. Talk about a ce that lives up to its name. I look at her, and even though I can''t see her face and she can''t see mine. I can tell how eager she is, and I''m not going to deny something like this. She deserves to have a chance to wear a beautiful dress. Even if that means we have to go somewhere that requires the need to. I''m not wearing a suit, though, never. "Yeah, Sally. I''m sure there will be times in Zenith you''ll get a chance to wear a dress. I''ll make sure we''ll go to at least one so you can. I''d love to see you in the one you picked out. It works wonderfully with yourplexion and long golden hair." It absolutely makes her glow, in my mind, at least. When I imagine her in a dress like that, it''s amazing. She is absolutely amazing as it is, and I''m sure she''ll make men regret their decisions and make women jealous. I hold out my hand so she can grab it. I''m learning more and more about being a partner with Sally. At first, I didn''t think showing affection is necessary. I learned that I actually want to do it because it makes Sally happy. It makes her smile and blush, things that I really love about her. I feel her fingers interlock with mine. I see her ying with her hair with her other hand. "I love you, Sally. Remember that." I see the bottom half of her face that isn''t covered, and it blushes. She tries to say something, but nothinges out. I really caught her off guard with that, and that''s good. I turn my attention in front of us, and I see the road¡ªtime to follow it to Zenith. We walk on the dirt road for a while and notice that most of the traveling being done by others is merchants. I do see the asional yer here and there. The average level is rising, it seems. I''m nearly level 200, so they''ll have a long road ahead of them before they catch up with me. Most yers have probably been helping in the war and getting better exp and rewards. In the end, it''s going to be more beneficial to fight in the war for the majority of yers. They get ess to high-level monsters and a ready supply of missions, making it very convenient for them. It''s going to work out for everyone in the end. I look ahead and see peopleing and going from the entrance. It looks like they aren''t chacking identities here. That must be Jackson''s doing. It''s nice to see that he isn''t letting others control his kingdom, and I''m proud Amelia is a part of it. Sally and I make it to the city''s entrance and see that there are a lot more peopleing and going than there ever wasst time. Zenith has be a focal point of trade andmerce. "We''ll get something to eat before we do anything. We won''t remove our hoods until we are in a private setting. I don''t want to risk being found out." I''m pretty sure there are a lot of people out there that know what I look like now. Even though Zenith is a part of the coalition, there are still people that work for the church here looking for me. "I''d like to have an actual steak that''s cooked right. You are really good at hunting, but you can''t cook or clean an animal for the life of you." I must agree with Sally. I don''t have a cooking ss or a single skill to help with that. I''m an offensive and defensive force of nature, but when ites to life skills. I don''t have a single thing. I look around as we slowly walk down themercial district. Zenith can hold millions of people, so there are lots of yers here right now. I can smell some delicious fooding from an indoor and outdoor restaurant. It wasn''t here thest time I was in town. I look at Sally and tilt my head at the establishment. She nods with enthusiasm, and we make our way to it. We enter the restaurant, and that''s when I see that it''s owned by yers. There are yer cooks and customers too. There are also the native people of Gaia enjoying the food too. I walk up to the counter and notice how cheap all the food is. I look at the cashier, and it''s definitely a yer. Once that has a quality of life ss, I bet. A person with abat ss wouldn''t be working behind a counter. I see there are selling hamburgers and fries, just like from earth¡ªmy stomach grumbles at the thought of a hamburger and fries. The cashier is waiting for us to order. "I''ll take a double hamburger and a side ofrge fries." I look at Sally, and she nods her head, wanting the same thing. "Make that two orders." The cashier writes down on a piece of paper and sends it into the back. I pay the price for the meal, and a waitresses and takes us to our table and leaves a number at our table. It''s going to be a few minutes, but that''ll make the meal so much better. Sally staring at all the other yers in the restaurant and looking at the food. There are foods here that aren''t normally made in Gaia. So in truth, a piece of human culture is now a part of Gaia. "I''ve never seen any of this food before, and all the people that are cooking are new people like you, Zern." I smile in slight pride. If there are things we earthlings know how to do, it''s how to ruin a and make delicious unhealthy foods. We have had a serious obesity problem for thest 3 hundred years, and that is at the fault of unregted serving and calorie sizes. "It''s food that only us new people know how to make, Sally. These are dishes from our culture, and they''ll be some of the best food you''ll ever eat." I can see how hungry she is. She is rubbing her stomach every few seconds. After a minute or so our food arrives and it''s good and hot. Chapter 212: A Social Event I

Chapter 212: A Social Event I

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I stare at the food that is so familiar to me, food from earth. I pick it up, and the juice leaks out from the other side and onto the te. I bring it up to my mouth and take a huge bite. A st of familiar vor hits my tongue, and I close my eyes as I chew. It''s been so long since I had a meal of this quality. I open my eyes and look at the masterpiece that I''m holding in my hands. I look across from me, and I see Sally experiencing something simr. She looks to be enjoying it just as much, if not more. I move my hand and take a fingerful of fries and notice it''s salted to perfection. I bring them up to my mouth, and it''s the same texture and deliciousness as it always has. I swallow the fries and bring the hamburger back up to my mouth. All the wonderful things that are happening in my mouth right now, none of thempare to the food I''ve had since being stuck here. This restaurant is yer-owned for sure. The food wouldn''t be this good otherwise. "Tiss ism shom Gohd..." Sally tries to talk as she eats, but all thates out are messed-up words. What she meant to say is this is so good. I nod my head in agreement, and I never take my eyes off the hamburger in my hands. I take another huge bite and slowly chew. I''m sure that the quality of this food will put the natives of Gaia out of business. There were millions in the serving industry, and those can be used here if you have the right ss and skills. I lean my elbows on the table so I can rx as I eat. We both eat in silence and enjoy the amazing food. There shouldn''t be any words said during a great meal cause everyone is focusing on the food. After a few minutes of going between the fries and hamburger, we both finish our food, and I lean back and release a sigh of content. "I haven''t had a meal that good in ages... I''ve been traveling around everywhere all the time that I figured I''d never get a chance to have a meal like this again." I slowly speak as my body processes the food. I run my hands through my hair and look towards the ceiling. As amazing as that was, we still have some things to do. The first is asking around to get the location of Amelia. The second is doing so without revealing my identity to anyone in the process. I stand up and leave a gold tip on the table. I look at Sally, and she slowly stands up. We make our way out of the restaurant and start walking the streets of Zenith. I know Amelia. She is a kind-hearted person who would try and help as many as possible with her new wealth and title. "Did you get to eat like that all the time where you''re from? If you did, I''m going to demand that you take me more ces your fellow new people own." I''m drawn out of my nning at Sally''s question. I personally didn''t eat like that all the time, but humanity had created some of the best food ever. While extremely unhealthy, it''s still something everyone indulges themselves in. I don''t mind eating all this food now. I''m on the move constantly and have long bouts of high activity. Sally wanting to eat the food from earth isn''t a problem to me. What I''m concerned about is how much we''ll have to stop and eat if this is the case. "Yes, Sally. I could''ve eaten like that every single day if I wanted to. The origin of us new people had many things your world will probably never see. All of that''s gone now, and what we have are the very little remains of our history being served. I won''t say no to eating at these ces frequently, but they''ll be pushed to the side if we are on an important mission." I watch Sally''s eyes light up. It''s funny they say to get to a man''s heart is through his stomach. The same can be said about a woman too. It is one of the basic things we do. We eat, sleep, shit, and reproduce. Every single creature does this. We walk in silence, and Sally follows my lead. Amelia would be in the poorer districts the most, helping in any way she can. "We are heading for the poorer districts. Once we''re there, we''ll ask around and see if anythinges up. There might be people who want to cause us trouble, so you get ready for that." She nods her head, and we slowly walk the path. After about 25 minutes of walking, we start to enter a ce that would be called a poorer district. There are countless people in rags and without shoes. Every time we pass an alley, some homeless person sleeps in it, sometimes more than one. It''s also gettingter andter in the evening too. It''s not dark yet, but it''s getting close. The people are very wary of us. They know that we are outsiders here. A poormunity is a very tight group because they have to rely on each other for safety. I hear a bunch of noiseing from up the street, and that''s when I see an inn. It''s kind of run-down, but there is a party nheless. Asking people questions is hard, but not if they are drunk. "Let''s go. We''ll ask around in there. I''m sure there are going to be plenty of inebriated people that can answer anything we ask." We both walk up to the inn and slowly enter. There are cheers and shouts and a circle in the center of the inn. It must be some sort of brawl people are betting on. I look around and see some perfect targets. I walk up to the counter and sit next to a guy slowly leaning side to side. I take a breath and turn to him. My hood covers my face, so I don''t have to worry about that. "Do you know where I can find a Countess Amelia?" After a couple of seconds, the man doesn''t respond, and I take a breath to try again, but before I can, he falls over. He hits the ground hard and looks to be passed out. "This might not be as easy as I thought it''d be..." I look around the bar some more, and I don''t find any isted targets, only small or big groups of drunks. I don''t want to use force, and that''ll only cause problems. So I have to take my time and be methodical about this. I stand up from the chair by the counter and walk over to the dwarves by the barrel. Dwarves are notmon, which means they are here for diplomatic purposes. They have met with nobility and know some names. They might have the answers I''m looking for. I stand in front of the barrel as they continue to fill their mugs and chug them. "Do any of you happen to know a Countess Amelia?" The oldest of the dwarves looks at me with a mug in hand and rosy cheeks. He runs his hand through his beard, and they huddle up away from me. I can''t understand what they are saying because they are speaking in their nativenguage. "Look, I''m in a hurry here. If you don''t want to tell me anything, just say so." The oldest of the dwarves looks back at me and sets his mug on the counter next to him. He releases a roar and balls up his fist. I''m surprised enough not to do anything. He throws a punch at my stomach with all his might, and it connects. I hear the bones in his hand''s crunch. My stats are astronomicalpared to his. It''d be like him punching tungsten steel. He howls in pain and rolls around on the ground as his fellow dwarvesugh at his misery. They quiet down, and the second oldest stands in front of me. "Yeah, she is located on a property north of the city, about a mile." I finally get the answer I need, and I turn around. I look for Sally, and I see her standing on top of a table to see the fight going on. I wave at her, and she hops off. We both head towards the exit and leave. It looks like we are heading north of the city. As a Countess, she probably has a massive property. Chapter 213: A Social Event II

Chapter 213: A Social Event II

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} We stand outside the Inn and notice the setting sun. I know that Amelia wouldn''t mind at all that I show up thiste, but I''m sure the guards and staff would mind a lot. A stranger to them showing up sote in the evening wouldn''t be nice. Add that to me demanding I see her, and I''ve got a nice shit storm brewing. "We''ll stay at a nicer Inn tonight, and once sunrises, we''ll head to her property outside the city. I saw some pretty good ces back in themercial district." We start our trek back the way we came and slowly make our way through the city as night falls. Street lights begin to turn on, definitely using magic to do so. The roads and paths are slowly filling with people looking to go and have a night on the town. Capital cities like Zenith are never quiet, and that''s why the richest and, more important, nobles have properties outside the city. I''m d I don''t have to worry about pickpockets since everything is in my inventory. I''d love to see someone try and steal The Witness. That''d be a funny sight, in my opinion. After about 20 minutes of walking, we make it to the Inn, and it''s definitely high quality. I hold the door open for Sally, and I follow her in. I look around the Inn, and it''s lively, but not like the one in the poor district. "Stay close to me. The better the establishment, the better the criminals." She nods her head, and we walk up to the counter. The bartender looks me up and down and scoff, probably thinking we can''t afford anything here. I take out 3 gold pieces, and I see him raise his eyebrow ever so slightly. "I want a room." He looks over my shoulder and sees Sally. Both our faces are covered, but that doesn''t stop the creepy grin on his face from showing. He tosses me a key and gives me directions to the room. I take Sally''s hand, and we head for the room. I use the key to open the door, and once inside, I lock it behind us. I unequip my hood and release a sigh. "I''m so sick of these twisted people... The next time it happens, I''m just going to kill them all." I say that in a slow chuckle. Sally removes her hood as well and rxes on the bed. I make my way towards the bed andy beside her. It''s a little small for my size, but I can make it work. Sally slings an arm over and across my chest as sheys on her stomach and looks at me. "I''ve been thinking about the first thing we need to do once we are done here in Zenith..." That grabs my full attention as I quickly turn towards her. "We''ll need to head to the Barony of James in the kingdom of Pleer. It was the first ce I was held once I was made into an illegal ve." Once she says that, I get a notification from the system. It''s definitely for the quest, but I won''t look right now. Sally just shared something very personal with me, and it''d be incredibly rude if I didn''t give her my full attention. I nod my head for her to continue talking about her life. I want to know everything about her. The worst and best times in her life are included in that. She makes circles with her finger on my chest, and I can see the echoes of pain in her eyes. "I was so little then... I had just barely learned how to walk... In the illegal ve market, the younger, the better... That way, brainwashing is more effective... I got lucky since I was brighter than the rest my age..." I ce my hand on top of hers in a show of support. I''d hug her if I didn''t think that would make her really ufortable while remembering those times, but I''m not 100 percent sure about this. I could be hurting her by not hugging her. I decide to make it easy for both of us. I open my arms and tilt my head in a manner asking if she wants a hug. She scoots closer and curls up in my chest. I wrap my arms around her and give her a gentle squeeze. I don''t think she will talk anymore, so now is the perfect time to look at the quest. [Sally''s Past] [Description: Help Sally in her quest for vengeance against all the men that tortured and sexually assaulted her growing up. Help her punish the Elven Kingdom for their ways.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will ask you for your direct help in this matter.][Completed] [Objective 2: Once everything is done with your quest involving the Dryads, ask Sally what the first step in her revenge is.][Completed] [Objective 3: Head to the Barony of James in the kingdom of Pleer][In progress] [Rewards: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Note: The great difficulty of this quest is the goals that Sally has set in revenge. If they weren''t so great, then the difficulty wouldn''t be so high.] A new objective has been added now that number two has beenpleted. I send it away with a thought and focus back on the situation. Nothing has transpired in my quick look. "I''ve never been to the kingdom of Pleer. It''s one of the more infamous ces for nobles to meet and discuss things over wine. The Barony of James is unfamiliar to me, though. I''ll be following your lead, Sally. Remember, if you need to lean on me for anything. You go right ahead." As I''ve gone over this before, this is going to be a difficult quest for Sally. She is basically returning to her torturers to exact revenge. It''s hard seeing the face of someone who caused so much pain. I know that once she gets the bloodlust going, she''ll ughter them. She is a good person and has found it hard to kill people. Once she gets a taste of hurting and killing the ones that made her life worse than hell, I don''t think she''ll have a hard time killing people who aren''t good. "I appreciate the gesture, Zern. Never in my life did I ever think I was going back there... Destiny has a funny way of ying tricks on you, doesn''t it..." Tell me about it. My whole being here and the way I am now. It''s like a perfectly orchestrated n. A puppet that is in a tangle of strings from another''smands. I don''t like being someone''s or something''s puppet. If I don''t like what I''m going through right now. I couldn''t imagine what Sally has gone through. All I can do is be here when she needs me for any of the horrible memories that might resurface from this. I yawn in genuine tiredness, and my yawn infects Sally. Causing her to yawn. "Let''s get some sleep okay, we''ll have a big day tomorrow. I want to get more than 6 hours of sleep tonight." She snuggles her head into my chest, and I stop hugging her and let her use me as a pillow. I think about all the things that''s happened so far in this journey. Ever since the day I met Sally, everything has been so much better. I would im and promise to always remain a solo yer. One that only does things alone, but now I can''t imagine my adventures without Sally. I wonder if this is what I missed out on, a real rtionship. The ones I had in my old future were based on lies and deceit. This one isn''t. It''s based on trust and care. I slowly drift into sleep and have nice dreams of my childhood. Long before the life I have now. I miss my family. I can''t lie about that. Knowing that they are safe and have the means to protect themselves really puts my mind at ease. After a while of the dreams, I feel a warm heat on my face. I open my eyes and notice the room filling with sunshine. I decide to sleep in a bit. Everyone needs a morning to sleep in once in a while. I feel Sally shift and get morefortable next to me. She must have shifted off me during the night. She scoots back into my chest and grabs my arm. She brings it around and I''m now spooning her. I''ve never done this before, it''s a really nice feeling. A closeness I''ve never shared with another, and I can see myself growing to like it. If we do it often enough. Chapter 214: A Social Event III

Chapter 214: A Social Event III

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I flutter my eyes open and bring my hands up to clean the gunk out of them. Sleeping in is something I don''t do very often, but when I do. It''s refreshing. I sit up as I move away from Sally, and I pop my back as I do. She is still sleeping, and it''s probably only been an hour since I first woke up. I sit on the edge of the bed and run my hands through my hair. It''s starting to get long. Almost long enough to put in a little ponytail or bun. I should get a haircut soon. It could end up getting in the way. I stand up and stretch out my legs. They also pop. I turn around and see Sally is still sleeping. She wouldn''t like it if I just went downstairs without her. I walk over to her side of the bed, and I kneel in front of her side. I ce my hand on her shoulder and lightly jiggle her. She shifts slightly and grumbles in protest. She opens one eye and looks at me. "Time to get up. We''ve slept in long enough." She slowly leans up with annoyance all over her face. Some people just aren''t for the morning. She sits on the edge of the bed, and I stand up. She runs her fingers in her hair and straightens it out. "The property that Amelia owns isn''t going to take that long to get to. You want to eat at that restaurant again?" As those words leave my mouth, all signs of tiredness disappear. Good food can have that effect on people. "I''ll take your reaction as a sign that you are more than happy to leave now." She nods her head with excitement, and I turn to start walking towards the door. She gets up from the bed and follows me. We exit the room and head towards the main counter down the hall. The Inn isn''t as lively as it wasst night. Most are still here are passed out from drinking so muchst night. They say drinking until you ckout is a sign of depression. If so, there are a lot of depressed people. "What do they serve for breakfast?" I take a small breath to answer, but before she can, she starts up again. "Are they like pancakes, or is it more like a bacon and eggs breakfast?" I''m sure they''ll have both. I open my mouth to speak. She beats me to it yet again. "Do you think there will be a long wait cause I don''t want to stand there and wait while all the good food is being served." I give up on trying to exin anything. She''ll find out the answers once we get there. We eventually make it to the restaurant and see there isn''t much of a wait. Most people have probably already eaten breakfast. So that means the wait won''t be that long. We enter the restaurant and head towards the counter. We see the breakfast menu above the cashier on the wall. There is so much food to eat. The most delicious foods are the ones you have after you get up. They''ll be your source of energy for that day. The cashier looks at us with a notepad, time to order. "I''ll have the bacon, pancakes, hashbrowns, and eggs." The portions here are huge, but I''m a tall guy with a huge appetite. I look at Sally and see she is still looking at the menu. She eventually picks and orders simr to me, with added bread. We are directed to our table, and they ce a number on it. We sit in eager silence for our food, smelling the aromaing from the grills in the back. After a few minutes of waiting, the food is brought out, and we dig in. We both zone into our food and savor the amazing breakfast. Ther bacon and pancakes, add that to syrup, and it''s heaven. I finished off with hash browns and eggs. We finish at nearly the same time, and I lean back in my chair and release a satisfied sigh. "It gets better every time. I''m going to be sorely missing this food after we leave..." Sally looks at me in disappointment. "It''s not like we can eat this stuff every day, and I know that my food is terrible. It''s just the way it is, sadly..." It truly is sad. More than I ever thought it could regarding food. We stand up, and I leave a gold piece as a tip and pay for the meal at the counter. We exit the store, and we both turn our heads to the northern entrance. "I can''t believe I get to meet your, mom. It''s going to be interesting to hear what she''s been through. After you entered my life, it changed drastically. I bet the same happened to her." Sally''s words are scarily urate. Amelia''s life did change after I entered it. She is now a powerful noble and is living a life she probably doesn''t want. Sally sees my disappointed look and ces her hand on my arm. "I''m sorry if I said something..."I shake my head. It''s not her fault. It''s mine. Her life may be financially easier. That''s not always better. Having money doesn''t mean your life is good. Some people prefer the solitude andck of money, and while Amelia needed money for the kids. I''m sure that if they weren''t in her life, she''d never been the type to be desperate for money. People''s financial situations can make them do things they wouldn''t normally do. "You didn''t say anything wrong, Sally. I''m reflecting on my actions and how I''ve affected Amelia and her life. Many would im it''s millions of times better, but I don''t know if she thinks that way." I don''t know Amelia good enough to assume all this, but I feel that the only reason she epted the position as Countess here in Zenith was for all the little ones she looks after. A mother is willing to do anything for a child of hers. Absolutely anything. We slowly walk side by side to the northern entrance and eventually reach it. We have our hoods on, so no need to worry about people finding me out. Sally and Amelia will probably get along really great. They are alike in many ways. Kind-hearted, selfless, and many other things I could name. It''ll be nice to see Amelia after so long. I haven''t checked any of my personal mail at the churches. She is definitely wondering if I''m alright, and seeing me will lift her spirits some¡ªmore than she''d get from reading a letter. After a few minutes of walking, we exit the city and head into the forest and out of sight. Flying there will probably be more efficient. I can find it faster from a birds-eye view. I get on one knee and activate my wings. Sally climbs on my back, and Iunch off the ground. We reach the clouds, and I look north. We are going about 20 mph right now. I can see a giant mansion not very far from here, and I notice some guards here and there. I slowly glide into a decent and make sure when I do, no guards can see me. Ind gently in the garden on the property, away from any eyes. I let Sally off, and that''s when I hear something hit the ground. I turn around and notice a little kid. She dropped an apple. She is staring at my wings and looks back to my hood face. I walk up to her and toggle my wings off, they disappear, and she slightly flinches. "You mind taking me to Amelia?" She slowly shakes her head, not minding taking me. I stand, and she grabs my hand. We start to run slowly, and Sally follows closely behind. We make it to a hedges maze, and that''s when I''m d that I ran into this little kid. She probably knows this ce like the back of her hand. After making many twists and turns, we exit the hedge maze, and I see the giant mansion off in the distance. I turn my head and lock eyes with some guards. They quickly run over and draw their weapons. I let go of the little girl''s hand, and I slowly push her out from between us. "You are trespassing on a Countess''s property! You are under arrest!" The squad captain points the tip of his de at me. I don''t want any unnecessary bloodshed, I take my hood off, and they don''t react in the slightest. A secondter, I hear the doors from the mansion up ahead crash open. I knew she''d be watching. Chapter 215: A Social Event IV

Chapter 215: A Social Event IV

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I watch a woman in an elegant-looking dress quickly run down the hill to us. I''ve never seen Amelia wear something so nice. She is almost to us, and that''s when I see tears in her eyes. I sheath my sword and wait for her to reach me. She leaps thest little bit andtches on to me with her arms. "I can''t believe you''re really here... Why didn''t you respond to any of my letters!?!" She pulls away and smacks the back of my head. It doesn''t affect me. It might help her. The knights and guards look confused, and they sheath their swords as well. I don''t really have an excuse for not checking any mail or letters from her. In truth, I was just so busy I didn''t have time. I always nned to visit her in person, and now I''ve kept that promise to myself. Even though she isn''t my birth mother, she still loves me. I''m her son to her, and that''s why it''s going to be weird if Amelia and mom ever meet for real. "I''m sorry for not responding to anything, mom." As I say those words, the looks on the guard''s faces turn to ones of dread. They have now found out they drew their weapons on the son of the Countess. "I''ve been really busy, and every time I was in a ce that I could check, I''d forget to. I hope being here makes up for some of that?" She nods her head and hugs me again. I should do the right thing, and I hug her back. After a few seconds, I have to peel her off me. As she cleans her eyes of tears, she sees the hooded Sally behind me. She can tell she''s a girl because of her hair and feminine figure. She looks apprehensive, and steps away from me, and stands in front of Sally. "Who is this youngdy? I don''t remember you mentioning any girl in your letters." I chuckle to myself. I motion for Sally to remove her hood, and she does. Her cute pointy ears and beautiful features are shown. "An elf? I didn''t think their race approved of any partnerships other than with each other. In fact, they are very strict about that. They have severe punishments for it." Amelia sure knows a lot about the elven race. Sally looks down in slight disappointment. "Oh honey, I didn''t mean any offense by it. I was just surprised. I want to thank you for taking care of my son. He loved to be alone. That worries a mom." Sally looks up with a small smile. Sally is actually 103 years old and has seen so much more than us. The men who captured and did everything to her are old men by now, but several potions for the rich keep them young. I know for a fact they are using these. The rich will never want to die. "I''m Sally. It''s really nice to meet you miss Zern. Your son has helped me through so much and given me even more. You did an amazing job with him..." Amelia has an echo of pain on her face. I never told Sally that we didn''t know each other till the new people came to Gaia. She looks at me in confusion, and I give her a motion not to talk about that. "I''m so sorry. I didn''t know what your rtionship was, so I just assumed..." Amelia looks at me in slight anger. This one is on me. I ce my hands on both their shoulders and try to bring them out of their current state. "Let''s go inside and talk more. I''d love to see how much Jackson has hooked you up with." Jackson wanted to make me a Duke, and that''s not something I was interested in. I foolishly told him if he wanted an in with me, he would make my mother''s life so much easier, which he interpreted to make her a noble. "I''ve never seen a mansion like this before. It probably gives all the room needed for the kids." My attempt to change the subject doesn''t work all that well. Amelia rolls her eyes and starts to walk towards the mansion. It worked well enough. Sally follows at my side. We make it up to the door, and I look inside the immediate room. There are butlers and maids. There are also guards standing at the sides of every door. Being sentinels. "Lady Zern! Please don''t run away like that! I was worried sick!" The head maid speaks and rushes to check on Amelia. It''s cool to see she has people that really care about her. The maid looks at Sally and me and has slight apprehension. "Who are these two? I wasn''t told we are hosting guests today." Amelia smiles and walks away from the maid, and stands next to me. The maid is looking very confused, and so is everyone else in the room. She must not have told them she has a real son. This is going to be an interesting conversation. I wonder if any will find out about me being the son of Michael. I smirk and decide to take the reins. "I''m yer Zern, Amelia Zern''s birth son. It''s really nice to meet all of you." I watch the shock of all the people in the room. Many didn''t know she has a son like me. "I must say I''m grateful to all of you for taking care of my mom. Her life was so much harder than it is now. While I know, she doesn''t like the noble life. It''s great to see she is safe." Many quickly bow in a typical way when meeting nobility. Technically I am a noble since my mom is one now too. I don''t relish that thought, but it''s not like anyone can force me to be a noble. We all hear a couple of kids run into the room and make a ruckus. Breaking the awkward silence. You can always count on kids to make a great distraction. I look at the kids running around and notice they are also more healthy-looking now that they are in a better ce. "We are going to be in town for a couple of days, and I was wondering if you knew of any events that require formal dress clothes?" Amelia looks at me in confusion and waiting for an exnation. "I said I''d take Sally to a ce where she can try on her red dress in public. She hasn''t gotten a chance yet." Amelia looks at Sally, and they exchange looks that I can''t deduce. Amelia waves Sally over, and they walk out of the room. I try and follow, but Amelia makes sure I don''t. I sit on the couch instead and let them do whatever they want. While I''ll go to an event with Sally, I''m not wearing a suit. I prefer to remain the way I am. I put my feet up and release a sigh of rxation. I don''t know when those two will be back, but taking a moment to myself seems like a good idea. "I was never told by Lady Zern she has a son..." I hear the head maid speak to me. "You look very familiar too. I''ve seen your face. I just can''t quite... Oh my..." I stand up and stare at her. Many in the room are intently listening. "I could never imagine she kept such a secret to herself... No wonder the king gave her the Countess position. It''s because of you..." This woman is far smarter than I expected. Most people can''t find me out based on my looks alone. They usually have to inspect me or see me fight with my wings or title on. "You can be sure I won''t say anything..." She walks away and into another room. I''m getting strange looks from everywhere, and I grow frustrated. "Everyone leave the room. I want it to myself." They all obey and leave. I sit back down on the couch and rub my temple. If the maid figured out who I am, then others in this mansion will also be able to. I head towards the door that Amelia and Sally left through, and I start to walk the halls of the mansion. After walking, I can hear two voices speaking to each other behind a cracked door. It''s Amelia''s and Sally''s voices. I know it''s incredibly rude to spy, but I want to know what they are talking about. I stand at the side of the door and listen carefully. I can barely make out what they are saying. Chapter 216: A Social Event V

Chapter 216: A Social Event V

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I silently listen to the conversation happening between Amelia and Sally. "I can tell by the way you look at him... I''m not going to im that I know you, and I''m not going to tell you that you aren''t allowed to love him. I want to warn you, though. He is an angel, and he''ll eventually unlock all the power thates in his bloodline. He might not be here forever..." Amelia is bringing up points I didn''t. Not because I''m avoiding them, but because the end hasn''t been decided yet. "I want you to tell me how you came to love him, and it''s real love. So don''t leave out a single detail. If you do, I''ll know." Leave it to a parent to dig into the partner you have brought home. I know Sally can handle this. She has nothing to be afraid of. I hear Sally take a small breath, and I hear a teacupnd on a te. "I meet him the day he came into an inn I was working at..." I remember that day. She left me with a great impression. "I told him that he stunk and needed to take a bath. It was strange cause heughed when I said that... I didn''t mean to say it. It just came out from the shock of the horrible smell. Normally, I''d have gotten in real trouble." Amelia chuckles as she talks about the first moments we met. I couldn''t smell how bad it had gotten. I''d been fighting and traveling all the time. I hardly ever got a chance to clean up. Thinking back, I''m surprised more people didn''t say anything. I''m sure that Hailey smelled just as bad as I did. We traveled together, after all. There is silence between the two of them, and I''m getting a little worried. "The morning before he left, he asked me if I wanted toe with him. I found it really strange, asking aplete stranger to go on an adventure with you..." I can see why, and after learning about everything that''s happened to her. I can say she is the strongest person I have ever met. "At first, I thought he was joking, but then he told me to meet him at the entrance of the city. I don''t know why, maybe it was his good nature, but I joined him that day. After we left the city is when he revealed to me who he really is." She would have found out eventually, and showing her saved so much time and exnation. She was much more understanding than I thought she''d be. Sally spends the next 45 minutes exining our journey up to the point of here, and I heard Amelia sigh many times during the telling of the story. Sally left the night of our first time together, which is a smart move, in my opinion. I step away from the door and leave them to their own conversation. I know that they''ll end up being very good friends. I walk around the mansion for a while, exploring the new home for the kids and Amelia. This ce has everything needed to raise a bunch of orphans. They''ll get the life that they deserve, and not many people can say they gave that to their kids. I see some big doors up ahead, and I walk through them. I enter a giant room and notice the extravagant things lining the walls and ced on the various tables. This must be Amelia''s office. I walk to her desk and stare out the giant window. This must have been the ce where she saw me lift my hood. She might have even seen mend but had to see my face before rushing out. I hear someone walk into the room with a cart. I turn around and see the head maid from earlier. She pours some tea and brings it to me. I take it and sip from the cup. "How long do you n to stay hidden from the world and running around in your own adventures? I don''t know if you''ve noticed, but the world really needs you right now." She cuts right to the chase, doesn''t she? I can respect that, and while I admire her resolve to question me. She''ll think my reason selfish. However, I don''t think she''ll leave without it. I sip some more from the tea, and she is very patient. I ce the teacup back on the cart and turn towards her. "It''s not my responsibility to save the world. Not my responsibility to fight the battles that humanity brings upon itself. I''m not a ve to the demands and needs of the populous. I''m free to do what I want and if I don''t want to fight your wars for you. Then I won''t. People think I''m a gift from The Almighty Father, that I''m here to save them. They are wrong." She looks more than a little shocked at my reasons. She trembles slightly and ms her fist on the metal cart. She takes deep breaths trying to suppress my rage. She must have lost someone from this war. Perhaps a husband or son, but I''ll never know. She brings her hand back and ps me across the face. It does nothing, of course. She seems myck of a reaction and grows angrier. She throws many ps that soon turn into punches. I can hear pops and cracksing from her hands. "GIVE ME MY BABY BACK!! YOU HAVE TO!!" She definitely lost a child in the war, probably drafted into it. Died on some front line and has been holding in pain all this time. I grab her wrists as gently as I can, trying not to harm her. She struggles for a second but realizes it''s futile. "If you did your job... He would be alive..." She copses on the grow and buries her face in her mangled hands. I quickly activate my title and heal her. I deactivate it before she can look up. I see the tears streaming down her face. The life she has now is going to be empty for a long time without her son. "I''ll make you a promise. If there everes a time when humanity is going to lose this war. I''ll step in and end the fight. Humanities fate is in its own hands, and it always will be. What''s happened to your son... It''s not right. The fault doesn''t start and end with me, and it''s never going to change how you feel." The loss of a child is devastating to a parent. No matter how old or young the child is, it''s never good to outlive a child. I help her stand up, and she quickly leaves the room. She is a heartbroken mother, and I see no reason to cause her trouble. No need to speak about this to anyone. I turn back towards the window, and I see the amazing view. As I look out the window, I hear voices approaching the room, and the door opens. I turn and see Amelia and Sally, along with Jackson. I see his shocked and surprised face. Amelia must not have told him I''m here. He quickly gets on his knees and bows his head all the way across the room. I sigh and shake my head. Amelia quickly fixes the situation and stands Jackson up. It never feels right for a king to bow to me, well, a good king, that is. "It''s good to see you too, Jackson. I see that Zenith hase a very long way under your rule." He calmly approaches and reaches his hand out. I grab it, and we shake hands. "I didn''t actually expect you to make my mother a noble, but it''s a better life than what she had." Amelia looks at me with confusion at first. Then understanding. I chuckle as she ces her hand on her temple to massages it. "You should''vee to me once you arrived in Zenith. I''d have loved to show you around the city and the changes that have been made. I''m getting married tomorrow, and I''d love it if you showed up?" Before I can even reject the offer, Amelia barges into the conversation and epts for me. I guess that means Sally has an event where she can wear the dress now. I sigh slightly and let Amelia do what she wants. Sallyes to stand at my side as the king and countess talk about the event. I''m sure that I''ll be discovered once there, so I won''t be going incognito. It''ll be fun, seeing the people''s reactions¡ªnobles learning the connection between Amelia and me. Chapter 217: A Social Event VI

Chapter 217: A Social Event VI

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally stands next to me as Amelia and Jackson have their own conversation. "Your mom is an amazing person. It makes me miss mine..." I stretch my arm out, and I wrap my arm around her. When a person says something like that, they are looking forfort. She leans in and stays quiet. I''d not mind taking a bath or shower. I''m sure that Amelia has a very nice one in this massive mansion. More than one and probably has cleaning agents that work wonderfully. I walk up to Amelia and Jackson as they continue to talk. Amelia looks at me, waiting for any questions I have. "I was hoping we could use any bathroom to get clean. It''s been a very long time since either of us had a shower or bath." Amelia nods her head and asks one of the maids toe and show us where the bath is. We are led out of the room and taken to a new part of the mansion. The maid opens the door, and a massive bath with gold lininges into view. The maid says her goodbyes and leaves us to our own devices. Sally looks at me with a slight blush. I don''t have ns for anything physical. I head to the ce where towels are ced, and I unequip my armor. I keep a towel around my waist, and I head to the faucet and turn it on. Making the water warm. "We should rx and get cleaned up, Sally. So don''t have any of those thoughts in your head." I turn to her, and she is already undressed with a towel wrapped around her body. She turns her eyes to the side, avoiding eye contact. Even after all the skinship we''ve had, she is still embarrassed about certain things. I think it''s cute. She is very modest, and I really like that about her. The massive tub fills, and I take off my towel and step in. That water is already very bubbly. It''s more than likely due to magic. I lower my entire body in, and I feel every muscle in my body. Sally walks over, and I watch her remove her towel. She has a wonderful body. She has scars near her more private regions. She can''t control that sort of thing, and I don''t think any less of her because of it. Her long blond hair is enrapturing. She covers her breasts and lower region with her arms. She slowly walks into the tub and sits across from me. She releases a deep sigh andys her head back. "Are you excited that you get to show off your beautiful red dress? I can already see you in it, stealing the party. I hope my presence doesn''t ruin the wedding. I''d hate to steal the show from Jackson''s bride. It''s known that the wedding is mostly about the bride." She lifts her head and smiles at me. I see her for everything she is and not what''s been done to her. She gains some confidence since her body is now covered. She shifts from her side of the tub and makes her way over to my side. She leans her body into mine and sits with me. "I never thought I''d ever get to wear something so pretty... I even have a date to the wedding, don''t I?" She lifts her head and looks at me with her beautiful eyes. I nod my head and can''t help feeling a little hypnotized. She has ess to all my strings and knows exactly which ones to pull. Sheys her head on my shoulder, and I feel her hand rest on my thigh. "This will be the first wedding I''ll ever attend, are there things I should know?" She asks me a question I don''t know how to answer. I''ve never been to a wedding. The best advice I can give is don''t cause too much of a scene and try not to take the spotlight from the couple. In which case, I''ve already severely failed in this endeavor. "Let''s just keep to ourselves and let the wedding y out. The truth about me will be known a little after the wedding starts, hopefully after the ceremony. I don''t like the thought of stealing the limelight from Jackson and his bride." Sally nods her head in agreement, and while she will get to wear her red dress. It''ll be important that she doesn''t steal the limelight from the bride. I heard that no one is allowed to be prettier than the bride, but that''s going to be impossible with Sally. She is so stunning and beautiful. She doesn''t even wear makeup. "Should we bring a wedding gift, cause it''s really pretentious that saying just being there is a gift in itself." Sally brings up a great point. I have no idea what to give them as a gift, I think about it a little bit, and an idea pops into my head. I wonder if they would like a feather from my wings, just like the frost giants. In a sense, that''s very pretentious too, but I don''t know what to bring to a wedding. Sally''s hand rub my thigh a little. I look at her, and she is leaning on me with her eyes closed. I decide to make nothing of it and rx. I''m jealous that Amelia gets to use this bath whenever she wants. After a couple of minutes, I feel Sally''s toes start to mess with my toes. She giggles a little as we mess with each other. "You know... What you did to me in the tent... I never repaid you for that." She looks at me with a knowing smile. I''m not against it, but it could end up escting. I don''t want to go that far in Amelia''s bathroom. I feel her hand move from its spot on my thigh and slowly make its way towards my rod. It hardens in anticipation and pops out of the water. Iy my head back as I feel her grip the base, not able to wrap her hand around it fully. "Only do what you''refortable with, Sally." All I say is this, and she shifts her body in front of mine and uses both her hands to slowly massage my rod. I feel her lips kiss the tip, and I release a small groan. She brings one of her hands to the tip as she kisses it and she squeezes it. My legs go a little stiff at that. She uses her mouth and envelops the tip of my rod. I take a deep breath as she runs the tip of her tongue all over the ce, making a crazy sensation dance through my body. I''m having a really hard time holding back. I tap her head multiple times to tell her, but she pushes her head further down and stops at the waterline. I groan as I shoot multiple shots down her throat. She moans slightly as I hear small gulps. I lift my head and open my eyes. I look down at her, and she looks up at me with a smile. She runs her tongue along the side and kisses it a couple of times. "That was really hot... It felt likeva going down my throat... Well,va that burns good..." I ce my hand on the bridge of my nose as my head falls back again. I feel my heart racing, and I feel her crawl up my chest. She presses her perfect body against mine, and a shiver goes across my body. "It''s not like we are in a rush anywhere right now... I''m in the mood to go all the way..." My head spins slightly, and I feel her suck on my neck between her sentences. I want to so bad, but we can''t. Not here. Before I can say anything, I feel her grab my hard rod again, and I feel my tip kiss the entrance of her most sacred ce. I ce my hand on her lower back, and she dips down slowly. I feel her folds envelop the tip and squeeze it. She wraps her arms around my neck now that the need for a guide is gone. I slowly push her down, and she moans longly as I do so. I move my hand down from her lower back and grab her butt. I bring my other hand down and do the same thing. She buries her face in my nape and moans the lower I push her, reaching deeper and deeper. I groan as the tightness gets better and better. I gently grip her butt and y with it, and after another second. I''m all the way buried. She is trembling slightly, and my head is spinning. Chapter 218: A Social Event VII

Chapter 218: A Social Event VII

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I''m as deep as possible, and I feel my tip kissing her womb. I don''t move us. I''m too busy trying to catch my breath. Sally is the same way. I can feel her deep breaths brushing against my neck. I run my hands up and down her back as we relish in the pleasure. I bring one of my hands up and run it through her hair. I roll my head towards hers, and I lift her head. She stares into my eyes, and I do the same to her. I bring my lips forward, and she slowly closes her eyes. A secondter, our lips connect, and I feel a fluttering feeling in my stomach. I''m still buried deep in her, and I lift her with my free hand ever so slightly, and I drop her. She releases a long moan into my mouth. We part from our kiss, and she rxes her head in my hand. Iy her head back on my shoulder, and she kisses my neck a couple of times. I bring my hands down to her butt and gently grip them. I lift her and slowly pull out, and as all that''s left is the tip. I push her back down just as slow. She releases a long moan during the entire motion, and I feel her squeeze me so damn tight. Her body is trembling a little. I''m being as gentle as I can be. I don''t want this to hurt her. She wraps her arms around my neck and snuggles in closer. I slowly lift her again, and I look down, and I''m a little surprised she can fully take me. We have done it before, but it was in the dark. I push her back down with my grip on her butt, and instead of stopping the motion when I reach her deepest parts. I lift her again and continue to slow and pleasurable motion. She releases such sweet sounds, and they all make my head spin. The way she whimpers in pleasure makes me go crazy. I feel her nips poking into me, and they feel really good running across my chest with every up and down movement. I go lower in the tub and lift her. She can no longer rest on my shoulder, and my face is now between her perfectly sized chest. Not too big, and not too small. I stick out my tongue and lick her nipple, and I press her down fast and hilt my rod in her. She throws her head back and releases a cute little squeal. "Where did you learn to do all this... You haven''t left my side for a second..." I''m following my instincts and trying new things I think might be good. I look up at her as I y with one of her nipples. She looks down and smiles. She runs her fingers through my hair. I stop ying with her nipples and bring us to eye level, and I try a new movement. While I''m buried in her, instead of move her up and down. I stay buried and move side to side and in circles. Her eyes flutter close as her eyes roll back. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I start to kiss her. They are normal and gentle kisses. Nothing crazy. She moans over and over into my mouth. I can''t hold it anymore. I have the active skill Controlled Fun, so I don''t have to worry about getting her pregnant. She isn''t on her period anymore. There would be blood in the water. I stop kissing her and try to speak between my breaths. "I can''t hold it anymore..." Her eyes crack open, and I see a little bit of drooling out the side of her mouth. She hugs me as I bury deep in her and release with a groan. She hugs me tighter and shakes as I flood her womb. I hug her and squeeze her butt as I continue to shoot. After a couple of seconds, I stop and take several deep breaths. I lift her off me, and I watch my hot shots leak out of her. She is still trembling a little. I can''t help thinking I was a little too rough in thatst part. "Are you okay..." I need to make sure I didn''t cross a line and hurt her. She just keeps her eyes buried in my nape and takes deep breaths too. I set her down, and my rod rests between her butt cheeks. I lean my head back and listen to my heartbeat into my ears. This was better than the first time we ever did it. I close my eyes and rx in the afterglow of the event. Sally just stays the way she is,ing down from the high. After a few minutes, she lifts her head and lifts mine to look me in the eyes. "I''m fine... You didn''t hurt me at all... I want to try something else..." She slowly makes her way out of the water andys down on the clean tile. She waves me over, and I follow. She spread her legs open and shows her pussy to me. "I want to be on the bottom this time..." Her breaths are deep and make it difficult to speak, but I understood her. I crawl between her legs and line up my rod. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I bury myself in her. She throws her head back and moans loudly. She quickly wraps her legs around me too and brings me in close. There is no space between us. Our bodies are crushing against each other. The only thing I can move independently is my hips. I slowly raise and lower them, going in and out of her. I look at her and see her eyes are slightly rolled back. I lift her head and kiss her. This time I use my tongue to y with hers. Being on top feels so good, being the dominant one. I can already feel another pressure building, and it makes my head dizzy. I feel her hands on my back, and she digs her nails into my shoulder des. She can''t hurt me, but I still feel them. I bury all the way inside and explode. I feel her nails drag pleasurably down my back. I look at her, and her eyes are closed, and her teeth are clenching and unclenching. I lean up as she lets go, and I gently pull out. Due to my insane leaves of endurance, I haven''t calmed down yet, but I think she has had enough. We are both covered in sweat now, so I pick her up and carry her with my back into the tup. She opens her eyes after a couple of minutes of soaking. She leans up and runs her hand through her hair as she looks at me. "It''s too bad we can''t do this more often, huh..." I nod in agreement. We are so busy traveling andpleting quests that these moments are few and far between. She leans on me as we both soak in the bath. I raise my hands out of the water and notice how pruney my hands are getting. "We''ll need to get out soon. People might already be suspecting things." She brings up a good point. We soak in the magically enhanced tub and get fully clean after our activities. We both get out of the tub and head for the towels. We sit in the changing room as we dry. She sits next to me, and I take this moment to reflect. As a man, I do have desires. They weren''t even close to being something important before I met Sally, but now... I feel like I''m wasting something great here by not doing something once in a while. "The wedding is going to be interesting... It''ll be the first one I''ve ever been to, and the same goes for you." Sally nods her head and sighs slightly. I''ll admit, I''d rather not go to the wedding. Amelia took it upon herself to ept my invitation for me, and besides, this is the chance Sally will get to wear the red dress she wants to wear. We sit and talk as we dry, and once fully dry, I equip my armor, and Sally gets dressed in hers. We make our way out of the changing room and head for the room that Amelia and Jackson were in. "Once we are at the wedding, news about me will get out, and hopefully, it isn''t too soon. Be ready for any questions. Remember, you don''t have to answer anything you don''t want to." She nods her head as we see the door up ahead. The wedding is tomorrow. Chapter 219: A Social Event VIII

Chapter 219: A Social Event VIII

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I push open the door, and there are many maids and butlers in the room. Amelia turns her head towards us and waves us over. Sally and I both walk over and sit down in one of the several seats. Jackson continues to drink from his teacup, and Amelia looks at me. She looks happy and not stressed anymore from the challenges of the poor. "Are you nning to leave right after the wedding? I''d like it if you stuck around longer this time. That only gives me a day with you." Since the wedding is tomorrow, Amelia wants to spend as much time as she can with me. Sally and I have revenge to get. She has been patient enough, and I won''t have her wait for any longer after the wedding. She has helped me so much and provided something I didn''t know I needed. It''s her turn to get what she wants, and what she wants is revenge against the men who made her life hell. "We aren''t going to be staying for any more time after the wedding. We already have so much to do, and I want to get started on it right away." Amelia looks down, a little disappointed. This is the second time we have seen each other. The only other times wemunicate was when we used letters, and I don''t check those often enough. It hurt her a lot by not responding or checking, but showing up here and hanging out for today and tomorrow will make up for some of it. "What do you think about the new way The Pope for the church is being selected? I''m sure you''re interested die to your connection with it." Jackson asks me a question I haven''t really put a lot of thought into. I don''t really care who bes Pope. It''s not going to stop me from doing what I want. The church knows better by now than to bother me the way it has, and if it hasn''t learned. I''ll make sure they due. I see the same head maid from earlier standing at one of the butler''s sides. She has a calm expression, and many are waiting for my response. "What the church does isn''t a concern of mine, Jackson. I''ve never wanted anything to do with them, and that''ll never change. More and more things are happening that stem from the church." We all hear a light bang, and I see the head maid quickly rpose herself before Amelia or Jackson turns to see. She must be a huge supporter of the church, and me saying that must have hurt her image of me more. "I figured you''d say as much. The concerns of the mortals do not bind you. You are free to do what you wish when you wish. For example, killing a king''s court. While Bellvia was a horrid ce, many are extremely concerned by your actions. Many rulers are worried that the same will happen to them." I only did what I did so I could get what I needed in Bellvia. I''m not going to do that anywhere else unless the situation calls for it. The head maides with another pot of tea and pours some for Jackson, and Sally also gets a cup. I look at her. Her facial expression hides her feeling well, but I can tell she is mad. "While the concerns of the people do not hold me to anything, all the problems in the world are caused because of humans. It''s not my job to fix all the mistakes that have been made just because I''m who I am." I see the maids head turn towards me ever so slightly. She quickly stops and finishes what she''s doing. She walks over and stands next to the butler again. Amelia looks at me with sadness, and while I don''t like causing her sadness. This needs to be said. She sees me looking at her. "I know your stance on things. I want you to keep an open mind. You can save a lot of people if you do one small thing. Sometimes, that one small thing can be impossible for a human. You have gotten so much stronger since thest I saw you. You have more power than any mortal could ever dream." Amelia speaks the truth, but my life is my own. It''s not going to be determined by the people who are suffering because of others. I lean back in my chair and sigh. Talking about politics and what I should and shouldn''t do is really not something that I like to do. I pinch the bridge of my nose and try to ease the pressure in my nose and head. Everything is going perfectly for me, and my loved ones. Yet, I feel as though a great doom is heading our way. After were done getting Sally''s revenge, I have several tier-up quests to do. I have two right now, but by the end of Sally''s quest, I''ll probably be over level 200. Making the tier-up quest count three. The Kingdom of Avalon is the next step on the journey after Sally and I are done. "So what time is your wedding Jackson? I''d like to know at what time I need to be prepared." He smiles and exins the wedding starts earlier morning and will end in thete evening. So it''s going to be an all-day event. I look over to Sally and smile. "Don''t wear heels. It''s going to be a very long day." She mods her head in agreement. I don''t know what Sally thinks about heels, but by our fast, she agreed she must not like them all that much. Jackson stands up and says his goodbyes. It''s still morning, and I bet Amelia would love to take us on a tour of the city and all its changes so far. "We have all day to do what you want, so make it count." I direct my voice at Amelia, and I watch a huge smile spread across her face. She quickly stands up and barks orders in excitement to the butlers to get a carriage ready. Sally and I sit quietly as she takes her time and does this. I turn my head and look at Sally. "I''m sure she is going to buy us things, so be ready to pick things out." Sally gives a nervous chuckle. While I don''t mind being spoiled, it really is weird to be spoiled at my age. "I wonder what kind of exclusive things Zenith sells. I heard it was a rough capital city before the war broke out for it, and once Jackson took over, things have never been better." She has an excellent memory. I stand up and hold out my hand to her. She grabs it, and I help her up. Amelia turns at the door and waved for us to follow, full of excitement. "Your mom is one of the most energetic people I have ever met..." It''s going to be a long story to exin my real mom to her. That''s a conversation and a thought for another time. I pull up my quest regarding Sally as we walk to the carriage. [Sally''s Past] [Description: Help Sally in her quest for vengeance against all the men that tortured and sexually assaulted her growing up. Help her punish the Elven Kingdom for their ways.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will ask you for your direct help in this matter.][Completed] [Objective 2: Once everything is done with your quest involving the Dryads, ask Sally what the first step in her revenge is.][Completed] [Objective 3: Head to the Barony of James in the kingdom of Pleer][In progress] [Rewards: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Note: The great difficulty of this quest is the goals that Sally has set in revenge. If they weren''t so great, then the difficulty wouldn''t be so high.] I should ask Jackson or nobles at the wedding if they know anything about Baron James and the Kingdom of Pleer. I have many thingsing up, and new information regarding them would be excellent. I''m sure Sally is full of information, but I don''t want to ask her anything that would cause memories of pain to surface. I look ahead and see massive doors that are being held open and carriage waiting, guess it''s time to have so fun with Amelia. She has been waiting so long for me to show up and hang out. In the end, I kept my promise toe and see her. That makes me feel better on the inside. We walk up to the carriages and take a seat. Soon they start moving and I look out the window to see we are heading for Zenith. Chapter 220: A Social Event IX

Chapter 220: A Social Event IX

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} The carriage is moving slowly and without care. It''s a calming ride, a stretch of time rxing with the asional bump here and there. I look across to the other seat and see Amelia smiling at me. "I''m happy that you decided to drop by and visit me. For a while there, I thought you might have forgotten about me." She actually sounds sad as she says that. To her, I''m the son that was taken from her after he was born. The baby she never got to hold, kiss, raise and care for. "What are you nning to bring as a gift?" I was nning on giving them a feather from my wings. That isn''t the best gift, though. "I have an idea, but it''s not really that great. I don''t know Jackson or his bride''s taste. I don''t even know her name. He told it to me once. I don''t remember, though." He mentioned to me that he was marrying some girl, but I don''t remember her name. After I tiered up and got my wings, I wanted out of there. Amelia chuckles to herself. "That''s a hint for you to help me look, mom." Her eyes go a little wide. I''ve rarely actually called her mom. It''s a little weird since I already have one¡ªsomething I don''t want to get used to. She nods her head in agreement. This is the first time I''ll go shopping with either of my moms. I feel a small dread. I might end up getting embarrassed today, but it''s the job of children to let their parents embarrass them from time to time. "Jackson gave out a list to all the people who were invited. It was our job tomunicate and figure out who is getting what. I didn''t get anything from the list. I''m going rogue on this one. Now, you are too." She seems excited to stick it to the rest of the nobles. Hopefully, she has good taste in gifts. I wonder what type of presents are given to a king and his queen? Those gifts probably have price tags I can''t reach. While I do have a shop somewhere in this world making gold for me, I''m nowhere near a noble''s wealth. Once you reach the Count/Countess rank, you have more gold that could be called reasonable. "Where are we going first? Thest time I was in Zenith, there was poverty and disease everywhere. The little I got to see yesterday really showed how much work had been done." Capital cities have things regr cities and towns don''t have. Amelia looks out the window to the slowly approaching city. "We need to visit the poor districts first. I have things to do there. I spend a lot of my money helping the poor and sick here in Zenith. Despite all the good things Jackson has done, he can''t reach everyone." I can see that most don''t trust rulers. The poor are the people who get screwed the most, and having a ruler like Jackson is unfamiliar to them. They are used to cruel rulers like Harold. "You think you can help some of the sick?" I look at her and see how serious she is. I can heal the sick and wounded. No matter how bad or far along they are, I can heal them as long as they are still breathing. The problem is if I do, word will spread that I''m here. I don''t want to be found out until the wedding. Amelia looks like she really wants this, though. "I''ll help whoever needs it. I was hoping only to be discovered at the wedding, but sometimes you have to adjust for another." She smiles brightly and jumps from her seat, and hugs me. Sally is almost bumped off the seat next to me. I hug her back, and I can feel some tears on my neck. She pulls away and dries them. She is a massive sympathizer of the poor and sick since she used to be in their shoes. "I honestly thought you''d say no... From what you were saying in the mansion, I thought you didn''t care about the little people. It warms my heart knowing you will do anything for me, and I''m excited that I get to brag about you." Another privilege parents get to have is bragging about their kids if theye out sessful. If Amelia wants to brag about me, I''m not going to stop her. She has that right. Helping the people in Zenith as I did in Bellvia will be another experience that will further spread my reputation and face around. It''ll have a ripple effect for sure. "I''ve been staring at that weapon you have. I''ve never seen anything like it before. May I hold it?" Amelia probably won''t be able to lift it. I take it off my waist and hold it out for her in its sheath. She ces her hands on it, and I nod at her. I let go, and she immediately gets sent to the ground. "Ouch! OUCH! GET IT OFF!" I pick it up for her, and her palms are red from the pressure. I bring up its stat panel and unhide it so she can see the stats. [The Witness] [Description: A legendary sword that has been around since before recorded history, all the greatest and most influential people have wielded this de. Empires have risen and fallen to, and for, this de. It has been held by kings, queens, emperors, and empresses. Along with Sword Saints of unparalleled power and recognition. The Witness is the most powerful of the one-handed swords on Gaia. There is no de better to wield. The construction of The Witness isn''t one know to all. Only a select few know its origins. It was crafted from the same divine metal as Durandal, Excalibur, and Caliburn. They are considered siblings since they were made from the same metal ore.] [New Information: The cksmith that created The Witness is no other than Wand himself. Out of all the swords he created, The Witness ys a special role. While warriors could wield it, its true power would be revealed when The Son of Arch-Angel Michael finally imed it.] [More information will be revealed once you tier up.] [Quality: Legendary] [Durability: Infinite] [Damage: 52,000] [Unique properties] [Has a very high chance to dismember limbs instantly] [Has a very high chance to cause Curse of Dposition] [Description: Areas attacked by Curse of Dposition will rot away till they are cured or the target dies.] [Will always cause critical hit upon vital points struck] [Will always ignore armor and defense ratings] [This sword will gain more power every time you tier up.] [There is no required level to wield this de.] [The Witness resonates with your angelic blood. +10000 focus] [A synergy has been created between The Dice of Wand and The Witness. Damage has been raised to 52,000] [Divinity Burn (Inherent Skill)] [Description: A powerful burn skill that is fueled by divine power. Especially effective against anything non-deity.] [Damage: 240,000 Over Time] [This skill will active every third swing and burn the target for 12 seconds.] I see the expression on her face, and Sally''s seeing the true power of The Witness can cause that. I take the stats down and show them my yer stats. [yer (Zern) Lvl.190] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 7240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 56,560,000,000/56,560,000,000][Mana: 196,600,000,000/196,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 1000][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Amelia leans back and stares at my screen, showing off my information and skills. "You have be so strong. I knew that you were powerful, but not like this. I''ve never seen health and mana in the billions before." Sally is the first to speak about the incredible sight before them. Exining how I became this strong is a long story, one of taking advantage of the knowledge of the future. Something that I thought wouldn''t be so bad, but now the world is the way it is because of my choices. A statement I really resent, but is nheless true. Chapter 221: A Social Event X

Chapter 221: A Social Event X

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I turn off the stat screen and see the confused looks on their faces. As natives of Gaia, they see their stats differently, while the way they do is unknown. "Now, you can put a number to that power. If that helps in any way." I actuality, it probably doesn''t. While I''m at a very high level, my stats are at an insane level. They are the true reason for my power. Not to mention I have tier-up quests stacked now. Something you want to avoid, and I''ve fallen into it. It''s just going to be something that I''ll have to fix in my travels. It''s going to be a long time. Sally''s revenge is my only priority right now, and it''s not like any of the men that hurt her can stand against her now. Let alone me. "I was wondering something... It''s important for our journey after we are done here in Zenith." I direct my question at Amelia, while she is a newer noble. She undoubtedly knows some things about people in her society she doesn''t want to meet. She nods for me to continue with my question. "Do you know a Baron James in the Pleer kingdom?" Sally goes stiff as I ask. I know it makes her ufortable, but it''s necessary right now. Amelia shakes her head, denying she knows anything. "Zenith doesn''t do any business with the Pleer kingdom due to theirx care for very. More and more people that migrate from that country are learned to be ves, and it''s going to be under a lot of heat once the war is over." She doesn''t have any useful information about the person, but she did have it about the ce. Her eyes glide to Sally in understanding. It''s hard to get things past Amelia. She stands up andes over to our side of the carriage. She proceeds to wrap Sally into a big hug. "Now I understand. I''m sorry for what''s happened to you, Sally. I''m sure that your world has been a dark and treacherous one. I want you to know that you cane to me with absolutely anything at all." Sally wraps her arms around Amelia, and they hug silently as I hear Sally''s low whimpers. "You make me proud, son. Helping her the way you are." She turns her head towards me with a smile. I''m doing what I think is right. Sally has all the right in the world to go after all the men that put her through that life. To punish the race that abandoned her, to avenge her fallen mother who gave everything to make sure her daughter lived. I decide to show some humanity, and I join in on the hug, making sure Sally knows I here too. "They''ll all get what''sing to them, Sally. All of them will suffer and die. We''ll be starting our journey tomorrow after the wedding. Look forward to that moment." I know I''m looking forward to the moment. Sally''s sobs have now gotten very audible. She is such an amazing woman. I''m lucky to have her by my side. After a while, we all pull away, and Sally dries her tears. Amelia decides to sit between us. "So... How many times have you two done it yet?" I can''t help the blush spreading on my face. That question was out ofpletely nowhere, and I have no idea how to respond. I look at Sally, and she is looking down towards her feet and wiggling. Her eyes are slightly wide in embarrassment. I never thought I''d have a conversation like this with one of my parents. I take a breath to calm my beating heart. Do I answer honestly here? Do I tell her it''s none of her business? "We''ve had sex twice..." My mind stops working for a second, and I turn to Sally and see her deep blush. I can''t believe she answered before I did. I look at Amelia, and she just smiles and pats Sally on her back. She proceeds to ask how it was for our first time. I had no idea people do this in Gaia because this isn''t normal for people from earth. "He is really long and thi-!" I cover her mouth before she can continue with any more embarrassing details. Ameliaughs at the pure honesty of Sally. It takes a moment for my blush to go down. "That isn''t something you should be asking us..." The weirdness of this situation makes me think that this truly ismon for the natives of Gaia. Amelia quitsughing and gets up. She quickly moves to her side of the carriage again. "Since I''m going to be helping the sick and poor, I''ll have to activate my title once it''s time. There will be a lot ofmotion once I do. Crowds and swarms of people will form." I shouldn''t expect any difference here in Zenith. I was hoping I''d never have to do this again, but sometimes things are unavoidable. We still have to get gifts for Jackson''s wedding. "I don''t doubt they will, and I appreciate that you are doing this for me. I have a lot of people that depend on me, and most of them don''t have the means to protect themselves. Let alone keep them from getting sick or injured." People don''t get injured and sick out of nowhere. There is always a cause, be it a person or not. Amelia doing this is really good, but there may be something more going on. It''s not my job to find out. "It sounds like you have a real problem on your hands, mom. One that isn''t so easily solved. I suggest someone finds out the cause of all this is, cause the next time I''ll be here is a long time from now." These could be the final times I see Amelia. I don''t know for sure. She nods her head in agreement and looks out the window as we slowly enter the city. The carriage ride was nice, but it doesn''t beat flying. Nothing ever will. Once you have experienced that freedom, it''s impossible to stay with another form of travel for long. The carriage slowly makes its way through the roads of Zenith. Heading towards the poor district. I look out the window and notice several different people are looking at the carriage in excitement. Many wake up or warn others that Amelia is here, which means she brings things to try and help. "Take us to the usual spot. That way, they can gather in mass." Ameliamands the carriage driver to head to a ce whererge amounts of people can gather. Many people begin to follow the carriage. Parent''s carrying sick kids and kids helping sick adults. After a couple more minutes, we make it to arge area with lots of free space. It looks to be a ce where peoplee to rx in the day. I see some people of higher ss quickly leave at the sight of the crowd. Typical. "Stop up ahead." The carriage driver does at told, and the carriage stops. Amelia exits the carriage first, and Sally follows. I''m thest one out. Amelia is shaking hands and greeting people she is familiar with. I follow her to a higher area so she can speak, and I''ll just wait until I''m needed. She takes a deep breath, preparing a speech. "I''m here to bring salvation back to some of you. Others, I bring a renewal in faith." Many silently listen, trying to understand where this is all going. She points towards me. "This is my son. He is very special. His name is yer Zern." Many whispers break out and many look at me, wondering if I''m that yer Zern. "Your guesses are right. My birth son is The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. He''s here at my request to heal and help many of you. As he did in Bellvia." The looks between people, most don''t believe, though. She turns to me so I can demonstrate to the people. I activate my wings and divine title. Many fall to their knees, bowing and weeping. "Bring your sick and wounded. He''ll heal them all." Many being to chant that Amelia is a saint or is a Goddess. I stand in front of her and wait for people to starting forward. The first is a desperate couple and their sick kids. There are two of them. I hold out my hands in front of the family, and I use my strongest healing and cure skill. They look good as new, and the kids soon wake up. We spend the next hour or so helping as many people as we can, and the crowd keeps getting bigger and bigger. I''m not sure if the people here now are really sick, but many are talking about how Amelia is my mother. That''ll be interesting information for the nobles who don''t like her. Chapter 222: A Social Event XI

Chapter 222: A Social Event XI

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I finish healing thest of the sick here, and I look at Amelia, telling her that I''m done with this. She does a speech and has the soldiers that havee send the masses away. I sit on a curb and look down in annoyance. I didn''t think so many people would be here. I turn my title off. I don''t want to spend another minute in the city. "You can pick a gift for me. I''m heading back to the mansion. Youing with, Sally?" Sally nods her head and stands behind me. I kneel down, and she climbs on. Before Amelia can protest, Iunch off the ground and head for the mansion to the north. I fly slowly as not to get there too fast. It''ll take a couple of minutes at this time. "That was a lot of people..." Sally sounds tired herself, and all she did was watch. I''m not physically tired, but mentally I''m exhausted. So many crying and begging people can put stress on the mind. "How are you feeling. You helped a lot of people today, and you made your mom smile." That makes it more worth it. In the end, it''ll only help my reputation. I sigh as I feel the cool air on my face and the freeing sensation of flight. My stress levels lower, and I look out towards the horizon. What should we do after Sally gets her revenge? The war, maybe? Everything is possible. "Have you given any thought as to what you want to do after we are done getting your revenge?" I dodge her question about how I feel. She snuggles in close and stays quiet¡ªlikely thinking of some sort of answer. There are many things I still know about The Ancients World, ces with powerful items. Nothing willpare to The Witness, so I don''t need a new weapon anytime soon. I see the mansion up ahead, and I slowly bring us into a decent. "I want to stay with you, go on adventures, and create memories. Live a life that has no regrets in it anymore..." That really does sounds nice. "The list of enemies I want to kill is long, and it''ll take us a good amount of time. I''ve been thinking about them so much that I haven''t given much to what we''ll do afterward. What I said is what I want, but it could change. The only thing that will always be having you by my side." I understand that. Dreams and ns change, and that''s okay. Ind us softly and gently let Sally off. I toggle my wings off and stare at the beautiful garden around us. "Is it wrong that I just want to stay in this beautiful garden and stay away from everyone? I''m getting really sick of having to deal with people." Sallyughs at my question. I''m one of the only people that would feel that way. I''m sure the yers that came to see me in those crowds wouldn''t feel the same way. I bet they''d love the fame and recognition. They''d abuse the power that I have, make crazy demands of the people. Sally grabs my hand and leads me to a bench under a tree that is providing shade. We both sit down and enjoy the sounds of birds and the sound of branches and leaves being moved by the wind. "I really like this ce too, and I don''t mind staying in here for the time at all. However, we are going to that wedding." She knows me too well. "This is going to be one of the only times I get to wear the red dress." I smile at the thought of her in the beautiful dress. The wedding is tomorrow, and it starts in the morning. This means it''s going to be an all-day endeavor. My thoughts are interrupted by an announcement. [Worldwide Announcement: yers are now able to participate for the position of The Pope and a Legendary ss! Head to your local church branch and sign up for the monster killpetition to enter the event! The yer with the most monster kills that have signed up will receive the position in 3 months when the final scores are tallied! Be cautious of your fellow yers. Not only can they steal your kills, but they can steal your points!] Talk about a way to motivate a bunch of people. Not only that, but it''s going to add funpetition for the yer base. It''s good that it only affects those that sign up. I don''t know how many people are still adjusting to the new life here on Gaia. Billions of people died before we came here. Those people had friends, family, lovers. Understandably, people will have an incredibly hard time changing to fit in this world. "I can''t believe a Pope is being selected this way..." Sally has been here ever since she was born. Seeing how The Pope is selected being changed is pretty crazy. "The times are always changing as ofte. The arrival of us new people has caused a lot of problems for a lot of people. It seems our presence here has finally reached the church. I can deduce from this point it''s possible for new people to be officials in high positions." I bet we are even able to be kings or queens. Not to mention we have already gotten guilds of incredible size up and running. All I can see is more reasons for yers to continue pushing. How many people actually want to participate? It''s obvious that the guilds will be signing up in the millions, and knowing that. It gives solo yers less incentive to participate. How strong a yer is will also determine how sessful they are. Most yers are all around the same level. Let''s not forget that yers can steal each other''s points. There is going to be a lot more yer-on-yer violence. For the ones participating, at least. "Does this mean we''ll have any problems in the future?" Sally brings up a good point. Who knows what kind of damage can be done. People who have never led an entire religious organization are trying to do exactly that. "I''d expect problems for us. There is no telling what kind of repercussions there are." Sally nods her head slowly and scoots closer to me. She leans her head on my shoulder and brings her hand in mine. I decide to take my mind off the announcement and enjoy the time that we have away from people. "We are probably going to have to fight new people in our journeys now since they''ll think I have a lot of points due to my gear. Good thing it''s onlysting three months." I''m really d it''s notsting any longer than that. I close my eyes and lean my head against Sally''s. Today was a good but mentally exhausting day. We hear the little footsteps of kids run through the garden and in our direction. Soon our peace is interrupted by the voices of little kids. "It was your idea... You ask him..." Two kids are talking to each other. Most likely wanting to ask me something. One of them walks up and fiddles with his fingers. "Mr. Angel... We were wondering if you would let us fly on your back..." I chuckle to myself. This isn''t a situation I ever thought I''d be in. It''s not really my decision to make. If they want to go for a ride, they''ll have to ask Amelia for permission. "I don''t know you two. You''ll have to ask Amelia. She might not feelfortable letting such little kids fly." They look insulted at being called little kids. I chuckle to myself, knowing that I and everyone did the same thing when we were little. I was a kid that was always saying I couldn''t wait to be an adult. Now that I am, I can say that I want to stay a kid again. They run back out of the garden and towards the mansion. After another minute or so, a few butlerse out with a cart. They have tea and treats. I''m not going to be upset if they are bringing food and beverages. "My Lord, we thought that you would like some tea and cakes for this lovely evening in the garden." I smile at the politeness and sinceritying from the head butler. I nod my head, and they prepare us tea, and we both have some of the most delicious cakes I''ve ever tasted in my entire life. I''vee to understand how Amelia tolerates being a noble. It''s moments like these. Chapter 223: A Social Event XII

Chapter 223: A Social Event XII

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally and I finish our tea and sweets. The butlers take them away, and we sit in silence. "Let''s go inside and rx on actually cushioned furniture." She stands up alongside me, and we make our way to the mansion and through the beautiful garden. We walk on the stone path out and towards the mansion. The guards get very stiff as I pass. The truth about me being here is now known. I can assume that Amelia''s identity as my mother is also known too. She is going to have newfound respect from others. The church will definitely contact her about things too. As Cera and Sally walk into the mansion to find afortable ce to rest. There are people all over Zenith talking about the events that have transpired today. One of these people being King Jackson and his blushing bride-to-be. They are in their pce, away from all the noise from themon people and the nobles, demanding answers about why this has happened. Why this secret about the new noblewoman was kept a secret. They sit in private chambers, looking at each other. One more angry than the other. I look at my soon-to-be bride and see her displeasure with me. I never did inform her about any of my connections with yer Zern or Amelia Zern. She has her arms crossed as she res into the depths of my soul. "How long have you know about Amelia and yer Zern''s connection?" There is a predatory undertone in her voice. I''d don''t know if I told her or not. The fear for my life is outweighing the promise the always tell her everything. She knows that this is a special circumstance, right? RIGHT!? I fidget in my seat and turn my eyes from her. She releases a mean growl. That''s when I decide to be honest. "I''ve known about him ever since I first met him in Blue Grass City when I was still a Baron." She looks at me, knowing that isn''t the full story. "The ident in the pce was because of him. He got his wings that night. He told me about his mother, and if I wanted to have a connection with him, it was to be making his mother a noble." I see her look at me, seeing if I''m hiding anything else. Those are the major ones I''ve withheld. She stands up and walks over to a table. I watch her ball her fist in anger and smash the table. She continues to stomp it into pieces, and I can''t help but cringe in mortal fear. After she is done, she takes a breath. "That''s much better." She wipes the sweat off her face and turns to me with a gentle expression. "You''d at least tell me he''sing to our wedding. There''s no way he has time for that." I look down. I haven''t informed her that he''sing yet. I wanted it to be a surprise. I lift my eyes from the ground, and I see her darkening expression. I stand up and hold my hands out before she can even start her approach. "It was meant to be a surprise! Amelia ising to the wedding, and I wanted to check up on her onest time before tomorrow! I never expected Zern to be there! It was a spur-of-the-moment decision! I''m so sorry!!" She quickly flexes her fingers, and they pop from the force. I look into her eyes, and I don''t see my darling fiance anymore. I back up in fear as she slowly approaches. I fall back onto the couch, and I look up at her as she stands over me. She has a neutral face and hollow eyes. "You''re telling me. That you dropped ast-minute wedding invitation. On The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, and didn''t think about the repercussions." Technically he never epted. His mother did. She doesn''t need to know that, though. "Is that right?" I freeze, realizing my mistake. She can read my thoughts when in close proximity, and I can hers. "We need to have a discussion about the wedding. It needs to be even bigger and better with such a guest. Is That. Clear." I nod my head, knowing that this is the only way to appease my fiance. The rest of the day passes, and the night rests upon Gaia. Many wonder what the integration of new people means to the powerbase. Many high-ranking officials are in protest, but there is nothing they can do about it. The night slowly passes as everyone around Gaia either sleeps or gets up to no good. Soon the sun is rising on the world, and everyone is getting up, including Cera and Sally. Not only are they getting up, but everyone in Zenith is getting an early rise. Since today is King Jackson and his bride''s wedding, there is a pep in everyone''s step. I stretch my body out and feel the soft feeling of the bed on my skin. I roll to my side, and Sally is sleeping next to me. We were given some of thefiest pajamas I''ve ever been in. Handcrafted and everything. I''m the first to get out of bed, and I pop my back as I stand up. I make my way to the personal bathroom attached to this room, and I quickly fill the tub. I unequip my current clothes, and I sink my body into the magical water. I''m going to miss this after today, probably going to be the only time I get to do it again. I pull up my stats to add something to the mundaneness. [yer (Zern) Lvl.190] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 7240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 56,560,000,000/56,560,000,000][Mana: 196,600,000,000/196,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 1000][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Ever since Ipleted that legendary quest, I haven''t gotten a chance to try out my new power skills. They have leveled up, and with them, they have new information. I individually pull up information and see the changes to the skills I use the most. I pull up Sally''s quest now. [Sally''s Past] [Description: Help Sally in her quest for vengeance against all the men that tortured and sexually assaulted her growing up. Help her punish the Elven Kingdom for their ways.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will ask you for your direct help in this matter.][Completed] [Objective 2: Once everything is done with your quest involving the Dryads, ask Sally what the first step in her revenge is.][Completed] [Objective 3: Head to the Barony of James in the kingdom of Pleer][In progress] [Rewards: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Note: The great difficulty of this quest is the goals that Sally has set in revenge. If they weren''t so great, then the difficulty wouldn''t be so high.] As I nned before, I''m going to use the party to ask nobles about the kingdom of Pleer. I notice that I still have 1000 stat points to use too. I decide to pour all 1000 into speed. It''s bing my favorite stat. [yer (Zern) Lvl.190] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 56,560,000,000/56,560,000,000][Mana: 196,600,000,000/196,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 0][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] I close all the menus and rx my head on the edge of the tub. I soak in the warm water and feel my points rx. Who knows, maybe the wedding will actually be fun. Aside from the weird tension with my presence, as well as me asking questions about The kingdom of Pleer and the Barony of James. All in due time, of course. Chapter 224: Jacksons Wedding I

Chapter 224: Jacksons Wedding I

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I get out of the bathtub and grab a towel. I head back into the room and sit down on one of the chairs. Sally is still sleeping. I fully fry myself and equip my gear. I make my way towards the door and leave. I walk towards the mansion''s living room, and once there, I see a familiar head maid. She is cleaning some of the furniture and making sure everything is tidy. I walk over to the couch and take a seat. She doesn''t look at me or acknowledge my existence. If she wants to me me, then I''m not going to stop her. A heartbroken mother isn''t someone I''m going to set straight. Eventually, she''ll have to ept that her son''s death on the field isn''t a single person''s specific fault. It''s okay for her to grieve and be in pain, for her to need to me someone. "You sure are up early." I turn my head towards the familiar voice, and Amelia joins me in the living room. She sits on the couch across from me, and she is ready for the day. "The gift I got in your name is a set of silk sheets. Hope they believe it''s actually from you." Iugh at that. She follows suit too. I''m sure the King and his soon-to-be Queen already have silk sheets. It''s not like they''ll refuse a gift from me, which is very pretentious to say. "Thanks for handling the shopping. I needed to get away from the giant fields of people. How much did you have to deal with while shopping? There are only so many guards." Before I left, the crowds dispersed and were guided away by the guards. Her moving around the city and shopping probably made it incredibly hard to keep the crowds away. There is no way we could get all the sick and wounded. This means there are those out there even more desperate and broken since they missed their chance. They say you can''t help everyone, and that''s true. "The guards had a harder time keeping them at bay once I started moving around the city and making my usual stops. At one point, the running from the sheer volume made the ground tremble slightly. I''d say almost every person in the city was following or trying to find me." I don''t doubt there were yers in that crowd too. The friend request and messaging system still don''t work. There still isn''t a way for yers tomunicate directly with each other from long distances. I don''t think there will be for a long time. So yers getting a chance to see me or my ''mother'' seems like a chance to make a strong ally in a dangerous world. "When are we leaving for the wedding? All you told me is it''s starting in thete morning." Amelia informs me that we''ll leave here in a couple of hours. It''s early morning right now. "Are we taking another carriage there?" If I had to pick, I''d like to fly, just ''cause it''s faster. She nods her head, and before I can ask another question, a few butlers walk into the living room with food and tea. This type of constant service can get annoying, in my opinion. We end our conversation and decide to have some food. After a minute or so, Sally walks into the room. Still in her pajamas, no less. They are modest and cover her skin. They are pink and fluffy pajamas. I smile and wave her over. Shees and sits next to me and is handed a te of food and a cup of tea by the butlers. While Cera, Sally, and Amelia have breakfast and finish waking up. The chaos at the pce is reaching a boiling point. Ever since Jackson''s bride found our yer Zern ising to the wedding, she has been on a warpath. Upgrading everything and anything, sparing no expense in any department. Poor Jackson has been pushed to the sidelines and can only watch his staff and servants suffer his bride''s wrath. It''s simr all over in terms of noble houses. Women making sure they look their best, as well as their husbands, for when they meet yer Zern. I look at my soon-to-be wife and queen and see how determined she is to make this a spectacr showing. If she only knew how little Zern cares. I don''t want to put myself in harm''s way and telling her that I''d be doing so. Sometimes it''s just best to get out of the way and let her do what she needs to do. One of my many court officialses up to me and plops down next to me. "I know that showing off to Zern is important, but shouldn''t we be trying to impress his mom? This seems like a wasted effort." How right you are, my friend. The way to win over yer Zern is through Amelia Zern, which I have already done. She has be a great friend and an amazing noble. The way she helps the poor and sick brings a bnce and life to Zenith. I doubt we would have recovered as fast without her doing everything she could to help the people who needed it the most. "I get where you areing from, but it''s in everyone''s best health if we just let her do what she wants. If it makes her feel better about the wedding and meeting Zern, then who are we to stand in the way." Another one of my officialses into the conversation. My bride begins to yell at some poor seamstresses about the condition of her new dress. I lean back in my chair and sigh. "yer Zern is a good friend of mine, and if he was seeing this right now. He''d probablyugh. He doesn''t like being the center of attention or being around lots of people in general. It''s a huge honor that he''sing to our wedding, but I know he wouldn''t havee if his mother wasn''t there to answer for him. I got in a lot of trouble with my fiance because of that..." My officialsugh at the little piece I''ve added to the conversation. My bride seems to sense my enjoyment in this dire time. She darts her head at me, and my officials scatter like rats. She marches at me and stares down at me with a darkened gaze. "I''m d you are over here having a goodugh when I''m busting my ass to make this a perfect wedding for our esteemed guest to enjoy." I feel a chill run down my back at the cold tone in her voice. "I''m going to count to 5, and if you aren''t up and helping with something, you won''t get any after the wedding." I take that threat seriously, and I stand up. I immediately find something to help with. Setting up tables, helping with chairs. Anything at all, I want some after my wedding night. After a few minutes, some nobles of the Baron rank walk in, and many are carrying gifts. There are people already showing up early for the wedding. This will cause even more problems with my bride, but I''m not going to be in her line of sight. I see her make eye contact with the nobles who have entered, and they all flinch at the sinister look on my face. I decide to ignore the proceeding yells from my wife. I''m sure nobles are going to be showing up early due to yer Zern''s attendance here. Not to mention nobles are going to try and befriend his mother. I''ve already gotten multiple messages and threats from the church regarding her. Most are on the lines of how could I hide this? She is too important. You better protect her until we get there. Some people from the church are evening to the wedding. I don''t know who, though. They are onlying because Amelia and yer Zern are going to be here. They''ll likely beg him for help. Many people of high ranking all over Gaia are on their way to the wedding in Zenith city. Be them low ranking nobles or kings and queens themselves. While they will pay their respects to the new couple, most are going for the singr purpose of the meeting and speaking with Zern. One of the people on the way towards Zenith via teleportation gates is none other than Saintess Lucy. She is almost in Zenith city. I only have one more teleportation gate to go. As the Saintess, I won''t have any problems getting into the wedding, and I''ll admit that I''m nervous. This will be the first time I ever meet yer Zern, to think he was in The Holy City not too long ago. With Leonard retiring and a new Pope being selected soon, it''s going to be rocky. For the first time since the creation of the church, the seers aren''t the ones finding the new Pope. I can only hope this doesn''t mark the destruction of the church. Chapter 225: Jacksons Wedding II

Chapter 225: Jacksons Wedding II

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} As the morning slowly passes, more and more people are entering Zenith. Nobles and rich merchants who weren''t even invited. Many of whom aren''t actually here for the wedding, but for two specific guests. It''s easy to figure out which guests are being talked about. One of these uninvited attendees is the Saintess Lucy and a small entourage of her best soldiers. They hope that they get a chance to talk to and convince yer Zern to help in the ongoing war. If she can get his help, many lives will be saved. I step out of thest teleporter, and I look around Zenith. It''s been so long since I saw this ce. Jackson has done a marvelous job of bringing Zenith city back to life. This doesn''t excuse his actions of hiding the knowledge he had of yer Zern or the now known fact that he was harboring his mother as a Noble. I look around the teleportation tform and see the many shocked faces of our arrival. Even new people stop to stare, and the male stares from the new people are quite creepy. As if they have never seen a woman before. I step off the teleportation tform and look directly into the direction of the pce. That''s where the wedding is to be held. "Make sure no one gets any funny ideas about approaching me. I''m not here to talk and meet themon folk." My second inmand, Franklin Harm, nods his head in understanding. My soldiers get in formation around me, and we start making out way towards the pce. It''s going to take a little longer than I''d like. The crowds of people will make it harder to get there¡ªan inconvenience of being famous. I make a deep sigh and see the crowd getting even thicker up ahead. "Saintess, should we try and find a different way?" There is no point. No matter which direction we go, there will be a crowd. Franklin nods his head, and we continue trying to get through the crowd. They are doing an excellent job of slowing us down. Many begging for help, to heal their sick and wounded. I don''t have abilities like that, so they are going to be sorely disappointed. "Everyone back away! If you don''t, you''ll suffer the consequences!" Franklin shouts a threat to the crowd. That doesn''t falter the most desperate of people. If anything, it makes them more motivated. I decide to take matters into my own hands, and I unleash some of my power. Everyone backs away in fear or awe. "Next time, it''ll be more than just a warning!" I make sure everyone here. I don''t have time to deal with all these people. The crowd parts, and I hear the weeping of mothers and fathers, along with children. It''s not easy to ignore them, to pass them by in their time of need. I can''t help them, though. I have my own reason for being here. After an easier walk, we finally make it to the entrance gates of the pce grounds. I look at the guard. He is holding a list. I walk up to the gate to be let in, but he doesn''t move. "Are you going to open the gate or not?" I''ve never met resistance like this before. Everywhere I go, doors open for me, and people know who I am. He shakes his head and for the first time in my life. I''m irritated that I''m not let in regardless of said list. I ce my hand on one of the metal bars, and I bend it. He cringes but still doesn''t let me in. He sees my genuinely angry look. "If you''re not on the list, then your not getting in. There are a few inns down the road to your left where more people like you are. They are starting to get full, so I suggest getting there sooner rather thanter." I ball up my fist and almost punch the gate, but I calm myself down and take a breath. Instead of listening, I jump over the gate easily, and so do my soldiers. The guard sighs and ignores our actions. I turn my attention to the pce, and I make my way towards it. We make our way to the massive doors, and I push them open. What I see is an extravagant hall filled with tables. There are already nobles and merchants here. I wave for my escorts to leave me, and they do, each heading to a different part of the hall. I look around and see one of the men I''m here to talk to. Jackson is talking to his bride right now. I walk over and tap on his shoulder. "Not now." I clench my teeth. This city is very rude. I tap again. "I said not right now!" He spins around, and we meet eye to eye. His anger disappearing, and a smile appears on his fast. I cross my arms at the sudden change of attitude. "My, Saintess Lucy. I know for a fact that you or anyone else from the church was not invited. How about you do me a favor and leave." I can''t stop myself from reaching from my sword on instinct. He back up, and I quickly stop myself. "I know why you are here, Lucy, and I''m going to personally see to it that he isn''t bothered by you or your wars problems." A low growl is released from my throat as those words leave his mouth. If he wants to y it this way, then so be it. As a hugemotion breaks out at the pce. Cera, Amelia, and Sally are all getting ready to leave for the pce. Despite the pleading and begging of Amelia, Cera isn''t going toply with getting dressed up. He is going in his gear, and no one is going to stop that from happening. Sally, on the other hand, is finally dressed in her amazing red dress. Her long blond hair is falling down her shoulders, and her deep blue eyes are capable of enrapturing anyone. Her pointy ears sticking out the sides. Anyone can fall for the elven beauty. I turn my head away with a blush. For the first time in my life, a girl is beautiful enough to make me, Cera Adamo, blush like a schoolgirl. "You look absolutely amazing, Sally." I say this to her as I turn my head to get another eyeful of her. She looks down at the ground with a blush on her face as well. She walks up to me and holds her elbow out. I take it with a smile, and we slowly make our way out of the mansion. I know nobody will mind me wearing my gear. Amelia follows us out of the room with a smile on her face. I bet if Gaia had cameras, Amelia would take a picture of us before we leave. "The dress is much more ttering to my feminine figure than I thought it''d be. It''s kind of embarrassing and a little scary to have my curvy features more on disy..." I take my arm out of her elbow and wrap my arm around her instead. I''m going to protect her no matter what, be it from monsters, humans, handsy nobles. All of them will experience my wrath, and nothing can stop that if they try anything. She leans into my side and wraps her arms around my waist. After a minute of walking, we make it to the carriage, and we load in. Sally and I sit side by side as Amelia sits across from us. "You two are so cute together. You''d be even cuter if you actually decided to dress up..." I sigh and roll my eyes. There are some things I''ll never do. Wearing a suit is one of the things that''ll I''ve never do. "Make sure you keep Sally close. She is going to be getting the attention of many horny men, and I''d like there not to be blood spilled at the wedding." I''m not going to promise that. If a jackass tries to do something to Sally, I''ll hurt him. The carriage starts to move, and we are slowly making our way towards the city. "Sally, I''ll be here to protect you from anything that a pervert might try. You should be able to wear a dress and feel good while doing it, so try and have fun. I''ll make sure nothing happens, okay?" She nods her head, and I can tell she is still a little scared. I''m not afraid to kill nobles in droves, be they from Jackson''s court or not. I''ll paint the walls and ceiling of the pce in red if the need arises. Sally leans her head on my shoulder as we slowly travel. I truly hope she is going to have a good time. Chapter 226: Jacksons Wedding III

Chapter 226: Jacksons Wedding III

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} The carriage ride is calm and peaceful at first, but once in the city, people who recognize it as Amelia begin to follow us. I look out one of the windows and see a long line of people following our carriage. We entered the city not too long ago. "I''m sorry this is going to be happening to you, Amelia... Now that people know you''re my mother, you''ll be bothered on a daily basis." The inconveniences that''lle from this are numerous. She won''t be able to leave her mansion without dealing with this nonsense. She smiles as I look at her. "It was bound to happen eventually. Besides, I want the whole world to know that you''re my son. I have a lot to be proud of, you know." Sally giggles, and I sigh. Only a parent could say something like that. "I''ve already received multiple letters from the church since yesterday. News travels faster than I thought it did. Apparently, they want to send a unit of soldiers to protect me. They are still waiting on my response." While it isn''t a bad idea for her to have extra protection now. Jackson probably has security tight in Zenith due to her being here. I don''t like the church more and more as the days go by. At first, it was easy to avoid them because they didn''t know who I was, but now everyone knows my name and likely my face too. The hood I got in Bellvia has already proven to be useful the times I used it. "Don''t let them push you into situations. They think that they have all the power and authority to do what they want when they want. Only small circumstances require them to ask permission. If they keep bothering you, tell them I''ll take care of them." I don''t like the people I care about getting bothered. The amount of times the church has tried to bother me is unknown because there were definitely attempts to find me without my knowing. Now that a direct link to me is known, they''ll try to seize that link. That isn''t going to happen. Not on my watch. "I appreciate the caring and slightly disturbing words. I can take care of myself. I''ve done it for the majority of my life." I''ll respect her words and her opinion. All she needs to do is call on me, and I''ll help her in any way I can. I see the pce up ahead. The ride is taking longer than normal due to the crowds forming and getting in the way. Some of the guards escorting the carriage have to get off their horses or break formation to take care of it. "Looks like the pce has been repaired since that time I put a hole through it. That was a bad day." The memory of that day haunts me. Experiencing the worst moments of my life again and again for who knows how long. Time worked differently there. I ended up escaping, my own rage setting me free, my own pain. The carriage ride is noisy now that the crowds have increased in volume. Eventually, we make it to the main gate, and the guard lets us in, already recognizing the carriage. The diver takes us up to the entrance, and I see other carriages parked. He stops and lets us out. I step out first and help Amelia and Sally out. I''m going to be the only one in my gear here, which I''m not apologizing for. The carriage rides off for the driver to handle its parking and care for the horse. I see the massive doors open and receiving guests. I follow Amelia up the stairs, and I begin to see people staring at me in disbelief. Whispering to each other. Sally walks at my side, and I wrap my elbow in with hers. We make it to the center of the room, and there is a noticeable distance between the rest of the guests and us. "I''m going to go speak to Jackson and his bride. You two should have some fun. Don''t go breaking anything in here." Amelia walks off in the direction of Jackson. He and his bride are staring. His bride is flustered and avoiding eye contact. Sally and I find an empty table and sit down. I stare at her as she is breathtaking today. I hear the click of heels walk up behind me. "yer Zern?" I try and ignore it. However, the female voice is not giving up. "I''m Saintess Lucy. I need to talk to you about your role in the war." I stand up in anger, and I activate my Divine Pressure skill. Everyone in the room crashes to the ground, including the Saintess. I turn around and look at her t on the ground. Struggling to get up. Many groans of pain and protestse out of the guest''s mouths. I squat down and lift her head so she can look me in the eyes. "I have nothing to say to you or the church. This war is humanity''s responsibility. I wasn''t born to save you from death, to fight your battles. I''m free to do what I want and choose what I''m involved in. Let this be your only warning Saintess Lucy if you or the church tries to contact my mother or me. I''ll destroy all of you." I deactivate my Divine Pressure, and there are audible gasps everywhere. Everyone tries to stand up and regain their bearings. As this disy of power and superiority happened. Many important guests and officials realized the difference between them and The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. The now who realized the most was Saintess Lucy. Never in all her years as someone other than Fenrir been able to do this to her. She was blessed by the Arch-Angel Uriel when she was born. She has powers few mortals ever dream of having. Whenpared to someone of actual divine blood and incredible significance. She is nothing. All her powers are worthless. I take deep breaths as I raise my head. I look over and see yer Zern help up the elf girl he has brought with him. We need his help in this war. Yet, he doesn''t care at all about us. I stand up and feel my body ache. I look over at Jackson and see the disappointed look on his face. He warned me this would happen, but I didn''t listen to him. I ignored him and demanded things I shouldn''t have. This whole situation is my fault. Now I have to find a way to fix the damage I have caused with my thoughtless words and actions. Once fully standing and bnce, I immediately bow my head at yer Zern. "I''m sorry for my disrespect... Please forgive me..." He doesn''t respond and walks away, helping the elf girl. My soldiers quickly approach and help me to my feet. "We need to leave... If the damage I have done today is to be repaired, we need to give him the space he want''s..." I can barely walk straight, let alone move quickly enough to get out of this situation. I''ll admit it''s incredibly embarrassing to have such a thing happen. As Saintess Lucy and her men make their way out of the pce and towards the exit of the pce grounds. Many people look at yer Zern in fear. The ones who are brave enough to stay that is. Many people quickly leave, fearing a repeat of what happened in Bellvia. Many of the originally invited guests stay, but the onesing here to talk to yer Zern or Amelia Zern leave. Fearing death. They are smart to do so, cause people are beginning to learn that you don''t mess with Salyer Zern. You listen to what he says or suffer the consequences. I make my way towards Jackson and his bride. I need to apologize for that impulsive act. I could have killed someone. Once in front of them, they lower their heads. His bride does more than him. "I''m sorry about that outburst. As much as I didn''t want to interrupt and ruin your wedding. I fear that I already have." Jackson and his bride raise their heads and calmly exin that they did everything they could to get Lucy out of here. Sometimes stubborn people have to learn the hard way. Once they do learn that lesson, they remember it for the rest of their lives. I watch Amelia get mad and smack the back of my head. It doesn''t hurt of course, but the message is clear. "You need to do more than apologize..." I don''t get her question at first. She tilts her head towards the bride and she is crying. I see now, and I think I know something that might work. I toggle my wings on, and people react in multiple ways. The bride stops crying. I reach to my left-wing and I pull out a feather. I wasn''t going to do this originally but now seems like a good time to. I hold it out to the bride and her tears quickly stop. Chapter 227: Jacksons Wedding IV

Chapter 227: Jacksons Wedding IV

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} The feather isn''t much, but for some reason, people will treasure it. I look at Jackson and give an apologetic look. He gives a satisfied look now that his bride is no longer in distress regarding anything. Sally and I walk away and let them do what they do. I grab Sally''s hand and make sure everyone sees the gesture. Sally is mine and to not be touched or approached by anyone with ill will. "This is the first time you''ve done this... Show people that we''re... Together..." We are together, and people need to know if they mess with you, they mess with me. Be it the church, the elves, bandits, or guests at a wedding. "Let''s enjoy ourselves, Sally. After this wedding, we have a very long journey ahead of us. One that will change your life forever." She nods her head in acknowledgment of my words. "What do couples do at weddings? Dance?" I have no shame in not knowing what happens at a wedding. Many would call that disappointing, but it just means you are so busy chasing your life and dreams you can''t make it. That''s how my life has been, chasing the dream of fixing my family. I seeded. The wedding moves on to the actual ceremony, and we find some seats near the front as the bride and groom get ready. There is wonderful wedding music and a melodic voice that gets a certain rxation to the room. After a little bit, Jacksones out and stands up near the podium. I look at the priest and see how nervous he is at my presence. He looks at me every so often. Soon the bride walks down the aisle, being escorted by who I assume is her brother. Some handmaidens are carrying the end of her dress, and little flower girls follow, doing their thing. The ceremony proceeds, and the wedding reception follows, at least that''s what I think it''s called. The bride and groom get the first dance, and after a while, others start to join. I stand and hold out my hand to Sally. I''m not going to waste this moment. She takes it with a smile and small blush. I help her out of her chair, and I escort her to the dance floor. I also don''t know how to dance, but who gives a damn. We both step on each other''s toes a few times. After a few more tries, we get each other rhythms down. I bring her in close as the song slows down, and sheys her ear over my heart. It''s calm and steady, just as I feel when I''m with her like I''m myself. "Thanks for taking me to this... It''s been fun, to say the least." She chuckles, saying thatst part. "It''s sad that it has to end so soon. The happiest day of a girl''s life ends in a few hours..." I don''t disagree with that, but I believe that for women, there are multiple best days of their lives. Many will say their wedding, but after they have their first baby, it changes. It''s a great thing to look forward to. Everyone here is finally taking their eyes off me and enjoying the time to dance with their significant other. "There is so much more toe for the new husband and wife. So much for the kingdom to soon receive. They''ll have princes and princesses running around this pce in a few years. As royalty, their lives are going to be so much better. Having that security for a family will only make them happier." I slowly turn in a circr motion as I say that. Sally hums in response. I look over and see Amelia sitting alone. Time to do another thing a son is supposed to do. "Mind if we stop for a bit. I see a person who needs a dance partner." Sally lifts her head from my chest and looks in the direction I am. She sees Amelia and knows right away what she meant. "Mind going to get her?" Sally looks up and smiles. We let go of each other, and she quickly makes her way towards Amelia. They talk to each other briefly, and Amelia looks over to me with a smile. She walks over, wiping tears from the sides of her eyes. I hold out my hand, and the song starts to speed up to a more fun tempo. While the wedding continues into the evening, there is a concern growing between the other kingdom leaders. This meeting is being held in secret away from the church and away from any kingdom still aligned with it. Jackson isn''t at this meeting for two reasons. The first being he is one of the subjects being discussed, and the other is his involvement with yer Zern. These leaders are the most powerful of the kingdoms, still no longer aligned with the church. This is a dangerous subject because of who he harbors. Gregory is leading this meeting. I look around at my fellow rulers, and we all have the same concerns. The kingdom of Zenith hase a long way, and Jackson is our ally. However, having Amelia Zern as a high-ranking noble in his kingdom causes many problems for the rest of us. yer Zern''s action in Bellvia has a lot of us worried. "I''m not happy that we need to have this meeting, but we have to discuss what to do if Jackson ever decides to be a waring and conquering kingdom. His connection to yer Zern and Amelia Zern allows him the potential help of yer Zern." This is catastrophic for us. Many of the rulers are looking at each other via their magical holograms. Muting to talk to their court. "How do we even stand a chance if yer Zern does decide to help Jackson if he goes rogue? This all seems incredibly unlikely and far-fetched, if I must say. A lot of things have to line up specifically for this situation to happen." One of my fellow rulers brings up an excellent point. This doesn''t really have a chance of happening. I''d rather have ns in ce if it doesn''t happen than not have any in the case it does. Many rulers in the room talk about the point that has just been brought up. Many are still young rulers and don''t know how to run a kingdom properly. "How would all of you feel if Jackson decided to dere war on all neighboring kingdoms tomorrow without any warning? How would youbat him? Even in the very small chance that yer Zern does help, what then?" I look at the looks around the room, and most understand what I''m saying. "We need contingencies and ns in ce for this possible situation." Realizing the wisdom behind my words, everyone is ready for a discussion. I nod at one of my servants, and they bring arge table into the room. I''ve already mapped out strategic locations in the country of Zenith, and I also have an idea on how to deal with yer Zern. I stand up, and the rest of the holograms do too. We all stand around the table as we look down upon it. "As you can see, fighting against Zenith will be incredibly difficult. However, not impossible. It''s still the same kingdom I defeated no long ago. Still has the same weaknesses." I move my hand over and point at a picture of a blond elf. This is the weakness of yer Zern. My spies have told me that he is traveling with the girl and has more than just a friendship. "This girl is going to be yer Zern''s primary weakness. If we can''t find a way to use her to keep yer Zern out of a potential war, then we have the secondary weakness." I point to a picture of Countess Amelia Zern. The one who is yer Zern''s birth mother. "She is going to be a valuable target if conflict ever breaks out." Many look at each other in doubt. I sigh and understand their hesitation. These targets will only be of active interest in a potential war that hasn''t or will not even happen. "These two will only be targeted if yer Zern joins a potential war, and while it could motivate him further. If done right, it canpletely neutralize him." The rulers around the table whisper and talk to each other. "I want your answers if interested in future nning by the end of tomorrow. Zenith has already be a great ally, but it''s an enemy none of us want. Another war with Zenith won''t be so easily won." I say my final words as many turn off their holograms and disappear. Chapter 228: Jacksons Wedding V

Chapter 228: Jacksons Wedding V

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I finish my dance with Amelia, and we both head to where Sally is seated. We sit down at the table with her, and I lean back in my chair. "We''ll leave in an hour. The Kingdom of Pleer is our next stop." Amelia looks very disappointed that we are leaving, and we only spent so much time with her. I look towards the dance floor as it''s emptying and people are going to their seats to talk and rest. The party part of the wedding is slowly calming down. I do want one more dance with Sally in her dress, and the song is turning into a slow one. I stand up from my seat and hold my hand out to Sally. She takes it fast, and we make our way towards the dance floor. Since it''s empty now, it''s only us. The song is slow and has a gentle pace to it. "Can I be honest with you?" She surprises me with that question. I nod my head and wait for her to continue. "I really am scared to face them... To face all the people who''ve done bad things to me... I don''t like showing weakness in front of you..." She slowly whispers her concern out, and I hold her in my arms and sway us side to side. She has every right to be scared, and it''s okay to show weakness in front of me. "It''s going to be perfectly okay, Sally. No one that did things to you is strong enough to hurt you, let alone me." She has be very powerful due to her ss. Mastering her skills and learning to be creative with them. "The future path ahead is stained going to be stained in blood, but it''s not going to be our blood." She stays silent at my words. We will be doing the world a favor, killing scum such as Baron James and the next target after him. I inhale some of her scents, and it makes me smile. "We''ll be freeing hundreds, if not thousands, from illegal very. We''ll be saving women from a fate worse than death and saving many more from ever experiencing it." I list the positives that wille from this. There are many more positives, to be sure, but these are the ones off the top of my head. The dance floor empties further, and we have it all to ourselves. That reminds me that I need to handle something before we leave. I need to ask if anyone in this room has information on Baron James. As well as The Kingdom of Pleer. It''s about a 3 days trip at full speed, and all I know about it is its location. It''s one of the ces I never visited in my old life. "Those are all wonderful things, and I look forward to them. I''m just worried that I shut down when looking them in the eyes... The torture that they put me through... All I can be grateful for is they failed to condition me in any way." My blood boils as I hear those words. Knowing that someone I deeply care for and love has gone through such horrible things makes me want to... Do unspeakable things. She lifts her head and looks up at me. "I love the part of you that sees past the tortured me... The damaged me... Many men wouldn''t see a woman like a woman after going through what I have... You''re not like that. Since day one, you have treated me like any person should be treated..." Her sweet words make my chest a little tight. Having such good qualities recognized in me feels really good. I lean my head down and steal a kiss from her. I pull away slightly and see that she would like some more. I lean down again, and we kiss. Maybe we will get lucky, and news of me having a romantic rtionship with an elf girl will reach The Elven Kingdom. How wonderful would it be if that would happen? We stop kissing and resume our slow dance. "I''ve never had anyone say that about me... Thank you for those words, Sally... Sometimes you can go your whole life with hearing something, not knowing you need to..." After a couple of minutes, the slow song ends, and the music stops altogether. We leave the dance floor side by side while wrapping each other in a one-armed hug. The final amount of time we are spending in Zenith runs down, and I can see the depression sink into Amelia. We all walk to the carriage that''s outside, and it''s time to say goodbye for now. "This is where we take our leave and be on our way." I stand next to the carriage and talk to Amelia. She is freely crying and is trying her hardest not to beg me to stay. I open my arms, and she immediately jumps into a hug. "It''s not going to be thest time we see each other, but it is for a very long time." That makes her cry even harder into my chest. After a minute of letting all her emotions out, she finally pulls away and dries her red and puffy eyes. "I''m going to miss you so much... Promise me that you will be safe and never do anything stupid!" I can''t promise that, but I''ll do my best to stay alive. She sees my small smile andughs a little. She turns to Sally and brings her into a hug too. "You''re such a sweet and carry girl... Watch over him for me. He tends to do things the hard way..." Now how in the world would she know that? Sally nods her head as if agreeing with her. They pull out of their hug and separate. I step away from the carriage and toggle my wings on. I kneel so Sally can climb on. I gave herbat clothes back, so she is ready for travel. "See youter, mom." She weeps hard as I say that. I stand with Sally on my back, and Iunch off the ground hard. We make it to the evening clouds and can look down at Zenith as we start our journey. Sally brings her head up and leans it against mine. Everything is going to be about her, and we''ll not stop until they''re all dead. I asked some nobles in the final time before we left about Baron James and The Kingdom of Pleer. It''s a kingdom aligned with the church, which means if I get too close to any major cities in the country, they''ll know I''m around due to the rm. I have received little information about Baron James, only that he is an old man now. Likely on his death bed, but his family is still alive and is probably continuing the illegal business. "The orange sky is so beautiful up here..." I''m dragged out from my current thoughts, and I take in the sight. We are getting farther and farther from Zenith. The puffy clouds we are flying through are ignited in an orange glow due to the sun. "I''m never going to get tired of flying. Being this free is something I never thought I could have." She is serious when she says those words. The future holds a lot for us, and most of it is battle. There will be times like in Zenith, and everything wille to a slow, and we''ll be able to take a break, but now we are taking on many nobles and an entire royal family that is ruling the elven kingdom. I pull up Sally''s quest to see it. [Sally''s Past] [Description: Help Sally in her quest for vengeance against all the men that tortured and sexually assaulted her growing up. Help her punish the Elven Kingdom for their ways.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will ask you for your direct help in this matter.][Completed] [Objective 2: Once everything is done with your quest involving the Dryads, ask Sally what the first step in her revenge is.][Completed] [Objective 3: Head to the Barony of James in the kingdom of Pleer][In progress] [Rewards: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Note: The great difficulty of this quest is the goals that Sally has set in revenge. If they weren''t so great, then the difficulty wouldn''t be so high.] More objectives will be added once we are finished with the third one¡ªanother target, to be sure. "You and I are going to change a lot of people''s lives by what we are doing. All of them will be for the better." I speak these words to help motivate her in some way. I feel her grip tighten slightly, and she nods her head in agreement. Barony of James, here wee. Chapter 229: The Next Step

Chapter 229: The Next Step

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} It''s been a few hours now, and night has fallen. I''ve kept the same speed at max, and we''ve made some progress, but The Kingdom of Pleer is very far from The Kingdom of Zenith and itsnds. There are so many kingdoms it''s a little strange. There are very few empires. I''ve never been to a capital of an Empire. "I''m pretty tired... Mind if we stop and sleep?" Sally sounds very tired. I oblige and bring us down into the dense forest. I gently let her off once wend, and I quickly set up the tent for us to rest tonight. She immediately climbs in and snuggles the soft furs. She releases a deep sigh. I didn''t even get a chance to find a good spot. I crawl into the tent myself andy next to her. She reaches over with her eyes closed andys her arm across me. "It''s not asfortable as a bed, but I still have my pillow." She pulls her body to mine andys her head down on my chest. I''ll admit that I''m mentally tired myself¡ªthe peaceful sleep that will be away and uninterrupted by anyone. The constant service at Amelia''s mansion was getting annoying. I close my eyes and slowly drift into sleep. The night slowly passes, and we both sleep deeply. I see a bright lighting through my eyelids, and I flutter them open. It''s the sunshine rising through the treeline. Since it''s not above the tree yet, it''s bright beyond belief. "Errrmm... Turn of that bright light..." Sally is obviously not happy with the incredible amount of sunshineing through the trees. I slowly lift my body and rub the gunk out of the corners of my eyes. Sally flops down on the furs as I continue to move. I exit the tent and stretch my body as I bask in the sunlight. "Don''t sleep in too long, Sally. We have a long journey ahead of us." She grumbles from inside the tent as I say those words. I chuckle to myself, and I quickly make a fire. I still have meat leftover from thest time I had to go hunting which is nice. I sit next to the fire and pull some of it out of my inventory and dig in. Protein is important, and as someone who is taller than most, I need that energy. After I''m about halfway done eating, Sally finally crawls out of the tent with messy hair and crusty eyes. Iugh out loud seeing the state she''s in. She looks at me in annoyance and bares her teeth. I calm down and toss her some meat too. She quickly digs into it as if she isn''t a woman but an animal. I watch in amusement as she makes a good case of being a wild animal. I stop staring and look back into the fire and enjoy my food too. "We could''ve slept in longer if not for that damned sun... Why doesn''t the thick forest block it out!" I close my eyes and drone out her ranting. She needs some time to wake up, and that''s fine. A few minutester, I''m finished with my food, and I can see that Sally is still hungry. She finished hers before mine. Now that she has food in her, she isn''t as cranky as she was. I toss her some more, but this time she calmly eats it. "You could''ve fooled me..." I lightly mutter a condescending sentence under my breath, and she darts her head at me and res. She quickly stands up and tries to tackle me. Inside it''s like she hit a tungsten steel pir. She tries to move my body from where I''m sitting, but I''m not allowing it. She gives up and sits next to me. "Thanks for the food..." I wrap my arm around her as she says that. We both eat our food in content silence. After about 10 minutes, we are both fully awake, and I put out the fire and pack the tent up. I ce it in my inventory, and now that we are ready to go, I toggle my wings on, and I kneel. "My favorite part of the day!" Sally makes sure that I feel her energy and excitement for the calm and rxing flights the next few days until we reach Pleer. I smile, and Iunch off the ground, and we are quickly above the clouds. I look down at the passing forest as I p my wings to reach max speed. I decide to fly higher than normal and keep ascending. After a second or two, I''m even higher above the clouds. "Why are we up so high?" We don''t have to yell at each other at this speed since her head is next to mine. "It''s really nice up here, though..." Flying through the clear sky is awesome. Clean air free of any pollution, and it once again brings me back to the state earth was in when we were taken here. So many things wrong. Nothing here is like earth in terms of environmental health. As Cera and Sally travel to the Pleer kingdom, there is somemotion in the capital city Pleer. There are rumors that yer Zern ising to their country. Many don''t know the destination yer Zern is heading for, and many nobles and royals in the capital are terrified for their lives. The nobles and royalty in the Pleer city are terrified that yer Zern will do to them as he did to the nobles in Bellvia. That day was marked as the first time a king''s royal subjects were killed, and nothing could be done about it. There is a Hames family, in particr, that is worried. I m my fist on the table, reading the secret reports. My father''s horrible pass time ising back to bite this family, and he isn''t alive to pay this debt. I''m worried because there is a report he is traveling with an elven girl. That was one of my father''s favorites. I was d the day he died. The disgusting pig of a man deserved it. As his only daughter, his actions repulsed me. My older brothers were like him in many ways. I have to wait before I can make my move. "I swear on my name, Kelly James, that if yer Zern shows up here. I''ll convince him to kill all of you." If all my brothers die, I can inherit the Barony. I lean back in my chair andy the paper on the counter. This can be my only chance to right the wrong of my family and shut down the ve trades going on in ournd. I hear a gentle knock on my office door, and it slowly opens. "Lady Kelly, your eldest brother Kaden is here to see you." Great, the worst of all, my brothers. He is about 25 years older than I am, and I''m 20. He had the most exposure to our father, and that has caused some twisted logic to enter his mind. "Shall I send him?" Ipose myself and nod my head. My butler leaves, and I think about today''s visit. He is certainly here to discuss something about yer Zern. He must be terrified and desperate for some sort of answer. The door swings open, and Kaden charges in. He stomps towards my desk and ms a report on my desk. "THE DAMN ELF THAT SLAYER ZERN IS WITH USED TO BE ONE OF FATHERS PLAYTHINGS!!!" I immediately pick up the paper and look at the report: a half-elf named Sally, born from a bandit that our father hired. Now I know for certain they areing here for our family. "What the hell am I supposed to do?!" Iy the sheet of paper down and look at Kaden. He will be the one to pay for our father''s sins, and he isn''t exactly clean himself. He has ves himself, and it disgusts me just as much. "I fail to see how any of this is my problem, Kaden. I''m not in the line of session, and once I renounce my name after my marriage, I''ll no longer be a part of this family." In truth, I''ve been trying to overthrow my brothers for years, and I''ve made lots of progress. I need that one final push, and yer Zern will hopefully give that push. Kaden''s face twists in anger, and he leaves the room. I''m the only one in the family with any political savvy and talents with money. Kadenes to me often with problems. Thinking he is entitled to what I''ve created for myself, and that is where all my idiot brothers fail. They don''t own me like they do their ves. Chapter 230: Journey to the Barony of James I

Chapter 230: Journey to the Barony of James I

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I slowly bring us down from the high altitude. Sally needs to use the restroom, and she was emphatic that it needs to be right now. Ind us in a forest near a nice stream, and she jumps off my back before I can even fullynd. She runs into the treeline and behind some bushes. I chuckle to myself and decide to use the bathroom too. As a man, it''s incredibly easy to go to the bathroom. I walk up to the stream, and I undo my leather belt. I pull it out and let loose. I close my eyes and sigh in relief. Very convenient being a man. It goes without saying that this next quest will be a very personal journey for both Sally and me. She has rarely spoken about her past, but from what she has said to me, it is nothing short of hell for a woman. I hate the thought of Sally being used in such a way, but this all happened long before I was born. Long before my parents were born. Sally is over 100 years old, and she has lived nothing but a hard life until I came into the picture. I finish taking a leak, and I find a nice rock to sit on while I wait for Sally. I don''t bother turning my wings off. After another 20 seconds, I hear the bushes behind me shuffle, and I look. Sally walks out, and I can tell by the look on her face she isn''t a fan of going to the bathroom outside. "Don''t give me that look. You have no idea how hard it is to undress in these tight leather clothes just to use the bathroom. Not to mention having to squat down, so I don''t get any on my clothes. It''s not a nice feeling to have grass tickling ces that shouldn''t be tickled." Scratch that. She actually hates going to the bathroom outside. She walks over to me, and I scoot over to share the rock. "I''m sorry is the only thing I can think in response to that. It does sound like a big hassle." I try to understand the ce she ising from, but it''s just out of my reach. I mean, if I was taking a dump in the woods, I might get it, but I''ve never been in the woods long enough to need to take a dump in it. She looks at me and rolls her eyes. "What?" I''m confused by her reaction. She cracks a small grin, and her cheeks puff out slightly, holding in augh. She was messing with me, and she did an excellent job of acting, that''s for sure. "You''re pretty gullible when ites to people you trust, aren''t you?" I''ve discovered something about myself by her words. She is right. When I''m with people I know and trust, I tend to have a bad habit of being gullible. "First time hearing this?" I turn my head to her and see her mischievous grin. I nod my head, and she smiles. It''s important to learn ws about yourself. I''ve just discovered I have a bad habit that could eventually cause me a lot of trouble if I''m not careful. She leans into my wing, and I hold her up with it. She sighs, already knowing what''s about toe out of my mouth. "We should get moving again. We have plenty of daylight left, and I don''t want to waste it sitting around." I stand up as I finish talking. It was sudden and surprising enough cause Sally to fall on her back as my wings stop supporting her. She lifts her head and looks at me in annoyance. I hold out my hand and help her up to her feet. She dusts the dirt off her back and motions that she is ready to go. I kneel, and she climbs on my back. Snuggling between my wings. As she gets a good grip and is secure. I flex my wings, and Iunch off the ground. We reach the clouds in a couple of seconds, and I reach top speed within a couple of seconds. "The Barony of James is notorious in The Kingdom of Pleer. It is supposed to have changed since your time there. The nobles at the party gave the best information they had, and most of it is about the James family''s mysterious wealth." I discuss with her what we are going up against. The nobles were able to give some good information. Sally clears her throat to respond. "There mysterious fortune hase from their lucrative and illegal business of ve trading. It''s impossible to know how far their trading connections go at this point. If possible, I''d love to find how far it goes and if we can stop it." She has big ambitions, and it''s awesome to see how motivated she is for all this. She truly is invested in getting her revenge, and that means she is ready to kill them. I notice a new message from the system, and I open it. [Fighting the disease] [Description: Sally wishes to find and root out all the evil and corrupted people tied to the James Barony.] [Objective 1: Once in thend held by the James Barony, try and find connections that the Barony has to other ve traders.][In Progress] [Objective 2: Kill or imprison all people that you find out about][In progress] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards: Unknown] [Note: This quest is directly tied to Sally''s Past and meets the same condition of being at the legendary in difficulty.] [You have no choice but to ept this quest.] Interestingly enough, this quest could lead to a much bigger effect. I don''t think it''s possible to free all of Gaia from very, but that doesn''t mean we can''t do some serious damage to it. "That sounds like something we can do while we get your revenge. I''m all for it, Sally. Once we get ess to their documents and files, we''ll see just who they are talking to and who their biggest clients are." This quest isn''t something I''ve ever seen in my time ying The Ancients World. Shutting down very in a part of the world, or at least in a kingdom, is special, all right. That leads to the question of how special is Sally? She is the one giving these quests to me, and while the scale of her ambition affects the difficulty. There is more to it than that. It''s either something she knows or doesn''t know but has a profound effect on the world and her. It''s definitely a thing I have to watch out for. "I''m d that you agree. It definitely adds more work to the table, but it needs to be dealt with. Too many people ignore it." I''m sure if more powerful people cared, there wouldn''t be very. It just doesn''t matter to some. [Worldwide Announcement: The Dryad Kingdom is back at full strength! If yers wish to travel to The Dryad Kingdom, they must first be level 100 and do a set of preliminary quests to gain the trust of the Dryads!] [Worldwide Announcement: Now that The Dryad Kingdom is back at full strength, they are going to take revenge on Bellvia! A war is brewing between Bellvia and The Dryad Kingdom! If yers wish to participate, you must head to the capital of either Kingdom and receive war quests! Since it''s harder to join the Dryads side, the system has decided to increase rewards from the Dryads side!] An announcement goes off and interrupts my chain of thought. It seems like the unavoidable collision between Bellvia and The Dryads has finallye. I killed many important and powerful nobles that day, and that''s sure to affect that war badly on the side of Bellvia. "Looks like everyone is getting revenge these days... Who do you think will win?" Sally asks a question not so easy to answer. There are multiple things to consider here, and while it''s very political to say each side has a shot. That''s the truth of it. The differences in technology are quite great. Bellvia has weapons and magical advancements several centuries ahead of the Dryads. However, I don''t doubt that will stand for long. The Dryads will continue to gain more and more power. Snowballing the amount they have. Bellvia''s allies aren''t just going to stand by and let this happen, though. They are a big part of the coalition, and they''ll receive a lot of help from it. "I think the Dryads will win." I give my answer with a grain of salt. It''s just what I think. Many kingdoms will weigh which one has more value in the end, and the Dryads will win that for sure. Chapter 231: Journey to the Barony of James II

Chapter 231: Journey to the Barony of James II

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} The Dryad people are a mysterious race among the people of today. Many documents and files regarding their people have either been destroyed or lost to time. Thousands of years will do that. Magically enhanced documents will be fine, but I doubt they had the foresight for that. All these thoughts about The Dryads and Bellvia remind me of that monster I released. While I don''t think it''s going to remain in the mortal realm, it might cause problems in the future. "Bellvia is going to call all of its allies for this war. It''s going to be big." I have no doubt this puts pressure on the coalition and church. Sally and I will not be involved in such things. We have our own problems to handle. These thoughts about war make me realize that if I wanted to go to war with anyone, all I need to do is ask the Fairies and Dryads. My reputation with them is so high they''ll go to war for me if I asked. It''s nice to know I have allies. I''d be able to take on multiple armies and kingdoms with my power, so it''s kind of pointless in the end. "How do you think this will affect the war with the monsters?" Sally brings up the point everyone is thinking about now. The coalition might just doom Bellvia to its fate. It can''t risk fighting two wars. It''s a political game now, in which kingdom and people have more value to the war with the monsters. This war is going to determine that. Zenith still has the legendary item that used to belong to the Dryads. Jackson is a smart man and a wise leader. He''ll likely give it back for an alliance and good faith. Along with open trade with The Dryads. It''s useless to him, and his army since the mana cost is too high for any normal person. That leaves a golden opportunity to form a strong bond with a strong race. Many people in other kingdoms will protest the war. I''m sure there is chaos in Bellvia right now. "The fact that this adds an entirely new war for the coalition to fight makes it obvious that the coalition is considering the abandonment of Bellvia. I''m guessing this buy the way. The Dryad Kingdoms'' strength is unknown at this point. If the coalition could get an urate picture of what they are up against, they''ll make a decision." If this war does happen, I''m rooting for The Dryads. Bellvia needs to pay for its past sins. I look out ahead as we fly, and the natural openness and freedom calm my racing mind. "Let''s not worry about any of that, Sally. Let them fight their wars and let them make their decisions. If the world starts to copse into extinction from all these events, then we''ll intervene. I doubt any of this will progress that far, though." A I once resided on hase to an end. I don''t intend to let this world suffer a simr fate. More than half the human race has been annihted. No reason to see the other half be left alone. Since we can''t die by normal means, if these wars escte that far, all life with die except for us yers, it''d be like a new earth, but we''d be dooming the rest of life. That''s why the system has offered for yers to join war efforts. So the people of Gaia have a chance of not losing in the billions on the death toll. "I''m fine with that, Zern. Promise me that if it does get to the point that the world might end, you''ll do anything?" That is an easy thing to promise. I nod my head, and Sally snuggles her head against mine. While Cera and Sally continue to travel, there are plenty of conversations going on around Gaia. These conversations all have the same premise in mind. What does the war between Bellvia and The Dryads mean for the coalition and the war against the monsters. Many kings and queens are meeting in an emergency meeting. One meeting is help between the kingdoms still aligned with the church. The other emergency meeting is between the members of the coalition. Jackson is at the meeting for the coalition, listening carefully. The meeting we''ve all been called to is more important than one''s in recent time. I look around at my fellow coalition members, and we are all taking nces at the pale-faced king of Bellvia. He is looking defeated before the fight has even begun. Even though we are holograms, there is still coloration. "We all know why this meeting has been called. The Kingdom of Bellvia is going to war with a powerful kingdom in The Dryads. We need to determine if it''s still worth having Bellvia in the coalition." Gregory finishes his opening speech, and I watch the look of despair on Bellvia''s king. Losing the support and protection of the coalition is surely detrimental to Bellvia and its people. From the rumors I''ve heard, The Dryad''s disappearance was due to the Bellvia Kingdom thousands of years ago. New truths about the church have also been learned too, and how they were involved in the cover-up. The Dryads are bitter and resentful to a lot of people. I don''t intend to be on that list, so I will make my move right now. I stand up and clear my voice. "Before we start this discussion, I want everyone to know that I''ve made a big decision regarding this." Many of the rulers look at me in curiosity. Many deduce what I''m nning after a second. I have The Dryad''s legendary weapon, and I''m giving it back in exchange for an alliance and open trade. "As you all know, my kingdom is in possession of many treasures. Be them people or items." Many give a bitter look, knowing I have strong connections with yer Zern. Through his mother, of course. "I''m going to be making an alliance with The Dryads and open trade with them. I''m giving back their legendary item." There is silence at first, but protests soon break out. Gregory raises his hand and silences the voices. "Are you saying that you will help The Dryads in their war with Bellvia? You do realize that Bellvia is still a part of the coalition, right?" I don''t like his questioning nature. This decision is much more than just an alliance with The Dryads. I''vee to realize that total independence from the coalition and the church is best. No longer having to fulfill obligations that are ludicrous. Many will hate me for my decision today, and many more will likely want to follow but will be too scared. I close my eyes and think calmly about how to word this. "I''m leaving the coalition entirely, Gregory." Best to get it over with fast. I open my eyes and see his shocked face. Never in many years did he see thating. He grits his teeth waiting for further exnation. "I''m officially renouncing any alliances with the coalition and its members. My kingdom has a bright future ahead, and I''m not going to ruin it with terrible politics. Good luck in your wars." I look to the king of Bellvia and see that he is ready to be sick. I have many things going on in terms of protection for my kingdom. The biggest being Amelia. I feel awful using yer Zern and Amelia to go independent, but being king means making decisions not everyone will like. "You coward! Hiding behind your rtionship with yer Zern and putting this coalition in further jeopardy! You are lucky that he is on your side! You would have a war otherwise!" Gregory, for the first time in my life, haspletely lost his cool. He is a master strategist and is great a determining people''s moves. It hurts his pride. He never saw thising. I''m taking it a step further, too. I turn my attention to the majority of the room. "I''ve already been in contact with The Dryads. They are willing to create alliances and open trade with anyone who isn''t allied with Bellvia and doesn''t have connections with the church. I implore you all to do so. Everyone in this room isn''t a part of church politics anymore. That''s one condition fulfilled." With those words, I have shifted the power in the coalition. I look at Gregory and see pure rage. I''ve yed him to the maximum extent. Everyone in this room will see the benefit of this deal and abandon Bellvia. Since no one can contend with Zenith in terms of powerful connections, everyone has to decide. That''s why Gregory is mad. They either stay allied with Bellvia and fight in the war or abandon Ballvia and join mine and The Dryads side. "Don''t look so mad, Gregory. The offer extends to you too." Before he can start screaming at me, I turn my hologram off. I turn to one of my servants, nodding my head. "Time to finalize this masterpiece of a move." My kingdom will be free and independent. Chapter 232: Journey to the Barony of James III

Chapter 232: Journey to the Barony of James III

{I wanted to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} We''ve been traveling for several hours, and the endless forests are bing a sight I''m growing tired of. I couldn''t imagine how annoying it''d be to travel on foot. I shouldn''t really beining, as they say. Once you be ustomed to a certain standard of living, you change. While I''m not a rich snob or a pompous noble. I''m, in fact, finding that the slower things are, the more frustrated I get. It''s a bad habit that I''ve developed, and now I can feel that festering of frustration in the back of my mind at how slow this trip is. Despite the fact, we are flying at 430 mph. Gaia''s size is truly staggering. The rumors of it being ever-expanding were very popr back on earth in my old future. I''ve thought about this during my trip to Zenith for the first time. The Dwarf''snd across one of the several oceans isrgely unexplored. As are many othernds on Gaia. Add that to the yer continent that was created for our arrival here, and you have a ce that''s been calmly settled and timid in its development. They have been around longer than humans and have only progressed little in terms of technology. I''m guessing there will be many yers with dreams of rebuilding a modern society. Recreating patents for inventions they''ll steal from our old home. Who is there to dispute such things? Thews are different here in The Ancients World. Any original inventors of life-changing products are long dead. Someone can probably create a phone using magic in a few years. Anyone with an understanding of engineering could probably do it. I''m not one of those special snowkes, though. yers are to bust trying to find their ce here to be worried about, that though. [Worldwide Announcement: The Kingdom of Zenith has left the coalition of kingdoms and is nowpletely independent! Zenith is entering an alliance with The Dryads and is the first kingdom to do so since The Dryads return! They are also the only kingdom with exclusive trade with The Dryads!] [Worldwide Announcement: The Kingdom of Bellvia has been kicked out of the coalition! They are alone in their war against the Dryads and possibly Zenith! The Kingdom of Bellvia is desperate for all the help it can get!] [World Mission: Bellvia has lowered their standards for yers to join them! Anyone is weed now! Increased rewards and exp boosts are now avable to yers that join Bellvia!] [Worldwide Announcement: The coalition is debating an entire dissolution of their faction! Many Kings and Queens are debating if they should rejoin the church or go independent like Zenith! These events will cause major shifts in the ongoing wars!] [Worldwide Announcement: There is a massive imbnce in forces for the war effort due to the current events! The church and coalition have lowered their standards for yers that can join in the wars! Any yer is now able to approach their local church branch for missions regardless of level! Rewards are a huge boost in exp gain and ess to standardized Rare armor and weapons!] [These messages will repeat for 2 minutes!] My thoughts arepletely derailed from the several announcements going off. It seems like there are plenty of developments everywhere. "Whoa... Do you think we had anything to do with this..." Sally has probably just got done hearing the church''s version for the natives of Gaia. I think my actions have had an effect on this oue, but a lot of things have to fall into ce for a big change like this. It was likely a n that someone has been rolling out for a long time now. Jackson moved way faster in his goals than I thought. I knew that he would do something but leaving the coalition and gaining total independence. Not to mention a powerful new alliance and exclusive trade. It''ll bring money,merce, and attention to Zenith. Helping it grow and develop even faster. A masterful move, hepletely changed the future of Zenith, and it''s in a positive light. He definitely used his rtionship with me to do it in some form. However, it''s not like he or I have to do anything. Just the fact it exists is enough to discourage a lot of new enemies. I take a second to think about all the new things that yers will have ess to. The growth of power among the yers will burst. This is going to cause problems in itself. "We had a little bit to do with it, but I doubt it''s a big reason. Many Kings and Queens will probably want independence too. No ruler of an entire kingdom wants to be put in check by a council or a power structure like the church. I think this is just the beginning." The things to follow this are going to be numerous and fundamentally changing for many things. As Cera and Sally continue their travel in the evening. There is chaos between yers and natives of Gaia. All these developments affect people differently, but its no doubt that it massively benefits the yers. Many councils are meeting to discuss and argue about needs and wants. One of a select few rulers has no more meetings to go to anymore. For he is nowpletely independent from anyone. Jackson is sitting on his throne and look at the court. Many nobles are talking, and Jackson''s wife and queenes out and sits next to him on her throne. I look at my beautiful wife and see her wearing the feather Zern gave her in her hair as a decorative piece. She looks at me and smiles. "I take it we are about to have an important meeting with our subjects?" I smile as Tessa says that. We are having a meeting with all the nobles in my capital. The rest spread out across the kingdom couldn''t get here in the time I set. I don''t hold them ountable. They won''t get to voice their opinions, though, since they aren''t here. I''d like to hear all my subject''s ideas, but I have to settle for the nobles. Thest of the nobles walk through the doors, and it''s Amelia with an escort of guards. Ever since she has revealed her identity as yer Zern''s mother, she can''t go anywhere in the city. People swarm and both her carriage. Hundreds begging for help. It weighs greatly on her, and I don''t like the fact that she has to deal with such desperate people. That''s the crown''s fault. That problem will be solved when this kingdom is fully fixed. Now that we are independent, we can focus on making the capital and kingdom better than ever before. Before I can respond to Tessa''s question, she stands up with excitement and dashes towards Amelia waving her hand and smiling. I sigh at the childish behavior. Sometimes it slips out of people, and many people look up to yer Zern. The fact that his mother is a personal friend and bonafide high ranking noble of Zenith makes things safer in the capital and kingdom. We won''t be openly attacked or targeted when she is here. Not if they want the wrath of yer Zern or Arch-Angel Michael himself. After a few minutes of the nobles talking and catching up, I stand up and clear my throat. Getting all of their attention. "We are calling this meeting for two reasons. The second will be revealed after the first." Many stay silent and prepare to help in any way we can. "We are in an alliance with The Dryads. Even though they have not asked for help in their war, I have offered. However, the only thing they have requested is knowledge." The Dryads want to learn about the advancements that have happened since their time. That way, they can be more effective in the war. "This request is easy to fulfil, but they have not said anything about epting help in terms of military power. That might change, but at this point, it doesn''t look like it." We continue to discuss this subject for a good 2 hours. What we can trade, how we can help upgrade their infrastructure¡ªanything at all to improve rtions. While we are allies, that''s only because I gave them back their legendary item that yer Zern took from their ancient kingdom. It was only fair to do such a thing. Now it''s time to broach the second subject. "Now that we are done with the first subject, it''s time for the second." I p my hands, and multiple butlerse out and prepare tables and food and start to y music. "I think it''s only right that we celebrate our independence from the coalition and church! Let''s remember this day as a fantastic turning point for Zenith!" Every noble ps and cheers in a modest way. The future is bright, and I intend to make Zenith one of the greatest kingdoms in the world. Bringing it back from the state Harold put it in. Chapter 233: Journey to the Barony of James IV

Chapter 233: Journey to the Barony of James IV

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} {Forgot to schedule the upload. Damn it.} The sun is finally setting over the horizon, and that means it''s time toe down for the night. I dive towards the ground at a speed that many would consider very dangerous. Sally takes the surprise as I expected and squeals in shock and fear. Right before we hit the forest, I pull us up and level out. Coming to a slow and gentle stop. Ind, and she gets off me and proceeds to punch me in the shoulder over and over again. It''s hurting her more, and it''s hurting me. "I hate it when you do that! The least you could do is warn me!" I chuckle as I see the cute angry expression. She doesn''t find my amusement with her reaction all that great. She turns her back to me and releases a huff. I decide to let her fester the way she is. It''s not going to bother me. I pull the tent out of my inventory and set it up. Iy down the furs inside the tent to make it a little morefortable. Once finished, I can that Sally is still pouting, which is unusual for her. This can mean several things. The first is that she is actually mad, the second being she just wants attention, and the third is the randomness women sometimes have. I think it''s the first or second one. All the time I''ve spent with Sally, I haven''t witnessed the randomness that women have. "I didn''t think it would upset you so much. Is there something else I did that''s made you mad at me?" She looks at me and sees that I''m genuinely confused. She must have been really bothered by the quick and unexpected dive. She sighs and looks away. I guess this is one of those moments when I have to find out on my own. I have tact, and I can tell what makes people upset, but that doesn''t mean I can do it all the time. I don''t want to be the type of guy that just waits until his partner gets over it. I''d like to know what I did wrong, so I don''t do it again. I sit next to her and wonder if I can get a hint from her expressions and bodynguage. She isn''t giving me anything, though. No matter what I do, there isn''t any indication on her face. "You''re going to have to figure it out on your own. This is a good lesson for you." What am I, a dog? This is turning into a situation that I don''t want to be in. So she leaves me no choice but to y the role of waiting for her to get over it. The cryptess of this problem isn''t something people should put each other through. I know for a fact that when rtionships are clear andmunication is good, theyst longer. If she doesn''tmunicate with me, then I see no reason to do so either. Instead of sitting next to her and trying to figure it out, I stand up and head towards the tent. The stars are out, and I''d love to see them, but standing next to her when she is so tense isn''t what I want to spend time with her doing. "You didn''t warn me when I have already asked you to..." Right before I climb into the tent, she speaks. I recall doing this before, and she got very emphatic about me telling her or warning her when I do that. I get it now. She feels like I didn''t ce any value in her request and is now hurt by myck of care for her needs. While it is aplex way to get angry, it''s how women work sometimes. What''s small to me can be really big to her. I stand straight up and walk back over to her and sit at her side. "I''m sorry that I made it seem like I didn''t care about what you wanted. Next time, I''ll remember to warn you. Can you promise me something?" She slowly nods her head. I take a breath and prepare to speak. "When there is an issue between us, I don''t want to have to beat around the bush and try to figure it out. I want you to tell me if I''m not able to. It''ll save both of us a lot of frustration. I was going to let you sit here and get mad because I wasn''t going to be ying those games." She looks towards the ground and fiddles with her fingers. I''m not trying to hurt her feelings or make her feel bad. Many good rtionships get ruined because one partner doesn''t want to talk about the problems and make the other suffer from trying to figure it out. Before she speaks again, I wrap one arm around her and give her a sideways hug. She hesitates for a second, and I kiss the side of her head. I''m new to rtionships. However, this is the first time we''ve had an argument. Well... There wasn''t any yelling or actual genuine anger. More of a disagreement on how things should be talked about. If anything, it''s a mix of the two. "I''ll promise to tell you when you do something that really bothers me... And I want you to do the same for me..." I nod my head in agreement with her wise words. She leans her head in my shoulder, and we look through the big opening in the trees above us, and we see the countless stars spreading across the sky. In retrospect, this is a very romantic moment. I''m not a romantic, and I have a hard time with things like that. Sally deserves effort put into those moments, though. She is a wonderful person, and if I don''t give it a legitimate shot any chance I get, then I''m a pathetic excuse for a man. "The stars are something that I couldn''t see from where we new peoplee from... I''m d I get to see them with you, Sally..." I do my best at some romantic words. They are amateurish but damn it. I gave it my best shot. If that isn''t enough for your partner, then you need to reevaluate the rtionship. Sally cuddles closer and wraps one arm around my waist as we sit side by side, holding one another. "I''m d that I get to be here with you too, Zern. I never thought I''d love a man in my life, let alone let him as close as I have you... It goes to show just how special you are and how much you''ve changed me... I love you, Zern." Damn... She beat my attempt by a mile. I think there is something I should tell her. My real name, she deserves to know it. This is going to be a big step, and it might change how she looks at me. I can''t keep this from her forever, though. "Cera..." I say the name once, and for a second, she looks at me in confusion. Waiting for an exnation, I feel nervous. An unfamiliar state to me, one I''m rarely in. "My real name is Cera Adamo. It''s my name from the ce Ie from. yer Zern is my name here on Gaia..." I look her in the eyes, and I scan her face. Looking for any hints that I have betrayed her trust. Instead, I watch her smile. Not the reaction I thought she''d have, but not unweed. "I''m happy that you havee to trust and love me enough to tell me this... But I already knew, Cera..." I can''t help the massive amount of confusion on my face. How in the world can she know any of this. She sees this and chuckles to herself. "You talk in your sleep. I''ve heard you talk about people called Violet, Hailey, Chris, and Marcus. Adamo is the only new thing I''ve learned here." I''ll be damned. I talk in my sleep. I wonder what else I talk about. What else she hase to know. She sees my questioning look and prepares to tell me more about what she has learned from my sleep talking. "You often talk about a ce called earth, and home billions died... How it''s your fault... You talk about that you should have thought things out better regarding some sort of wish... Kind of confusing, to be honest... You don''t know it, but I think you have nightmares often. Waking up not realizing you have them..." She has alreadye to know so much, and she has been patient to wait for me to tell her. I feel like I don''t deserve her anymore... How rare is it to find someone like this? She obviously doesn''t know everything, but she knows enough to have had a change of heart and feeling about me, but instead, she epted me. "I love you, Sally." I run my hand along her nape and neck, cing it behind her head. I slowly bring her face in, and she closes her eyes. Knowing what''sing. I slowly kiss her, trying to express how much that means to me. How much she means to me. Chapter 234: Journey to the Barony of James V

Chapter 234: Journey to the Barony of James V

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally and I head into the tent now that we have solved her problem with me. Iy down and release a sigh. Sally follows suit andys down next to me. She uses my chest and body as something to snuggle and support her while she sleeps. I don''t mind it, and it''s about another day and a half until we reach The Kingdom of Pleer. Once in theirnd, we''ll head for the Barony of James. I close my eyes and think about what Sally said. I never knew that I talked in my sleep. Strangely, I have such a habit. I suppose that''s only natural. I suppress a lot of bad memories and feelings. I don''t have an outlet for them, and I guess my coping mechanism for them is to talk in my sleep. I must be reliving them and suppressing them in my sleep. It''s not something that I can control, and that makes me pissed. Who knows what Sally''s truly heard about me and the things I''ve done. There''s no point in stressing over it now, and that''s probably the best way to look at this issue. I have no solution for it, so I just have to deal with the fact that it happens. As Sally and Cera sleep for the night, a certain sister of Cera Adamo is traveling around. In The Kingdom of Pleer, to be specific. She is there on a mission for a friend she has made as a native of Gaia. Hailey is in The Kingdom of Pleer for the same reason Cera and Sally are going there. She is there to take care of a severe very problem. She is heading to the Barony of James herself and has no idea that Cera is on his way there. It seems like many people who hate very are thinking about making a change, but only the strong can do anything. My feet severely hurt from walking on this rough road for thest several days. I''m about a day away at this point. "If only I could fly..." I whisper my desire for the freedom I tasted when I was flying on Cera''s back. While I was sick for most of the trip to the continent, I still enjoyed the beginning when I wasn''t sick. I look up towards the star-covered sky and wonder if any of my friends and family are looking up to the sky too. I turn my attention back to the road and sigh. This same scenery has gotten too boring. The quest I got from Jasmine is a disturbing one. She isn''t strong enough toe with me on this mission. So she is waiting in her hometown until I''m done. She''s a native of Gaia that has be a good friend and my travelingpanion. Her life as a ve haunts her very much. She has asked me toe to the ce it all started to get revenge for her. I have no problem doing such a thing. Every since I got my legendary ss Battlemind, my life has be very convenient. People do things for me, and I''m treated better than everyone else. Jasmine reminds me so much of my best friend Kelly from earth. It''s probably why I''ve grown to care for her so much. I miss my friends from earth so much... Most are dead now, and the others that are left are lost to me. "Mew!~" A soft meowes from my backpack, and my otherpanion pops her head out of my backpack. A tiny white tiger cub, which is strange cause tigers can''t meow¡ªa nice difference here on Gaia. I sling my backpack on my shoulder and pull her out. I carry her in my arms. I found her in a quest I did shortly after I got out of the airship when I left Cera. She''ll eventually grow to be a powerful ally. She a beast that I''ll be able to ride, and she''ll fight by my side. She''s a legacy in grade. I don''t know much about her specific race, only that she looks like a white tiger. "You must be hungry, huh, Emerald?" She is a very intelligent cub. Her name is Emerald due to her eye color. Another strange feature of this tiger cub. She looks at me and understands my words easily. She licks her lips and lets out another mew. I pull some salmon out of my inventory and feed her piece by piece, so she doesn''t choke trying to scarf a bunch down at the same time. "My, if you''re not careful, you''ll take a finger from me." She slows down a bit after I say that. I smile as I look towards the road as she continues to eat. She was a bonus quest reward I got. I took a page from Cera''s book and looked everywhere and did all the extra work for the quest, no matter how hard it was. She''s been by my side since before I got my legendary ss. Speaking of that. From the announcements I heard a while back, Marcus and our parents have got all their now. "I can''t wait for you to meet my family one day. Especially my little brother. He is a pretty awesome guy. I would''ve never met if not for what I learned from him." After a couple more minutes, she finishes the salmon and purrs in my arm as I carry her. Tigers can''t purr either, and that''s another thing I learned that is different between her and regr tigers. I bring her up behind my head, and she snuggles between my neck and backpack. I feel her deep purrs in my head. It''s her favorite spot to be when we are walking. I would''ve taken an airship, but the onesing this way are closed because of the war with monsters. So that means walking for me. Normally I would''ve set up a camp and rested for the night, but I''m not tired enough to do that. Once in the Barony of James, it''ll be smart to keep a low profile. I''m not as famous as my brother, but if people find out who I am. My mission there will be much more difficult. I take a breath and release a sigh. I''m happy I get to help Jasmine with this. As Hailey and Emerald walk the main roads towards The Kingdom of Pleer and subsequentially the Barony of James. The night passes slowly and without too much chaos around Gaia. There is to be a meeting soon to discuss if the coalition should be fully dissolved or not. Not only that, but yers are joining wars in droves. With such an influx in manpower, many kingdoms fighting in these wars are having economic booms. If not for world war 2, America wouldn''t have left the great depression. The same thing applies here, and soon the sun is rising, and Cera and Sally are waking up. I stretch in the tent, and my body pops. The sun is barely rising, and it''s especially cold this morning. Sally is clinging to me as if I''m the only reason she sleeps. I''m d the cold doesn''t bother her. I raise one hand to my face and clean the crust out of my eyes. I roll my neck, and it pops a few times. I lean up and cough a little. It''s one of those groggy mornings that slips in once, and a while¡ªSally groans in protest as I sit up and move around. I gently peel her off me, and I exit the tent. I release a breath, and I can see it as it exits my mouth. That means it''s really cold today. I get a few feet away from the tent, and I start to set up a fire. I get some dry wood, and I start a fire. I help it grow, and I feel its warmth grace my skin. It''s a nice heat. The cold doesn''t bother me due to my extremely high stats, and it doesn''t bother Sally, thanks to her ss. I look towards the sunrise, and it''s barely peeking over the mountains. The sun hasn''t warmed the cold woods yet, and that''s why everything is cold and frozen here. Some of the coldest ces that aren''t near the poles are in dense forests. At least that''s how it was on earth. After a few minutes of sitting by the fire, Sallyes out of the tent in the same groggy state I did. She sees me and the fire and walks over. She sits next to me and buries her face in her knees. She isn''t affected by the cold. She is just very tired. "Once the sun fully rises over those mountains, we can head out, take some time to wake up. I need it too." She slowly nods her head as she lets out a yawn. It''s one of those contagious yawns, and I follow suit. I look into the fire and think about things. Mainly where we go first for when we make it to the Barony of James. Chapter 235: Journey to the Barony of James VI

Chapter 235: Journey to the Barony of James VI

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I look up from the fire, realizing that Sally will have to be my guide when we are in the Barony of James. Being around a ce where you suffered heavy trauma isn''t going to be easy. "Are you okay with being the guide once we reach the Barony of James? I know its location, but not the exactyout as you would." She raises her face out of her knees and rests her head against them as she looks at me. She has a thoughtful look in her eyes. Contemting if she should. She lightly nods her head after a couple of seconds. I turn my attention back to the fire and the mountains beyond them, where the sun is slowly rising. "I never thought I''d be going back to that ce... I always feared they''d find me and drag me back... That was the only way I thought I could end up back... The idea of getting revenge on the James family is... Exciting..." She announces her thoughts now that I''ve brought up the tough subject. I keep my gaze on the rising sun and mountains, and once I finally have a response, I turn my head and look at her. She has an ashamed look on her face. She must think that getting revenge is wrong and being excited about it even more so. While many humanitarians and pacifists would agree with her shame. I don''t. "You can feel however you want to about it, Sally. You can be scared. Eager. Excited. Nervous. It''s okay to feel these things when we are doing what we are doing. Remember that this is just the first stop on the trip, once we are done in the Barony James. If you decide you want to continue killing all the ones that did you wrong. We will." There are many ces a ve could end up being sent and returned. I don''t doubt for a second that Sally''s willpower and defiance against her captors caused problems against the men that wanted to buy her and sell her. "I''m all of those things and more... I feel like I''m opening the pandora''s box on something that I should just forget... When I think that, I think about all the innocent women that I''ll be saving... All the vers that will be stopped... When I think of that, my determination is overpowering all the others..." That''s a good thing. She is doing the right thing. On earth, this wouldn''t be possible. I''m sure if women could hurt their abusers and rapers after the fact, without any repercussion, they would. Gaia is different. While you can get in trouble for murder, many will let the killer of vers go... It''s a blight on this world billions disagree with. "I''m proud of you for doing this." Her head darts up as I say that. I think she needs to hear this. "The strength of character you''re showing is truly amazing. Your mother would be proud too." She opens and closes her mouth. Trying to find words. After a couple of seconds, tears start to form on the edges of her eyes. She scoots over to me andys her head against my shoulder. She turns her head and buries her face into my shoulder, and begins to let out soft cries. I wrap my arm around her andfort her. "I miss her so much... I only have her journals... She died so soon after I was born..." Her pain is great. I felt the same when Hailey''s dealer murdered my mother right in front of me. Being too weak and too much of a coward to move. Her pain is simr but different. She has a deep scar that will never go away. Her existence likely haunts her too. I lightly rock her and give her all the time she needs to let her emotions out. To vent in any way she needs. "Your mother is looking down from Overworld. Smiling down on you. I know it. What mother couldn''t be proud of you." She wraps her arms around me fast and squeezes me tightly into a hug. She sobs harder as she hears those words. After watching the sunrise as she cries, I notice that she is quiet now. I lift her gently off me and see she has cried herself to sleep. Iy her gently on the ground and pack up the tent. It''s time we get a move on. It sucks I have to wake her. As Cera wakes up Sally for today''s trip. The Barony of James is trying to prepare for the worst. A woman of James'' family isying ns to usurp her brothers and stop the horrible things her father created. Kelly James is trying to think of ways to get yer Zern on her side and not be killed. She has concluded with the information she has that the destination of yer Zern is, in fact, the Barony of James. She knows this cause the half-elf he is traveling with used to be a ve of the James family. One was treated very poorly. Worse than other ves. The foolishness of my father and brothers hase back to haunt the family. My only chance of survival is to try and speak to yer Zern before any of my brothers. Many of my spies have no informationing from my brother''s estates. None of them know where or when yer Zern is supposed to be arriving in the Barony. "Should I contact the adventurers guild to increase security, mydy?" My trusted butler wants to increase the security around my estate. However, I don''t think there is a mortal strong enough to hurt Zern. It''ll be a waste of gold and make us look hostile. "That won''t be necessary. If hees to my estate, I want there to be no reason to fight. We need a n to be the first ones to speak to him. He needs to know that I''m not like the rest of the James family. This is one of the only opportunities that I''ll get to usurp the family and all the power our Barony holds." I''ve had several nsing together for thest several years, but this one has fallen into myp and has everything I need to take the Barony and stop the evil corrupting it. My butler lightly bows and proceeds to leave the room, so I''m alone with my thoughts. "I know what I can do... I don''t know if it''ll work, though..." I lightly whisper to myself as I pull out some paper and ink. I dip my quill in ink and begin writing a letter to the king of Pleer and the king of Zenith. Both letters are identical and should prove some help. If either my king or Zenith king listens to reason, I''ll have a little more help. I finish writing the letters and reread them to see if anything is missing. Nothing looks out of ce. I fold up the letters and send them via birds. I don''t like sending things through magic or by a person. Potential enemies can easily intercept them. A bird is inconspicuous enough to get the job done easily. Gets to the targets after a few days and returns. I can only hope that yer Zern isn''t here too early. I''ll get an answer from my king before an answer from Zenith. I wouldn''t be surprised if my king informs my brothers about my letter, but none of that will matter in the future. yer Zern is on his way here. Suppose my king has any sense at all. He''ll help me so yer Zern doesn''te to the capital to make a repeat Bellvia incident. I sit in my chair after the birds fade out of view. One is heading towards the country of Zenith, and the other is heading for our capital. I rub my temples, hoping that I can get some sort of help. If not, I''m as dead as my brothers. "Would you like some refreshments, mydy?" My butler walks in, pushing a cart. Taking my mind off the current problem seems like a good idea. Focusing too much on one thing for a long time isn''t good for your health. My butler pours a cup of tea and puts a couple of tes of cake on the table. The aroma of the sweet cakes and tea ease my mind and rx me. Once he is finished, I start to eat the food and enjoy it calmly. The amount of time I''ve spent nning for all this should be worth something. I pray to The Almighty Father that something works out for me. I want to make the James family great and pure. Not the way it is now. This is a chance that could change the future of the Barony, and maybe even the world of very. Chapter 236: Journey to the Barony of James VII

Chapter 236: Journey to the Barony of James VII

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I shake Sally awake, and she opens her eyes. "It''s time we got a move on." I toggle my wings on as I say that and stretch them out. Sally holds out her hand, and I help her up. I kneel so she can climb on my back. Once safely on, Iunch us off the ground. Sally knows the Barony of James better than I, so it''s time I finally ask what it looks like. I''ve been avoiding these questions because I''m afraid it''ll cause her pain. However, some things are unavoidable. "Mind telling me what the Barony of James looks like?" We soar through the clouds at top speed. Sally is quiet, likely going through her memories of her time there. I feel her jerk a couple of times. I don''t like the fact she has to go through something like this. "It''s a territory ruled by the Barony of James. There are some outposts and castles holding troops of the king. The city is the main source of ie for the family. It''s likely much bigger than it was when I escaped all those years ago. The James family''s personal property is located 15 miles north of the city of James." A Barony is the lowest rank among nobility. They have smallnds and low amounts of troops. I don''t doubt that they have their own fort or castle to stay in. The city probably gives them plenty of business. Allowing a flow of willing customers to sell and buy ves. It''s a perfect front. Who''s going to search an entire city? The location of their estate is close to. It lets them keep an eye on things and keep them close enough to ensure that nothing bad happens. "So, how are we going to handle this? Are we going to just charge into their property and ughter them, or take it slow and methodical?" I want to hear what Sally wants to do. This is all for her. There is a small silence, and I have ns running through my head along with my own question. "Every part of me wants to walk up to their property and kill them. However, we''ll likely miss important information about the ve trade. If we can interrogate a member of their family before we kill them, we can learn more about direct allies they have in the ve business." She brings up a lot of valid points. I have two quests intertwined with each other. One is about Sally and her revenge, and the other is about the ve trade. I pull them both up to look at them. [Fighting the Disease] [Description: Sally wishes to find and root out all the evil and corrupted people tied to the James Barony.] [Objective 1: Once in thend held by the James Barony, try and find connections that the Barony has to other ve traders.][In Progress] [Objective 2: Kill or imprison all people that you find out about][In progress] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards: Unknown] [Note: This quest is directly tied to Sally''s Past and meets the same condition of being at the legendary in difficulty.] [You have no choice but to ept this quest.] This is the quest about the actual very going on in the Barony of James. This quest will be a hugework of rooting out and finding enemies in the ve trade. I have a deep desire to help these people. The ve market isn''t just women. Men get captured for illegal forcedbor. By doing this, a great evil will be leaving the world. "I agree with your assessment about finding information. It''ll help greatly in our attacks against the next people that have hurt you." I''m sure Sally will tell me more about the men that have hurt her during her time as a ve after we are done in the Barony of James. I pull up the quest that started all this. [Sally''s Past] [Description: Help Sally in her quest for vengeance against all the men that tortured and sexually assaulted her growing up. Help her punish the Elven Kingdom for their ways.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will ask you for your direct help in this matter.][Completed] [Objective 2: Once everything is done with your quest involving the Dryads, ask Sally what the first step in her revenge is.][Completed] [Objective 3: Head to the Barony of James in the kingdom of Pleer][In progress] [Rewards: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Note: The great difficulty of this quest is the goals that Sally has set in revenge. If they weren''t so great, then the difficulty wouldn''t be so high.] Once objective three ispleted. There will be more targets after this. All of them are going to die, and nothing will stop that. "The Barony of James is a ce only middle and higher-ss people go to. There really isn''t a poor poption, mainly because the poor get abducted off the streets and turned into ves. Be them men, women, children, or the elderly. We won''t have any help from the poor because of this." That''s valuable information. One of the best ways to get information about a ce is from the poor. I p my wings to keep the high-speed up. "Are there any ces that can help us get information regarding our targets? Surely the James family has enemies that we can use." I want to know if any people can help us. If there isn''t, then that means the James family hasplete control over the territory, which will be trouble. Another problem is going to arise once we get there too. I don''t doubt that they know we areing. Nobles have big mouths, and I asked many questions about The Kingdom of Pleer and the Barony of James while in Zenith at the wedding. Sally takes a small breath as her heady on mine. "We''ll bepletely on our own there. The only independent faction that might be willing to help is The Adventurers Guild. However, they are likely in the pockets of the James family." The Adventurers Guild is a faction I''ll never want help from. It''s better if we didn''t involve them. No empire or kingdom canpete with the full power of The Adventurers Guild and their strongest members. They are a monopolistic organization that terrorizes weaker people and factions. Monopolies aren''t illegal here on Gaia. Back on earth, monopolies were bad for the economy. The economy here is different from earth. Its unmodernized infrastructure and stagnation in technology have allowed the existence of monopolies since they are needed for theck of invention and innovation. "We are staying away from The Adventurers Guild. It''ll be smart if they don''t know were in the area once we are there. I''d bet money they are helping the James family for a split of the profits." The Adventurers Guild is an enemy that I have no need to be involved with. I have no doubt I can kill their strongest members and destroy their guild, but that could cause catastrophe across Gaia. The Adventurers Guild is in charge of a lot of things and protects important locations. If I destroy them, I''d be dooming many people who have no choice but to rely on The Adventurers guild. "I''ve heard some pretty bad things about them myself, and if that''s your decision, then I''ll agree to it." Sally notifies me of her agreement with not letting The Adventurers Guild know we are around once there. I have a final question for the time being. I''m sure I''ll have more during the trip. "Do you think that you''ll ever try and find your family after we are done with revenge against the vers and elves that did this to you?" She knows next to nothing about her family. They abandoned her mother when she lost her purity when she was taken by a bandit and became pregnant with Sally. I''d want nothing to do with them if they were my family. However, Sally might not want the same thing as I would. She might want revenge on them too. She tightens her grip around me as she thinks about it. I''ll support whatever decision she makes. "Give me some time to think about it... I''ll let you know when I''vee to a conclusion..." That''s all I need to hear. Now that my questions and thoughts are quelled for now I''m going to enjoy the calming flight. This next step is going to be a big one. Sally getting her revenge is going to be the biggest quest I''ve been a part of. Taking on an entire kingdom of elves and an undergroundwork of vile vers. I''m going to enjoy killing them. Chapter 237: Journey to the Barony of James VII

Chapter 237: Journey to the Barony of James VII

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} We''ve been flying for the whole day, and it''s now in thete evening. The sun is lighting the sky up in an orange hue that would put any sunset on earth to shame. We haven''t really talked for the majority of the day, really enjoying the trip. I bring us down slowly next to a river. Not diving like I did yesterday. Ind softly, and Sally hops off my back. "We should be reaching the Barony of James by tomorrowte morning. So let''s get some rest and finish the trip." Sally nods her head in agreement as I walk away from the river and set up the tent. Once fully done with that, I set up a fire and pull out some of the elk meat in my inventory. I sit down at the fire, and Sally sits next to me. I hand her a piece of meat, and we both dig in. While it isn''t good food, it''s enough to keep us satisfied. "I''ve been thinking about what you asked me... In truth, I don''t know..." There is no need for an answer now. She looks at me from my side, waiting for a response. I look at the mast open sky and orange hue that is being cast by the sunset. She nudges me for a response. I guess she really needs one. I stop holding myself up andy on the ground, looking up at the clouds. "I wasn''t expecting an answer today, Sally. Decisions like this take time, and you need to rx. Stop worrying about the future for right now. Let''s handle what needs to be handled, and then I''ll ask you when we are done. Until then, only give it thought when there is nothing else to think about. It''s not a big problem or inconvenience if I don''t have an answer for it right now." She looks down at me and very slowly nods her head. She decides toy down and rest her head on my shoulder. As Cera and Sally rx and wait for the sun to set. The night has already captured the elven kingdom. There is chaos in the capital, more so than there has been for centuries. The royal family is running around with their heads cut off, figuratively, of course. The angriest and desperate of these elves in the royal family is the Queen and ruler of the elven kingdom. The rumors that yer Zern is traveling with an elf have been confirmed, and not only does this shake ns for the elves. The identity of the elf yer Zern is with causes problems. I can''t believe this is actually happening. A damn half-blood ex-ve is going to ruin all my ns for the future. I''m looking around my council, and many of them are not wearing happy expressions. In fact, we are all royally pissed off right now. "Does anyone know how the hell Saliandra Orvello is still alive and is with yer Zern? She is a baby born from rape and has had her purity taken from her when she was a ve in the Barony of James. Why in the hell is yer Zern traveling with her?" Many of the council members look at each other. The Orvello house has been a great ally to my kingdom. Saliandra''s mother was supposed to marry my eldest son. Instead, she was captured and raped by bandits on her way to the capital. Having been deemed impure now, the wedding and engagement were canceled. Later we all found out that Saliandra''s mother was pregnant with her. Another massive disgrace to the Orvello family. They then banished her, and she ended up a ve in the Barony of James. She gave birth to Saliandra there, and now Saliandra has apparently be a very close ally and possible lover to yer Zern. The amount of problems this causes is insurmountable. Not only does Saliandra undoubtedly bear resentment towards us. "All we know is that a little after Saliandra turned 20, she escaped from the barony of James and has been on the run ever since. The Orvello family demands that we either capture and imprison her or hunt her down and kill her. However, that is impossible due to the rtionship she has with yer Zern." Of course, the Orvello family will try to cause more problems instead of help fix them. I sigh and rub my hands across my temple. This is a clusterfuck that I have no idea how to fix. A damn half-breed bitch is going to be the downfall to all my ns. "Do we even know where they are at the moment?" I ask a question that I know we don''t have the answer to, but I can hope. The worried expressions across the council tell me that everything is only going to get worse. I''m sure Saliandra hates and resents us. So that wille back to bite us in the ass. Markwer stands up and clears his throat. He is one of my best allies. He is in charge of the kingdom''s spies. He looks me dead in the eye. "I think it''s in our best interest to prepare for a bloody confrontation with yer Zern and Saliandra. My spies in the pce in Zenith told me that yer Zern was asking about specific things about the elven kingdom. Our troop count, how power as a nation, our poption. The location of the capital. I''m sure that an attack from yer Zern ising in the future. Most likely at the request of Saliandra." My head spins at the new information. This throws everything on its head. As the meeting continues in the elven capital, the two people it''s about are lying in the tent now that the sun has set. There is something that has yet to be known to Cera. Something that he has put off asking, and it''s, of course, about Sally. Cera knows that elves aren''t given human names like Sally. He knows that elven names are extravagant and long. That''s no different with Sally. He is trying to find the right words to ask her if he can know her full name. After all, she knows his now. It''s only fair that his curiosity is satisfied. I sit in silence as I try to find the right words. I want to know sally''s full name, the one her mother gave to her. Perhaps just asking about it is the best thing to do. Get it over with. "Sally..." She lifts her head at my worried voice, and I can see her confusion on it. "Can I ask you something personal?" She wears a curious look, and she nods her head with a smile. "What''s your real name? I know Sally is too human for an elf... Your mother would have given you a beautiful elf name..." She looks at me in surprise and shock. She probably thought she''d never had to do this. She rolls back on her side and releases a deep sigh. I don''t know if she''ll tell me or not, but I''d like to know. "My mother was from a noble family called Orvello... She was to be married to the eldest prince... Not until my nameless bandit father''s gang captured her, raped her, and impregnated her with me..." I can hear the pain and fear in her voice. I wrap my arm around her, and she hugs me a little tighter. "I didn''t know my name until I read my mother''s 2nd diary... It''s Saliandra Orvello... That''s my real name... I always preferred Sally..." I kiss her forehead as she finally lets the tears flow. This girl has been through so much, and so many people would demean her for the things she''s been through. Make her feel disgusting and ugly for her existence. I''ll never feel that way about her. "My bandit scum father is probably long dead... I don''t even know his name..." Her voice is shaky and is choking up between sobs. Asking a simple question can sometimes bring up the worst of someone''s pain and past. I shouldn''t have asked her, but I''m d I know her real name now. I run my fingers through her hair as I hold her, and she cries. I could say something right now to make her feel better. However, I think just letting her cry and get all the pain out is what she needs right now. There are moments when a woman just needs to vent and cry. Someone to lean on while that happens. It can greatly help. "I''m sorry that I''m such a disgusting existence..." She lets out a put down on herself between her sobs. People have probably been telling her that her whole life, and it''s in her head that she is like that. I don''t know what to say, so she doesn''t think like that, but I''m going to give it my best damn shot. Chapter 238: Journey to the Barony of James VIII

Chapter 238: Journey to the Barony of James VIII

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally continues to weep hard into my shoulder. She needs to hear that the things she thinks about herself are wrong. I slowly run my fingers through her hair and let her cry, thinking about my answer. "You''re not disgusting, Sally... You''re a girl who had an incredibly hard life... You''re pure, Sally... You''re a pure girl with a clean soul..." Her crying slows down really fast as I say those words. This world''s definition of pure is wrong, and how someone can be branded as impure makes me sick. It was out of her control, and that doesn''t make her impure. She leans up and looks at me with really puffy eyes and some snot running down her nose. She searches my face and eyes for any doubt in my words, but there isn''t a shred. She is a pure girl. She isn''t a disgusting existence. Her eyes begin to water even more, and she buries her face in my chest, and she tries to hold back the sobs. "You''re the only woman I''ve been like this during my entire life. That may not mean much to someone else, but to me, it means you are truly special." She grips my leather chest piece and releases heavy sobs. I hope my words are reaching her, making a change in some way. She continues to cry her eyes out and let all the pain and bottled-up feelings out. Holding it in for so long, it will explode as it is now. I hold her in my arms, and she slowly calms down over the course of a few minutes. "You really think I''m a pure woman..." Her voice vibrates through my chest as she asks that question. People telling her that she isn''t pure has caused a huge problem for her. She must be fighting inside with the ideal, the wrong one. She is pure, and others saying she isn''t is wrong. She has waited long enough for my response. "You are a pure woman, Sally... I love you..." I feel like it''s one of those moments that it needs to be said. She lifts her head at my words and stares into my eyes again. Her chin quivers, and she crawls up my body and leans her head down as we are now face to face. I ce my hand on her lower back and run it up and down as she lowers her lips unto mine. After a connection, many tears fall from her eyes. They fall on my cheeks as we slowly move our lips together. As Cera and Sally begin the esction of the moment. Someone has finally arrived at the city in the Barony of James. Hailey has arrived ahead of schedule and sees the city up ahead. The city is 15 miles south of the actual fort the Jamess family resides in, so she will be staying in the town and asking around about the important facts. Their schedule, who their allies are, who their enemies are. The weaknesses in their defenses and how many troops are at the fort. Hailey is unaware that her brother and his partner are on their way there too. I see the glowing lights of the city up ahead. It''s very smallpared to the capital cities that I have been to. Avalon was a very amazing ce to see, and I''m d I made it to tier 2. I can only wonder what tier Cera is at. "Mew!~" A familiar soundes from my backpack, and that means Emerald is awake. The cub pops her head out of the opening and yawns. I stop for a second, pull her out, and ce her in her favorite ce to rest on long journeys. The home of my enemies is just beyond that city, and if I want to do this incognito, then I can''t reveal my identity. Emerald purrs as she rests between the back of my neck and my backpack. I only have the backpack for her. Since I can''t store her in my inventory, this was the next best thing. I calmly walk the road and eventually see the line that is stretching out from the gate. I don''t know why their security is high, but that won''t be a problem for me. I doubt any of them know who I am just by my looks alone. I start cutting in line and walking beside it, heading straight to the front. Many give res at my actions, but I''m not wasting hours sitting in a line. The guard sees me approaching and holds up his hand. "No cutting in line, Head to the back." I pull out a little bag that has about 10 gold in it. I toss it to him, and he looks at the bag. He feels around and never breaks eye contact. He steps aside, and I make my way in. No one says anything cause this is pretty normal in ces like the Barony of James. Once inside the city, I see plenty of inns and drunks walking around. Now that the workday is over, the ones that have time off are getting wasted. That just makes things easier for me. I follow the main road and head to the richer district of the city. I find myself a nice inn and pay for the next week. I''ll pay more if it takes me longer to take down the James family. Iy Emerald on the soft bed, and she purrs against the soft covers. I unequip my clothes andy on the bed in my underwear. Emerald hops on my chest and curls up into a little ball. I pet her as she purrs and vibrates through my body. "We are going to be staying here for a little while Emerald... Make yourself at home..." She lets out a little mew in response to my words. With Hailey now fully in the city in the Barony of James. Other people are making moves. As such, there is a hugemotion happening in Zenith. It turns out someone in the coalition has sent an assassin to kill Jackson or his wife. The couple is sitting in their throne room. They are going to head to bed any minute now. However, someone has snuck onto the property. The assassin is sneaking through the halls and slowly making his way to the throne room. Where he is to kill either the queen or king. Whoever sent him left no connection. I sit with my wife as we see the empty throne room. There are no more problems to deal with, and it''s about time we also made out way to bed. "I think it''s about time we retire. Don''t you think?" I stand up from the throne and stretch my body as I say that. I look to my queen, and I hold out my hand. She takes it, but before she can respond. There is shoutinging from the halls to the west. I turn my head, and a man in a dark cloak burst through the door. He turns his attention directly to us and charges with a shortsword in hand. Everything is in slow motion, and I try to cast magic fast enough, but it''s taking just a little too long. I hear my queen scream as the man gets closer, and the guards have looks of distress as they try and catch him from behind. A bright light from the direction of my queen appears, and I look to see what is happening. Suddenly the strike from the cloaked man is stopped, and a white shield is surrounding us. I look to the origin of the light, and it''s the feather that yer Zern gave her for our wedding. It''s creating a protective barrier. Suddenly, white tendrilse from the barrier and grip the man. My wife continues to scream in horror, not realizing that he isn''t going to make it. Suddenly, the tendrils crush the man as if he''s nothing, and he falls to the ground, lifeless. The light from the feather stops as my wife calms down. I hold her in my arms as the guards quickly run up and shield us from the body. They stab it multiple times to make sure the man is actually dead. "What the fuck is going on!?" I yell to the captain of my guards as I see him enter the throne room with bated breath. He quickly approaches and kneels on the ground. "I''m sorry, my King! He snuck past our perimeter and made it into the castle before one of our units spotted him. Oncepromised, he made sure that he got here. Many guards are dead, and there are no clues on how he got past the magic perimeter." I hold my wife as she clings to me and lightly sobs. This is the closest she''s evere to death, and it terrified her. I look at the feather, and I give a silent thanks to The Almighty Father and yer Zern for protecting my wife. The power of the feather should be further explored. For now, it''s time to discuss what just happened. Chapter 239: Journey to the Barony of James IX

Chapter 239: Journey to the Barony of James IX

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Now that the crisis in the pce in Zenith is over, more and more questions keep popping up. My wife has retired to our bedroom, and I''m sitting with my council right now. I''m surprised someone is bold enough to send an assassin after me in such a manner. "There are no clues on the body. There is also no way to tell where the assassin came from based on skin color. The only thing we do know is this is a statement from whoever this enemy is." One of my Generals, Killian, describes the situation to the best he can with the current information we have. I have an idea of who this is. Gregory isn''t happy with my move, and my actions have jeopardized the coalition. Something that gives him more authority than most would like to give to another ruler. I''m free from that, however, and I''m sure that others will follow. Seeing the benefits of no longer being tied to the church or the coalition. "It''s either two things. Gregory is trying to send a message and is preparing to do something in retaliation. The other is someone using the conflict between Gregory and you, my King." That''s actually a brilliant point too. One that I didn''t think of. It has a lot of merits. There is only one problem, though, Gregory is the only obvious enemy. I have no idea who a possible mysterious enemy might be. "I want our spies to dig into both these theories. More so, the second one. Gregory is mad and might be this drastic, but I can see the second theory being more usible." I look at my head of spies, Willok. He slowly nods his head and stands up to leave. He must want to start right away. I sigh as I rub my forehead in slight pain¡ªa headacheing from many hours without sleep. That leaves another subject to talk about. The feather we received from yer Zern is proving to be more than just a feather. It dide from his wings, after all. The golden feather emitted a perfect white light, and with that white light came a defense that couldn''t be broken through. As well as a devastating offense. One that crushed the assassin as if he were nothing. "What do we know about the feather and its powers?" I ask the question to the room, but no one says anything. It''s currently with my wife still as she sleeps. She might not ever want to part with it after this. Not that I me her for feeling that way, the feather has proved capable of protecting from threats and killing them as well. "The magic department has some theories on why that is. However, without an analysis of the feather, we won''t know for sure." Before the conversation can continue, a heavy knocking can be heard from the door to the council chambers. The only reason to ever interrupt a meeting of the council is because of an emergency. One of the royal guards in the room walks to the door and opens it. The guard captain falls in with heavy breaths. The royal guards help him to his feet, and he shoves them off in frustration. "There''s been another attack! Someone tried to kill Queen Tessa!" I feel a pit in my stomach form, and I stand up in a fury. We should''ve seen it! They didn''t want to kill us in the throne room. They wanted to separate us so that they can have an easier single target! I rush out of the room and charge down the hall. Navigating the long corridors and turns. I see our room up ahead, and there are guards everywhere. I see blood leaking out from the room, and I fear the worst. I run even harder, and as I enter the room, I see the mangled body of an assassin, just like the one in the throne room. I dart my eyes around the room, and I don''t see Tessa anywhere. "Where is she!?" I shout to every guard in the room, and a group of them part away from the bathroom. She is hiding in the bathroom, trying to get away from all the people. "Everyone leave us!" They obey and close the door behind them as they leave. I walk up to the door and silently stand in front of it. I knock a couple of times, seeing if Tessa will answer. "He tried to kill me..." I hear a small voice behind the door, and my anger rises as I hear her say those words. I hear footstepse towards the door, and she opens it. I look down at her, and her eyes are puffy, and she has blood on her nightwear. "He said that if I didn''t hand over the feather... He''d kill me... Before I could respond, he attacked... The feather protected me again..." I look at the feather as it still rests in her hair. Undisturbed and perfect. As if nothing could break it. We should''ve looked deeper. It wasn''t an attack on us but a mission to retrieve the feather. Someone must have known that the feather has unique magical properties. She starts crying again and falls into my chest. I wrap my arms around her, and she does the same. "We''ll find out who''s doing this and take care of them. Until then, we''ll have to remove the feather and ce it in the treasure vault." Tessa cries a little harder, and I don''t know why. She pulls away and looks up at me, shaking her head no. I look at her in confusion. Before I can ask, she undoes the braid in her hair so the feather can fall out. However, that doesn''t work. She lifts the feather for me to see. What I seepletely shocks me. The feather has begun to fuse with her beautiful hair. "What the..." She looks down at it with me. The feather can''t be removed without cutting her hair now. "Does cutting it work?" I ask my next move hoping that she has already tried that. She shakes her head no, and I feel more worry build in me. While this situation isn''t bad, it isn''t good either. She dries her tears as she fiddles with the feather and the hair around it that has turned a vibrant white. "When I tried to cut the hair, the scissors broke. It''s made my hair indestructible and slowly turning it a heavenly white. Watch." She angles the white patch of hair attached to the feather into the light. It begins to sparkle and dance. "I don''t know what''s going on... I''m scared, Jack..." I hold her tightly as she says that. I wouldn''t have let her wear the feather in her hair if I knew this would happen. Did yer Zern know this would happen? Soon the doors to the room creak open, and some guards and my council members walk into the room. Some go to inspect the body immediately. "This means our initial theories were wrong. What do you suggest we do now?" Killian begins to speak, asking the room what the next step will be. My anger and rage build the more I think about it. This is the second time today that my wife has been attacked. The second time that she hasn''t felt safe in her own home. Whoever is doing this will have a war on their hands. I hold Tessa as I walk to Killian. I lean in to talk quietly. "When we find out who''s doing this. Dere war. It''s obviously not Gregory, and someone is trying to get what yer Zern left for us." Killian nods his head with the new orders, and he leaves. The rest follow suit, and I sigh. "C''mon, let''s go find somewhere else to sleep tonight." Tessa slowly nods her head, and we leave. The servants and guards will clean this all up by tomorrow, but I doubt she''ll ever want to sleep in this room again. We slowly walk the halls as we hold each other. My thoughts are racing as we continue to walk. Heading to a room that is fully furnished and ready for use. Guards are trailing behind us and making sure that we are safe. "How long do you think it''ll take before we find out who did this?" I honestly don''t know how to answer her question. There is no way to say we will definitely. There are plenty of people who''d want the feather. Religious fanatics, power-hungry nobles, people wanting power. The feather seems to be capable of many things, and who knows how much more will be discovered about it. It''s still fusing with her hair. Chapter 240: Journey to the Barony of James X

Chapter 240: Journey to the Barony of James X

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I sit down on the bed with her, and I let her go. I sigh and plop down on the soft mattress. Tessa is still sitting up, looking around the room from time to time, as if searching for something. I ce my hand on her back as I''m still lying down. I rub and try to help rx her. "What am I going to do about this..." She holds her hair in her hands as she says that. The beautiful heavenly white is still traveling in her hair, and it''s spread in the little time that I''ve been watching it. She now has a permanent weapon that''ll be protecting her and fighting to kill threats. A big part of me is very d that she now has something like this. The other parts are split between that many will deem it unfair, and others will demand the same treatment. When they aren''t in any position to demand. In fact, a noble of my kingdom can be jealous enough to send assassins to try and get the feather¡ªanother possibility to this shitshow. Enemies I have and didn''t have are popping up to try and take something with a very high value. "The value of that feather is high. It makes sense this would happen. I didn''t think it''d be so tant, though." This is the truth. Tessa decides to finallyy down, and she snuggles up to me. "I never would''ve thought the single feather would grant abilities such as this... I thought it was just a decorative piece and nothing more... Do you think yer Zern knew this would happen?" Tessa brings up a train of thought I''ve been thinking about. yer Zern likely knew something, but he wouldn''t have given away something like this if he knew it''d have powers, which begs many questions. One among them is his intentions with this action, bad or good. He wouldn''t do anything to jeopardize his mother and likely gave the feather to us as a way to protect her, but that''s pretty iffy. "I think he knew something, but yer Zern is too unpredictable in anything regarding politics. This would be a political situation. I can''t say if it''s good or bad. Suppose he meant it to be either of those. I think we should be grateful you''re alive and have something that will always protect us. I''ll need to thank him for that..." Tessa and I stare up at the immacte designs of the bedposts that are hanging curtains and covers. While this is going on in Zenith, there is a private discussion happening in The Elven Kingdom. A discussion about Saliandra Orvello. The people that are discussing this are the queen and her princesses. The princes are not in this meeting since they are not active in the ns to be wed to yer Zern. They are men, after all. Many have grown to the conclusion that it''s wise to abandon the idea of one of the elven princesses being married to yer Zern. Now that his opinion of the elves has severally fallen due to Saliandra. As the queen, I should''ve prepared for something like this. I never anticipated that yer Zern would''ve found another elf, half-breed or not. Most elves aren''t allowed to leave The Elven Kingdom unless banished as Saliandra''s mother was. Saliandra has no obligation to The Elven Kingdom due to being born from a banished citizen. There are less than 500 banished elves, and even fewer of them have had children. Saliandra happens to be one of them, and now this incredibly unlikely scenario has happened, there is nothing I can do. I look at my two daughters, and they inherit their beauty from me. I was going to have yer Zern marry both of them and produce many children. So our royal family will be of divine blood. Now that dream is nothing more than dust in the wind. "We need to find a way to convince yer Zern to leave Saliandra or convince Saliandra to be a citizen of The Elven Kingdom again. That way, we can at least make her nobility of a separate line, and any children she has with yer Zern will be a part of The Elven Kingdom." These are the best scenarios for us, and they''ll be hard toplete. My daughters nod, and I look around the room of messengers and bounty hunters. I''ve called them here today for one reason. To spread the word that Saliandra is to be returned to The Elven Kingdom. "I know that you want us to spread these ims. However, she likely goes by some other name. Not to mention nobody knows what she looks like. The only way anyone will know it''s her is if she is seen with yer Zern." One of the masked bounty hunters begins asking questions that he has no business asking. However, they are good points. I lean back in my chair, and Ie up with a solution. "Whoever finds and convinces Saliandra to return to The Elven Kingdom will receive a legendary weapon from our personal treasure vault. Make sure the reward is also spread. The more eyes that are looking, the better. I suggest you all start your search in Zenith, which was thest known location." Many nod their heads and leave. I look towards my daughters as we are thest ones left in the room. They are waiting for orders themselves, and I have them. While all this is going on around Gaia, Cera and Sally are having a moment that has be more frequent with them. Intercourse. After the words from Cera, let''s just say it brought a desire for physical contact out of Sally. They are still in their tent, and it''s now very dark and slightly chilly. However, they likely don''t know due to the cries of pleasure and heat generated inside the tent. Breathless moans and some steam is exiting out of the entrance to the tent. The actions going on inside are more intense than they have ever been before. I m my hips into hers, and my long rod crushes her cervix. Pressing against her womb hard. She lets out a long moan and esctes the longer I hold it there. I pull back out fast and m again. Her fingernails scrape down my back, and a shot of pleasure runs through me. She opens her eyes to look into mine as a trail of drool exits the corner of her mouth. I slow down slightly and gyrate my hips as I go in and out of her. Stirring up her insides. The sloshing wet soundsing from her are a great indicator. Not to mention the constant noises from her mouth. My new technique causes her toes to curl and point repeatedly. I''ve already shot inside her once, but I can feel the pressure building in the base and a heat spreading up my rod. A slight expanse causes her to cry out. "You''re about to explode, aren''t you..." She runs her hand along the side of my face as she half-lidded eyes close and open when I exit and enter again. "I love it when your heat is ced deep in me..." Her words make my head spin, and I''m d for my skill, Controlled Fun. It''ll stop me from making her pregnant. The pressure can''t be held back anymore, and I bury deep inside her as I release everything. "OH MY GOD!!!" She cries out as I paint her insides white and load her womb full of white liquid. We both breathe deeply and are dripping in sweat. Her entire body is trembling, and it twitches from time to time. She is covering her eyes and forehead with an arm as her body continues to convulse. "It''s so hot..." She whispers out to me, and that causes a new wind to be blown into me. My rod hardens again, and I rub it slowly on her entrance. She feels the sensation and coos. She lifts her arm from her head and looks down. Her eyes are slightly nk, but she can see how hard and excited my member is. "I don''t know if I can take any more than this... But, I''m not going to deny you, Cera..." The way she whispers my name like that, I can''t control myself. I line my tip up and insert my rod into her fast. Going as deep she can go, and I kiss her womb again. This action causes her to throw her head back and her tongue to stick out. I lift her slightly and see her eyes are rolling into the back of her head. Chapter 241: Journey to the Barony of James XI

Chapter 241: Journey to the Barony of James XI

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I pump my hips into her over and over again, never letting up. Her expression is one of pure pleasure. I lift her body as I fall back, and now she is on top. I''m bouncing her up and down with the thrusting of my hips. I watch her boobs jiggle and her head flop around from the aggressive movement. The pressure is building in the base of my rod, and this will be my final load for the night. I want to prolong it, so I use all my willpower to hold it in. My rod thickens and lengthens as I hold it, and Sally releases long moans and short squeals from the actions. I lean up and hold her in my arms as I bury my face in her breasts. I''m still thrusting my hips from below her, but now I''m lifting and shoving her down. She is constantly moaning, and the sounds of our smacking bodies fill the tent and woods surrounding us. She wraps her arms around my head and pushes me deeper into her breasts. I can''t hold back any longer, so I thrust hard and push her down on my rod hard. I release my final load as it explodes in her deepest parts. She lets out incoherent screams and moans. Once the final drop fills her, I slowly lift her off me, and a small pop is heard as I fully exit her. Iy down on the furs with her, still buried in her breasts. "I''m so exhausted... I''m going to sleep like a log tonight..." My words are barely audible as I''m still buried in her breasts. She runs her fingers through my hair and hums in agreement. That was the first time I was rough with her. "I''m sorry if I hurt you... I kinda lost control there..." She lifts my head out of her breasts, and she leans her face to mine. Our lips soon meet, and we have a slow and soft kiss. We finish our kiss, and Sally pushes me back into her breasts as she wraps her legs around my waist. I can feel her pussy against my defined abs. "That''s okay... I liked it. You were rough... You still made sure not to hurt me... It''s hard not to feel good when you prate me so deeply... Reaching the absolute deepest parts of me over and over... It makes me stupid, and my head spin..." Her voice drifts off into tiredness, and I soon follow her. After a minute or so, we are both asleep. I have dreams of the night we shared, something that doesn''t happen often. While Cera and Sally sleep the night away, there is an emergency meeting for The Dryads. They are meeting to discuss the course of action needed for the uing war. There are plenty of important Dryads at this meeting, including Princess Elenore. She is listening to the conversations and learning all she can learn about battle and nning. She is to inherit The Kingdom of The Dryads from her father soon. King Florehart is Elenore''s father. It''s incrediblyte in the night in The Dryad Kingdom, but that doesn''t stop this important meeting. I watch as father talks to many of our old Generals. The times have changed so much, and we are racing to catch up. If you''d ask me, I''d say we are doing a good job. However, we aren''t meeting the standards set by our highest-ranking General. General Noorel, one of the forefront authorities on war technology during our times. However, what he knew is now vastly outdated. He is catching up fast, though. "Zenith has been a great help in providing technology for us and teaching us what we''ve missed. I suggest we have some of their best engineerse and teach us." Noorel is trying to convince my father to as for more help. The people of Zenith have been very helpful and understanding. Even returning The Horn of The Forest to us. "I understand asking them for help, but we have already asked a lot of them. I don''t want to overstep our bounds with our new allies. We''ll need their help in the war against Bellvia." My father is worried that we''ll end up taking too much from Zenith, and they''ll want to leave the alliance they have with us. I can see the points of both sides, but if we are going to win this war. We have to ask more of Zenith, even if it''ll eventually cost us our alliance with them. It''s a sacrifice we have to be willing to make. One that has a possibility of happening. As much as I want to voice my opinions. I shouldn''t. I''m inheriting the kingdom from my father, but this is something I should leave to the more experienced officials. "Florehart, my King. Zenith has openly dered multiple times that they will help us whenever we need it. I don''t think those are empty words. They have given us 100 percent of their effort thus far, and I don''t see them changing that." Noorel counters my father''s point. I see my father rub his temples and sigh deeply. The stress of this weighs on all of us. Right after returning to the world, we are going to war with the country that imprisoned us. Many would call this reckless and crazy, and I''d agree. The vengeance in our hearts can''t be quelled without the blood of Bellvia, so we are going to be reckless. "Fine, Noorel, send the messages first light. Hopefully, King Jackson will continue to help us." King Jackson is rather famous around Gaia. His kingdom has Amelia Zern as a noble. yer Zern''s mother. I wonder if King Jackson joined into an alliance with us because of what yer Zern did. He freed our people after several centuries locked away. "Should we openmunications tomorrow for other kingdoms looking to leave the coalition? Since many of them want to leave the coalition and church, wouldn''t it be better to speak to them as we did, Zenith?" I can''t hold my questions and concerns in. I look around the room and see several curious looks at my question. "It can allow us to have more allies, now and in the future." So far, we''ve only been talking to Zenith. Other kingdoms have tried tomunicate with us, but we''ve been cutting them off. Only speaking andmunicating with Zenith. "I like your idea, Princess. However, with our current situation and knowledge, we can''t determine friend from foe. We are too far behind in the world to tell the difference anymore. That''s why we only have one ally because we know their intentions are pure." Noorel brings up a good point, and while I''d love to have more than one ally when I be Queen. This isn''t something I can argue right now. One kingdom that might be willing to help, The Kingdom of The Fairies, was freed by yer Zern just as we were. If anyone understands our situation, it''s the fairies. I might as well bring it up. "How about we try to talk to the fairies? They were in the same situation as us not long ago, but they are now thriving in this world. They might even be more willing to work with us due to being freed the same way. yer Zern hasrge connections with Zenith and the fairies. Why not use that?" Many look at each other as I finish speaking. I look at my father and see a proud look on his face. I look at Noorel and see him contemting the idea. "See it done, Noorel. Her idea has many merits to it, and there is no harm in talking to The Fairy Kingdom. Good job, E, your mother would be proud." My father orders Noorel to do it before he can find a counterargument. Noorel nods his head, and the meeting finishes on that note. Everyone leaves except my father and me. "You did a good job today. You''ll be a great queen when it''s your time." My father stands and ces his hand on my head. He looks down with a smile and nods before leaving himself. I look around the empty room and sigh. This will eventually all be mine, and it''s in my best interests and the kingdom''s best interests to form these alliances now and make them stronger before I be queen. As much as I agree with going to war with Bellvia, I think we could''ve waited a little while to rebuild ourselves. My father and his closest allies are thirsty for blood, so their judgement ispromised. I should try and get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow is a big day. I exit the meeting room and head towards my room. Chapter 242: The City of James I

Chapter 242: The City of James I

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I wake up as the heat rises in the tent. I sit up with beads of sweat running down my chest and back¡ªSally groans in protest at the movement. I look down as we are both naked, and Sally''s clothes are in random ces inside the tent. There are a certain odor thanks to neither of us having a shower or bath recently. I crawl out of the tent, still naked, and look at the river we set up right next to. The water is probably very cold, but it won''t affect me due to my stats. I slowly walk into the calm flow and go up to my neck. I stretch out my limbs as I feel the sweat leave my body from the hot morning. I look towards the sun, and it''s beating down on everything with its sunshine. I take a breath and dive into the water. I move through the water with agility. I can hold my breath for an extremely long time due to my high stats. I look around while under the clear water and see fish and other aquatic life. I decide to resurface, and I slowly breach the water. Letting the breath out and running my fingers through my dark hair, so they don''t hang in my eyes. I look towards the bank and see Sally still hasn''t gotten up yet. I make my way out of the water, and I sit my nude body on a warm boulder heated by the sun¡ªa natural way to dry off. I close my eyes and tilt my body towards the sun. Only a couple of minutes pass until I hear movementing out of the tent. I turn my head and open my eyes and see Sally exit the tent with only her panties on. She is covering her breasts with both her hands. "Someone''s finally up. How did you sleep?" She smiles as she walks over to join me. I equip my underwear and leather pants as she approaches since I''m dry now. "I''m sore." I don''t know if I should be proud of myself or worried that I hurt her. "Don''t worry. You didn''t hurt me. It''s just when you are the size you are. It''d hurt the next day if we were rough." I nod my head and feel bad. I shouldn''t have been so rough with her, and now she is the one hurting because of it. She finally makes it over and sits on myp. "I take it you dived into the river for a bit?" I nod my head, and she hums to herself. I watch her stand up and slide her underwear off. Showing me everything, she tosses me her underwear. "Hand on to those for me." I watch her walk into the river and begin doing what I did. I look at the underwear and can''t help but have a rise in temperature¡ªeven more than when I watched her take them off. I don''t know why. It''s the first time I''ve ever held a girl''s panties before. Ones that I know have been used recently. I put it out of my mind and hang onto them as she continues to swim and clean herself. She dives into the water and rises a few secondster. Her long golden hair clinging to her body. She runs her fingers through her hair and fixes it. She slowly walks out of the river, and I see the water drip off her nude form. Her nipples are pointy, and she sees me staring. "Sorry!" I quickly apologize. However, a devious grin spreads across her face. She slowly makes her approach. Once in front of me, she runs her fingernails along my scalp. She moves even closer and sits on myp,pletely water and naked. I don''t mind either. The sun will take care of the wetness. On the other hand, the nudeness doesn''t seem like it''ll have a simple solution like that. She has both her hands on the back of my head, and she is staring into my eyes. "You don''t have to be sorry for looking at me. I like it when you do... You''re the only one that is allowed to seem like this." She presses her perky breasts against my chest, and I feel her nipples press into my skin. "Besides, these are the few times I don''t see the always calm and serious you... The shy you is something that I love to see when I get a chance." Her deep blue-green eyes stare into my hazel ones. She slowly leans her face into mine. However, she takes her underwear out of my hand. She stands up and looks at me with a grin. That''s the first time she has teased me in such away. "That''s for making me this sore." I suppose I deserve that. I sigh and stand up. We walk back to the tent, and I help Sally get her clothes out of the tent. While she puts them on, I take the tent down and store everything in my inventory. It''s time we got a move on. Once Sally is fully dressed, she looks at me and nods her head. I toggle my massive golden wings on, and I kneel so she can climb on. Once secured, I st off the ground and continue heading towards the Barony of James. As Cera and Sally still have half a day left of travel until they reach The City of James. The sister of Cera is already there and is waking up herself. The City of James is just starting to wake up themselves and make their ways to work. There are yer-owned and ran shops opening up. They range from food to clothes, as well as weapon and armor shops. Many yers have settled into their new lives. Some taking active roles in the military to gain strength from the rewards. Others have taken on the modest life of being a producer. I stretch my limbs out as I sit up in thefortable bed. Emerald meows in frustration as I begin to wake her. I stand up from the bed and head towards the bathroom. I have a room with a private bathroom, which I think is splendid. I undress, and I turn the magical tub on. It quickly fills with water that is good and hot. I dip my toe in, and it''s the perfect amount of hot. I step inside and sink my dirty body in. It''s been weeks since thest time I took a bath. The magically enchanted water and tub will ensure I get cleaned up and stay clean for the next few days. The pattering of little paws can be heard, and I look towards the door to see Emerald poke her head through the door. The white tiger cub could use a good cleaning too. I wave for her toe over, and she does. I pick her up as she stands by the tub, and I bring her in. She protests greatly at first but gives in as the magical water cleans her and makes her rx. "Not so bad now, is it..." She lets a mew out in response. I chuckle to myself as I close my eyes and scratch her head. As much as I want to stay in the bath for the whole day. I have things to do. I spend around 30 minutes in the bath. Emerald got out around 15 minutes ago. I sigh to myself, knowing that it''s time to get out. I stand up from the tub, and I head to the front of it to drain it. I grab a towel from the towel rack as I exit the bathroom. I head towards the bed as I wrap myself with the warm towel. I sit down and plop my back onto the bed. "The first thing I should do is ask the right people for information. The best people to ask are the elderly. They''ve been around the longest..." I learned that from Cera. He taught me a lot on the trip back to the continent. As my thoughts drift to my little brother, I can''t help the empty feeling in my heart. It''s been so long since I''ve seen him, and it''s been so long since I''ve seen any of my family. Cera holds a special ce in my heart, always has. "I miss you, little bro..." Hopefully, one day soon, I''ll be able to see him again. Emerald jumps up on the bed andys down next to my head. She is releasing deep purrs. "You''d love Cera... I wouldn''t have met you if it weren''t for him..." If he didn''t send me to get the legendary ss, I wouldn''t havee across Emerald. no sense in waiting any longer. I finish drying off and equip my gear. Chapter 243: The City of James II

Chapter 243: The City of James II

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I exit the inn and take in the sights of the buildings and people around me. Emerald looks on with curiosity as people pass us and give surprised looks. Emerald is a tamed magical beast, a legacy grade one at that. So it makes sense that attention will be on her. I''vee across great gear in my travels since leaving Cera. My most prized item is my sword. As the holder of the legendary ss Battlemind, the skills I have are crazy, and I needed a strong sword toplement it. My sword''s name is The Hearts Needle. It''s perfect for the duelist nature of Battlemind. The City of James isn''t nearly the same size as a capital city. The actual design is nice, though. It''s a victorian style. The archways and protruding edges give the city a sophisticated look. I''m sure there is only a hand full of people that knows where the money for all thises from. The fact that the church isn''t on top of this severe problem says a lot. There probably isn''t a criminal underworld they don''t know about, and they still don''t do anything. I''m seeing more and more reasons why people of Gaia have lost faith in the church. The new Pope is going to be determined by the process of an event for yers. Maybe that''ll be a good chance for change, but I have a sick feeling in my stomach when I think about that. I''m sure a politician from the earth will worm their way in. I''m sure that there are women who willpete for the spot, and I wonder what''ll happen if that does ur. "Hey, pretty little girl!!" My thoughts are interrupted by the voice of a male. I''vee across this many times, especially after I got Emerald. He''ll either demand I do something to please him or demand I hand over Emerald. I kill men who try this. I have be numb to taking life. You would consider that monstrous, but I''ve learned that it''s required to thrive here on Gaia. I turn and look at the man. He has some of his friends with him. "How about youe with us, and we''ll have a nice conversation. After we are ding with that, we can talk about you giving me that magical beast." He actually hit both of the mostmon topics. I have a rule when this happens. Don''t talk. Just kill. I open my backpack and ce Emerald in it. I see them get disappointed looks on their faces. The fact we are in the middle of the road doesn''t bother me. It''s going to be stained with blood. I draw The Hearts Needle, and I can''t help enjoying the thought of killing these scum. Before they can say anything else, I dash forward before any of them can reach, and I do several jabs with the tip of my de. Puncturing all their vital organs. Many fall to the ground choking on their own blood, bleeding out. I sheath The Hearts Needle and quickly leave the scene of the crime. Some people witnessed it, but these guys aren''t important enough to chase after me for it. I walk down the street and make several turns. Now no longer near the site. I stop and pull Emerald out of the backpack and ce her in her favorite spot. Right now, I''m in the wealthy district. That''s why my inn room had a private bathroom and great furnishings. My next destination is the poor district, and more specifically¡ªthe elderly in the poormunity. One of the best pieces of advice I''ve gotten from Cera is asking the old for information. They are a wealth of knowledge you can''t find at the library. Thesemunities have helped me greatly in the past. I navigate the roads and follow the decay from the upper-ss to the lower-ss in the city. The parts of the city I came from are up kept and taken care of. These are now looking like rotten buildings. No longer made of stone, but instead made of wood, falling apart. The people are now wearing dirty clothes and rags. All look sick and hungry. It makes me want to help them, but I''m already here on an important mission. I can''t deviate from this quest to try and save so many people. I can''t save hundreds of thousands on my own like this. So it''s better not to try. I look down the current road I''m traveling, and I see many disced people. Disced isn''t the right word. Abandoned is more fitting. Forgotten by society, tossed away like lepers. I look around at the people as I calmly walk the streets. Most don''t look older than 30. The elderly are probably wiped out at this point if I can''t see them with the regr people. Disease, famine, or neglect has caused most of them to die. I continue to look, and I eventually see a small group of people over 50 talking to one another. Sitting on the curbs or in chairs. I make my way up to them, and as I do, they quiet down. They eye me up and down as if I''m a possible threat. I take no offense. They have every way to suspect me of that. I just murdered a group of me that tried to take advantage of me. "What do you want?" One of the older women decides to be the first to speak. Asking for information is never simple with the old on Gaia. You have to give something to get something, which is easy in my case. I''ve made a lot of gold in my travels, and that''s the poor and old''s favorite thing. I pull a bag of gold out of my inventory, about 50 pieces. I shake it, and that gains their attention. I can see their eyes turn to the shape of gold coins in an almostical way. "I need information. I''ll give you guys this bag of gold to split if you can provide me with said information. No names, of course." I exin the terms, and I can see the desire for all the gold to go to themselves only in each of their eyes. This causes a goodpetition for me. It makes them more willing to open up and tell me the things I need to know. Many look at each other ready for the challenge. My words that the gold gets split must have fallen on deaf ears. "Well? Tell us, missy! What is it you wish to know?" This time an older man this an entirely bald head speaks up. Trying to rush the information out of me. I can''t let them know I''m looking for information on the James family. Their fear of them will outweigh the worth of gold I''m holding in my hands. How I need to broach this is in a way that isn''t directly connected to the James family. An obscure connection, they have their hands in everything. So an illegal ck market for goods would be a good ce to start. Once there, I can ask some people who are of lower morales for the real answers. "Do any of you know where I can pick up after-market goods?" They get the meaning behind my question. They look between each other in contemtion if they should tell. I''m d I didn''t ask about the James family. They would''ve told me to scram and never show my face around here again, and after about 15 seconds of pure silence. Someone decides to speak up. This person is the same woman who asked me what I wanted. She adopts a cautious expression as she begins to exin. "What you need to do is speak to Saul in the adventurers guild. He is an old veteran. He''ll tell you the meeting ces and times of the after-market goods. The location and times have to be switched up, so the church isn''t too wise about what''s going on... So?" She holds out her hand as if demanding the payment. I look between the rest of the little group, and none of them have anything of value to offer. I ce the bag of gold in her hands, and she smiles at me with a mouth devoid of teeth. I say my thanks and turn around and leave. I make my way out of the poorer district and head towards the adventurers guild. This Saul man will be a small problem, I''m sure. He could be one of those loyal henchmen that don''t take bribes, but you never know I might luck out. Sarcasm. No way in hell this will be easy. He''ll probably ask me to do something of an illegal nature for him before he tells me anything. Like assassinate someone, or sell my body. If it''s the second one, I''ll just kill him and search his body and home for the information I need. That will cause me to be an enemy of the adventurers guild for a little while, but it''s nothing I can''t handle. It''ll be a worthy sacrifice. I hate the adventurers guild, after all. Chapter 244: The City of James III

Chapter 244: The City of James III

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I p my wings to keep the current max speed up. Sally and I have been traveling for the majority of the morning at this point, and I can see a nice-sized city off in the distance. We''re arriving slightly sooner than I thought we would. "That''s the city..." Sally''s voice is shallow and distant. Remembering the ce that took away everything from her. She has returned to pay back all that pain and suffering this ce has caused throughout her life. "Bring us down, please... I need a minute..." I nod my head, and I bring us down fast. Ind gently after leveling out, and Sally gets off my back and hunches over. She begins to take deep breaths and is on the edge of puking. I ce my hand on her shoulder in an attempt tofort her, but it was a bad move. "Don''t touch me!" She screams as she shoves my arm away. I take a step back, giving her the space she needs. She proceeds to fall to one knee, and tears start to fall from her eyes. I toggle my wings off and walk over to a nearby log. I sit down and watch as she works through her pain and memories of this ce. I''ll be here if she needs me, but right now, I don''t think that being around a man is something she wants. I take my hod out of my inventory and ce it over my head and the top half of my face. She stares at the ground as the tears in her eyes fall. As if in shock that she''s is crying. She must have never expected a breakdown upon seeing the city. I don''t want to put her through this again, and she''ll probably have a simr reaction when we actually make it to the James property. A ce she was tortured and kept. A fortress that resembled hell. I pull up the two quests to pass the time. [Fighting the Disease] [Description: Sally wishes to find and root out all the evil and corrupted people tied to the James Barony.] [Objective 1: Once in thend held by the James Barony, try and find connections that the Barony has to other ve traders.][In Progress] [Objective 2: Kill or imprison all people that you find out about][In progress] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards: Unknown] [Note: This quest is directly tied to Sally''s Past and meets the same condition of being at the legendary in difficulty.] [Sally''s Past] [Description: Help Sally in her quest for vengeance against all the men that tortured and sexually assaulted her growing up. Help her punish the Elven Kingdom for their ways.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will ask you for your direct help in this matter.][Completed] [Objective 2: Once everything is done with your quest involving the Dryads, ask Sally what the first step in her revenge is.][Completed] [Objective 3: Head to the Barony of James in the kingdom of Pleer][In progress] [Rewards: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Note: The great difficulty of this quest is the goals that Sally has set in revenge. If they weren''t so great, then the difficulty wouldn''t be so high.] The opportunity to take down an entire ve empire and help Sally simultaneously seems too good to be true. I''m betting I''ll have to make hard decisions down the road, ones that I won''t like. I rub my forehead a little bit and pinch the bridge of my nose. I have a slight headache. It''s from all the nning and traveling, never taking a long break. "rrgh!" I look up from the ground, and I see Sally couldn''t hold it in any longer. She stares at the puke on the ground with vivid hate, as if hating feeling a weakness like this. Once we step foot in the city, Objective 3 of Sally''s Past will bepleted, and a new objective will be added. "rrgh! Huff! Huff!" Sally pukes again and takes deep breaths trying to calm herself. She''s having a panic attack. However, I can''t help her right now. If I get close, that overwhelming fear of men withsh out just as it did earlier. I can only watch as she struggles to regainposure. I hate seeing her like this, watching her suffer as I can''t do anything to help her. When she is ready, she''lle over and talk. As Cera and Sally are outside the city a few miles away, Hailey is inside the city at The Adventurers Guild, trying to contact this Saul person. However, no matter how long she waits, and looks around. No one by the name of Saules or leaves the guildhall. The Adventurers Guild has many guild halls all over Gaia, and many more of them are run by corrupt men or women. The guildhall in The City of James is no exception to this. Hailey notices the longer she is hanging around, the less weing the feeling around the guildhall she''s getting. I look around this room while in my corner booth. I chose this booth so I wouldn''t have my back to anyone. The old adventuring veteran Saul hasn''te into the guildhall yet. It''s only been young and middle-aged men and women. No one matching description is anywhere in the guildhall. "Whoever you''re waiting for is not going to show... It''s been 6 hours since you entered the guildhall. I suggest you stop wasting space and leave." A male voice breaks out from the bar. A drunk adventurer looks over at me as he says that. No one adds to the topic he''s raised. They''re all minding their own business and keeping out of the growing problem. I look at the guy more closely, and he''s much drunker than I thought. His face is pink, and his blinking is uncoordinated. He smashes some peanuts with the bottom of his mug and tosses them into his mouth. I close my eyes and ignore him. He ms his fist on the table in anger at myck of care for what he has to say. "Didn''t you hear me, Bitch! I said leave!" He''s going to have to do worse than call me a bitch. He stomps over to my booth and smashes his fist on it, denting the metal top of it. I open my eyes and look up to see a disgusting grin. I swear if he says anything about paying him back for my disrespect with my body. His head ising off his shoulders. "Why don''t you pay-!" I stand up in a burst of speed and kick him in the chest before Ind. He flies across the guild as blood pours out of his mouth. Hends on some empty tables and chokes a couple of times before dying. I''m not going to tolerate such disrespect. Everyone in the guild continues to ignore themotion and after a couple of seconds. I hear ppinging from upstairs. I turn my attention to the pping, and it''s an older man with a balding head. He has some pretty good gear on, and I have a feeling this might be the man I''m looking for. Hiding up on the second floor, where it''s restricted to A-ss adventurers and higher. "I was wondering when something would finally happen. Come up here so we can talk." He must have been looking for a reason to give me the time of day. Now that he''s witnessed some strength he sees an opportunity for something. What that is, I don''t know yet. I make my way up the stairs and there is only a hand full of people up here. I pass through a magic barrier that prevents any sounds from up here reaching the floors below. "I''m Saul, and some of my little birds are telling me that you''re looking for me." I turn towards the voice and he''s sitting at the private bar up here. He waves me over to join him. I walk over and take a seat on the barstool next to him. "Everything has a price, remember that." He''s sure upfront about his beliefs. He nods for me to start talking, and I take that as a sign that anything said up here stays up here. "I looking for a way into the?after-market areas." I don''t want to say ck market, but that''s basically it. The ck market here in The City of James will get me into contact with the people with the necessary information for my mission. They''ll have dirt and weaknesses I can use to take the James family out for good. While that might hurt their ve business. I''ll just kill anyone Ie into contact with that deals in that shit. Save the world from another monster. Chapter 245: The City of James IV

Chapter 245: The City of James IV

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I watch Sally closely. She is doing a little better now. She isn''t hyperventting and puking anymore. We''ve been here for about 30 minutes now. I don''t know if she will be okay aftering back here, but I know she isn''t going to give up. She stands up on wobbly knees and whips her chin, trying to get the saliva and puke off. "You want my help?" I see her look at me and her eyes are very red. She shakes her head in nervousness and looks away in shame. I''m not going to force my help, and if she isn''tfortable being around me right now, that''s fine too. After all she has been through in these areas. It makes sense that her fear of being hurt by men is so strong. I''m not going to demand that I be put above them, be treated better despite her fears. I''m not going to ignore her fears cause it makes me feel bad. It does hurt she sees me like that right now, but sometimes things get hard. If she needs to do that, then she has that right. "I''m sorry you had to see that..." She lifts her head, and her voice is dry and cracking. She''s lost a lot of fluid from puking and has probably burned her throat a little from stomach acids. She walks over to me while trying not to stumble. I don''t reach out as she approaches. She doesn''t need that fear. "It''s okay, let''s get a move on. The City is only a couple of miles ahead of us. We''ll get some food and water. I''m betting there are shops run by new people just like Zenith." I try to brighten her mood with the thought of having the same delicious food we had in Zenith made by yers. My efforts work a little. She gives a small smile. It quickly fades, and she doesn''t have a happy expression anymore. I turn my back to her and start walking towards the city, but before I can get out of arm''s length. I feel a tug on the bottom of my leather chest piece from behind. I stop and turn to Sally. She looks at me with a depressed look. The most I''ve seen. "I''m sorry I did that..." She is referring to her reaction to trying tofort her. She doesn''t need to be sorry for that. I don''t hold anything against her. "C''mon, say something..." Her voice is cracking up, and I see tears well in the corner of her eyes. She must think I''m upset with her. I fully turn my body towards her, and I smile. "It''s okay, Sally. You''re okay, and I''m okay... It was a perfectly eptable action due to the circumstances." I hate for sounding a little political, but I don''t want to upset her further. She has a small smile and wipes the forming tears away. She lets go of my leather chest piece. She looks like she wants a hug, but she is hesitating. It''s from being here, near the worst ce she''s ever been. I step away and turn around. "Let''s go." My voice is confident and serious. We are here, and it''s Sally''s turn for vengeance. While Cera and Sally walk the little bit of distance to The City of James, the city owners are having a private meeting. The James family is on their private property. There are many males in the James family. Sons of the original torturer and abuser of Sally, the one who took her purity. His spawn are gathered in a room. Some are fat and ugly like the father was, and others inherited beauty from the various concubines he had. The one that is nning to betray her family is here too, and she is wearing the best poker face you''d ever see. My brothers are having more and more concerns about a possible visit from yer Zern. Just today, a group of men was ughtered in the street. "Kelly, what are the reports from the guards in the city? Any witnesses to the evente forward." Rener James, my second oldest brother, decides to get right down to the details. If there was anyone I need to be worried about, it''s him. He is more intelligent and shrewd than any of my other brothers. In the end, all of them will be dead. I''ll be damned to hell for Fratricide. Some sacrifices need to be made, though. I clear my throat as I pick up the paper regarding any reports on the earlier incident. It appears that a group of men was harassing a woman, only for all of them to be killed. No description of the woman has been given, only that she had a magical beast with her. "There aren''t any reports on the description. An individual female killed the group. She was wearing a hood. The only defining characteristic was the magical beast she was traveling with." Many of my brothers snot at the thought of a female doing this to a male. They really are the worst kind of animals. Some have even tried to do things to me in the past, but lets just a dagger pointed at their manhood made them back off. "Issue a bounty on the woman, only give it to those in the underworld, though. Offer them a ve of their choosing." It takes all the power in my mind to not react when those words are said by my third oldest and ugliest brother¡ªa true spawn between our father and a troll. I''m lucky I inherited my mother''s beauty. Many nod their heads in agreement, and the meeting moves forward. The meeting jumps to another topic, and it''s regarding funding to the ve market. Once I usurp control, all of this ising to an end. "We need some financing for bribes at the borders near the eastern border. The Kingdom of Tellior is trying to stop their citizens from being taken here and made ves. I wouldn''t be surprised if the capital catches onto our little business here. So the more money for bribes, the better." Rener begins to talk about how Tellior is giving us trouble. That''s thanks to me. I tipped their knightmander off. So far, it hasn''t resulted in much, but some of their citizens have been freed before they could be forever lost. "Kelly, I want to talk to you privately. Everyone else, you''re dismissed." Rener ends the meeting, and my brothers leave. I look at Rener as he stares at me from across the table. Trying to discern something from my bodynguage and posture. He''ll get nothing. Out of everyone in our family, I''m the only one who takes keeping secrets seriously. He''ll never find out what I''m up to. "What are your thoughts on the possibility that yer Zern ising here with Saliandra Orvello?" What a strange question. It''spletely irrelevant to anything that he might suspect me of. What''s he ying at... "I think he ising here, Rener." He raises his eyebrows in surprise and leans back in his chair. "It was going to happen eventually. Something like this. A veing back to take revenge." He squints his eyes as he thinks about my words. I threw him a curveball and told him exactly what he wanted to hear. "I''ll be going now, don''t be too scared of him, brother. He can''t kill all of us." I give a sarcastic edge to my voice, and he closes his eyes as I leave. While the meeting has ended, and Cera and Sally are closing in on the city. Hailey has finished her conversation with Saul. She now has all the information needed to talk to the right people about the James family. Unknown to her, a bounty has been set on her. The only characteristic that is avable about her is Emerald. Her magical beast. I leave the guildhall with all the information that I need. Emerald is now sleeping in my backpack, and I''m starting to get hungry myself. The food stalls that I passed on the way to the guildhall smelled so good, and I''m going to go to the first one I see. I start walking down the street, and I notice that lots more people are walking around. This part of the city is upper-ss, so the people are dressed better, and the scenery is better. It''s not even close to the same state that the poor districts are in, and it makes me mad. I used to be one of those poor people. I know what that''s like. Before Cera got his fortune back on earth, we were poorer than dirt. I''m pulled out of my thoughts at the familiar smell of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and syrup. My stomach growls as I take another deep whiff of the amazing food. There is movement in my backpack, and Emerald pops her head out, and drool isically dripping from her mouth. I chuckle cause I''d do the same if I could generate that much saliva. Chapter 246: The City of James V

Chapter 246: The City of James V

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I see the main road up ahead through the trees. There is a line of people this far back. Sally is getting better now, and I think she''s ready to enter the city. We both have our hoods up and making sure our identities aren''t revealed. Not many people would be able to connect the sketches of me from a single nce. They''ll have to have a clear memory of the sketch in their head and make connections between the sketches. I''m not saying it''s impossible for someone to recognize me, but it ain''t happening as long as I have this hood on. We step onto the cobblestone road and look towards the entrance of the city. I feel Sally hold on to me from my arm. We start walking down the road, and passing carts carry goods. There are groups of people too, and some adventurers here and there. They must be low level. The closer we make it to the gate separating the city and the road, the tighter Sally''s grip gets on my arms. "I''m here, Sally... I''m not going anywhere..." My whisper reaches her, and I hope that it eases her worry just a bit. We are now at the gate, and the guard captain is looking at us. Before he can say anything, I pull out a small bag of gold and toss it to him. He tosses it up and down in his hand, testing the weight. He steps aside, and we move through the gate. Sally slows down considerably, but she powers through, and we are now in The City of James. "It''s changed so much from 80 years ago... It used to be entirely slums with a single district for the rich... Now, look at it..." Sally begins speaking about how it''s changed since she wasst here. The city has probably improved more on the outside but is even more rotten underneath it all. There is something that I want to do with Sally. Whenever we had the chance to eat food made by new people, aka yers, we would. This city has yer-run restaurants, and I''m hungry for some good food and not food from my inventory. "Let''s get something to eat, okay?" I look at Sally, and her head is lowered, and she isn''t acknowledging my words. "Maybe it''ll even be as good as the food we had in Zenith?" I try again, and there is a little bit of a reaction. She nods her head slowly as she begins to warm up to the idea. As Cera and Sally slowly walk through the streets looking for a good restaurant, the sister of Cera is already digging into her food at the one she has selected. She and Emerald are chowing down food, and it''s the same reason Cera and Sally eat so much when they get the chance. There aren''t many opportunities to have delicious food when you travel a lot. Most of what you eat is rations and dried meat. Not to mention the fact that this is human food, food from earth. The best and most unhealthy food you will ever taste. I take another big bite of the juicy hamburger. Some of the juice falls out the bottom of the hamburger and onto the hand-cut fries. Lathering the fries. Normally I wouldn''t be allowed to eat with Emerald at a table, but since this is a yer restaurant, the rules are different here. If you have an animalpanion, you can bring them in and select something from the special beastpanion menu. That''s how it is at this restaurant anyway. I notice NPC''s looking at me from time to time. More specifically, Emerald. I''m getting tired of people trying to take Emerald or demand my body, or both. It''s really bad in this kingdom. While it happened in other ces, The Kingdom of Pleer is filled with scum bags who think they can have whatever they want. I wonder if the capital and king himself is like this. Jasmine asked me to do this because she isn''t strong enough too. "Mind if I ask you a question?" A man''s voice rings out to my left, and I continue to eat. He takes my silence as permission, which I hate. I swear if it happens one more time, I''m killing every NPC in this restaurant. I don''t care if I get kicked out, and I can''t eat here anymore while I''m in The City of James. "Were you in the rich district this morning?" Now that''s a question I wasn''t expecting, but I''ve learned never to express emotion when being questioned. An incident in the past led to a bloody situation cause I couldn''t keep my emotions off my face. Myck of reaction doesn''t stop the man from talking. "Cause there was a grizzly ughter in the streets. A group of men was butchered." It seems my act of self-preservation has gained some attention. I still don''t react in the slightest, and this frustrates the man even further. "You''re probably wondering why I''m doing all this. There is a bounty on that person ced by the Barony, and the only descriptive feature about the perpetrator was a magical beast. A white tiger cub, to be precise." I finish thest bite of my hamburger and turn my head to look at the man. I lightly pet Emerald and remainpletely calm and rxed. My hood is still up, so he can''t see my face. The silence in the restaurant has increased. I''m being looked at by NPC''s. The bounty on my head must be pretty good if so many are willing to gun for me. I gently ce Emerald in my backpack, and I stand up. Many in the restaurant do the same and draw any weapons they have. "I''d hate to bloody up this ce. Mind if we step outside?" My even and level voice asks the ones interested in the bounty at the prospect, but one quickly jumps at me, trying to take advantage of the fact I don''t have my weapon drawn yet. This causes a chain reaction. Many more jump with their swords and dagger ready to cut me. They all move in slow motion to me, my stats are higher than any NPC I''vee across, and these idiots are no different. I pick up a french fry as they still move in slow motion, and I eat it. The first one to leap is starting to get close. I draw The Hearts Needle, and I cut all his limbs and head from his torso. The blooding from the incident is moving in slow motion too. None of the attackers react to the bloody mess that I''ve just made cause they can perceive his death yet. I''m probably the fastest yer in all of Gaia. I decide to speed myself up as they all move in slow motion. I zoom between each man and woman interested in killing me, and I chop them into multiple pieces as I did the first guy. I could just stab them all in the heart, but I want it to be gruesome, so all these hunters know not to mess with me. Once word gets out about this incident, no one will be interested in my supposed bounty. After I sliced up thest individual, I slow down to the point that all of them speed up to normal speed, and a bunch of body parts flies everywhere. Along with blood and internal organs. Many NPC''s that didn''t try anything step back and leave in a panic. The only people left in the restaurant are yers. Who don''t react to the bloody show at all. "You couldn''t just take it outside, could you!?!" The yer owner of the restaurantes out the back and storms over to me. Cussing and saying I''m never going to be weed here again. I can live with that. I''ve sent the message that needs sending. My face is still hidden, and my identity is safe. If they find me again, it still has to be my Emerald. I walk out of the restaurant with some disappointment. I never finished my french fries, but that doesn''t mean I can''t eat somewhere else. I look to the left and right, both paths of the road, and there are plenty of yer own restaurants around here. I just have to pick a new one, and I see one that I like. It''s a little up the road, but the magnificent sigh draws in a lot of attention. Emerald pokes her head out of the backpack and Mews. "I''m guessing you''re still hungry too?" She mews again with a little bit of excitement. Time to go check out that restaurant. Once I''m done eating there, I''ll have to get down to business. Chapter 247: The City of James VI

Chapter 247: The City of James VI

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I can smell the freshly cooked food that wasmon on earth. Sally is looking a little bit happier the closer we get to the source of the smells. I''m picking up multiple different things, and I look ahead and see multiple yer-owned restaurants up ahead. They are all packed with yers and NPC''s. However, one is disturbingly empty, with yers scrubbing the floors. We slowly walk up to it, and I take a look inside. There are puddles of blood everywhere and body parts that have yet to be picked up. Whosever caused this has to be a pretty decent level and ss grade. Sally looks inside also, and she doesn''t really look sick looking at the bodies and blood. She recoils a little, but after traveling with me. You have to get used to being showered in blood from time to time. It''s nice to see that she''s adapted to that particr part of being with me. Unsurprisingly, many bloody footprints are leaving the restaurant. Different shoe sizes that each enters the road and fades. The most amusing of them is a set of smaller bloody shoe prints heading to the restaurant across the street. Someone was hungry enough to walk out of this establishment and into that one. I don''t see this ce opening until the gruesome scene is cleaned up. Before I can start walking to the restaurant across the street, I hear the marching of bootsing down the pathway to my right. I turn my head, knowing it''s plenty of NPC''s. Most are guards, and some are adventurers. Someone snitched, and now the cities guards are here to take care of things. They head straight for the restaurant across the street, the one where the bloody footprints lead too. "You as curious as I am?" I want to make sure Sally isfortable watching something like this. She looks at the guards and thinks hard for a second. "I''m sure the person who caused this isn''t around anymore, but I don''t see any reason not to watch. We might even learn something important, but I doubt it." I agree with Sally''s assessment. Whoever caused this ughter wouldn''t stick around for long. If they did, they are either idiotic or strong enough to kill everyone hostile towards them. The guards stop in front of the restaurant, and an officer gets off his horse. They draw their swords and wait outside while the officer enters. While Cera and Sally watch the ongoing spectacle, Sally''s assessment was right. Hailey didn''t stick around to eat on the spot. She ordered a to-go and is no longer in the area. Hailey is heading to a ce in the city. It''s an abandoned wool mill. However, it''s a hidden entrance to the ck market. She is following the information that Saul gave her, and now that she knows she has a bounty on her head, she knows it will be incredibly hard to move towards her goal. Jasmine''s wish for the destruction of the ve market in The City of James and the death of the James family is the only thing on Hailey''s mind. My ns have been ruined. Well, notpletely ruined. It''s going to be hard toplete my mission here now that I''m a wanted woman. I don''t want to have to cut my way through hundreds of people, but I will if I have to. I''m pretty sure that what happened in the restaurant has spread like wildfire. It''ll have two effects, and they both counteract each other. My identity is safe for now, but people will know it''s me whenever Emeraldes out of the backpack. "You sure are a bundle of trouble, aren''t you..." I speak just loud enough for Emerald to hear me, and I get a mew in response. She pops her head out of the backpack and yawns. She had plenty of food, so she is probably feeling tired right now. I have no problems with hering out right now. There is barely anyone around in this part of the city. It''s mostly abandoned or under reconstruction. Buildings are falling apart from decay, and others with magical construction equipment by them are getting rebuild or refurbished. This must be the oldest and emptiest part of the city. I look towards the massive abandoned wool mill and think about what Saul has told me. It''s a haunting sight. To see a part of a city nearly abandoned and crumbling to pieces. Not a sign of human or humanoid life. It reminds me of the broken-down LA that I was in when we were first brought to The Ancients World. The only thing this ce iscking is the forests and vegetation consuming parts of the city. I want to return to the yer continent one day. It''srgely unexplored and abandoned. Most yers have returned to their original continents. Some have stayed behind to try and rebuild, and that''s interesting. I can see the appeal of clinging onto a piece of earth, a part of the lives we one had, but if you don''t evolve and adapt, you will perish. The ones that have stayed on the yer continent will be severelycking when they see the yers that have returned their original continents. I''m pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of thunder. I look towards the direction, and a massive storm is rolling in. This is going to be the first time I''ve experienced a storm on Gaia. I''d say there is only an hour or so until it hits the city. As I continue walking, a world announcement goes off. [Worldwide Announcement: All mass gatherings of yers are going to be attacked in 1 hour! Cities, capitals, and towns with yers will be caught in a storm as monsters from unknown origins begin attacking!! These are not monsters from the monster horde that the church is at war with. These are a new and strong enemy, exclusively hunting yers! The stronger you are as a yer, the bigger the monster forces will be that areing after you!] As all the yers scattered around Gaia listen to the announcement, Angelus is sitting in a private dimension. It''s decorated to look just like a normal room from earth. Angelus hasn''t interacted with yers in a very long time, not in this way. Thest time was when they were all on the yer continent, and Cera stopped the endless hordes of monsters by defeating an avatar of a great demon. Now the time hase to test the wills and new powers of the yers again. Many have already made it to level 100, so these battles are going to be insane. I sip my tea as I see the biggest of the storms roll towards The City of James. Cera is there, with his elvenpanion. The size of that monster horde is going to kill many yers. They''ll respawn only to die again. The yers will have to defeat the boss of the hordeing towards their city. Their yers not gathered inrge groups don''t have to worry about anything since they aren''t getting attacked. These monster''s only priority will be to find yers and kill them. The weaker monsters will go after the weaker yers, and the strong yers will attract strong monsters. It doesn''t help The City of James since Hailey Adamo is there as well. It has caused the storm and monsters under it to be considerably stronger. A Divine ss wielder in Cera and a Legendary ss user in Hailey will be attracting the strongest of the monsters to their locations. The cities and locations that these attacks are urring at will have mass damage, and some NPC''s will be killed as a result of it. However, The Almighty Father has assured me that this test is necessary. While the thought crossed my mind many times. It was The Almighty Father who asked me to do this for the yers. The gods in Overworld have been quiet, nning for The Old Gods to start their war. "You have no idea what you''ve unleashed..." I sip on my tea again after I say those words. When Cera got his Divine Mana Aura, he unleashed The Old Gods, and that''s why they are returning. The Divine Mana Aura that he has now was the original lock and key for their prison, and they gain strength every passing day now that they are free. Theing war isn''t here yet, and won''t be for a while. However, it ising. The yers will y an important role in this war, and so are Cera and his family. yers weren''t given immortality for no reason at all. The soldiers needed for defeating The Olds Gods need to be immortal because The Old God''s forces will be endless. Chapter 248: The Coming Slaughter

Chapter 248: The Coming ughter

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} As the announcement repeats, many yers begin to stand up and get ready around me. Sally and I have just sat down for our food too. Sally looks up from her te and stares at me, waiting for me to exin the n of action. "Let''s finish eating our food. We have a little under an hour before whatever happening happens." Before Sally can respond, thunder rumbles the building. The giant storm outside is getting closer and closer. I don''t know why it''s going to storm as the monsters attack, but some things happen that can''t be exined. The hamburger and french fries are pretty good, but the improvement of Sally''s mood has stopped. All due to this... Test. That''s the best exnation I cane up with. The same thing happened on the yer continent. Well, something very simr. Thest time this happened, I was alone, and I fought many thousands in a raging storm. I''m going to be surrounded by yers and people this time around. This means I can''t use my full power. If I do, many NPC''s will die in the process. A handy cap, in a way. My heart skips a beat in a small panic. The monsters I fought back on the yer continent were leveled to match me. I''m betting the same thing will happen here. I slowly lift my head and look at Sally. She is an NPC. If she dies, she won''te back. I need to get her somewhere safe. "We need to leave! Now!" She''ll be at serious risk if I have her with me. The monsters won''t target her if she isn''t by me, but if she is. It puts her at great risk. She looks at me in worry since this is the first time I''ve acted like this in front of her. I don''t wait for a response. I grab her wrist and drag her from the table and outside. "What''s wrong, Cera?!" She''s much more worried now. I pick her up in my arms, and I leap on top of the buildings. I can''t toggle my wings on. I don''t want our cover blown after all this is over. I leap from rooftop to rooftop, and every time I jump, I look at the storm. It has heavy rainfall and thunder. The most mesmerizing is the amount of lightning. "Where are we going!?" I have to leave her somewhere a safe distance from the city once the fighting is over. I''lle and get her. I haven''t responded to any of her questions yet, and I''m not going to until I take her to a safe ce. Sally is strong enough to handle monsters and people within her level range, but the monstersing to attack the yers everywhere aren''t something she is ready for. She needs more strength if she''s going to fight beasts of this caliber. A few buildingster, and I''m leaping over the way. The wind blows hard at The City of James. The storm is getting closer. We still have plenty of time, but I''m not risking Sally''s life. Not here, not in the ce that caused her hell. Ind hard on the ground with her in my hands, and arge indent appears. I leap from the small crater and start leaping through the forest. Heading to some hills a few miles out from the city. The storm cloud looking like old photos on earth''s inte. I think there called supercells. When the pollution on earth got to a certain point, supercells could no longer form. This is the first time I''ve seen what an actual supercell looks like in person. Not from old pictures on the inte. We are quickly approaching the hills, and I start to slow down. Once at the top of one of the hills and a safe distance away from the storm''s path and the city, I set Sally down. "You need to stay here and wait for my return. The fight in the city and surrounding area isn''t something you are strong enough for yet. The monstersing are likely near the 100''s in level. The strongest one matching my level. You''re still only level 79." Sally has a look of worry, not for her safety, but mine. I turn to head back to the city and wait for the onught, but before I can start moving, I feel her hug my back. She knows I''ll revive if I''m killed since I''m a new person, but that doesn''t stop her. "Please... Don''t get hurt... I can''t stand the thought of..." I ce my hand on top of hers at the are locked together on my chest since she is holding me from behind. She hugs me for a little while longer and lets me go. I turn my head and nod at her. I''m not going to die. I''m not going to get hurt. I know this from the sheer value of my stats alone. My health ranges in the tens of billions, and so does my mana. Nothing is going to hurt me. My power is too much to handle for these creatures. [yer (Zern) Lvl.190] [Exp: 1/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 5/100%] [Health: 56,560,000,000/56,560,000,000][Mana: 196,600,000,000/196,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 0][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] This will be the first time I get to check out the new damage output for my active skills. It''s going to be a bloodbath, but not for the yers. I''m leaping through the forest and making my way back to the city. I can see yers leaving the entrance and heading for the wall closest to the storm. They are likely going to intercept them. Putting the NPC''s at less of a risk. The number of yers that are doing this is small. More yers are waiting inside of the city than outside. Monsters aren''t going to hunt me exclusively. Only the strongest ones wille after me. I make a slight adjustment to my path and decide to join the yers waiting outside near the wall closest to the storm. After a minute or so, Ind nearby and exit the woods to the front line. "You sure you want to be up here, kid?" A taller man to my left begins to speak. He''s a yer and around 6''5. He looks like a person in his mid 20''s like most yers, but I can tell by the way he carries himself he''s much older than that. I lightly nod my head. I don''t want to talk. My hood is still up, so he won''t be able to see my face. I won''t be able to use my wings for theing fights, and they''de in handy. A weapon has to be a legendary grade or higher to even caused damage to my golden wings. Monsters don''t carry legendary-grade weapons. As I''m watching the storm creep its way over to the city, the shes of lightning illuminate the iing enemies. They are aquatic-looking creatures, exins the rain. Wonder why it''s specifically aquatic-looking creatures. The storm is still a mile or two out, but droplets of rain are already hitting my face. I pull up my yer interface a final time and see a message from the system. [System Message: These monsters are going to increase mastery over Mana Aura since they are a test for the yers and will make them a bit stronger, which includes you. Kill as many as you can, weak or strong. You might get enough to raise your mana control by a percent or two.] How about that, these are a test for us. I''m guessing the system A.I. has set this up. If not the A.I., then The Almighty father is the one who did so. I stop looking at the message, and I look around to see yers staring at the air with a focus. They are looking at their messages too. Many of them have an excited or eager look on their face, and I''d understand that. They are going to get big boosts in power. I, on the other hand, will have massive amounts. Even a single percent increase to my Mana Aura control and my health and mana will increase by several billions. Chapter 249: An Unexpected Conversation

Chapter 249: An Unexpected Conversation

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} While Cera waits by the wall with the other few brave yers, there is the situation with his sister. Hailey is having an internal debate right now, one that many yers are going through themselves. Hailey is plenty strong enough to deal with monsters that''lle after her. She is a legendary ss wielder, after all. With the storm moving in, she has a decision to make. Stay in the city for any monsters thate after her, or fight outside the city, not jeopardizing damage. It''s a dilemma that she hasn''t had before. As I heard from the announcements earlier and the message from the system in my inbox. I''ll be having powerful creaturese after me. Not only am I endangering the innocent lives that are here in The City of James, but I''m also putting Emerald at risk. If she''s with me, there''s a good chance she could get hurt. My main priority is keeping Emerald safe. If any NPC''s lives are lost in the battles between monsters and yers happen, then it''s something I''ll live with. I hear the thunder rumble, and a small shake goes through my body. The storm and lightning would be beautiful if not for the looming threat of battle. I''ve encountered storms in my trips, but none of them have been filled with monsters. The fact this is a test bothers me too. What are we being tested for? The yers are already helping fight in wars. We are adjusting to a society that we are unfamiliar with. The first trip alone without my family or Emerald was rough on me. There we so many times I''d reach for my pocket to see if I could text them on my phone, only to realize over and over I no longer have a phone. I feel movement inside my backpack, and Emerald pops her head out to look towards theing storm. Her ears curl back, and she growls in the direction of the storm. Emerald can sense when the monsters of Gaia are around. As a magical beast of a legacy grade, she has many interesting abilities, even as a cub. However, none of them arebative at this moment since she''s still a cub. She''s been my closest friend ever since I found her a little after getting battlemind. She''s weak right now, but once she''s done growing. She''ll be unstoppable. Well... Unstoppable?may?be an over-exaggeration, but she''ll be damn powerful. She is still growling towards the storm and making a fuss. I pull her out of the backpack and let her sit on my shoulder. I jump onto a building and continue hopping around until I reach the wall. I look over into the storm-covered forest and see a writhing swarm of aquatic monsters. I look down, and I see a group of yers that want to fight outside the city. I feel droplets of rain hit my face and armor from time to time, indicating the storm isn''t that far away. We still have about 40 to 45 minutes until the storm is over the city, and the monsters will be attacking when the storm is over the city. "It''s okay, Emerald... We''ll be okay... I''ll not let anything happen to you..." I gently rub her head as she growls at the storm. The monsters are ranging in high numbers. The best estimate is between 150,000 and 300,000. I sigh and decide that I''ll fight between the city and the outsidends. Basically, I''ll be fighting on this wall. I''ll do my best to keep monsters out from where I''m located, but they''ll get in no matter what I do. As Hailey waits for the monsters toe, unknown to her, her brother is with the group of yers she looked at while standing on top of the wall. Cera is silently waiting for the monsters to arrive, waiting for the 40 or so minutes to be up. The time seems to move slower and slower, and it''s making all the yers anxious and jumpy in the small group of yers. The group hasn''t received any new arrivals, which means out of the potential million yers in The City of James, only this handful of 15 or so are willing to fight outside the confines of the city. My mind is at ease knowing Sally will be away from the battle and is safe. I''ve been going over possible ways to hide my full capabilities. When my skills activate, they are bright and showy. I''ve concluded that I can only use The Witness. It''ll kill any monster I fight in theing battle, but the only skills I''ll be able to use are sh and Double Strike since they aren''t showy and don''t give any bright light off. "You''ve been awfully quiet, kid. You''re starting to worry me." The yer that spoke to me earlier decides to talk. I''m not nervous, but I can see how my strange silence can be interpreted as such. There are small conversations between the yers in our small group. Talking about ns and helping each other. If any of the monstersing after me get a misdirected hit on one of them, they''re toast. "You should worry about yourself. Many of the stronger yers are on their own in this battle." Once the monsters after me begin their attacks, I''ll have to break away from the group and fight them a distance off. Enough as to not put them in harm''s way. It''ll be nice not to be the sole and entire focus of a huge monster force this time around. Thest time I fought like this, I was on my own, and it took me a full day to heal. With my current abilities, I''m nothing like I was when that happened. My health alone probably won''t fall under 0.1 percent. Same for my mana. I''d be able to kill the entire monster horde with Divinity Pulse, but I''d be killing every NPC permanently, and every yer would lose a level. Sally isn''t out of range of the skill to. I hope to have the chance to use the skill one day. The yer beside me sighs and rxes against his giant sword as the rain slowly gets heavier. "We yers got it too easy. We don''t have to worry about perma-death. It''s the NPC''s that suffer, and they suffer greatly because of us. Just take this event, for example." I don''t know why this man wants to have a deep conversation with me about the topic of yers interfering in the normal for the NPC''s. If anything, he should be focusing on the uing fight, worrying about losing a level if he''ll die. He is an older man in a young mid 20''s version of himself. So I can see the desire to talk and prattle on as most people do as they get older. I can entertain a conversation with the man. It might pass the time faster. "I haven''t met a yer who wanted to talk to a stranger so much." He grins slightly, knowing that I know he''s older than he looks. "Your points are right, and no one will deny them, but we are on our own. More than half of humanity has been wiped out in the transition here. There are going to be problems after such an event" I watch a pained expression appear on his face. He must have lost a lot of loved ones in the event that brought us here. The Collison, that''s what yers call it, at least. "Did you lose anyone?" He asks me rather coldly, and he has probably deduced if I''m so open to talking about it, I either didn''t lose anyone or didn''t have anyone to lose. I shake my head in an indication that I didn''t lose anyone important to me. "One of the lucky ones..." He sounds hollow now and isn''t interested in talking. The conversation didn''tst as long as I thought, and now there is an awkward tension. I have no desire to do anything. Making him feel better isn''t my job. "Y''know... I''d give anything to have my family back... To see their faces... To talk to them... To be around them..." He begins to choke a little at the end. What am I? A therapist? I still stare into the storm and see the monsters, and the rain has soaked my clothes. It''s done the same to the rest of the yers around me. "You should cherish your family, kid... You never know when you might lose them..." He decides to pull his sword out of the ground and go stand next to some other yers after that. I don''t me him. Chapter 250: Rivers Of Blood I Chapter 250 - Rivers Of Blood I As the yers are waiting for the ensuing battle, NPC''s are in a panic. The announcement they heard from the church is causing unrest all over Gaia. Anywhere there''s arge poption of yers is going to be attacked in the next 30 or so minutes. To the NPC''s, the new people are to me for theing destruction, aka the yers. It''s not a false im from the NPC''s. They have a right to think that. After all, cities and towns are about to be attacked because of the yers. They aren''t specifically after the NPC''s, but that doesn''t put them in any less danger. My many brothers are in a panic. Therge storm approaching the city will cause much destruction. Kaden, my oldest brother, is trying to get a hold of me via magic. I''m in a safe ce from the city right now, and I say let it get destroyed. Not only will that cause problems for the illegal activities going on. It''ll take money out of all my brother''s pockets. I don''t invest in the city, while many would im it''s a safe venture. I don''t want my name and reputation attached to the ve trade going on in the ck market here. I have zero risks allowing this to happen. Yeah, some innocent people may die, and I can deem that a worthy sacrifice for slowing down or halting business entirely for my brothers. For a time at least, cause they''ll get repairs done fast. "Kelly!" It seems Kaden has gotten tired of my silence and has decided to visit me personally. The doors swing open, and he barges into my office. "We need your help! You''re the only one without assets invested in the city! Give us ess to your funds!" I keep a calm and neutral expression as he makes it to my desk and ms on it with his hands. I lean back in my chair, letting Kaden seeth in anger further. My brothers have no power or authority to demand anything from me. "Kaden, my dear idiot brother." His expression morphs into a face of surprise and shock. I''ve rarely spoken to any of my brothers like this. Let alone the oldest. "The current situation you find yourselves in is your responsibility. And your''s alone. I suggest once the damages are tallied after theing battle between the new people and the monsters, you ask the king for help." His mouth forms into a scowl. He is struggling really hard to keep hisposure. What I say ispletely fair, and he can''t do anything about it. I don''t keep my money in the banks controlled by my brothers. I keep it hidden on my estate. "The City of James is just as much your responsibility as ours, dear sister! When the people find out about this, they''ll forsake you!" I highly doubt that. I''m the only member of the James family that isn''t totally andpletely feared. People actually respect and talk to me when I walk the streets. This situation is turning more and more in my favor. If theing fight between the new people and the monsters causes significant damage. I can use that to my advantage and take out my brothers. Politically take them out. They''ll lose lots of money and demand that people pay for it. That''ll cause serious unrest that I can use once I set my ns in motion. "Kaden, the people will be so busy ming the brothers. That they won''t even consider me. After all, you and the rest of the boys have invested heavily in a lot of businesses. They''ll be crawling you when it''s all over." There is no situation where theye out on top. My victory over them is almost secure. The only piece of the puzzle I''m needing is yer Zern. If he truly ising here or is already here. Then convincing him will secure my usurpation of the Barony. While at the same time killing all my evil and scum brothers. "The rest of the family won''t forget this, Kelly. You''ll suffer consequences." I scoff as he stands up straight and exits the room. This is a win for me, and not only are my brothers distracted by many different things. I''ve received a letter from the king of Zenith. After I sent letters to the capital and to the king in Zenith about my concerns with yer Zerning here since he''s traveling with a female elf that used to be a ve here. I haven''t gotten word from my king yet, but Jackson was kind enough to inform me of a way to get yer Zern''s cooperation if he is here. It turns out that yer Zern is a very hard man to read and also very intelligent. As long as I don''t approach him as a threat and make my allegiances obvious to him. He won''t do anything to me. He might even help me once I tell him my n. I stand up and walk over to my window that has a view of the city in the distance. The current ce I''m at is a mile and a half out. It has a wonderful view of the city. I watch the storm move closer. I can see movement and monsters in the rain. There have to be hundreds of thousands. My butler walks in and ces some tea on my desk. "Are you sure it''s wise to defy your brothers openly? After all, the nning you''ve done, doesn''t this risk it?" He brings up points that I''ve considered. They can''t stop what is toe. The evil and lies they''ve wrought areing back to haunt them, and I''ll take great pleasure in being the one to deliver that to them. "It''s nothing we need to be concerned about at this point. My father''s ve empire in The City of James is going to fall soon. With it, my brothers, the ones who keep the tradition. All we need to do is ce the parts we need to, move pieces when they need to be moved. Their destruction is guaranteed at this point." My butler takes his monocle off and clears it with his napkin. As Kelly James watches theing storm slowly make its way towards the city, many yers make final preparations for the battle. Most shops have closed around the city, and NPC''s are refusing any requests from yers that are still open. The yers waiting outside the city by the wall are counting the seconds in their heads. All of them are nervous and eager, except for one. Cera is sitting on a stump as the water pours down. The edge of the storm has increased in rainfall and is soaking the yers close to it. The rain feels good, better than thest time I was in a situation like this. The falling water is clean and isn''t polluted in the slightest. I look at the dark approaching supercell, and I appreciate how beautiful it is. The rain falls on my face, and I take a deep breath, smelling the water as it''s a little warm. "RAAAARRGGHHH!!" Many monsters are screeching in the distance, voicing their desire for blood and battle, locked behind the time slowly counting down. They''ll be a mighty flood once they descend upon us. So many thousands of monsters will stain thends red and make the rivers flow with crimson. Lightning shes and thunder shakes through my body, a sensation I have only felt in myst battle against the monsters like this. A sensation I never experienced on earth, one that I wish I could. "They sure are getting rowdy out there..." Two yers are talking behind me, and they are also watching the storm. Witnessing the monsters writhe and screech at the thought of getting their hands on us. One yer sighs and unsheaths his weapon. "I hope that I can get enough exp to reach 20% mana control. I got it a few weeks ago, and the amount of time it takes to raise it is annoying. I''m only at 13% right now." I feel personally attacked by the topic but in the end. I''m lucky enough that this event might raise my mana control by 1%. These guys probably have weak mana auras and will gain more than 7% control. At least he will. "By the way, did you ever get to find out about that new magical device that lets you connect with yers around Gaia?" Well, isn''t that interesting. I had no idea something like that was being worked on. "Rumor has it that it was made by J&X since they are still alive in this world." This is very interesting. I haven''t heard any news about J&X in a long time. They must be trying to make up for their wrongs in some way. Chapter 251: Rivers of Blood II

Chapter 251: Rivers of Blood II

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} All the yers standing around me are soaked to the bone from the rain, and I''m in the same situation. Sally won''t be getting rained on where she''s at. There are only a few minutes until the monsters are allowed to attack. All of us can see them crashing against the invisible barrier, fighting against it to get to us. I twirl The Witness in my right hand a few times. Warming up my body. It''s been a decent length of time since I fought monsters. Fought at all, really. The yers in our tiny group do the same as I do and start warming up their bodies. The monsters pounding on the barrier are stronger than the rest, killing the smaller and weaker ones if they get in the way. I''d say those are the monsters that''lle after me. "Are you ready for this..." Two yers to my left have begun talking to each other. I turn my head to see the response the other yer wille up with. He shakes his head, being honest. "Yeah... Neither am I..." At least they''re going into this battle with realistic expectations. They''ll probably kill a few monsters before they die and respawn in the city. The time whines down, and the monster gets loud and rambunctious as they know they''re almost free too. There is maybe a minute or so until the barrier is removed and the yers are attacked along with the cities. It disappoints me that innocent NPC''s are being put at risk, but some things are unavoidable. If they''re willing to live in a city like this, that they must be willing to endure harsh realities and punishments. As we patiently wait in these final seconds, a world announcement goes off¡ªone signaling the beginning of this test. [Worldwide Announcement: The test shall begin! Once the total number of monsters killed across Gaia reaches 30,000,000,000. The assault will stop! Good Luck to all yers! You''re going to need it!] My body tightens up as the total number of enemies that need to be killed is announced. Killing 35 billion monsters across Gaia is no easy objective. I bet the idea in mind that every yer has to kill around 3 or 4, but since there are isted pockets of yers that aren''t getting attacked. That leaves way more for the people staying inrge groups. It''s definitely intentional. Pushing the limits of what the yers can handle at this point, and I''ll admit. The number is intimidating. I look at the yers around me onest time and see their shocked faces. The barrier drops as I turn my head back in their direction, and the ground literally rumbles. The monsters are like a mighty wave descending on us. The biggest and strongest of the monsters are making a straight path to me. The yers around me roar and activate their skills. I dash forward at speeds that slow down my perception. The raindrops are visible as I pass through them. If I wanted to, I could reach out and take one. The strongest monsters begin to move at a higher speed, but not quite the same as me. I pass the smaller and weaker monsters as I drive The Witness into the heart of the closest high-level monster after me. I twist my de and pull it out through the right side of its body. It suspends in the air now that it''s lost its speed, and I continue moving at mine. Two powerful monsters try and attack me. We are moving at fast speeds while everything around us is at a standstill. I strike at the vital areas on the monsters, and The Witness cuts through them like a sickle through a field. After these two monsters are dead, hundreds more behind them are moving at a pace that can almost keep up with me. It''s like I''m battle monsters while the rest of the world around us is frozen. The rain creating weird shapes as our bodies cause the droplets to connect without falling. I continue dispatching monster after monster, but they never seem to end. Yet, only the ones I''m fighting are attacking. The rest are still frozen and on their way to the other yers at the front of the city. I kill thest one that''s immediately close, and I jump away and slow down. Allowing the world around me to speed up. The weaker monsters quickly collide with the yers. Others jump on the walls of the city and begin climbing. Trying to get to the rest of the yers in the city. I''m sent flying as I block a blinding strike from a monster still moving at the speeds I was earlier. Soon I''m getting sent in many different directions from the monsters that are strong enough to fight me use coordinated attacks. I speed up again, and the world slows down. They move at a slower pace than me now, and I dispatch them as fast as theye. I look as other very strong and fast creatures enter the city. I see another yer moving at a simr or faster speed on the wall. Her hair is hanging outside her hood, indicating she''s a girl. She''s moving at speeds only high-level yers with great sses can move at. She''s got to have a ss above legacy level. I watch as she uses an elegant sword and fighting form to easily kill the monsters after her on top of the wall. The moves are reminiscent of a duelist ss. A powerful one at that, I know of many legacies and some legendary sses fitting that description. I don''t know who it is, though. The timeline changed too much to know who has what anymore. I''ll leave her to deal with what she''s got to fight. The monsters I''m fighting move at almost the same pace she does, but she''s a little faster than I am. This means she has to have a higher speed stat than me, which is absolutely insane. The difference isn''t that big, but it''s there. I redirect my focus on my enemies and ughter them in the frozen world. Their blood freezes in motion once they die, suspending in the air now that the limp bodies are no longer moving at speeds that slow down the perception of time. As Cera continues to fight his monsters, Hailey is currently doing the same thing with the powerful monsters after her. Hailey stands at the top of the wall and is using her superior speed to kill any monster that gets close with The Hearts Needle. The world around her is moving at a slow pace, frozen and still. The rain around is never hitting the ground as it stays suspended in the air. Due to the speed, she''s moving at. Hailey also notices the other yer able to move at her speed, something she''s never encountered before. Never in my entire time with my new speed have I met someone that can keep up with me. He is a guy. I can tell by his build and height from where he was on the ground. What really stood out to me was his weapon. I feel like I''ve seen it before. I stop thinking about the mysterious man and refocus on the monsters trying to kill me. They lunge at me, and while they are fast enough to move at the level that everything slows down. They aren''t at my speed level. The Hearts Needle is easily killing them. Along with my basic duelist skills. The high impact produced from my speed is causing enough physical damage to kill them without using some of my stronger skills. As I have a slight break from the onught of monsters, I look down on the side of the wall the city is on. I see monsters suspended in the air as they are diving into the city after the yers. I look on the side of the wall to the outside world, and monsters are climbing and jumping to get to the other side where the yers are. All of them are frozen. The yers at the bottom defending against the monsters are frozen in their fight. The difference in power between them and me is causing an entirely different style in battle. The monsters after that one man and me will be killed faster than the first kill down there. We''ll be done before the world speeds back up. A new group reaches the top of the wall and relentlessly attacks me. Trying to keep up with my speed, and some of them are getting faster and faster. Almost matching me. It only makes sense the longer the battle goes on, the stronger the enemies get as they show up. Soon it''ll be a match, and I''ll have to start using skills. Chapter 252: Rivers of Blood III

Chapter 252: Rivers of Blood III

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I continue moving away from the rest of the yers and these monsters keep chasing me. They really are relentless. They are getting stronger and stronger as time passes. The more I kill, the stronger the reinforcements. I can only imagine how bad the ughter on the yer''s side would be if all the monsters were this strong. I''m d Sally isn''t here right now. It goes to show how wise my decision was. There is no way she canpete with monsters this strong at her current power. I block a powerful wed swipe, and I''m sent flying from the impact. I straighten up and get my bearings, only to have 3 powerful monsters right in front of meunching attacks. They are stronger than I thoughted they''d be, and the ones showing up now continue to get stronger. I duckst second to dodge an attack at my head, only to be hit in the ribs and sent flying into the storm and under the heavy rainfall. I flip and turn, regain some bnce as I soar hard. Crashing through the suspended rain. Monsters close on my tail and still lunging at me with attacks. They are breaking through my defenses and speed. I''m slowly losing health, and that''s when I decide to use some of my more powerful skills. I activate Heaven''s Light and Protected by Heaven. The temporary invincibility and a huge boost in damage output tip the battle in my favor. The monsters that were giving me problems are now getting annihted. I leap away from theing swarm, and they tear the suspended rain apart, and it forms a sort of frozen mini-wave of water. I''d stop to admire it if I wasn''t in the middle of a hard battle. My health is just too high to be worried about dying. However, it did go down by a couple million from their attacks. It goes to show if I did have my Mana Aura, I''d have already been dead. The monster swarm is already on top of me, and they are moving and attacking faster than thest group I just killed. They are getting hits in, but I''m not taking any damage thanks to Protected by Heaven. I use my sh skill and my Double Strike Skill on all the monsters. The cooldown times are nonexistent now that the skills are at such high levels. I don''t know how long I will be fighting at this speed and power, but I need to be ready for it to get harder and harder until it''s done. While Cera is fighting at a speed that slows down his perception of time, his sister is doing the same thing. She is experiencing the same increase in difficulty against the monsters as her brother. The wall is now surrounded by floating blood, suspended and waiting for time to speed up. The suspended bodies of monsters are quite the sight too. Some of them are still in their fighting motion, stiff in the middle of attack cause they''re dead. Their bodies slow down once they die, causing them to slow to a suspended halt. They are speeding up, and I''m finding it more and more difficult to stay faster than them. I still haven''t used any of my most powerful skills yet. I''m saving them for when it gets really hard. I perform a split and dodge a spear by doing so. The monsters now have weapons, and it''s adding aplex nature to the fights. I use my left hand to lift my body, and I twirl out of the split, performing and one-handed handstand and kicking the monster''s head right off its shoulders. I never expected the fight to be this hard. A group of three give me no break and screech as they attack. Using swords and spears to try andnd an attack. I keep elerating my speed. I haven''t reached my absolute limit yet. I dodge the attacks, and I push the hand of the sword wielder towards one of the monsters and use his own attack against his fellow monster. They are now moving slower to me, and this group can''t keep up with me. I noticed that the monsters after me are in lower volume than the ones after that man who was moving at a simr speed. What I can''t get out of my head is his sword. I swear I feel like I''ve seen it before. A long time ago, and I don''t know when. All of a sudden, my palms throb at a memory, and it clicks... That''s the sword that my brother let me try and pick up, only for it to crush my fingers as it pinned my hands to the ground. That means that man is... Cera! My brother was so damn close that I didn''t even recognize him. I kill the monsters that are surrounding me, and I dash at a very high speed in the direction I saw him leave with the monsters after him. I know for a fact it''s Cera, he was already extremely powerful when we split up, and it makes sense that he''s this powerful. His speed is almost at the same level as mine. I follow the suspended dead bodies like bread crumbs, and the closer I get, the louder the battle gets. However, I''m sent flying by a huge wave of energy, and I take some decent damage. I have a Legacy grade Mana Aura, so my health is decent, but that wave of energy took about 15% of my total health pool. I regain my bnce, and my attempt to reach Cera is stopped by my pursuers now that they''ve caught up. While this is happening to the Adamo siblings, in other ces around Gaia, a battle is urring on all fronts. Mainly with Violet, Chris, and Marcus Adamo. They are in a capital city by the name of Genoy, in the kingdom of Genoy. Since they are so high level and have powerful sses, the battle is absolutely crazy. The storm is almost as big as the one at The City of James. Marcus is using his Legendary Fire Mage ss to melt any monsters that get too close, making it look too easy. While his mother and father use perfect coordination to fight together. Violet is enjoying herself. My husband and I synchronize our attacks and kill monster after monster. "You''re doing wonderfully, Chris!!" I''d admit that I''m actually having fun. My husband and youngest child have been amazing to be with, and we''ve had many adventurers in dungeons and even more on quests. It makes the echo in my heart for my other two children reverberate harder. We stand back to back as we finish the immediate threat around us. I look toward Marcus to see how he''s holding up, and he''s doing wonderfully. Out of the three of us, he''s grown the strongest. Being the holder of the Legendary Fire Mage ss, The Phoenix makes him extremely powerful. It''s funny watching a little kid like him do more work than the majority of the yers and usbined. He''s killed the most with his attacks too far. "It''s not over yet, Violet! We aren''t going to be done for a while!" Chrises voice brings me back into focus, and a new batch of monsters is attacking. The storm is already over the city, and it''s partially ruined. I feel bad for the capital city Genoy. So many innocent people have lost their homes. All of it is due to the presence of the yers. I wouldn''t be surprised if the yers get banned from the city after this. Chris and I begin to use our skills and attacks to kill theing horde together. Our sses have incredible synchronicity. While I''m busy killing monsters, I nce around the ruined buildings and roads. yers are fighting hard, and NPC''sy on the ground dead. Forever. I couldn''t imagine that. Having to be put in the middle of immortal fighters and a powerful monster horde sent by the Gods. To them, it was sent by the Gods. To us yers, it''s the systems doing. I''vee to learn a great deal about Gaia and its inhabitance. I''ve still yet to break the habit of calling them NPC''s, but they are far from it. "Marcus! Kill theing group! Your mother and I need a break!" Chris orders Marcus to kill the iing monsters, and he goes with a powerful spell called Firestorm. While it''s not close to one of his strongest, if he did use one of his strongest. The entire area would be reduced to a pit ofva and fire. Burning thend and city into nothing. I wonder how my other children are doing. Chapter 253: The End of the Test

Chapter 253: The End of the Test

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} My missing son and daughter are probably fighting way stronger creatures than us. Wherever they are. Chris and I are taking a little bit of a breather, and Marcus is taking care of the current swarming at us. "Don''t worry, Violet. We''ll find them eventually. We shouldn''t worry so much anyway. They''re adults and can take care of themselves. I''m willing to bet all the money we''ve made so far that both of them are doing way better than the three of usbined on their own." Chris wraps his arm around me andforts me as we watch Marcus kill monster after monster. I wonder how close we are to that total kill goal the system gave all the yers. With millions of yers killing one to two monsters, it should be fast. I hope this doesn''tst too long. I''m already pretty tired, and I don''t know how long all three of us can fight. "I know that, Chris... I''m their mother... I can''t help worrying about them... Missing them... They were a part of my life every day until we got stuck here... It''s hard to shake that off..." Chris leans in and kisses the side of my head. Worrying about them right now will do no good. As we watch Marcus, a world announcement goes off. [Worldwide Announcement: The yers have reached the total kill goal, and the monster attacks on the yers will stop! Rewards will be given out ordingly, and many should expect to be rewarded greatly for every little work! For those that did lots of work against stronger enemies, you''ll all get bonus rewards! The monster swarms will stop, and the storms will dissipate!] I take a breath and release a sigh of relief. I look around and see many burnt bodies that are also cut up. Marcus has done a wonderful job killing so many monsters. Now that the yers in the capital city Genoy aren''t fighting and causing destruction. The king is sure to ban all the yers currently here. I stand up, and I''ll say I''m extremely grateful for this young and youthful body. I couldn''t imagine trying to fight in myte 40''s. Being back in my mid 20''s again is amazing, and while we haven''t had a chance yet. My husband and I have been a bit physical. Getting to touch each other when the chance arises. It''s hard to get any further than that with Marcus around. I can tell that it''s really frustrating for my husband. "We should get any supplies we can from the city before all the yers aren''t weed here anymore." Chris stands up himself and stretches his body too. He is right in saying that we should get any food and rations before starting our next trip. While the airships are great, and the teleporter is convenient. We can''t get into many fights and dungeons traveling that way. We made the decision a while ago to travel by foot and through dangerous areas. Hitting any dungeons and bosses, wee across in the meantime. "Lot''s of other people are going to be thinking the same thing, so we should hurry." I add my part to the conversation, and we both walk over to Marcus as he finishes looting some of the monster corpses. The system didn''t say when the rewards will be given out, but I can assume that it''s going to be sometime in the next hour. Marcus stands up and smiles. I ce my hand on his head and ruffle his hair. He blushes and pushes my hand away gently. "Mooom... Stop doing that... I''m not a little kid anymore... I''m a legendary mage..." I chuckle and kneel down to give him a kiss on the forehead. Further embarrassing him. "Mooom!" I stand up andugh. I need to have as many of these moments as I can. Who knows how many more I have left with Marcus. I''m not going to get any more with Hailey or Cera. All three of us make it to a part of the city that isn''t ruined. I''m sure that every city and town across Gaia looks somewhat simr to this. Some yers are going into stores that are still taking us. We head to a butcher shop and load up on supplies for all of us. The inventory keeps things fresh, and you can pretty much put anything in the inventory if it''s not alive and it''s not bigger than you are. We exit the shop now that we have everything we need, and there are already city guards and soldiers yelling at yers to leave. That''s also our queue to get out of here without any problems. We make our way to the city exit and start on the road again. We are heading for a coastal Kingdom. Chris wants to see the clean oceans of Gaia, and I don''t me him. I''d love to see them too. Earth''s oceans were beyond polluted. Only specially lined ships could travel certain routes. The marine life was quickly going extinct, and there was nothing we could do. It was toote, 40 years before Chris and I were born. The mistakes of our forefathers are falling on us now. It''s a sad reality. I don''t regret having kids. I never will. Sometimes I curse myself for being so selfish to have them. Subjecting them to a doomed future. After Hailey was born, I fell in love with being a mother. After we learned enough from raising Hailey, I got pregnant with Cera. He was so much easier to raise than other kids. Yes, he cried when he was a baby. However, he never threw a fit when it was time to stop something fun. He didn''t demand toys and objects. Understanding our financial situation since he was young. When I see all that money in our ount, I nearly died. To find out it came from Cera made my whole life that much brighter. There is no greater feeling in the world than having a child be more sessful than you. I was wrong in thinking that. It''s when that child shares their sess with you. Showing that all your hard work paid off. That going without food to feed them was worth it. That sacrificing the free time you used to have for them was worth every second. I would''ve loved to spend that money and spoil the crap out of my babies, but that dream was cut short. I feel Chris grab my hand and hold it in his. Pulling me out of my thoughts. "Whatcha thinking about? You had a faraway look just now." I smile as all the memories I have with my husband rush back to me. All the years we''ve spent together. I can''t imagine my life without him... If he''d die. I''d lose my soul. "You still thinking about Hailey and Cera?" I nod my head. I''m really thinking about my entire family. We are outside the city now and walking on a cobblestone path that''s soon to turn into dirt. Heading on our next adventure. He''s waiting for me to talk more, and I see no reason to. Marcus is ying with his magic up ahead. "I was just going through my memories of all the kids... Of our time before them..." She smiles and has a stupid look on his face. Likely thinking about all our restless nights chasing our desires. That''s how we ended up with Hailey in the first ce. I elbow him in the ribs and bring him out of his fantasies. "Y''know... We''ll need to find a way to get some alone time. Marcus is starting to go on adventures on his own when we set up camp. You want to try then?" I watch his eyes light up. Now that the damage to my body from having three kids is undone and I''m young again, I''m sure he wants to try some things. I''ll admit that I want to do it too, relive the widest moments of our youth. However, I couldn''t live with myself if Marcus caught us, which is why I have reservations. "You really mean that?" I look at him in shock as his voice begins to tear up. "I can''t remember thest time we did it... Was it the night we got all that money?" He tries to stop theical tears, but to no avail. I smile and lean against him as we walk side by side. "We''ll try the next time Marcus is away. You better not force him to leave. Let him go out on his own. He stays away for longer when he does it on his own." He nods his head, and to my surprise, he picks me up in his arms as if I weigh nothing. Carrying me as he used to around the house before Hailey was born. It''s a nice feeling I''ve forgotten. I lean my head against his chest, and I find myself drifting off to sleep. The events of today are starting to spread across my body. Chapter 254: The State of The City of James I

Chapter 254: The State of The City of James I

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I take multiple deep breaths over and over again. I sheath my sword, and I sit on a log. I can''t believe so many came after me like that. It was absolutely insane. I''mpletely clean of blood, thanks to the speed at which I moved. Sally is going to appreciate that. I stand up from the log and turn towards the direction I left her. The storm wasn''t even close to her. So she should''ve been safe. I start running extremely fast and leaping in and out of the forest. Heading for the hill that I left her at. I check the message that I''ve gotten from the system. [System message: Rewards for your actions are a 1% increase to your Mana Aura Control and 50 levels to yourpanion!] I blink my eyes a few times. Unable to believe the second reward. Sally has been rewarded for my efforts? I''m notining, but that seems really strange. Why would this happen... The system is ying favorites again. It''s making my most trusted ally be stronger, which means something ising in the future. This means she''s going to be around level 120, and that''s a big leap. I will have to ask if Sally got any special messages, but since she''s a native of Gaia, she doesn''t have ess to the system. I open my yer stats to see the changes as I close in on the hill. [yer (Zern) Lvl.190] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000][Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 0][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] My health and mana have both gone up by 20 billion. Having stats like this makes me invincible in the battle against mortal creatures. It makes me ask the question when I''m going to have to fight a God... Compared to a God, I''m still weak. My exp level has gone up a couple of percent from all the monsters I killed too. I take a final look, and I''m almost at the hill. My yer info goes away at a thought, and I''m now within view of Sally. She''s waving at me as I leap through the air. I smile, seeing how excited she is to see me. Ind in front of her, and she immediatelyes in for a hug. She tightly wraps around me and squeezes me. I can already feel the change in her power and level. "How in the world were you able to make me stronger from where you were at? A strange voice out of nowhere told me that because of you, I''m gaining 50 levels. Do you new people really gain power that fast?" She bombards me with questions. I don''t know how to exin it to her. I''ve never heard of the natives of Gaia hearing whispers or gaining levels without helping in fights. We stop hugging and pull away from each other. She is looking into my eyes for answers. "I don''t know... If I did, I''d tell you, but I have no idea what''s happening... I''m willing to bet that others like us might have experienced something simr." That is possible, but we get rewarded based on our performance and total contribution to the total kill pool. I''ll have to ask yers the next time I get a chance to. Before we can continue talking, someone rushes up to our location at a very high speed. It''s the same female fighter from earlier. I turn around, and we both stare at each other. My hood is down since I''m alone with Sally. I watch the woman twitch and shake from time to time. I see a single tear fall from the right side of her face. "Cera... Is that really you..." My heart fastens, and my confusion grows. I know that voice. She quickly takes off her hood, and I see my older sister. "I can''t believe it''s really you!!" She runs up to me and leaps in for a hug. I don''t stop her, and I give her a hug back. We spend a couple of seconds hugging, and only with Sally tapping my shoulder does it stop us. Sally pulls me away from Hailey slightly and stares at my sister. Not knowing who she is. "Who''s she?" Sally asks me a question that I didn''t think I''d be answering so soon in my journey with her. Running into Hailey all the way out here and in The City of James is truly amazing. "Well!?" She is getting impatient. Before I can say anything, Hailey walks up in front of Sally and looks her dead in the eyes. Her attention no longer focused on getting a question out. Sally lets go of me and lets her arms hand at her side, prepared for a fight. I need to stop this before this gets ugly cause I''m positive that if these two fought. Sally would be killed. "Sally... This is my older sister Hailey..." She backs away slightly and looks at me in shock. She quickly gives a small bow in forgiveness. I look at Hailey, and she''s a little surprised and taken aback by the 180-degree turn in behavior. "Hailey... This is Sally, my lover." I feel like I''ve spelled doom with my words, and I watch Hailey''s demeanorpletely change. She is not distant looking and staring a hole through Sally''s lowered head. I should exin the story, but for now. That can wait. "I can tell you about her another time, right now. Sally and I are on a mission to destroy the James family and stop very in The City of James." Hailey stops what''s she''s doing as she realizes why I''m here. She can see Sally''s elven ears and obvious elven features. "I shouldn''t have to say why we''re here." Sally raises her head, having felt it''s been lowered enough. Sally looks to the side, avoiding eye contact with Hailey. My only guess is from being revealed as a past ve. I watch Hailey reach out to Sally, and I almost stopped her, but to my false thoughts. She ces her hand on Sally''s head and gently pats it. "I''m sorry I was so hostile to you, Sally. I''m protective of my brother, and this is the first time I''ve seen him so close to a member of the female gender. As a woman, I was worried that you have ill intentions for him. I can see now that I was wrong. I''m sorry." Sally into Hailey''s eyes with a gentle smile and nods her head. epting her apology. She stops patting her head and backs up a step She folds her arms and looks at me. "I''m surprised to see you here, little brother. There''s someone I want you to meet." She takes the backpack off her back and opens it. A white tiger cub pops its head out and mews. It must not be a white tiger I know of. Big cats can meow and purrs like this one. I look over at Sally, and I see stars in her eyes. "How surprised would you be if I told you I''m in The City of James for the same reason you are?" I raise my head from the little tiger cub, and I stare at Hailey. I''d say I''m incredibly surprised. The only reason Hailey would be here is if a close friend or person gave her a mission toe here. An ex-ve and someone wanting vengeance. It just goes to show that this city has a hugework of very that needs to be taken down. "If you are here for the same reason we are, then it means it''s a real problem." My response causes Hailey to nod her head, and as we are having a conversation, Sally is too distracted by the white tiger cub. "You think we should work together on this?" I already know the answer. Hailey smiles and tells me that she''s looking forward to it. That is going to make our mission here go that much faster. Thanks to the chaos caused by the attack, it''ll allow us to move more quickly and undetected. "So, what have you learned so far?" I want to know the information that Hailey''se across. I''m betting she''s been here a bit longer than we have and already has good information. Chapter 255: The State of The City of James II

Chapter 255: The State of The City of James II

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Hailey has a lot to exin, and lucky the privacy of the woods is a perfect ce to talk about this. She sits down on a log, and I sit next to her. Sally is too distracted by Emerald, the magical beast that Hailey now has. I''ve got to say that it''s pretty awesome that she''se so far on her own. She''s a master of speed and precision. I''m sure if we were to fight, I''d never get a hit in, and my defensive capabilities would be too much to ovee. Locking us at a standstill. This is extremely impressive since I have a Divine ss, and she has a Legendary. It goes to show just how much stronger she is now. She looks at me and takes notice that I haven''t changed in terms of appearance, except for longer hair. My armor and weapons are the same. I do not need to upgrade them right now. She, on the other hand, has epic grade gear. As well as a weapon I''ve never seen before. "We should start talking about what have bothe across. I''ll start." I take a breath and prepare to speak. "We are here to take revenge on The James. We learned that they reside on their own private estate outside the city." This is almost all that I know about them. Hailey nods her head. She knows all this too. She wouldn''t be nning an attack on the family without basic information like that. "We also know they are connected to a huge verywork. We are looking to put an end to that here in The City of James too. If we can, we are going to take whatever information we can on this verywork and shut down other ces in the process." Hailey looks a little surprised at those words. Not enough to affect her ns, though. Sally has stopped ying with the magical beast and is interested in the conversation. Hailey takes a breath, preparing what she knows herself. "I''vee into the same information as you. However, I was on my way to talk to some ck market dealers before the attack happened. The event ruined my ns, and now I have to wait a day for the next meeting to take ce. If it will at all with the state, the city is in." All three of us look towards the city as she says that and there is damage. I know it''s not going to be as bad as some ces, but I know for a fact this is going to make it harder for yers everywhere. I sigh and lean back. The cloudy area has disappeared with the storm, and clear blue skies are all that remain. The sun is starting to descend in the sky, but we have plenty of hours to talk about what we need. "Why are you here, Hailey? Out of all the ces you could see around Gaia, you choose toe here for the same reasons we came here. I know you find it as suspicious as I do." I don''t like being moved around as if I''m a chess piece. This entire situation is starting to look like that. That powerful people are being directed towards something. Hailey leans back just like me and stares up at the same blue sky. "I was given a quest from a dear friend I''ve made in my travels. She was a ve here once upon a time. She didn''t have the willpower toe with me, but she asked me toe and do it for her. Since she can''t." My eyes drift over to Sally, and my head rxes. She has a sad expression at the news we are getting. "The James Family has been doing this for over a century, and It''s time for it to end." I couldn''t agree with her words more. She has the same premise in mind too. We want to do this stealthy and quietly. While we could just storm the estate and kill them all. We are risking losing valuable information on a quest that''s attracted to Sally''s Past. I want to interrogate them a bit and get their secrets. "I''ll have to head back to the adventurers guild in the town and speak to Saul again. Get another location that they might be meeting at cause I know they don''t stay in one ce for too long. With the attack, they are definitely spooked." I don''t like involving the adventurers guild in any of this. They could end up tipping off The James Family, and they split town. "No, don''t go back there. We don''t need a corrupt organization possibly tipping off our target. From the sounds of it, you made it seem like you had no interest in The James Family. However, I don''t want to risk anything. It''s better if we do this on our own and keep our dealings a secret." Hailey looks at me in irritation, and I can tell she isn''t happy at all. I get it. She doesn''t like that I''m back in her life, and I''m already telling her what to do and not to do. As Cera, Sally, and Hailey continue talking. There is much panic in The City of James. The natives of Gaia are shouting and screaming at any yer thates near them. Calling them a bad omen and a gue on their people. As this is happening, Kelly James is sitting in her office in her estate and sipping tea. She has a calm expression and is overlooking the city from her location. She is the only family member that hasn''t invested a cent of her own money in the city. So that means her funds will be unaffected by this event, unlike her brothers. I watch from my office out my giant window and see the half-ruined city. This is going to cost my brothers a fortune. This seals my ns. I''ve won. I may not be thest James left, but my brothers are beaten, and I can ascend to the top as they crumble one by one. The Barony will be mine, and I can put an end to the blight on this world my family has created. "Lady James, your brothers are calling you into a meeting. What should I tell them?" I can''t help the smile from spreading across my face. They are bankrupt and are going to beg me to help. I turn around and look at my butler. I no longer need to listen to them. I can move freely. "Tell them I''m noting. They got themselves into this mess, and they need to get themselves out of it." He nods his head and leaves my office. I take a seat and continue drinking my tea. I begin to hum a melody my mother used to hum to me. Before she died. Now my brother''s influence on the city will fall, and since they have no money, the people will riot that their cities owner will not take care of them. My brothers will be forced to either die by the people or give up their power. My ns have changed so much in thest few days, and I have reacted to those changes masterfully. I no longer need to y it slow with dismantling my brother''s. The yers and their fear of yer Zern did that for me. I just have to bide my time for the right moment to ascend to the Baron rank and permanently deal with my brother''s. Having the people on my side is going to be the most important, and I know that I already have that in the bag. Now all I have to do is wait for the riots to start and make my move. I set down my cup of tea and think about all the hard work I''ve done over the years. My father would be strangely proud of me. I hated and despised the man. He never gave a damn about any of his children. The only things he likes were women and money, and how he got those things. He always pitted his children against each other and found it endlessly entertaining. Now that one of his children finally won, I bet he''sughing in hell. I wish I could''ve killed him myself, but his old age took him, and I damn him for that. He died when I was 13, and just starting my ns. That was 11 years ago. I would love to share this moment with my allies, but I can''tpromise them yet. The work isn''tpletely done yet. They will get their rewards for their help. It was easy to convince them. Why would they choose my cruel brothers over a chance of freedom and retribution? There is no better spy than personal ves. They quickly agreed. Chapter 256: The State of The City of James III

Chapter 256: The State of The City of James III

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Hailey has given me plenty of useful information. She''s found out a lot in the short time she''s been here. I can''t say I ever expected to see her here, but I''m d I have. "How are you guys siblings?" A question from Sally breaks up the silence. I figured she''d be curious, and I haven''t exined everything regarding how we came to be in this world. All she knows is wee from a different world. She doesn''t know the history, the technology, or means of how we came to reside in this world. So her question has merit to her. Hailey turns her head and looks at me with an expression asking me if I want to exin or her. I turn back to Sally, and I see she''s waiting for an answer. "Remember when I told you we new peoplee from a different world?" She nods her head. Remembering that I told her this. "Hailey is my full-blooded sister from that world. She was brought here just like me. She is my sister, from our world. Here, I guess you could say we aren''t blood-rted anymore." Hailey elbows me in the ribs, but it has no effect. Stat''s too high. Hailey rolls her eyes at myck of reaction. I look back at Sally and see how confused she is. The science and technology are far too high for her or anyone from Gaia to understand. One day when I think she''s ready, I''ll exin the whole story. Other yers have told the natives of Gaia the truth of how we came to be and how we are connected to this world. Many NPC''s imed it to be insane and ignored our words. In a way, they were right. It turns out that The Ancients World was an actual world. It wasn''t a game. We were fooled. If I try and exin all this to Sally, it''ll not make any sense, and it''ll cause her to doubt me. Something I don''t want happening. "Are we heading back to the city soon? If we aren''t going to be using the adventurers guild, then we''ll need to start looking other ces." Hailey wants to get a move on, and I don''t me her. I nod my head, and I stand up. Sally and Hailey follow suit, and we turn towards The City of James. It''s ruined in many ces. Only some areas are still standing but are likely out ofmission for the time being. As Cera, Sally, and Hailey walk back towards the city. The people in The City of James are livid. Many are wanting to persecute the yers and ban them from the city. Others are turning to the Barons, expecting them to repair the damages and fix the city. Kelly James is making a move right now, one that will secure her ce as the Baron and eliminate her brothers. However, she has to take her time on this move. Venturing into the city at this point is dangerous, and it has risks. This is one of the final nails in the coffin for her brothers. I enter my carriage and rx on the soft cushions. I''m heading to the city toy the foundations for a rebellion. Once the masses see me helping and reaching out, they''ll see that I''m the only one in the James family that cares about them. Making them focus their anger and hate further on my brothers. "Mydy, would you like some desserts for the trip?" My butler makes sure that I''m prepared. I take some sweets with me, but not much. He closes the carriage door and walks back to the estate. My driver begins taking me towards the city. I cross my right leg over my left and begin to eat some of the cake. It''s bing an addiction for me. I''m going to start getting fat if I''m not careful. I look out the window on my right and look towards the city. I can''t wait until I can fix it. Make it a safe ce to live and destroy the ve market. Freeing innocent lives and people. If yer Zern and Saliandra Orvello are here, then I''ll have to cross that bridge when ites. There isn''t any n I can make to secure my safety if they confront me. I can only hope that they''ll listen before trying to kill me. See the good I''m trying to do. Let me live and rule thisnd so I can make it better. Undo the wrongs of my father and brothers. I''ve also heard rumors from my spies that Elves are showing up in the city. Another sign that yer Zern and Saliandra are possibly here. The Elves homnds are far away from here, and they wouldn''te out all this way for no reason. They could prove to be a problem in my ns. Who knows what kind of things can go wrong with their presence here. What if my brothers try and strike a deal, get a loan or something. If that does happen, then I have to go back to the original n of letting yer Zern kill them instead of the people. The possible oues in this scenario are unfavorable for me. It could end up destroying everything I''ve worked for after all this time. I can give a kill order on any spotted elves, but that could backfire if Saliandra is attacked. If they are here. I have a feeling that they are here in the city. I''m the only one convinced in my family that they are, other than my oldest brothers. The rest believe themselves invincible. As this is all happening, there ismotion in Zenith. The reason why is because more and more attacks keep urring. All of them are directed at Queen Tessa. All of them are after the supposed feather in her hair. However, it has long since disappeared and is now fully fused with her hair. Turning it a pure white. Even though the feather itself was golden and the fury of Jackson is reaching new heights, and it''s all because they haven''t found out who''s sending all the assassins and thieves to attack his Queen. Any man would be man, ready to wage war. I sit on my throne with Tessa at my side. My hand in hers. She is beginning to look like a zombie, all from ack of sleep. I have changed since these events began. After the attack on my city from the mysterious monsters after the yers and my wife constant danger. I don''t know who''s my enemy or who''s my ally outside my walls. The only ones I can say for sure are The Dryads. My suspicions that the coalition is making these attacks have risen. Gregory''s anger at my actions is obvious, and this could be his way to get back at me. No one is above personally attacking someone, not even Kings. "Where are we going to sleep tonight..." My wife''s weak voice makes my heart break. I love her very much, and I want her to feel safe in her own home, but that''s impossible when she''s been attacked in most rooms that are fully furnished. How the attackers keep getting in blows my mind, and I have begun a secret search for a possible traitor or mole in my pce. Letting these assassins and thieves in. I lift my arm and reach over to my wife. Wrapping her in a one-armed hug. She can''t cry anymore. Her tears are all dried up. I can''t help resenting yer Zern a bit for this. If he never gave Tessa a feather from his wings, then none of this would have happened. "We''ll find somewhere... I promise..." When we sleep tonight, we''ll have even more guards patrolling and watching over the room than the previous nights. Hopefully, more eyes will keep the attacks from happening. I watch as my wife''s nk expression twitches from time to time. All because ofck of sleep. Her eyes are hollow and deep. Missing the vibrant light that I''vee to love so dearly and it fills me with a white-hot rage for the people who have done this. "We''ll find out who is doing all this soon. Until then, you and I will never leave each other''s side." She doesn''t react or respond. I take little sce in the fact that her new powers granted by the merging of her and the feather protect her. None of that matters when you aren''t a fighter. Tessa can''t fight. She hates violence. It''s causing breaks in her mind that I don''t not how to fix. The things her powers have done are gruesome, to say the least. Chapter 257: Plans Coming to Fruition

Chapter 257: ns Coming to Fruition

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} My carriage slowly enters the city, and it stops after just a few seconds in. I look out the window and see why. There are people clearing the roads of rubble and bodies. There aren''t many bodies, but it''s enough to be worried. "Lady James, I can''t take the carriage any further. The roads are too blocked." My driver gets off his seat and opens the door for me. I step out, and I can already some people wanting to approach and ask for help. I can help bring relief, but I''m not going to pay for any damages. I will once my brothers are out of the picture. I start to walk down the street and look at the damage in more detail. The buildings that have been torn apart only have a couple of walls left standing. The ones that have been really attacked are all the way down to the foundation. "My Liege! What are you doing in the city!?" As I''m walking, my thoughts are interrupted by the voice of a familiar man. I turn towards the voice and see the captain of the knights, Henry. He quickly rushes to my side and orders some of his men toe and joining him. Henry is one of the few goods and uncorrupted men in the city. Before I answer him, I look at the people standing and waiting. Looking for a sigh of hope in my words. I might as well announce my intentions. "I''m here to provide help and relief! While I can''t have buildings and homes fixed at this time! I can hire aid from independent factions! My brothers refused to help! So I''m stepping in and doing what they will not!" I want to make it as hard as I can for my brothers, and my words have an effect. I can hear the increase in whispers and conversations about my words. They''ll continue to grow restless. Henry stays silent at my side and doesn''t make any sort of ruckus at my words. Soon the words I''ve spoken here will spread across the city like wildfire. "Henry, I want you to leave me to myself and help as many people as you can. I have a ce to go to bring help to the city." He is hesitant to leave me on my own, but he obeys my orders. He and his men head back to what they were helping with before. I start making my way down the road as I step over fallen rubble, and I help people from time to time. The more I show these people I care, the more they''ll resent my brothers. My ultimate destination is the church. I need to send out multiple letters to frence relief organizations. Getting help here as soon as possible should be the next move. Once everyone hears that I followed through on my words, it''ll guarantee my safety when they riot against my brothers. I see the church off in the distance, and it''s taken some damage. However, it''s unharmed in terms of structural integrity. I walk up to the open doors and enter the building. Once inside, all I see are misced families. Mothers and fathers weeping for lost children. Sons and daughters howling in pain at the loss of their parents. While the only targets of those monsters were the yers, there was lots of coteral damage in the process of the massive battle. Some see me enter but leave me alone as I make my way towards the mailing area. I take multiple letters and envelopes and begin writing. Setting their destinations to the proper ces that wille and help if the price is right. The cost will be high for me, but it''s just a means to an end. I finish writing thest letter and send them. I turn around and see many people looking at me. Waiting for an exnation. "Go and spread the word that help is on the way! Kelly James is here to help you! My brothers aren''t going to do anything to help! Spread this to everyone in the city!" I watch some faces light up, and others leave the church immediately to start spreading the good news. While the promotion of my help andck from my brothers is heavy-handed. I don''t want any misinterpretations of what''s going on here. I make my way out of the church and look around the area. I should check the rich district and see how it''s holding up. I''m willing to bet it''s in a simr state as the rest of the city. I walk towards the rich district, and as I do, I can see people with grateful expressions, and my actions have already spread. I''m sure once my brothers hear of this, they''ll demand answers. However, they''ll have to find me first. As I continue walking, I eventually reach the rich district. I see fat merchants and nobles yelling at the guards and some new people nearby. I''m likely going to have to ban new people from the city once I gain control. Despite all the business they bring, my people''s concerns wille first. The rich district is in rough shape. It''s actually been hit harder than most of the other parts of the city. It makes sense, though. The new people love hanging around and buying things in the rich district. "How dare you! I''m Adept Merchant Victor! You will treat me with the respect I deserve!" My musings are stopped as I turn and see a merchant with a big head yelling at some new people. What''s strange about them is there all wearing hoods. I get a very bad feeling about all 3 of them, and that only happens when there is a threat or someone really powerful is nearby. I don''t even know how this started. I walk up to the scene and take a breath. "What''s going on here?" As I say that, the merchant turns to me, and he has a sick grin spread across his face. He''s likely going to use me to try and scare these three off. That won''t work. Before he can start bbering, I start talking again. "I''m Kelly James. I''m here to provide relief aid to the city. Who are you?" I watch one of the feminine figures twitch a little. I look at her more closely and see the unnatural long blond hairing out of her hood. I''ve only seen hair like that with... Elves... I slowly turn towards the man figure in the group and study him. There are no defining features about him, but I have a terrible feeling that this is yer Zern. In the flesh. The next thing I know, the male figure swings his right arm at the head of the merchant, and it explodes. I recoil in fear. This isn''t what I had nned for today. He reaches out too fast for me to follow and grabs my neck, and holds me up. I''m struggling to breathe, but he loosens every so often to allow me to. "Looks like we didn''t have to go searching. One came straight to us. What do you want to do, Sally?" He speaks and asks one of the girls behind him. The girl with the blond hairing out of her hood tilts her head. Indicating that they are going to take me somewhere private. I can''t help myself from struggling to get out of his grasp. However, he''s harder than anything I''ve ever punched or attacked before. I give up and begin to form some sort of n. The next thing I know, I''m off the ground, and he''s holding me from the back of my neck. We are leaping from building to building. I don''t know where we are going. I don''t know whether to scream out for help or let them continue taking me. If yer Zern can destroy someone''s head with the swing of his arm, he can kill me with a squeeze of his hand. I''m positive people saw what happened. It shouldn''t be long until search parties are sent out for me. My only worry is if I''ll even have a chance to exin my n and try to get them on my side. All the work I''ve done... My life... It all rides on how much they are willing to listen and if they''ll show mercy to the offspring of my father. Everything ising back to bite us kids. The sins of the father fall onto the children. In this sense, it''s very literal. An angel is literally taking me. To be punished for my father''s sins. I hope to god if I do die, my brothers will die not long after me. "We are almost there." The other female speaks this time. She''s not someone I was prepared for. So maybe I can turn that into something for me. Chapter 258: Abduction of a James

Chapter 258: Abduction of a James

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Ind in front of an abandoned workshop. No one is around to interrupt anything. This woman has stopped struggling, and it makes me curious why. The James family is notorious for being difficult, to say the least. We all enter the workshop, and Hailey guides us to the back room. She sets up a chair, and I ce the woman on the chair. "I must say I''m surprised. You are a rtively quiet kidnapee. People usually fight and scream not to get taken." We all still have our hoods on, and for some reason. I feel like she knows who I am. She looks up from the ground, and Hailey stands behind her. "There were talks that yer Zern was traveling with an ex-ve. The ex-ve was one of my fathers. She''s Saliandra Orvello, right?" Color me impressed. I''m betting she isn''t the only one that''se to this conclusion. "That means you''re yer Zern. I wish we could''ve met under better circumstances, but maybe this is for the best." She has a cautious undertone in her voice. One that identifies that I can kill her in the blink of an eye. I wouldn''t have thought a daughter would be in the James family. I can be wrong, though. I decide to lift my hood since she already knows my identity. Sally and Hailey follow suit. "No need to hide our faces since you already know 2 out of 3. What''s your name?" I want to know who I''m talking to. She might make this easy to the point that I won''t have to torture her. All the information that I''m hoping to get from her will lead me to what I need. Namely, the information for the quest attached to Sally''s past. She takes a small breath preparing her response. I can tell Sally is on edge too. It must not be easy standing in front of one of the family members to your abuser and assaulter. "My name is Kelly James, and I''m the only daughter of the deceased Baron James. I''d say it''s nice to meet all of you, but that''s pointless with how you feel about my father and brothers. Hopefully, before you kill me, I can convince you I''m not like them." So that''s what she''s hoping for. She wants a chance to bargain for her life. I might be willing to discuss something along the lines of that. It really depends on how the following conversations go. She looks at Sally and me, waiting for a sign that this is the case. "That''s not up to me, Kelly James. That''s up to Sally. She''s the one that your family wronged." I look at Sally and see that she truly doesn''t want to give this woman a chance, but I can see that she will regardless. "Before we walk down that road. You''ll answer any questions that I have. You got that?" Kelly slowly nods her head, and now it''s time to find out what I want to know. There are many ces to start, but the best is at the head of it all. Who is in charge around here, for example. While Cera and Sally begin questioning Kelly James, there is an emergency meeting happening between the church and the coalition. The reason for this is to discuss the war and where it''s going. Cause with all the internal conflict on their side. The monsters are gaining ground and doing it fast. The one leading this meeting is Saintess Lucy. She is in charge of the armies of the church, after all. Not to mention that the retirement of Alexander Leopold has left a power gap in the church. One that won''t be filled for a few months. Not until a yer is selected for the job. I look around the room, and I can see the many worried faces of the rulers. Two holograms aren''t here. One is Jackson, and the other is the elven queen. They are radio silent right now and despite my best efforts to contact them. They''re not responding. "Let''s get this meeting underway, first things first. Where are we in terms of casualties?" There is no more time to waste thinking about who''s not here. I look around the room, and everyone lists off their losses. While the losses are high, they aren''t as high anymore. This is due to the new people and their abilities to never die. Once they are killed, they get resurrected near the closest cathedral. The cathedrals are a mysterious thing. They appeared all over the world when the new people disappeared for a stretch of time. My best magicians and scientists can''t figure out what they are or why they''re here. Only that the new people use them toe back to life. They can''t be destroyed either, and believe me. We tried everything to damage and remove the one in The Holy City. Nothing worked. Thest ruler finishes listing his casualties numbers, and I find myself a little lost since I wasn''t paying attention. It''s not like it matters, though. The death of amon soldier will not hurt our war efforts. The key to victory is the new people. "Saintess Lucy, the monsters are increasing in numbers with the continued capture of women. Every city they take, it''s going to increase their forces." I raise my hand to stop him from speaking. There is no need to talk about that right now. Everyone here knows how the monsters reproduce, and it''s not something I''d wish on my worst enemy. I sigh and stand up. The war has reached a tipping point. We were winning, but with the problems in the coalition, we lost the advantages we had. "I want all kingdoms to increase rewards for the new people. We can''t win this war without them. I don''t care how much it''ll cost and what you have to give up. We are fighting for our lives. Understand?" The room is silent at my words. Everyone knows that they are true and that it''s thest option we have. While the use of legendary items may work, it''lle at a grave cost. Something that every kingdom will never recover from. As the meeting in The Holy City continues, there is a very secret meeting happening in Zenith. Jackson has called for his kingdom''s best fighters and trackers. Be them from the adventurers guild or from his armies forces. The reason he''s doing this is that he''s finally found out who''s attacking his wife. It turns out Bellvia is far more desperate than they let on. Their treasure vault was robbed of all valuable weapons and items. Now they''re trying to steal what they can from other kingdoms. It''s lighting a fire under the king. Now that an enemy has been identified. I must say I''m surprised at the news that Bellvia was the one attacking my wife, and I know why they did it. It turns out during the time yer Zern was in Bellvia''s capital. The treasure room was robbed. Do I think that''s a coincidence? No. Do I care? No. Far as I''m concerned, yer Zern did us a favor. Now we know how weak Bellvia truly is. We can invade tomorrow, and they''d not be able to stop it. That''s actually why I have called this secret meeting. To discuss the war proceedings and reach out to the Dryads and inform them we are moving on, Bellvia. My many Generals are waiting for me to speak. I look like a zombie due to myck of sleep. "We all know why I''ve called this meeting, and we all know that war is on the horizon. So let''s not mince words. Elliot, I want you to reach out to the Dryads and inform them of the situation. Tell them they are invited to my campaign against Bellvia. I''m guessing they''ll be quick to join us. After all, it''s elerating their timeline. They can''t wait to get their hands on Bellvia, and neither can I." Elliot nods his head and stands up. He leaves the room to inform the Dryads in a private holo call. The rest of the room waits for orders, and I dish them out ordingly. My forces and armies will be prepared, and we''ll start moving as soon as I''m notified the armies are ready to move. I don''t care which kingdom gets possession of Bellvia once we''re done with it. All I want to do is stop the attacks on my wife, and I''m heading straight for the source of the attacks. "You all have your orders. Get a move on." My frustration leaks out, but they know not to take it personally. Thesest few days have been absolute hell for my wife and me. Tessa can''t function, and I can barely function. Chapter 259: Learning Valuable Information

Chapter 259: Learning Valuable Information

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I stare at Kelly and contemte if what she said is true. If the things we are looking for are locked in a vault, then we''re not equipped to get to them. While there are other methods to get to them, each one takes more time than I''d like. "I can get you into the vault since I''m a James. It recognizes my bloodline. It''ll let me in." She''s brought up many reasons to keep her alive, and the biggest being that she''s been nning to take the barony for herself and kill her brothers. I''d keep her alive, but it''s not up to me. It''s up to Sally. I turn around and look at Sally. She has an expression full of deep thought. "Whatever you decide, Sally. I support you 100 percent." I vocalize my support for her. I don''t want my potential choice influencing hers. She folds her arms and stares into Kelly''s eyes. Looking for doubt, and I don''t think she''s going to find any. Kelly seems to have put a lot of time into her ns to kill her brothers and take the barony. You can see the conviction and determination for her ns to seed in her eyes. While Sally hates the James family, she''ll see that keeping her alive is for the greater good. The greater good in The City of James, that is. As well as the connections it has to the ve market. When those are destroyed by the murder of the James brothers, Kelly can rebuild and make the James Barony great. "You don''t know how much I want you dead... But I can see the good of keeping you alive. I want you to remember if you don''t do what you say you''re going to do, I''lle back, and I''ll kill you." I''ve never heard Sally speak like that. I look at her closely and see she is serious in every word she spoke. That seals the fate of Kelly James. She''ll live andplete her ns. "We should discuss how you''re going to get us in a room with all the James brothers. Since they are our goal, and you better get us into the vault. If you don''t, you die." Sallyys down the n and final warning. Sally wants to kill them altogether, in the same room. So there is no risk of any getting away. While I''m worried about Sally''s bloodlust, I know it''s only exclusive for the people who have wronged her in the past. I look at Hailey, and I can see she''s concerned about Sally too. Kelly looks at me for permission to stand up, and I nod my head. She does it slowly and fixes her modest dress. "You''ll never regret this. I''ve been nning for years to kill my brothers and take the barony. It would''ve been a few more until I could, but when the rumors of youing here started to spread. It sped up my timeline. I''ve been using my brother''s fear of you and Saliandra to my advantage. The people are already extremely dissatisfied with my brothers. If they died tomorrow, no one would care." Then that means we should do this tomorrow. I look at Sally and see if she''s okay with doing this as soon as tomorrow. "Now we need to discuss how you''ll inform us they are all in the same room and ready to be killed." Sally is the one to start bringing up the intricacies of the n. That''s also a concern that I have. How will we know they''re all in one location and we can move in to take care of them. Kelly closes her eyes and thinks deeply. While we could use magical items that might spook the brothers off before getting there, which isn''t something we want. Kelly opens her eyes and takes a small breath. "We can use a magical signal card. I can keep it in my pocket, and once I channel some of my power into it. It''ll notify the other card that I''m ready. You''ll have the other card, and once your card goes off, you cane. They won''t know a thing since they can''t see the card." Her idea is sound, but they might be suspicious that she escaped a kidnapping unharmed, which means one of us has to hurt her enough to convince people that she had to escape instead of being let go. I look at her, and I can tell she''s never been in a real fight in her life, which means this is going to suck for her. "Before you can leave, you have to take a serious beating." She looks at me in confusion and fear. "Your brothers will get very suspicious of you if you escape kidnappers without a scratch. You''ll need to take a serious beating, and I''d normally do it. However, someone in here will appreciate it more than me." I turn to Sally, and I see her raise her eyebrows in surprise. Kelly looks like she wants to protests, but my words make sense. Sally''s mouth forms into a grin, and she balls her fists as she walks towards Kelly. A sadistic part of Sally ising out, and I don''t know whether I should be impressed or scared. "Wait! Wai-!" Before Kelly can make an argument not to be beaten, Sally crashes her fist against her face, and I watch her teeth fly out her mouth. I cringe at the sight. While I have done much more gruesome things, I''ve never seen Sally do such a thing. She falls to the ground with blood pouring out her mouth. Before she can try and talk, Sally kicks her hard in the ribs and the liver. I hear bones crack, and I see Kelly has pissed herself. I look at her face, and she''s crying. Sally moves towards her head and punches the back of it. She hits her face on the cold concrete, and I hear some more cracking of bones. I grab Sally by the arm and pull her away before she can continue. We don''t want her dead. Sally struggles to get free for a couple of seconds but stops realizing that she needs to. I let her go, and she stands at my side. Kelly groans on the ground, and her body is shaking from the sudden trauma inflicted on it. We wait a few minutes, and she slowly sits up and stares at us with a swollen face. "Hailey, watch her while I go and get the magical cards. Hopefully, there is a shop willing to serve us right now." I don''t indicate to watch Kelly. I indicate to watch Sally. She might try and finish the job while I''m gone. Hailey nods her head, and I make my way towards the exit of the abandoned building we''re in. I exit into the outside world, and I know I say a functioning shop back in the direction we came from. I saw it while jumping from building to building. I leap back onto the buildings and travel towards the shop. I find it, and Ind back on the street. I look around and notice there is barely anyone around. I don''t let it bother me, and I make my way toward the shop, and I enter. I walk up to the counter and see the middle-aged man stare at me. his face contorts in anger. "Get your ass out of my shop! Filthy new people aren''t weed here!" I can understand where he''sing from, but I don''t have time for this. I take out a gold sack with 20 gold pieces in it from my inventory andy it on the counter. I see his conviction waver at the sight of therge sum of money. I take his silence as a go-ahead to talk. "I need two magical signal cards." He hesitates for a brief second, but he takes the gold and heads into the back. Hees back out and hands me the two cards. I say nothing else, and I leave. I start jumping from building to building again and heading back towards the abandoned building. Ind in front of it, and I make my way back inside. I head for the back room where they are, and I walk in. Sally and Hailey are having a small conversation while Kelly struggles to stay conscious. I walk up to Kelly and hand her one of the cards. "Get out of here and get some medical attention. I''m sure you can afford to have the worst of your injuries healed by a magician." She stands up, and wobbly makes her way towards the exit. Now, all we have to do is wait for the signal tomorrow. "Let''s find an inn that''ll take us and get some rest." Both Sally and Kelly nod their heads. We exit the building and start making our way to the city that is least damaged. I''d stop off at the bank to get some more gold, but it''s been destroyed in the battle. I''ll use thest of my gold for a room. Chapter 260: The Night Before Revenge

Chapter 260: The Night Before Revenge

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} We find an inn that''ll take us, but I had to overpay several-fold. We climb the stairs and enter the room. A single bed for three people... Can''t say I expected much. I sigh and make my way towards it, and Iy down. "At least it''s soft..." I whisper just loud enough for Hailey and Sally to hear me. Sally walks over and takes a seat right next to me. Hailey and Sally are looking at each other. The atmosphere is awkward between the two. "I''m going to have to sleep in the chair, aren''t I?" As much as I want to sleep on the soft bed. I''m thinking they don''t want to share a bed with me. I know Sally doesn''t mind. Hailey, on the other hand, will mind. "No, it''s only fair that the actual third wheel stays out of the way. I''ll take the chair. You guys can have the bed. Just promise you won''t do anything while I''m in the same room." I silently thank Hailey. I was really not wanting to take the chair tonight. Sally looks at me, and I can see that she''s very happy with the arrangement. I unequip my sword and armor. Leaving the only thing on my body underwear. I''m not sure how I''d fare in this newnd without all the things I have, and the most underrated is definitely the inventory system. I watch Sally stand up from her spot, and she takes her armor and weapon off and tosses them aside. She''s only in her underwear now too. She cuddles up next to me, and I can hear my sister groan in protest. "You''re just jealous." Sally chuckles as I make fun of Hailey''sfort. While we won''t have sex, we will sleepfortably. Hailey walks over to the chair and sits down. She''s going to be cranky tomorrow. I lift the sheet and nket over us, and we get under itfortably. The light outside slowly falls, and an orange hue fills the room. The setting sun giving one beautiful thing to us before it goes away for a while. "I swear if I hear anything weirding from your bed... I''ll tell mom the next time we see her!" Now it''s my turn tough. I''m not sure how my mother would react to me having intimate moments with Sally. My father would be proud, but mom always said that if I ever wanted to date a girl or settle down with one, she''d have to approve. While Cera thinks to himself about things not pertinent to the situation, Hailey is also thinking about things. Mainly the amount Cera has changed since thest time she saw him. She would''ve never expected her strange brother to find a girl that was right for him. It turns out he did find one, an elf girl that it. In her opinion, that''s an upgrade to whatever he could''ve gotten with a woman from the earth. What she finds heartwarming is how easily Cera epted her past. Women who go through what Sally has aren''t treated the safe afterward. Cera isn''t doing that. I''m proud that my brother hase so far, and while I was skeptical of Sally too big with. After I learned more about her, it was easy to see. She''s suffered the fame things Jasmine has here in The City of James. Both of them were ves that had everything thing taken away from them. Sally is so much stronger than I could ever be if something like that happened to me. I''d choose death over being a ve. I look out the window next to me as I sit in the chair. I watch the sun slowly lower over the wall, and the orange hue gently fades away. I close my eyes and think about how easy this has all gone, minus the little detour with the monsters. I can see that our reunion won''tst long. I have things I need to do after I''m done here in The City of James. He''s always off on some extremely difficult mission. More often than not, I wonder if our parents are doing the same things we are. Aftering to this world, they had no experience with it or games like it. Marcus is so young too, and I''m d he has mom and dad with him. I don''t think he''d be able to fend for himself. My new friends and allies are all waiting for me back with Jasmine. The war is progressing, and even more yers are joining the front lines. The exp and rewards are too delicious to resist. The average level of the yers is around 100 now, while I''m around 170. It''s not that far behind. The top yers and grinders are right behind me. I wonder what level Cera is now? He will be at a higher level than me, but I don''t know by how much. My thoughts slow down as sleep begins to overtake me. However, what I dread starts. There are sounds of kissesing from the bed, and I absolutely refuse to open my eyes. I''m going to make sure he pays. "You sure she''s asleep?" I hear Sally''s voice whisper to my brother. Ugh, this is disgusting. I want to leave, but I''m afraid of how awkward it''ll be. The kisses resume, and my skin crawls. "Hmmm..." This is unbelievable. I m my foot on the ground to inform them I''m sit awake. "See, I told you..." Sally quickly tells Cera she told him so. "Sorry, Hailey..." I sigh and don''t respond. Whatever they were nning, I put a stop to it. As the night has finally descended on The City of James. Kelly James is being healed at her private estate. After she left the confines of that building beaten, she was anything but in massive pain. Her n worked. She has Cera and Saliandra on her side and tomorrow marks the ending of her brothers. Word has gotten out that Kelly was kidnapped and beaten. The rest of the story is she escaped and is the princess of the town now. Of course, the escape was just a fabrication. Her brothers can''t be suspicious of hering back unharmed from a kidnapping after all. I sit in myfortable chair with a subtle grin on my face as the mage continues to use healing magic. To my happiness, he was able to help the situation regarding my teeth. Who knew that Saliandra could punch so damn hard. I felt like I was going to die. The healer finishes as I look at him. "I''m all out of mana for tonight, Lady James. I cane back tomorrow if you wish?" I shake my head, and I wave him away. He takes his nicknacks and empty bottles with him. I''m presentable for the meeting tomorrow. The leftover bruises and swelling will convince my brothers better that I was a real kidnapping. Once all my brothers are gathered in the meeting, I can signal Cera, and he''ll know exactly where I am. As I tenderly press on the swollen parts of my face, the door to my office creaks open. My butler walks in with tea, cakes, and an ice bag. "I''ve brought you some refreshment, Mydy." I smile as he wheels the cart over. He hands me the bag of ice first, and I lightly press it against my face. Its cooling touch hurts at first but soon numbs the area. I pick up the tea and take multiple sips. "I take it that everything is going ording to n, Mydy?" I nod my head and rx as the tension leaves my body. "I''ll leave you to your privacy, My Lady. Call if you need anything." My butler lightly bows and leaves my office. I sip the tea and set it down. I pick up the cake and dig in. I swear he''s trying to make me fat. However, I''d rather start getting fat than put off sweets for more than a day. I will have to reach out to the king once I''ve usurped the barony and make it official. The king doesn''t give a damn what happens outside the capital. Which isn''t good, but I''m using that to my advantage. I sigh as I think about all the messes I''m going to have to clean up once I have the barony. It''s a long and hard road ahead, but after a few years. The City of James will being out of the cesspools of crime and into the light of legitimate business dealings. No more ck market presence and no more ve market here. I''m going to be incurring the wrath of my brothers of associates. That is a bridge I''ll cross when I get there. Chapter 261: Waiting for the Signal

Chapter 261: Waiting for the Signal

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} The morning sun shines through the window and makes the room bright. I lean up from the bed, and I remove the sheets from me. I rub my eyes to get the crust out. Sally is still asleep, and from the looks of it. Hailey was able to sleep in the chair. I reach over and lightly shake Sally, and she groans at the idea of getting up. We need to be ready for the signal. It could happen at any time. Sally slowly lifts her body out of bed, and I get out of the bed fully and stretch my body. I quickly equip my armor and weapon. Hailey starts moving, and I watch her eyes slowly open. She struggles too and has to get the crust out of her eyes. "Morning, you''re going to have to pay for breakfast, Hailey. I''m out of gold." She finishes getting the crust out of her eyes, and she looks at me. She gets up and heads for the door. She''s going to be overcharged for the food. The natives of Gaia are very unhappy with the yers right now. They''re overcharging in hopes of getting back at the yers. Some yers will feel the burn from their attempts, but not yers like Hailey and me. Sally scoots out of bed and starts picking up the clothes that she left on the floor. She doesn''t have an inventory. She gets dressed in her gear and stretches her body. "I''m starving! Let''s hope we can get some good food." Ever since we had the yer-made food, it''s been hard to eat anything else. Once you''ve had something as good as that, it''s hard to find a substitute or recement. We walk to the bedroom door, and we both head downstairs. I see Hailey having to put down a medium sack of gold for the orders. She waves us over so we can. Sally and I make our way over and sit down at the table. The waitresses out and is waiting for our orders. Sally orders a medium-rare steak, and I copy her. Hailey orders a hamburger and a side of mashed potatoes. It looks like we have a beef-filled breakfast today. The waitress leaves without saying anything else. "I have a feeling it''s going to be hard for us new people to show our faces around public areas for a while." I nod my head in agreement with Hailey. Life will get harder for us yers, and we can''t do anything to stop it. We''ve brought this on ourselves. In a manner of speaking. The fact that the natives of Gaia are getting caught between the battles we yers have with monsters and forces after us is not good. It will help that a yer is the next Pope, but without more high-ranking offices filled. I don''t doubt the possibility of a purge. The natives will end up getting sick of us and will eventually try and rid us of Gaia. This is all a theory, of course. "You got a deep look in your eyes, brother." I look over at Hailey and see she''s staring at me. We all have our hoods on. You never know who could be watching after all. "I''m just thinking about the future... There mighte a time that everyone who''s not like us will get sick of our being here. There is the possibility of a crusade against our people." As yers, we are a separate people. We have ess to incredible things and grow in power exponentially faster than the natives of Gaia. I think the only thing really stopping them from purging us is the fact we are technically immortal. Even if they kill our bodies, they''ll never stop us from respawning. I''m willing to bet there is a secretb somewhere. A ce filled with the brightest minds of Gaia, looking for a way to get rid of us permanently. "You''re not wrong, but it''ll be fruitless for them to try. After all, we can just respawn." Hailey has the same ideas as I do. While we have immortality going for us, it''s not like it''ll be that way forever. It can be taken away at any time. I don''t want to be arrogant about any of this. Taking the natives of Gaia lightly can bring greater effects to our future as a people here on Gaia. We need to be cautious. While the group of three continues to talk as they wait for their food. Kelly James is in her estate preparing for her meeting with her brothers. Kelly James'' n is almosting to fruition, and while she is excited at the idea of ruling the barony, she needs to stayposed and y this little game the right way all the way to the end. She wants to make sure that when Cera and Saliandra arrive after getting the signal, her brothers still won''t know a thing. She wants them to be surprised at the maniptions that she has yed. The truly masterful game she has won against them. One of my maids finishes helping me get dressed, and I look into the mirror. There is still swelling and bruises from Saliandra''s attacks. "My Lady, are you sure it''s wise to go back out after such a short amount of time to rest?" The only one in my estate that knows of my true ns is my butler. So I get her question. My spies in my brother''s estates don''t know the full n either. They won''t like the fact I manipted them, but they''ll be free from their tyranny too. I''m sure that''ll wash away, and ill will towards me. My brothers might''ve stood a chance at seeing my ns and moves if they weren''t so arrogant and self-absorbed. Not to mention abusive and hated. Their greatest folly was taking me for another regr woman who could be manipted. "You are dismissed." The maid bows and leaves me alone in my room. While I don''t like the looks of the swelling and bruises. They''re only temporary. Once I''m done with my brothers. I''ll call another healer to finish the rest. I make my way towards my bedroom door, and I head for my office. The meeting isn''t for another hour. That leaves me just enough time to figure out where my father''s secrets were kept in his old estate. The only reason I''m alive is that I made multiple deals with yer Zern and Saliandra. One of those deals was telling them the location of the information regarding the ve business here. It''s connections around the rest of Gaia. "He can have those problems... Better him fixing the ones outside the city than me..." I whisper to myself as I enter my office and make my way to my desk and chair to sit down. I open my desk and pull out a piece of paper that my mother left me. She told me that my father''s most important secrets would be revealed only once upon this paper. It''s a magical one she had made for me before she died. I was going to use it as a trumpet card to take him out, but he died before I could set my ns in motion. Now I''ve found another use to it. Mom said that once the secrets are revealed, I''ll only have a minute to find what I''m looking for. After that, the paper catches fire and burns away. His most important secret was his connections. The location of the documents is bound to be on this paper. Its location is just as valuable as the information itself. I channel some of my magic on the paper, and words instantly appear. There is a single page, and it''s filled with names, locations, and ounts. I look at the bottom, and I see what I''m looking for. He buried all the files regarding his work in his father''s empty coffin. My grandfather died in a battle. Nobody could be recovered. So this is where he was hiding the information yer Zern needs. I memorize the ount numbers. I''m going to use those hidden funds to rebuild the city after I''m doing taking the barony. I hear the door open as the paper is set aze. My mother''s greatest gift has finally been used. "My Lady, what would you like for breakfast today? You told me to make you a special breakfast for the day you seeded, and I want to make sure that is what you want." I had forgotten about that. I nod my head, and my butler leaves. Today is a day of victory, and all the hard work that I''ve put in has finallye true. Everything is almost finished. Chapter 262: Sallys Vengeance I

Chapter 262: Sally''s Vengeance I

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} We finish eating our breakfast, and now it''s the waiting game. Kelly will signal us through the magic card, and we''ll trace the signature. We all stand up and leave the inn, I look down both streets, and the majority of the rubble has been cleaned up. The buildings, on the other hand, are still in ruins. "I wonder how long it''ll take them to rebuild. While we were poor, we always had a roof over our heads..." Hailey brings up some fond and not so fond memories of our lives back on earth. I can remember most of the good times, and it was truly good times. Not having money was a real burden, but we always stuck together. That was until Hailey started spiraling into the endless pit of addiction. That was the first life. I made sure not of that repeated the second time around. "Do you remember that time at the park... When I pushed you off the monkey bars, and you broke your wrist... Mom and dad were so mad at me..." I remember that day, spent the rest of the summer in a cast. That was before I was taller than her. Mom was in a mode I had never seen her in. Her wrath was unrivaled. I chuckle at the memory of her yelling at everyone who got in the way of us at the park and ER. They had to remove her from the room as they reset my bone. This was before Marcus was born. "I remember that time you identally spilled dad''s hot coffee all over your arms. He felt so bad after that. You''re his little princess. He bought you a bunch of toys to try and make up for it. We were trouble back then." We bothugh as we walk the streets. Sally chuckles at the stories we''ve shared. I want to ask Hailey more about her travels. She let it slip. She''s here on a mission for an ex-ve, too, who''s a friend. "So tell me about this girl... You said she''s a native that you became good friends with." Hailey lowers her head just a bit at the mention of her. The amount of suffering and pain the James family has caused isn''t something I can put a number on. Kelly James seems to be someone who wants to change this town and her family''s reputation. I still don''t trust her though, the only reason she''s alive is that Sally allowed it. We could''ve moved on with our ns without Kelly, but Sally has decided otherwise. Hailey takes a deep breath and has a solemn look on her face. "Jasmine is a native of Gaia that I came across a little after I got my legendary ss. She was a great help during the time, and we quickly grew into friends. She started traveling with me, and the better I got to know her. The more she started opening up. Imagine my surprise when I learned she used to be a ve, and while she wanted revenge. She isn''t strong enough emotionally to do so... I stepped up, and now I''m here." That''s simr to my journey with Sally. I look towards Sally, and I see her sad look. Talking about the subject isn''t something she''s keen to do. I don''t like talking about it either. Seeing her in pain like this makes me furious. "I understand Jasmine''s pain... It''s not something you ever want to bring up in fear of judgment... Sometimes though, you get lucky and find a person who doesn''t judge you..." Sallyes into the conversation herself and looks at me as she says thest bit of her part. She reaches her hand over and captures mine. She interlocks her fingers with mine. I pull her closer, and we walk shoulder to shoulder. "You should be thanking his big sister! I''m the one who taught him everything he knows about women." That''s a load of horseshit, Hailey. She''s wearing a grin that says her words aren''t that serious. Sallyughs at the obviously fake statement. "Is it alright if I ask you something, Sally?" Hailey takes on a gentle tone and looks at Sally. Sally takes a second, but she slowly nods her head. "How are you strong enough toe back here after all that''s happened to you?" Sally stays silent at the question. I know the reason, but I want Sally to speak for herself. I''m not her voice, mind, and opinions. There are times to shut up and listen. This is one of them. "I hate what they did to my mother and me... I hate that they took everything from me... I want to cause them the same pain they caused me... I wasn''t strong enough at first, but after I met Cera, he helped me gain the courage to chase these desires for revenge... He gave me the things I needed to exact it..." I get small butterflies in my stomach at her sweet words. Well, the words about me. Hailey looks at Sally and then looks at me. "You''ve made me a proud sister, little bro. I hope I can make you proud of me one day." I reach over and sling my arm over her shoulder and bring her in for a sideways hug. She''s already made me proud. She isn''t the same stuck-up and demanding girl that drove our mother crazy and sucked all the money out of dad''s wallet. She isn''t the fool she once was. Instead, all I see now is a mature adult that knows who she is and what she''s doing. I''m sure that mom and dad would be proud just like me if they were standing right here. She stays quiet as I take a small breath. "Hailey, all I''m going to say is I''m proud of you too. You''vee a long way from who you once were. All I see now is a strong independent young woman who can fend for herself." She rolls her eyes at the sappy words, but I see the smile regardless. I let her go, and she creates some space. "While we wait, what should we do? I like walking around, but all these depressed people are putting me in a bad mood." I''d like to get away from the surrounding area. It''s really bringing me down seeing so much of this. I wouldn''t mind taking some high ground and looking at the views outside the city. "I''m fine with whatever." Sally quickly answers me, and I look to Hailey to see what her response is. She nods her head in agreement. I instantly pick Sally up in my arms, and she squeals in surprise. I leap onto a partly standing building andunch myself off it towards the wall. I look behind me, and Hailey is right on my tail. Ind on the wall, and I gently let Sally out of my arms, and Haileynds behind me a secondter. We all look out towards the slowly rising sun and see it illuminating the forest and area. I take a seat on the edge of the wall and let my feet hand off the side. Sally sits next to me and cuddles up next to me. She wraps one arm behind me, and I do the same. Hailey stands at my other side. After a second, she sits down and rxes too. "I would''ve loved to see something like this on earth... Too bad, we''ll never get the chance..." While Gaia is our new home, and it''s beautiful. I still miss earth, just like my sister. It was doomed, but that didn''t make it any less valuable to us. Sally leans her head against my arm and lets out a content sigh. "Cera told me about earth a little... It seems there is much more to know about it than he originally let on..." There is more about the earth that I could exin to you, Sally. However, that''ll reveal secrets and things I''m not ready for you to know yet. I tilt my head towards my sister, and she looks at me with a look of understanding. She hasn''t told any of her friends about our origins either. It''s something soplicated that no one that''s a native of Gaia will understand. As we are sitting here in silence and looking at the vast horizon and incredible scenery, the magic card in my pocket goes off. I pull it out, and the other instantly stand up. I follow suit and look at the card. "We''ll be heading 3 miles due North. That''s where Kelly is." Both of them nod their heads, and I look at Sally a little longer. She is definitely nervous. She''s steeling herself for the confrontation. While killing the father would''ve been the best. Killing the evil sonses in at a close second. I pick her up in my arms, and I start leaping on the wall heading North, and I jump into the forest. Chapter 263: Sallys Vengeance II

Chapter 263: Sally''s Vengeance II

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Wend outside the estate that I assume belongs to the firstborn son or the second. It''srge and has regr guard patrols. We walk up to the gate, but guards stop us. "This is private property! Turn back or face execution!" I remove my hod for the first time in public. I''m not in the mood to deal with jackasses like this guy. He quickly draws his de, and the other guards around join him on the other side of the gate. Hailey removes her hood as well. Sally hasn''t, and I can tell she''s getting more and more anxious as we get closer to the spawn of her torturer. The guards are on edge, too, knowing something is off with us. "Normally, I''d give one warning before resorting to violence. I''m in no mood today. Make peace with God." They go rigid, and I can see how nervous they are in regards to my threat. I slowly draw The Witness, and the feeling The Witness is giving off is making some of the guards shake. One looks ready to talk, but I give him no chance. I swing The Witness, and it cuts through their armor and bodies like it''s nothing. They fall to the ground in a pile of organs and body parts. Some blood sttered on me, but it''s not as much as I usually get on me. I look towards the massive mansion, knowing our targets are in there. "You ready for this, Sally?" I turn to her a final time to make sure she''s ready. She removes her hood and nods her head. Her eyes are full of determination, and that''s something that I''m seeing more and more in her. Oveing her fears and moving on from her past. By doing this, everything in her life with move forward. There are many who say revenge doesn''t help in recovering from something. The ones who say this wouldn''t understand the suffering that Sally has gone through, the hardships she''s endured. Forgiving someone for something so cruel and evil is wrong in itself. Killing and getting rid of that evil, despite revenge or not. It''s the right thing to do. "Then let us confront the sons of the man that took everything from you." She nods her head a single time, and we start walking the path up to the front doors. Hailey is right behind us, and she''s likely going to want to say a few things to them on Jasmine''s behalf before they die. As the group of three walk up to the door and make their way inside. Kelly James is currently distracting her brothers. She''s using every excuse and subject to keep them in their seats until the group walks into the room. It''ll take them some time to find the room, but it won''t be too long. It''s not like the room is hidden. They just have to find the room that''srge enough to hold a family meeting. The mansion itself is big but not hard to navigate. The mansion belongs to her oldest brother. She needed the gathering to be here. I knew that this ce would be the only one where all my brothers would gather. "Kelly, you have brought up enough problems and are now prolong this meeting for no reason at all. Why do you insist that we keep speaking?" My 4th oldest brother decides to try and speed up this meeting. It won''t work. yer Zern and Saliandra are already on their way here. If not already on the property. It hasn''t been on since I sent the message through the card, but I''m not going to get arrogant. I''m going to continue to y my part. Ensuing my ultimate victory. All my brothers focus on me, all of them waiting for the correct response to keep them here. I have that response. "You all know why. The people are beginning to turn on you, and I''m doing everything I can to stop that from happening." That''s a tant lie. Not like they ever care to know. They would if they just asked around the city, but they haven''t left their estates. "The people are ming you for not taking care of damages. Soon, riots will break out, and I wouldn''t be surprised if all of them came knocking on your doors." This subject gets the full attention of all my brothers. They exchange looks between each other. Curious and surprised by my concern. It''s all fake, of course. I don''t give a damn about them. My brothers will rot for all the things they''ve done. "I''m surprised, sister... You never cared to meddle in our affairs before... Why the sudden interest now?" My second oldest brother decides to question me. He''s the only one that could''ve seen through my ns if he wasn''t so arrogant. Now it''s toote. All of them are looking at me for a response. Now it''s time for a masterstroke. To fully distract them. I indicate to my face and my injuries. "My kidnappers weremon people. They beat the shit out of me and demanded that I pass on a message to all of you. They told me to tell all of you that if something wasn''t done soon. All of you would be burned at the stake for the whole city to see. I didn''t escape. I was let go to give you all this message." I watch their faces contort and twist. The fake ims I haveid downpletely convince them. I''m using their fear of death by the people to convince them this is the truth. It works beautifully. Suddenly, the door bursts open, and I see them. As Kelly watches the three enter the room, many of the brothers don''t know what''s going on. They are concerned and convinced of other things. Unaware of their sister''s betrayal, and now the ns havee to their end. Everything that has been worked towards ising to fruition: Sally''s revenge, Hailey''s and Cera''s quests. Sally''s thoughts are erupting as she enters the room. Seeing the faces of the brothers. The sons of James. The man that stole everything. She watches as realization dawns on them. She''s Saliandra. That means all their fears are true. I watch fearpletely envelop them. I stand next to Cera, and I observe all the men that havee from the corrupted seed of James. "You... You can''t... Be..." I look and see a fat ugly man. His resemnce to the first James is there. So much so that my feares back, but it''s gone as I feel Cera put his hand on my back. The man who raped me and stole everything. I will kill his sons and end his legacy. The pain at the thought that I couldn''t give Cera my virginity since it was stolen long before he was born. It fuels my will and anger. I watch Kelly stand up and walk over. She''s got onest thing to do to ensure her survival. "I''ve got the information regarding the ve connections of my father. I''ve lived up to my end. I hope you''ll live up to yours." She''s directing all these questions to me. I slowly nod my head and move aside to let her pass. Her brothers are looking at her with hate and betrayal. Realizing what has happened. She yed them, and now that Barony will be all hers. "I promise that everything will change around here." She leaves the room after those words. The brothers are looking at us with incredible amounts of fear. "You''re all going to die for what you''ve done." Cera is the first to speak, and I stare holes into all of them. Each one falling deeper into despair. Knowing full well there is no escape. "None of you will try to escape, and none of you are leaving this room alive. How you die will be decided by Sally. When you die will be decided by Sally. How painful your death is will be decided by Sally." His words cause them to go pale. "Now, Hailey, say what you need to say." Hailey walks out from behind us. She stands firm and looks at the men surrounding the table. "I''ve been sent here by an ex-ve named Jasmine. I don''t expect any of you to remember, but know this. She''s another reason for your demise today." That''s all she says, and she stands next to Cera on his other side. Cera ces his hand on my shoulder and gets my attention. I look at him and deep into his eyes. He nods his head in confirmation, and now it''s time to give these men what they deserve. People say that revenge doesn''t help, but this is making me happy. I need this more than I thought. Chapter 264: Sallys Vengeance III

Chapter 264: Sally''s Vengeance III

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} {My mother is in the hospital after suffering from a stroke. This is the second stroke she''s had in her life. The first one happened when I was 12 in 2013, and that was on the right side of her brain. This time it''s on the left, and I have to put my ns on moving out by my 21st birthday to take care of her again as I did in 2013. The benefit this time is I have money and a car to do the hard things. So thank god for that. It''s been really hard on me thest few days and I just want to ask for people to pray for my, easyreads, mother. If you don''t believe in that, then keep her in your thoughts. Thanks to all the loyal fans still reading the story.} Cera is standing behind me, and I feel more confident when he is behind me like this. It''s nice to have someone''s never-ending support. "None of you would know me... Your father did... He took everything from me... Now, it''s time I have retribution..." I individually look at each of the brothers, and the one I want to kill first is the one that looks most like their father. I draw my de and activate one of my skills. It makes the edge of my de razor-sharp. "You. Stand up." The fat ugly man shakes in his seat. He''s having a real hard time following orders. He slowly rises from his seat, and a scowl appears on my face. The more I look at him, the more he starts to look identical to his father. I burst forth in speed, and I drive the tip of my de into his groin. "RRAAAAHHH!!" He immediately starts screaming. I twist the tip of my de and make him scream out in pain. He falls to the ground, and I ce my foot on his fat stomach. He can''t move very well due to his weight. "PLEASE STOP!!" I twist and grind the tip even deeper in. His father didn''t stop, and I''m going to make him feel the pain. His brothers are trying to avoid eye contact. "You''re all going to pay for the sins of your father! I''m going to make your suffering long and make you wish you were never born to that monster!" I can''t help screaming out as I continue to cause the fat son pain. He has since gone quiet, and his eyes are wide open, and his breathing has stopped. That''s when I notice that there is a big puddle of blooding out of the genital region. His lower area is disfigured and a mess, no longer recognizable as a man''s lower area. I straighten up, and I realize I''m out of breath. I start taking deep breaths, and now I''m feeling a little tired. I see the stiff face of the fat man, and I kick his body hard. Sending it flying into the wall and breaking through it. Cera is watching me, and he has a calm expression on his face. He slowly nods his head in approval. I look at Hailey and see she has her head turned away from the brutal scene. They are brother and sister, but Cera is much more epting of brutal tactics and torture. It makes me wonder what caused the major difference. I turn my attention to the rest in the room. As Sally looks for her next victim among the James brothers. Cera and Hailey are watching the brutal scene. Cera has a calm expression and is watching Sally vent all her pain and rage into the moment at hand. The history of Sally and her past is something many people would be ufortable knowing, let alone being with that person. Many people will say the current acts happening aren''t the way to handle the situation. Cera believes in a practical approach. Confronting and dealing with the very source of her pain is a direct way of helping her get over what''s happened. I watch Sally move onto the next brother, and Hailey and I are just going to stand guard and let her do what she needs to do. I can see by Hailey''s reaction she doesn''t agree with such brutal and torturous tactics, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime event for Sally specifically. She''s too sweet of a girl to inflict something like this on anyone other than the James family. "Are you sure this is the way for her to deal with this..." Hailey whispers to me as Sally begins to torture another brother. Hurting him in a simr way to the first one she killed. I never specifically said Sally should torture them. How long she should take and the method to kill them are all up to her. This is the conclusion she came to. Whether consciously or subconsciously. Either way, she needs it. "Sally''s been through more than our entire family times 5... Let her handle it the way she wants to. You can leave the room if you can''t handle it. I won''t hold it against you..." Watching this kind of torture is something not a lot of people will ever experience. Let alone willingly watch. So if she needs to leave, then it''s fine. Hailey releases a deep sigh and tries to drown out the screaming from the current brother she''s on. She''s already finished with her second victim and is now on the third. "No... I promised Jasmine that I''d witness their suffering for her... Do you think Jasmine would''ve done something like this..." I don''t know Jasmine. However, people are capable of incredible cruelty. Take the James family, for example. Take the scene in front of me, for example. Sally, who''s the sweetest girl I''ve ever met. It is causing pain on a scale a man never wishes to endure. What I find surprising is how they aren''t trying to escape in some way, how they''ve just given up on trying to survive. Losing the will to live. Only cowards don''t fight for their lives. Submitting to an early death really says a lot about the will of these brothers. It''s okay to be ready and willing to go when you''re old or suffering from an incredibly painful and incurable medical condition. If you''re young and not one of those. Only people like the James brothers would act in such a way. Only fighting when victory is assured and giving up when it''s not. While the events in the room continue, Kelly is on her way to one of the more distant rooms in the mansion. She''s being disturbed by the screams of her brother''s. She finds a room far enough away from the screams and takes a seat on one of thefortable chairs. She''d rather be home right now, but there are many things to discuss once they are done in there. She leans back in the chair and takes a deep breath. A smile slowly crawls onto her face. The reason for this smile is one that she''s been dreaming and nning for a long time. I''ve finally done it! I''ve won, and the barony is mine! All the wrongs that my father and brothers have created and caused... I''ll be undoing them all. Destroying the ve market here and freeing all the ves. "I''VE WON YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" I scream out in victory, and I wish in all my bones that my father can hear my deration in the Underworld where he''s at. I stand up and walk over to one of the mirrors in the room, and I look into it. My face is still swollen and bruised in some areas. I look at them as a sign of my aplishments. I look so much like my mother, minus the swelling and bruises. I''m d I never looked anything like that horrible man. "I did it, mom... I won..." I can''t help the sudden appearance of my tears and emotional pain. I lower my head, and I begin to weep like there''s no tomorrow. My mother gave everything for the possibility of this. My heart breaks in the realization that I''ll never be able to share in this victory. That I''ll never be able to have a drink with my mother in victory. "I love you... Mom..." I wipe away all the tears, and I choke a little. She''s the best mother I could''ve ever asked for. I fix my clothes and wipe the snot from my nose. I look around the room I''m in, and there are many old things that I''ve never seen. I don''t go to my brother''s estates very often. I don''t like the feeling of not having a single ally nearby. That''s all over now. I wait for time to pass, and after a couple of hours. I think it''s been enough time for them to have handled my brothers. I leave the room and start walking towards the meeting room, but there are still screams going on. Sally is taking her time, and I don''t hold that against her. I just have to wait until she''s done. Chapter 265: Sallys Quest Complete

Chapter 265: Sally''s Quest Complete

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} {I get to see my mom today, and the hospital is saying she''s doing much better. I''m so excited. I want to thank all the fans that have prayed and/or kept her in their thoughts. I really appreciate it. She has a long road of healing, but she''s done it before. Thanks again!} I watch Sally kill thest brother, taking her time as she does it. Just as she did all the rest of the brothers, Hailey couldn''t handle the brutality, but she still gave it her best shot. Sally causes the man as much pain as possible before ending his life. As she kills him, I get a notification from the system. I''ll open it in a minute. I walk up to Sally, and I ce my hand on her back, letting her know I''m still here. "I did it... I fucking did it!!!" She releases joy and happiness. I thought she''d have a harder timeing to terms with the brutality she''s capable of. That isn''t the case, though. She''s cheering and celebrating that she''s the one that killed them and did it the way she did. She leaps into my arms and hugs me as tightly as she can. I gently hug her back, and I can hear her sniffles now. It''s time to let the tears fall, and I expected this too. She''s done it. She''s gotten revenge on the family that took everything from her. She buries her face in my neck as I lift her off the ground. Her tears making my neck wet. "You did do it. I''m proud of you, Sally." Her sobs get a little harder as I say that. I let her down, and she dries her tears away, and her smile shines through. She looks kind of psychopathic with all the blood, but that''ll wash out. It''s nice that it''s not me who is covered in blood this time around. Hailey walks back into the room now that she doesn''t hear the screams of the men anymore. "I take it everything is done?" Sally looks at Hailey and nods her head. Hailey walks up to Sally and wraps her in a hug too. "I''ll let Jasmine know that she has you to thank." Sally hugs her back, and I''m d I get to witness this moment. As the two of them talk and catch up, it''s time that I check the notifications I got from the system. I know that they''re for the quest of Sally''s revenge, and it is a legendary quest. Not one of true legendary status though, there is a difference. It''s hard to see sometimes. A quest can have a legendary difficulty, but that doesn''t mean it''s actually of legendary status. Legacy quests and higher are unique and one of a kind. Oncepleted, the whole world will be notified, and special rewards will be given. I open the notification. [Sally''s Past][Completed!] [Description: Help Sally in her quest for vengeance against all the men that tortured and sexually assaulted her growing up. Help her punish the Elven Kingdom for their ways.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will ask you for your direct help in this matter.][Completed] [Objective 2: Once everything is done with your quest involving the Dryads, ask Sally what the first step in her revenge is.][Completed] [Objective 3: Head to the Barony of James in the kingdom of Pleer][Completed] [Objective 4: Once in the Barony, find a way to kill the James family, how this is done is up to you][Completed] [Rewards:] [Sally is free from the pain of her past] [You have leveled up 3 times] [You can now ask Sally more in-depth personal questions. (This will lead to an exclusive quest involving Revenge Against the Elven Kingdom)] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Note: The great difficulty of this quest is the goals that Sally has set in revenge. If they weren''t so great, then the difficulty wouldn''t be so high.] I notice I have a new quest, and I decide to open it. [Revenge Against the Eleven Kingdom] [Description: Now that Sally''s Revenge against the James family has beenpleted, the hardest quest regarding Sally''s past is about taking Revenge against The Elven Kingdom.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will bring up getting revenge against the elves and the Orvello family. (Hint: This will ur during the time of Fighting the Disease quest.)] [Reward: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] One quest ispleted, a new one is added to the to-do list. I open FIghting the Disease quest to see any changes. [Fighting the Disease] [Description: Sally wishes to find and root out all the evil and corrupted people tied to the James Barony.] [Objective 1: Once in thend held by the James Barony, try and find connections that the Barony has to other ve traders.][Completed] [Objective 2: Kill or imprison all people that you find out about][In progress] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards: Unknown] [Note: This quest is directly tied to Sally''s Past and meets the same condition of being at the legendary in difficulty.] This quest is sure to update again once we get the information from Kelly. Despite the fact she''s a James, I''m willing to be she''s going to be different than the rest. I would''ve killed her before, but I can see now that would''ve been a mistake. I''m d that I left the decision up to Sally. She let her live and be of use to us, and now it''s turned out great. I have gained three new levels too. I open my yer interface to see the new level and stat values. I''m still getting used to seeing the very high health and mana, but I''m d I have it. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000][Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30][Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Level 193 now, and I''m probably the highest level among the yers. Sally and Hailey stop talking, and they turn towards me. "Looks like we have many things to do still, Sally." She nods her head, knowing that we have other quests toplete. I look at Hailey, unsure if she''s staying with us or heading back to Jasmine. "Are you going to being with us, Hailey? I know you want to give Jasmine the good news, but we probably won''t bump into each other like this again." Hailey looks down in slight sadness. I should''ve figured she needs to tell Jasmine that shepleted the quest. She lifts her head, but before she can speak, I get an idea. "Why don''t youe with Sally and me to figure out our next targets? Once you are done with Jasmine, you can meet up with us at one of the target locations." Hailey thinks about it for a second but quickly nods her head. This way, once she''s done with Jasmine, she''ll know where she can find us. We''ll have a list of targets. She''ll have to meet with us at one ahead of time before we get there. We leave the room since it''s beginning to stink from all the bodies letting their piss and shit out. We walk down the hall, and before continuing the conversation, we see Kelly round the corner up ahead. She looks nervous but also happy. We walk up to her, and she is slightly rigid. "The information you see is buried in my grandfather''s grave. He died in battle, and an empty coffin was buried. My father used his father''s empty coffin to store all his most valuable information. The family graveyard is at the old estate." I nod my head, and we start to make our way towards the exit. Kelly looks as if she''s surprised that we''re just letting her go. She held up her end, and we''ll do the same. There is no reason to continue talking to her. This is going to be thest time we meet. "Kelly." Sally stops as she says the girl''s name. "If I find out you haven''t made the changes you said you are going to make. I''lle back and kill you too." Kelly slowly nods her head in understanding, and we leave the mansion. We stop at the front gate by the bodies of the guards. It''ste morning now, and we have the entire day to find the grave holding the information we need. Chapter 266: Literally Digging for Information I

Chapter 266: Literally Digging for Information I

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} {There''s a chance that my mom gets toe home today or tomorrow! She''s doing much better now and is recovering from the stroke. I''m not going to say it''s going to be a fast recovery, but it''s been fast so far. Thanks to all the people who''ve been showing support and praying and/or keeping my mom in their thoughts. It''s been really amazing to see the support.} As Cera, Sally, and Hailey make their way towards the family graveyard. Kelly James is calling some guards toe and clean up the mess that Sally left. Since Kelly James has been nning this for a very long time, she has all the right bribes in ce. Someone might question her about the things that have happened this day, but no one will convict her of any crimes. Themonfolk will be too busy celebrating, and no one cares enough about her brothers to really dig deep. Kelly James is now the only James left, and the barony is now hers. I stand at the gate as it gets closer and closer to noon. I can see the captain of the army forces stationed here in the city. He''s one of the high officials I have on the payroll, so that he won''t be questioning me regarding their deaths. I never informed him why I''m bribing him, only to turn a blind eye to the things I''m involved in. Legel or not. Once he sees their dead bodies, he''ll probably realize that I''ve been trying to take the barony from my brothers. He won''t do anything about it either. He hated them as much as the next person. Who knows, he might even thank me for killing them. When you make enemies of everyone, no one is your friend. Too bad my brothers never thought that. They believed as long as they kept the right people paid, they''ll be untouchable. Things are never that easy. It took me several years to bribe the right people. Get the right moles and spies, and doing it the way I did was the right way. The guards stop their horses at the gate, and Captain Keron hops off his horse and makes his way over to me. I can tell by the look on his face that he''s curious about why I activated my brother''s emergency magic rm. Before he can ask, I hold up my hand. "It''s okay, just head to the back meeting room, and you''ll understand I called you..." He slowly nods his head and waves his hand for the guards and soldiers to enter the mansion. They''ll being out with cringes on their faces. I know that for certain. The bodies are mutted, and as men, they''ll see the damage done to the genitals. Seeing that brutality is going to make some of them puke. I lean against the gate and stare off into the direction of the family graveyard. I won''t be able to see it from here, but I know where it is nheless. My brothers will be buried in that graveyard, and that''ll mark the end of the James family. I''m nning on finding myself a nice man, marrying him, taking his name. That way, the James family will officially die. I have a ce I need to stop off at too. I want to visit her after this victory. I head towards my carriage, and the driver is tending to the horses. He asks me where I want to go. "Take me home and to my private graveyard." He nods his head and gets in the driver''s seat of the carriage. We slowly pull off, and I look back towards the entrance of the mansion. I see some guards leaving the mansion stumbling and vomiting. I can''t rte to their thoughts, but I can respect them. The carriage ride is slow and rxing, and the feeling of victory hasn''t worn off yet. I''m sure once I get home, my butler will have many delicious foods ready in celebration. I already had a victory breakfast, and I''m going to have a victory lunch and dinner. We slowly make our way through town, and I see the repairs on the city have already begun. The help I sent for has arrived, and my advisors are overseeing the repairs of the city. People see and recognize my carriage. They wave and say their hellos. The good people of this city are free from my brother''s tyranny. After a while, we exit the city again and head towards my estate. The driver guides the carriage all the way up my property and brings the carriage around to the back. I exit and follow the flower and garden surrounded path to my private graveyard. I walk up to my mother''s grave, and I sit¡ªtime to catch up. As Kelly speaks to her passed mother, much is going on in the city. The word has started to spread that the James brothers are dead. Many people have immediately begun to celebrate and dance in the streets. For the first time in a long time, the cities mood brightens up. Even with the ruin surrounding them, there is nothing that can stop the celebrations from beginning. There is a group of three in the James family graveyard, and they''re are looking right at the grave where the information they need is buried, and Cera knows this is the next step on his Fighting the Disease quest. We all look down at the grave of Kelly James''s grandfather. Apparently, he died in battle, and his body couldn''t be recovered, so his son buried an empty coffin. It turns out it wasn''t empty. "We''ll need a shovel or something? Let''s look for a toolshed. There''s usually one in graveyards." Sally and Hailey nod their heads, and we look around the property. Despite the fact it''s a private graveyard, it''s rather huge. The James family seems to have been around for a very long time. I wonder what their ancestors would think about thest 100 years. From my belief, Kelly''s father was the one that started very here in the barony. Before that, the James family''s reputation was clean and respected. How far a family can fall in two generations. Kelly has a hard road ahead, and only her grandchildren will begin to enjoy the life of a clean name free of sin. "I found the shed!" I hear my sister''s voice as it interrupts my thoughts. I head towards it, and Sally''s already here. We enter the shed, and we all get a shovel. I''m d that these two are afraid of hardbor. There is nothing more monotonous than digging a 6-foot hole by hand. While there is magic to make it easier, none of us are mages. We head back to the grave with shovels in hand and begin to dig. It won''t take long with all three of us digging. I should still fill the time with some conversation. "How are you doing, Sally?" My first concern is where Sally is at mentally. Sometimes, after getting revenge you have thirsted for, it can leave an empty feeling. How big that empty feeling depends on the person. Sally stays quiet, contemting the question and figuring out what to say. She sighs, trying to find the right words. "It feels good... Great even... However, it won''t bring the things stolen from me back... My purity... My mother... I''ll never ever regret killing them and the way I did it, but the things I lost could never be recovered..." I stay silent at her deep words. That''s usually what happens. While revenge is sweet and fulfilling and helps you move past things. What was taken or destroyed before or during the course of the revenge can never be recovered. It''s something that can only be experienced and is hard to exin. I''m really d Sally has gotten her revenge after all these years. I''m happy that I got to be a part of it and help. "You can talk to me anytime you want, Sally. Remember that we are partners, lovers, andpanions. You can confide in me and share any pain that you have. I''vee to care and love you very much." She smiles and blushes slightly at my words. Hailey just scoffs and rolls her eyes. "You''re just jealous ''cause you can''t get a boyfriend. Maybe if you weren''t so hard to please, you could get one." She gives aughing gasp and proceeds to throw dirt at me. The next thing I know, there is a dirt fight between all three of us. While it''s the dirt of an empty grave, I don''t care cause it''s a James. We get the extra energy out of our system and continue digging. After a minute, we start hitting the wood of a coffin. Time to get the information we came for. Chapter 267: Literally Digging for Information II

Chapter 267: Literally Digging for Information II

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} {My mom is back home and she''s recovering really great. I''m happy that she doesn''t need to go to a care facility because thest time that happened. Let''s just say it didn''t go so well. A fully grown person doesn''t like being cared for as if they''re a helpless child. Believe me, they don''t. Thanks for all the support! It''s nice to see there are some people out there who can actually care how others are doing!} Sally and Hailey help me get the rest of the dirt off the coffin. I pick it up and lift it out of the grave. We set it on the ground right next to the grave. "let''s open it up and see what''s inside." They both nod their heads, and I rip the opening of the coffin off. What''s inside is a single box. We all look at each other, and I reach out to pick it up. I take it out of the coffin, and I open it. There is a little crystal ball sitting on a cushion in the center of the small box. I pick it up and toss it up and down in my hand. I use inspect on it to see its information. [Storage Crystal] [Description: This crystal ball is magically enchanted to record information and store it. Be it magical recordings or words. To activate the crystal ball, you need one of two things. Blood from a family member or an overridemand.] A blood sample or an overridemand... There is no way we can know the overridemand and the person that knew it is long dead. So that leaves only one thing, we have to go back to Kelly. "You guys should inspect it too." I hold it out for them, and both Sally and Hailey use inspect to see the information on it. I can see Sally''s displeasure grow the longer she stares at it. I put the crystal ball in my inventory, and I turn m attention back to the empty coffin. "Should we rebury the coffin?" Sally instantly turns to the empty grave and coffin and spits on them. That''s a clear and emphatic no if I''ve ever seen one. Hailey gently jabs Sally in the ribs with her elbow. Sally doesn''t acknowledge her, and she turns around and starts walking out of the graveyard. I look at Hailey, and she shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "She hates them. You can''t me her for that. They brought it on themselves." She turns around without responding and follows Sally out of the graveyard. I look towards the coffin onest time. "Your son really fucked things up here." This is the grave of the father who spawned the evil in the family. I turn and leave the graveyard too. I''m betting that Kelly has already returned to her property. We should head there next. It''s going to be awkward since I told her we''d likely never see each other again, and here we areing back. I quickly catch up with Sally and Hailey, and they''re silently talking about what happened in the graveyard. "I''m not going to lecture you, Sally. I''m not that type of person in your life. I''m sorry for trying to make you the bigger person when it came to reburying a James." Sally doesn''t respond, but the way she worded that could''ve been better. Sally stops, and so does Hailey. They stare into each other''s eyes, and I see Sally clench and unclench her fist. "You don''t have any right to say anything about my situation and feelings towards the James family. As far as I''m concerned, that empty coffin and grave should be pissed on by the entire city and all the ves that the James family has been involved with." I watch a couple of feet away from the two. It''s best not to get involved unless it gets violent. I don''t think it''s going to get to that level. Sally is smart enough to know that Hailey is too powerful. As the group of three continue walking back towards the city and subsequently to Kelly''s estate. There is a lot ofmotion going on in the capital of Zenith. Zenith City is undergoing a huge military operation. Basically, there going to war with Bellvia. King Jackson is gathering all the troops in the capital to move out as one unit. The Dryads are joining them in their war since they share the same enemy. Bellvia messed up in sending thieves and assassins after Queen Tessa. Jackson and his wife are going to move with the army together. Jackson is with his wife in a private carriage as they leave the city with their armies around them. I hold my wife''s hand as she sleeps on my shoulder. I find it infuriating that the only way my wife can sleep is when we are out of our pce. Bellvia has no idea what kind of mistakes it made. Yes, we are going to war. However, this war is going to be bloody and brutal. For Bellvia, that is. The Dryads want to get to them just as badly as we do. "My King, there is a message for you." One of my escortmanders peaks his head in the carriage window. I nod my head, and he leaves. I turn to the magical holoprojector in the carriage. It lights up, and Queen Elenore of the Dryads is looking at my wife and me. "I''m grateful you gave us time to prepare for theing war. It''s nice to know we have a full-fledged ally in our war against Bellvia. It''s a blight and parasite on this world, and it''ll be an honor to destroy it." Queen Elenore begins thanking me for the chance to prepare. It was only fair. This wasn''t our war, to begin with. We were going to help The Dryads, but now. They''ve made a full enemy out of us, and we are taking an active role in this war. Tessa fidgets in her sleep and pushes against me. Likely having another nightmare. "I see that the feather yer Zern gave her has fully merged with hair. She used to have such beautiful ck hair. Now it''s snow white." She looks at my wife, and I nod my head in confirmation. "Our forces will be meeting up with yours in 3 days'' time. It''ll be nice to meet you in person finally. Once our forces merge, we''ll march into the country of Bellvia." I nod my head and look at her confidently. I inform her of all the supplies and soldier levels. She does the same, and with ourbined forces, Bellvia doesn''t stand a chance in ground warfare. They might have advantages in magical weapons, though. They''re one of the leading kingdoms in this subject. We speak for the next hour rying information and coordinating troops. I must say that I''m impressed with Queen Elenore''s leadership. While her people are still adapting to the new world, they are doing it extremely fast. "I have a way to minimize casualties the closer we get to the capital." She grabs my full attention as she says that. The next thing I see is her pulling out The Horn of The Forest. The legendary item I gave back to them in a show of good faith. The requirements to use that item are insane. "Did you really find someone who can use it?" She nods her head up and down and exins that Dryad royalty, such as herself and foregoes the requirements. The royal family is descended from the creator of the item. They have special circumstances when using it. That''s what she''s exined. It''s amazing to know that when the fighting gets really bad, we don''t have to use our own troops. My wife begins to move around violently in her sleep. "I won''t keep your time." Queen Elenore understands instantly, and the magical hologram shuts off. I gently wake my wife up, and she jolts up with a little scream. I''m not sure bringing her with me to this war is a good idea. I tried to convince her to stay in Zenith, but she''s too afraid too. She also insisted she was strong enough to endure the harshness and cruelty of war. I''m going to have to do my best she doesn''t actually see conflict. I don''t want my wife to see the horrors of war and be changed by them. I hold her in my arms as she silently weeps from her nightmare. Having so many thieves and assassins attack you over and over again will leave a mark like this, especially on someone who isn''t used to conflict and danger. It''ll end up permanently hurting someone if they can''t cope right. I''m going my best to help her, but she isn''t willing to talk too much about it. "Why won''t the nightmares go away... I''m so scared to sleep..." My anger and rage are reinforced as she says those words. Bellvia and its king are going to burn for the things it''s done to my wife. Chapter 268: Wars on the Horizon

Chapter 268: War''s on the Horizon

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} {Mom is going much better today and is able to walk around andmunicate much better. She''s recovering much better than most stroke victims. She still having trouble speaking and remembering certain things, but those will recover over time. Thanks for praying and/or keeping her in your thoughts! It means a lot!} Tessa is crying on my shoulder, and I''m doing my best tofort her. She''s trying her hardest to be alright. I''ve considered having a magician block the memories of the events, but I''d need her consent first. I haven''t asked her yet if she wants to do that, while it isn''t a permanent solution to the problem. It will help her get some ease of mind for the time being. "Sweetie... What do you think about having a magician block out the memories of the attacks?" She looks up at me with wet eyes and has a look of thought. She''s giving the prospect some thought. "I would really like that... When can we do it?" She agreed to it so fast, and that worries me. She''s in such emotional distress that she''s willing to do almost anything to feel better. Even forcefully block the memories causing her turmoil. She''s looking at me for an answer about when we can do it. I don''t have a magician nearby right now. They are coordinating with the generals at the front of the transport. I told them they didn''t have to be at the front. They said that leading by example will help morale. I wrap my arm around her and hug her. "As soon as we meet up with The Dryads in a couple of days. We''ll be merging armies, and when we have a meeting, I''ll speak to one of my mages about it." She looks disappointed that it can''t be done right now. She''s going to have to suffer through it a little longer. She leans her head on my shoulder, and I look at her beautiful face. She has deep bags fromck of sleep and has a wary look about her. "It''s going to be okay, sweetie... I promise." She leans into my shoulder and hug more as I say that. My queen is a wonderful woman, and she shouldn''t be reduced to this. A woman who is in constant fear for her life. One that looks tired beyond belief but can''t sleep. I slowly rock her side to side, in an attempt to lull her to sleep. Even though the nightmares are bad, she needs every second of sleep she can get. She snuggles a little closer, and I continue to rock her. My parents would do this when I had a hard time when I was still a kid. I don''t know why, but thefort of their safety always helped me sleep, and that is something I never thought I''d have to use. While the armies of Zenith and The Dryads each head towards the same location for a meet-up for the war, there are other creatures in the world nning things of their own. There are monsters, bandits, magical beasts. All these are looking to take advantage of the growing wars in humanity. The most notable of these is probably the first-born child and daughter of the dragon king. Nelmopheous is the princess and second strongest dragon in existence. Right behind her father. She prefers to go by Nelli, with who she''s familiar. I p my giant wings harder as I fly through the sky. My dragon form making it easy for any living and thinking creature below me to see me. I''m not near any cities or settlements. The world of Gaia is slowly changing, and many more things are still toe. Father has warned me that there is a chance that the wars on the horizon have a chance to bring us in too. How crazy is that? Dragons being interested in a war between creatures that we consider lesser than ourselves. We are inherently peaceful and don''t seek conflict. It makes me wonder why father is convinced we will be involved in some sort of war. From what I''ve seen yer Zern do, he is mostly to me for the changes. I''ve been watching his journey and his choices. He''s aplished a lot in a short amount of time. He gained a lot of power, but in that process, he''s unleashed many evils and cmities on the world. He''se to find friendship and love. Experiencing the touch and feel of a woman for the first time. An elven woman no less. When I meet him, he had to use a pegasus to fly. He didn''t have wings. I have the ability to watch a person that I''ve meet from any ce on Gaia. I''ll say that I''m surprised about the developments with the half-elf named Sally. She was able to get through that hard exterior that yer Zern puts up. I''vee to learn his real name, Cera, but I prefer to call him yer Zern. One of the most shocking moments I witnessed when I checked in on him was the moments of passion between Sally and him. I''ll be honest, I was hoping that I''d be the one to do that to him in my human form, but that half-elf beat me to it. I can''t be mad, and I''m not. It was something that I wanted. Just because I wanted to have sex with him doesn''t mean I''m in love with him. Not like how Sally is in love with him. Dragons work differently, and that includes all dragons. Female dragons, like myself, aren''t so strict when ites to sex. It''s an easy process that happens when we want to. There doesn''t have to be any familiarity between the partner of our choosing and us. As apex predators, we have powerful desires. So it''s counter-intuitive for our species to be... Picky. Our cultural ways are not understood or even known by many outside of our race, and we prefer it that way¡ªenough of this boring train of thought. I close my eyes, and I look at yer Zern. He''s in some city and is traveling with his elven lover Sally. I''vee to learn that yer Zern, or Cera, has an entire family. One that came with him from a different world. That''s what I''ve heard from my father, that the new peoplee from a different world. The other girl with him is Hailey, his full-blooded sister and power legendary ss wielder. ~~~Warning! Disturbing Content Ahead!~~~ ~~~Don''t read if you''re sensitive to fictional sexual violence!~~~ While Nelli flies through the sky and enjoys the freedom thates with being a dragon, there is a discussion happening at the location where the monster hordes leaders reside. They''re gathering for many reasons, and most of them can be guessed. With the growing tension between humans, the monsters are looking for an opportunity to strike. Gain a lot of ground in this war, and bolster their forces. The second general of the monster forces is about to speak at this meeting. Orc Var is notorious for his actions towards humans. I look at the other leaders in the room, and many of them are whispering to each other. "We all know that we''re here for the same reasons." I speak to focus the meeting. My deep voice dragging the attention of the other leaders and monsters in the meeting. "While this is a golden opportunity to strike against the humans, I suggest we capture more cities and take their women. Our reproducers are dying at a high rate from the constant births." We replenish our forces through reproduction with human and elven females. My personal favorites are the human females. They can birth so many new monsters before dying. It''s amazing. "Your point is valid, Var, but our forces are strong enough to take a capital city and kingdom now. Why should we waste time taking little cities and their women when we can have a whole kingdom?" General Oli tries to put holes in my concerns. He wants the war to progress at a faster rate. That''s how you lose wars. Wars take time and effort, and they can''t be easily won. We need soldiers, and that means more women. I lean back in my chair as arguments begin to break out. It''s always hard toe to an ord and agree on a big-picture objective. It''s nothing new for our forces and effort. However, we are fortunate that the humans are warring amongst themselves. This allows us ample time to n, and that''s what wins wars¡ªcorrect nning with the management of time. Time is everything, after all. At least in war, cause the longer the war goes on. The greater the casualties on both sides, but we reproduce much faster than our enemies. Using their women no less!! Chapter 269: Unlocking the Crystal Ball

Chapter 269: Unlocking the Crystal Ball

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} We make it to Kelly James'' estate. We''re greeted by a single butler at the front gate. She has some guards, but they are closer to the house. He fixes his monocle and clears his throat. "How may I help you, yer Zern." He knows my identity, which means he''s probably out here to make sure that nothing happens to Kelly. I don''t bother saying anything, and instead, I pull out the crystal ball from my inventory and show it to him. "Ohh, interesting. A magical storage crystal." He understands why we''re here, but he''s still very cautious. He must be aware of all the things Kelly''s done. I ce it back in my inventory and take a breath. "We need someone who''s a blood descendant or an override code. Since Kelly is thest living member of the James family, I''ll need her to unlock the crystal ball. I understand her fear, and I''lle alone without these two if it makes her feel safer." I doubt it, but I don''t think Kelly wants to be around Sally after the disy she put on. I know I wouldn''t. The butler takes on a thoughtful expression and ces his hand on his chin in thought. After a brief moment, he nods his head. I turn towards Sally and Hailey. "You two can go back to the city. I''ll meet you at the only other in that''s still epting us. Since we already stayed at the other locationst night." Hailey nods her head and turns around to walk, but Sally stays forward and stares at the mansion. She hates all James, female or not. I ce my hand on her shoulder in an attempt to bring her back. "Go back to the city. I''ll handle this. Once I''m done here, I''ll meet up with you and Hailey." She looks at me, and after some internal debate within herself, she turns and follows Hailey. I turn back to the butler, and I nod my head. He slowly opens the gate and motions for me to follow him. We walk up to the mansion, and it''s finely decorated. The outside has the taste of a finedy. We walk inside, and I can see the guards are very nervous around me. Each one bows in respect as I pass. It seems my identity as yer Zern is known, at least here on this property. She must''ve informed them that I''m indeed in the area and present a threat to her life. I do not need to kill her, and the world is better with her in it. Sally would disagree, of course, but she''s not here right now. Sometimes separating yourself from a situation is smart too, and that''s why I send Hailey and her off. So she doesn''t let her emotions take control. "I must say it''s an absolute honor to meet you, Son of Michael. Your tales of adventure and actions are legendary. Lady Kelly is a lucky woman to talk to such an existence." He''s very political with his words, but I know he''s probing for any reasons that I''ll attack Kelly. I respect how protective he is, but sometimes. It''s out of your control. I sigh, and I can tell he''s waiting for a response. "We''ve already had this discussion, Butler. I''m only here for the information in this crystal. If Kelly James were to die, it''d be by Saliandra''s de. Not mine." I choose to use Sally''s full name, so he knows what I''m talking about. I know he''s informed about everything that''s going on. There is no way he isn''t. He was personally sent by Kelly to find a way to dissuade any violence. "I''m a killer, but I don''t kill anyone who doesn''t deserve it. Kelly isn''t someone who deserves it." He squints his eyes ever so slightly. Before he can question anything else. A world announcement goes off. [Worldwide Announcement: The Kingdom of The Dryads and The Kingdom of Zenith are currently on their way to a meet-up point for a fullscale invasion of Bellvia! This announcement is happening because war has officially been dered! yers can approach either side to participate! There are rewards based on contribution to the War and how many victories you ensure!] [Worldwide Announcement: The Monster Horde is on the move and taking advantage of the conflict within humanity''s society! Their forces will be bolstered, and new monster troops will be made because of this! Many cities and towns will fall and the captured about of Women will increase as breeding stock!] It makes me sick listening to anything about the monster horde. When I get the opportunity, I''ll help those poor women. I''ll either free them and send them back home to their families. Or kill them out of mercy only if they ask for it, of course. I watch the butler cringe and scowl as he gets the NPC version from the church. "I''ll admit, this war is going to be devastating for the future of the great war against the monsters. I wouldn''t be surprised if the church steps in. Enough chatter. She''s beyond the door ahead." It seems Kelly is going to be useful onest time before we leave. She''s got a long and tiring road ahead of her, and it''s only going to get worse. After a while, it''ll get better. That''s how things work. You have a stretch of bad, followed by one of good. It can vary depending on the person of course. No one is exempt from this effect. The butler pushes the door open and I see Kelly sitting in her chair. She stands up and bows politely, recognizing that I''m still The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. "It''s an honor to host such a guest. It''s not every day that divine blood and literal godhood stand in someone''s house." She begins speaking. In a way I don''t like. I don''t want to bepared to gods. I''m still human and thinking of myself as a god is extremely arrogant and dangerous. I''m not going to fall into that trap. I walk up to the desk, and the butler stands at the door. Kelly drops the formalities and pleasentries. Looks at me with caution and fear. Instead of talking, I toss her the crystal ball, and she catches it. "I need you to open this for me, after that. You''ll never see me again." She looks at the crystal ball and notices it''s a magical storage device. One that holds all her father''s secrets. She notices it requires the blood of a descendant or an override code. "Just give me a moment." She pulls out a small dagger and takes off her white glove. She''s in a nice white dress, fitting someone with elegant tastes. She cuts the tip of her finger and drops it on the crystal ball, it lights up, and many things sh throw the hologram that the crystal ball is projecting. She tosses it back to me. "You''ll have permanent ess to it, and be careful with that. It''s a very valuable storage crystal about the world''s illegal ve trade." I slowly nod my head and turn around to leave. Before I can, Kelly asks me to wait. I turn towards her and wait for her to start. "I''m really sorry for what my family has done to Sally... She won''t listen or take any apology from me... So you''re the next best thing... Please tell her that if she or her friends ever need any help. She can ask. I owe her that much. The same goes for you, yer Zern. While our first meeting didn''t go so well, I''m d we met. It''s led to this." She indicates to the celebration banners and other party equipment. She''s celebrating that she''s taken the barony from her dead brothers. Kelly and Sally could''ve been great friends in a different life. One where Kelly wasn''t the son of the man who enved Sally, and Sally being enved in the first ce. Take away all that, and you have two simr people. Very strong and independent women who aren''t afraid of challenges. Be they mental, physical, or emotional. Sally overcame hers, and I''m betting that Kelly had simr moments in her life as well. One where she had to ovee great pain. After all, I can tell her mother is dead. Anyone who''s lost a mother has a certain look. I know it because I had it every time I looked in the mirror before I made my wish. "I''ll keep those words in mind. I know you''ll do better than the rest of your family. Remember how many people you are helping. It''ll help you sleep at night." She acknowledges my words, and I turn to leave. Finishing all the business with Kelly. We''ll both hope never to see each other again. Chapter 270: Splitting up again I

Chapter 270: Splitting up again I

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Now that I have the information in the crystal ball, I can start up the Fighting the Disease quest. Well, it''s already started. I activate the crystal ball, and I begin reading the information. I want to give it a look over as I do. There are names, locations, and ount numbers. People who are threats to the business and officials who''ve been bribed. As I read the information, I keep getting notifications updating me on changes to the Fighting the Disease quest. I stop reading some of the information, and I open up the quest. [Fighting the Disease] [Description: Sally wishes to find and root out all the evil and corrupted people tied to the James Barony.] [Objective 1: Once in thend held by the James Barony, try and find connections that the Barony has to other ve traders.][Completed] [Objective 2: Kill or imprison all people that you find out about][In progress] [Objective 3: Eliminate the key figures in the ve trade and destroy their power bases.][In Progress] [Objective 4: Kill or imprison Erwin Beloc and destroy all his connections in hisnd][In progress] [Objective 5: Kill or imprison Maximas Leo and destroy all his connections in hisnd][In progress] [Objective 6: Kill or imprison the Treasurer, Arnold Franklin, of The Kingdom of Pleer for epting bribes for the ve trade.][In progress] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards: Unknown] [Note: This quest is directly tied to Sally''s Past and meets the same condition of being at the legendary in difficulty.] No wonder the James family was able to get away with so much. They had a Treasurer of The Kingdom of Pleer in their pocket. In the kingdom in which we reside right now, there is still even more information to go through. I continue reading the crystal ball, and the quest Revenge Against the Elven Kingdom has also been updated. The reason it''s been updated is that there is a mention of the Orvello family, which is Sally''s family. Apparently, the Orvello Matriarchs arranged the abduction, resulting in Sally''s mother''s very and rape. [Revenge Against the Eleven Kingdom] [Description: Now that Sally''s Revenge against the James family has beenpleted, the hardest quest regarding Sally''s past is about taking Revenge against The Elven Kingdom.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will bring up getting revenge against the elves and the Orvello family. (Hint: This will ur during the time of Fighting the Disease quest.)][In progress] [Objective 2: You can either hide the information found about Orvello and her mother from Sally, or you can tell her. Each choice has a different impact on her feelings towards you and her family. (Hint: You have until Sally brings up getting revenge against the elves directly. So if you intend to tell her, do it as soon as possible.][In progress] [Reward: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] The elves are getting crueler and crueler the more I learn about them. How could a family do something like that? To their own flesh and blood. The question is, what do I do? If I tell Sally, she''ll likely want to head straight for The Elven Kingdom. That''ll put our mission of Fighting the Disease on the back burner. On the other hand, I don''t want to keep this from her. It''s very important, and it reveals truths that she didn''t even know were hidden. My question is, why did the Orvello family do this! It makes zero sense. As I think that, I get a new notification. I open it, and it''s a new quest. [Dark Truths] [Description: Find out why the Orvello family has forsaken and doomed both Sally and her deceased mother. Revenge Against the Elven Kingdom is directly tied to this quest. So the more youplete and figure that quest out, the more this quest will develop and change with it.] [Objective 1: Once inside The Kingdom of The Elves, locate the Orvello family. Once you have this information, bring it to Sally. (Hint: Sally doesn''t know where the location of her family is since she''s never met them.)][In progress] [Objective 2: This quest will be affected by whether you tell Sally about her mother and the betrayal. So if you want this quest to progress, it''s wise to tell her as soon as you can.][In progress] [Difficulty: Legacy] [Rewards: Unknown] There are many new quests and things to do, but all three of them are connected somehow. This allows many opportunities to knock out multiple objectives at the same time. It seems the best move for all this is to tell Sally about the information we found. I don''t know what it''ll do to her, but I''m worried. She might get tunnel vision and want to head straight to the elven kingdom and handle all that. However, we can''t be reckless about this, and that isn''t all we have to worry about. Wars are going on, and there is a chance that we could end up dragging innocent people in. The top family''s and powers in the elven kingdom should be punished but knowing them and the elves. They''ll use the innocent as a shield. I''m not into killing innocent people, but if they leave me, no other choice. I''ll do it, but that doesn''t mean Sally will. I don''t even know how she feels about elves in general. The only elves she''s experienced are the ones who''ve betrayed her, and she doesn''t even know it. Her mother died before she could even be old enough to remember her. This is going to get reallyplicated really fast. As Cera continues his walk to meet up with his twopanions, developments are happening in both the capital of the Pleer Kingdom, the city of Pleer. As well as The Elven Kingdom. The elven queen sent spies to the Pleer Kingdom to search for and watch yer Zern and Sally. Today she''s getting their first report back, and the elven queen is in direct contact with the king of Pleer. The queen is sitting in the private meeting room and looking at the nervous king. They are here to discuss her spy''s findings. I stare at the old king of Pleer. My spies havee across lots of information in the small amount of time they''ve been searching. It turns out that yer Zern and the half-breed girl are, in fact, in the kingdom of Pleer. What''s more, is the king also knew. Learned it via a letter from Kelly James. A noblewoman in the area that yer Zern and Saliandra are in. He isn''t obligated to inform me, but now his kingdom has the full attention of the elves. Which isn''t good for him, and he knows that too. So hopefully, he shares anything he knows and answers my questions. He fidgets a bit, and I take a small breath. "Did you know that yer Zern and Saliandra are in your kingdom at this very moment?" He hesitates but slowly nods his head. "Were you aware of how important yer Zern is to the elven kingdom?" He nods his head again, and this time he seems a little annoyed. "Do tell why you didn''t immediately inform us of this? I understand that you aren''t obligated to, but there could''ve been massive rewards in it for you. Now you''ve just gained my suspicions." He stays calm, and I see him growing tired of this. Before I can continue asking, he does something no one has ever done before. He flips me off and turns off the holocall. I don''t know what to do... I''m at a loss for words. I''ve never in my many centuries as queen ever been so tantly disrespected. "SON OF A BITCH!!! RAAAAA!!" I get up with a scream and crush the magical holocaller with my fist. My rage is quickly growing, and I have no idea how to calm it down. All I can see is his annoyed face and him flipping me off. Then to follow it up, he turns the holo call off. The scene ys over and over in my head. I stand up and leave the room. I need to blow off some steam. I stomp through the halls of my pce, and there are small cracks in the white marble flooring as I do. Everyone that''s ahead parts and waits for me to pass. I make it to my office, and I head straight for my door. I pull out a piece of paper and begin to write orders down to my spies. If he wants to y it like this, then so be it. I''ll show him why you don''t mess with me or my kingdom''s affairs. My orders are to find and locate weaknesses in the king''s pce and guard patrols. Chapter 271: Splitting up again II

Chapter 271: Splitting up again II

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} The inn that we agreed to rent for the night is up ahead. They''re already there and waiting for me. I''m betting Hailey had to pay way more than she wasfortable with. I''m d she isn''t traveling alone, and I''m also d that she has a magical beast to keep herpany. Emerald, the green striped tiger cub in her backpack, will mature into a powerful beast. One that''ll be Hailey''s best friend. I see the inn up ahead, and I slowly make my way towards it. There are fewer and fewer yers in The City of James as time goes on. All of us yers are being forcefully removed or driven out. Tonight is ourst night here. So it won''te to that for us. It''s good that Hailey has money cause I''m all out of gold. The next time I''m in a city, I''ll need to stop by the bank to pick up my shares from the shop. They should''ve umted intorge sums by now. I walk up to the inn''s door, and I open them. Once inside, I''m greeted by many scowls and frowning faces. "You''re not wee here." Almost immediately, and drunk man at the bar begins talking to me. He is looking rough. His hair is all disheveled, and his face is covered by rough stubble. His eyes are red and puffy from crying. I ignore him and keep my hood up. I walk up to the counter of the bar, and the bartender is looking right at me. He, too, isn''t pleased I''m here. "There were two women who came in here earlier. Their my friends and I''m here to meet them. Can you tell me where they are?" The bartender looks at me and has a sense of disgust about him. I''m a few inches taller than most people here, but that isn''t intimidating the really disgruntled people. Before the bartender can tell me anything, the drunk middle-aged man next to me stands up and tries to shove me. To his and everyone''s surprise, I don''t budge, and he goes flying to the ground from the force bouncing back on him. I look at him, and I can''t help but pity the man. He probably lost loved ones, a wife, a child. Maybe both. He gets up in a furry and pulls a dagger out. Nobody is going to stop him cause they, on some level, agree with his actions. "RRAAHHH!!" He lunges at me and tries to stab me in the heart. The de immediately shatters as it can''t break through my defense and skin. He drops the handle and looks at me in rage. He''s intent on hurting me. The most desperate act is next. He sees my de in its sheath and grabs the handle. As soon as she does, he has a look of doom on his face, and he faces to his knees. The Witness has a strange effect on people who are weak or not me. I watch the man wet his pants, and a horrid smelles through the bar. He shit himself too. The Witness didn''t take too kindly to being touched. I look down at the man, and he starts weeping, and I can tell it''s not because of The Witness. He''s crying about something else. "ALMIGHTY FATHER CURSE ALL YOU NEW PEOPLE!!! YOU''RE THE REASONS MY FAMILY IS DEAD NOW!!!" I suspected right. As he screams out at the top of his lunges. Many look down and cringe, and others begin having tears fall themselves. The reality of us being in their world is beginning to show. We are growing strong and at a fast rate. Eventually, no native of Gaia will be able topete. Not an ordinary one. There are still very strong natives out there. The top adventurers in the adventurers guild and other reclusive NPC''s exist. Ones that can''t be killed easily. I know I''m the strongest yer, and I can kill any mortal NPC. However, multiple legendary ss wielders ganging up on me can mean my first death. Be them yers or NPC''s. "Listen, what has happened here today is our fault." Everyone looks towards me as I say that. "However, there are bigger problems than us new people. Your people are constantly warring and are in the middle of a great war." Everyone is silent as I speak. I''m not trying to make excuses, and I''m not trying to downy the damage that our presence has done. "We are capable of things for your wars that you''re not. We can fight and be killed. Thene back and continue fighting. Us being here is saving your people even more death. Think about the other side too. Not just the problems we bring, but also the ones we solve." Many don''t know if they should talk or stay quiet. Many want to retort, but they can''t find the right words. Knowing that my words are true makes it hard. The drunk man stands up with pants full of piss and shit and walks out of the inn defeated. Not physically, but emotionally and mentally. To him, he''s lost all his reasons to live. I turn back to the bartender, and he tosses me a key. "Their upstairs, second room on the left." I nod my head and make my way towards the stairs. I slowly climb them, and as I do, I hear people begin to whisper to themselves. I make it to the door, and I use the key. Not bothering to knock, and as I open the door and walk-in. Sally and Hailey are sitting at a table and talking. Sally gets up andes over, she immediately hugs me, and this is a moment when men know that they have someone that truly loves them. "I take it everything went well?" As Sally continues to squeeze me. Hailey is curious about what I found. I give her a serious look and nod for her to head out of the room to give us some privacy. She takes the hint and leaves. I need to tell Sally all the information I''vee across. Well, more like show her. Sally pulls away from me as Hailey exits the room, and she looks up at me with a confused look. I grab her shoulder, and I create some distance between us. "There is something I learned from the information. Something rted to you and your mother. I want you to know that it''s going to make you hurt and be angry." She looks at me in slight fear. She has no idea what the information I found entails. I pull out the crystal ball from my inventory, and I hand it to her. "Take as much time reading it as you need, and it''s going to be okay with whatever reaction you have." She looks at the crystal ball in hesitation, but I make my way over to the table. I take a seat, and I walk. Sally activates the crystal ball and begins reading. It''s going to take her a bit to get to the section about her mother and her family and the elven kingdom. I lean my head in my hand as I prop my elbow on the table. She''s going to be in a state of severe sadness, then incredible rage as she reads that. It''s not something that should be hidden, and with all three quests tied to her knowing the information, it''s the obvious choice to make. Even if that means we have to put Fighting the Disease on the backburner. After a couple of minutes, I watch her eyes widen and move her head closer to the crystal ball. She starts shaking, and I watch tears begin to fall. Her chin starts quivering, and little soft whimpers of pain escape. She stops reading and lets the crystal ball drop on the ground. Luckily, it didn''t break. She falls to one and has a hard time catching her breath. I stand up from my chair, and I make my way to her side. I ce my right hand on her shoulder, picking up the crystal ball with my left. I ce it back in my inventory. I have new notifications, but those can wait. Before I can even say anything, she jumps into my arms and hugs me. I hear her cry out in pain in my ear, and I hug her and rock her side to side. "They sold her... They sold my mom..." The pain in her words makes my heartache and my own hate and rage burn. Sally doesn''t deserve this. No one does. I slowly rub the back of her head, and she continues crying. "How could they... To their own family... To their own child..." She speaks between gasps of pained breathing and crying. I just let her cry and hug me. That''s what she needs right now. Chapter 272: Splitting up again III

Chapter 272: Splitting up again III

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally''s crying and whimpers begin to slow down, and it''s been about 20 minutes of none stop crying. She''s gonna want to take a nap after this. Taking naps after long drying sessions is something everyone does. I pick her up in my arms, and I carry her to the bed. Iy her down, and she has nearly silent sobs ringing out. "I don''t know what you''re going through, Sally... I''m not going to pretend I know what you''re going through... You can rely on me, though. You can ask me for anything." She looks at me, and her chin is scrunched up. I reach out and wipe the tears away from her eyes, and I try to clean her face. "Thanks... I''m really grateful to have you, Cera..." I sit at her side as she slowly falls asleep. After a few minutes, she''s out cold. A tremendous amount of stress on the mind can make you tired. So tired, the next thing you do is sleep. I''m torn up on the inside. Seeing the one, you love in massive pain like this is unbearable. I feel insignificant and inferior not being able to help. How selfish of me... Making this about how I feel when it''s about how Sally feels. I can''t help but smack myself in the head. "I take it everything has calmed down?" I hear my sister''s voicee from behind me, and I turn to see her standing in the doorway. I nod my head, and she looks at me with a form of pride. "You picked one that I never would''ve expected, little bro. From what I''ve seen, she''s a great woman who''ll make you happy. All she needs is a little healing and a lot of love. Or is it the other way around?" We both chuckle as this is the first time that she''s talked to me about girls in, well, forever. I stand up and walk over to the table. Leaving Sally to rest. I wave for her toe over, and she sits across from me. "I was able to get the information essed, and what I''ve read so far isn''t pleasant. It''s repulsive, actually, and I feel bad that you also have to read it." I pull the crystal ball out of my inventory and hand it to her. "If we are going to be meeting up at a location, we''ll need to discuss which target to go after. Once you speak with Jasmine, you cane and join us." Who knows, maybe she''ll even bring Jasmine along with her. She activates the crystal ball and begins reading the information herself. I watch as her expressions change, depending on what she''s reading. After a few minutes, she gets to the part that''s about Sally and the Orvello family. She cringes and has to turn it off. "No wonder she was crying so hard... If I had a life like this, I would''ve taken my own life long ago... She''s much stronger than I thought..." Sally has a will that I''ve never seen before, and in my personal opinion, it''s greater than mine. She''s been through so much and still hasn''t given up. Now she''s thriving and getting what she needs. Hailey continues reading, and I notice that she''s interested in some names on the list too. She''s likely seeing that the Treasurer of the Pleer Kingdom is aware of everything and is letting it happen. She looks at me and wants to talk, but I hold up my hand. "Just tell me which one of the targets we''ll meet up at." She nods her head, indicating that she''ll be meeting with us. She tells me the first of the targets is the one she''ll be meeting us at. "When are you heading out?" She looks down in small disappointment. The next thing I know, Emerald pops her head out of her backpack. The green tiger is cute, and it''ll melt the heart of any animal lover. "I think tomorrow morning will be good. We can leave at the same time." Sounds like a good n to me. "Can I ask you something, Cera?" That''s a little unexpected, but I see no problems. I nod my head, and she takes a breath. "Did you know all of this would happen?" My heart drops for a second. I figured she''d question me about it some time. She''s just as smart as me. "You seemed so prepared for everything... Like you knew what to do and when to do it. It''s strange..." I sigh, and I stare at her. She''s waiting. The longer I stay silent, the more confirming her suspicions I be. "It''s a long story, Hailey. One that we don''t have time for right now, but I''m not going to deny or confirm any of your questions right now. When we do talk about this stuff, I want it to be with the whole family." She stares at me hard but gives up, seeing that it''s not affecting me. "I''m not sure if we''ll ever see mom, dad, and Marcus again, but if we are a whole family again. I''ll answer any questions you have." I''m doing this is to buy me time cause the truth is dangerous. I changed the future with my actions, got us trapped in this world, abandoning earth. Costing billions of lives. I bounce between being guilty and not guilty. Trying to bnce the guilt and chaos in my mind. It weighs heavily on me. The life and old future I had, and the wish toe back in time. If I knew the repercussions to my choices could''ve been this drastic, I never would''ve made the one I made. She leans back in her chair and sighs. She closes her eyes and rxes. Silence is the thing we need right now, and I''m d she''s got the same thing in mind. I open the notifications from earlier. Now that I have some time to. [Revenge Against the Eleven Kingdom] [Description: Now that Sally''s Revenge against the James family has beenpleted, the hardest quest regarding Sally''s past is about taking Revenge against The Elven Kingdom.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will bring up getting revenge against the elves and the Orvello family. (Hint: This will ur during the time of Fighting the Disease quest.)][In progress] [Objective 2: You can either hide the information found about Orvello and her mother from Sally, or you can tell her. Each choice has a different impact on her feelings towards you and her family. (Hint: You have until Sally brings up getting revenge against the elves directly. So if you intend to tell her, do it as soon as possible.][Completed] [Objective 3: When Sally wakes up, ask her how she''s feeling.][In Progress] [Reward: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Dark Truths] [Description: Find out why the Orvello family has forsaken and doomed both Sally and her deceased mother. Revenge Against the Elven Kingdom is directly tied to this quest. So the more youplete and figure that quest out, the more this quest will develop and change with it.] [Objective 1: Once inside The Kingdom of The Elves, locate the Orvello family. Once you have this information, bring it to Sally. (Hint: Sally doesn''t know where the location of her family is since she''s never met them.)][In progress] [Objective 2: This quest will be affected by whether you tell Sally about her mother and the betrayal. So if you want this quest to progress, it''s wise to tell her as soon as you can.][Completed] [Objective 3: Once you ask how Sally feels, she''ll want to talk about her family and what to do.][In progress] [Difficulty: Legacy] [Rewards: Unknown] Fighting the Disease quest is unchanged, but Dark Truths and Revenge Against the Elven Kingdom have. I''ll have to wait for Sally to wake up. I find it strange that the updates to the quest knew she would fall asleep. An unexined quirk to the quest system that nobody could ever discern. That''s because back then, no one knew this was a separate world with actual gods. "How do you think mom and dad are doing? Marcus has to be bored without us there." Hailey suddenly asks me a question I don''t think about often enough. Marcus and dad are probably fine, but mom... She''s a little out there when ites to us¡ªher children. "I''m betting mom is driving dad and Marcus crazy. You know how she is and how worried and protective she can be. It''s funny thinking about dad having to take the brunt of her mood swings." We bothugh at the thought of momically beating up dad. Mothers and fathers are the real heroes, and I''m proud of my parents. We aren''t the perfect family, but we''re far from a bad family. We''re ordinary, with problems and quirks. I needed this... To remember them. Chapter 273: Splitting up again IV

Chapter 273: Splitting up again IV

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} As Sally sleeps and Cera and Hailey continue talking, there is much happening in the capital city of Pleer. The king is discussing important ns with his nobles and military leaders. Why, you may ask, because he knows that the elven queen holds grudges and isn''t going to take the disrespect from the king of Pleer. As all full-blooded elves think, he knows that retaliation ising. Be it an assassination attempt or a political subterfuge. The king of Pleer is a wise leader, and while he is old now, his mind is still bright and sharp. I curse this old body of mine. I''d give almost anything to have my youth back. To fight alongside my men in battle, to lead them at the front. Instead, I''m confined to this castle, and I''m stuck talking and nning for things that I used to handle with my sword instead of my words. There is nothing more emascting than losing what makes you a man and to me. That''s the ability to fight and defend my people andnd in battle. "My King, what do you suggest we do about the elven spies all over the capital? They''re obviously probing for weaknesses in our defenses." One of my generals speaks. I look at the reports and understand while there won''t be a direct conflict with the elves, there is going to be a problem. The actions of disrespect I took against the elven queen were in retaliation to the disrespect she had for me. Telling me how to treat people in my kingdom, citizen or not. "You all know why there is a scuffle between us and the elves?" I ask the room the main reason for all of this, and everyone exchange looks. Most of them know, but others are a little lost. "yer Zern is in my kingdom." The people who didn''t know look up with surprise and know why there are problems now. It''s no secret that the elves are after yer Zern. The church made an empty promise of promising yer Zern in marriage to one of the elven princesses. They are looking to consecrate their bloodline and actually make it divine. It''ll not just be in words anymore but in fact. "I have no intention of reaching out and contacting yer Zern, and I have no intention of being pushed around by the elves. So what we''re going to do is purge her spies from my capital city." That''ll send a message to her, and it''ll show yer Zern I will not cooperate with the elves. He may never know, but it makes little difference. The elves are a powerful people, but everything has a weakness, be it a person, an object, or physical or mental fault. The elven queen''s faults are in great supply, and all we have to do is exploit a few of them to get her out of my kingdom. "I''ll get the magical surveyed ready as soon as possible, My King. We''ll have the elven spies routed shortly." I''m d that my allies can piece my n together. I grow tired of having to exin everything to everyone. I''m grateful for such great subjects. While this is happening in the capital city Pleer, the opponent to the king of pleer, is nning things herself. The elven queen is no idiot, and she knows her spies will be found and made an example of. She has so many spies. She can toss them away like tissues. She''s sitting with her two daughters and sipping from sses of tea, special tea created from The Eternal Forest. It''s poisonous to all other creatures, but to elves, the tea is the most vorful drink ever to sip. She has a calm exterior, but inside. The queen is festering. She holds grudges, after all. I look at my two beautiful daughters, and my anger is quelled for a second. They have traces of their wonderful father in them. I wish he were here to help me through some of the current problems our kingdom faces. The room we''re in is covered in marvelous decorations and brings on an extremely elegant feeling when sitting in it. It makes me feel better, in a way. "Mother, you have been awfully quiet." My firstborn makes an observation. She has the rightful im to the throne, but that doesn''t mean her sister doesn''t have a im altogether. The n to decide who inherits the elven kingdom wasplex, something I came up with on the spot. Whichever one of my daughters sessfully seduced yer Zern would inherit. The other will remain a princess. "I''d like to discuss an important matter, one regarding yer Zern." They both put their full attention on me. I have already told them about thepetition. I have another thing to discuss about yer Zern. Something that I''ve been ignoring. "As you two know, he''s traveling with a half-breed." Both my daughters react in a way of disgust. There is much turmoil and hate for any elves of mixed blood. It corrupts the purity of the elven blood hence why most are banished. "Saliandra is the daughter to the firstborn daughter of the Orvello house. She was to be wed to your brother originally, but that fell through." That''s putting it lightly. If she married my son, then there''d be a whole different discussion of who''s ruling. My son is in exile himself and is nevering back. After what happened to his beloved, he lost faith in our ways. I don''t know where he is... Both my daughters set down their tea and sit up straight. "The Orvello family is extremely important to our kingdom. Their vast wealth and resources make it imperative we see to their requests. The first of their requests in a very long time is the return of Saliandra, alive and unharmed. I want to hear your ideas and thoughts on this. As one of you will be a future queen, there needs to be a discussion like this. I need to see how well you n and lead." They nod their heads and proceed to tell me ideas on how to handle this situation. While this is happening in the elven kingdom, back in The City of James, Sally is starting to wake up. It''s been a few hours, and after all the mental stress she underwent, she needed a nap to recharge her energy. Cera is sitting at the table with Hailey, talking with her. He looks over to the bed and sees her stirring around and slowly getting up. Cera stands up from his seat and walks over to the edge of the bed as Sally leans up. She cleans the gunk out of her eyes and slowly looks around. She sees Cera''s face and smiles. I look at Sally and see her bright and beautiful smile. She must think that what happened was a dream. The horrible truth that she learned. "I had the worst nightmare of my life... You should''ve woken me up... Did you get the information?" She has blocked out most of what happened. To the point in time, I came back with the crystal ball. I ce my hand on her shoulder and bring her to my side. "What''s wrong? You make it sound like it''s not good." I don''t know how to handle this, but I''m going to have to. I have to do what a man does. I look her deep in the eyes, and I take a small breath. "It wasn''t a dream, Sally... What happened really happened..." I watch her reaction go from a good mood to a horribly sad one. She''s on the verge of tears again, and I quickly wrap her in a hug. She wraps her arms around me and sobs into my chest piece. "I''m so sorry, Sally..." That''s all I can really say. I don''t want to tell her anything other than that. I look over to Hailey and nod my head for her toe over. She does, and she hugs Sally from the otherside. After a couple of minutes, the crying stops, and I let go of her. She lifts her head, and I see a look of rage and anger. "I want to end them! We are going to The Elven Kingdom!" As she says that, two of my quests get updates to them. I don''t look at them just yet. There will be a moment to look at them in a bit. Right now, Sally needs my full attention. This means Hailey''s n to meet up with us regarding the vers has changed. I''ll discuss that with herter. Sally stands up, and I can feel the shift in her aura, her mood. She''s changed. Chapter 274: Splitting up again V

Chapter 274: Splitting up again V

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally''s look of determination says a lot, and now that a horrible truth has been revealed to both of us. I agree with her feelings. It looks like Revenge Against the Elven Kingdom is our priority. "When can we leave?" Sally wants to leave as soon as possible. I look at her and shake my head. I exin that we can leave first thing tomorrow morning. I still have to alter ns with Hailey. Before I do any of that, I''ll have to see the updates to the quests. I stand up, and I make my way over to the table in the room. I take a seat and wave for both of them toe over. The first to get up is Sally, and she quickly takes the seat next to me. Hailey soon follows and joins us at the table and sits across from Sally and me. "There is something that I want both of you to know before we make any ns." My serious demeanor and tone grab their attention. "When we do this, we''ll be taking on one of the most powerful kingdoms in all of Gaia. I know Sally doesn''t have any second thoughts, but if you don''t want to be a part of our attack on the elves, I''ll understand." This statement is directed at Hailey. Taking on the elves isn''t an easy undertaking. It''s something that should be seriously considered. Once people learn that I''m involved, things will getplicated too. To the vast majority of people, I''m supposed to be above fighting and seeking an end to the great war happening. Once they learn that I''m involved with attacking one of the biggest contributors in the great war, opinions of me will change. While the most devoted followers of the church won''t question my actions. Themon people are the ones who are less educated about the bigger picture and the evilmitted by theserge kingdoms. Hailey takes time to consider my words. Knowing they''re true is helping. She has people that depend on her, people she cares about. The type of people she doesn''t want getting dragged into fights like this. "I will be helping you in this fight, but you have to promise me that you''ll help protect Jasmine when I bring her with me. She''s my best friend, and if she dies, she''s noting back as we do..." A grim reality that we have to face constantly. The people we are growing close to are not immortal as we are. If they are killed, they stay dead. I can protect Jasmine to a degree, but if she does anything reckless or stupid. I can''t help her. "I can do that, Hailey. As long as she isn''t dumb and gets into trouble constantly, then I have no problem helping protect her. I doubt I''ll ever get the chance with you watching over her, though." She smiles and nods her head. It looks like Hailey will be joining us. "I have to check something in my interface really fast." Hailey understands what I''m talking about, but Sally doesn''t. It''s something that only us yers, or new people, have. I look at the updates to the two quests. [Revenge Against the Eleven Kingdom] [Description: Now that Sally''s Revenge against the James family has beenpleted, the hardest quest regarding Sally''s past is about taking Revenge against The Elven Kingdom.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will bring up getting revenge against the elves and the Orvello family. (Hint: This will ur during the time of Fighting the Disease quest.)][Completed] [Objective 2: You can either hide the information found about Orvello and her mother from Sally, or you can tell her. Each choice has a different impact on her feelings towards you and her family. (Hint: You have until Sally brings up getting revenge against the elves directly. So if you intend to tell her, do it as soon as possible.][Completed] [Objective 3: When Sally wakes up, ask her how she''s feeling.][Completed] [Objective 4: Head to The Elven Kingdom''s Capital City, Zernox.][In progress] [Objective 5: Make the royal family and nobles pay for their transgressions against Saliandra. How you do this is up to Sally. So listen to her.][In Progress] [Reward: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] The capital city of the Elven Kingdom, Zernox. I''ve never been there personally, but I heard it''s a beautiful sight. It will be hard getting into the elven kingdom, let alone the capital and the royal family. I could say that I want to see the royal family using my identity as The Son of Michael. However, how this quest is done is up to Sally. This means that I have to do it her way, and I''m perfectly fine with that. Even if it might take longer, my idea might not even work. Sally is in charge of this quest, and that means I have to listen to her. [Dark Truths] [Description: Find out why the Orvello family has forsaken and doomed both Sally and her deceased mother. Revenge Against the Elven Kingdom is directly tied to this quest. So the more youplete and figure that quest out, the more this quest will develop and change with it.] [Objective 1: Once inside The Kingdom of The Elves, locate the Orvello family. Once you have this information, bring it to Sally. (Hint: Sally doesn''t know where the location of her family is since she''s never met them.)][In progress] [Objective 2: This quest will be affected by whether you tell Sally about her mother and the betrayal. So if you want this quest to progress, it''s wise to tell her as soon as you can.][Completed] [Objective 3: Once you ask how Sally feels, she''ll want to talk about her family and what to do.][Completed] [Objective 4: Once the Orvello Family is located. Take Sally to them so she can question them and get answers that she needs.][In Progress] [Objective 5: Get the Orvello family''s location while in the capital elven city of Zernox. How this is done is up to you.][In progress] [Difficulty: Legacy] [Rewards: Unknown] There is going to be a lot to do regarding Dark Truths. Finding the Orvello family will beplicated, and that also means that it''s going to consume even more time. Time we might not have, not with so many wars happening or starting up. "Okay, once you are done getting Jasmine, meet us at the southernmost border to The Elven Kingdom. We''ll meet up there. It''s going to be a pain crossing the borders. They take the security of their kingdom very seriously." Hailey nods her head and leans back in her chair. We now have a n of action, and once we are done with all of this, we can start working on the Fighting the Disease quest. It''s going to be a while before we get to work on it, though. "For now, let''s just enjoy this time together. We''ll be reaching the southernmost border before Jasmine and you. So once we get there, we''ll wait in the city attached to the border. We''ll keep a low profile, and most stay in a room in an inn. Once you and Jasmine catch up, check the inns in the town." The final things have been taken care of. I look at Sally, and I can see that she has to use all her will to resist going right now. I reach over and wrap my arm around her shoulders. I scoot her closer in and give her a side hug. "Don''t worry, Sally. We''ll make them pay, and nothing is going to stop that." She looks into my eyes, and I keep a calm confidence. Reassuring her that my words her true. She sighs and closes her eyes. She leans her head against me, deciding to rx until tomorrow when we leave. I look over at Hailey, and I can see she has an amused look. I''ve never been an affectionate person, so doing this in front of her must be a curiosity to her. "Should I leave you two lover bird alone?" I clench my jaw in frustration, leave to her to make it awkward. I nce at Sally, and even with her eyes closed, she has a spreading blush. I look at Hailey and make sure she knows that I''m upset. She puts her hands up in mock surrender. I swear when she gets a boyfriend. I''ll make sure I embarrass her plenty. That is if she can get a boyfriend. If she''s even interested in boys anymore. Who knows, maybe she''s gotten sick of them. "I''ll leave you too alone." She suddenly stands up and leaves the bedroom. Leaving Sally and me alone. I feel her ce her hand on my knee. Chapter 275: Splitting up again VI

Chapter 275: Splitting up again VI

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally might be taking Hailey''s words literally. I know Sally. I know that she doesn''t want to do anything more than what we are right now, which is cuddling, not after what''s happened. "Don''t listen to her. My sister doesn''t know anything about rtionships. She''s never held a rtionship together for too long. " I say it as more of a joke. Sally chuckles lightly, and I''m happy to see she''s smiling a little now. "I know that this is all hard on you. Remember that you have people on your side. I''m on your side, Sally. There isn''t anything we can''t do." I''m doing my best to speak from the heart. She leans her head on me and stays quiet. "I''m really grateful that I ran into you at that inn. My life has changed so much after that day, all of it for the better. Thank you for helping me, and I love you, Cera..." We have our moments, the chances that we can talk like this, in private. "I''m really d that I got to meet your sister. I didn''t think you two would be so different... While you''re both powerful, your personalities are far apart." I''ll take that as apliment. My sister is unique in her own way. All of us kids are different. The City of James will be a distant memory one day, but neither of us will forget getting Sally her revenge. My revenge. It''s my revenge cause they caused the one I''vee to love incredible pain, suffering. "Wait until you meet my little brother and parents. We''re a diverse family. None of us are really simr. It makes it interesting." Now that I think about it, my family is so weird. You might say it''s unnatural. Sally stands up from the chair beside me and walks over to the biggest window. She looks out into the city. Seeing its destruction and rebuilding. I stand up and join her. I know we''ve done a good thing. With our actions, we''ve freed so many people from suffering here. There is still work to be done with Fighting the Disease, but it''s okay to enjoy this victory. "Why do you think they did it... Why they did that to my mom..." I wrap my arm around her and try to make her feel better. There isn''t a way to know that, not for me. I couldn''t imagine going through the life Sally''s had. The dark things that are being revealed and the ones toe. She''s one of a kind, and I''m not losing her. I lean my head against hers and kiss the side of her head. "I don''t know, Sally... I can''tprehend why a family would do something like that. We''ll find out, and we might not like the answer. But we''ll know..." I know the reason is going to be for something stupid. It usually is and in reality. There shouldn''t ever be a reason to do that to a person. The elven people are different. Their ways are different. Despicable and in need of correction. How thates isn''t up to me. If there''s to be change, it has to be from within. Not forced. I can''t force an entire people to be different, and neither can Sally. We can cut the head off the dragon, though. "I want to talk to your sister. Without you. Is that alright?" While I do want to know, it''s obviously something she doesn''t want me to know. I can respect that. There are things that I don''t want Sally to know. I nod my head and leave for the door. Hailey is likely downstairs trying to get some food and something to drink. I make my way down the stairs, and I see her at a table. I walk up to her, and she lifts her head. She''s waiting for me to speak, and I don''t keep her waiting anymore. "Sally said she wants to talk to you alone. It''s my turn to be the one giving privacy." She looks at me with some surprise. She was thinking that we''ll be doing something more than talk up there, too bad, she knows nothing about rtionships. There are times when that''s not on either partner''s mind. She stands up from the stool and takes off towards the staircase. I take a seat in her chair, and I look at the bartender. I have my hood up. I put it back up on my way out of the room. He doesn''t look like he wants to talk, and I don''t want to talk either. The next thing I know, a bottle is thrown at the back of my head, and it breaks on impact. "You son of a bitch!" Another angry drunk calls out from behind me. Not the same one as earlier, but one that has probably lost a lot from the yer''s fight with the monsters. He stomps up to me as I look at him, and he balls his fist. This is bing repetitive. So, I kick the guy in the chest as he approaches, and he goes across the room andnding on some tables. I didn''t put enough strength in to kill him, only make him lost his breath and break a few ribs. "If anyone else tries anything, it''ll be much worse for them." I don''t like threatening distraught people, one suffering from the after-effects. However, I can''t deal with this all the time. I want some peace and quiet myself. Other drunks and disgruntled people help pick the man up, and they all look at me with anger. They don''t act upon it though, the difference between them and me is a cotton ballpared to a star. There''s no chance. I turn my back to them. There''s no way they can actually hurt me. Not without a legendary item, at least. "You know you''re going to have to pay for the damages to the tables." The bartender tries to get some money out of me, and I can tell from here on out, it''s going to be hard to deal with the natives of Gaia. I ignore him. I''m not really in the mood to keep dealing with this. So it''s best to ignore the world around me. It''s the least violent path I can think of. That''s if I remain unbothered, of course. Some people don''t learn. I zone out into my own world as the noise fades out. I think about all the things that Sally and I have aplished since starting together. The journey to get her ss, the dangerous one to get my Mana Aura. The events that have led us here. I think back to before I met Sally, and I''ve got to say. I was a pretty lonely dude, not knowingpanionship. The touch of a woman. It''s really surreal to see the changes that I''ve gone through and others. Hailey has changed greatly and is an amazing warrior now. She doesn''t need anyone. My thoughts drift to the rest of my family and what they''re doing right now. I''m betting dad and Marcus are having a st. Mom is doing her best not to worry about Hailey and me. My thoughts are interrupted as I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look, and it''s a guard. "This is the man refusing to pay for the damages to the table." It looks like the bartender went and snitched. He has that right, but it''s still inconvenient. The guard already knows that I''m a new person. I can tell by the look on his face. He must hate us as much as the rest of the people. He grips my shoulder, trying to induce pain. All that he receives is a hard struggle to dig his hand into my shoulder. "You''re under arrest. Come quietly, and we''ll only give you a light beating." I sigh. There are many ways to get out of this situation, and most require blood. The only thing I can think of is revealing my identity, which should get people to leave me alone. We''re leaving first light tomorrow, and it''s not like there is another non-violent solution to this situation. I stand up, and I toggle my wings on. My golden wings burst out from my back and knock over anything that gets in the way. I take my hood off and stare at the guard. "You really want to be the one to arrest The Son of Arch-Angel Michael?" There are only shocked looks all around the inn. The drunks quickly sobering up. The guard has a look of death. He immediately gets on his hands and knees and ces his head on the ground. The bartender and everyone else in the bar does the same. This was the least violent solution, and now it should be easier to keep the violent ones away. Chapter 276: Splitting up again VII

Chapter 276: Splitting up again VII

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I don''t like people bowing to me. That''s the customs of this world, though. "I understand that there is extreme prejudice against new people right now, but I''m one of them. We aren''t bad people. We don''t purposefully cause these things to happen. They''re out of our control, and we shouldn''t be punished for that." Many that are bowing right now raise their heads and look at me. Thinking about my words. They''re true, while it is our fault. It''s also not our fault. The people of Gaia might understand that one day, but it won''t be any time soon. I toggle my wings off and sit back on the seat. I face the bar, and everyone begins to stand up and slowly leave the bar. I can hear them running away and shouting that I''m in here from outside. The bartender is the only one still lift. Hees back around the counter and tries to get into the flow of work, but with me watching, he''s nervous. "I''m sorry... If I knew, I never..." He stops there as he sees my gaze. It''s better to move on from issues than to talk about them. I was never in any danger, so I don''t take any offense to it. You could say that''s arrogant pride. I have that sometimes. It''s a w of mine and something I''m working on. I hear the voices growing outside, and that means people are gathering in arge group. Mostly poor and the sick, the desperate. I hear the door of the inn creak open and the nking of armor. I turn around and see soldiers and officials from the church. They immediately bow as I make eye contact. "Your Holiness, it''s an honor and a privilege to meet you." The head of the church here begins to speak. I try to ignore all the formal and respectful greetings. I''m a casual guy and prefer casual conversations. However, this is impossible. "Quit bowing. I''m not into that sort of thing." They hesitate, but they slowly rise. Despite the churches whispering protests. "I don''t know why you''re here, so state your business." I look at them, and all I see are a bunch of men looking for an excuse to meet yer Zern, to meet me. These are hard times in The City of James. I look past them towards the open door, and I see poor people. Holding sick, waiting for me. I have time to help them. Sally and Hailey are busy talking to each other. "Your Holiness, we were hoping you could heal th-!" The random soldier who decides to speak is instantly silenced with a hard punch to the face by the squad captain. The Official from the church looks at the random soldier as if he''s the disease eating at the world. "I meant no dis!-" He''s hit again, and the captain waves for the soldier to be taken away. He was asking me if I could heal the sick that are waiting for me outside. The captain and the church official both bow in an attempt to apologize. I stand up, and I stretch my body. "I''m eternally sorry for my soldier disrespect. I''ll ept any form of punishment you give." These guys are serious. I sigh, and I roll my neck. I turn on my divine title, and the aura immediately shifts. My divine title does many different things, and notifying people I''m near is one. I watch the soldiers and people from the church look at the amazing pearlescent glowing title above my head. Saying The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, yer Zern. I toggle my wings back on, and I begin walking towards the men and women in the inn. They all freeze, thinking I''m going to do something. Instead, I walk past them, and I make my way for the exit. I make it outside the crowd of people is huge, and more are constantly joining. As soon as they see me, they get on their knees and start begging for help. Some evene forward to try and touch me. Before they can, the soldiers inside push the crowd away. "INSOLENT VERMIN!! HOW DARE YOU TRY AND TOUCH HIS HOLINESS!!" The fanatic of the church is yelling and screaming at the people that tried toe forward. I ce my hand on his shoulder, and he stops. Shocked that I''m actually touching him. "They''re just desperate for help. Leave them be." He immediately has a look of shame and looks down towards the ground. As if every reason for living has left him. I turn towards the crowd and see the desperate looks. "I''ll help whoever needs it, but I''m leaving tomorrow morning, so fetch as many people as you can. I won''t be here long enough to get everyone." It makes me feel like I''m bncing all the wrong I''ve done by helping whenever I can. I walk into the crowd and spread my wings wide. "ce all the sick and injured under my wings and in front of me." People immediately start to ce disease and crippled people under my wings. There are some scuffles on certain spots too. I use my strongest healing spell and heal all the ones under me. Their bodies are restored, and they soon wake up in perfect health. The parents rush towards their children, and the children rush for their parents. Soon more start to try to put others under my wings. There is a?problem, though. Desperate parents are soon arguing who gets to go next, whose child is healed before who. Fathers are on the brink of brawling, and mothers are on the edge of wing at one another. "Don''t worry." Everyone stops what they''re doing. "I''ll get everyone who is here and who decides to show up on time. If you''re here now, I''ll help. So please, no violence." They all stop what they''re doing. I''m doing my best to stop the fighting. More bloodshed after what''s already happened isn''t good. These people have suffered enough, no reason to be the cause for more. As Cera continues to heal the sick and crippled. Sally and Hailey are speaking to each other, and it''s a conversation that can''t involve Cera not yet. Sally is terribly scared to speak about what she want''s to speak about. While she feelsfortable with Cera and knows that she can talk to him about anything. There are still many things Sally''s afraid of Cera knowing about her. One of the things Hailey and Sally are discussing right now. Sally is doing her best to get the words out, but she is having a hard time. Her own frustration of her fear is getting to her, and she soon gets it out. Hailey is someone I can talk to about this. Cera would listen and understand. He''d support me, but I''m not ready for him to know about this yet. "So, what do you want to talk about? I can see how hard this subject is for you. Whatever it is, maybe Cera is the one you should talk to." I shake my head, and she sighs. "Well, out with it. I promise I won''t tell Cera if that is what you''re worried about." I do feel really bad for not talking to Cera about this. I fiddle with my fingers and get the courage needed for talking about this. I take a breath and level out. "I''m worried that I might be asking too much of Cera... That he''s doing everything that I want done, and I''m not reciprocating... I know that he would tell me it''s okay, but I''m not sure that this is how a rtionship is supposed to work..." I''m worried that I''m causing an imbnce in the rtionship. We''re doing so many things for me. Thest time we did anything for Cera is going to Zenith is see his mom. I have to ask Hailey about that cause they talk like they''re from the same mom, but Amelia only has one birth child. All of a sudden, Hailey startsughing out loud. "Are you seriously worried about that? Cera hasn''t told you anything about us new people, has he. How we get stronger and how we''re different." I''m not sure how to react. He hasn''t exined the way his people work... How they gain so much power so fast. Does that have anything to do with why he''s so willing to help me? So willing to do whatever I want. "Look, you have nothing to worry about. Cera is the one to exin things to you, but I''ll let you in on a little secret. We get quests that make us stronger, ones that you wouldn''t have ess to." There are more questions I have for Cera now, and I''ll have to ask him the next chance I get. Chapter 277: Splitting up again VIII

Chapter 277: Splitting up again VIII

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I finish healing the current group around me, and that should be the rest of the people. All the ones currently present, that is. I look around, and there isn''t desperation anymore, but happy smiling families. Free of suffering from disease and injury. I needed this... To reach out and help. Sometimes, taking time to help others can really help yourself. I look towards the church officials that have all gathered and their on their knees praying. To me, it''s weird and unnatural. To them, I''m the grandson of The Almighty Father. I''m divinity walking around, sharing what I have. To them, basking in my very presence is an unimaginable gift. I don''t like that they do it, but I can''t stop them. It''s wrong that they do this. I''m not as Holy as they want me to be. One day, they might all learn that. I turn around and make my way towards the Inn. I toggle my wings off, and I unequip my title. Making me look like an ordinary man. "Your Holiness, allows us to take you somewhere that is more amodating to your position." A sister of the church voices out to me. I turn and look at her. She''s got a kind voice and a pleasant face. "Mypanions are staying here. One of them already paid arge sum for the room we''re using. It was expensive, so no point in wasting it." As soon as those words leave my mouth, the guards and church members stare at the bartender who''s in charge of selling rooms. He looks at them in fear. "Don''t me him. I''m sure if he knew at the time. He would''ve been more willing to rent the room out at a reasonable price." His own hatred for yers hase back to bite him. That isn''t something he should be put to death for, so I should cover him. I walk into the inn, not bothering with continuing any more conversations. It''s been several hours since I started helping these people, and Sally and Hailey haven''te out of the room once. They''re either still talking or waiting for me to get done with everyone. It would''ve been hard to miss the noise from outside. I climb the stairs and head for the door. I open it, and Sally and Hailey are sitting across from each other. ying a regr game of cards. I bet if Sally had a deck, she''d y some of The Shattering with Hailey. I still have yet to get to mine. "What''re you ying?" Sallyys down her cards and stands up. She walks over to me and gives me a big hug. I''m hoping they were able to help Sally talk about whatever it was she wanted to talk about. "It looks like a game of 5 card draw?" I didn''t think that games from earth would appear in this new world, but we''re sure to bring some things with us. Hailey stands up and walks over to. She waits for Sally to stop hugging me. "I''m going to head out early, and I''ll meet you guys at the southernmost border of the Elven Kingdom with Jasmine." I smile at her, and she does me. It sucks that we have to split up again, but it''s not going to be forever. "You ready to go, Emerald?" She calls out to her magical beast, and the little green striped tiger cub pops its head out of the backpack and meows. "It''s been really great, Sally. I''m d that my little bro found someone he can be with." I feel a little embarrassed when she says that. Making me sound picky for no reason. I stop hugging Sally and move to hug my sister. Before she can protest, I already have her wrapped in my arms. Instead of fighting, she hugs me back. I stop after a couple of seconds and pull away. "I don''t need to tell you to be safe, sis, but watch your back out there. It''s a big dangerous world." I put a sincere tone at the end of my sentence. The original n was to have her leave in the morning, but since it''s already dark. This is fine too. I pet Emerald''s head, and Hailey turns around with a smile and leaves the room. Leaving Sally and me here all alone. I turn to her, and Sally has a bittersweet look on her face. I feel the same way. "I really hope it isn''t too long until we see her again at the city located at the border crossing." I agree with Sally on this point. We barely got to spend a day together. Now she''s already leaving again, but that''s how life works. People separate and spread out, meeting up every now and again. "She''s really awesome, and while you two don''t have much inmon. I can see the family resemnce." Sally wouldn''t say that if she knew Hailey from the old future. I walk over to the bed, and I take a seat. I''m not physically tired, but mentally I''m ready to crash into a nice deep nap. "Hailey is a great sister, and while we haven''t always agreed on certain things. We''ll always be there for one another." I look at Sally, and she stands up with a smile andes and joins me. "I''m curious to know what you two talked about, but I know that you''re not ready to talk about it. If you were, you''d have brought that up first instead of how cool my sister is." She takes on a rxed expression and leans her head on my shoulder. I don''t think she''s going to be talking, but I know she wants to. She''s just scared. "Can I ask you something?" She hits me with a question and she''s heavy with hesitation. I tell her that it''s fine. "Hailey said that the reason you''re okay with doing all these things for me is that you get something out of it too. That you somehow gain strength from it..." I take back the nice things I said about my sister. Sally is asking questions I''m not ready to answer. But I will. I''ll show her instead of telling her. I pull up the quests and make them visible to NPC''s near me. [Revenge Against the Eleven Kingdom] [Description: Now that Sally''s Revenge against the James family has beenpleted, the hardest quest regarding Sally''s past is about taking Revenge against The Elven Kingdom.] [Objective 1: When the timees, Sally will bring up getting revenge against the elves and the Orvello family. (Hint: This will ur during the time of Fighting the Disease quest.)][Completed] [Objective 2: You can either hide the information found about Orvello and her mother from Sally, or you can tell her. Each choice has a different impact on her feelings towards you and her family. (Hint: You have until Sally brings up getting revenge against the elves directly. So if you intend to tell her, do it as soon as possible.][Completed] [Objective 3: When Sally wakes up, ask her how she''s feeling.][Completed] [Objective 4: Head to The Elven Kingdom''s Capital City, Zernox.][In progress] [Objective 5: Make the royal family and nobles pay for their transgressions against Saliandra. How you do this is up to Sally. So listen to her.][In Progress] [Reward: Unknown] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Dark Truths] [Description: Find out why the Orvello family has forsaken and doomed both Sally and her deceased mother. Revenge Against the Elven Kingdom is directly tied to this quest. So the more youplete and figure that quest out, the more this quest will develop and change with it.] [Objective 1: Once inside The Kingdom of The Elves, locate the Orvello family. Once you have this information, bring it to Sally. (Hint: Sally doesn''t know where the location of her family is since she''s never met them.)][In progress] [Objective 2: This quest will be affected by whether you tell Sally about her mother and the betrayal. So if you want this quest to progress, it''s wise to tell her as soon as you can.][Completed] [Objective 3: Once you ask how Sally feels, she''ll want to talk about her family and what to do.][Completed] [Objective 4: Once the Orvello Family is located. Take Sally to them so she can question them and get answers that she needs.][In Progress] [Objective 5: Get the Orvello family''s location while in the capital elven city of Zernox. How this is done is up to you.][In progress] [Difficulty: Legacy] [Rewards: Unknown] She looks at the holographic quests in shock and then looks at me for an exnation. "Us new people have a special connection to something called the system. We can receive quests and rewards from the system, and get more power from it. Quests can be given through people, items, and ss upgrades. That''s how I got these quests. I got them from you." She looks back at the hologram and brings her hand up to it. Trying to touch it. "So... What do you think?" This is the first time she''s going to be seeing this, so I don''t know how she''s going to react. Chapter 278: Sad Discoveries

Chapter 278: Sad Discoveries

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I don''t know what Sally is thinking about learning this new information. I showed her and Amelia the stats on The Witness, but that isn''t the same as seeing this. It''s quests that are about her and rewards forpleting them. I hope that she doesn''t think the only reason I''m doing any of this is because of the rewards. "This is amazing..." I look at her in surprise. She has stars in her eyes as she reads the information about her. "There is so much information about me!" She has an excited tone, and I can say that I didn''t expect this reaction in the slightest. I''m kind of thrown for a loop here. "Revenge Against the Elven Kingdom and Dark Truths. Fitting names for them. Are the objectives that say it''s up to me urate?" I nod my head as I''m starting to get over the energy she has. "That''s so cool! I get a say in how we finish these quests! Is that why you said that I''m in charge?" I nod my head again, and she continues reading the information. "Do all new people have this? Why does it say yer''s quests at the top of the page?" I didn''t think she''d see that small detail. It''s something that is tooplicated to exin, but I can give her a rough idea. "That''s what we are called by this power, the system. We are yers. To all of you, we''re new people. Both are true, but we stille from a different world, as I exined before. How we came to be here is far tooplicated to exin but in simple terms. We created a way toe back and forth between our world and this one. That was until we got stuck, and we can''t return." She looks at me with a face wanting to ask many questions. She may not know what to ask next. I just unloaded a lot of new information on her. "This is all really awesome, Cera. I''m afraid that most of it wouldn''t be believed. I know you''re not a liar, though. I know that you''re telling me the truth and if this is what you say. Then this is the truth. I wonder who the rest of the people will react... What does the NPC next to my name stand for?" Another thing that''s too hard to exin right at the moment. The system still views the people of Gaia as NPC''s, but they''re much more than that. She''s waiting for a response, and I''m trying to find the best way to word this without confusing her. "You know how wizards and armies use golems and puppets." She slowly nods her head. Golems and puppets that are used in armies are like the traditional NPC''s that used to be used back in the 21st and 22nd centuries. "They follow a strict set ofmands, and they can''t expand more beyond that. Having limited intelligence and will. That''s what an NPC is to the system." She looks at the holographic screen with a look of being insulted. She is beingpared to a dumb soulless tool like a golem or puppet. I''d be offended, too, if someone did that to me. "Why doesn''t this system thing change that? It''s obvious I''m not like a golem or a puppet. Is this thing''s definition of a soulless entity different than ours?" That''s a great point to bring up. The system is actually marking her as a Non-yer Character, which is technically right. No native of Gaia has the same powers and ess to the system as us yers. Since I''m a yer, it will identify Sally as an NPC since she isn''t marked as a yer. She looks at me to answer her question. "Well, I might''ve half exined it to you. NPC is an abbreviation of the term Non-yer Character." She looks at me in genuine confusion. I point towards the word yer on the holographic screen, and she looks. "The system identifies me as a yer. Any creature that doesn''t have ess to the system and isn''t a yer isbeled a Non-yer Character. The system''s definition of NPC doesn''t mean you''re dumb like a puppet or golem. It means you don''t have ess to the system, and you''re not a yer." She tries her best to understand. The concept is rather hard to wrap around if you''re just being introduced to these terms. "That makes some sense. Since I''m not like you, a yer, I''m automaticallybeled as an NPC?" I nod my head with a smile on my face since she''s got the basic idea. "I''m surprised there is so much to still learn about you new people, or do you prefer yers?" We as a group don''t really mind either. No one is going to bother exining the math and science of how we got here. So there is no point in exining or correcting anything. It''s not like it''s necessary. I make the screen disappear with the wave of my hand. "Now you know more than any other person that''s native to Gaia. What do you think of all this anyway? I know it''s a lot to take in, but those are the differences between us, it was simplified greatly, but that was the basics." She stays quiet as she closes her eyes and puts her head in a tilted pose to think. She''s taken it all rather well, but some of the things that I exined are hard to ept. They''re really out there in terms of possibility to her. This world isn''t nearly as technologically advanced as earth. She opens her eyes and has a calm expression. "It answers a lot of questions that I had, and it''s also given me so many more. My main concern is your lifespan... While elves live a long time, we''re not immortal... You''re the son of an angel and a yer... For all I know, you''re going to live forever..." I don''t know how to respond to that immediately, but I get a grip, and I hug her. The reversal in age for yers does suggest something akin to longer lifespans. Even immortality. None of that has been confirmed or denied yet, so I''m not sure. I stop hugging her and pull away. I lift her head to look into mine. As we stare into each other''s eyes, Sally''s eyes wiggle a little, and her blush spreads across her face. "I''m not sure about immortality... I do know that when we die, we''re brought back. This is something that''ll be answered with time. If I am immortal, I promise that I''ll find a way to make you immortal too." I don''t like the thought of spending eternity without Sally. This is a maybe too. I don''t know if I am immortal. Nowhere does it say I''m immortal. Everything that''s happened to us yers suggests otherwise, though. Older yers sent back to their physical primes, and when we are killed in battle, all we do is revive and lose a level. "I appreciate the thought, but I''m not sure I''d want to live forever..." My blood runs cold as I hear her say that. "I''ve already over a hundred years, and sometimes I think life is overrated... After meeting you, those thoughts have changed, but I''m not sure I''d want to live past 700 years..." The exact details in elves'' lifespans vary, but many say for every one human year. It''s 10 to 20 for an elf. I''m quite speechless after hearing that. I never thought Sally wouldn''t want to live forever with me if there was a chance. I have to ask a very important question. One I''ve neglected to ask. "Sally... Have you ever thought about taking your own life... Have you ever tried..." It''s not a question I like to ask, especially with a person I''ve grown to love very much. She looks down at the floor, and tears slowly fall. That''s all the answer I need. I pull her back into a hug, and I feel like never letting her go. Sally has been suicidal in her past, and it makes sense given how hard her lives been. I rock her side to side as she slowly cries. I can''t help my own tears from welling in the corner of my eyes. The thought of Sally killing herself makes me feel empty and hollow. "I''m sorry, Sally... You''ve been through so much in your life... Thinking about something like that isn''t umon..." I don''t know what else to say. So I speak from the heart. "You should be proud, Sally. You fought those thoughts, and now look at where you''re at." She hugs me harder as I say those words. She overcame those demons in her head, and now she''s stronger than ever. Chapter 279: Leaving The City of James

Chapter 279: Leaving The City of James

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally finishes crying and peels off of me. I have to dry the tears welling in my eyes before they fall. I never thought I''d care for someone enough to cry for them other than my family. "I''m really tired... Is it alright if we sleep in before we leave tomorrow?" I nod my head and like the idea of sleeping in for a change. We both get undressed down to our underwear and hop into the sheets. She doesn''t have an inventory, so her clothes are in a pile on the floor. All I have to do is unequip. I open my arms, and sheys on my chest as I wrap on around her and leave the other at my side. Sally and I rx, and the stress of thest day is finally leaving me. We''re done, in The City of James, that is. There are even more thingsing and theirplicated quests. I''m happy that I was able to share information about my status as a yer with Sally. Teaching her why new people are different. "The trip is going to take 3 days at max speeds. The elven kingdom is very far away. We should get some actual food before we leave." I don''t mind hunting and cooking over the campfire. The only problem with that is I''m not a chef. So the food turns out pretty bad. It still fills you up, but other than that, it''s a boring taste and hard to get down. Sally doesn''t respond, and I take her silence as a sign of no more talking. I don''t have a problem with that. There are things we can discuss tomorrow after we get up. I stare up at the ceiling, and I feel the weight of sleeping down on me. My mental exhaustion has reached a level that makes me lethargic, but I''m getting some sleep. When stress constantly piles on over and over, it makes needing proper rest essential. My tired thoughts drift to Hailey. She''s probably already left the city and is on her way back to her friend Jasmine. She might''ve done the thing I''m nning to do and grabbed supplies before she left. Hailey hase so far in her power, more than I ever thought. Going out on her own was the best thing that happened to her. Giving her a push in the right direction helped, but after that. Hailey made her own choices, and now she''s seeding from it. After a few minutes of wandering thoughts, I fall asleep with Sally on my chest. While Cera and Sally sleep at the now empty inn, Hailey is just leaving thest shop she needs supplies from. Hailey, in fact, did what Cera ns to do. She''s gotten the food for the journey and is heading for the cities exit. She had a hard time getting out of the crowd around the inn, but the soldiers helped her get past. There weren''t any sick when she looked at them, only people waiting to see her brother. That''s something she has to deal with from time to time. When her identity is revealed, troublees. She is a legendary ss wielder, after all. I walk down the empty streets in the darkness, and Emerald is purring on my shoulder. Jasmine is going to be happy with the news of putting all the things happening here to an end. She''s going to be surprised to learn that yer Zern is my brother. I have yet to tell her that my little brother is the center of most of the attention from the church. Jasmine is a devoted follower of the Arch-Angel Gabriel. Once she meets my brother, she''s going to freak. In this world, he''s a part of the divinity. I know that he doesn''t like the attention. It''s who he is. I pet Emerald as she rubs her head against my cheek. She''s grown a little in thest few days. She''s gotten a tad heavier. I can feel the difference. My thoughts focus on the undertaking that is ahead of me. Taking Jasmine on such a dangerous mission isn''t my first choice, but she is strong. Jasmine and I will make a side stop on the way to the southern border of the elven kingdom. There are rumors of a powerful dungeon about a day''s trip from Jasmine''s town. Supposedly, it has a powerful ss in it. That ss is going to Jasmine. No one has been able to clear it, and it''s taken many levels from yers. I see the gate up ahead, and I calmly walk through it and see the long line from before is even longer now. I walk down the path and look at the many people waiting in line. Some of them are very sick or weak-looking. Farmers must have heard that Cera is here and hope to get into the city before he leaves. A burden of having the power Cera does. I heard rumors that he''s healed people in cities he''s stopped at. After what I saw, they''re true. He''s making the burden he carries worse. Having that much poweres with many responsibilities. One of them being the needs of others. The desperate and sick will beg for all their worth, and he won''t be able to get them all. That''s going to end up weighing on him. He knows that he can''t save everyone, but that doesn''t make things any easier. "Purrr~." Emerald''s deep purrs and constant cuddling pull me out of my thoughts. I chuckle and continue petting her. It''s been fun to see Cera, and I''m d that we''re reuniting again soon. Sally is one of a kind. I''ve never met a girl like her, so much will and love. An openness in her heart despite all the suffering she''s been through. She told me some, and I had to stop her cause I couldn''t bear to continue listening. She said that Cera knows all about her past and the horrible things done to her. Most men would keep away from women who''s been through so much, but Cera has proved different. In some way, they''re meant for each other. Cera has many secrets he hasn''t told me. Suffering that hidden, same as Sally. The pain and experiences aren''t the same, but having them has somehow created a bond. It''s something that I can only see in them. Mom and dad will have a lot of questions when they meet Sally, and most of them will being from mom. She''s going to have to give her stamp of approval before she allows her favorite to be with someone she doesn''t approve of. I look up to the stars and walk slowly on the clear path. This is all hypothetical. We may never see mom and dad again, Marcus too. It''s a big world out there, and we have no idea where they''re at. As the night passes and Hailey continues her journey, people desperately try to get into the city. Anyone nearby has left their homes with their sick and injured¡ªpeople from towns and cities all over the Kingdom of Pleer. The guards are having to reinforce the gates with troops and keep the people at bay. Mothers and fathers are on the edge of fighting to get into the city. They know this is going to be their one chance to save their children or their sick parents. The night passes, and the sun begins to rise, along with the chaos brewing outside the city. People finally breakthrough. I sit up as we''ve already slept in for an hour, but the main reason we haven''t slept in longer is because of the noise outside. People are arguing and shouting. I feel Sally wrap her arm around my torso and try to bring me back to bed. I look at her mocha white skin and the special smell I get from her. I pinch the bridge of my nose and clear my thoughts. "Looks like the people outside have different idea''s about us sleeping in..." I groggily talk in a dry voice. Sally only groans in protest. I''d think she''d be ready to leave the city as soon as possible. It''s not like that now, but knowing her, she''s putting on a strong front. "Can''t you tell them to go away? We need our sleep too..." She begins to talk in a very quiet voice. I smile and run my fingers through her hair. Her long blond hair, it''s silky and easy to move through. I stop and move to get out of bed. "Ugh, they can''t leave you alone... It sucks that this happens every time you reveal your identity anywhere..." She angrily lets out her opinion in a frustrated voice. I stand up from the bed and equip all my armor. I look at her and smile¡ªtime to help some more people. Chapter 280: Clear Skies

Chapter 280: Clear Skies

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally and I walk towards the exit after spending an hour healing people and picking up supplies for the trip. A crowd of people is following us. Sally has her hood up. I don''t. There is no need for one at the moment. The guards up ahead at the gate see meing and move out of the way. As I walk through the gate, I look at the long line still trying to get into the city. Before anyone else cane up and ask, I toggle my wings on, and I let Sally climb on my back. I flex my wings andunch off the ground, sending people tumbling back as I do. I reach the clouds and p my wings hard. I adjust to the direction that I need to be in. The fresh air and clear blue skies clear my head. I take some time to admire the passing scenery below and the rolling hills and forests as we cover distances at high speeds. Gaia is enormous and thought to be a limitless world ever-expanding thanks to magic. Exploring all of it is impossible, but that won''t stop people from trying. There is something that has been on my mind as ofte¡ªthe Dice of Wand. I stillck information on it. Even though I''m carrying it around in my inventory, I haven''t forgotten about the artifact, and I intend to learn more about it. "I feel bad for leaving those people... I can''t imagine how hard it must be on you..." Sally talks into my ear, and her words bring up a subject I don''t like to talk about. I can''t heal everyone, save everyone. I''m only a single person. My abilities can''t reach across all of Gaia. She''s waiting for a response, wanting to know how I''m feeling or what I''m thinking about this sore subject. I know they aren''t my responsibility. When you have powers and gifts like mine, you feel almost obligated to help. "I pity them, Sally... So desperate for the power of another. It reminds me of something I wish to forget..." They remind me of me. I was so desperate for power and the chance to change the future. It was pathetic. I couldn''t live with reality, cope with it. So Imitted a grave act. I changed the future by going back into the past. I stole someone else''s power. Blue Chaos is likely dead because of this. I stole another yer''s weapon. Pesticide was supposed to get The Witness, not me. In a sense, I was like them. Except I took the next step and stole what others had. Something that gave me what I needed but also branded me as a thief. No one will know this, not anytime soon. However, knowing the truth myself brings shame. "The City of James used to be far worse when I was a ve there... To me, it''s improved greatly, and I hope under the leadership of Kelly, it continues to grow..." Sally sees the good because that''s who she is. She can see the change cause she was there when it was terrible. I can learn a lot from her. Learn to move away from the past. My actions have consequences. Ones that I''ll have to pay for one day, just as the James family. "When have a long journey ahead of us, and it will be the first time either of us sees The Elven Kingdom. I know that you don''t want to talk about it, so I won''t push anything. But if you need to let some things out, I''m here." Sally is going to have a hard time there. After all the things that have been revealed, it''s hard to suppress the desire not to charge into the capital and cut the heads of the royal family. We need them alive long enough to answer our questions, though. Sally kisses the side of my head, and I p my wings hard again. "I''m feeling a cold rage inside... One I''ve never felt before... They took everything from me... I know it''s wrong to want to kill someone, but I can''t help feeling that I''ll enjoy driving my de through them..." Sally is starting to develop a dangerous habit. Bloodlust, one that I''m all too familiar with. Something I still have. Bloodlust is evil to many, but I think used in the correct way can really help the world. Sally is doing just that. Focusing her bloodlust on terrible people. Ones who have done her and others harm. We''ve done what we''vee here for, at least for now. We''ll have toe back this way for the Fighting the Disease quest, but that''s something that isn''t going anywhere anytime soon. Doing these quests for Sally is more important right now. I glide at high speeds and notice that Sally is humming in my hear. I''m not going to say anything. Enjoying it is what I want to do. The melody is calming and filled with many emotions. I can feel her love, hate, joy, sorrow. Her voice is wonderful, and it takes my mind off all my problems. As Cera and Sally travel towards their destination. The Armies of Zenith and The Dryads are meeting up for the first time. The war against the Bellvia Kingdom is going tomence soon. All the leaders are gathering to discuss where to strike first. A massive tent is made at the location of the gathered armies¡ªone filled with officers and important personnel. The armies have abined strength of 700,000 soldiers. The majority of theming from The Zenith Kingdom. The Dryads are still replenishing their forces. Jackson is talking directly with Queen Elenore. Elenore''s beauty transcends what''s been said. I sit across from her, and we are watched from all directions. The massive tent is filled with our officers and leaders. There is no hostility or a sense of awkwardness. Not between our troops or us. Instead, there is a sense ofradery, one created by the mutual hate we all share with Bellvia. The same desire to see it pay for its past and present crimes. "It''s nice to finally meet you in person, Queen Elenore. I''m sad that war was the first time we meet in person, but I''m confident in saying neither of us really mind." She smiles and nods her head. There is a steady silence. One that everyone knows will be broken with the discussions of war. "The first thing I want to say is The Horn of The Forest is ready to be used. My soldiers are ready for battle, and our healers are ready to take care of any wounded. You''re much more experienced as a leader, King Jackson. I''m not going to let my inexperience get in the way of this war. I''ll follow your lead and learn as much as I can in the process." She''s going to be an amazing Queen. Her desire to gain knowledge in the art of war is there, and she''s smart on how to gain that knowledge. I can only hope that my children will end up being as wise as her, but that''s a few years down the road. "I appreciate that, Queen Elenore. I''ll do my best to spare as many lives for both our armies. We''ve brought artillery and modern magicians, as well as a substantial amount of troops. Let us bring this war to a swift end." Bellvia isn''t going to take the war lying down. It''s going to struggle and take as many lives with it before it falls. Both from our side and its own. "The first thing we need to discuss is our target for the beginning of the war." She nods her head in agreement. A massive map is rolled along the giant table our generals, and we surround. It''s a map of Bellvia and all itsnd. "The main target for the beginning of this war is taking out their supplywork. We want to choke the armies of food and water before we actually battle. To do this, we need to secure these 8 trading routes and these 4 ports." I circle different parts of the map. "They''ll be heavily defended due to how valuable they are for the war. If we can take these, we''ll have a substantial advantage in the war." I finish the opening topic, and conversations begin. Generals aremunicating to others on who should move where. This is the beauty of a chain ofmand. I can issue the order, and the officers under me will discuss and n around this order and how to aplish it. Soon, the generals on The Dryad''s side begin talking with mine. It''s excellent to see both sidesmunicating. I look at Queen Elenore, and she nods her head with a look of gratitude. This war will only strengthen our bond with The Dryads. Chapter 281: Talks of War

Chapter 281: Talks of War

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} The war ising to Bellvia, and there isn''t anything they can do to stop it. Queen Elenore and The Dryad people have been waiting for this for a very long time. I''m going to try and guide her in the arts of war, but I''m not a genius strategist. I know how to formte ns, attack, defend. However, there are rulers out there that outss me¡ªone of those rulers being Gregory. I don''t know if he''s going to be helping Bellvia and if he is. That''s going to be serious trouble. He''s highly regarded as a master of tacticalbat, and I know I''ll lose if I go against him. The meeting is going great, and now that our Generals aremunicating, there is no longer a reason to be here. Not in the tent, that is. I stand up, and I look towards my wife. Tessa has gotten some sleep since we''re left Zenith. Not being in a ce she''s constantly getting attacked has helped her mentally. It''s also helped me too. Seeing my wife begin to look better eases my heart. The thought of Bellvia being the one that has done this to her reces that ease with a burning fury. I walk over to her and hold out my hand. She gives a tired and weak smile. She reaches up and takes it. I hold her hand, and we walk side by side as the meeting continues. We exit therge tent and head towards our private royal tent. I open the opening for her, and she walks in. I follow her in, and I take a breath of relief. "We''ll let the Generals do what they do, so let''s get some actual rest." I walk towards the bed, and I sit down on edge. Tessa joins me, and I wrap one arm around her. She leans her head on my shoulder and rxes. The bags under her eyes are beginning to get better, but they''re still there. I run my fingers through her white hair, hoping to get her to rx more. Maybe even fall asleep. "Jackson..." She slowly says my name in a tired voice. "When this is all over... Will the attacks on me finally stop... Who''s to say that Bellvia is the only one that''ll try to take me or kill me... Ever since I got this power from yer Zern''s feather, my life has been in constant danger..." I grit my teeth and hold in my fury. As a man, I want my wife to feel safe in our own home. She doesn''t feel safe and is worried that after all this. It''ll only continue with other kingdoms. I don''t know what to say... While King Jackson and Queen Tessa are in their private tent, Queen Elenore has decided to stay and watch the discussions. After all, she is new to ruling, and she wants to learn as much as she can about organizing troops, setting goals, and utilizing the chain ofmand. Many Generals are talking to one another right now, discussing ns and where to move forces. Queen Elenore is learning a lot in this meeting. The thing being, you can''t win a war alone. She''s silent and taking in every word that''s spoken. I sp my hands together and listen as two Generals from my army and Jackson''s speak. "We canbine our forces and set up blockades in these three areas, freeing up movements for the 12th and 21st divisions. That way, we can move our troops to the locations that King Jackson marked without the risks of ambush." This is the chain ofmand in action. King Jackson gave the order to capture specific targets. Now his Generals can talk and discuss with each other about how to get these targets once they''re done with these discussions. The officer in the room right now will all receive individual orders. Taking on separate tasks. "This is going to be a problem, though." One of the Generals points to an area on the mapbeled as hazardous. "Due to the constant use of magical crystals in Bellvia, once they''re broken and can''t be reused, they dump them here. While they aren''t dangerous to us or the environment. It has attractedrge numbers of monsters, powerful ones too. Hoping to feel on the tiny scraps left in the crystals." I don''t know what magic crystals are. Only that they were made long after our people were cursed. "While this area is going to prove dangerous, maybe we can use that to our advantage." I raise my eyebrow at the prospect as one of the several Generals speaks. Everyone is waiting for him to borate. "If we know this information, Bellvia does too. We can use this if we clear the monsters out of the area and dispose of the magic crystals. We''ll have a great foothold to move into the kingdom deeper. They won''t check on the ce due to it being filled with monsters." The idea is a good one, but many soldiers will die in the process. The Horn of the Forest can be of some use here, and this is a perfect chance to test the item. "I know just what we can use toplete this task." I decide to speak, and everyone turns their attention to me. "We haven''t used The Horn of the Forest yet, and I''d love to see the item in action. We''ll use The Horn of the Forest to clear out this area." My idea is well received by many in the room. The Generals begin talking and moving to different subjects fast. Solving problems at a rate, I wouldn''t. It goes to show the difference between us. I''m learning more than I hoped to, and while I don''t like the thought of sending my troops and people to die. It''s something that everyone wants¡ªrevenge against the Bellvian Kingdom. "After the trade routes are locked down, we''ll shift the 38th and 39th divisions to the city of Greenwater. Taking the port will guarantee that the forces of Bellvia suffer fromck of supplies." I understand the concept. Cutting off valuable resources that sustain armies is going to be detrimental for the enemy. After a stretch of time, they''ll run out of everything. A new tactic I''ve just learned. As the meeting continues in the tent, Bellvia themselves are having a war council in the capital. Inparison, their forces aren''t as great as thebined efforts of Zenith and The Dryads. However, they have magical technology other kingdoms don''t have¡ªmages with magic exclusive to the Bellvian Kingdom. The war is going to be anything but swift and easy for Zenith and The Dryads. King Hermon is sitting in an extravagant chair as they look at the war map. They''re discussing key locations that need to be defended. I never imagine that my time as king would turn out like this. The actions of my kingdom''s forefathers havee to bite me¡ªthe sins of so long ago bursting forth. We knew of the curse on The Dryads, and we could''ve lifted it. I decided that it was unwise because once free, they''d still want revenge and war. I did what I thought was best for my people, for my family. I have shbacks to the day that yer Zern entered the royal pce and threatened my family and me. Grabbed my precious daughter by the throat. Never has a king been so tantly attacked, too openly threatened. What could I do? He''s someone whose life is much more valuable than mine and my family. It''s humbling, you know... To be a king, and think yourself at the top of the world. Only to be shown that you''re nothing but dust in the wind whenpared to real importance. "My King, we''re going to have to give up two of the trade routes. Sacrificing two of them will allow us to reinforce the others enough. At least until the project isplete." I''m brought out of my thoughts. I look at the man who spoke to me, and I look down at the map. I sigh at the realization. There is a big chance we won''t even win this war, and I''m pondering a full surrender to save the lives of my people. I ordered the attacks on the Queen of Zenith, but I was assured that no one would find out. Gregory said that it was... Impossible... Gregory and Jackson... Enemies... Yet Gregory won''t help me, and instead, has left me to fight along after convincing me to fight. I figure something out at this moment. Gregory yed me and has caused this war. If that''s what he want''s, that''s what he''ll get¡ªa war. I''ll be sure to tell Jackson who it really was before I die. Chapter 282: Getting Close

Chapter 282: Getting Close

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} While Kings and Generals speak of war, Cera and Sally are still traveling. The trip passes, and the distance is covered. They''re getting closer to the southern border of the elven kingdom. Hailey is already meeting up with Jasmine and is likely on her way to the border herself. The night is falling on this final day, and that means it''s time to camp. Cera brings Sally and him down, and he sets up camp and a fire. The sun is quickly setting, and with it, the temperature is dropping. The two sit close to the fire and rx. Knowing that tomorrow they''re reaching the border. Sally cuddles closer to me, and I wrap my wing around her. Even though she is unaffected by the cold due to her ss, she still likes the sensation of being wrapped in my wing. I don''t mind it either. We''re camping in an open field in the middle of nowhere. The sky is clear, and the stars are shining. The earth could never give a view like this. "Do you ever wonder if we''re doing the right thing..." Sally asks me a question and breaks the calm silence. I look down and at her. She curled up in my wing and is staring into the fire. I can try and get really philosophical with my answer, but I don''t think that''s needed. "Right and wrong... It can''t be applied to your want for revenge... After everything you''ve been through, you have every right to do this." This is my personal opinion. Something that I believe. Sally is entitled to vengeance and has the right to pursue it. The rights and wrongs of society don''t concern us cause society never cared about Sally. She stays silent at my words, and I can see on her face there is a lot she wants to talk about. She''ll speak when she''s ready. I think it''s my turn to share some history on my life, get her mind off whatever''s causing her to have these thoughts. "You want to hear a story?" I ask her as I look into the fire too. She lets me know with a grumble. "Before we came to this word, us yers had visited other worlds. Some of them are simr to this world." I''m talking about how I''ve, and many other billions have yed other VRMMORPG''s. The times spent on them, in a sense, they are different worlds. She raises her head and looks at me. Having a hard time believing it. I''ve yed other games before I started ying The Ancients World. It gave me the chance to travel back in time. To be different. "We coulde and go in these different worlds as we pleased. Spend as much time as we wanted. This world is different cause we can''t return to our own." She''s fully invested in my new topic now. "In these worlds, I was a different person every time. I''d be a mage in one and an archer in another. This was before all of this." I use my hand to indicate everything around us. In these worlds, I wasn''t this powerful. These were the games I yed before I started ying The Ancients World. "How is that possible? There is no creature or God that coulde and go between worlds as they wished." She ps me with some logic, and she''s right. We made these worlds so we can y in them, so in spirit, they were never real. Everyone thought that The Ancients World was the same. She''s waiting for me to continue, and I smile at my sess in distracting her from the depressing thoughts in her head. I should pick up where I left off. I take a breath and prepare more. "You''re right, Sally. We didn''t go to worlds that already existed. We went to the ones that we had made. In a sense, you could call us Gods, but we''re far from it." We''re not really Gods cause we didn''t actually create life. I can''t find a better description for it, though. "This world was thought to have been created by us. The supposed designers imed that it was. But they lied to us, and we came to learn that it''s much more than that." She''s speechless. I don''t know if she believes the story, but it''s the truth. Sally and I have grown very close, and I''ve shared the secrets that I carry with her. The fact I''m a yer, and the differences between us. She has epted it all and never shown any signs of leaving me, but hearing this paints me in a new light. "That''s some of the history of my people and how we came to be here. There is more if you want to hear it..." She tilts her head back towards the fire. She shakes it, having heard enough for one night. My thoughts drift to Hailey and where she''s at right now. Her schedule is tighter than ours. While Cera and Sally camp out for the night, Hailey is just arriving her the city her friend is in. Jasmine is someone that Hailey has been traveling with for some time, and after growing close enough, she got a quest from Jasmine. The quest led to the same ce where Sally had spent most of her young life as a ve. Jasmine was a ve at a different point in time, long after Sally escaped. Hailey ising all this way to tell Jasmine that she got revenge for her and that they have a new mission to go on. I look ahead and see the small town that Jasmine decided to tell me the story about her past. Jasmine gave me the quest once we arrived here and when I epted it. She said she couldn''te out of fear. Once I was finished, I was to return here. Now that I''m done, it''s time to see my friend again. I walk into the town. It''s one without walls and barely any guards. I paid for her to stay at an inn for a month, but it''s been less than a week. I see the inn ahead, and I smile. I walk towards it and enter. There is a party and drunks having a good time. I walk up to the bartender, and I remove my hood. She recognizes me as Jasmine''s friend. "I didn''t expect to see you so soon. I take it that your mission was a sess?" I nod my head, and the bartender prepares a drink for me. "A toast to you then. For ending a blight on all life." I raise the tankard in celebration with her, and I chug the alcohol. I m the tankard down and wipe my lips. "She''s upstairs in her room. She had too much to drink and passed out." Iugh cause that sounds just like Jasmine. She''s a party girl. I turn and make my way towards the stairs. I climb them, and the noise of the party fades. I learned that inns have their wall magically enchanted to help drown out noise for their sleeping customers. I bet Cera knew that long ago. I see the same door, and I walk to it. I gently knock on it, and I hear footstepsing towards the door. It slowly opens, and I see Jasmine poke her eye through. As soon as she recognizes it''s me, the door swings open, and she leaps into my arms for a hug. I''m a few inches taller than her. She''s shorter than the average woman. We stop hugging, and she pulls me into the room. "You''re back way sooner than expected! Does that mean you did it..." I make my way towards the table and take a seat. I look at her and smile. I nod my head, and I get a notification from the system marking the quest''s end. Looking at the quest can wait. She''s stiff for a few seconds, but I watch her fall to her knees and begin to cry. "I can believe it''s over... Those bastards are finally dead..." I watch and my heartaches. I''ve never had an experience with sexual violence. So I can''t rte to being a ve in the slightest. All I can do is try to be the best friend I can be to her. She looks at me, and my heart cracks. She''s smiling and crying at the same time. I stand up from my chair and walk over to her. I get on the ground, and I ce my hand on her back. "It''s over, Jasmine... They''re gone for good..." She lets the pain out as I say those words. She wails and screams out. Letting everything she''s bottled up over the years out. She hugs me again, and I hug her back. Doing all I can to make this better. Chapter 283: The Detour

Chapter 283: The Detour

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I force my eyes open as the sun shines through the tent. I roll on my side, and Iy my arms across Sally. As I do, she takes it and wraps herself around my arm. We stayed uptest night talking. I''m still tired, and I wouldn''t mind sleeping in. We''ve been sticking to a tight schedule this trip. Spending the majority of the days flying. Since we''re so close to the border, there''s no reason not to take some time to get extra rest. I close my eyes again and think about something that I still need to learn more about¡ªthe Dice of Wand. I have them, and they''ve granted more power to The Witness. However, the original reason I got them was that the system said they''ll be important for the future. I don''t know the true purpose of having the dice. While it holds nearly endless information, it''s not possible to find all the items that it has information on. That would be counterproductive. So, why did the system send me on a quest to get the dice in the first ce? They have to have some separate functions. Something that gives it a purpose. Cause right now. It''s not really doing anything. All it''s doing is making The Witness slightly better. Perhaps I just have to wait. Sometimes that''s all we can really do. My thoughts drift to another subject. This time, it''s my divine item Fenrir''s Whistle. I''ve only used it once, and not much has happened with Fenrir as ofte. He said that he was going to Overworld to speak with the rest of the gods. That day The Old Gods were announced to be returning. He told me he''s going to be busy for a while. The same day I got my Divine Mana Aura, mysteries that I can''t solve right now. Events are ying out. Changes are urring. I do me myself for the current state of humanity, but sometimes. I deny it and say it''s other people''s responsibility. That''s my fear of responsibility talking. The amount of pressure on me is great. People think I''m a savor. They think I''m here to fight their battles and save their people. When I''m the original reason that all this is happening to Gaia. In my old future, there was no monster war. There were no Old Gods. Humanity wasn''t transported here, and the other half that didn''t make it died. None of that happenedst time. Themon denominator is me and what I''ve done. If people learn about how I''ve messed with time. How I''ve changed the future. They''ll deem me the greatest threat to life on Gaia. It''spletely reasonable to say that too. In a sense, it''s true. I am a threat to all life on Gaia. Every single decision I make causes major shifts. All the things I''ve taken for myself have affected billions. I''ll have to ept responsibility for my actions one day, but another part of me says I''ll never do that. Cause it isn''t my fault, but it is. I''m full of contradictions, just like a normal person. I''m pulled from my internal debating as I feel Sally squirm a bit. I open my eyes as she flutters hers open. She stares into mine and smiles. "My life has to be a dream... Waking up next to you every day..." I can''t help a tiny blush from spreading across my face. It''s small, but it''s there. She sees my reaction and moves her face closer. I catch on, and I move mine forward, and as I do, our lips meet, and we share a morning kiss. Not something we''ve done before. We move our lips in slow unison. She eventually closes her eyes to enjoy it more, and I follow suit. After a few more seconds, we both pull away for some air. We open our eyes and look at each other. She brings her hand up and rubs it along my cheek and through my hair. The feeling of her fingernails gliding across my skin gives me goosebumps. "We should get up, shouldn''t we..." We both know that the moment couldn''tst forever, but we''re d that it did happen. I smile at her and nod. I lean up and roll my neck around. It pops in multiple ces, and I release a sigh. "I''m starving!" I chuckle as Sally is more energetic than normal after waking up. Despite the fact we stayed up prettyte. We exit the tent, and we sit by the long extinguished campfire. I pull some food and clean water out of my inventory and give some to her. I take my portion and start to dig in. The reality of the situation is starting to set in. I can see it on Sally''s face. She''s never been to the elven kingdom and has never met her family before. They shouldn''t even be called that. We eat in silence and watch the slowly rising sun over the field. Warming everything up as its light touches all that it can reach. There''s something humbling and mesmerizing about a rising sun. It''s a sign that you''ve made it another day, and you still have a long way to go before that final sunrise. We finish eating our food, and I quickly pack up the tent. I turn towards her as I toggle my wings on, and I kneel so she can get on. She climbs on and getsfortable. "This is one of my favorite things to do." She whispers into my ear as I flex my wings and fly fast towards the clouds afterunching off the ground. The next stop is the southern border into the elven kingdom. While Cera and Sally finish thest stretch of their trip to the southern border, Hailey and Jasmine are walking themselves to their new destination. There is a problem that Hailey is facing, though. She doesn''t know how to broach the subject of her little brother being the angel everyone adores. She knows Jasmine is a devoted follower of the church of light, but she isn''t sure how she will react around Cera. To everyone not from earth, Cera is something many would consider a God. He''s anything but that, and Hailey is sure that Cera thinks the same thing. We walk along the path, and I''m deep in my thoughts. Jasmine doesn''t know that yer Zern is Cera, and Cera is my brother. Many things are being spoken about in terms of my brother. One of them being he''s a merciful and kind person. He can be, but if everyone saw how brutal he is. They''d have second thoughts. I do not want this to affect Jasmine negatively. However, I have bigger concerns to think about¡ªthe dungeon we''re taking on before we''re getting to the southern border. There have been new developments regarding that. I intend to have Jasmine receive the Legacy ss in the dungeon. The only problem is there are millions of other yers also trying to clear the dungeon. It''s an incredibly hard one, but I''m worried a guild wille along and take it before we can even get there. The dungeon isrge enough to allow an entire guild to challenge it. If you want to solo it, you can. But no one''s everpleted something like that before. I have yet to try, and I highly doubt Cera has given a dungeon like that a go. I look over at Jasmine, and I can visibly see how much happier she is now. I didn''t know howrge of an effect killing the James family would have. She''s so much brighter now. "There''s something we need to discuss." I get straight to the point, and Jasmine looks at me from the side as we walk. "We discussed you getting a legacy ss, and I know where one is. The only problem is there are going to be lots of people going after it too. So there''s a chance we might not even get a chance at it." She looks forward again and nods calmly. Jasmine is strong right now, but all she has is a Rare ss. She could be so much more if we got her something better. "That''s fine, Hailey. In total honesty, it''s not like us getting that ss for me is ride or die. I still want to give it a shot, but if it''s already gone. Then I''m okay with that too. In town, I heard whispers of a world boss near the border of Kreshina. Maybe that''ll have something if the dungeon doesn''t." I smile and ce my hand on top of Jasmine''s head as we walk. She''s great at finding things out. Who knows, we might hit that world boss. I don''t mind letting my brother wait. Chapter 284: First Attack

Chapter 284: First Attack

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} While there are many things going on around Gaia, the war brewing between Bellvia and the alliance of The Dryads and Zenith is heating up. The first moves are being made, and both sides are preparing to take losses and progress their side''s win. Bellvia has an advantage that its opponents don''t have, and that''s home field. The same can be said for Zenith and The Dryads. They have greater numbers and more experienced soldiers andmanders. Queen Elenore is at the site of the first actual battle. Despite it not being between the actual parties in the war. My soldiers and Zenith''s soldiers are present in the location we need to capture for a foothold. I''m present at this battle cause I want to know how battles are fought. If the monsters in the area prove to be too deadly, I''ll use The Horn of The forest and save some unnecessary deaths from urring. I ride on a horse next to a General of Zenith and a couple from mine. Jackson is on his way with some of his forces to help secure other locations. The trade routes and the ports are his main concern. We have plenty of soldiers on our side. I''m traveling with only a couple of battalions. While ourbined armies have up to 55 battalions. So it''s rather smallpared to the majority of our forces. Jackson is using around 8 battalions for his assault in two trade routes. Other Generals with separate objectives have taken battalions too. Some Generals are taking 3 battalions, and others are taking arge about of 5 or 6. I''m moving with a small amount since we aren''t engaging our actual enemies. We''re taking over a strategic position from monsters. I''ve already learned much in my time traveling here. One of my Generals is riding next to me as we''re in the middle of our army. She''s a great friend. One of my fathers best and has always been a little overprotective of me. "My Queen, I still don''t see how it''s okay for you to join us inbat. I think you should''ve stayed back at the staging ground for our invasion of Bellvia. There are a lot more soldiers there, and you''ll be protected since it''s going to move." I smile at the care she shows me, but I''m not some baby that can''t care for itself. Before I can respond, the General of Jackson''s army begins tough out loud. Celia darts her head at the General, but it''s not augh to be offended by. It''s not one filled with arrogance. It has a tone of sincerity in it. "I don''t see a problem with it, Queen Elenore. I''d be jumping for joy that the leader of mynd is willing to learn how to fight and win battles at such a young age. You don''t see that in young rulers anymore, and you''re going to be better off for. Along with your people, so I admire that you''re here." As the General exins his reasoning, Celia turns her head away and looks down. She didn''t consider looking at it that way. As Queen Elenore approaches the area. King Jackson is making progress himself. In fact, he has finally engaged the enemy. The trade route that he''s attacking is of a more important role, and that''s why he has the most soldiers with him out of all the leaders moving on the offensive side. The trade route he is attacking is important because it delivers supplies and weapons to key cities and encampments. It''s also a trade route that leads straight to the port. Taking this trade route will lockdown any help that Bellvia will need. I watch from behind my men as the front lines of both sides sh. We outnumber the forces here by 2 to 1, but their mages are causing serious problems for us. None of my soldiers can make it to the mages, and the range of my archer''s arrows isn''t as far as they are in their ranks. They''re behind some wooden fortifications and attacking us with long-distance magic. "My King! We need to do something about these mages! They''re tearing our troops apart!" Amanding officer from the front lines runs up on a horse. He tells me something I can see from here. I was hoping I didn''t have to use this, but sometimes you got to do things you don''t like. "Tell the archer to start using the Magic Nullifying Arrows! Once they make contact in the general area of those mages, they won''t be able to cast magic!" I shout my order, and the chain ofmand sees that it''s handled. These arrow types cost me a small fortune, which I hoped I didn''t have to use. However, this is war. The archers get new barrels with these arrows, and they start tounch them at the mages. They fly longer and farther than normal arrows. Hence why we can use them. I watch as the arrows release a small gas as they hit the area the mages are in. After a couple of seconds, the magical assault stops. "Tell the line breakers to use their skills and punch a hole into their defensive line!" My order is sent, and my front-line soldiers use their skill Defensive Break. After a brief struggle, my men get through, and my soldiers flood into the enemy forces now that their front line is broken. I watch as Bellvia''s forces get ughtered. I do feel bad. These men are pawns in a game that they shouldn''t have been dragged in. After a few minutes, the fighting is over, and the few left on Ballvia''s side either flee or are captured. Some of the mages managed to escape, but we ended up catching a couple of them. I walk into the wooden fort they used as a defensive position. I can see that they were well supplied. It doesn''t matter anymore. Any ces that need reinforcements beyond this point won''t get any help since we''ve captured the second most important target in this war. I know Bellvia has more up its sleeve. More than I''m sure will cost me more men. As Jackson finishes the final things before securing the trade route. New of the capture has already reached both Jackson and The Dryads forces and Bellvia''s forces. This marks the first attack on the war, and it means that this is serious and will only escte at this point onwards. However, there is a single man that is happy all of this is urring. The true orchestrator of this war is Gregory. He''s the one that enticed Bellvia''s king to attack Jackson''s wife with assassins and thieves. He''s the one that let the information slip that it was Bellvia doing all this. I sit on my throne as a messenger walks in. He hands me a paper scroll, and I open it. It''s news about the war in Bellvia. Jackson humiliated me and my work building the coalition. Nearly destroying it in a single day. "My King, when should we move on with the next step of the n?" We can''t move forward with the n yet. Jackson needs to be at the height of the war in Bellvia before I can make my move. Bellvia has been ying its role greatly, and everything is going ording to my designs. It''s almost full proof. The only thing I couldn''t guarantee is Bellvia''s king staying stupid long enough before he finds out I yed him. The odds are low, but if that happens. My ns will have a good chance of failure. "Not yet. We have to make sure the Zenith is at its most vulnerable before we control the kingdom. With the majority of its forces in Bellvia, it''ll be easy to take the kingdom." I have been nning this since Jackson left the Coalition. I''m going to absorb his kingdom into mine and take him off his throne. Yes, I''m doing this out of spite and pride, but I''m more important than Jackson is. Who is he to stand in the way of my ns¡ªa small-time king in a small-time kingdom. "As you wish, my King. When you''re ready to give the order, we''ll move out the armies and take Zenith by storm." Zenith won''t have its king and won''t have its greater forces. Taking it will be easy. My advisor leaves the throne room and lets me sit alone. I close my eyes and think back to the moment he left the Coalition. The arrogance he had, the gall. No one ever behaves like that in front of me. Towards me. He''ll only learn the truth toote. Chapter 285: Fears From Revelations

Chapter 285: Fears From Revtions

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} While the war in Bellvia continues to progress, Cera and Sally are finishing thest stretch of their journey. The southern border of the Elven Kingdom is closing in fast, and they''ll be the first of the group to arrive. They''ll have to wait for Hailey and Jasmine to catch up, but this is the first time they''ll have a stretch of rest time that is longer than a day. The amount of time and effort put into the current quests ising closer and closer to fruition. Once inside the Elven Kingdom, They''ll be on the home stretch for Sally''s Revenge. I p my wings and st through the air. I look ahead of us, and I see a massive wall heading in opposite directions. At the entrance, there''s a city. I bring us down slowly a good 5 to 6 miles away from the city. Oncended, Sally hops off and dusts herself off. "You''ve been really quiet for thest stretch of the trip. You okay telling me what''s wrong?" To begin with, Sally isn''t a big talker, but we do have nice conversations that I enjoy when we fly. She has been quiet since we''ve left this morning. She looks up from the ground and stares me in the eyes. She wants to talk about it, but she''s having a hard time getting it out. "I was just thinking... The things that you shared with me... They''re incredible and hard to believe... If what you say is true, then you''re not really Amelia''s son..." She''s put it together. I knew she''d put it together once I told her about the history of my people. "It''s been weighing on me... The origin of new people... yers... It bothers me... It makes me feel insignificant..." I don''t really know what to say. She could be changing her mind about traveling with me, about doing any of this. I step away from her, and as I do, she looks at me with a worried look. "I understand if you''re scared of me now... If you don''t want anything to do with me... The truth can open people''s eyes and change their opinions. I get that you don''t want to be with me any-!" The next thing I know, I''m getting pped across the face. I don''t budge, and I don''t take any damage, but it happened nheless. I look at Sally, and I see her on the verge of tears. "I said something I shouldn''t have, huh..." Those words add fuel to the fire. She balls up her fists and proceeds to strike at me. "Don''t you dare say any of that! I could never be scared of you!! What idiotic thought in your head made you think I didn''t want you around anymore!!" She''s going off, and as she is, she''s releasing her power in the process. The area around us is getting cold and starting to freeze. "I CAN''T IMAGINE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU!! YOU IDIOT!!" Sheys one final punch against my chest. None of it hurt physically. She starts to cry and leans her face into my chest. She hugs me, and I hesitantly hug her back. She feels my hesitation, and she squeezes me harder. "This... Better not... Change anything... Between us..." She talks through sobs and gasps for air. Her words say one thing, but her actions say another. She looked scared to talk to me. To bring the subject up. I feel like she''s holding in her fear and pretending it''s not there. In an attempt to make sure everything is alright between us. I stop hugging her, and I grab her shoulder. I push her away as I step back. I look at her face, and it''s pure pain at my action. She isn''t truthful with me. She is trying to cover up her fear. She reaches out her hand, but I raise mine and step back. I have an expressionless face. "We''re not doing that. I''m not going to help you pretend you''re not afraid of the truth. Until you''re ready to talk about this, to get it all out. We''re not going to be more than friends. So the ball is in your court." I turn around and start walking away. She''s standing there, speechless. I''m not going to let her fear be buried away. I want to talk about it and handle it so she doesn''t fear me. She''s in a weird ce where she loves and is scared of me. I''m not going to be in a rtionship with her if she''s scared of me. So until we handle that, we''re only friends. "Please... I''m sorry for... Pretending... I''m scared of you... Cera... I''m scared of what other things you''re... Hiding from me..." I stop, and I stand still. She has reacted far quicker than I thought. I didn''t think she''d be willing to talk so soon. I turn around, and I see her tears falling and pain-stricken face. "I don''t want to lose you... Lose what we''ve gained so far..." I stay silent as I listen to her. She''s, and I have a lot to talk about. I''m d that she''s decided not to wait. While Cera and Sally talk about what Cera revealed to her, Hailey and Jasmine are still traveling to the dungeon with a Legacy ss in it. They''re about an hour away from it, and the area the dungeon is located is around 7 or 8 miles from a City. Hailey knows that this is going to make the trip longer, but it''s necessary. She doesn''t really care about making Cera wait. They are still brother and sister. Causing inconveniences for one another is part of being siblings. The current road they''re walking on has lots of foot traffic. I look over to Jasmine, and I can tell she''s excited. Even though there is a chance the Legacy ss doesn''t exist, we''re going to have fun going for it. I know no one has received the ss yet since a world announcement hasn''t gone off informing yers and NPC''s that one has been found. The world announcements for them are rare and far in between. Thest one I heard was a while ago. "Are you sure you''re brother won''t mind us taking extra time to handle this? I don''t want to make a bad impression on one of your family members." I couldn''t care less about Cera''s thoughts. Regarding how long we take, that is. I''m notpletely dismissive of my brother. "He''ll be fine, Jasmine. Just be excited that we actually get to have a shot at this thing. No one has got it yet, which means we''ll have a great chance of doing so. You''ll actually have a legacy ss if everything goes right." She smiles with plenty of teeth as I say that. She''s more than happy to have a ss better than the one she has. She''s reached her potential with the ss she has. I know she''ll be one of the strongest people I''ve met once we get her that legacy ss. We''re getting closer and closer to the city up ahead. The foot traffic outside the city and on this road is already great. The number of yers that are currently in the general area must be huge. I bet most are at the dungeon giving it their shots too. There is one thing that worries me, though. Jasmine can''t respawn as I can. She isn''t a yer. That means if she dies, she stays dead. My insides churn at the thought of that. "Remember, we have to be careful and take our time. I''ve heard that it''s filled with powerful monsters, and many don''te out alive." I''m capable of protecting her. Being surrounded by monsters is another thing. I can move at incredible speeds, but I don''t know if I''ll be able to cut through monsters that are between her and me. There are supposed to be lots of them. All are strong and capable of one-shotting yers that aren''t strong enough. "I know, I know. You''re always so worried. I''m pretty good at fighting to you know." Her sarcastic edge makes me smile. We''re closing in on the city, which means we have some time to prepare today before we give it a shot. Hopefully, we can knock it out before night. We walk through the gates of the city, and we''ve already nned on staying the night here. I''d like to sleep in an actual bed instead of the cold ground. I look around as we walk, and there are plenty of yers all around. Some are bargaining at stalls, and others are gathering to form raiding parties. The sights almost make you forget that this is our new reality and home. Almost. Chapter 286: The Wish Dungeon I

Chapter 286: The Wish Dungeon I

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and the other is a new story with a basketball system. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Jasmine and I walk through the city and make it to an inn. Since we''re going to be staying till tomorrow, we might as well get a room all set up and ready. "There are a lot of new people. Word travels fast. How many do you think are on their way here right now?" Jasmine brings a good point. Since the city doesn''t have any teleportation gate, the only way to get here is by foot or by airship. The dungeon was discovered a little over a week ago. Since then, many yers have been migrating to this city. The cities name is Remoma. I don''t know much about the history of the city. The name of the dungeon is called The Wish Dungeon. My brother would be endlessly curious about the dungeon. He might actually know more about it than the average person. "I''m willing to bet there is going to be even more tomorrow than there is today. That being said, we should give the dungeon a shot as soon as possible. We have lots of daylight left, and I''d like to see if the dungeon is as hard as they say it is." Word has been going around that even guilds can''t beat the dungeon. That''s a lot of power that can''t do anything. Most guilds don''t have yers with sses above epic grade. I''m going into this dungeon with a legendary ss. I''m confident that I can wipe out an entire guild if provoked. I''m so confident I''d call it a fact. "I take that as soon as we reserve a room, we''re heading straight for the dungeon." I nod my head, confirming Jasmine''s words. We enter the inn that doesn''t have many yers, and I walk up to the counter and pay for a room key. The owner treats us like most new people get treated these days. I''m severely overcharged, but it''s a drop in the bucket for me. We walk up to the room and enter with the key. I take a look around, and it''s not the best of amodations. It''s not like we get a choice on where to stay. "Now that we have a room. We can go and check out the dungeon. I think it''d be smart to ask some of the yers that are waiting outside the dungeon. They''ll likely know everything that''s going on inside. I only have a little bit of information." I exin the n to Jasmine, and she agrees. Having the information on what''s inside can save us a lot of time. It also lowers the risk of either of us getting hurt. I''m fine if I do end up taking damage, but Jasmine is the one at real risk here. My speed is going to keep me from getting hurt. I move so fast time slows down. If none of the monsters in the dungeon can move at that speed, then it''s going to be easy for me to handle this. "Are we going to get any potions or special items before we go in?" Jasmine starts talking about something I didn''t really consider. There is one thing I''d like to get before we head into the dungeon. I turn to Jasmine as we stand in the bedroom. "There is one thing I''d like to get. We''ll stop off at a magical item shop and pick up an emergency exit scroll if it gets too dangerous in there. You''re going to use the scroll to exit the dungeon. We''ll n for this scenario. I''d rather be safe than sorry." Jasmine takes on a thinking expression. Not one that she usually has. "What is it?" She''s a very smart person, and I can''t tell you how many times I''ve made adjustments to my ns from some of the ideas she''s had. Two brains are better than one. I have to ask her one more time, and she finally decides to include me. "I was just ying with the idea of piggybacking on a group or guild. While going in ourselves is an option, there are no rules that prevent new people from killing each other in dungeons. We can go in with a guild or group, pretending to be weak or on their side. When the timees, we can kill them and take the legacy ss for ourselves. The worst that''ll happen is they''ll respawn, right?" It''s a rather devious idea, and on that I like. There is one problem. Who is going to be willing to let two strangers in? It''s definitely something to consider. When we get to the actual dungeon and see how many are attempting to clear it. I''ll try and see if this n is a possibility. "That''s something I didn''t consider, and I really like it. Despite how devious it is." I watch a blush spread across Jasmine''s face. She''s embarrassed that she had such an idea, but that doesn''t mean it''s a bad thing. I have no problems with pulling a fast one on a guild or a group of yers. PVP exists in games for a reason, and that still exists here despite everything that''s changed. Now that we have a game n, we should get a move on. I make my way towards the door, and I exit the room. I hold the door open, waiting for Jasmine. She exits too, and I lock the door behind us. I ce the room key in my inventory, and we make our way out of the inn and onto the street. The first stop is the magical item shop. I saw one on our way down here, and many yers were going in and out of it. "Do you think that the shop owner with overcharge you like everywhere else?" Jasmine hase to resent people who overcharge new people. I don''t respond and instead, point towards the shop. You can tell when a shop isn''t overpricing yers by the number of yers shopping there. All the other open stores around it aren''t getting any customers. That means this is the only shop that has reasonable prices. Whoever the owner is has a good business mind. We walk into the shop after we reach it. Once inside, I look and see countless magical items, gear, and potions. All of them are at prices that many would consider normal and fair. I walk towards the emergency scroll section. I pick up the closest one, and I head straight for the counter. There is a considerable line, but it shouldn''t be that long before we get to the front. Jasmine stands beside me. She''s a couple of inches shorter than I am. I''m average height for a woman. She''s on the petite side of size. "Two pretty little things right in front of us for the taking? Must be our lucky day." I have to resist releasing a sigh. Jasmine freezes up, and it makes me mad. Jasmine has a fear of aggressive men like the ones behind us. It''s from her past as a ve. I turn around, and I look at the men, and as I do. Emerald pokes her head out of my backpack. Sensing my anger and wanting to see what''s up. "I''m only going to say this once. If you don''t walk out of this store right now, I''m going to kill you both." It''s a pair of guys. They look like brothers. They startughing. It''s their own fault for not taking this seriously. I don''t hesitate, and I draw my sword at imperceptible speeds. I sh their necks, and I put my sword back in its sheath before time speed back up. Their heads fall off with smiles still on their faces. After a couple of seconds, their bodies disappear. They''re respawning right about now, and I don''t think they''re going to being back here. "I''m sorry..." Jasmine apologizes, and I''m starting to feel bad now. There are some things that I won''t tolerate. Harassment is one of them. I''m not going to let some random guys talk to Jasmine or me like that. I reach over and ce my hand on top of her head. I give her a reassuring nod. "I can''t control it when something like that happens... I have terrible shbacks..." I know all about Jasmine''s past. Every detail. She suffered an incredible amount of abuse. Being a ve, she had no rights, no opinions. She wasn''t allowed to resist, and she was treated like an object. Spoken to as if she was a possession. "You don''t need to be sorry, Jasmine. The world is filled with scum like those guys, and it''s okay to retaliate violently. Sometimes, it''s the only thing scum understands." Pursuing peaceful solutions is all well and good. However, peace andpromise don''t work for everyone. There are people out there who only understand violence, and you have to be violent with them Chapter 287: The Wish Dungeon II

Chapter 287: The Wish Dungeon II

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} We make it to the front of the line, and I purchase the emergency exit scroll. The owner of this store will be making a lot of money that hispetition is losing out on because of personal grudges. "Let''s get out of here and head for that dungeon." I start walking towards the exit as I finish talking, and Jasmine is right behind me. We exit the store, and it''s time to head for the dungeon. The next part of our n is to ask the people waiting at the dungeon for information. They''ll know what''s inside and what we should expect. We start walking down the street towards the exit that leads to the dungeon. It''s a bit off the city, so it will be a bit of a walk. "Do you really think there will be people willing to share what they''ve found out? I wouldn''t be surprised if some of them asked for money regarding things they know." Jasmine hase to learn that new people, or yers, have a greedy streak. The majority of the time, we won''t do things or share information withoutpensation. I''m not willing to pay obscene amounts of money for a little information. Finding the right person to talk to for the right price is important. yers are really good at swindling each other. "That depends on who we talk to, and it''s going to be a bit of a problem when ites to finding that right person. Not to mention we still have the option of finding a group or guild to apany us. If we can find a group willing, we won''t have to pay for information. They''ll just have it." There are multiple ways we can take this situation on. I''m warming up to the idea of tagging along with a group of yers. We can make them do all the heavy lifting. Once we get to the boss room and learn about its attacks and how dangerous it is, I can dispose of them and finish the boss myself. Securing the legacy ss for Jasmine at the same time. The other option is going in with just the two of us. It''s more dangerous, though. We won''t have to y backup and backstab for other people. Each option has its pros and cons. "I don''t know think it was a good idea to say my suggestion back then." I chuckle as Jasmine mimicks regret for suggesting betrayal of who we follow in. While Hailey and Jasmine make their way towards the dungeon, Cera and Sally are in the city attached to the border. Sally has confessed all her fears and worries regarding the truth that was revealed to her. They did the responsible thing and talked about the issues between each other. Cera came to learn that Sally was afraid that everything Cera hade to tell her was a lie. About Amelia being his mom, about Hailey being his sister. Most importantly, about him wanting to help her. They''ve talked it through, and both have had a weight lift off them. I''m d that Sally decided to talk about it right away. I now know her fears and worries regarding the things I''ve told her. Instead of letting it all fester inside her, we''ve discussed it. "This ce sure is huge..." I listen as Sally whispers about the sight in front of us. The city attached to the border is giant, and while it''s not owned by the elves. They run security here. We walk through the massive gates that lead into the city. I can see some yers here and there, but it''s mostly natives of Gaia. They''re elves and humans. I see the asional dwarf too. The elven kingdom is one of thergest and wealthiest kingdoms in all of Gaia. Not to mention their powerful magic and vast armies. It''d take multiple countriesing together to defeat the elven kingdom. "I''ve never been here before, and neither have you. I do wish it could be under better circumstances. I know very little of the elven kingdom. They hide their secrets better than anyone. It''s probably why they''vested so long." I''m speaking true, I''ve never been here, and my knowledge of the futurecks when ites to elves. The elven kingdom has connections all over Gaia, and they also have countless spies and intelligent officers nted in other kingdoms. "I''m not excited to see my supposed homnd... It can burn for all I care..." Sally and I agree with her statement. While the Elven Kingdom is a major yer in the war against the monsters, it''s not entirely for the good of everyone. After all, the church promised my hand in marriage without my consent. As if they had the authority to do that. "I''m d that this is going to be a one-time trip." Sally crosses her arms, and I can hear the anger in her voice. I reach over and wrap one arm around her. She''s a little surprised, but she rxes into my grasp. "It''s going to be okay. We''re here for one reason, to get revenge. Once we''re done with that, we''ll leave and never return. Think about the end results, not the journey there." I''m a person that believes the means do justify the end. While many would disagree, I''m not a conformed. I don''t conform to other''s beliefs and morals. I respect them, but I won''t change mine to make you happy. Sally stays quiet at my words. We should find a good ce to stay while we wait for Hailey. While Cera and Sally find a ce to stay until Hailey and Jasmine get back. Hailey and Jasmine are walking up to the dungeon right now. Theye to see just how many people are trying to group up and take it on. There are people shouting level requirements and the number of people still needed for their raiding party. The sheer number of people here is overwhelming, and it''s only going to get bigger until the dungeon is beaten and the legacy ss is taken. A goal that the yers here are hoping they aplish first. Jasmine walks at my side as we slowly navigate through the seemingly endless amount of yers. We''re making our way to the entrance of the dungeon. There isn''t a limit to how many people can enter a dungeon. One group can go in, and another can follow right after. They''ll have different instances and won''te into contact with one another. "When we get to the dungeon entrance, we''ll ask for information that we need." Jasmine nods her head, and I hold onto her wrist so we don''t get separated in the ocean of yers. After about a half-hour of struggling to get to the dungeon entrance, we set eyes upon it. There are countless heavily armed yers and guilds talking to each other before they go in. They''re discussing the dungeon and what to expect. I move closer to one of the guild raiding parties. I''m going to get some free information. "What we know is the number of monsters is increasedpared to other dungeons at this level requirement. Several mini-bosses deal heavy amounts of damage that can take out multiple people." Talk about a brought dungeon. He isn''t done exining to his group yet. "The boss is the real challenge of this dungeon. Her name is Polera, the Witch Queen. What we know about her is very little. Our best lore diggers and scribes have found only her history after Polera became the Witch Queen." That isn''t a title. Somethinges by easily. You have to have a lot of power for something like that. This dungeon is the real deal. I wonder how many yers total have died trying to clear this? I''m willing to bet it''s over 10,000 at this point. Jasmine stands right at my side as he continues to describe. "There are going to be countless traps and false paths. The tricky part is they''re never the same. Every time you enter, they''ll be different. So I''m expecting that some of us will die when we encounter this. The guild willpensate anyone who dies after respawning in the city. Are there any questions?" None of the guild members taking part in the dungeon raid raise their hands. So I decide to raise mine. The person who''s leading this raid gives me a funny look. But he nods his head for me to ask anyway. Chapter 288: The Wish Dungeon III

Chapter 288: The Wish Dungeon III

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} The group''s leader is waiting for me to ask what I want to ask. "How long will it take to reach the boss?" Dungeons differ in length and duration. Some of them even have time limits, and if you go past that time limit, you''ll wipe and be sent to the outside. The members all look at the group leader, and I see him open his yer menu, likely looking for the information written down in the yer journal. It''s definitely a nice feature to have. He looks up from his yer interface and shakes his head. That''s disappointing. I sigh and fold my arms. I''d like to know how long this dungeon is going to take. "Is there any chance you know where the legacy ss is? If the boss even drops it? Cause if you don''t get it from the boss, that means it''s in a different location in the dungeon." I''vee to learn a lot from going into dungeons and fighting by myself. Everyone is looking at the group leader. He shakes his head, and that ends any questions that I have. People have been going into this dungeon blind without the slightest clue where the legacy ss actually is. The leader of this group clears his throat and rolls his neck. "Indeed, we don''t know this important information, but that doesn''t mean we don''t have a chance of getting the legacy ss. All the known information is enough to get to the boss room. The hardest part about this dungeon is the fact that it changes. Paths to the boss aren''t the same. It makes it quicker or longer." This is betting a lot on very little. These yers are risking their levels and aren''t really getting anything in return other than gold. None of them are getting the legacy ss. I wonder if they''ve even considered that they stand to gain nothing other than some gold and reputation bonus within the guild. If any of them knew what they were doing, none of them would be here. I step away from the group with Jasmine by my side. This is going to make things a little moreplicated. From what I know, the best group to go in with is the one that''s been in it the most. "What are we going to do? Are we going in ourselves or going in with another group?" Jasmine reminds me that we still have a decision to make. While Hailey and Jasmine try to decide what to do, the war in Bellvia is progressing bit by bit as time goes by. Bellvia has sessfully moved its troops into the remaining important locations. However, Zenith and The Dryads have already captured very important locations. The war is at a cold low point, getting ready to heat up again. Jackson is at the new foothold that was secured by Queen Elenore and her forces, along with one of his generals. It''s another important location that''s been captured. There are many discussions happening around me, but I''m in my own head. I have a bad feeling about this war, something that''s going on I haven''t prepared for. I close my eyes and really consider Gregory''s role in this war. He''s a supposed ally of Bellvia, but he isn''t here helping defend. I don''t know what he''s nning, but I have to go with my intuition. I''m going to have to ask a big favor of Queen Elenore. "I need to discuss something with everyone." My voice breaks through the conversations, and the attention of the room falls on me. I open my eyes, and everyone can see the serious look in them. "I have a big favor to ask of you, Queen Elenore." She looks at me and prepares to hear my request. "I have a feeling that Gregory is nning something, one that''ll change the tide of this war. I want you to take all your forces and one-fourth of mine and head to the capital of Zenith. Gregory might be nning an attack on my kingdom while I''m preupied with the conflict here." There is silence around the room. I watch Elenore and try to get an answer from reading her perspective. I''d defend my kingdom myself, but The Dryads can''t win the war here. Not with our help. "I can do this for you, Gregory, but I want something in return." There is always a price when ites to war. I nod my head, and she straightens up. "I want a 50-50 split of the winning of this war. While Bellvia doesn''t have much to take, they still have way more than we do. I want to bolster my kingdom''s armory." That isn''t an unreasonable request. Splitting the winning s right down the middle. I smile and nod my head in confirmation. Some of my Generals disagree, but they''re only Generals. Queen Elenore and I both shake hands, and she begins to gather her forces and one fouth of mine. I''d rather be safe than sorry. The meeting continues and goes off without a hitch. We''ve nned out how to attack and take the next targets. I leave the tent that the meeting is being held in, and I make my way towards my private tent. I walk in, and I see Tessa sleeping on the bed. She''s actually sleeping for the first time in... I don''t even know. Weeks? Moving such great distances and staying up for days at a time has really messed up my internal clock. While Queen Elenore moves the forces, she''s in charge of to the Kingdom of Zenith. Hailey and Jasmine are making their way into the dungeon right behind a group of yers that have given the dungeon multiple runs. They''re not the best group, but they''ve seen most of the encounters and minibosses so far. Only one group has made it to the boss room so far and hasn''t since. Hailey and Jasmine are in the back and basically running bitch. They''re only there to help when it gets really tough. Hailey was smart and didn''t inform them of her level. The group we''re running with right now is decently leveled and geared out. Jasmine and I have decided once we make it to the boss room and defeat her, we''ll eliminate this group and take the winnings for ourselves. While wrong and crude, it''smon. I''m not above ying dirty, and I prefer to be underhanded if I''m honest. It''s one of the best ways to win the majority of the time. However, it goes both ways. Once the boss is defeated, I do not doubt in my mind they''ll try and do the same to us. Jasmine walks beside me, and we''re quiet as we make the initial descent into the beginning of the dungeon. "The first encounter is through the door down this staircase. It''s a bunch of monsters, and all of them have high defense ratings and can kill you in three hits if you''re not careful. Everyone, drink the speed enhancement potions once we make it to the door. I don''t want anyone on this team getting hit." The group leader, Victor, starts repeating the n that I''ve heard him go over 3 times for this first part. You can hear a thick Russian ent when he speaks. How he''s with us Americans is something only he can answer. My best guess, he was living in the US and ying the game when we all got transported here. "Newbies." We both look towards him as he walks. "You two will help rotate from attacking and defending, and Felicia will give you some speed boost potions so you can keep up with us." If that''s the n, I''m fine with it. Jasmine and I can hold our own. If things do start to get too sticky, Jasmine will use the emergency exit scroll. We make it to the bottom of the stairs, and we all gather in front of the door. Everyone starts to drink their potions, and Felicia hands us some. We both drink it, and since everyone has finished their potions, Victor pushes the door open. I look at the monsters on the other side, and they look like half flesh and half wood monsters. They give off a terrible smell. Everyone draws their weapons, and Jasmine and I do the same. It''s time to get this show on the road. Hopefully, we can get this dungeon cleared by nightfall. I''d love to sleep in that bed at the inn. Chapter 289: The Wish Dungeon IV

Chapter 289: The Wish Dungeon IV

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} We''ve spent thest 5 hours fighting through this dungeon, and we''re currently at the part where you have to traverse multiple pathways. Science says that splitting up and trying multiple paths at once is the smart thing to do, but this dungeon is rigged with traps. We''ve encountered more than I''d like to in any dungeon. "This is the part that takes the most lives out of everyone whoes in here. The many attempts that I''ve done have taught me something." The group leader, Victor, begins to debrief us on what to expect, but I have a good idea already. He turns around to all of us and takes a breath to finish exining. "Not all of us will make it through. There are too many paths and too many traps. I''ve been in the dungeon withrge groups and small ones. The number of paths and traps adapt to the number of yers that are still alive once we get this far. The dungeon is going to try and weaken our forces by at least 50%, but I want to make sure it doesn''t go below 20." There is one more boss before the actual Witch Queen, and it''s after we get through the uing maze filled with traps. Jasmine and I have been fairing better than everyone else in the group. It''s really hard to hide the difference in power, but I''m doing my best. Their suspicions haven''t been raised too high, but I can tell Victor is keeping an eye on us. I''m betting he''s nning the same thing we are. Taking out everyone here will be easy, but I want to get to the boss room and battle the boss before I have to kill any of them. "We''ll split up into groups of 5. There are 20 of us left, so let''s push through this and take multiple paths. Remember, keep your eyes peeling for traps." It seems he''s going with that method. Jasmine and I find a group to travel with, and I like the idea that we can split up from Victor. I don''t want him watching our every move after this point. Hopefully, he dies in the maze. He''s a fantastic leader who''s observant, and I don''t want him ruining our n by blowing our cover early or trying to take us out on the way there. "How long do you think this dungeon is going to take at this point..." I can hear the tiredness in Jasmine''s voice, and I feel the echoes of exhaustion setting on me too. I''m looking forward to the next time I get to rest. I smile as I follow behind the leader of this new smaller group. The leader''s name is Cliff. He''s very quiet and pretty good. However, hecks the power of a good ss to utilize his talent. We follow down one of the paths and stay in the back of the group. Every 20 steps or so, we have to stop so Cliff can check for traps. "I think it''s going to be a few more hours until we finish this... Let''s try and enjoy this time to energize for the uing fight." The sheer length and difficulty of this dungeon have caused many problems for every yer that''s tried. While Hailey and Jasmine continue their journey deeper and deeper into the dungeon, Cera and Sally are winding down in the room they''ve secured for a few days in an inn. Luckily, the city that the border is attached to has a bank in it. Cera is now loaded with money, and he''ll be able to pay for what they need until the next time they run out of money. The inn room is cozy and warm. It has a firece to heat the room. The elven kingdom is notoriously cold. Elves are unaffected by it, and so is Sally due to her ss and status as a halfbreed. Sally and I sit in front of the fire on the ground. She''s cuddled up next to me, and we''re just looking into the fire. We could sit in chairs, but she said she wanted to be close to me. She''s been quiet ever since we got into the room. Only saying things here and there. She isn''t a chatterbox, but she does like to entertain the silence with some conversation. "You definitely have something on your mind... You can tell me if you want..." The air is clear between us. We had a long talk about all the things she was scared of regarding the truth I revealed to her. I''m d we handled that when we did. She hums lightly and wiggles next to me. "I was just in my head... Thinking about all the things we have to do here... Across the border... I never thought in my wildest dreams I''d be able to go after the elven royal family for what they''ve done..." She has some time to reflect and think about her life. I do that from time to time myself. "Mostly what I''m going to say when I see them... If I should say anything at all... Do I just kill them, or make them feel regret for all the things they''ve done..." I spend my time thinking about simr things. Some wronged me still out there, one man I truly hate and will torture before I take his life. She''s doing the same thing I do. "Did I ever tell you about the story for the fairy kingdom?" I ask her a question that isn''t pertaining to our situation at all. She slowly shakes her head. "Long ago, the fairy kingdom what the main ce for the wounded to go for care in the first great war. The mortal world was under siege by the 7 kings of the Underworld..." I can tell that the story is slowly drawing her attention in. I know all about this, I learned it once I freed the Holy Willow Treat and the fairies were brought back from my actions. "One of these 7 fell madly in love with the fairy princess, so much that he wanted to have her all to himself. No matter how much she was repulsed by him. Leviathanid siege to the fairy kingdom but ultimately failed against the Mighty Fenrir. The Beast of Ragnorok decimated Levithans forces, and he lost that day. Before he returned in defeat, he put a curse on the Holy Willow Tree using some of his own life force." She''s now fully invested in the story. I take a breath and look into the fire deeply as if I''m there, watching. "This was ast desperate attempt to make sure no one got the fairy princess. By cursing the Holy Willow Tree, he cursed Fenrir. Fenrir is connected to the Holy Willow Tree. Once the Holy Willow Tree was put to sleep, so was Fenrir. All the fairies died without the magical energy supporting them from the Holy Willow Tree. Soon, the fairy kingdom was a forgotten legend." This is all old information to me. This is what I learned after I freed the Holy Willow Tree from its curse. Sally is silent at my side, and I know her mind is away from those dark thoughts now. "When I heard from the church that you freed the fairies from their curse, I had no idea they even existed at one point... Why''d you tell me this story? Is there some sort of meaning behind it? It kind of came out of nowhere..." I''ve already seeded in distracting her from those depressing things. Even if it''s for the briefest of moments, it does help. I smile and wrap my arm around her and give her and hug. She leans into me and closes her eyes. I open mine as my chin sits on her head. "I told you this story, so would stop thinking about what you''re going to do... Leave that for when the momentes... Thinking about it now will only drive you crazy, and I don''t want that for you... It''ll lead to problems you didn''t think were possible..." As I say my reason, I feel her squeeze me harder between her arms. I hope that Hailey takes her time. Having this alone and rxed time with Sally is something that I didn''t know I needed. Whatever my sister''s doing, it better be taking a long time. Chapter 290: The Wish Dungeon V

Chapter 290: The Wish Dungeon V

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} We''ve spent 2 hours navigating this maze of pathways, and we''ve lost one member of our group in the process. There are only 4 in our little pack now. The good news is we''re the first ones at the door to the next boss. The others shouldn''t be that far behind us. My concerns are what is going to happen when we reach the Witch Queen''s boss room. Victor and his closest allies will try and get rid of Jasmine and me before the boss ends. I''m going to have to get rid of them before they try that for us. I''m confident Jasmine and I can take the boss on. After the next boss fight, I''ll eliminate all the people other than Jasmine and me. We''ll make our way to The Witch Queen''s boss room and take her on ourselves. I have many powerful skills that can and will kill her. "If we seed, what are you going to do with your winnings? There''s a chance that one of us might get the Legacy ss." One of the members of our group starts talking to another. Jasmine and I are off in our own little corner and patiently waiting for the rest to arrive. Jasmine is going to be the one to get the Legacy ss. I''m making sure of that. The amount of betrayals in dungeons is one of the main problems among the yers. The only ones you can really trust are the ones in your guild. I''ve considered joining a guild before, but with my ss, a lot of unwanted responsibility and pressure would be added. When you have a lot of power, people look to you for leadership and direction. It isn''t something that I want in my life. I''m not a leader, and I''m not a team yer. Jasmine is different cause she''s my friend. Since I''m going to be getting rid of all these yers, it''s no better proof of how selfish I am. Being selfish doesn''t mean I''m evil. "How long do you think the other groups will be... I''m getting really tired... And we still have one more boss to face before the Witch Queen..." Jasmine yawns as she speaks. I''ll agree that this is taking way too long. I never expected it to take this much time. It''s almost deliberate. I''m willing to bet Victor is doing this on purpose so everyone that isn''t his immediate friend will be easy to eliminate once this next boss battle is over. It''s rather smart. Attacking when your opponents are weak and tired from dungeon diving. I lean against the wall and close my eyes. I''m going to rx since all we''re doing is waiting. "I don''t know, Jasmine... We could be in here for another 6 to 7 hours, for all I know... It really depends on how fast we beat the next boss and The Witch Queen... Take a load off while you got a chance..." Jasmine takes my advice and leans against the wall and slides down, and sits next to me. "You want something to eat?" I packed some food for the trip. While it won''t be the best tasting, it''ll fill both of us up. She nods her head with a hungry look. I pull the food out of my inventory with a smile and hand her some. I take another serving out for me. We both slowly start eating, and that''s when I see the others in our group look over to us with hungry looks. "I take it that none of you prepared for a long trip like this?" They all nod their needs confirming my words. "I only have enough for my friend and me. Maybe next time, you''ll prepare for a long dungeon dive." Their looks grow more desperate, but it does not affect Jasmine or me. It''s their own fault, and it should be no reason to share with them. While Hailey and Jasmine wait for the rest of the dungeon party to arrive, there is much progress happening in the events regarding the war in Bellvia. However, that isn''t what this is about. Gregory has finally decided to move his troops towards Zenith. However, he''s gotten reports from his spies that King Jackson has sent many of his forces back to Zenith. The Dryad Queen leading them. This has effectively thrown a wrench into Gregory''s ns. He''s currently sitting in his office and trying not to explode with rage. He''s failing miserably. I m my palms on my desk, and I shove the reports and papers off. "GOD DAMN IT!!!" The many maids slightly cringe at my outburst. My butler at my side stays stoic, though. He''s used to these moments. They''ve been happening way more frequently now. There is no way in hell the King of Bellvia contacted Jackson. My spies would have intercepted and stopped anything like that from happening. That only means a few things could''ve happened. The first being that one or more of my spies have betrayed me. This is the most unlikely. The second is Jackson has anticipated something. He might have thought that this war was going too easy and decided to y it safe. The damn man guessed right that I was nning an attack, but he likely didn''t know it was me. The third and most likely option is he''s overconfident that he''s won this war and has sent some of his troops home. These options all have chances of happening, and in my opinion, the third still is the greatest one that had a chance of happening. "Would you like some refreshments, my lord?" My butler breaks me out of my thoughts as I sit down. I nod my head slowly, and he waves his hand for the maids to prepare food and drinks. I lean back in my chair and release a long sigh. "In the end, the Coalition doesn''t lose much. A severely weak Bellvia wasn''t going to be something I nned on keeping in the Coalition. With their loss in this war, we''re free of a burden. However, Zenith gains new territory and increases in pretty much everything. This is even better for Jackson than it is for me." That''s the part that makes me the angriest. He''s the one benefiting the most from this war. After a few minutes, the maidse back in with the food and drinks. They prepare it on my desk, and I''ll admit the smell and look distracts me from my problems. A good hot meal can do that for you. "I understand your frustration, my lord. Perhaps this is the best oue in the end. The Dryads get their revenge, and Zenith will rid us of Bellvia. The only thing you have to worry about is Bellvia''s King bbering the truth is Jackson before he dies." That is the greatest loose end I have to fix. A simple assassination of the king will be the quickest way. However, this presents the problem of an easy victory for Jackson. I want him to waste his troops ande back weak from this war, but killing the enemy king will swiftly end the war. At the same time, it protects the secret that I was involved in the attacks on Jackson''s wife. The choice here is obvious. "I want you to head to the intelligence headquarters and have them eliminate the king of Bellvia. His usefulness haspletely run out. Time to protect our secrets." My butler nods his head and bows before leaving to go to the headquarters for the intelligence agency in my capital. That leaves me alone in my office. The maids left after they delivered the food. I stand up and walk over to the window overlooking the capital city. This is my kingdom, and I''m its king. I wonder what my citizens would think about the decisions and choices I''ve made. All the things that I''ve costed my great kingdom. All the sacrifices that I made the poor soldiers pay with their lives. I think they''d storm my castle and crucify me and parade my body through the streets. I have so many secrets that can lead to my demise and my kingdom''s demise. I can only me myself too. I got myself into this way of ruling. My father didn''t teach me this, and I haven''t taught my children. It''s the way I am. "I wonder what you would say, father... I wonder what you''d do to me if you knew how rotten I''ve made the heart of your greatest masterpiece..." There are echoes of pain and regret when I say those words. He cherished the kingdom more than his own family, which in retrospect is the correct way to rule. I''m not like him. I love myself and my family more than the kingdom. That makes me a terrible ruler but an excellent father and husband. Chapter 291: The Wish Dungeon VI

Chapter 291: The Wish Dungeon VI

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I watch Victor walk into the area, which means his group is thest to join us. There were three groups, and the second one to arrive after we did has been waiting for an hour for the remaining team with us, which is Victors. He walks over to the groups and sees that more survived than he''d hoped. Our group is the one that lost the most people in it. Not to any fault of mine. "Looks like we have pretty good chances of beating this dungeon. The next boss is going to be tough. It has an invincible state once enraged." That is a rare find. Emerald is still in my backpack, and I feel her shuffle around now and then. I was worried about bringing her along with me, but she''s doing just fine. "We''ll have to defeat the boss before it bes enraged. That gives us three minutes. Everyone equip your best damaging gear. The only creature we''re fighting is the boss in the next room. So we don''t have to worry about mob control." This isn''t even the final boss. It''s the second tost boss. The Witch Queen is after this boss fight, but none of these yers will be here to see it. Everyone stands up and prepares for the next fight. Jasmine stands next to me and stands out slightly since she doesn''t have an inventory. No one notices except me. "You new people are so weird..." She whispers to me and is adamant that no one hears us. "How is it you have an exclusive dimension that you can ess anytime you want whenever you want? The sheer illogical nature of this makes me wonder what other strange things you can all do..." Our conversation can''t be heard over the other ones happening around the group. I chuckle, and I keep my current weapon equipped. I use my best gear all the time. It''s who I am and what I do. "There is much you don''t know about us, Jasmine... It''d take too much time to exin to you in a single setting." She sighs and decides to drop it. I honestly don''t know how to broach the subject with her. The truth about us yers is pretty unbelievable. I n on telling her, but I don''t know how to exin it. It isn''t something that I''m good at. Exining the actual science to her is impossible cause I don''t know it. While Hailey and Jasmine enter the next boss room with the rest of the dungeon party, Cera and Sally are currently having a nice hot meal in their room. It''s the early morning where Cera and Sally are, and it''s still dark where Hailey and Jasmine are. Cera and Sally are eating a huge breakfast that''s loaded with protein. While it isn''t the amazing yer food that Sally hase to love, it''s still plenty good to satisfy the hunger growing in both of them. Cera and Sally have decided to pass the time on some more fun activities while waiting for Hailey and Jasmine. There is a festivaling to the town tonight and the whole day tomorrow. I watch as Sally devours the food on her te, and I try my best to keep up. She''s got some serious appetite. I don''t me her though, thest time we had an actual meal was when we were in the City of James. "I want a meal like this every day... I''m so tired of having to eat rations and dried meat..." She talks as she eats, and I can''t help myself from chuckling. The saying that you get to a man''s heart through his stomach can be applied to women too. We finish our food, and I have to bring up the festival. I want her to have the opportunity to wear another dress. The red one at Jackson''s wedding isn''t something I want her to wear to the festival. It''s more of a subtle thing, and the red dress in my inventory is more of a show. "You know... There''s a festival happening tonight and all of tomorrow." My words immediately grab her attention. "Do you want to go with me? I''ll even buy you a dress for the event." She''s a little speechless. I know enough about her to know she''s never been to a festival before. She stops eating and puts her eating utensils down. "I''d love to go to the festival with you, Cera... I''m just a little scared that people will recognize you without your hood on when we''re walking around..." Damn, I didn''t even think of that. The elves have been looking for me, and I have a feeling they''re looking for Sally too. If they know, I''m right at the border. It could ruin all the ns we have. I groan as I lean back in my chair. "You didn''t consider that, did you..." I nod my head, and now I feel bad. It sucks that she won''t be able to dress up, but we can still go to the festival. I look back at her, and I find the right words. "We can still go, but we''ll have to wear our hoods and gear. I was hoping you''d get the chance to wear another dress. I don''t really know how you feel about wearing a dress, but I know women like to feel beautiful, and dressing up can help that... I wanted to help you feel that way..." Sally is self-conscious about her past, and I understand her feeling like that after everything she''s been through. I like to see her happy, though, and when she was wearing that red dress, she was glowing. She looks at me with love and is on the verge of crying. This isn''t something that I wanted. "You can''t just say things like that without letting me prepare... Idiot..." She whips the tears from her eyes. "Saying things like that makes me want to cry... No one ever says things so nice and caring for me... The amount of consideration you give me sometimes makes me want to ball my eyes out..." I''m giving the consideration that any person should given their significant other. She doesn''t know this is how you normally treat a person. As this is happening in the border city to the Elven Kingdom, the church is meeting to discuss many problems in the war. The main thing being all the infighting on the human''s side. Many conflicts shouldn''t be happening. All of this is causing the monster hordes to gain more and more ground in the war. Since the war started between Zenith and Bellvia, the monsters have taken multiple cities and have captured more women to replenish their forces. Saintess Lucy is leading this meeting and is discussing what needs to be done next. I look at the holograms of the leaders around the room. Many are looking more and more exhausted as the days go by. The war that''s happening between Zenith and Ballvia proves that we''re still not united in our efforts to defeat the monster hordes. "There are reports that more towns and cities have been taken. We all know what this means, and I don''t like the thought. I suggest we use the new weapons that some of the new people have designed for us." The new people have be an invaluable resource. Especially the ones that can create weapons that can annihte mountains. That amount of power requires a lot of responsibility, and we can''t just go around using it whenever we want. "The power these weapons can produce is both dangerous and unstoppable. I suggest we take this new push from the monster hordes and test the weapon. To see how viable it really is." I continue to make my case to the rulers still aligned with the church. The Coalition isn''t here. They''re struggling to hold it together as it is. Ever since Jackson up and left, many have been wanting to do the same. Zenith is the first kingdom to have independence from the church or the Coalition. It no longer has to answer to a higher governing body. The Pope is here too, but he''s quiet. Ever since he''s announced his retirement, he hasn''t been that active in the discussions. All the leaders and kings in the room nod their heads in agreement, and that marks the first test of the weapon designed by the scientists of the new people poption. The meeting ends, and I make my way to my chambers. It''s time that I take a break. I need it after all the shit that''s happening. Chapter 292: The Legacy Class

Chapter 292: The Legacy ss

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Ind thest blow on The Witch Queen, and she dies. Marking the first defeat of the dungeon boss since it was discovered. I''m mentally exhausted... Staying awake this long and continuing battle isn''t something that I''ve done before. This is by far the longest I''ve spent in a dungeon. "You did it! You beat the Witch Queen!" Jasmine runs up to my side, and she''s covered in dirt and dust, just like me. After we beat the boss before the Witch Queen, I took care of the group we came in with. This marks the end of our time in The Wish Dungeon. I look over to the Witch Queen to see her drops, and I see the glow of a powerful ss on the ground. I look at Jasmine as she hugs me from the side. "Don''t waste your time hugging me. Go and get the legacy ss." Realization dawns on her, and she slowly stands up. She looks at it with hesitation but walks towards it regardless. I watch her pick it up, and she''s enveloped in light. After a few seconds, she''s done with her ss chance, and a worldwide announcement goes off. Informing all the yers that the Legacy ss has been taken. [Worldwide Announcement: The Legacy ss: Last Wish has been taken from The Wish Dungeon! This is a one-of-a-kind ss and will be removed from the pool of possible sses! Congrattions to the NPC who''s received it! The Wish Dungeon can still be used to find more weapons and armor! There is still a Legacy Grade weapon yet to be found in The Wish Dungeon! Good Luck to all the yers in the area of The Wish Dungeon and on the way there!] The announcement repeats a few times. I''m grateful it didn''t give her name out. "This is absolutely amazing!!" I watch Jasmine jump up and down with excitement. "These skills and buffs from this ss make my old Rare ss look like crap!" The NPC''s have their own ways of viewing their information. Jasmine told me it appears in their lead like a list. It''s not in the form of a screen or interface like us yers. I stand up and dust the dirt off myself and stretch my body out. This marks the end of our time here. We can head to the inn we''ve rented and stay an extra day. I want to get some rest before we actually get this trip started up again. We''ve been in this dungeon for almost 12 hours. It''s probably daytime again outside. "I''m d that you''re excited. Let''s get out of this ce and head back to the town. I want to get some good food and get some rest before we start the trip up again." She nods her head, and I can tell she also likes the idea of rest. We head to the back of the boss room, and we walk through a door taking us outside to an area away from the entrance. As soon as we''re out, I can hear the screams of Victor in the distance. We make our way in the opposite direction and back towards the city. He won''t be able to cause any trouble for us. He''s not strong enough. "I can''t wait to eat and get a good night''s sleep for the first time in at least a day and a half of traveling and dungeon diving. Do you think new people will continue to go for the rewards in The Wish Dungeon?" She asks a valid question. I''d say that anyone who wants something one of a kind and unique will keep attacking it. There is still a Legacy weapon up for grabs in the dungeon. I take a rxing breath andy my hand on top of her head. "That doesn''t concern us anymore. Let''s get back to the inn and get some food in us and rest all day and night for tomorrow''s trip." It''s morning now, and there is a frosty cold rolling into the area. We can see the city from here. We walk back and fill the time with conversations and ideas for food. Jasmine has one of thergest appetites I''ve ever seen. It''s bigger than my dad''s, and he ate crazy amounts of food. He was a factory worker, after all. It was the tradition of the day for him. While Hailey and Jasmine continue walking and talking, Cera and Sally are having their own fun. Sally is loving the idea of going to a festival with Cera, but there is one problem. It''s a festival they know nothing about. Some festivals are specific to Certain Gods or religions. The same goes in this situation. Some traditions need to be followed, and this could prove troublesome for Cera and Sally. One of the biggest obstacles is the fact you have to dress in traditional garbs. One that noblemen and noblewomen wear. Nothing is allowed to obstruct the face either. Sally and I both read the pamphlet for the uing festival, and I didn''t realize how tedious and annoying it is to go to one of these. "Why in the hell aren''t we allowed to hide our faces. That seems almost intentional." She brings up valid points. This is suspicious by all ounts. It might be safer not to go. However, I want to go with her. I want to have fun with her at a ce that isn''t rted to blood, revenge, or battle. An actual date would be nice. I''m having a serious internal debate right now. Do I take the risks, or do I cancel it? I sigh, knowing that I''m going to regret this, but Sally and I deserve a moment of normality. Even if there is a risk of being discovered, I want this to be something fun and positive. "This does change some things, but we''re still going. I want to spend time with you that isn''t plotting revenge, getting revenge, or in battle. A date, you know." I watch a small blush spread across her face at the mention of the word date. We''ve never formally used that word between the two of us, but that''s what I want this to be. We have a right to something normal for a change. She knows there are risks involved too, but she can''t help smiling. The thought of us spending time together and having moments that are like a real couple is sorely missing from our rtionship. "I really like that idea... How big of a chance of discovery do you think there might be?" It depends on who''ll recognize me and who''ll think I''m just a normal festival-goer. Those who''ve seen my posters ced around by the church might put the pieces together. However, there is no influence of the church this close to the Elven Kingdom. So the odds of that scenario happening are slim to none. Now the part that I''m actually worried about. The ones deliberately looking for me. They''ll know what I exactly look like, and they''ll be quick to notify the elven authority in the area. "I think we blend it as much as we can, and that means we get these garbs. If we don''t stick out, no one will be the wiser to know that I''m here. Take away my gear, and I look like a normal man." If I''m wearing simr clothing to everyone else, then there is a very low chance that I''ll be found out. This is the best version of the n, and it''s the only one we can really use. "We''ll have a normal night and a normal date. Uninterrupted by any outside influence and anything else rted to our mission here. We should go out to one of the local stores and find the required clothes. It''s going to cost me more since I''m a new person, but it''s worth every bit of money." She has a smile that I''ve never seen her have before. One that has heartfelt happiness and excitement at the idea of us having an actual real date. One that people have when they''re in rtionships. I know it''s going to be fun. I stand up, and Sally follows along. We make our way to the door and leave. I lock our room behind us. We make it outside the inn, and we both look down the streets to see many decorations being put up for the festival. It''s actually beautiful. "Let''s go and shop. Make sure you keep your hood on. It''s still safer for us to do it now." She nods, and we start walking down the street with our hoods up. It''s going to be my first festival. Chapter 293: Costs

Chapter 293: Costs

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally and I walk into a store that has what''s needed for the festival. Every ce we''ve been to has refused to serve us since I''m a new person. The shop we''re walking into now is one of thest possible ces that can sell decent garbs for the festival. "I''m really getting annoyed with people. I don''t like that they treat you that way cause you''re a new person. If they really knew who you were, they''d give everything to you for free." Sally has grown frustrated with the service that I get as a new person. It''s either egregious prices or no service at all. I chuckle at her words as we walk down one of the aisles of the store. I look around and see clothes perfect for the festival, and their prices tags are fair. I can count on these pieces skyrocketing once I try and buy them. "It''s something that we''re dealing with. It sucks that I''m overcharged on everything, but it''s not like I don''t have the money for it. Just rx and let me know if you see anything that you''d like. Take your time. No reason to rush if we''re going to get kicked out anyway." I don''t know how long this shunning of new people is going to keep going. It''s making the lives of us yers harder and harder every day. Eventually, we won''t do any shopping at stores that NPC''s own. We''ll be doing exclusive shopping at yer-owned businesses. There aren''t enough yet, but I don''t think it''ll be long until yers realize this will be the only solution for a while. "There are some really fantastic clothes in here..." Sally whispers out as I see her look at a few dresses not pertaining to the festival. I''m not opposed to buying her more dresses. I walk up behind her and look at the dresses she''s looking at. They really do look nice, and they''re something that I know she''ll look breathtaking in. "You can pick one of them out, and keep looking for a garb for the festival." She turns around and looks at me with a look that asks me if it''s really okay. I nod my head. I need to ask the owner at the front desk if he''ll serve my kind. I walk up to the front desk, and the man looks up from his book. He''s not happy, but he''s willing to hear me out. "Are you willing to sell to new people?" He sighs and closes his book. He nods his head, and I smile. I''m d I found one store willing. While Cera and Sally shop for the clothes needed for the festival, Hailey, and Jasmine are currently in their room resting and scarfing down tons of food. They''ve had a long dungeon dive. They betrayed a group of yers and stole the legacy ss for themselves. Jasmine now has a powerful sword and magic hybrid ss called The Last Wish. Hailey knows they have a long trip tomorrow, and taking the rest of today and sleeping through the night is the best way to rest and replenish energy. Doing what they did isn''t something that''ll happen many times among the yer base. I shovel food into my mouth without care for modesty in the world. My stomach has been growling ever since fighting the Witch Queen. I look up from my te of food, and I can see that Jasmine is doing the same thing as me. She''s shoveling more and more food into her mouth, and barely chewing it. I focus back on my food as my stomach continues to growl in hunger. "This is so good." Jasmine gets some words out in between bites of food. I nod my head, and that''s all I''m going to do. This is some of the best food I''ve ever had. Emerald is also eating food off a te that I put on the floor for her. All of this is costing a fortune, but I have money to burn. Emerald is eating just as fast and desperate as Jasmine and me. Emerald didn''t even fight. I feed her regrly, but it''s not food this good and fresh. It''s usually dry meat, and that isn''t very vorful. We''re all going to run out of food faster than any of us wants to admit, but that''s a part of having good food. It ends up notsting that long, and you wish you savored it longer than you had. I shovel thest bit of food on my te into my mouth. My te is now empty, and I look over at Jasmine, and she''s finishing thest little bit on hers. "That hit the spot!" She stretches her arms andys her hand on her stomach. Emerald mews in agreement. I lean back in my chair and release a deep sigh. "I''m still hungry, though..." I am too, and all this food would feed a starving family. I stand up and make my way towards the door to the room. "I want the same thing asst time! Their steak is so juicy!" I''m getting the same dish this time myself. I don''t care about the price. I ce the order and pay for the overcharged fee. They said they''ll bring it up in a few minutes likest time. I make it back to the room, and I sit in the same chair. "It''ll be up in a few. My stomach is already growling for me." I can literally hear my stomach growling for more food. This is going to be the only time for us to have anything decent to eat until we reach the city at the southern border to the elven kingdom. Jasmine''s stomach growls, and so does Emeralds. We''re all still hungry beyond belief. I''m looking forwards to the next serving. As this is happening with Hailey and Jasmine, the developments in the weapon test the church is doing areing to an apex. The church has agreed on a target location for the new weapon and is setting up the creation of the new people scientists. Their weapon will be propelled through the air on a rocket, something that has just been introduced to the natives of Gaia. For all ounts, this is a magical version of a thermonuclear weapon. One that will change the tide of the war, but it''s up to the church if it''s going to be used after this single test. I stand on the edge of the viewing tform from a city overrun by monsters. As the Saintess, I''m supposed to be present for any military weapons test. Today is the day we test the first weapon that the new people scientists havee up with. Why they said we need to be this many miles away is beyond me. We''re nearly 500 miles away, and we''re all wearing magically enchanted goggles. "Can you believe they said we''ll need these? I think it''s tomfoolery." One of my generals next to me voices his dissatisfaction. All the rulers who couldn''t be here are viewing the test via hologram. "Ready to fire, mark the count down." The scientists start pressing buttons on a panel that they made, and the strange-looking tube moves and rises at an angle. "5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Launch." The tube sts open, and a long rod being propelled forward by fire shoots out. We have to cover our ears at the horrible noise. We watch the strange device fly through the air and travel all the way to the city. In an instant, an explosion brighter than the sun happens. We all have to duck behind the protective shielding as the wave and debrise flying at us. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!!!?" Another high-ranking official screams out as the whole tform shakes, and after a second, it all stops. We all stand up and take a look at the scenery before us. I''m speechless... I''ve never seen anything like this. There is nothing left of the city. All there is a massive crater and a huge cloud that looks like a mushroom. Lightning is bouncing in its clouds. This is absolutely evil... No power like this should be in the hands of mortals. One of the scientists steps forward and begins writing down the results. "Not as powerful as we thought..." I feel a pit in my heart and soul open as he says that... This is below expectations? "As all of you can see, the test is sessful, and the enemy has been eliminated." I have to fight the urge to draw my sword and kill him even though he''lle back. These madmen... What have they made... Chapter 294: Progress From All Sides

Chapter 294: Progress From All Sides

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I grab the new person scientist by the cor, and I point out towards the devastation. "What the fuck is all this!? This isn''t a weapon!" I''ve never seen anything have such destructive power in my life. The fact it''se from the minds of these scientists worries me. What else could be dreamed up and turned into reality? "Do you realize what this does to the bnce of power?! How many things this creation is going to affect?!!" I shake the scientists, but all he does is hold up his hands. One of my Generals walks up and ces her hand on my shoulder. I drop the scientist, and I step back. I look back out towards the site the weapon went off. It''s something you''d only see in you''re worst nightmares. "We were tasked to deliver a weapon that''ll change the tied of the war..." The scientist fixes his cor and stands up. "We''ve fulfilled our duties... This weapon and the many others like it will win the war against the monster hordes..." My body bes rigid. Did he just say the others like it? He sees my expression and understands. "We''ve manufactured 10 weapons like it, this being the weakest." I don''t know why, but I feel sick. My legs give out slightly, and I take a knee. I suck in breaths trying to rpose myself. "You''re telling us that you''ve designed 10 other weapons capable of the same?" One of the rulersing through on the hologram decides to speak up first. Everyone looks at the scientist, and he nods his head. "This is troubling indeed... What shall we do about it, Saintess Lucy?" I honestly have no idea what we''re going to do. It can''t be taken back. It''s already been created, and there are other scientists that aren''t here that helped build the test weapon. My Generals lend me a hand and help me up. "This power is dangerous... The ability to turn an entire city into a crater shouldn''t be in mortal hands... However, this will win the war against the monster hordes... What we do with this power can''t be undone, and I say we wait... That''s all I can say at this moment..." How do you respond to such a disy? How do you know if you''re acting responsibly with so many lives on the line? A great burdenes with terrifying power... You don''t know who''s going to die... I need to discuss this with The Pope. While this is happening at the test site for the new weapon, the war in Bellvia ising to another point that holds great value in the total picture of the war. Jackson and his Generals are moving towards the capital city. Thest ce that hasn''t either been surrendered or taken by force. The same capital that Cera and Sally were in when they were getting The Dice of Wand. Bellvia was severely weakened by Cera and his heist. Ghostzero, Creatureman, and Krialder cleaned out the treasure rooms in the heist, walking away from the world for a time. I ride on my horse next to my queen, and she''s looking way better than she was in Zenith. She''s actually slept during our time of war with Bellvia. "My King, we should be arriving at the capital in an hour. Should we send scouts ahead to see what the defenses and forces are?" Aaron is riding at my other side. I nod my head, and he gives the signal with a wave of his hand. Specially trained scouts leap from hiding spots in the surrounding forest and head towards the capital. They''ll report back with any news of what we''re up against. I take a deep breath and enjoy the fresh air. "What are our casualties before this next battle?" I ask the dreaded question any ruler would ask, well, any ruler that''d care. He reads the numbers, and every single time I hear a report, a little part of me dies. These men had families back in Zenith. Wives waiting for their husbands toe home. Children waiting to hug their father again. "I want a full n that''ll take care of the widows in Zenith. I don''t care how much it costs." Aaron says nothing in response, probably cause he agrees. Tessa reaches over and ces her hand on my wrist, and looks me in the eyes. "You''re doing the right thing. These families are going to need all the help they can get, and I''m sure the men thatid down their lives are proud to have a ruler willing to take care of their families. I know I''m proud." Those words bring littlefort, mainly because I know the men that have died would rather be home with their families instead of watching them from above. I''ll not fail these men, and I''ll make sure their families have the best care. It won''t mean much to the widows... They''d want their husbands back, not something that I can give them. No matter how many houses, money, or care I give. It''ll be nothing inparison to the husband and father they''ve lost. Some don''t have families and only have parents. I''m not going to be able to help them... Not like the families. "Thank you for saying that, Tessa. I doubt any of the men that have died and their families would agree..." I let the words out, and she stays silent. Knowing that they''re true. Sometimes... I hate being King. While this final march is going on towards the capital of Bellvia, said king of Ballvia has already been assassinated. Gregory has seeded in covering his footsteps, and no one will know of his involvement in the attacks on Zenith''s Queen. Gregory has always been the original instigator of this war. Hoping to use the war in Bellvia to move his troops to Zenith, only to be foiled by a gut feeling from Jackson. This war has led to nothing other than severing a weak ally for Gregory. A ruler like Gregory is one to be feared but studied as well. Now that the king in Bellvia is dead, I can rest easy knowing that there isn''t anything that''ll lead back to me. Only a few people in my inner circle also know of the true n, and they''ll keep quiet cause it''s in their best interests too. "What shall we do next, My King?" My butler speaks at my side as I look over the balcony and out to my massive city. While this war didn''t provide much for me, it has gotten rid of what was causing me problems. My worry is how strong Zenith and The Dryads will be after their conquest is over. I lean on the stone railing and take a deep breath into the cool night. "We let the wheel of war turn. More opening will prevent themselves, and we''ll be ready. For now, we wait until the storm brewing over Bellvia has settled and everything is calm. After that, we''ll wait for the storming to Zenith. A few of my little birds have told me that I''m not the only one nning to attack Zenith." My butler lifts a single eyebrow at my words. It''s indeed true, but it''s not a group that I can ally myself with, for they are the enemy of many and friends of few. Amelia, mother of yer Zern. She holds great interest in many parties. Those parties are foolish for thinking they''ll not receive retribution. If yer Zern doesn''t take care of them, Arch-Angel Michael will. It''d be idiotic allying myself with such individuals. "What do you n to do with this new information? Something so valuable can be worth a lot to individuals in the Church and Zenith." My butler brings up a great point, and one that I''ve been focusing on. I could use the information that I''ve found to my ultimate advantage. However, my father taught me a very important lesson before I became king. Be patient, and use any opportunity you can to sick your enemies against each other. "Going after Amelia is suicide, and trying to frame a group of people won''t work when Gods are watching. However, Zenith has a blind spot, and that blind spot is their connection to yer Zern. We''re going to use that to our advantage." My n can''t be set in motion yet, but when the time is just right. A whisper here and a push there. It''s all I need to see my enemies tear each other apart. Chapter 295: Plans Moving Forward

Chapter 295: ns Moving Forward

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I watch as Sallyes out of the bathroom at our room in the inn. She''s wearing a silky beautiful gown that''s absolutely indescribable. The dress holds tight in the upper body and flows into a loose wave of fluttering clothe. The ck looks over the gown iste her amazing blonde hair. "So... How do I look?" My mouth is hanging open in total idiocy. I register her words, and I stand up. I have to look at her up and down, but I struggle to find the right words. "That good?" She sounds so uncertain of herself. I walk forward, and I ce my hands on her bare shoulders. She looks into my eyes, and as she does, I lose my breath. She''s the most beautiful woman I''ve ever known. "It''s... Brain stopping, Sally... I can''t even describe how it looks on you..." Sally is extremely beautiful, and add her elven looks, and you have someone who couldn''t possibly know the type of damage she can do to a man with one look. Look at what she''s done to me, and I consider myself resilient. "I''m not sure if you''re allowed to look this good..." She chuckles at my words, but I give a serious look. "If you draw too much attention... It could be bad..." I have a smile as I say this. The reason I have a smile is cause I never thought I''d be with a woman who''s capable of something like this. To take my breath away... "I really like it... Are you sure that it''s a bad idea to wear it to the festival?" As badly as I want her to have fun and feel beautiful while doing it. This is just too eye-catching. I slowly nod my head, and I can see her disappointment. I''m d that I bought her multiple gowns to choose from. I''m a little hesitant to see the rest of this is the first one she''s trying on. I don''t know anything about women and clothes. She turns around to the bathroom, and I want to stop her and tell her to wear it. I can''t risk us getting discovered. I walk back over to the bed to sit down and take a load off. I lean back and sigh as I run my hands through my hair. "My pride is a little hurt at my reaction... Thought I had better control over myself than that... I looked like some boy who saw his first pair of panties..." Sally is the only person to ever do this to me, and I think that says something. I rub my face and stare up at the ceiling. I''m not looking forward to trying on my new clothes after her show. While Cera and Sally prepare for the festival, there is an interesting development on the war in Bellvia. Jackson has just received a letter from Bellvia''s Crown Price stating that the King has been assassinated and their fully surrendering. There are literally thousands who are happy with this oue. The main reason being that no more lives will be lost. Jackson is currently marching towards the Capital of Bellvia with his army. However, it''s going to be for the talks over surrender. Not for the siege of the capital city. That has been avoided. To say I was shocked to learn that Bellvia''s King has been assassinated is an understatement. When the report was handed to me as I road by my wife''s side, I nearly fell off. While this is fantastic news, it does worry me. Someone was definitely in league with Bellvia''s King. I''m feeling that whoever that someone is, it''s the true orchestrator of this war. The silencing of the King speaks volumes. Secrets that didn''t want to be shared. "I think this is the best way the war could''ve ended." Tesse speaks as we ride next to each other. She''s been so strong through this. I know seeing our soldiers die in our names has hit her. Hit her as hard as they hit me. I shouldn''t take this for granted for my kingdom. Many families have been spared with this, and so much blood in the name of my kingdom doesn''t need to be spilled. "I''m d that this war has ended too... But I''m worried..." Tessa looks at me, and I see my other Generals look towards me too. All are waiting for me to borate. "Whoever assassinated the King in Bellvia is our true enemy. Once they knew this war was over, they got rid of the only person who knew their secrets." My words dawn on them. This war is over, but I fear another one ising from whoever orchestrated this one. Who knows what kind of reach they have. My gut is telling me it''s Gregory, but I can''t use him of anything without proof and knowing him. There is nothing to find, the only one that knew anything would''ve been Bellvia''s King. Gregory is my strongest possibility, but there are unseen enemies out there. So I should go jumping to conclusions. This is going to require investigating of my own. This jeopardizes my entire kingdom and my future as King. I hear the sighs of the many military leaders around me. They know what I''m thinking based on my looks and mood. "Let us fight one war at a time, My King. We''ll begin all of that once we''re done talking to the Crown Prince of Bellvia. Once all of this settles down, that Crown Prince is going to be the new King." Aaron brings up a good point. I''ve made another new enemy in the man, having been one of the reasons his father is now dead, and the kingdom is in turmoil. I can''t imagine what must be going through that kid''s head. While the journey towards the Bellvian capital continues, said Crown Price is in his chambers trying to figure all of this out. The young man''s name is Cyril Regar the III, and he''s going to be one of the only rulers toe into power because of an assassination of his father. It''s a rare thing in Gaia. Rulers are usually never assassinated during times of war simply because the security is too high. That is why Cyril''s situation is unique. This is going to be a rough transition for the young prince, but it''s just the beginning of his journey. I sit in my chair in my chambers, going over the many papers, and a realization dawns on me. Father never prepared any of us children for the reigns of the kingdom. Now even me, and I''m his oldest. My little sister was the light of his life, and if given a choice. He''d have given the kingdom to her. In a way, I''m grateful for the assassination. In another way, I''ll find out who did this and take them out myself. My suspicions are immediately on Jackson, but there were many nights my father had meetings with a clocked man in a hood via hologram. This is enough to open my eyes and notpletely jump on the thought that this is Jackson''s doing. "My Prince, much of the nobility wishes to call a meeting to discuss the next proceedings regarding the state of the throne." Our pces head butler notifies me of theing shit storm. One that I don''t wish to deal with. All the kingdom''s nobles are going to use this as an opportunity for ims that shouldn''t be dealt with right now. I hate politics, and I hate the fact that I have to clean up my father''s mess. I loved my father, and I love my kingdom. However, he didn''t know how to rule it, and he didn''t teach me the little he knew about ruling a kingdom. "Tell them to wait at their estates until the peace talks are over. They''re all wanting to have cockfights on whosnd is whos. I''m not in the mood to deal with that." The butler lowers his head in a bow and leaves the room. I sigh and set the reports down. The sheer amount of debt the kingdoms are in is absolutely insane. Not to mention the fact that our treasure vault is practically emtpy. Ever since the day yer Zern paid the pce a visit and threatened my father, everything for our kingdom has gone downhill. I wouldn''t put the chance that The Almighty Father made sure all this happened. The choices of Gods are above me, especially the top Almighty Father. I''m not blind, though. My father was too deluded to believe he''d have all this shit happen... That this was going to be the downfall of our kingdom. I have one thing my father didn''t have. Wisdom, and that''s because I watched every one of his mistakes and learned from them. So maybe I am better off. Chapter 296: The Festival I

Chapter 296: The Festival I

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally is in the perfect gown. One that doesn''t make her stand out, but one that looks great on her. We aren''t taking our hoods, and that puts an edge of worry in me. It''s going to be okay, though. We''ll be looking like regr festival-goers, just like everyone else. "This is the first time I''ll be going to a festival..." Sally and I are standing side by side in the bathroom, looking into the mirror. She tells me something, I figured. I reach over and wrap my arm around her shoulder and bring her in. "Cera..." A small blush spreads across her face. I''ve never been to anything even close to a festival. I''m going to be a little lost at first. "We''re going to remember this night forever. It''ll be a date that regr people have... That''s something that I want cause our journey together has been anything other than normal." There are moments when I think about having a normal journey. One where I''m not this powerful, and I still meet Sally. That''s a dangerous thing to think about, so I don''t spend much time thinking about it. Those that know why it''s dangerous won''t need an exnation. Sally''s arm wraps around my abdomen and squeezes me in return. We look great together. There is a height difference, but people will be so caught up in the festivities that no one will pay attention to us. "I like that thought... I wonder what my mom would think if she could see me right now... I can only imagine how beautiful she''d be in a dress or gown..." I stay silent and let her speak. Listening is one of my strong suits. "Do you think they ever regret what they did? What my family did to her?" That isn''t something I can answer. If they were so willing to go that far, I doubt that anyone with actual power in her family cares. Perhaps some branch members or servents. Not anyone that gave the order. "I don''t know, Sally... I can''tprehend the cruelty needed to do that to one''s own child..." In a way, I have answered. Not a direct one, but she can read into it. "It''s on your mind a lot. Isn''t it..." She slowly nods her head as we look into the mirror, holding each other. We''ve gotten revenge on the James family, but the people who sent her mother and subsequently her there are still alive. I have a question for Sally, one that I don''t want to ask. It seems fitting with all the questions she asked me. "What do you intend to do once everything is done? I have to head back to the Kingdom of Pleer for a quest to free all the ves in that Kingdom. I''d understand if you didn''t want to... But I''d like you to help me. We can put an end to a lot of bad things together." She leans her head on my shoulder and smiles. I know she wouldn''t leave me if I didn''t give her a reason too. However, once we''re done here. She might want to leave all this behind and start a new adventure with me. She takes and breath and slowly rocks both of us in a slow, easy motion. "A part of me wants to do something else after we''re all done here... But I know there are thousands out there suffering as I did... I intend to free the ves alongside you cause this is where I belong..." It''s nice to hear something like that. To hear the woman that you love tell you she belongs with you. I tilt my head down and to the side and kiss the side of her head. The festival should be starting soon, and that means we need to get a move on. While Cera and Sally make their way out of the inn and towards the festival, the Elven Queen and her advisors are in a meeting at the moment. The Elven Queen and her spies have been keeping tabs on important targets. Namely, Cera and Sally, the discussion of this meeting are about everything the spies know and havee to figure out about the targets. The Elven Kingdom is known for its amazing spywork. The capital of the Elven Kingdom is only open to the noblest and rich of Gaia. It isn''t an easy ce to get to. I look around the table and see the richest of my people. The ones connected to the world outside mynd. Our main subject today is the findings my spies havee up with. "My Queen, I understand that you''re watching certain people. But how do we y into this? We''re all just riches traders and merchants. Only about 40% of your council is true nobility in thesends." One of the greatest merchants to ever live speaks up. His name is Zernael, and he''s one of the eldest elves in the entire elven society. He was alive and making moves when my ancestors were on the throne. I''ve taken his advice many times, and I respect him a great deal. The wisdom he carries about the world is something that I desperately need. "Zernael, my spies can only do so much. I''ve lost track of the targets near The City of James. I need to know if any of you could have any information on where yer Zern and Saliandra Orvello are located. You''re all more connected to the world than any royal blood is. I need your guidance on this matter." Many old elven faces adopt thinking expressions. It made me mad when my spies lost a visual on yer Zern. The only thing we know for certain is he headed in our direction. I can assume that he and Saliandra are on their way here. For revenge, most likely. The reports about what happened in The City of James are disturbing. Only a former female ve would induce injuries like that. "While many of us in this room are deeply connected, yer Zern isn''t just a regr person we can find. Due to being able to fly, he''s able to cover great distances, and it''s unknown how fast he is." Zernael begins to bring up the very problems I''ve been facing in this endeavor. yer Zern is required if I want to secure the elven race as untouchable. I need him to secure the legacy of my people. "I know this isn''t some target. yer Zern is, for all intense and purposes, a God. While he''s still young andcks that power, the potential for it is there." The royal elven family having offspring with yer Zern will grant us ultimate authority and rights. It''s the only way for us. We''vee this far because we strive for such giant goals. The Gods must spit upon me and my actions, but this is the future. I know it. All the people at this meeting are quiet, internally debating if they would join in my search. I don''t me them if they refuse. I''m trying to mess with the fates and destiny of Gods I can''t begin toprehend. "I''m sorry, My Queen... I''m not brave enough to tangle with such powers. I''d rather stick to my trade and leave the greater wills of our world to themselves." Zernael rejects the offer. I was hoping that he''d be willing to help. In many ways, what I''m doing is suicidal, but I''vee to terms this will cost me my life. One of my daughters will bear the child of yer Zern, and a new bloodline will be born. We''ll be a divine race in blood, not just in name. "I understand, Zernael... The future of the elven race is going to be something that no one will be able to affect if I can seed... Many condemn my actions, but I want to secure the legacy of my people." Everyone in the room understands but begins to reject the idea one by one. Seeing that the risks far outweigh the benefits. Soon, no one I asked toe here has decided to help. I look at my two daughters as we''re the only ones left in the room. This is the challenge we''re taking on, and now they see how alone we are in our quest. "Don''t worry, daughters. We have time on our side, remember that." I''m trying to secure this as fast as I can, and the fastest is to eliminate Saliandra. Once she''s out of the picture, everything will be much easier. Hopefully, we pick up their trail again. And we don''t lose it this time. Chapter 297: The Festival II

Chapter 297: The Festival II

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} {Apologies for missing uploads. I''ve been doing so much for my P-a-t-r-e-o-n and webnovel that the sacrifice has been sleeping. I hope that many of you aren''t upset.} Sally walks down the road with me, and, I''ll admit, it''s nice to be free of wearing my hood. There are people dressed simr to us, and we blend in. Sally has her elbow locked in mine as we travel the road and see the decorations and stalls. I see yers trying to buy things from some festival stalls, but they''re being rejected. They stick out. Not wearing proper attire can do that. "Do you think we can try one of the games..." Sally lets out a barely audible voice, and attached to it is a question. I don''t have to think about it long. My eyes meet hers, and the same look that always captures my attention is given to me. My smile spreads across my face against my will. "I think we should y every single game we can. Let''s make some great memories, Sally." I unlock my arm from hers, and I hug her with my arm instead. I pull her closer, and as I do, her embarrassed reaction makes my heart flutter. "You and me... We''re more than just lovers... I never officially asked, but will you be my girlfriend..." I whisper right above her ear as I''m bent down so only she can hear me. Her rosy cheeks and pointy ears are both performing their unique quirks. Her ears twitch just a little when she''s really embarrassed or excited. "I''d love to be your girlfriend... Can I ask you something..." She''s talking in a low whisper, and I give her a little squeeze in confirmation. "Will you be my boyfriend..." She''s sessfully caused me to have a blush myself. It''s a strange feeling... It''s a nice feeling, though. I tilt her head up with my hand as we stop in the road and people pass us by. I look into her beautiful blue-green eyes. I lean forward, and our lips meet. The kiss is gentle and free of extra movement. It''s calm and easy. Our eyes close, and we sink into the fulfilling sensation that it provides. At least, I think she''s going through the same thing as me. I pull away, but before we can disconnect, she moves with me, so we stay kissing. I ce my hands on her shoulders and carefully separate us, I watch her eyes flutter open, and she gives me a look that conveys many emotions. Ones that I feel too. I hold my hand out, and she quickly grabs it. Time for us to try out these games. While Cera and Sally continue having fun at the festival, Hailey and Jasmine are in the process of trying to get some sleep. Having filled their stomachs, it''s time for rest before heading out to the southern border of the Elven Kingdom. Hailey and Jasmine havee a great deal together in their travels. They found each other to be quick friends after Hailey found Emerald. They met for the first time shortly after that. Hailey is racking her brain with questions and problems that would make any person when trying to sleep. It runs in the family. The ceiling above me is being lit up by the gentle flicker from the fire in the firece. I have a hard time sleeping from time to time. Ideas and thoughts keep me awake, and they mess up my sleep more often than I care to admit. Cera has the same problem that I do. There were nights where we''d talk and try to pass the time. "You can''t sleep either?" Jasmine''s soft voicees from my side and interrupts my reminiscing. Her reason for having a hard time sleeping is nightmares from her past. That''d keep me awake as well. I respond with a gentle hum, and she stays silent. "What''s your brother like? You don''t really talk about him." I don''t respond immediately, mainly because I don''t know how to broach the subject. She doesn''t know that Cera is yer Zern yet. I''m not sure how she''ll respond. She''s religious and follows the church of light. In her unique way. "The only one I know anything about is Emerald." Speaking the name of her green-striped tiger cub causes her to pop up from under the sheets. Emerald makes her way onto my chest andys down. I reach my arm up and start to scratch behind her ears. She''s purring in a fluffy ball, and it helps me rx too. "My brother is... Unique... He''s someone that many would consider inflexible. Well, that''s not exactly the right word. He''s always sure of his choices, and everything always goes ording to his ns... It''s amazing to see, never seen anything like it." Cera is hard to understand unless you spend a lot of time with him, and if you try to draw conclusions early, you''ll be wrong. He''s not like other men. He''s confident and sure of every one of his choices. Jasmine might be able to understand him after spending time with him, but it''ll be hard tomunicate with him after meeting him. He''s gotten easier to talk to since he''s met Sally, but the hard exterior is still there. "That doesn''t sound like you at all!" She startsughing as she finishes herparison. While it does frustrate me, I crack a smile too. It''s funny in a way. "What about your mom and dad? Little brother too?" She''s full of questions tonight, isn''t she? It''ll take a long time to describe them, but neither of us can sleep. Maybe this can help. I should start with Marcus. He''s going to be the easiest to exin. "My little brother''s name is Marcus. He''s the only child still with mom and dad. He''s much younger than Cera and me. He''s still developing his personality and ego, but I can tell he''s closer to being like Cera. Not exactly, though." Mom and dad are probably the hardest ones to exin. Mainly because it''s hard to about mom and dad. While mom and I reconciled, she''s still emotional. Overly so, and dad spoiled me rotten, never knew how to say no to me. It caused a rift between mom and dad. While talking about my family is bringing good memories, there''s an echo of pain. "My mom and dad are great people but were foolish deciding to have 3 kids despite the financial situation in our home. My dad treated me like a princess, and it didn''t have a great effect on my development. It caused a major problem between my mother and me... There was a point that I was almost thrown out... We''ve moved past that, but it was rough in the middle." Thinking back, there was a lot of me on both sides... Well, all three sides. Dad spoiling me didn''t help. Jasmine chuckles at my story. It''s has a sound of understanding. "I''d have loved to grow up with a family... I was separated from mine a little after my 6th birthday. I was soon captured and sent into the ve market a little after that... I don''t know where my family is, and they probably think I''m dead... I barely remember their faces... I wonder if they''d ept me after all the things I''ve been through in my life..." This is the first time I''ve heard this story. It''s incredible to see that she''se so far after everything she''s been through. I''m honored to see it and be a little part of it. I move my head slowly and look at Jasmine. "The girl my brother is traveling with was a ve too... She''s half-elf and was a ve to the James family... Just like you... Cera has really fallen for her..." Jasmine darts her head at me and sits straight up. She has a look. One that''s questioning the truth of my words. "Why is that surprising? Cera is different... Being an ex-ve doesn''t bother him... It''s really admirable... I''ve never seen him look at a woman like he does, Sally..." She moves her gaze from mine and looks in front of her. She curls her legs up and is in the fetal position. She''s thinking about something... Something really Important... "Do you think that I could ever find someone who''d look at me that way... ept my past and look at the real me... When people learn, they look at me like I''m a leper..." It''s not something that I can ever understand, but there are people out there. I reach over and rub her back in support. "I''m looking forward to meeting him." A grin gently spreads across my face. I watch a tear fall from her eye, and I hug her. She needs one right now. Chapter 298: The Festival III

Chapter 298: The Festival III

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Jasmine is a strong girl with a lot of amazing qualities that make her special, and any guy would be lucky to have her. She''s having such a hard time... Being trapped with the thought and feeling that you''re never going to be loved because of your past will eat away at you. Just like I''m watching it eat away at her. She''s sobbing her eyes out and can''t stop crying. All I can do is hold her and be her friend. "Hailey... Why did this... Happen to me..." Her sobbing chokes up the words and makes it harder for her tomunicate. She''s in that dark ce right now. I can''t answer that question for her, and no one will. The life she suffered isn''t something many people will ever experience. Not being able to connect to that... I don''t even want to imagine myself with the life she''s had. "Listen, Jasmine... I don''t have the answers... No one has the answers... I hate that you''ve had a life like this and that I can''t fully understand... But I promise, one day. You''ll find the person that epts you and loves you as a woman." My words bring littlefort. Her sobbing slowly eases up as time slowly goes on. I rock her in my arms as the heat in the room continues at a steady temperature, thanks to the fire providing the warmth. "I''m so... Sick of everyone... Seeing me... As an ex-ve... Like I''m a fucking blight!" Her sobbing gets harder, and she screams into her knees as she buries her face. You never know when trauma from the past can hit you. It cane at any moment if certain things are met. Talking about my brother and Sally''s rtionship is what brought this on. I should''ve been more considerate with my words. I didn''t think it''d have this effect, but that''s my own fault for not being considerate. Iy my head on top of hers and let her cry into my chest. She''s my best friend, and it''s hard to see her like this. I''m d I was a part of the murder of the James family. Who knows how many people they''ve hurt and destroyed. How many people have ended up like Sally and Jasmine... It makes my rage and anger boil. "You can let out as much pain you want... You''ve been burying it really deep inside, haven''t you... Making sure that the world never sees cause you''re afraid of how they''ll react." She hugs me tighter and lets out a scream into my chest. While Hailey supports Jasmine in her fragile state, Cera and Sally are having fun. They''re ying every game that the festival offers and eating all the rare foods you don''t see outside the festival. There are other yers at the festival trying to enjoy it too, but they aren''t getting the same treatment since they stick out. The yers that are at the festival are still in their gear and reek of blood and guts from farming monsters. Cera was smart to n for blending in, and no one is wiser to the fact that Arch-Angel Michaels Son is walking around and having fun at the festival. I watch as Sally wins another game against me. My pride as apetitive person is taking major hits right now. I''m struggling to find a single thing where I have a rtive shot at winning. I''m not used to ying these types of games. "For everything you''re great at! I''m d there isn''t something you are good at!" As sally says those words, I realize something very important. This is a date, not apetition. I''m not supposed to be winning. I''m supposed to be having fun. The serious winner side of me really came out, but now he''s gone. I concede trying to win a game, but that''s okay. Sometimes, you win when you lose. My prize for all my losses it''s the smile that''s on Sally''s face. She''s very pleased with the fact that I can''t get a single win on anything we y. "I''m d you''re finding satisfaction in my defeat. It won''tst long cause I''m winning this next game!" I didn''t win. I lost worst than usual. Herugh bubbles up, seeing the expression on my face. I have to use every ounce of willpower to resist grinding my teeth and throwing my hands up in the air, and cursing. If I do that, it''ll draw attention. So I suppress the urge and look at Sally. She''s wiping away a tear from her eye. Herughinges to a stop, and she walks up and hugs me as she buries her face in my chest. She lifts her head, and I look down to see her looking at me with love. "We''ve yed every game at the festival, and the y the city is putting on isn''t till tomorrow. How about we go back to the inn?" Her voice is soft and hesitant. I see her move her eyes away from mine in embarrassment. I''m not dense. She''s alluding to something else. I pick her up in my arms, and she lets out a small eep. She covers her mouth as she thinks it''s something to be embarrassed about. "I like that idea, Sally... Rx, and I''ll carry you... Tomorrow we''ll get all dressed up and watch the y." She smiles, and I can''t help smiling back. I slowly carry her back to the inn and up to our room. Sheys on the bed, and I turn around towards the firece. I walk up to it and set it up. Tonight is supposed to be another cold night. I look behind me, and Sally is already working her way out of her gown. While the events progress with Cera and Sally, the church is in an emergency meeting. The meeting is to discuss the possibility of using the weapons that the yer scientists have created. The weapon is capable of devastating power and can win this war if used. The question being debated today is should the weapon be used. It''s easy to watch missiles travel through the air and hit their target, but you don''t know who''s going to die. How many of your own will be caught in the st. What effects this will have on history. I watch as The Pope tries to rally in the conversation, but too many people are yelling. I sigh and lean back in my chair. I have severe concerns, but I can''t voice them with so many already yelling at one another. Sometimes, I wish I could just take my de and end them all. That''s wrong, though. "What do you mean it''s too dangerous!? Have you even read the reports!? Do you know how many cities have been captured by the monster hordes!?" The debate at the moment is weighing the pros and cons of the weapon. They''re at the point where debating the lives that can be saved is higher than the ones that will die from the weapons after effects. It''s a dangerous road when the conversation steers that way. It''s not something I''d authorize, even as Saintess. "SILENCE!!!" The Pope''s voice roars through the room, and the arguments stop a secondter. Even I''m a little taken aback. I''ve never seen him raise his voice like that. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "There is only one thing we need to consider, people... Can we trust the new people enough to give us this knowledge? Will we be forever changed by their weapon?" That''s something everyone in the room hasn''t considered yet. The new people have given this knowledge to us... For only the price of their protection and the means to create more. Their minds are devious, and their creations are evil. I don''t trust them, and I never will. If they''re capable of making weapons like this, you can only wonder what else they''ll make. "Pope, while the new people can''t be entirely trusted. This weapon will change everything for us. The war, the conflicts, everything will stop. There is a possibility of peace." His words are a poisoned chalice. Forced peace through fear of annihtion. There is an immediate rebuttal to the words spoken, and it''s one, not an ounce wiser. I close my eyes and try to drown out the rising arguments again. This debate is going nowhere and the weapons fate isn''t going to be decided today. "I open my eyes just a little and I can see the disappointment on Alex''s face. His retirement is taking longer than he ever wanted it to. Since a new person is going to be selected to take his spot. It''s horrible, but it''s out of our hands now. That''s months from now. There is still time to end this war before that happens. Chapter 299: The Festival IV

Chapter 299: The Festival IV

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} I rustle under the sheets and run my fingers through my dark hair. Sally is resting beside me and using my free arm as a pillow. We really wore ourselves out this time. It was more passionate than the other times. I look up at the ceiling, and my mind and body arepletely rxed. The stress of nning and staying hidden is gone for the time being. Sally rustles more and moves closer. She presses her body against mine, and we share our warmth on this cold night. The fire went out a while ago, so this is the alternative. It calms me when she holds me like this. I don''t know why. The y the Festival is putting on tomorrow will be a first for me. While The Ancients World had in-game festivals in the past, I never went to one. I heard that ys are different at every Festival you go to. There''s going to be a unique y at this Festival too. "Cera... I''m cold..." Sally isn''t affected by the cold, since her ss is Winter''s Wrath. She wants attention and more physical contact. I can do that. I reach my arm over and wrap her fully in my arms. She''s not cold, but she snuggles into my body and wraps her legs around my waist. I feel her nt a kiss on my chest and press her body against mine in a rhythmic way. "I thought you were too tired to keep going?" She hums into my chest and looks up at me with rxed and tired eyes. She really does look tired, so she must want a snuggle buddy. "You know, we can actually sleep in tomorrow... In an actual bed too... When was thest time we did that?" I think thest time we got to sleep in was when we were visiting Amelia in Zenith. Sally hums in response, and I take that as we''re going to sleep in for sure. Sally lifts her face out of my chest and lets out a small sigh. "I''d like that a lot, Cera... I''m really tired from all the fun we had at the Festival and... Well... You know..." I do know, what we''ve done in this bed has been more exhausting, in my opinion. "When do you think Hailey and her friend are arriving? I know it''s only been a day since we got here, but shouldn''t we be worried if they''re taking too long?" I run my fingers through her hair and think about it. Hailey can take care of herself, and I know she''ll be perfectly fine. She''ll get here when she gets here. I love how she''s concerned about Hailey and Jasmine. It speaks to her character how much she''s willing to care even though she hardly knows them. "I''m sure they''ll get here soon. It''s not like we''re really in a hurry... I like this downtime. We have to rx and have some actual fun for a change. Hailey and Jasmine can take longer. We won''t have privacy like this for a while once they get here." Sallyys her ear against my chest, and I know she''s listening to my heartbeat. I''m getting pretty tired, so it''s time to catch some z''s. While Cera and Sally sleep after today''s events, Hailey and Jasmine are on a simr path. Jasmine has cried all her remaining energy out and is sleeping calmly. Hailey is still being kept up by her thoughts, mostly all the things Jasmine has said. Jasmine hasn''t revealed everything about herself, and Hailey''s learned some new information. It''s hard to sleep when you find out something that affects someone you really care about. Jasmine is a special girl who''s had a hard life and is trying to fix it. Hearing what Hailey heard can and will keep you up at night. I try to force myself to sleep, but nothing is working. I just can''t sleep. Jasmine has been through some serious shit, and I don''t know how to help her. I don''t think there is anything I can do to help her. I lean up, remove the sheets, walk over to the firece, stoke the fire, and put some more wood on. I sit down and on the cold floor and let the fire warm me. "I can''t believe people can be so cruel..." The more I think about it, the angrier I get. They really have taken everything from her. I didn''t even know they could do that with magic. Jasmines has lost her ability to conceive a child. The James family used magic to make her permanently infertile. She''ll never have a child of her own. When she does find that right person, she''ll never be able to have a child with him. Iy on my side with the fire to my left, and an idea crosses my mind. I don''t know if Cera can, but I wonder if he''ll be able to heal or undo the damage done to Jasmine. If there is anyone that could, it''s Cera. I don''t know the full extent of his abilities, and I''m not going to put the possibility of him not having a healing skill to rest. Jasmine''s revtions aren''t the only thing keeping me up. I''ve been thinking about everything that''s happened since Cera started ying The Ancients World... Everything since we got stuck here... He knows far more than he''s letting on. Normally I wouldn''t question much about what my brother does, but I feel as though he''s yed some part in the way this has turned out. I don''t know if he''s done it intentionally, but I know my brother. He''s hiding a lot, and the majority of the secrets are regarding what he knows about all that''s happened. If he knows anything about what''s happened and hasn''t told anyone... It indicates guilt. He''s guilty about something, and it''s probably something big. There is so much to support my theory too... He''s the strongest yer and has the best ss. He did this on the first day. That''s suspicious. He always seems to know what to do. Where to go and how to handle whatever challenges thate his way. It''s like he has years of experience, and we''ve only been ying this game for a few months. Only been trapped for a little bit of those few months. While Hailey thinks about Jasmine and how to confront Cera on what he knows, the night slowly passes, and the next day is arriving with the sunrise. Cera and Sally have decided to sleep in and not focus on anything important. They''re going to spend the day rxing until the y at the Festival tonight. Sally and Cera are sleeping hard as the sunlight gently fills the room and warms it up. Causing the heat in the nkets to rise to an ufortable level. This forces both Cera and Sally to throw the sheets and nkets off in frustration. Sally stirs beside me and angrily groans out at the ufortable heat in the nkets. I''m ufortable too, and I proceed to remove them. Sally follows suit, and we''re now both free. It''s still early, and normally we''d be up and already doing something towards a goal we have. Not today, though. It''s break time, and I''m not leaving this bed until I have to use the bathroom or Sally gets up herself. Speaking of Sally, I feel her scoot closer, and sheys her arm across my chest. She moves closer, and I feel her kiss my shoulder. I melt back into the bed and fall into a peaceful lull. The time will go by fast and I don''t want to miss out on everything there is to offer. Being with Sally during those moments is something that I can''t imagine being without. "You need to use the bathroom? Cause I got to..." I have a sudden rush for the need to take a pee and I might as well be courteous and ask if she needs the bathroom first. She lifts her body up and walks towards the bathroom attached to our inn room. She stumbles and is groggy, but she makes it. She doesn''t bother to close the door behind her and I hear a stream of water hitting the toilet water. I''m d that she''sfortable enough to feel she doesn''t need to close the door around me. "We getting up after all?" I hear her ask me a question from the bathroom, and I answer only if she wants to. "I''ming back to bed..." She tells me her decision as she walks out of the bathroom and back towards me. Looks like we''re going to sleep in for a few more hours and not get up early. I''m down with that. Chapter 300: The Play I

Chapter 300: The y I

{I want to let everyone know that I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with two new exclusive stories on it. One is The Aeternus Universe, and I''ve also started up a new VRMMORPG called the Libertas Dive. If you wish to read that as it develops, head to my p-a-t-r-e-o-n. I won''t be uploading The Libertas Dive on webnovel until I''ve reached 30 pages on it. So get it while it''s young and cheap. I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} Sally and I are slowly moving around the room and trying to get out of the sleepy state. We''re both in our underwear, and the fire from the firece is out. Mixing that with the sun warming everything up is pretty hot hence why it''s no longer on. "What should we eat for breakfast today..." The groggy andck of energy is evident in her voice. I did tell her whenever we get a chance to eat at a yer-owned restaurant. We would. I saw some pretty good ces on the way in, and I know I can go for some food that you''d only get from Earth. I fold my arms while sitting down in one of the cushioned chairs. "You want to go and eat at one of the yer-owned restaurants." I like that I can use the term yer with Sally now. It''s going to make things easier to exin and talk about. She darts her head up, and the excited expression on her face tells me all I need to know. "Get dressed, and we''ll head out." All I have to do is equip my armor and hood. On the other hand, she actually has to get dressed. So it takes her a bit to get ready. I don''t have a problem with waiting. It allows me to rx. She puts on her armor, but I can''t help a blush from spreading. Watching the clothes and armor slide against her silky skin and tightly hug it makes my thoughts wander. I shake my head and look away, so I don''t get lost in dreand. Now isn''t the time for that. "I can''t wait to have more of that amazing food!" I''m not going to ruin her mood by telling her that it might not be as good as thest ce we were at. Every ce is different and unique. There''s a good chance that this ce isn''t going to be as good. She finishes getting dressed, and she slowly walks over to me. I stand up to meet her, and she stops. She reaches out her hand and wiggles her fingers. I bring my hand to hers, and we lock hands. "This is going to be a great day! Not having any responsibilities is really the way to live!" I chuckle as she pulls me towards the door, and we exit our room. We leave the inn, and it''s a little past 9, I believe, so everything should be opening right around now. Sally lets me take the lead, and she walks beside me as we''re hand in hand. I can see some up ahead. While Cera and Sally start off their morning with some good food, Hailey and Jasmine are also starting their day. Right now, they''re getting the final things they need for their long trip to their destination. Which is the same ce that Cera and Sally are in. They''re going to be helping Cera and Sally in their mission to get revenge on the royal family and the Orvello family. The trip itself will take five days by foot, but they''re going to be taking a small shortcut via teleportation. They''re going to teleport to the closest city that has a teleporter near their destination. I have all the money we need to use the teleport, and I''ve got the name of the city closest to the city at the southern border of the Elven Kingdom. The n is to teleport to the closest city and then walk the rest of the way. It sucks cause our actual destination doesn''t have a teleporter. It makes this trip so much faster. "Should we pack for the cold weather in the north? I heard it gets really cold near the Elven Kingdom." It shouldn''t be too bad, and if it is that cold, we''ll buy some weather-appropriate clothes at the ce we get teleported to. I give her my answer, and that ends the current topic. We''re on our way to the teleporter since we have nothing else to grab. We''ve already eaten today, and we have a long trip ahead of us after we''re done with the teleporter. It''ll cut the time by three whole days. "Once we''re done with the teleporter, we''ll have about a 2-day journey. If we run, it''ll be a day at the most." Jasmine groans at the thought of running, which means we''ll be walking most of the time. "It''s not that bad. Just give it some thought." I receive no reaction other than an annoyed look. Naturally, a person doesn''t want to run. It''s an ufortable state. It''s the fastest way, and who knows if Cera and Sally will be annoyed with us or not. "If there''s no other option, I guess we can run... I want to take frequent breaks, though... I already smell bad due to not having a bath in thest week. I don''t want to make it worse..." Being stinky ismon here, and while it sucks. It''s not as self demoralizing since the majority of people smell bad. We''re quickly approaching the teleporter, and I get the gold ready for the price. It''s be even more expensive for yers to use the teleporters, and it really does suck. It''s not something I shouldin about. I have more than enough money. I hand the money to the warden of the teleporter, and I input our destination. Jasmine is the first to go, and I follow soon after. Ind on a tform, and Jasmine is right in front of me. It''s much colder, and there is snow falling where we''re at. "Let''s get those winter supplies. It''s pretty chilly this far north." Jasmine nods her head as she shivers. The next stop is a store with what we need. While Hailey and Jasmine prepare for the cold trip to the north, where the city at the southern border to the Elven kingdom is, Cera and Sally are currently chowing down on some of the best food they''ve ever eaten. There''s a muchrger selection at the restaurant they''re at than thest one they were at. Sally is making sure she''s eating everything she can, and Cera is following her example. It''s not that expensive either since yers are the ones working and running this restaurant. It''s the best thing going for yers right now. I watch Sally shovel food into her mouth, and the way she does it makes her cute. Thest time we had a good meal like this was back at thest yer-owned restaurant we went to. "This is... So damn... Good..." I hear her talk through gulps of her drink and mouthfuls of food. I''m not going to bother talking due to arge amount of food in my mouth. I focus back on my food, and many would consider this a heart attack on a te. Steak, tater tots, eggs, and cupcakes. Something you''d not eat on a daily basis. This is something we deserve. After all the shit we''ve been through to get to this point, a delicious meal only seems like the right thing to have. I''m only saying this at the moment, thanks to the increase in serotonin and dopamine from the satisfaction of eating good food while in a state of hunger. "Can we get another order!" I yell towards the front desk, and they start making more food for us. I know I''m still hungry, and I can see that Sally is ready to devour more food. We finish the food on our current tes and have some downtime before the next order arrives. I ce my hand under my chin and look at Sally. I''d say I''m about half full. "I don''t know how yers make such good food... I''m so jealous you got to have this anytime you wanted... I''d be obese if I had that choice..." Her words are honest, and I agree with them. If the human race is known for anything, it''s how to make delicious food that isn''t healthy for you. "How much is this costing you?" I use my index finger and thumb and show her that it''s tiny with the action. It''s so much cheaper here. Soon, more food is on our table and we begin to dig in, even more, the food is absolutely amazing. "Take your time guess... The food isn''t going anywhere..." Our waiter decides to whisper under his breath as he walks away. That''s something that I''d consider funny under the circumstances. Once, my father made a joke when I was eating a steak. It was so rare and blood, by the time I was done. He said I''d be more satisfied biting into a cow. That was a goodugh. I modified the wording of the joke, in the moment, it was much more clever. Chapter 301: The Play II

Chapter 301: The y II

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} {I''m making a lot of changes to my writing style starting this chapter.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Southeastern Elven border town)~~~ ~~~(Time 8:41 AM)~~~ I follow Sally out of the restaurant, and I can wholeheartedly say that I''mpletely stuffed. The food was delicious, and I think we both really needed something to get our energy levels up. "What do you want to do now? We have all day until the y tonight, and I know that we talked about doing nothing, but we''re already out." Sally and I change ns on the fly, and this is one of those situations. I wouldn''t mind doing something fun, and if I remember correctly, there''s a dungeon nearby with some pretty decent rewards. On the other hand, we''re taking a break. It''s not a break if you''re doing something like clearing a dungeon. "I honestly don''t know, Sally... We''ve been so busy. We don''t know what to do now that we have some downtime..." This has only happened a few times. For me, at least, Sally could have better ideas than me. I know a lot about The Ancients World, but she''ll know day-to-day fun activities as an NPC. "I wouldn''t mind going fishing for a change... It''s something I did to survive after I escaped... It was peaceful..." I can get down with that, and I''m perfectly fine with fishing. I don''t know how to fish, so I''m looking forward to it. The water was always too polluted to fish, let alone learn. "Do you mind teaching me how?" She looks at me with an eyebrow raised, looking for an exnation. "I never learned how to fish... Earth was too polluted for any of that..." Her lips sink into a slight frown, and she moves closer. She wraps her arms around me and ces her ear on my chest. "I''ll teach you everything I know about fishing... You do know we need fishing poles, right?" Fishing poles? What the heck are fishing poles. Sally takes my silence as a sign I don''t know what she''s talking about. She pulls away and looks into my eyes. Knowing her, she''s trying to find the simplest way to exin it. "A fishing pole is a tool used to get fish out of the water without getting wet yourself. Once we get the fishing gear, I''ll show you." That sounds like an awesome way to get a fish. Most marine species had died long before I was born. She grabs my hand and starts pulling me with her to the shopping district. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside the city near a river)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:45 AM)~~~ Myugher bursts forth as Cera tries to untangle the string from the wooden reel. His cheeks are getting rosier by the second. "This is... THE WORST!!" He swings the pole around violently in a fit of frustration and rage. He drops the pole on the ground and takes The Witness out as he turns. He heads straight for a tree and attacks it. It doesn''t stand a chance, and myughter rings through the beautifulndscape. "Cera... C''mere..." I gently call his name in a smooth tone to ease his current anger. He sheaths the sword and turns to me. His ck hair is a mess, and his amazing eyes are squinting. He releases a sigh and makes his way over to me. He stands next to me, and I grab his hand. I ce it on my fishing pole and look at him. "Rx... The hard part isn''t managing the string. It''s making sure your cast is good..." This is all my personal experience. How I''vee to enjoy fishing and how I learned it. I stand behind him and use his arm to practice the movement and get him used to it. After a few tries on his own, he gets the cast out, and it''s in the water. He looks at me and is smiling ear to ear. "If it weren''t for you, I''d have quit this 20 minutes ago." My giggle makes him blush just a little bit. I walk around him and pick up the fishing pole he abused. I untangle the string and fix the reel. As I look at him, he has a rather funny look at how easy it was for me. I walk back and stand next to him, not casting the line out quite yet. "Y''know, Cera... This is something that a lot of people do here. Many couples spend time doing things like this. For them, it''s providing food. Fishing poles are one of the best things we have for lots of people." He stays silent and stares into the water. The world hees from is full of technological marvels and things that are only dreamed in the minds of Gods. "It''s nice, I''ll admit... Being out here with you and learning somethingmon here... I''m d that we have this vacation." He''s slowly warming up to it. Once he gets used to fishing, I think it''ll be something he does any chance he''ll get. ~~~(POV: King Jackson)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Bellvia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:16 PM)~~~ I feel bad for the prince, inheriting his father''s throne this way. I should call him king now. I should be d I didn''t ascend the way he did. Although many nobles still resent me for jumping from Baron of Blue Grass to King of Zenith. "This meeting is to discuss the terms of surrender and what Bellvia is giving up." A noble on Bellvia''s side starts to speak. The tension is high in the room. I can feel it. "I''ll start by saying that we have no intention of bing a part of the Zenith Kingdom. Bellvia is intent on staying independent." I look at the noble and release a sigh. I understand wanting to keep things the way they are, but I''ll be taking vast amounts ofnd if they''ll not be a part of Zenith. They''re not going to like what I''m about to say. "I''m afraid that if you don''t want to be a part of Zenith, we''re going to take all thend east of Nervander. Making it thend of Zenith." My words cut deep into the hearts and minds of Bellvian''s surrounding this table. It''s almost a sad sight, but this is what war brings. The victory gets the spoils. This is the best option they have, and thends east of Nervander are the best the kingdom has for farming and infrastructure. "You can''t be serious... THAT''S TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR!!" A General on the other side of the table stands up and is looking severely sleep-deprived. "THAT LAND IS BELLVIA''S LAST HOPE AFTER THIS WAR!!" That''s not my problem. If they decided to be a part of Zenith, it would be my problem, but since they stay independent, I can make any demands I want. "This is the best offer it''s going to be for Bellvia. You''ve lost this war, and everything is in my power. I''ll allow you to stay independent, but I want what''s owed to me. For my wife''s suffering." Heads lower across the room. While my wife is unharmed, this war was because of the attacks in my kingdom, in my pce, on my wife. "I''ll give you five days to consult with your nobles on who gets what after we take thend east of Nervander. After that, final discussions will begin." I stand up from the table, and so do my Generals and Commanders. This is going to be fantastic for my people and the future of Zenith. I don''t relish war, but I also know that I must do what''s best for the people under me as a leader. We exit the pce and head for the temporary encampment in the city center. Five days is plenty of time for nobles to bicker. This war is over. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations] [Dried meat] [Fishing poles 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 302: The Play III

Chapter 302: The y III

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside the city near a river)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:19 AM)~~~ Cera hasn''t caught a single fish since we started, and I can see it''s getting to him. It doesn''t help that I''ve caught four since I started. "How is it there going to your line instead of mine? They''re right next to each other. Are they racists against Angels or something?" His sense of humor needs some work, but it''s improved since we''ve been together. I scoot closer to him and lean my head on his shoulder. Sitting while fishing is more practical than standing. "Maybe you''d have better luck diving in and getting one by hand..." My little joke gets a chuckle out of him. He kisses the top of my head. My line starts to wiggle, and I straighten up while reeling in my line. Cera is right over my shoulder, watching as I skillfully bring in the fish. I give onest pull, and the fishes out of the water with the line. "That makes five. You''re never going to catch up. I didn''t know someone can struggle so much at something so easy." My small jab at his pride makes him mockingly ce a hand over his heart. It''s nice to see that he isn''t good at everything he does, as bad as that is to say. "Maybe if I had a better teacher, I''d have caught one by now..." The whisper of a sentence is almost missed, but I hear it regardless. I reach over and pinch his cheek. Even though it isn''t painful, he acts like it''s hurting him. I grab the fish and take it off the line. He takes it and ces it in his Inventory where the other four are. "Don''t worry. I''m sure that you''ll get at least one before we have to head back. The y isn''t starting till 6:30, so we''ll keep trying for a couple more hours." Knowing him, he''ll want to do something he''s good at after this. I snuggle next to him as I finish casting out my line. It''s a little colder here near the river. I''m shivering a little, and I''m too embarrassed to ask him for something to help keep me warm. I move closer and try to get as much heat from him as I can. "You''re cold, aren''t you?" His look is a knowing smile that has a teasing angle to it. I blush as I look away. In the next second, he''s wrapping one of his wings around me. Before I can tell him someone might see us, he kisses me to stop my voice froming out. He pulls away and chuckles at my shocked face. "Don''t worry. We''re far enough away from the city that we don''t have to worry about being seen." His confident voice and attitude reinforce me to trust him. I can''t help myself from worrying. ~~~(POV: Saintess Lucy)~~~ ~~~(Location: City of Wendore, fighting monsters)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:47 AM)~~~ My sword cuts through a Grey Hermonculus with ease, and I spin to see my troops fending off theing attack. This battle has been a long one, and the number of monsters is astonishing. I''ve lost 1200 good soldiers in this siege. The lost city of Wendore is almost ours again, and we can rescue the females that have been kept here. If there are any left, that is, it''s not easy, being a woman in this world... I duck under a w as it breezes past me, and it leaves me an opening to attack the Mantis Man, another monster in the monster horde we''re fighting in this war. I slice up the center of his body, and he falls with a sickening crack and a smell that''d make onions cry. I leap back and near my soldiers, helping them the best I can. "Don''t falter now! This is thest of them!" One of themanders in the group shouts out, and everyone cheers as the battle continues. Wendore is a smaller city, and we don''t need a big detachment to retake the city. The force I''ve brought with me is 15000 strong. Having to tell the families of the 1200 that have died is a thought I don''t like. I won''t be telling them personally, but it''s a thought I don''t like. The fight continues for another 10 minutes, and thest of the monster forces in this area are wiped out. Many sit down or take a knee for a breather. My return to themand camp is my priority, so no rest for me right now. It takes me some time to reach the camp, but I make it. There are wounded and sick already being taken care of from past encounters before reaching Wendore. "Saintess Lucy!" I turn towards the familiar voice, and I see one of my friends, Lady Heather. She''s an important healer and agreed to join us on this expedition to retake some of the smaller cities. She runs up and hugs me. I''ve known her since we were kids, and she''s the sister I never had. "I heard the reports about the battle... I''m sorry for all the lives that have been lost..." She apologizes even though it''s not even remotely close to her fault. Thefort of her words is little, and I''m beginning to understand why Alexander is retiring. She pulls away, and I notice the blood and grime on her. She''s been working hard herself. Everyone is integral in a battle, but healers and medics y certain importance that is hard topare to others. "Yeah... This battle has cost us a lot... I''m sorry, but I need to speak to the church..." Her smile turns into a solemn one, understanding what I need to do. Responsibilitiese first during these times. I walk past her towards my personal tent. I close the tent p and head for the table. I sit down in one of the chairs and take a deep breath. I lean my body forward and lower my head. I run my fingers through my hair and try to take just a few seconds to rx. The hologram of Alexander appears, and I dart my head up. His emotions are bing easier to read every time I see him. He''s stressed out himself. The council must be hectic right now. "I won''t take up much time. Just tell me if you''ve taken Wendore back..." I slowly nod my head once, and he smiles. "You''re doing great. Take some time to rest..." The hologram shuts off, and my body falls intoplete exhaustion. I don''t even bother getting up from the chair and heading to my bed. While themanders and General will take care of everything without me, I still need to be ready if they need me. I tilt my head back against the chair and look at the ceiling of the tent. The warmth of the fire in the woodstove is warming my numb body. Today''s battle was in freezing temperatures. While we were affected by the cold, so were the monsters. Everyone was at a disadvantage. "Saintess Lucy..." Heather''s voicees from the entrance of the tent, and I turn to see her. She waits for permission toe in, and I do so with a smile and a wave of my hand. She walks over to my chair and sits in the one across from me. "If you want... I can heal any injures you may have sustained... Even might help with exhaustion..." There are men out there that need her help far more than me. I shake my head, and I watch her poutful expression. "Too bad! I''m doing it anyway!!" She holds her hands out and starts using her healing magic. The warmth and energy spread through my body, helping aches and bruises. As she heals me, my eyes slowly close. Sleep is taking me, and I don''t have the will to fight it. Hopefully, they won''t need me for anything for a couple of hours. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 5x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 303: The Play IV

Chapter 303: The y IV

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Heading back to the city)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:22 PM)~~~ My pride as a man is hurt more than I''d care to admit. I didn''t catch a single fucking fish, and Sally even tried to help me at the end! She caught a total of 8 fish, and all of them were good sizes. She''s trying hard not tough, but it''s a long walk. "C''mon... It''s not that bad..." She holds back her giggles as she tries to console me. I never knew something could be so infuriating and simple at the same time. It made me feel ipetent. "That''s easy for you to say! I''d be shitting rainbows if I caught 8 fish!" Her giggles turn into full-blownughter that settles my frustration. I release a sigh of resignation. I can''t be good at everything. Fishing is one of those discovered things. Herughteres to an end, and her cheeks are red from ack of air. "Ohhh, I love you, Cera... Only you would take fishing this seriously." I can''t help chuckling myself at her correct observation. "Do you want me to teach you how to clean a fish? They''re delicious!" She grabs my wrist in excitement as we walk side by side. I can clean deer and elf, so it can''t be that much different. "We need special tools for the fish we caught. A regr knife or sharp tool won''t work." Okay, maybe this won''t be the same. "We''ll also need to cook them as soon as they''re clean. You don''t want to store fish." This is officially different from elk and deer meat. Can''t you store it? My Inventory should be able to store it fine. The meat stays fresh since it''s dried. "Why can''t I store it in my Inventory like the rest of the food? Is fish really that different?" I sound like an idiot, asking Sally questions about my inventory ability when NPC''s like her don''t have them. "Forget my question. It was stupid." Her smile spreads further, and I feel her hand find mine. She interlocks her fingers with mine and moves closer. "Let''s get the right cleaning tools when we get to town, and we''ll make us some fish." Looks like I''m spending some more gold. I''m d that I have a shop that''s constantly earning me money. It''d be a real problem not having a steady flow of money. The cities walls are slowlying into view in the distance. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: City on the border to the Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:57 PM)~~~ It''s going to be fun showing Cera how to clean a fish. It''s not nearly as bloody and gruesome as cleaning an elk or deer. The streets are rather full of other yers like Cera, and some of them are even arguing. "What''s going on right now? Howe they''re arguing with each other?" My curiosity gets the better of me as I ask Cera my question. He''s the same as them, and he''ll know what''s going on. Cera watches and studies them, observing what I can''t see. Knowing exactly what to look for and how to find it regarding yers. "There are two separate guilds here, and both are big. Apparently, there are rumors of an important dungeon on the other side." So there here waiting to get into the Elven Kingdom for a dungeon? I don''t know much about the Elven Kingdom or what dungeons it has. "There is going to be a great inflow of yersing to this city in the next few days, and lots of powerful high leveled leaders in these guilds. We need to be careful and not reveal our faces. Some will recognize me." Cera and I are being safe and wearing our hoods right now. This is more risk added to the mission we''re on. If only Hailey and Jasmine could get here faster. Cera and I mind our own business and make a quick detour to less popted parts of the city. We eventually make it to the shop selling the things we need, but it took longer getting here thanks to all the yers sticking to the main roads in the city. We enter the shop, and tools are covering the walls and tables around the room. Showing off the many different things to buy. The entire ce is made out of stone except for the floor, which is wood. The woman at the front desk sees us and waves us over. "I''m sure that I can help you in finding anything you need." She''s very polite even though Cera is a new person. Cera bumps me forward with a gentle nudge. I know what we need, and that means I get to take the lead. "I''ll need a fish cleaning set if you have one..." My meek voice and shyness cause the nicedy to smile. She walks through the door behind her, and we hear the asional box shuffle. After a minute or two, shees back out with a bag. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: A day away from the border)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:29 PM)~~~ The freezing wind blows against my face and causes a wave of numbness. Jasmine and I are in the middle of our trip as a Blizzard is starting to ramp up. "I think it''d be a good idea if we set up camp before the snow gets too deep!!" Jasmine speaks what I''m thinking. Before we set out from the city we teleported in, we grabbed all the gear we needed to fend off the cold. We stop and quickly set up a tent. It''s closed off and has magical enchantments inside to keep it warm. Jasmine crawls in before me, and the toastiness of the tent quickly brings feeling back into my fingers and face. "It''s sooo much colder than I expected it to be!!" I groan out as I finish myint. I figured it''d be cold this far North, but not this cold. Jasmine begins to take her clothes off, and I unequip mine using the Inventory. She and I are in our underwear so we can warm up our bodies. "Give me your clothes. I put them in my Inventory to dry faster." It''s one of the conveniences of having an inventory. It allows you to take dirty or wet clothes and ce them inside. Cleaning and drying them in the process. The bestparison I can think of is a portable washer and dryer. "How long do you think until this weather clears up?" Her question is one that I asked before we left, and the answer I got it''d be gone by tomorrow morning. Around 4 AM, to be exact. I ce her clothes in my Inventory, and now it''s just us in our bras and panties. I''m not bashful when ites to showing skin, as long as it''s not my breasts or coochie. Jasmine is trying her best to cover any skin she has. I open my Inventory and pull out two nkets. I toss one to her, and I keep the other to myself. "We''re both girls, Jasmine. You don''t need to be so prudish around me." She covers herself with the nket quicker than I can unfold mine. I can understand her bashfulness. Some people are ufortable with their bodies. Jasmine has a nice slim figure with perky assets, but the leftover scars from her time as a ve aren''t things she wants people to see. Including me. "I don''t like showing off my skin... It''s scarred and disgusting..." That''s a total lie, but to her, it''s the truth. I''m not going to push her, and the nkets are already out and covering both of us. "That''s okay, Jasmine... I''d feel the same way you do if I''ve been through what you have..." Her scars are all in areas that people consider private. Some drag out into visible ces, but they all originate from either her chest or lower area. It makes my heartache. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 304: The Play V

Chapter 304: The y V

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: y at the Colosseum)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:32 PM)~~~ Sally is far prettier than any woman here. The garb she''s wearing for the festival this time matches her long tinum blond hair. We''re both dressed properly for the asion. All the attention is on the yers who aren''t following the tradition here. Leaving us out of mind and sight. "What do you think the y is going to be about?" I honestly don''t know, probably something about elves. We make it to some seats with a good view and out of the way from everyone. The city''s colosseum is being used for the y, so everyone has plenty of room. "I think it depends on who''s running the show... Biased writers are surely going to influence it..." Sally lightly nods her head as the seats around the colosseum slowly fill. It''s a firste, first-serve, and we''re in a booth overlooking the colosseum grounds. Hence why I called it far off and private. No one is interested enough to see up here. "Ladies and gentlemen! This year''s performance is a gripping tale of the Elves'' Second War against the Orc Tribes! A brutal and sorrowful tale!" I know about this war. It was an interesting read in the lore. The Elven people have a long and rough history with the Orc Tribes, mainly because Orc men loved Elf women. The opening announcer leaves the grounds, and props are magically summoned. "I learned that the orcs were nearly extermined in this war..." Sally''s question is a low and borderline whisper. She knows some history about it, that''s impressive. The mages running the show from the background use magic to make sure everyone can hear the conversations. That way, the actors don''t have to yell and try to reach all over the colosseum. "Princess Gwenith! The orc armies are moving closer to ournds every day! What shall we do!?" Princess Gwenith is a famous figure in the elvenmunity. She took the mantle of Queen after the war, thwarting the coup that was happening in her kingdom. Her mother and father were murdered before the war started. "Rally the troops! We''ll meet them at Jezins Valley!" A legendary location in the elven kingdom. It''s where the war against the orc tribes started andter ended too. Sally is gripping my hand, and her palms are sweaty. Despite this is just a y, it was based on real events. Orcs were and are still a threat to the female elven poption. Especially with this war, they''re one of the main forces. "Grand Marshall Estoria! We''re moving out within the day!" Grand Marshall Estoria... All I really know about her is she was a tactical and strategic genius. Many battles were won in the war because of her. She was the highest-ranking military leader and helped Princess Gwenith stop the coup. "This is my history... What my people went through..." The beautiful girl next to me whispers in a sad voice. She is an elf, and as much as she''s rejected for her half-blood status, this is part of her history. ~~~(Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: y at the Colosseum)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:47 PM)~~~ My mother was an outcast, and I''m one now. Yet, I rte and feel connected to the story that''s being told. This was in a time thatcked prejudice, where elven people weren''t discriminated against by fellow elves regardless of blood purity. The opening battle ising up, and I''ve got Cera''s hand in a death grip. We watch as magical projections start and simte the battle. Orcs and elves are killing each other in showers of blood and guts. Screams of pain echoing out from both sides of the battle. It''s not as hard for me to watch, but I can see other elves out and below our booth tearing up. They rte to them far more than I do. The simtion of the fight zooms out and shows the true scale of the first battle and the actual size of Jezins Valley. "There hasn''t been a battle of the scale in many thousands of years... To witness it through a simtion is humbling..." Cera''s words are meaningful to me. He knows all about fighting and death. He''s someone I can rte to more than these characters of the past. The battle rages on for a few more minutes, calming down as the orcish forces are slowly driven back. The marking of the Second Elven-Orc war started at this Valley, and 2 yearster, it would end here. "Do you think they''d be happy with the way things turned out for the elves..." I try to disassociate myself with my people in my question. It''s fruitless, though. I know that I''ll never be able to get rid of the human blood in me. "They''d probably kill the current royal family." He rubs the top of my hands with his thumb as I turn to look at him. "The elves of old would weep if they saw the state their once-mighty kingdom is in now. To them, elves are elves. There are no half-breeds." My hope for his words to be true is strong. The y continues, and now it''s in a council meeting. All the leaders in the war are there. "This was the moment that the elven leaders discussed the possibility of annihting the orc race!" The announcer sets the scene with an announcement, and soon the actors that ying their parts. The first to speak is Princess Gwenith. The elf ying her is truly beautiful, breathtaking, I''d say. I''d be willing to be she''s elven nobility with beauty like that. "The movement of the orcs has be more restricted thanks to our mages. But this meeting is to discuss a different topic." Her voice is as lovely as when she first started talking at the beginning of the y. Many are mesmerized by her. Cera isn''t in that group. He''s got a serious look on his face. The same kind when thinking about history or nning something. He''s the smartest person I''ve ever met. "It''s time that we end the orc race for good. Our people have suffered from them for long enough." History repeats itself in this y. The reason the orcs were so weak before the war was because of this. It''s taken them thousands of years to repopte and unite their tribes again. In a sense, the elves of the time seeded. The orc was no longer a threat and thought extinct. A few survivors stuck together and made sure that the orc race lived on. In another sense, they also failed. "Fascinating... The orcs still came back despite enduring the full wrath of the elves..." He and I both are fascinated. The y progresses, and it''s at one of the key battles in the war, the battle of Olyzares, a city that rivals the capital in importance. This was when it became clear the orcs would lose. It was one of theirst bold attempts in the war. "Split divisions 14 and 17!" The simtion shows Gwenith ordering her troops and organizing the fight. Cera watches the battle closely, and it inspires me to look at the finer details more. That''s when I notice there is an overwhelming number of elven mages and archers. "This is how they won the battle of Olyzares, by keeping the fight at long distance and only sending in troops to parts of the city that have been cleared." They used their superior magic and bows to the best they could. Today, many would consider the magic in this battle outdated and impractical. I can still see the beauty in such magic and the importance it has in today''s magic. "Do you think the orcs will attack the elves directly in this new war..." My question isn''t meant to be taken as deeply as Cera is taking it, but a part of my stomach sinks as he nods his head, confirming my question. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Cleaned Fish 8x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 305: The Play VI

Chapter 305: The y VI

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Watching the y in the Colosseum)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:12 PM)~~~ The ughter that''s happening before my eyes makes me want to turn away... Seeing so much blood and death isn''t natural for me, not at this high of a level. "The battle of Nerval, City of Beauty... I heard that during its golden years, anyone who was born in the elven city was beyond beautiful..." Cera''s knowledge about elven history is inspiring. It makes me want to learn history, not necessarily elven history. I''m not considered to be an elf to the elven people. "I never realized how brutal a full-scale battle like this can be. The war... My people... Fought... I wonder if there were any winners in the end..." I can''t find better words to describe them... Associating them with me doesn''t feel right. Sprawled out elf bodies and piled corpses of orcs, a once beautiful city devastated and reduced to houses with walls missing. Some, only having the foundations left. "You''re not like them, Sally." My stomach sinks, and my heart feels heavy. "I know it''s hard for you... But you''re more than they''ll ever be... They''re not your people..." My breath falters, and I choke a little on air. He''s looking at me... His hand is resting in mine. The support he gives me, the understanding he has. He knows my heart. "Thanks... For getting it... It''s hard... Not having a people of your own..." Cera takes his hand from mine and wraps his arm around my shoulder, and brings me closer. Hugging me from the side. He nts a kiss on the side of my head andys my head on his shoulder. "I''ll always be here, and I''ll never leave you. I''m your people now, Sally. Your mine, and I''m yours." A feeling of... eptance spreads through me. No matter how much I try to hold back, tears start welling up in the corners of my eyes... The burning hot tears fall down my cheeks. The quivering of my chin and the crease of my eyebrows grow more prevalent the longer I fight it. "It''s okay, Sally... Letting out the pain is something that I want you to do... Keeping it buried... It''s like cancer..." I turn my body and move my head into his chest. My face is smothering his muscles. I let out muffled cries and whimpers into him. Echoing through his chest and sending vibrations back to me. His hand rests on the back of my head, gently stroking my hair and calming me down. All the pain I''ve kept buried about my elven blood. It''sing to the surface and tearing a hole in me, but it''s being healed as quickly as it''sing. Cera rests his chin on my head and wraps both arms around me. Hugging me and making me feel safe and secure in his arms. Like nothing in the world can hurt me in this vulnerable moment. I don''t know how I got so lucky... My life haspletely changed, and it''s so much better than I ever dreamed it could be. My tears have soaked through his garb, and snot is starting toe out of my nose. I pull away and try to wipe it away, but Cera stops my hand from removing anything else. He ces his hand under my chin and lifts my head, so our eyes meet. "Leave it. It''s not going to hurt me." He slowly dries my tears and runs his thumb across my cheek. "Your eyes are so red and puffy now... Flushed cheeks to... I''m d you let it out. You needed it..." I''d cry more if I weren''t dried out. He knows how to treat me... I don''t know how to describe it... Like I''m so special and so important to him. That nothing he finds out about me will ever change his thoughts or feelings about me. "Let''s go back to the inn and get you cleaned up. We don''t need to finish the y." He gently lifts me in his arms, and he carries me out of the booth. Heading for the exit of the colosseum. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Warm magical tent in a blizzard)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:39 PM)~~~ My feet unconsciously rub against one another, even though they''re warm. A habit that I''ve had since I was a kid, something I do when I''m under a nice warm nket. "Can I ask you a question?" A tired and rxed voice pulls me from my memories as a kid. Jasmine has been silent for some time now, and I thought she was asleep. She''s looking at me for a response, and I nod my head lightly. "Do you think that what we''ll end up doing with your brother will be worth it? You''re really going out of your way to help him, and I admire that. But we''ll end up making enemies that''ll never forget us." Her concerns are more than valid. Taking on the elves isn''t something she signed up for. Whatever I answer won''t change hering along with me. I''m doing this cause Cera and Sally need me, and that''s the only reason I need. "My brother needs my help, and he''s always been there when I needed it. It''s what family''s for... Being there in our times of need and offering any help we can. I get your concerns. I have them too..." My thoughts about the dangers in this aren''t hidden. There are incredible risksing along with this mission that Cera is setting out on, one that will not be as easily taken care of with a few shes of his sword. "Don''t worry, Jasmine... My brother is the strongest person I know. He''s even stronger than me, and I think you''ll like him when you meet him for the first time." I haven''t told her that Cera is yer Zern. It''s going to be a nice surprise for her since she''s a devoted follower of the gods of light and church. I''m excited to see her reaction. To her and many others, Cera is basically a god. Son of heavens mightiest angel, and the grandson of the Almighty Father. "That''s a little hard to believe... You''re so strong. Hard to imagine anyone out there stronger than you..." She tters me with such words. It''s not that Cera will have an easy time beating me. I know that the power gap between us is close. My speed is just too much to handle, but he has so many things that I can''tpete with defensively and offensively-wise. "Perhaps we''ll spar to show you just how strong he really is... Is this the only thing you wanted to talk about?" I''m referring to her question about this being a good idea. Her silence speaks volumes, there are definitely other things on her mind, and most of them are probably things she thinks I''ll take offense to. "How strong is your family? Your so powerful, and so is your brother... Do you know anything about how strong your parents are?" I wasn''t expecting that... I haven''t thought about the others since I joined up with Jasmine again. Mom and dad are probably doing fine, and Marcus is likely having a st. Knowing Cera, he might''ve to them where to find powerful sses and other such things. Like he did for me. "I don''t know much about the rest of my family... I haven''t found them yet, and Cera is the only one I know is actually alright now..." I don''t regret setting out on my own. That doesn''t mean I don''t worry about my family, cause I do. After I left with Cera and then left him, I felt free for the first time in my life. That feeling hasn''t changed. "I''m sorry I asked about a touchy subject..." She''s quick to apologize, seeing the face I''m making. One likely covered in frowns and creases. It''s not her fault. I know we''ll all be together one day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 306: Hailey and Jasmines Arrival I

Chapter 306: Hailey and Jasmine''s Arrival I

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Heading towards the Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:19 AM)~~~ That blizzardsted all night long, and I''m not regretting the extra coin I spent on the tent. "This damn snow is too deep! How are you not tired of clearing the path?!" My silentugh flutters up from my stomach. She''s strong, but trudging through deep snow can be considered brutal exercise. I''m unaffected from exhaustion due to my stats. It''ll take a lot to make me tired, and carving a walkable path isn''t going to be the thing that does me in. "You tired already? We''ve only been walking for an hour. We still have more than a day till we reach the city my brother is in." She releases a long and deep groan of what I''d call begrudging eptance. I know what it sounds like cause I made plenty of them in my life. The trip is going ording to schedule. It''s just nobody likes to travel in the cold. Even though it''s not snowing, it''s still not warm enough to make the snowmelt. It''s staying at the perfect cold temperature for it to remain fluffy and in high volume. "Don''t patronize me, miss iron warrior... I''d not brag so much if I were you!" The wording a yful tone remind me of mom. Before our major conflicts, we were so close. I learned sarcasm from her and used it to annoy and make herugh. One of the best memories I had before we started going down that dark road. "Sorry, sorry... Next time I''ll make sure to buy a backpack that''ll fit you and Emerald. That way, you won''t have to work so hard." The re on the back of my head makes my hair stand up. Emerald pops her head out of the backpack I''m lugging around and lets out a mew of energy. She''s getting bigger every day, and she''s starting to outgrow the backpack. "Very funny, Hailey... When that cat can''t fit anymore, will we be riding it to our destinations?" Emerald has a long time before she''s fully grown, but when she is. She''ll be my means of transport. Emerald lets out a cute hiss towards Jasmine behind me. Emerald doesn''t like the thought of outgrowing her backpack. If it were up to her, she''d be the same kitten I found her as. She prefers to be carried and pampered, but those days of sitting in myp and falling asleep are quicklying to an end. She''s getting pretty heavy even now. The worst part about traveling is traveling. Covering therge distances between two ces, The Ancients World is unreasonablyrge. Gaia is more true to its name now. Other yers and I refer to Gaia as The Ancients World from time to time. "That''s up to Emerald. I''m not going to force her to carry us. I''m not cruel." I feel Emerald''s tongue licking my neck and purrsing from behind me. Jasmine is on Emerald''s good side, but she isn''t so liked that she''d let Jasmine ride on her. Magical beasts usually only permit their owners to ride on them. Anyone else is rejected, even if the owner is there. "I need to get me a magical beast... At least one that I can ride! My feet are frozen, and they hurt!!" Sometimes, I wonder if Iin as much when ites to certain things. I''m sure I do, but I like to think of myself above that. When in reality, no one is. Everyone has something theyin about more often than anything else in their lives. "Who knows, maybe Emerald will find a partner one day and have kittens. It''ll take some convincing, but she might let you have one." Jasmine straight outughs at the notion. Hey, you never know. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Room at Inn)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:31 AM) Sally shifts under the sheets, and her bare skin clings on mine. The yst night caused a lot of emotions in Sally that she wasn''t expecting, and we decided toe back to the room. She cried and stopped, then did some more crying. Eventually, we both got tired enough to sleep. Hailey should be arriving either today or tomorrow. I never expected her to take this long. The trip here wouldn''t be as easy for her. I can fly. She can''t. Since we''re all going to be traveling together once they get here, I''ll also have to stop flying. Carrying 3 people isn''t something I want to do. There isn''t enough room on my body. "Today is another day that we don''t have any ns other than to wait..." Speaking to myself isn''t something I often do. Personally, it makes me feel crazy. It''s one of those things I do only when the conversations in my head are reaching a level that one of them has toe out. "So that means we have today to ourselves again?" To my surprise, a half-asleep Sally replies to my pondering. She lifts herself out of the nkets and hangs over me. Smiling subtly and eyes still not fully open. Sally has gone through more in her life than I could ever imagine, and she''s confided all her secrets, fears, and doubts in me. I don''t see them as weaknesses, and I don''t see her any differently. "I''ve had a dream... We were in a canoe... Floating down a gentle stream... It felt so real..." The side of my lip raises in slight amusement. I''d love to have a dream like that. All I dreamed about were those damn fish and how I couldn''t catch a single fucking one. "I''m a little jealous, Sally... All I dreamed about were stupid fish..." Her face instantly gets red as she lets out a hugeugh. I''m d that my damaged pride as a man can bring such a genuineugh. She wipes away mock tears and leans fully up. No longer hanging over me. I sit up myself and look at her. Her beauty captures me every time I look at her. "That''s one of the funniest things I''ve ever heard in my entire life! I''ve never heard of such a dream before!" My ego shrinks in the face of such tant observations, and I suppose it''s actually good. I don''t want my ego to be that big or big in general. Plus, it''s good to see this afterst night. She finally calms down and looks at me with an intoxicating smile and a squint that would make any man stutter in his thoughts. "What do you suppose we do today? The festival is over, and my sister isn''t here yet... While battling in a dungeon sounds fun, none around here provide a challenge for me." There are some on the other side of the dungeon. Ones that reach a level requirement of 200+. Meaning I don''t even qualify to go in, and that''s not something that I''ve encountered on our trip yet. "Well... If I could suggest something..." She looks down at her hands and fiddles with them. Lifting her eyes for permission to ask. I nod that she can tell me. I don''t know why she''s asking for permission. That''s out of character. She knows she can talk to me about anything. "Mind if we get a canoe and take azy stroll down one of the many rivers around here..." Hmm... That dream must''ve been really good. Wanting to try it out in real life. I don''t see the problem. "It''s okay if you don''t want to... It''s pretty inconvenient..." My... So quick to dismiss... Strange... I scoot a little closer, and I ce my arm around her shoulder. She isn''t telling me something, but she must have a good reason. "That sounds like an excellent idea, and the sooner we get out there. The longer we can enjoy the clear weather for now." She lifts her head with a small smile, a light shade of red dusting her cheeks. Quite cute. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 307: Hailey and Jasmines Arrival II

Chapter 307: Hailey and Jasmine''s Arrival II

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: More than halfway to the border)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:15 PM)~~~ Jasmine is insisting that we stop and rest for the night now that we''re miles from the snow and in a nice dry and cold forest. We can still knock a few miles off if we can continue, big if, though. "Hailey! I want to go to sleep for the night! Let''s stop here and set up camp!" Yelling isn''t going to help her cause. I''m not cruel. I''ll have to relent this time. We stop in our tracks, and she sees the displeased look on my face. She gives off a nervousugh, trying to lighten the mood. "Sorry... I get pretty cranky when I''m tired... You know that already... Sooo... How about that tent?" The gritting of my teeth and deformed forced smile causes her to cringe. She takes a step back as I pull out the tent and nkets from my inventory. She helps me set everything up, and she''s the first to get in. The sun is setting, and the temperature is dropping even lower as it disappears. The magical heat provided by the tent helps me let go of my frustration, and the softness of the nkets bringsfort to my mind and body. I roll my ankles, and they pop. They aren''t sore, just a habit. Jasmine makes sure that I hear howfortable she is with the continued release of sighs. All of them are offort and recovery. "I''m so d that we''re out of that damn snow, and we''re even closer to the damn border city." That''s something I can agree with. I''m d that we''re out of that horrendous weather. Even though I''m not really affected stamina-wise, it was bing arge strain on my mind. Something drives me crazy, trudging through the snow like a machine. "We should be reaching our destination byte evening or night tomorrow. It''ll be nice to see civilization again." The freedom and adventures I have are nice, but I still like being near poption centers. The city girl in me can''t resist not being near some city for too long. LA was one of the biggest cities in the world, but it doesn''tpare to some of the ces here. "We''re thinking the same thing. I''m looking forward to a nice hot shower or bath. I''m not smelling so great these days." We both share augh cause we''re in the same situation. My odor is not something to brag about. It hurts my pride as ady to stink the way I do right now. It brings me some sce since I''m not the only one. NPC''s don''t like yers for many reasons. One of the smaller ones is our stench. It''smon because we spendrge amounts of time in dungeons or on long and dirty trips. Thest time I had a chance to clean myself was before I left for The City of James. My hair is so damn greasy. It makes me feel cheap and dirty. "I get first dibs on a shower!" I''m quick to lock in the first spot, and I was surprised to learn that the concept of dibs exists here. Jasmine darts her head up and res at me. Snooze, you lose, sister. You can tell by her look she''s thinking of something to say to disqualify my dibs, but it''s perfectly fine in this situation. "Fine! You want it so bad you can take it! You smell worse than me anyway!" She immediately starts to cut deep with her words. I''m not actually getting hurt by them. We both know that it''s in good fun. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Back at the Inn)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:51 PM)~~~ The shower water runs down my body, washing the soap away. The activities that we indulged in on the canoe caused me to sweat. He''s always so gentle... I love how he''s never rough with me... It makes me feel safe... He canst so long, too, we had to stop. I couldn''t go on anymore, and I feel bad cause it''s like I wasn''t able to satisfy him. He wouldn''t be thinking anything like this. He''s not the type to have thoughts about who satisfies who. "It must be the difference in his strength and staminapared to everyone else..." That''s the only solution I can think of. yers are strange sometimes, but it''s not all bad. The canoe ridested longer than I thought it would. Most from us doing it, the istion in the wilderness on the river made me feel like I could be as loud as I want. I didn''t have to hold back my voice. I don''t like being loud in an inn or near other people''s homes... It makes me feel like they can hear me... I only want Cera to hear my voice and the sounds I make when we''re together like that. My fingers easily glide through my hair and wash the shampoo out. It''s nice to have a private bathroom attached to the room we''re staying in. "How''s the water?" I jump a little at Cera''s voice. I didn''t even hear hime into the bathroom. "You were covered in a lot of sweat... The only sweat I got was from you." His teasing causes a flushed feeling on my face. He wasn''t extended to the point that he was sweating. I was sweating so much that I made him covered in my scent. "Whose fault do you think that is? I recall only wanting to go for a romantic canoe ride. You''re the one who couldn''t keep his hands to himself. Rubbing my thigh like that... Shame on you..." He peeks his head into the shower and grins at me. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Bathroom in the inn room)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:03 PM)~~~ She doesn''t make an effort to cover her body. She turns her eyes away from mine as a rosy tint flushes her cheeks. "I seem to recall you describing your dream to me. Don''t try to deny it. What we did on the canoe is what happened in your dream!" The teasing edge and abrupt acknowledgment of the real reason causes her to cover her face with her hands from embarrassment. She spreads the fingers covering her eyes and looks at me with her blue and green eyes. "You don''t have to talk about it... It''s embarrassing... I''ve never had a dream like that before..." Those sweet words... They drive me crazy sometimes... Her first erotic dream with someone was with me. She''s be sofortable with me. She dreams about me in that way. Now that I think about it, I''d like a shower myself. My equipment is instantly taken off and put in my inventory, and I step into the shower with her. She doesn''t try to stop me, and as I stand in front of her with the water hitting my back. Sheys her hands on my chest and steps forward. Leaning her head against it. She smells so fruity and nice. The warmth and affection that I get from Sally isn''t something I ever thought I''d get in my life. Many would call me a pathetic excuse for a man loving a supposed fictional and digital character. The people of Gaia aren''t fictional and digital, not like we thought. "You mind helping me scrub your sweat off my body?" She looks up with a small grin. She reaches over for the soap and glides it across my back. Stepping back and bringing the soap to the front, and scrubbing my chest and abs. "I love the way you feel, Cera... So rigid and strong..." The silky tone of her voice causes me to get a little more aroused than I nned. My member spings up and ps her lower area. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 308: Hailey and Jasmines Arrival III

Chapter 308: Hailey and Jasmines Arrival III

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: 3/4 the way to the border)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:16 AM)~~~ The rest of this trip has been pretty easy, and we''ve covered a lot of ground. We should be reaching the city at the border in about 5 hours. We''re ahead of schedule, which is great. There is a small problem, finding Cera and Sally in the city. We didn''t agree to meet at a specific ce or at a time of day. An oversight that both of us missed. Not all ns are perfect, and we were pressed for time, leaving gaps for other issues to arise that neither of us saw. "I didn''t think the northern end of the continent would be so beautiful... No wonder the elves prefer thisnd and no othernd." Jasmine has been teaching me about the elves and their history. She''s given me a lot of insight into what I might be up against. Thend that we''re traveling is mesmerizing, but I heard that thend beyond the borders is something few people other than elves see. Another problem that we didn''t talk about, getting into the Elven Kingdom''s borders. "Elves are one of the oldest races in the world. They wouldy im to allnds if they didn''t have to fight for them." My words are based on realistic expectations. They''re not good and nice people. Theyck the benevolence of other races. Look down on anything other than elves, and even look down on elves of half-blood. In my opinion, they''re some of the worst racists I''ve ever heard of in my life. "Who''s talking to me right now? Those aren''t the words of the Hailey I know." The chuckling at the end of her tease makes me grin. I don''t usually speak in such a profound way, if you could call it that. My conclusion of the elven people and their society is simr to the white Americans during the settlement of America in thete 1700s and the majority of the 1800s. The elves haven''t literally enved a race, but given a chance, I''m betting they would. The superiorityplex of the elves hasn''t changed over thest few thousand years. I can''t say if they''ve always been like this. "I have original thoughts of my own, and I may not be a poet, but I''m capable of deep thoughts and considerations of things outside my view of the world." All I receive in return is an amused scoff from Jasmine. ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: 3/4 of the way to the border)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:34 AM)~~~ Hailey is taking the information I''ve given about the elves seriously. She should too. The elves aren''t a race to underestimate or gain the attention of. "I''m d that you''re expanding your mental horizons, but this is out of character for you. I know your smart, but you don''t normally talk like it." I hope my observation doesn''te across the wrong way. The trip to meet up with her brother has shown me a lot about her, mostly that her family is pretty different from anything I''ve ever seen. "You should hear my brother talk. If you don''t have a certain IQ when he gets going, you''ll fall behind pretty fast. Luckily, he keeps it chill most of the time." I''m excited to meet Hailey''s brother. She''s talked about him pretty often. One of the things I know about him for sure if how strong he is. Hailey has made sure I understand that point, and he''s also got an above-average intelligence. "I''m betting the two of you have a lot more inmon than you let on. You haven''t even told me if he''s younger or older than you..." That''s something I''d love to know. How do such young siblings have such incredible power? It''s from the sses, but both of them have strong sses that set them out seems suspicious to me. "My brother is a little younger than I am. He is mom''s favorite, and I know I''m dad''s favorite. Our little brother Marcus is the odd man out, but he''s too young to understand that." Didn''t expect him to be younger, but that''s not bad. As an only child and ex-ve, I can''t rte to anything in regards to family... I envy Hailey sometimes when ites to that part of her life. Sometimes I dream of what my life would look like if I had a family. "I hope you know how lucky you are, Hailey... There are lots of people out there who would kill to have what you have." She stops and turns her head in confusion. That dide out of nowhere. "I''m sorry, that was rude." She rolls her eyes, and we keep walking. Guess it wasn''t that big to her. "How much longer do you think we have until we reach the border?" I''m getting pretty tired of this slow walking, but I''m truly d we''re out of the snow now. Hailey decides not to answer me, probably tired of getting asked. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inn room, in bed)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:07 AM)~~~ The warm sheets and nkets are covering both of us, the action in the shower was transferred to the bed. After we had some more fun, we decided to sleep. "This is the longest we''ve ever slept in..." The clock in the room is telling me it''s 11:08 in the morning. I haven''t slept past 10 in this world yet. Sally''s arm reaches over my chest at the sound of my voice. We are treating this time to ourselves the way we''re supposed to. Together and having fun. I turn my body and sit on the side of the bed. I run my fingers through my hair and release a sigh. Hailey and Jasmine should be arriving any day now. I don''t know what''s taking her so long. I can only assume it''s Jasmine, Hailey''s too fast to be taking this long. Sally leans up behind me and crawls up behind me. Wrapping her arms around my body and resting her head on my shoulder. Her blond hair is falling on me, and her breasts are pushing into my back. "Getting up already?" She must not want to get up yet. I rx and she feels the shift in my posture into something more rxed. She gently falls back and pulls me along with her. I was going to go downstairs and get us some food, but that can wait. "You know, that shower didn''t go the way I thought it would. Getting all sweaty again after getting out wasn''t part of the n either." Most men would be thinking about the girl holding them, but I''m worried about my sister. Sally runs her fingers through my hair and kisses the back of my head. "I''m worried about Hailey... She should''ve been here by now, Jasmine or not, they must''ve taken a detour or something." I wouldn''t doubt that Hailey stopped off at a dungeon or location with something powerful in it. Something that Jasmine could use. That''s what I did when Sally and I started traveling together. I got her a powerful ss so she could hold her own against people trying to hurt her and some of the enemies that I''ll be facing. "It''s okay, Hailey is a big girl. The second strongest person I know, she''ll be here." I can''t believe I''m being the overprotective brother right now, not something I like to be. Mom and dad are probably having a st themselves, along with Marcus. Gaia is so big, they could be anywhere at this point in time. I''m betting they''re doing what I used to do. Explore and dungeon dive, that was before my old life fell apart, but it was still fun. "All we can do is wait, and that''s not bad..." I look on the bright side, it''s given us more time together to rx. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 309: Arriving at The Border City

Chapter 309: Arriving at The Border City

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Nearing the border city)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:37 PM)~~~ There has to be some magical enchantment cast on the environment. Thendscape gets more amazing the closer we get to the border, and the weather is perfect. Despite how far north we are. "The city ising into view!! This damn trip is almost over!!" Jasmine points to the obvious city in the distance a few miles out. It''s connected to the seemingly endless wall that surrounds the Elven Kingdom. "The first thing we''re going to do is get something to eat, right?!" She''s be a real fan of food from my world, and many NPC''s have. "Cause I''m not helping you look until I get some good food in my belly." An ultimatum, that''s not something she often does. She''s not the only one. We both haven''t eaten anything good for a while now. Thest time I had anything good was in The City of James. "Yeah, yeah, Jasmine. We can get something to eat before we start looking for my brother." The trip here has been something of a challenge for her. We''ve never traversed such rough terrain before. The weather at the first part of the journey here really knocked all she had out of her. She''s been running on fumes since the snow-packed part of this trip. "Good, cause you wouldn''t like me when I''m cranky, and I get really cranky when I haven''t had a good meal in a while." I can''t help looking at her with a questioning look. This is her when she isn''t cranky? That doesn''t seem real cause she''s cranky right now. If this isn''t cranky, then I hope I never see how cranky she can be. "Don''t worry, Jasmine. You''ll get your food, and we''ll have a break. Starting tomorrow, we''ll have to look around for my brother." He won''t be that hard to find. I know what he looks like, mainly his armor and weapon sheath. He wears a hood like I do when I''m in cities. His height will make him stand out a bit. I just have to pay attention and look at the men Ie across. Fitting said description. "I can''t believe it''s such a pain to get here." She diverts from the topic of food to how challenging it was to get here. ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:12 PM)~~~ Getting through the city gate was a bit of a hassle, but it wasn''t that bad. Hailey has bags of gold, and it''s expensive to get into some cities. "I wonder how hard it''s going to be to get across into the actual kingdom..." This is a question more directed at me. Talking to myself is a habit I picked up. Living on your own or as a ve, you have to do something to keep your sanity. Hailey and I both have our hoods on, and we''re walking side by side. "My brother will have a n to get us into the borders of the Elven Kingdom. He''s always got some sort of n when ites to these things." I see no reason to doubt that logic. From all the stories that I''ve been told about this brother, he knows exactly what he''s doing. I''m pretty curious about who he is. Hailey has been vague about him the entire trip. I know the most about him out of their family, though, which doesn''t say much cause I don''t know anything other than his name. Cera, it''s a strange name for a boy, but who am I to judge. A unique name will set some people apart in their lives. The streets are packed even at this time. Most are people like Hailey. They must also be looking for a way into the Elven Kingdom. They don''t let anyone or anything other than their kind into the kingdom. "Why do you think so many are trying to get into the Elven Kingdom?" If anyone knows the answer to that question, it''s Hailey. She sighs and stuffs her hands in her pockets as she looks around and observes all the others like her. "They''re here because there are powerful dungeons in the Elven Kingdom, and that''s what everyone is after. A powerful dungeon means powerful rewards." That makes sense. I don''t think like that cause if I die, I''m dead forever. People like Haileye back to life back at the mysterious citadels that appeared everywhere. Hailey exined to me that''s the ce where theye back after they die, but she never told me how they really came to be. "We''reing up on some ces that sell food, pick one, and we''ll get a bite." My head darts over to look at the uing restaurants. ~~~(POV: Angelus)~~~ ~~~(Location: Private Dimension)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:00 PM)~~~ It seems that the older sibling of Cera has found her way to him and took her time doing so. The teacup floats in front of me, and I sip from the cup lightly. The floating screen in front of me switches to Cera, and he''s with Saliandra. Saliandra''s rtionship is something I''ve grown to be jealous of, and I feel bad for feeling this way. My feelings for Cera areplicated if it weren''t for him. I wouldn''t be the way I am now. He''s the reason I''m the woman I am now. I have a form of fondness or love for him. I can''t act on it. It''d be like giving him an unfair advantage, despite how strong he''s be. He''ll face powerful foes in the Elven Kingdom. Not just in dungeons either, but the royal family. They aren''t pushovers. They''ve been around for a very long time. "Angelus, you''re not spying on him again, are you?" A machine-like voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I look over to see my assistant. I created her in my likeness, a little sister. "Some would consider this creepy..." While her voice is monotonous, it''s not that he''s empty. She feels and thinks like any of us do, and her words can be genuine and inspiring if you take away the monotone. "You know me so well, Little Angel... I shouldn''t be eavesdropping on him, and I appreciate you trying to make sure I don''t..." While my jealousy of Saliandra is real, it''s not malicious. I couldn''t do anything to her if I wanted to. My authority stretches only to the yers and events that concern them. Saliandra isn''t a yer. Making her outside my reach. "I understand your fondness for him, sister. There are many Gods who are watching him now and his choices..." The Overworld is in the middle of a major change. The Old Gods are on their way back, and that''s caused some tension. It''s only a matter of time until they reach full power, the Divine energy that held them back was taken by Cera, and his power grows. He has the potential to inherit everything in this world. There are some out there that are working against him in this endeavor. The Dark Ones are a group trying to halt his growth and hinder him. Others are on his side, trying to help him. He doesn''t know the true weight the wish he made carried, that it was already predetermined that he''d make the wish. That he was chosen to make the world the way it is now. "Don''t worry, Little Angel... There is still much for him to do." The future holds many things, and more is going to be revealed in his time in the Elven Kingdom. All I can do is watch, but I have faith in him. He''s not weak. He''s got the help of allies now, and time is on his side for now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 310: Close, but Far...

Chapter 310: Close, but Far...

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(location: Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:03 PM)~~~ The amount of food that Jasmine can put away astonishes me. She''s got a much more petite stature than I do, and she''s a few inches shorter than me. Yet, here I sit, watching her eat for three or four people. It''s not the first time I''ve seen it, but it''s still an amazing thing that I can''t get over. I''m getting through my first dish, and she''s starting her fifth. The juice from all the steaks she''s eaten makes it look like she went and bit into a cow. Forget cutting it up and cleaning it. She should walk out into a pasture and go to town. "Slow down, Jasmine... You''re eating your food so fast they can''t keep up with you in the kitchen. Not to mention the massive tab you''re running up..." The price isn''t too bad, not for food this good. Normally I wouldn''t spend so much on a trip to a restaurant. Sometimes, habits gotta be broken, and if not for you, then someone else. "Don''t talk to me right now... Let me enjoy this moment..." Her food is more important than anything going on for her right now, and we''ve all been at that ce. The ce where we''re so hungry, we don''t care about the rest of the world. This is a prime example of what that looks like, teeth filled with food as she tears it apart. "I can''t believe your world had food like this everywhere you went... It''s not fair. I''d have food like this every day..." She''d end up like a lot of people who did live their lives that way. Obese and years took off their lifespan. Most are a sad sight. More like were a sad sight, the shift to this world has taken away the fat and unhealthiness that many of my world faced. My understanding goes as far as liking food, but I don''t understand how someone could end up getting to a 250+ pound mark at 5''8. They were like a ve to the fast-food industry. More often than not, they''d probably go there forfort. It''s calledfort food for a reason. "Jasmine, if you ate food like this every day, you''d balloon to a weight that is detrimental to your health. It''s okay to have this stuff once in a while, but not every day." She res at me like a hungry animal would if you''d try to take its food away. It''s all about perspective, in the end. It''s different for me than it is for her. My second te finally arrives, and the look on the waiter''s face tells me everything. It''s a sight that a yer-owned and ran restaurant would see, but Jasmine is a messy eater. "Oh, stop looking at me with those judgy judgemental eyes. This is the first good food I had since we started this damn trip." I''m not judging her... Not harshly anyway. It could''ve been worse. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inn bedroom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:30 PM)~~ Sally and I will have to start searching the city starting tomorrow. There is no way we''ll run into each other the one or two times we''ll be leaving this room. "Why didn''t you n for something on how to find each other when she gets here? You''re usually pretty good at nning things like that." She''s hurt my ego and pride more than I''d care to admit with thatment. Hailey has to be here by now, and if she''s not here. She''ll be here by tomorrow. There is no way that they''d take this long getting here. The closest teleportation gate is about a day and a half away. The border city doesn''t have one. "I can''t n for everything, Sally... Missing the small things when nning for the big picture ismon." She''s right, though. I should''ve made a n. It''s not that big of a deal. Searching around town for a day doesn''t sound all that bad. Not like there are many ces for them to go. The first step should be looking into inns and asking who has paid for rooms. "Don''t worry. I''m already thinking of ideas and figuring out how we can find them." One problem is I don''t know what Jasmine looks like. She''spletely unknown to me, and that could be a slight problem. The odds of them being together is high, but you never know. They might split up. "See, all you needed was a little motivation. Aren''t I great?" My chuckles can''t be stopped from surfacing. She has a humorous edge to her voice, one that shows she''s just ying. Hailey and Jasmine won''t be easy to find, but it''s not like it''ll be impossible. Hopefully, Hailey will recognize me likest time. That way, I won''t have to search for her, but that''s dumb on my end. She only knew it was me from my sword. "Exactly what did you motivate me with?" I might as well have some fun with Sally. These moments between us are few and far between. Her head is lying on my chest, listening to my heart. She lifts her head and looks at me, a mischievous grin that I don''t see from her very often. "Oh, I don''t know... Something along the lines of you and me..." Interesting, this is the first time she''s been aggressive with an advance. She''s really grown to trust me. I''m doing something right. My arm coils around her, and I give her a light hug. We''ve been doing it far more in thesest few days than our entire trip together. "I don''t know, Sally... You seem to cover me in sweat whenever we do this. I''m not sure I like it." My yful tone and tease cause her to move up my body and close the distance between our lips. ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: Border City, in an inn near the city center)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:15 PM)~~~ The bed bounces in response to mynding on it. I''m full and ready for some actual sleep in a real bed. "You remember the n?" Hailey has been drilling the search n into my head since we finished eating. "Cause you need to remember it. It''s important that we find them as soon as possible." Yeah, yeah. I get it already. Let''s just go to bed. She smacks my hip, and I respond with a groan. "The n is searching the inns and sparsely popted parts of the city. That''s where your brother is likely to be, at least you think so..." Rather simple and easy to remember. She thinks I don''t take things as seriously as she does. I know when to listen and when to tune out, and that''s what makes me smart. The bed across from me bounces and releases a small thump. Hailey is getting ready for bed too, and tomorrow it''s back to work. "You know I wouldn''t beat it into you if you just showed me that you''re listening when I talk to you." You have a bad habit of droning on, Hailey. It''s not my fault you do that, and anyone would tune you out. Responding to that isn''t the smartest thing to do, so I''m not going to. Changing the subject is the smartest thing to do. "You told me that the girl your brother is traveling with, Sally, is an ex-ve like me... Why did he ept her despite her past..." That''s a question that''s been on my mind for a while. Most men wouldn''t see past that, but he does. She stays quiet, and before I can say anything, she responds. "You can ask him when you meet him. I''m sure there is an answer there that isn''t asplicated as your making it out to be." She''s right about that. I''m creating scenarios in my head that aren''t shining favorably on her brother. The ex-ve in me is telling me that he''s using Sally. I know it''s wrong, but I can''t help it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 311: Two Sided Search

Chapter 311: Two Sided Search

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside, searching)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:17 AM)~~~ Nothing, absolutely nothing! We''ve been searching inns all over the city for a few hours now, and there are no signs or clues to where Hailey and Jasmine might be. The only thing I can think of is where she would search for me, and I like istion and ces that aren''t traveled to often. "We''re going to have to change up our game n, huh?" Sally already knows where my head is at. This is something that makes me madder the longer I''m stuck doing it. Mainly since it''s my fault, we''re stuck searching for each other. I didn''t make any ns for how to meet up or how to find each other when she got here. "Yeah, I got some more ideas on where she could be, time to change of tactics." We leave the inn we''re currently in and start walking down the road. The roads are packed, and there are tons of yers looking for people to take on local dungeons. The less traveled and upied parts of the city are near the walls on the northern end. "Make sure you don''t lift your hood for anything, Sally. We''re going to a bad part of town." She nods her head and makes sure her hood is extra secure on her head. The part of the city we''re heading to is full of less than savory individuals that''ll be more than aggressive after seeing a girl as beautiful as Sally. "Do you think she''s changed anything about her looks or clothes? What if you can''t recognize her?" The points Sally is bringing up are good ones, but I doubt she''s changed her gear since thest time I saw her. What I''m worried about is how long it''s going to take to find each other. It adds fuel to my anger at myself that we have to go to these shady ces in the city. The thought of Sally being ufortable or looked at in a vile way makes my insides boil. "Once we get to the part of the city we''re heading to. I want you to be on guard." I''m not going to be overprotective. She''s strong. I know she''s not going to let anything bade her way. She has the power to kill anyone in this city. The legacy ss she has speaks for that. "Don''t worry. I''ll make sure you don''t have to worry about me." I have faith in her power and fighting abilities. So I''m not going to be an overbearing and clingy boyfriend. She''s an adult, and I''m going to treat her like one. Of course, if things get too much for her. I''ll step in and help, but there aren''t any NPCs that are strong enough to hurt her anymore. Not any in this city. "Enough chit-chat. We''ve got a slum to check out." That''s the best way I can describe the ce we''re going to. It''s not a ce that people would stay if they had a choice. I would if I were alone, but that''s different, though. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside, searching the slums)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:45 AM)~~~ These slums aren''t a ce that a yer would stay, and the only reason Cera would is that it''s isted. Thinking about it, he wouldn''te to a ce like this, not with Sally traveling with him. "I can''t believe open streets can smell so bad!" Jasmine has been suffering from the rank odoring from the overflow sewers. Heard a rumor that this part of the city doesn''t have maintenance to its magical devices to get rid of the sewage, and it''s slowly piling up under the streets. "You''re going to have to tough it out until we''re done checking all the likely ces he''d be. Once we''re done here, we can get to a better part of the city." The smell is slowly getting to me too. I wish I had the foresight to bring a mask. The few people that are here aren''t giving us friendly looks, and that''s cause we stick out. We''ve got good gear, and we''re not in the same filthy condition as everyone else. The men''s stares are what''s bothering me. They can''t take their eyes off us. "Hailey... I''m ufortable with this..." She doesn''t have to tell me. Given her past, these are familiar looks to her. She moves closer to my side, and she keeps a hand on the handle of her de. "Nothing is going to happen to you. I''m betting they can see there is a difference in power between them and us." All the system notifications of being inspected tell me this, and I know Jasmine is experiencing the same thing. She doesn''t have the system to tell her, but she can still feel being inspected. Some of the men are following behind us and keeping their distance too. I have half a mind to turn around and kill them all, but the risk to Cera and Sally''s mission stops me. If I get the eyes of the higher-ups in the Elven Kingdom on me, it''ll jeopardize the cover that we currently have. Off in the distance, I can see a taller hooded figure standing next to a shorter feminine one. What gives their identity away is the way the male figure is standing. It''s the same way my brother does. A part of me is hoping it''ll be this easy, and we don''t have to spend any more time in the slums or other parts of the city. We slowly make an approach and keep up appearances, not jumping the gun. Jasmine doesn''t know who she''s about to meet. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Slums)~~~ ~~~( Time: 10:02 AM)~~~ The amount Cera has paid for information isn''t worth it. These idiots don''t know anything about Hailey. Cera is getting more frustrated the longer this goes on. "Cera?" Before Cera can ask another question to the man in front of us, a female voicees from behind us. One that I''m familiar with, and I can''t stop the smile from spreading on my face. We both turn around and we two hooded females. I look at the shorter one and the only features I can make out with her hood on are ck hair and a small spread of freckles. "Talk about fortunate timing, Hailey. I was about to ditch searching these slums for you." The tone in Cera''s voice is one I only hear him have with Hailey. She chuckles and lightly slugs his shoulder. "What took you guys so long anyway? I expected you a few days ago, but since it''s taken this long I''m guessing you took some sort of detour." Hailey lightly nods her head, but before she can respond. The man we were just talking to gets a little pissy that he''s not received the rest of his payment yet. He gets mad and starts iling his arms around, and shouting threats. In an instant, Cera grabs the man''s neck and lifts him off the ground with one hand. He''s choking on his words and can barely breathe. If Cera wanted to, he''d kill him. "When I let you go, you''re going to run as fast as you can. Understand?" He quickly shakes his head and Cera lets go of him. As soon as his feet touch the ground, he''s off and heading around a corner into an alleyway. Cera turns back to Hailey for an exnation of his question. "We decided to take a stop off at a dungeon that rewarded a legacy ss. Jasmine is now the wielder of The Last Wish legacy ss." I''ve never heard of such a ss, and Cera''s expression can''t be seen right now. Knowing him, he probably knows about the ss and everything about it. "It''s nice to meet you, Jasmine. I''m Cera Adamo, and this lovelydy is Sally. I''ve heard some interesting stories about you from Hailey." He reaches over and gently shakes her hand and I do the same. It''s nice to finally meet the girl that Hailey''s been traveling with. She''s like me... An ex-ve. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 312: Finally Together

Chapter 312: Finally Together

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Exiting the Slums)~~~ ~~~( Time: 10:10 AM)~~~ Hailey walks next to me as Sally and Jasmine follow close behind. "I didn''t think it''d be so easy to find you. In truth, I figured it would take a while to find you. Seems my hunch about the slums were right." She sounds genuinely happy that we''re together again. I''ll be the first to admit it''s nice having family around again. What I''m curious about is Jasmine. She is much different than Hailey. She''s energetic and positive. Hailey is more like me, quiet and observant. "The little information you gave about Jasmine has me wondering why you didn''t exin more to me. She''s so different from us. I didn''t expect you to have a friend like that." Hailey chuckles and points behind her, where Sally is. That''s a fair point. Sally is quite different from me. Normally different personalities sh, but not in my case with Sally. She''s bashful and timid, yet it disappears at the perfect times. Someone I never thought I''d be with. "Jasmine is a ball of energy. I''m not denying that. But, below that bubbly exterior, she''s a scared girl..." Now it makes sense... They''re more simr than not. Jasmine must not know about me yet, or she might not care. "Have you told her?" I make sure my question is low enough for only her to hear. Hailey stares at me for a second and lightly shakes her head. "Do you n to?" Her silence tells me a lot. Must be a reason she hasn''t told her. She sighs and turns her gaze away from me. She stares at the streets as we''re slowly leaving the slums and rejoining the more civilized part of society. "She''s a devoted follower of the church and the Gods of Light. I was hoping that it woulde up in a surprising way for her. In a private setting... Not out in the open..." No need to be so blunt with the hints. That''s perfectly reasonable to me. They''re staying at an inn on the other side of town, but it''d be better if we were all together in one location. That way, the nning won''t be soplicated. "We need a bigger ce to stay while we n to get past the border. I have ideas, but I need to talk with you and Jasmine first." Hailey understands perfectly, and I''m d she does. Having her with me will make this easier. She''s a powerful legendary ss wielder, after all. She''s probably the second strongest yer right behind me. "There aren''t any ces that have a room avable for 4 people, so we''re going to squat in a vacant home. Sally and I have done it before." Sort of done it before. I killed the owner. He was a horrible man and criminal. Hailey gives me a crooked look. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Walking the streets of the city)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:22 AM)~~ Jasmine and I are walking together. Cera and Hailey wanted some time to talk and catch up without the two of us looming over their shoulders. They''re talking quietly, making sure we can''t hear them. "Hailey told me that you''re an ex-ve..." Out of nowhere, I''m asked a question many with my past would be offended by, but considering who''s asking, I understand. Hailey told Cera and me that Jasmine was a ve at a point in her early life too. "What you were told is true. I''m also an ex-ve." Ex-ves understand one another, but it''s hard to talk about with anyone. Even someone who''s lived the same life you have. "I escaped around my 20th birthday, that was over 80 years ago..." I''m still an elf, and I was born long before them. very doesn''t change with the times, it was ouwed back then, and it''s ouwed now. That never stopped any of them from trying, though. "Wow... I escaped around my 14th birthday... It''s been a hard 6 years for me..." My heart cracks with her words... I was born into very, my father being a nameless bandit who captured my mother. She was either born into very herself or captured extremely young and grew up in it. "It''s hard, isn''t it..." My wordse out without me thinking, like an instinct. She lows her head, and her face scrunches up. Trying to hold back the tears. "It''s hard to let go of the past... But Cera... He makes me forget sometimes..." The words juste out, and Jasmine looks at me, shocked. Sometimes I forget that I''m an ex-ve when I''m with Cera, the way he treats me causes a feeling in me. Washes away all my pain and makes me a different person. "You''re lucky, then... Anytime I tell someone what I used to be... They look at me as if I''m riddled with diseases..." I would get looks like that too when I told people I thought would understand... Jasmine dries theing tears before they actually fall. I reach my arm over and wrap my arm around her. "You and I... We''re both safe now, and we''ve met amazing people who don''t judge us for the bad things that have happened to us... Everything is okay now..." She leans her head against me and wraps her arm around my back. I''m d that I''ve met Jasmine. ~~~(POV: Fenrir, Beast of Ragnarok)~~~ ~~~(Location: Leaving Overworld)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:00 AM)~~~ That took way longer than it ever should have, but now I''m free from the discussions about what to do when The Old Gods return. Michael and Gabriel are starting to move in their ns themselves. The Old Gods areing, but we have enough time until they get here. The Almighty Father has tasked me with finding an object. A weapon of great power and something that will be needed for thising war. Cera. We don''t need him yet, but soon a battle will being to Overworld. I''m tasked with bringing Cera here. I have to wait until Michael and Gabriel are done with their ns, but when they are. That''s when I have to grab Cera. Hopefully, it won''t be too inconvenient for him. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~ ~~~(Location: Squatting in a vacant apartment)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:20 AM)~~~ Never in my life did I think I''d be squatting like a homeless person. Buying a ce to stay is too risky and expensive, and renting is impossible because no NPC will sell to a yer right now. "Cera, I won''t forget this. Making your own family break into a ce and pretend it''s ours." My mocking tone causes a chuckle from my brother. He leans back on the raggedy couch and looks over to Sally. Sally and Jasmine are talking in the kitchen, looking for any food. They won''t find any. The owner wouldn''t leave anything worth something here. "Yeah, desperate times call for desperate measures. You''re going to have to sleep on the floor, just so you know." Now that irks me. I''m not sleeping on the floor. One thing this ce iscking is beds, and all four of us can''t sleep on one raggedy-ass couch. "If anyone is sleeping on the ground, it''s you. Wedies need something soft to sleep on, and we can all fit on that couch. But with you, there isn''t enough room." Our banter goes back and forth, and I feel like this is just like old times. Back on earth... Before we can keep going, Jasminees out, and I know that face. She''s hungry, but I can''t lie. I''m hungry too. We skipped breakfast to start looking. "Don''t worry. I''ll go and get us some food. You all wait here. I''ll be back in a minute." Cera gets up and heads for the door, and leaves. My smile grows as I look at Sally and Jasmine talking. As if they''ve known each other their entire lives. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 313: A Retelling of a Meeting

Chapter 313: A Retelling of a Meeting

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:48 AM)~~~ The food that I brought back for everyone has gone fast. Sally and Jasmine are the ones that ate the most. Their appetites are something to be feared. "Most would say it''s unnatural for people to eat the way you two do..." Hailey speaks what I''m thinking. Sally doesn''t give her words a second thought and spreads herself out on the couch. Rxing after a hot meal. Jasmine gives Hailey an annoyed look, one mixed with a sense of calling Hailey a hypocrite. "Oh shut up, you''ve eaten the same way I have on asion from how hungry you were. Not to mention Emerald, why doesn''t she get any k?" Ahh, the green striped tiger cub. A legacy-grade magical beast. I almost forgot about her. I''m betting she''s grown since thest I saw her. Emerald peaks her head up from the te on the floor and stares at Jasmine. Emerald eats her food like a wild animal, but she has the perfect excuse. She is technically a wild animal. "Real ssy, Jasmine. Directing me on an adolescent animal. Comparing yourself to her should say everything." Their banter is something that I find a little funny. It''s simr to the banter that Hailey and I used to have, and the thought of it brings back some fond memories. "Geez, Hailey! What crawled up your ass!? I''m just trying to eat here, and you''re attacking me about how fast I consume food!?" Jasmine takes it up a notch, and this is starting to sound like an argument. Hailey raises her hands in mock defeat and with a smile. She''s got the reaction she wanted, and now she''s going to leave it alone. Hailey has been doing this since we were kids. "Alright, alright... I''ll drop it. I just thought you might want to look a little better considering the situation..." She alludes to the fact that I''m yer Zern, The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. It''s funny to her cause Jasmine doesn''t know that''s me yet. Jasmine gives a very confused look. She thinks she''s among friends. She is, but she wouldn''t think that if she knew who I was. Since she is a devoted follower of the church, she''d act differently around me. "You''re really weird sometimes, Hailey... You say the vaguest and obscurest things and at the weirdest and most random times..." Hailey and I share that trait. In fact, I learned it from her. She is my big sister, after all. All the ways I learned to mess with people I learned from her. "Emerald,e here." The tiger cub obeys Hailey and immediately makes its way to her. She leaps into herp and sits down, staring into her eyes. "We''re going to be staying here for a while, so if you need to use the bathroom, tell me." Ahh, yes. Don''t want crap everywhere. ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:56 AM)~~~ Hailey suddenly jumping on my case like that is something I''m getting used to. She''s like the sister I never had, and that''s great most of the time... The other part of the time, it''s the worst. "Cera, when are we going to start making ns for crossing the border?" Hailey takes her attention off me and shifts it on Cera. Getting right down to business on why we''re here. Cera sighs and folds his arms,pletely ignoring her question. Hailey''s reaction is something I''ve not seen before. She gets frustrated, but not in a way that she would with a problem or a disgusting guy making advances. More like how one would get frustrated when not taken seriously. "How about we talk tomorrow? Let''s all just rx for the night." The dismissiveness upsets Hailey. This is amazing! I''ve never seen someone push Hailey''s buttons so easily. "Sally... Are Hailey and Cera like this all the time?" While Hailey tries to get something from Cera, I ask Sally if she knows anything about what''s going on. She''s seen them together the most, and she''d know more since she knows Cera better than I do. She grins at me and moves a little closer to whisper. She checks to make sure Hailey and Cera aren''t paying attention to what she''s about to say, and she waves for me to move in a little closer. "Hailey is sensitive when ites to Cera. She feels inferior to him and tries topensate for it any way she can." Her whispers are so low that I can barely hear her. That exins a little of what I''m seeing. I never thought an older sibling could act that way to a younger sibling. It must be because Cera is a man, and she''s a woman. Some sort of natural conflict there or something. "That doesn''t exin why it''s so easy for Cera to set her off, though..." She finishes her own exnation leaving room for more information to be learned and added. I look at the way Sally looks at Cera, and it''s a way that I''ve never seen an ex-ve look at a man. She''s in total and absolute love with him. "Mind if I ask you something?" She turns her head and nods at me. "What did he do to make you look at him like that..." She isn''t offended or upset in any way by the question. She understands where I''ming from since we have simr pasts. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:02 PM)~~~ She must be wondering what I used to wonder. Would someone ever love me enough to see past the damaged part of me? "Cera came into my life like a bolt of lightning... One day, I was working in an inn that he was staying at. When I brought him some food her ordered, he stunk so bad from battles that I gagged and made fun of him..." She''s on the edge of her seat. That day, it''s the greatest day of my life. "Instead of doing what he should''ve done, which is get mad. She smiled andughed along with me..." Her reaction tells me everything. A normal person wouldn''tugh along with you. "He exined to me that he got done with some hard journey and fighting beasts." There was no time for him to clean up. That was the worst he''s ever smelled. My eyes rest on the rxed Cera and the growing anger of Hailey. "The next day, he asked me if I wanted toe with him... Come with him on all his journeys and be his adventuring partner..." I remember the conversation as if it was yesterday. I''m paraphrasing right now, but this is the general topic of what was said. He was so sweet and sincere... Jasmine is waiting for more of the story, but I don''t know if I should continue. "Well... What did he say that convinced you to go with him?" I''ll never forget the words he said to me. No one has ever said something to me like that before in my entire life up to that point. Even now, it brings a few tears to my eyes. That was the day I started to believe in a chance of love again. She''s gripping my hand and is staring into my eyes. "He said it was because I made himugh. That I was totally honest even though it was an ident I said that." Her eyes sh... Something that I might''ve had. "He asked me to meet him by the city gates that day if I was interested. I took a leap of faith, and it''s the best thing that''s happened to me." She''s almost crying now. She looks back over to Hailey and Cera too, and a small smile appears on her face. "So there are good ones out there... I never thought I''d see one myself... You''re a lucky girl, Sally... I hope you never lose him or forget that..." The world isn''t as dark as she thinks it is. I used to be like her, but I see the world differently. Once she finds someone, everything will change for her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 314: Day Before Plan Making

Chapter 314: Day Before n Making

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:30 PM)~~~ Hailey acting like this reminds me of when we were teenagers. It''s something that we both im to have outgrown but can easily get sucked back into. "I don''t know why you''re getting so upset, Hailey. All I said is we''ll wait until tomorrow before we jump into ns." She''s been trying to get a reaction out of me for thatst hour and a half. I''m not dragged into sibling conflict at the drop of a few words. It takes a lot for me to engage. But Hailey... She knows the right buttons to push, and she also knows that there isn''t anything off-limits. "Find, give up, little brother. I should''ve known that you wouldn''t be ready to n when we got here." The more she talks, the little closer she gets to a reaction from me. Before she can continue, Sally stands up from where she''s sitting and makes her way over to us. She stands next to me and runs her fingers through my hair. "You two have been at it long enough. Taking a break from all the arguing is needed for all of us. I''m starting to get annoyed from the both of you." Thank God for you, Sally. She doesn''t listen to me when she gets like this. Hailey sighs and closes her eyes, giving up this battle for a reaction of some kind. There is something that I can say to set her offpletely, but I''m above that... No, I''m not. "This is why I''m the favorite..." My whispered mumble is barely audible, but it''s enough for Hailey to hear it. She res at me with a wave of white-hot anger. There are many things that set her off, but the biggest one is who''s the favorite among our parents. While she''s dad''s favorite, I know I''m mom''s favorite. "How dare you! I was ready to drop this! But no! You have to be a petty little bitch!" When from a burning matchstick into an atomic bomb. My grin cracks through my calm exterior, and her face gets redder as she sees it. This seals the smallpetition that we were having. Marking me the winner and her the only one to have a reaction. "My, my, big sister. That''s quite the sailor''s mouth you have. Wouldn''t want to hear dad hear you say things like that." She grits her teeth and balls her hands into fists. Dad was always adamant about no one cussing. He was a firm believer that those who frequently use foulnguage are of low intelligence. Failing to articte themselves correctly and use themon cuss words as substitutes. "You are so-!!! AARRRRGGHH!!" She lets out and frustrated squeal and grips her hair in her hands. "You drive me crazy!" I''m not full-on smiling, and it''s just adding fuel to the fire. This is just like the good old days when we weren''t in a dangerous world. Having the power to do the things we can do. "Maybe that''s why you could never get a job as an actress... Always cussing and being crazy... No one wants to work with that..." These are the words that break the camel''s back. She leaps at me, ws ready to scratch my eyes out. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:36 PM)~~~ Cera grabs my wrists before I can reach his neck or face. Ind on top of him as we both fall off the chair. Neither of us is using our powers in this fight. We''re doing it the old-fashioned way. "You''ve got some serious balls to talk about my acting career!" I''m very sensitive when ites to my past at trying to be an actress. It''s a sore spot for me. His smile never stops, and he stares right into my eyes. "What career? You never got a job on the set of a movie! All you''ve ever done is desperately attempt and sometimes sleep with guys to get a shot! Only to never get anything!" All I see is red now! He has my wrists firmly locked up, and I can''t get free, but I follow my instincts and do somethingpletely rational to me. I bring my face down, and I bite the shit out of his nose. "What the hell are you doing, you crazy woman!" This is the first time in a while that we''ve escted to a physical altercation. He pushes me off, and Ind gracefully on the other side of the room. He stands up, and there is blood dripping from his nose. My teeth marks are visible and in a perfect ce to be visible. He grips the handle to his sword, and so do I, but before we can continue, Sally and Jasmine both get between us. "Okay, it''s time for everyone to calm down... You''ve both said things that you don''t say to a family member... Take a few breaths and think about where this is escting too..." Sally''s calm and flowing voice eases Cera, and he takes his hand off his de. Jasmine looks at me and gives me a look of concern. "Sally''s right, guys... Now isn''t the time to indulge in fights and arguments that are obviously a tradition between you two..." As badly as I want to punish him for the mean things he''s said, they''re right. I take my hand off my weapon and turn around. I leave the room to cool off. My pride is damaged right now. I was trying to get a rise out of him, but instead. All that happened was him getting a rise out of me. "I''ll talk to her..." Jasmine''s voicees from the other room and is quickly following me. She stays behind me and decides it''s smarter to be quiet for now. I open the door to an empty room and take a seat next to the window. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:44 PM)~~~ Cera is over the sink in the kitchen and cleaning up the blood. His wound is already healed, but the blood that was produced is still there. I run my hand on his back and stand next to him. "Did you really have to say things like that?" I can''t stop my question froming out, and it sounds like I''m taking her side. Cera doesn''t react how someone normally would. He turns to me, and he''s trying his hardest not tough. I smack his shoulder. "It''s not funny, Cera! You really hurt your sister with what you said! You need to apologize to her!" He starts to full-onugh, and he''s quickly running out of breath. I can''t believe how childish these two are when they get started. I''ve never seen anything like it. I turn away in anger myself, and I''m tempted to go and console Hailey since he''s obviously not bothered. "Oh, c''mon! You know that was funny! She got so mad she bit my nose! Do you know how much work and patience it took me to get her to that point! Don''t try and deny how funny that was!" These two... They''re absolutely nuts! He gently spins me around and looks into my eyes. He''s taking on a more rxed expression and has a soft smile now. "If it''ll make you feel better, I''ll apologize. Don''t be surprised if it starts her up again. Knowing her, she''ll think I''m trying to go out in a better light than her." The thought of that happening causes me to smile and let out a littleugh. He grins as I quickly cover my lips and try to hide and deny the fact I justughed too. "Don''t you say a thing." He puts his hands up in mock surrender, but his grin is so smug and teasing that my face bes flushed in an instant. "Ohh! I hope she bites your nose off next time!" He starts tough again, and I turn my head away from him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 315: Parents Making Plans

Chapter 315: Parents Making ns

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Coastal City Lebeck)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:02 PM)~~~ The oceans of Gaia are some of the most beautiful sights I''ve ever seen. Earth''s oceans were never like this in my lifetime, my parent''s lifetime, and my grandparent''s lifetime. "Honey! Do you want some churros?!" A voice that I know all too well reaches across the beach. Chris and Marcus have been having fun in the water, and I''ve been bathing in the sun. It''s nice to have my young body back, restored to the time before I have three children. "Yeah, get me two, please!" He runs back to the booth and starts ordering. The day at this beach ising to an end soon, and Marcus is still ying in the water. We''ve been here several hours at this point, and I''m tanning far more than I thought I would. The sun isn''t setting for a few more hours anyway, so there is no harm in staying for a little longer. "Mommy,e and y! The water is so nice!" Marcus''s childlike voice rings from the direction of the water. My eyes find him, and he''s waving me over. No sense in keeping him waiting. My quick run towards him causes him tough and jump into the water to get away. I follow him regardless of the time it takes to adjust to the cool water. The rhythmic waves cause him to halt his escape and be sent back in my direction. He''s sent right at me, and I catch him in my arms. "I''ve got you now!" My pretend bites and spins cause him tough and squeal in joy. We stop spinning as we both get hit by a wave that knocks me over. We go downughing andpletely soaked. What''s the point in having a bathing suit if I don''t use it. "Watch out, Mommy! Daddy is sneaking up behind you!" My sweet boy warns me of approaching danger. I spin us around, and we''re both lifted and taken to the waves. Marcus and I can''t help having yelps of enjoyment. After getting deep enough, Chris jumps with all of us, and we''re all brought underwater and thrown forward by a wave. "Christoper Adamo! Where do you get off throwing your wife and son into the waves of the ocean!" Marcus reemerges right next to me and charges towards Chris. Sshing water and challenging him to a ssh battle. Marcus is quickly losing, but I decide to help him, and we gang up on Chris. "My own family is turning against me! The betrayal stings more than words can describe!" Marcus and I overwhelm him, and he has to give up. He makes a quick approach to me and wraps me in his arms, and kisses me. Marcus lets out a groan and goes back to ying. We stop sharing our lips and head back to drynd and our churros. We take a seat on our dry nkets, and the warm heat of the sun shines on us. Drying our skin and clothes. "Here you go, Honey." He hands me my churro, and we watch as Marcus continues ying in the water. Using his fire magic to get creative. He''s stronger than both of us now. ~~~(POV: Christopher Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Coastal City Lebeck)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:14 PM)~~~ Violet rests her head on my shoulder and scoots a little closer. She munches on her churro as we watch our youngest son y. "How do you think they''re doing..." My expectation for a question toe up regarding our other children was high. In fact, I was starting to wonder why she hadn''t brought it up sooner. My arm wraps around her, and I hug her. Cera and Hailey are both adults and strong. They''re probably doing better than any other yers would. "I''m sure they''re off on great adventures and making memories that they''ll never forget. I miss them too, Honey..." The more time that I haven''t seen them, the more I realize Violet''s pain. It wasn''t so bad for me in the beginning, but now I''m starting to feel it. We''ve been in Lebeck for a while now, and I can say we''ve fulfilled my dream of seeing the ocean. Now it''s time that we do something that Violet wants. "Since we''ve done what I''ve always wanted to do. Now it''s time that we do something you want. Name anything in the world, and we''ll do it." Being her husband, I know her answer already. She takes another bite from her churro and slowly chews it. Smiling as Marcus has fun. "I want my other children back, Chris... I want all of us to be together and be a family... Have adventures and make memories altogether..." She''s not the only one, and if that''s what she wants, then that''s what we''re going to do. Finding them is going to be hard, but not impossible. There are some ideas I have on how to start looking, and the first is using our connections with the Steel Legion Guild. "We can start whenever you''re ready, and the first thing we need to do is content the guild for information. If they don''t have anything, we''ll have to use magic items." Recently, yer mages and scientists havee up with a magical device. One that allows you to track down a certain yer, but it can only be a rtive. They were specifically made for yers to track down families that have been separated after the Collision. "We''ll start our search in a couple of days... I want Marcus to have some more fun before we start up again..." My hand rubs up and down her shoulder, and I kiss the side of her head. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Hotel, Coastal City Lebeck)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:08 PM)~~~ Finding my only daughter and my eldest son is my desire and after all this time. My pain for not being with them only increases. Marcus and Chris have done a great job at trying to get my mind off my other children, but I''m not going to put it off any longer. We''re going to find them, and we''re going to seed in bing a family again. The new magical devices that have been made aren''t cheap, and that''s why they''re our second option. If the Steel Legion has nothing for us, we''re going to have to use all of our funds to get the magical device. I believe it''s called Familia Finder. "Mommy, can we go out to eat tonight?" Marcus pulls me from my thoughts with a tug at my armor. My hand rests on his head, and I gently run my fingers through his hair. "I don''t know, Sweetie... You know that the locals don''t like us yers... The only restaurants that ept us are yer-owned..." There are some nearby, but they''re all expensive. While we have enough gold to be called rich, we still keep to our old habits of living. We don''t like spending heaps of money when we don''t need to. Being poor for the majority of our lives has hard encoded in us a lifestyle that makes saving money the priority. "Okay, we can... Now go tell your father in the other room what we''re nning." His bright smile makes it all worth it. He runs to the other room, and Iy back on the bed. I wonder what Hailey and Cera are doing right now... Knowing them, they split up at the first chance they got. Cera is probably in some deep dungeon fighting off monsters strong enough to destroy entire cities. The thought of any of my kids dying tears me to pieces. Even though they can respawn, it''s not something that any parent would want to experience. Chris pokes his head through the doorway, and he''s grinning just a little. "What''s this I hear about going out to eat?" He quickly makes his way over and pulls me from the bed. "Let''s not waste any more time then, I''m starving, and Marcus looks ready to eat a boot." He always knows how to make meugh. I''m the luckiest mom and wife in the world. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 316: A Passing Night

Chapter 316: A Passing Night

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:13 PM)~~~ Being the odd man out when ites to who gets to sleep on the couch is totally biased in this situation. The logic that Hailey has used is one that I''ll argue. "Men should sacrifice for a woman because it''s the right thing to do..." What a load of crap. The only reason I''m sleeping on the floor is cause I''ve got my camping gear to make itfortable. Sally staying with me is also a big reason why I''m okay giving up the couch without a fight. "Don''t think about it so much, Cera... Just try and get some sleep..." The beautiful elf that I call my girlfriend and lover has her head resting over my heart and is using me as a body pillow. The downside to all of this is we can''t sleep in our underwear. Havingpany takes that off the table. We''re probably not going to be able to have any physical fun until we''re in separate rooms with walls that have silencing enchantments. "I know, I just hate when I have to do something I don''t want to do cause it''s somehow considered natural for other guys to do..." My opinions on equality aren''t controversial, but I''ll enforce them if I want to. Going down that rabbit hole isn''t something I want to think about right now. Giving Hailey what she wants is the simplest solution. "You''re really sweet for not fighting for the couch... Besides, it''s not like it''s horrible that we have to sleep on the floor together..." She''s right about that. If there is anyone that I''d share a floor with, it''s Sally. She circles her finger around my chest and clings to me. I gently rub her back in an attempt to rx her too. "I''m d that you think I''m sweet, but you''re being biased too. Most people wouldn''t call another sweet when they''re angry about giving up something for the benefit of another..." She lightly chuckles and wraps her around me, and squeezes. We''re staying in one of the rooms in the house, away from the couch. Hailey and Jasmine are sharing the couch and definitely morefortable than us. "You''re right... I''ll always be biased when ites to you... And don''t try to pretend it isn''t the same for you... You''re far more biased when ites to me..." She''s noticed that... I can''t help it. She''s my girl... Sally begins to hum softly since that there is silence. Her voice is beautiful, but she refuses to sing for me. Saying it''s too embarrassing. She''s able to hum from time to time for me, and she chooses when I get to hear such a lovely sound. "I wish you''d sing for me... Once would be enough..." She stops humming and lifts her body. She moves over me, and her head is hanging over me. "You want me to sing for you... I''ll consider it from now on... We''re alone, and they''re probably asleep... I can try to be quiet..." Ahh... She wants to have some time to ourselves. I''ll have to say no. There is too much of a risk that they''ll wake up. I know Sally won''t be able to keep quiet. And Neither would I. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:29 PM)~~~ My sleep doesn''te as easily as it does for Jasmine. She''s already sound asleep and lightly snoring. We''re back to back on the couch, and I''m lost in thought regarding tomorrow. Cera said we''re going to start nning tomorrow, and I know we will, but no matter how I think about it. I don''t see how we''re sneaking through the borders without anyone knowing. The amount of magical security must be the highest out of all the kingdoms, and it''s probably the most secure country in the entirety of Gaia. There are many ways this will go the way we want it to, and the simplest solutions expose us and our likely n. If Cera flies us over the border, some rm or barrier will notify the intrusion. They have the magic to get our yer information, and they''ll see that Cera, or known as yer Zern, has entered the Elven Kingdom. "No matter how I y it out in my head... Nothing works, and any ns that we have won''t work..." Cera has to know something that I don''t and have a n. It irks me to no end being left out of the loop. That''s just how he is, though. I have to deal with it no matter how much I hate it. Jasmine stirs a little behind me. She settles back in, and her snoring continues on. Jasmine still hasn''t found out who Cera really is. She''s in for one hell of a surprise, and that''s probably putting it lightly. The reason Cera hasn''t told is probably how she''ll treat him. She''ll probably treat him like an Angel... Or God... And not like a regr person. Which is what Cera prefers. Cera doesn''t want to be bowed to. I know that about him. It''s who he is. "This journey is going to be way moreplicated than I wanted it to be..." I never realized the type of security or what we''re really up against until I got here. My eyes close, and I clear my mind of any thoughts. I''ll need to get some sleep if I want anything to be easy tomorrow. Sleep is underrated by a lot of people. It''s one of the main things that people do, which keeps our brains sharp. My thoughts slowly drift into unconsciousness, and I find myself asleep not long after the empty thoughts. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:44 PM)~~~ Despite Cera saying no, I''ve convinced him to at least give me some kisses. He''s be a fantastic kisser, and his lips move perfectly with mine. They fit as if they were made for each other. He gently pushes me away, and I look down at him, and his cheeks are lightly flushed. We both have half-lidded eyes and have trouble finding our breath. His hand reaches up, and his fingers glide across my cheek. "I''m thinking that I made a bad decision in saying no... Can I still say yes..." My response is slowly sinking back down and kissing him. My hands run through his ck hair, and his hands slide down my back. His touch gives me goosebumps. I never thought I''d experience something like this. Actual pleasure when being with someone. His hands rest on my rear, and he gives a light squeeze. I can''t help releasing a moan into his mouth. I pull away, and I''m betting my face is flushed red. "When you touch me... It feels like hotva starts flowing through me..." That''s the best way I can describe it. It starts from my lower region and slowly spreads through my body. He smiles and turns on his side, and I mimic his movement. He shifts his body again, and he''s now on top. He leans back and sits between my legs. He slowly undoes my belt and slides it off, following my pants and underwear. I quickly take off my shirt and bra. His armor and weapons disappear as they do for yers. His face lowers towards the space between my legs, and as he gets closer, my breathing bes more rapid. His hands are gripping my ankles and making sure my legs are spread apart. His lips slowly kiss my lower ones, and I see fireworks as he does. My legs instantly start shaking, and the only one who''s ever done this to me is him. I''ve never felt pleasure from having sex other than with him. Since the very first time we did it, it''s been nothing short of magical for me. "You''re so wet..." His breathless words cause me to have another high, and I watch inplete embarrassment as some of my fluid covers his face. I have to cover my eyes and as I do. He ups the intensity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 317: The Morning of Awkwardness

Chapter 317: The Morning of Awkwardness

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:18 AM)~~~ My anger towards my brother this morning will drive me to kill him. Sally and he decided to engage in more than one round of sexst night, and Jasmine nor I could sleep until they were finished. Sally was so loud. She woke us up! "When they get out here... I will murder him!" I''mpletely drained and exhausted. Plus, hearing the cries of passion caused by my brother isn''t cool. Jasmine stays quiet as we sit on the couch, she has been blushing for thest 2 hours. It has to be really awkward for her. "Sally didn''t seem like the type to befortable doing that sort of thing... She must really love Cera if she can feel and sound like that with him..." They''re both ex-ves, and Jasmine doesn''t like it when men look at her wrong. It''s safe to assume that Sally is the same way, and Jasmine is right. Sally really has to love Cera to allow him to touch her. She felt a lot of pleasure from the noiseing from the direction they were in. When she''s with him, it''s different for her. "You can say that again... This is going to be so awkward..." I hate this! I hate this so much! Having to listen to thatst night was the worst! It makes my skin crawl just imagining what my brother was doing. It makes me sick that my imagination is working against me and making me see what could''ve happened. Before Jasmine or I could continueining, Sallyes out wrapped in a nket and still half asleep. She smiles at us and joins us on the couch. She''s either ignorant of the fact they were doing itst night, or she''s not embarrassed to be heard. "Hey, girls... How did you sleepst night... I slept great!" She''s groggy and slowly trying to wake it. If they were ss in my line of sight. It would shatter from the look I have. "What? Did you guys not sleep well on the couch..." She really thinks she couldn''t have been heardst night! Where does your state of mind have to be topletely forget about something important like that! It''s like her thought were... Oh... A sigh escapes my lips, and I rx a little. She didn''t care at the moment cause it was too good. "Next time, do it when the walls aren''t thin..." She looks at me a little confused, and realization sets in on her. A massive red flushness spreads across her face. She breaks eye contact and turns her eyes away. She covers her face with her hands, and her toes wrestle with each other. "I''m so sorry! I didn''t think I was that loud! I knew that it was a bad idea! Cera! Cera, get in here!" Sally quickly switches from embarrassment to frustration. Cera pokes his head into the room, and he looks like he just got up. He looks at Sally, and the confusion on his face is obvious. She stands up and makes her way over to him. "They heard usst night! You are the biggest idiot in the world! You tricked me!" Cera gives a smug look for some reason. Sally''s flush gets deeper, and she grits her teeth in anger. He fully enters the room and looks right into her eyes. I have a bad feeling about this. "From what I recall, you were the one who couldn''t stop kissing me before bed. If anything, you tricked me." The blush has spread all the way to her ears. "Not to mention you were the one making all the noisest night." That''s the nail in the coffin. She tries to kick his shin, but that backfires on her. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:25 AM)~~~ She drops the nket around her, and she grabs the foot she used to kick me. It''d be like kicking metal... I''m more amused at the sight before me. She failed to put on any clothes when she woke up. "Why are you so hard?!" She stomps her foot down and stares at me. The grin on my face turns into a full-blown smile. "What''s so funny!?" She hasn''t realized she''s naked yet. I fold my arms and tilt my head at her. It is kind of cute. "Must be pretty cold in here..." My not-so-subtle words cause her face to go pale for a second. She looks down and sees what everyone is seeing. She''spletely naked, and normally her hair is long enough to cover her nipples. The cold temperature in the room is causing them to point. Making them break free from the cover of her hair. Hailey and Jasmine are getting a nice view of her rear end, and I''m seeing everything the front has to offer. She lets out a scream and picks the nket back up. She covers herself like the whole world is watching and takes off past me and towards the room we shared. My eyes fall on Hailey and Jasmine, and Iugh a tiny bit. Hailey''s pissed-off look tells me everything I already knew, and Jasmine is looking as embarrassed as Sally did. "Sorry, you two. Things kind of got out of controlst night... I better got and apologize to Sally too." Hailey wants to yell and scream at me. I can see it on her face. She decides to hold off for now, and I take my leave before she changes her mind. The walk back to the room is quick, and I open the door. Sally is on the ground and curled up with the nket covering her. She has subtle reactions to my approaching footsteps and when I sit down next to her. She turns away from me and tries not to cry. She''s so embarrassed... Now I feel terrible... An apology isn''t going to be enough in this situation. "Sally... I shouldn''t have reacted the way I did out there... And it is my fault that we went so farst night... I could''ve stopped at any time..." It felt too good to stop at any point, and I let my lust drive me. That choice hase back to bite me now. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:32 AM)~~~ His hand glides across my back, and just at his touch, my anger is quickly melting away. It''s not all his fault... It''d be wrong for him to take all the me, and that''s not what I''m mad about. I''m mad that Hailey and Jasmine saw me nude. "That''s not what I''m mad about, Cera..." My whisper is cracking with pain and the effort to hold back tears. He wraps his arms around me and kisses the side of my head. "You''re mad that the nket fell down, aren''t you..." He does get it... That makes me feel a little better... "That''s my fault too... If I didn''t say the things I did, you wouldn''t have gotten mad and dropped the nket..." My anger ispletely washed away at his words. My body turns on its own, and I hug him back. Letting my cries out into his chest. "I''ll make it up to you... Anything you want me to do, I''ll do it! Even if that means I have to show off my birthday suit!" I can''t helpughing at the idea of Cera walking out there naked for Hailey and Jasmine to see. Hailey will try to harm him for such an antic, and Jasmine would be paralyzed. What''s under his clothes is only for me to see, and I want him to think the same way about me... "Cera... I want you to be mad that I was seen naked by someone other than you... The thought of other women seeing you nude makes me want to scream... I want you to feel the same way..." He lets out a small and calm chuckle as he holds me. The way it feels makes me have butterflies... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 318: Making Plans

Chapter 318: Making ns

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:45 AM)~~~ Sally rests in my arms, and I fear that she''s fallen asleep again. We have a lot of research and nning to do today. We really shouldn''t have indulged in one anotherst night. I''m not physically tired, but mentally... I''m still wanting a couple more hours of sleep. "Sally... You need to wake up... We have things to do today..." My gentle stirs wake her. Her eyes flutter open and meet mine. She smiles and reaches a hand up, and runs her fingers across my face. She isn''t going to move, is she... My arms find new ces on her body, and I lift her in my arms. She coils her arms around my neck for more security. "Since you''re the genius nner, what are we doing first to get past the border?" I''ve heard rumors and whispers about a ce. My knowledge from my past life isn''t going to be obsolete when ites to making ns to get across the border. "I''ve got some ideas, but Hailey and Jasmine should be present before I start making ns. Who knows, maybe one of them also has a good idea themselves." Jasmine and Sally are great resources of knowledge for Gaia. While they may not know much about the elven kingdom, Sally has helped me greatly with the things she knows. It''s a bonus that''s she''s over a hundred years old. She knows more than most mortal men and women. I carry her all the way back to the... Well, living room. We''re both fully dressed now. We get looks from Hailey and Jasmine as we enter. Hailey releases a long sigh as she scoots over, and I ce Sally in the ow vacant spot. I''m going to continue standing so I can discuss what we''re doing. "First things first, I''d like to apologize for what happened this morning. That wasn''t an appropriate or mature way to handle that..." It''s awkward saying sorry to a group of people. Sally has already forgiven me, and I apologized earlier when we were alone, but doing it publicly can help. "You surprise me, little brother. I didn''t think you''d apologize to us, not saying you shouldn''t have, but still a nice thing to see." Her mocking grin makes me remember all the times we would mock each other back on earth. Those are memories I haven''t thought of in a while. Sally can''t help snickering at the obvious poke at me, and there are many responses that I have to that. Sadly, I have to let it go. We need to discuss ns. "Very funny, sister. Let''s not start that today. Now let''s go over the n that I''vee up with. If any of you have something to add, speak up." Who knows what kind of information anyone has to offer. Any little bit helps with something thisplicated. They''re all waiting for me to start, and I take a small breath. "The main thing we need to do is find a woman by the name of Helda Vora. She''s an elf smuggler here in the border city. The main problem is I don''t know where she is." Normally, I would know something like this. This isn''t the case since I''ve never been in the Elven Kingdom and thus never needed her to smuggle me in. All I know is she''s capable of bringing people in and out of the Elven Kingdom. "You''re certainly not making it easy, but there are some ces in the city we can look..." To my surprise, Jasmine is the first to speak. ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:58 AM)~~~ While I don''t have much to offer in this situation, I did hear some things the day we got here. "I heard there is a hidden tavern under the city. If this Helda woman would be anywhere, that''s my best bet..." Criminals and other types of non-functioning members of society usually have ces like this in popr or frequently traveled cities and areas. The look on Cera''s face is filled with thought and contemtion, a simr look I see on Hailey from time to time. "The tavern under the city won''t be easy to get to... We''ll likely need to know someone that can vouch for us... We don''t want to reveal our identities to get a free pass..." That all seems logical to me. If they knew who Hailey was when we go down, they''d let her through. Finding someone to vouch for us isn''t practical, in my opinion, and aplicated n leads toplicated problems to solve. "Is there any other way to get into the Elven Kingdom? This seems like a mess waiting to happen..." Hailey voices what I''m thinking. Cera doesn''t immediately retort with a no. He''s thinking about the possibilities. He lets out a short and sharp sigh and rubs his forehead, and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Sadly, there isn''t. Helda Vora is the only known smuggler that takes non-elves through the borders. But maybe... We can get her toe to us instead of us going to her..." Now that doesn''t sound like a bad idea. Instead of having to go through that long process, we canpletely avoid it. We''re all quiet as we think of an idea on how to do it. Sally is the first to speak up. "Well, she is a criminal, right?" Cera nods his head in a brief motion. "Wouldn''t the promise of a high payment draw her to us? If we pay more than her regr customers, then shouldn''t that be enough of a reason toe to us?" Cera folds his arms and closes his eyes. After a few seconds of debating it in his mind, he shakes his head. "Helda Vora is a criminal and likes money, but she doesn''t take strangers. Not without something big on the line. It has to be more than just gold..." A woman like Helda probably has more gold than she knows what to do with. Something else of value seems the next best thing. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:06 AM)~~~ I was hoping that I wouldn''t have to do this, but it seems like I have no choice. "I have something that might interest her..." Everyone''s eyes turn to me, and I open my Inventory to pull the item out. "It''s called Fotis Moreal, and it''s a Legacy Grade Dagger. I can''t use it cause it''s a smuggler exclusive item..." I could never use it, and it''s serving no purpose to me. This is the best way to use the item. Cera gives a huge smile and holds his hand out. I toss him the dagger, and he inspects it. "Wow... I heard stories about Fotis Moreal, but this is amazing." We all look at him for an exnation of the story. "Long story short, this belonged to a famous smuggler that yed an important role in many wars during her lifetime." Now that''s pretty cool. If I were a betting girl, I''d say the dagger is named after her. "The dagger belonged to Jotis Moreal, the father of Leia Moreal. The owner of this dagger, it''s said that the dagger was named after Jotis Moreals wife, Fotis Moreal." Close enough, I''m surprised that he knows so much about this item. He knows a lot about things many shouldn''t. I''m still nning on asking him about how he knows all these things and why his knowledge is superior to everyone else''s. "Seems like we found the item to draw Helda Vora to us. Now what?" Sally is the next to bring up the important step that''ll make this seed or fail. Getting the word to Helda Vora that we have Fotis Moreal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 319: Drawing out Helda Vora I

Chapter 319: Drawing out Helda Vora I

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:14 AM)~~~ I can''t believe that I''m holding Fotis Moreal... The luck Hailey has is amazing... She''s got a legacy-grade magical beast, and now this. A dagger with many stories and legends behind it. "I''ve been trying to find ways to circumnavigate the requirement to be a Smuggler, but there is no way..." I''d sound just as disappointed if I found something like this and couldn''t use it. While it''s not as powerful in attacking and passive abilities as a legendary weapon like The Witness, its bonuses towards the Smuggler ss put it in a weird ce between Legacy and Legendary. In the hands of anyone else, it''spletely useless. "Where did you even find this?" My curiosity is thoroughly peaked. The original owner of the dagger never said where it was found. The original owner had to sell it in the auction house since they couldn''t meet the requirements either. "About a week after I got Emerald, I found a dungeon near the Kiovar Mountains. It seemed like a great dungeon to get EXP and everything I needed to help level up my ss. Little did I know what the reward would be for the first clear of the dungeon." Kiovar, huh... That makes sense. ording to what I remember, the Kiovar Mountain range was a hotbed for smugglers trying to dodge the tax stops between kingdoms back during the time Leia Moreal was smuggling. Several hundreds of years ago, to be precise. "Leia Moreal was known to hang out and do lots of business around and in the Kiovar Mountains..." My small whisper almost goes unheard. The reactions vary between the girls, but the suspicious look I''m getting from Hailey isn''t something that I expected. "Helda Vora is definitely going toe out for this. Are you really sure you want to give this up? It''ll help, but it''s still yours and your choice..." Taking the dagger from Hailey and using it in our n isn''t what I do. In the end, it''s her decision if she''s okay using this. SHe can still sell it for a lot of money to some big guild. "This is the only thing that I can see it being useful to us. As badly as I want to sell it, that''d take longer than I''d want. This is the best course of action... As you would say..." She grins as she has a mocking edge and halfhearted tone to her voice. I gently toss the dagger back to her, and she ces it in her Inventory. "Now that we have the bait, it''s time that we lure in the prey." Spreading that we have such a valuable item as payment for Helda Vora will do more harm than help. People wille after us knowing what Hailey has, and since it isn''t bound to her. It can drop in the event she dies. Not saying there is anyone in this city that can kill her, but there are simr risks to this example. "The only way we''re going to do this clean is if we tell one of Helda Vora''s close friends. Someone that''ll get the news to her without letting the criminal underworld here know..." The hardest part about any exchange. The middleman that brokers for both sides. Locating said close friend just out in the city at random isn''t going to work. There are ces that we can search specifically, but we don''t even know who we''re looking for. "The person we''ll need isn''t going to be easy to find..." My low-toned contemtion spurs the rest of the group to think. They''re all brilliant girls and four minds working together is better than one. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:20 AM)~~~ There isn''t anyone that I would know here that could help with that. My thoughts are mostly filled with questions about Cera and his knowledge regarding... Well... Everything... It''s like he always has some information about an item, location, NPC... Just about anything, and it''s raising some red gs for me. It''s not something a normal yer would have. Divine ss or not, he shouldn''t know all the things he knows. "Why don''t we go to where we know people are searching for smugglers in the city? That way, we won''t have to head to the underground tavern." Sally is the first to suggest something, and it''s not bad. Jasmine and Sally are on their own for this. I have my own questions brewing. Being blunt about it isn''t going to do any good, and that''s ut his walls up. I need to be subtle and cool about it. Make it seem like something else when I''m actually trying to get information. "While that could work, it means that we have to adjust to a timetable that isn''t ours. Someone important like a friend of Helda won''t be in one ce for long." Cera is quick to exin why it won''t work. Cera ispletely focused on trying to figure this out, and that''s good for me. "Are there any secret locations in the city where they might have someone waiting?" My question seems innocent enough, pertaining to the problem at hand. I''m trying to see if Cera knows anything else that could be considered obscure information regarding this. His silence rings harder for me than for anyone else in the room. "There might be..." His eyes close, and it looks like he trying to remember something. "The merchant district has a ce we can look." That raises my questions about my brother even more. In the span of a few seconds, he thought of a ce that could be it. Having this been the first time he''s been to the Border City. Mom and dad wouldn''t think twice about it since they see Cera differently than I do. They see him as a son and growing up. I saw him aspetition for our parent''s attention. That means my insights regarding the things he hides are better than my parent''s. I''ll have to keep probing with questions and do it when the time is right. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:26 AM)~~~ This is starting to give me a headache, not to mention the stuffy smelling from the home. It''s all just piling on. "Why don''t we go outside to like a park or something to get some fresh air? I heard there was a pretty cool memorial nearby." There is a park near the city''s center, and it holds a memorial to some famous elf. The reactions around the room are the same and make me giggle a bit. Everyone is quick to get up and start heading for the door. I stand up myself and follow. "Do you know anything about the memorial, Cera?" Hailey decides to question if Cera might know anything about the memorial. If there''s anyone that would know, it''s him. Cera stays silent for a few seconds, and after a second, he takes a breath. "I don''t know much, only that the elf was one of the main designers for the wall that separates the outside world and the Elven Kingdom. The wall surrounding the country is one of the oldest creations from mortal creatures in Gaia." That sounds about right, from what I know about the wall, at least. The elven people are one of the oldest races in all of Gaia. It stands to reason that their creations are some of the oldest. "It does feel nice to get out of that horrible apartment... The fresh morning air feels amazing, if not slightly chilly." Jasmine and I can agree that the fresh air beats in the home we''re squatting in my leaps and bounds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 320: Drawing out Helda Vora II

Chapter 320: Drawing out Helda Vora II

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Entrance to Oakfoam Park)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:11 AM)~~~ The name for this park is strange, but it''s named after the designer and builder of the wall that surrounds the Elven Kingdom. Holding back on questions for Cera is what I''m doing right now. There are moments that are appropriate for them, and those are the chances I can use to see what he really knows and why he knows all that he does. Sally is standing next to Cera in front of Jasmine and me. We''re all looking at the massive metal gate that''s keeping people out. An elf guard steps forward from the side. "The park is closed to new people. Go back the way you came." The malicecing every part of his voice describes his true feelings for us. Racism against yers doesn''t really exist. Not really the most urate word for what us yers are going through, but it''s the closest one I can think of at the moment. "Is there perhaps a toll that can be paid? We''re here, and we''d all like to see the amazing creations of the elves. Your race is the most superior in all of Gaia." Cera strokes the guard''s ego with words covered in honey. That''s one way to get in, but it might not work due to our suspicious attires and demeanor. The hoods covering our facial features are keeping us well hidden. "You''re right about us being the superior race to all others." He''s falling into the trap. He''s not as smart as I thought. He fixes his armor and slowly opens the gate for us. Just by looking at the back of Cera''s head, I can tell there is a huge grin on it. "You''re most kind, sir. I''m looking forward to seeing and learning all I can about your incredible race." The guard actually smiles at the soft and smooth tone my brother has. We walk through the gate without hesitation, and the guard closes it behind us. Once we''re all alone, Cera starts tough. Jasmine and I join in, and Sally giggles along. "Talk about a gullible son of a bitch! Didn''t think that''d actually work!" Hisughing slows down as he wipes fake tears away. "Now that we''re here, I can say for certain that my head is a bit clearer now." The fresh air outside the house we''re staying in is clearing my headache away. Jasmine takes a deep breath through her nose and releases it out of her mouth. "Too bad we have to go back to that ce. I would kill to stay somewhere that isn''t a health risk. Not to mention thin walls that don''t stop any noises froming through." Jasmine and I both turn towards the two people that cause such an inconvenience for us. If you''re going to have sex, have the decency to be quiet if there''s a risk people might hear you. "Oh, don''t look at me like that, Hailey. Do you know how many times I covered for you when you brought a boy over! You were never quiet! I had to tell dad that I was watching porn so he wouldn''t question you!" Now that''s just... That''s just not true... I was plenty quiet. Jasmine and Sally both share a look of confusion, not knowing what we''re talking about in the slightest. "Don''t go making up stories! Besides, that''s a good thing for you! Mom and dad thought you might''ve been gay for a while there! It was a relief for them to know you might be watching porn!" Myeback is just as sharp and deep as his. He folds his arms and releases one of the longest sighs I''ve ever heard. "We could go back and forth forever, couldn''t we..." His tone turns to a soft one, and a smile is seen from the bottom half of his hood. I realize what he means. Even after everything, it''s like nothing between us has changed. We''re the same big sister and little brother we always were. ~~~(Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Oakfoam Memorial Park)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:23 AM)~~~ The scene of Cera and Haileyughing together warms my heart and makes me a little envious. I''d love to have a rtionship like that with a sibling if I had one. My main questions are about what they were talking about. I''ve never heard of this porn, but I''d like to know more. From the sounds of it, porn is aplicated subject. Jasmine might have the same thoughts as me, but I can''t be for sure. I move closer to her and lean down a bit to whisper into her ear. "Do you have any idea what porn is?" She shakes her head and doesn''t offer anything in return for possible ideas. We watch as they stopughing and turn to us. I''m a little embarrassed to ask the question. To my surprise, Jasmine takes out the blunt hammer, and straight-up asks them. "Hailey, what''s a porn? Is it some kind of food or activity you''re not supposed to do?" Jasmine is a little off target with her assumptions, but she''s on the right path. Hailey and Cera share a look, and it''s stered all over their faces that they don''t want to tell us. That only causes my curiosity to rise even higher. "C''mon, you guys! We don''t want to be the third and fourth wheel here!" I back up Jasmine and throw in something that might convince them. "It''s not fair being left out of the conversation!" I''m doing my best to drive it home, and it''s slowly working on them. Cera sighs and rubs the back of his head. His face is in a slight cringe in an effort to find the right words. "I''m not sure that you two should know about something like that... It''s a pretty sensitive thing, and I don''t want to offend either of you... Some of the things from our world would be considered extremely weird and impure to the people of Gaia..." That''s a fancy way of saying no. Hailey walks up to Jasmine and ces her hand on her shoulder. "It''s not like he''s saying that you guys wouldn''t understand. It''s just a subject that''s pretty hard to ept." While all our faces are mostly hidden, it''s still possible to discern from people''s looks. Jasmine is telling everyone that''s a bullshit answer, and they know it. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Oakfoam Memorial Park)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:31 AM)~~~ These two would flip out knowing what porn is. Jasmine thinks it''s food, which should say why this isn''t a good thing to talk about. "That''s utter shit, Hailey. What''s so bad about it that you can''t tell us?" The main reason is that you''re both ex-ves. The thought of putting sex out for the whole world to see might bring up something. Gaia doesn''t have anything that allows for that, but we don''t know how they''ll react because of their past with sexual abuse. "Listen, there is a reason we''re not telling you. We wouldn''t keep something from you if we thought it wouldn''t hurt both of you." My tone is rxed and soft, trying to ease them into a state of mind that allows them to think about why we''re doing this. Jasmine isn''t ready to give up yet, and Sally is staring into my eyes with a passion for finding out what we''re hiding. "We''re not little kids that can''t handle some of life''s hard times! It''d be nice if you didn''t treat us like kids." Sally speaks her peace with confidence filling her eyes. I''m tempted to tell her, but she might hate it and resent me for having ess to something like that. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 321: Getting Word to Helda Vora

Chapter 321: Getting Word to Helda Vora

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Walking down Mainstreet, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:15 PM)~~~ We''ve just finished talking to someone that''ll let Helda know what we have and what we want. Tracking down who we needed took the whole day, but we did it. Now, all we need to do is wait for Helda to contact us. "I thought it''d never end!!" Jasmine''s not the only one to be d that this part of the job is done. I don''t even want to think about howplicated it''s gonna get once we actually get into the Elven Kingdom. We don''t exactly fit in, and we''ll need ways to disguise ourselves. I have some ideas for that, but that''s a discussion for another time. "How about we get some grub before we head back to the shithole?" Hailey and I can agree on that, mainly cause I was hearing her stomach growl. Sally and Jasmine are the first ones to respond with gusto. They''ve fallen in love with earth food, and it''s not like I can me them for that. There was an obesity crisis because the food was so good. "How about it, little brother?" I''ve yet to give a response, but the long growl from my stomach at the mere thought of good food answers for me. The collectiveugh from all the girls would make a timid man embarrassed. I''m not a timid man. I''m worse. I''m a hungry man. "That answers that! I''ve never heard your stomach growl like that!" I could say the same about you, Hailey. "It sounded just like dad after he came home from working all day..." Theugh she has dies down into a solemn memory. We have many ces to choose from, and we have money to burn between Hailey and me. "Why don''t we hit all the food cesing up?" My suggestion might be a little out there for some, but why not try something new. "All the good food ces are up ahead, and it''ll be the perfect chance." It doesn''t take long for everyone to agree. There isn''t much that Hailey and I haven''t had in terms of fast food cause that''s basically what we''re eating. I''m mainly doing this for Sally and Jasmine, Sally doesn''t get many opportunities to have this type of food, and I can assume the same thing about Jasmine. "What are we waiting for!? Let''s go!" Jasmine grabs Sally''s wrist and pulls her along. Hailey walks beside me as we see Sally and Jasmine up ahead, heading to one of the restaurants. "You really think she''ll take the bait? Someone like her might not believe it..." I highly doubt that. We showed her friend that we have the dagger. That''s the best proof to have. "What if she just sends assassins and stuff..." Now that is something to be concerned about. There is a small chance, but she''d be risking the assassins just taking the dagger. All of this is theoretical, of course. There isn''t anyone strong enough to hurt Hailey or me, at least not to my knowledge. Someone that powerful wouldn''t be in a small city like this. They hang out near The few Empires around Gaia. They get the best treatment and work there. Most reside with the adventurers guild and aren''t interested if the price isn''t extremely high for their services. "You''re wise to be concerned about that... There is a low chance of that happening. The best option for her is toe and talk to us." It''s not like there isn''t any risk for Helda. She''s a fugitive and terrorist in the eyes of the Elven Kingdom. When she does what she does, it''s breaking ancientws of the Elven Kingdom and its Treason against the royal family. She''s never caught cause of herwork of allies and travel routes around the Elven Kingdom and its borders. "When you sound confident like that, it''s hard to argue. Let''s end this discussion and get something to eat." No arguments here. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Underground Criminal Tavern, VIP area, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:31 PM)~~~ Melimora finishes telling me for the third time what she was asked to do. "I see it with my own two eyes, Helda... It''s definitely your ancestor''s dagger..." We''re alone, and I don''t have to worry about any prying ears and eyes. The Fotis Moreal Dagger is far more important to me than all, but Melimora will ever know. This group wants safe passage into the border of the Elven Kingdom, and in exchange, they''ll give me the dagger... It sounds too good to be true, but Melimora saw it with her own eyes. They have it, for sure. "Do you know where they are now?" Her head shakes at a slow pace, but she pulls out a piece of paper from her pouch and hands it to me. There is an address written on this paper. "They said if you''re willing, you can meet them there any time tomorrow..." This is one of the worst apartments in the city. They must be squatters taking refuge there until they''re kicked out or get across the border. "What are you going to do..." Her words hit me like a ton of bricks... What am I going to do? I don''t take people I don''t trust or know across the border, and I''ve never broken that rule. It''s kept me safe this whole time, but they aren''t random nobodies... They have something that I desperately need. "I have no other options, Melimora... Tomorrow, I''ll be meeting with them..." I don''t like going out into the city, but I have to risk being noticed or captured. As a wanted fugitive, traitor, and terrorist, I have my fair share of hunters. There are only a few ces I''m safe, and going into densely popted ces is one of the least safe ces there is for me. "Shall I prepare the proper bribes? We don''t want patrols going where you''re at." Another reason I''m still alive. Bribing the right people and making sure they stay bribed. With a nod of my head, Melimora leaves the VIP area and takes off to make sure I have an easy time tomorrow morning. It will cost me, but I have more money than I know what to do with. "My family''s dagger... Never thought I''d see it..." I''m over 350 years old, and before my mother died, she told me stories about the dagger. Never thought I''d find our ancestor''sst remaining gift. ~~~(POV: Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Heading to the surface)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:44 PM)~~~ My worry for Helda goes far beyond friendship. We''re like the sisters we never had for one another. She''s been obsessed with this dagger for as long as I''ve known her, and I''m scared of what she''s going to do to get her hands on it. "She never breaks the rules..." In the 200 years I''ve known and traveled with Helda, she''s never broken her rule. Not even once, and it''s a big reason why we''re both still here. I''m wanted for the same things she is, but I blend in, and I''m better at getting around unnoticed. I''m vital to all our operations, and I can''t help feeling she''s willing to risk me for the dagger... I rarely go to the surface myself, but I have to. Since Helda is too recognizable, her beauty betrays her greatly. One thing that I can be certain of, the group that wants transportation to the other side of the border is dangerous. They wouldn''t have such an important item if they weren''t strong and capable enough to get it. "I have a bad feeling about them... Like there going to be the end of us..." Sometimes, events like this happen. urrences that tear your entire life apart. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 322: Negotiations

Chapter 322: Negotiations

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:18 AM)~~~ Never, in my wildest dreams, did I expect to have to get up this early after staying up sote. Only having 5 hours of sleep isn''t something I relish, and I''m not going to function like my usual self. Hailey and Cera decided to y some cards, more specifically, The Shattering. The most popr card game in all of Gaia. Apparently, they have some experience with the game themselves. Long before they met Sally or me, they met at a tavern very far from here. The reason the game went on so long is cause Hailey refused to finish the night without a single win. What I''m most impressed about is how good at the card game Cera is. Using someone else''s deck too. He borrowed mine, and I''ll admit, I have some good cards and bad cards. But the times I yed against Hailey, I could never win. She always knew what I was going to y, but she can''t read Cera as she can read me. "C''mon, we need to be ready for Helda in case she shows up..." Hailey sounds just as groggy as I feel. This isn''t a time a person should have to get up. Even with more than 5 hours of sleep, having to get up around 6 isn''t right. "I know... I know... Just let me sleep for five more minutes..." My eyes refuse to stay open, and I curse Hailey''spetitiveness with her brother. It''s absolutely ridiculous how they are with each other. "This is all your fault, you know..." Even Hailey gets tired and exhausted without sleep. Her physical body may not get tired, but her mind does. I assume the same thing with Cera since he''s supposedly stronger than her. I''ve yet to see any proof of his power. It makes me wonder what he''s hiding. "I''m sorry I kept everyone up... I just can''t stand losing to him... It''s like he doesn''t even try..." Her words are slow and are devoid of any energy and life. If I were in her situation, I''d act the same way. I hate it when people don''t take me seriously, and that''s something that she hates too. It''s probably worse when ites from her brother. "Whatever... I''m going back to sleep... Talk with Helda without me... If she even shows up this early..." If she''sing around at this time, I''m going to miss her. It''s not in my priorities to meet this woman, and they''ll do just fine without me. "You have to stay awake, Jasmine... If she''s going to take us, she''ll want to know everyone before we do anything..." The longest and angriest groan I''ve ever produced since my time with Hailey escapes my lips. She''s going to regret making me do this. I''ll make sure of it. She forces me to stand up on my own two feet, and as we both start to wake up, Sally and Cerae in to join us in the living room... What should be called the living room... Sally looks as tired as Hailey and me, but Cera looks like he''s ready for anything. "What are you, a magical puppet or something?" It ticks me off that he''s not in the same state as everyone else. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:24 AM)~~~ The frustrated face and tone of Jasmine cause a low chuckle to escape from me. I''m used to nights where Ick sleep. It''s who I am. As a gamer, you''d understand. "I''m used to having nights likest night. It''s not the first time Hailey has done this either." She grits her teeth as her eyes slowly shift to my sister. They''re not morning people. Sally isn''t happy with me either. She knows that I was egging Hailey on. Why? Cause she''s my sister, and she deserves to be messed with. I could''ve let her win a long time ago, but it''s too fun watching her struggle and swallow her pride. "If it makes everyone feel better, I can go out and get us some food real quick?" This gets a collective growl from everyone''s stomachs. There couldn''t be a better answer. "If Helda shows up while I''m gone, you can handle it, Hailey. You have the dagger, after all." She lightly nods her head, barely registering my words before I head out the door. A little down the road, fast and soft footsteps approach me from behind. Sally pops up at my side with a smile. She reaches for my hand holds it in hers. "I''m a little hurt you didn''t even consider taking me with you. I''m not that mad with you." Her mocking tone is noted, and I know her better than she hopes. She''sing to make sure I get good food, sincest time she didn''t get to pick her meal when I went out to get something. She prefers making a choice herself. She''s not as sly as she thinks she is, at least not with me. "Sure, if that''s the excuse you want to use to make sure you get food that you want." A massive crimson flush hits her cheeks at how tantly I called her out. She tries to find a rebuttal. "What? Cat got your tongue?" If angry steam coulde out of her ears, they would. Her hand lets go of mine, and she turns around in a huff, walking back towards the home. She stops and seems to stare down the road. I don''t know what she''s waiting for. Her head darts around to look at me, and she stomps her way over. "You''re supposed to stop me and apologize!!" ording to who? Just because that''s what another guy is supposed to do isn''t what I''m going to do. My arms fold across my chest as a smug smirk graces my face. She''s mixed between embarrassment, anger, and disbelief. "Why do you even expect that from me? You know what I''m all about. I say what I want. I don''t hold you to any social expectations. Howe I''m held to some?" All the wind is taken away from her anger and disbelief, and all that''s left is the first. Embarrassment looks cute on her, and she looks down. Twiddling her fingers and trying to talk. She''s failed to realize that I''m messing with her. "You know I''m just messing with you, right?" She looks at me like my worst enemy would. She rears her foot back and kicks me in the shin, only to regret it the instant it makes contact. I imagine it''s like kicking metal. "You''re the worst! The only reason I''m evening with you still is cause I want to choose my meal!" Her voice is high and not the least bit intimidating. It''s like seeing a kitten get mad. She''s too sweet to be mad at me in a way she looks dangerous. "Stopughing!" I can''t help it. I don''t get to see this every day. ~~~(POV: Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Location: On the street, spying)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:31 AM)~~~ The sight I''m watching would be considered wholesome to some, but I''m here to gather information before Heldaes. I''m giving her my report before she speaks with themter this morning. They start to walk away and towards the part of town that sells food. I keep my distance and make sure I''m unnoticed like I always am. From where I''m standing, they seem like an okay group of people. Taking chances isn''t in our style of doing business, so airing on the side of caution is the best option for right now. The utter amount of food they order is staggering to me. How four people can eat so much isn''t natural. They must spend a fortune on food, meaning they have money... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 323: Negotiations II

Chapter 323: Negotiations II

{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:23 AM)~~~ They are having a goodugh and enjoying their time together. This is a group that''s familiar with each other, not strangers traveling together. Normally, it''d be impossible to spy on people that are in a private home without magic. Luckily for me, there are plenty of vantage points to see into the home through the windows. Picking a ce to stay is driven by two things, how much money you have and who you are. Since they have money, that means it''s thetter. Who are they... While it''s impossible for someone who isn''t an elf to get into the Elven Kingdom, it''s rare for people to be so discreet and careful with hiding their identities. That leads to problems in itself and ones that are dangerous for Helda and me. "Why go through all the trouble... Having a good look at your face... You''re familiar..." I can''t remember where I saw him... When they were out earlier, and when I met them. They had hoods on, but now I can see all their faces. It''s like I''ve seen his face in passing... It''s driving me crazy, and I don''t like being driven crazy. Time is flying by, and Helda should be getting here in about an hour from now. "This is going to suck..." The reason why is cause I don''t have anything substantial to give her. All I know is they don''t seem bad, but they''re a secretive bunch. This''ll bring us trouble for sure, but she already knows that. I hope that everything doesn''t go to shit like I think it will. This life is the only one we have. We''re not like these new people. They allugh and continue eating, and it''s one of the most impressive scenes I''ve ever seen. How can someone put down so much food? It doesn''t make any sense to me. All 4 of them eating like that makes it an anomaly for sure. Being elves ourselves gives us an incredible life span, and we keep our physical prime until death. The new people are strange when they die. Theye back at those mysterious buildings that arrived around all of Gaia. "Having immortality in a potential enemy is a tough opponent to handle..." There is a chance this could be a fight. However, they do have one weakness. Two of them aren''t new people, and they can permanently be killed. This could be exploited if needed. Getting a good look at them from here, one of them is an elf herself. Makes me wonder why she''s here in the first ce. Speaking of being here, I should move to a different spot. The light from the sun is causing a re. It takes me a few minutes, but I find a spot that isn''t that bad. My eyes focus on the group, and I notice that one of them is gone. The girl who had the dagger has left the room, and now there are only three left. "Just so you know." I jump out of my skin in pure fear and surprise. A feminine voice calls out from behind me, close. My eyes lock with the girl that had Helda''s prize, and my hand instinctively reaches for my weapon. She doesn''t respond. All she has is a calm smile and folded arms as she sits about a floor above me and in a separate room. "It''s considered rude to spy on people. So, you scouting for Helda?" My words are caught in my through with my saliva. I don''t know how to handle this situation since I''ve never been in one. How did they even know I was watching? I was in ces that are covered, and you''d have to really look to see me. She''s waiting for a response, and her legs swing back and forth as she sits above. "Doing my job, new person." This is the best excuse I cane up with, and it''s pathetic. She rolls her eyes, and I can''t help being a little ticked off by that. "When your boss is ready to talk, tell her to knock on the door. We''ll be waiting, and remember. If you even think about touching the two girls in there, I''ll kill you and your boss with the help of my little brother." The tone and attitude shift arepletely different from just seconds ago. Her words areced with venom and caution. She leans off the roof andnds on the one I''m, and walks towards me. I draw my weapon out on instinct. "Don''te a step closer!" She smiles as she continues, and before I can even blink, she''s in front of me and has my weapon in her hand. I didn''t even see her move or feel her take my weapon. She twirls it in her grasp and gives it a look over. I''m in a dangerous way here. In the blink of an eye, she tosses the de back to me, and I almost drop it. "Careful, having butterfingers can be the death of you." Her true meaning isn''t going unnoticed by me, and she''s making sure I know she can kill me. She''s either unbelievable fast, or she can teleport. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Roofs across the street)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:49 AM)~~~ She is pretty jumpy, and I can understand that. I gave her the scare of a lifetime. Taking her weapon may have been a little overboard, though. "You''re lucky that you have something Helda desperately needs... If she didn''t, you wouldn''t get a moment of her time..." She''s very protective of Helda, probably lifelong friends. I wouldn''t put the thought of them being lovers past me either. I''m surprised Cera knew she was out here cause I wouldn''t have noticed unless he pointed her out. "Isn''t that how the world works? People having what others don''t? Trying to get that thing by any means they can?" While the thought could be considered deep, it''s really not. An observation of the many things that go on around us every day, it''s never so ck and white. "You''re not wrong, but if I think you''re going to hurt her even for a second. I''m prepared to die to protect her." She has incredible spirit and loyalty. Something that I haven''t seen enough of here. Gaia is a cruel ce with even crueler inhabitants. There is no reason for me to stay here any longer than this, and with a smile, I walk past her. She is confused... At least I think she is... Whatever her mind is like, it''s going to be an interesting conversation for her and Helda. I''m d that I have friends like how this girl is a friend to Helda. I use my speed to make it back inside the home. It won''t be much longer before we get to talk to Helda and try to cut a deal. Our greatest bargaining chip is the dagger in my Inventory, and without that. There is no border crossing. After I enter the living room, I look to the other three on the couch as they continue to eat. Cera looks at me with hard eyes and a questioning gaze. My single nod in response makes him rx and focus on what Jasmine and Sally are talking about. I sit next to my brother, and he leans over a little. "You did great, Hailey... You''re always impressing me these days with how much you''ve grown as a person..." He doesn''t know how much it means for me to hear thating from him. It''s meaningful to me. He wraps an arm around my shoulder and gives me a one-armed hug. "Mom and dad would hate that we use such tactics, but that''s why we''re free from them. We have our way of getting things done." A smile spreads across his face, and I give one that matches. This is a moment that I won''t forget, and I don''t think he will either. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 324 - Negotiations III ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:03 AM)~~~ Helda''s spy has since left, and our food is as gone as she is. While the massive meal was expensive, it was worth it. I still have plenty of money before I have to head to a bank. Hailey and Sally are getting along great, and that leaves a hole in our group. Jasmine and I have yet to have any deep conversations. Talking to her might be a little hard. I don''t know how sensitive she is regarding her past, and I don''t know how willing she''d be to listen to mine in a foreign world before we yers arrived. Might as well give it a shot. "Jasmine." Her head turns, and she looks at me as Sally and Hailey continue their talk. "Mind telling me a little about yourself. Promise that I''ll never tell." She surprises me as she smiles. Ex-ves struggle with their pasts, and it''s hard for them to talk about it. I''m proud that Sally feels safe enough with me to tell me her past. Hopefully, Jasmine can trust me that much one day. "I''ll share a little with you, but you have to start." That''s fair. In the end, I''m the one that asked. Opening up first could be the right way to get her to trust me. Now let''s see, I don''t have anything in my past she can rte to. She''s had a way harder life than I did, and I don''t want to make it seem like apetition on who had the harder life. "My first memories were my mom and dad ying mini-golf. They took my sister and me out. This was before Marcus was born." This might be a good way to approach this. Maybe her first memories are good, but the solemn look on her face says different. "I don''t really remember my early childhood, mostly just my time as a ve. I was really young when I became one..." This isn''t going the way I hoped, but there is a way to salvage it. Instead of keeping the backward silence, I ask another question. Being direct is sometimes the best option. "Then how about you tell me the first thing you did after you escaped. How was it to finally be free?" Being free from very is a memory anyone would remember, and it could be the best day of her life. She looks at me with a surprised curve in her eyebrow, and he nods her head slowly as she closes her eyes. Probably trying to recall what happened. "I remember the warm sun shining down on me as I walked through a field of flowers... That was the first time I ever got a sunburn... It was the greatest feeling in the world!" My mind could neverprehend very. Illegal or legal, and she has suffered much at the hands of it. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:11 AM)~~~ Hailey finishes her recount of the first time Cera made their parents mad. Apparently, he was an incredible smartass when he was young and before he went to school. Their version of school sounds so much different than our version. "It was the first time mom had spanked Cera! She felt so bad she was apologizing for an hour after it happened!" Herugh makes me giggle too. My attention is caught as Jasmine starts tough, and I notice this is the first time I see Jasmine and Cera talking. Their conversation must be something on the casual side, but I never know with Cera. His personality is direct, and he''s not too great at being subtle with words. "They''re getting along, and I''m d they are." Hailey speaks as she looks towards me. They''re sitting across the room by the windows. Talking quietly and enjoying each otherpany. "Does it make you jealous?" She asks me something that I haven''t considered. Since that''s the case, then I''m not. I shake my head, and she wraps an arm around me. "That''s good cause Cera isn''t that type of man." I know he isn''t. He''s told me that he hates cheaters, and they ruin love. He''d rather die than cheat, and I''d rather be killed than lose him. "Cera said he was a virgin when we first did it... Do you know if that''s true or not?" She cringes and recoils a little. Normally, I wouldn''t ask this. He makes me feel good when we do it, and it makes me think he''s done it before. I won''t be mad if he lied, but it will make me question other things he''s told me. "As much as I hate this topic, I''d never seen him with a woman in my life before you came along. For a while here, I thought he was gay?" Gay? I''m unfamiliar with that term. It must be a word thates from their world. She sees my confusion and smiles. She lets go of me and sighs. "We can talk about words from my word another time. In the meantime, we should get ready. I''m betting Helda is going to be here any moment now." She stands up and walks over to Cera. Smacking him on the shoulder and he rolls his eyes and stands up himself. They''re going to be the main talkers. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside groups Temporary Home)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:25 AM)~~~ It''s time that I get this over with, and I get what''s mine after I help them. My hand pounds on the door, and a tall male opens the door. His ck hair and hazel eyes are striking. He smiles and steps aside. Inviting us in and being nice at the same time. "You probably want to get this over with, and so do I. Let''s go." He leads me upstairs, and I look around the room to the rest. They don''t have their hoods on this time, and all of them are quite beautiful. "Hailey, show her the dagger." The second tallest in this room stands up and walks over. She takes something out of her Inventory, a word new people use. She holds the dagger in her palm, and my eyes can''t leave it. It''s amazing and what belonged to my ancestors. I reach my hand out to touch it, but she pulls it away and puts it in her Inventory. The frown on my face is apparent. " Now that you''ve seen that what we have is legit, will you take us across the border?" He wastes no time at all. Many would try to small talk their way to getting my help, but he doesn''t, mainly because they have something I desperately want. My arms fold, and I take a step back. I need some guarantee that I''ll get it when the job is done. "How do I know you won''t just take off with it after I get you across the border?" This is my biggest concern right now, and I''m not risking it. She sighs and rubs the back of his head. His eyes close, and he continues to think. His eyes open, and a grin spreads across his face. "There isn''t a way to prove that we won''t, but we can''t even use the dagger. We have to be smugglers. Keeping it serves us no purpose, and as your spy probably knows, we don''t need money." He''s right about that. Only a smuggler can use the dagger, and none of them are. While there are still holes in these negotiations, I''m satisfied enough to take the deal as is. "Fine, let me know when you''re ready to leave. You can contact me through Melimora like you did yesterday." He nods his head, and my eyes scan over everyone. "I want to know about all of you, what kind of shit storm I''m getting into." They all share a look, like this expected this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 325 - Helda Asking Questions ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:44 AM)~~~ Helda sits down on the single couch in the room, and herpanion joins her. "This is my partner, Melimora. She''ll be helping in the process of smuggling you guys to the other side of the border." This is the person that was spying on us earlier. She''d not be seen by many, but I noticed her following Sally and me when we got our food. She was a little overconfident in her ability to blend in, and it was impressive to me. Most people, yer or NPC, don''t blend in that well. "It''s nice to finally have the name of the spy who''s been watching us." Her expression remains neutral, and I won''t be getting any reactions from these two. They''re centuries older than all of usbined. While we''re stronger than them, it''s only due to our sses and the power scaling between them. "Melimora and I have been working together for over 200 years, and she''s the person I trust most in this world." There is a fond tone in her voice. Being in her line of work... It must be hard to have a consistent group of friends too who you can rte to. Living for over 200 years... That''s just how long they''ve been together. I don''t know how old they truly are... I couldn''t imagine living that long... But because of who I am. I might end up having to. "You both have stories that I''d love to hear. I''ve only been alive for a little over a hundred." Sally speaks up, and I''m impressed with her forwardness. It might help since their treated like outcasts among the elvenmunity too. Their reputation isn''t something that I''d consider great among the elves. "You must be a half-breed... Many wouldn''t be so open with us unless they were discriminated against..." The way Melimora says that... It tells me she''s exactly like Sally in terms of her blood status. Sally being here is proving to be far more helpful than I ever anticipated. Having an elf with our group is helping Helda and Melimora be morefortable with us. "Are you a half-breed to, Melimora..." Sally''s rather blunt question can rub them the wrong way, but they keep their expressions unreadable. Their voices betray them, though. The girl in question slowly nods her head, and her hands grip hard for a split second. "I try my hardest not to make it obvious... It''s hard being treated the way we do... The scum in the elven society... Pure blooded elves have it so much easier..." The resentment in her voice is obvious, and it has a small effect on Helda. That''s interesting... Based on the ever slight flinch, Helda must be a pureblood elf. Not suffering from discrimination, only mistreatment for her crimes. "You two don''t have to talk about it... There are times and ces for these conversations, and now isn''t one of them." I''m quick to shut down the progress of this topic. Not wanting anything to develop out of my control. ~~~(POV: Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:59 AM)~~~ The only man in this group... Cera... He''s a control freak, but not violently and dangerously. He''s subtle about it and only about things that threaten the progress set to his goal. Reading people and learning about them is one of my best gifts, and he''s a hard one to read. His thoughts and inner desires are stered on the surface. If I want to find out what drives him, I''ll need to listen to the things he says very carefully. Not just him, either. It''s not hard to see if you look, but Sally and Cera have a rtionship. Sometimes, a person''s motivation can be driven by another. They could be trying to get into the Elven Kingdom because it''s something that Sally needs. His eyes slowly scan over us, but it''s not in a perverse way. Not in a way that men would. It''s more like he''s also trying to get a better read on us. "How do you two feel about yer Zern?" Now that is a random question that I didn''t expect to hear. Why he''d ask this is something I don''t understand from the little, I learned from him. I don''t feel a particr way about the Angel, but I know that the royal family is searching for him and have a huge reward for whoever brings him in. "He''s of no concern to us. I doubt that we''ll ever see the man in our long lives..." Helda speaks for both of us. I sorely doubt we won''t ever meet him. To be honest, I don''t really want to. Knowing such a powerful and known figure won''t be good for our business. "Why would you ask something like that, Cera?" The youngest-looking girl, Jasmine, asks a question to the male of their group. He remains silent and lightly taps his knee with his finger. He''s contemting something, and he closes his eyes and shakes his head. His arms fold as he leans back against the rotten wooden crate. "Nothing that''s important. I just wanted their opinions on something that could affect the entire Elven Kingdom... They don''t seem to care about their people, which is good..." My suspicions spike as he finishes speaking. That''s a very odd and specific thing to say... ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:09 AM)~~~ Cera must not want to talk about who he is at this point. That''s a good idea. Not even Jasmine knows who he is yet, revealing that now can cause problems for Helda and Melimora. They might refuse to take us across, even with the dagger at stake. "You''re not someone I trust, Cera." The heavy bluntness of Melimora''s words makes me speechless. Out of all the ways I''d react, Cera does none. Showing how different we are, despite that we''re siblings. "That''s good, Melimora. Cause I don''t trust you either. You and Helda are strangers to me, and I to you. I''ll be saying cryptic things like that often, so you''ll have to get used to it." Her eyes harden, and she stiffens up. The way he talks almost makes him sound arrogant almost. There is a cautious sureness in his voice that takes away the arrogant potential of his words. "I''d appreciate it if you refrained from speaking that way to us. Having clear and concise conversations will benefit both parties." Helda chips in, speaking like a true noble. Trying to level things out. There is an awkward silence. All of us are waiting for a response from Cera. "Now I understand the light resentment Melimora has for you. You''re a noble, aren''t you? A pureblood that has a long family history." For the first time, we started talking, they both react, and they scowl. Helda harder than Melimora. He saw something that I failed to see. They rpose themselves, and Melimora makes a small sigh. "I don''t resent Helda, and I never will. Noble bloodline or not, she''s my best friend." Her words are solid and true from what I can see. Cera smirks and looks up at the ceiling. Seemingly dropping the subject. He''s still better than me when ites to seeing people and reading them. Jasmine looks at everyone awkwardly, and she nervously rubs her elbow. She doesn''t like tense rooms. "I''m going to go out for some fresh air... Does anyone want to join me?" I instantly stand up, also wanting to get out of here. Sally will remain by Cera''s side, and Helda and Melimora are boring holes into him with their eyes. He keeps his calm grin. Getting out of this room sounds good to me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 326 - Preparation ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:49 AM)~~~ We see Helda and Melimora off, and they disappear into the crowd. Leaving only us at the doorway to our current residence. I make my way back inside first, and everyone follows me in. We''ve nned to leave 2 days from now, mainly to let Helda prepare. Her connections are going to be needed to smuggle four people across the border. Cera sits down on the couch, and I sit next to him. Hailey and Jasmine have nowherefortable to sit. Which means they get the floor all to themselves. "You think this will go off without a hitch?" Hailey starts with her concerns regarding this. I have the same she does. We don''t know if this will be difficult or easy. All we know is we have a way in. The way Cera and Hailey talk to each other, you can tell they''re family. Watching them interact is how I think I''d be with my brother or sister if I had one. "Getting across the border isn''t what I''m concerned about. We''ll need to hit a specific dungeon once on the other side further away from the border." While I don''t know his exact n, it must have something to do with disguising us. As an elf, I won''t have any problems fitting in. If elves find out they''re not elves, they''ll be attacked. Only the really lucky ones get captured and deported. "How difficult is this dungeon supposed to be? Cause we have two in our group that can''t fight at the level we can." My ego and pride are a little hurt by Hailey''s words. Jamines face says she''s far more hurt than I. yers have an unfair advantage over us. Without covering for that advantage, we''ll likely die in any dangerous dungeon that they''ll take us in. "It''s a level 185 dungeon... You think you can handle that, Hailey?" She hasn''t told us her level before. She grins and nods he head slowly. She''s at least level 185. Jasmine and I aren''t. How are we supposed to get in and help with the dungeon? "Normally, dungeons make it to where you can''t enter without the level requirement. This dungeon doesn''t have that. The suggested level is 185 for anyone with a Rare ss or lower. It scales down with stronger sses. Since we''re all legacy and higher, it shouldn''t be too hard." Nice to be included for once. The power gap is too big. This will help bring me closer to the level Cera is at. I''m 110 right now, and I''m way better at fighting than any enemy would think. I can only guess what Jasmine''s level is at, maybe around a 100. She doesn''t give off a weak aura, and she''s got her legacy ss herself. "What''s in this dungeon that we need?" Jasmine must not get the purpose of why we''re doing this. Hailey is smart enough to deduce and figure it out. Jasmine is by no means an idiot or weakling. She''s inexperienced and still green, from what I can tell. She''ll connect the dots on her own the longer she travels with us and how we deal with this. "We need very specific potions. They''ll make us appear as elves while across the border." We all watch as it clicks for her. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:01 AM)~~~ Cera shouldn''t know this about the Elven Kingdom. There''s no way that every time something important is needed, he knows exactly where to get it and what you need to get it. He''s got some be cheating or being told what he should do next. I know he''s smart, but this is ridiculous. Whatever he''s hiding, I''ll find out. This is a perfect chance to figure out more about how much he knows and get clues into how he came into this knowledge. "How do you know that the potions we need will be there? Are they guaranteed drops?" My question pertains to the situation and is masked. In reality, I''m finding out more about his knowledge base and how he came into contact with it. The Divine ss he has couldn''t have told him all of this. "There are legends that speak of how the Dwarf alcohol smugglers got the elven wine and drinks out of the kingdom. The potion we''re going after is what they supposedly used to do so." The answer is confident and sounds legit, but I know my little brother. He''s a great liar and is quick with things off the top of his head. Another trait of his that our parents refused to acknowledge. He was great at telling lies and could keep secrets better than the government. "The Dwarven race loves alcohol and will do anything to try all the alcohol they can from any corner of the world. You can figure out why they smuggled the drinks out of the Elven Kingdom from here." Everything is too solid, and I can''t see any holes. The only way I could see any true lies is if I had information that could credit or discredit him, but this raises my suspicions even more. "How long have these potions been used for? From the sounds of it, this happened a long time ago." Jasmine asks a perfect question for me to gain more information. One that I won''t have to ask now. Cera ces his hands behind his head and leans back. Releasing a long sigh. "There are rumors that some Dwarves to it still, but they don''t actuallye into the borders. It''s been centuries since those days." He knows critical historical information like he read about it yesterday. Like he''s reading it off a damn textbook page! ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Path leading to the underground tavern)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:16 AM)~~~ Getting all four of them across the border isn''t going to be that hard. I made it two days toe up with a n in case they decide not to give me the dagger after getting them across. Fotis Moreal will be mine. "I don''t like Cera one bit... The rest are fine, but the way he sees things and talks... It bothers me..." Melimora isn''t the only one. He can read people far easier than anyone I''ve ever seen, and I don''t like being at a disadvantage. "I get what you mean, and it doesn''t help that they''re all really powerful... We could probably take on Sally and Jasmine, but Cera and Hailey are leagues of their own." It''ll be dangerous fighting opponents like them if ites down to it. I''m going to arrange backup in case that does happen, but he doesn''t seem to be the type to go back on his word. "Who do you think will be willing to help? Most are busy with delivering supplies to the frontlines to the war against the monster horde." She''s right. My main contacts to help with something like this aren''t avable. There are always alternatives, though, and I have something almost as good as having a bunch of strong allies helping me. The Adventurers guild has strong members on the other side of the border, and I can hire some beforehand. Send them a message using the undergroundwork. "How much does an SS ss adventurer cost?" She scoffs and chuckles, thinking I''m joking. She sees the serious look on my face a couple of secondster. "Not a price we can afford. Entire kingdoms or empires only hire SS ss and SSS ss adventurers due to their prices. We can''t get close to those prices." Damn... I have a feeling those are the only people strong enough to take them on. Particrly Cera. He''s got some serious power. I didn''t use Inspect on him. But I could tell by just being in the same room with him. He''s probably between an S ss and SS ss in strength, but I can''t be sure. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 327 - Parents Searching ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital of Arkon Kingdom, Arkon City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:46 PM)~~~ Arkon City is one of the more beautiful Capital Cities we''ve been to. The trip here hasn''t been too eventful, but we''re following the instructions from the magic item to find our children. We''ve got to go through another teleportation gate. Our destination is in the far north, and it''s quite expensive since the adventurers guild overcharges the use for it. We have enough money between the three of us to make one more trip, and then we''re out of funds, and we''ll have to walk. "Where does the magic item say they''re at?" The yer-made magic item is really expensive but ingenious and worth every bit of money we have. Chris is letting me hold onto the item, but he''d like an update if there is one. I take it out of my Inventory and see that their location hasn''t changed. "It still says that they''re in a ce called Border City... Too bad we don''t know anything about this ce, we have a destination close to it... The city they''re in doesn''t have a teleportation gate." The magic item tells us relevant information about where our kids are and the best way to get to them. It sucks that the ce they''re staying doesn''t have a teleportation gate. It''d save us a lot of time. "I hope we catch them before they move. We''re lucky that they''re together, and we don''t have to track them down separately." He''s right about that. We lucked out on them still being together. Marcus is asleep on his back as we walk the streets. Marcus was uptest night, saying he was having a hard time. Didn''t specify why, and I''m worried about him. He''s been sleeping a lottely, and he''s gotten a little taller. "Do you think there is anything wrong with Marcus?" My husband lets out a small and low chuckle. This is something that Cera went through when he was younger. My biggest concerns are from him telling me how much his body hurts and why everything aches. "He''s just going through some growing pains... Remember when Cera was his age, boys grow in painful bursts from time to time. Our metabolisms and bodies change slightly." he doesn''t have to get all technical with me. It sucks, in my opinion. Myst child is starting to grow up on me. I bet he''ll be towering over me like Cera does before I can realize it. "He''ll be in pain for a few days, and his body will take a break. He''ll be going through this until he''s done growing. It''s the worst when he''s between 10 and 13. He''s got a few years before that." That brings me littlefort. I remember those nights. Having to rock Cera to sleep and try to find ways to ease his pain cause we didn''t have money for medication to help. I felt like a terrible and rotten mother not being able to help. "Don''t remind me, Chris... Those days were almost as bad as when Hailey was going through changes... She was a hellspawn..." Theughter rises out from both of us. Getting to see my other babies again... It''s going to be an amazing feeling... I wonder how much they''ve changed? "Don''t worry, Violet... We''re going to find them, and we''re never going to be apart again." I hope to all that is good and pure that he''s right. The thought of having to separate from my babies again is like hot iron through my heart. ~~~(POV: Christopher Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital of Arkon Kingdom, Arkon City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:55 PM)~~~ Seeing my wife in the pained state she''s in... It makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes. There is nothing worse than seeing the one you love suffer and not doing anything about it. Being able to find them has eased her pain, but she was in a dark ce there for a while. She lived for Cera and Hailey. Them just leaving took her heart with her. Marcus being here really helped, and I don''t want to think of how back she''d be without him. "You want to carry him for a bit?" She raises her head, and a smile of pure joy graces my vision. I gently remove Marcus from his piggyback ride on me, and I help Violet get him all set up on her back. He''s sleeping like a rock and isn''t disturbed by the movement in the slightest. Her aura and energy brighten, and her frown and sadness are long gone. I''ll be the first to say that moms generally have a better connection to their children than their fathers. There are exceptions, of course, but a mother''s love isn''t something a father can replicate or rece. She loves her children so much. Some would say it''s suffocating. They''re not wrong, and I''d say that fits perfectly, Violet. "He weighs just as much as Cera when he was this age... I can''t describe how much this means to me and how much I miss carrying around one of my children..." We walk side by side down the road towards the inn we''re staying at for the night. My love for all of them is greater than I could describe. There is so much that we''ve done together since we separated from Hailey and Cera. We''ve been on our adventures. It''s time that we''re a family again. "We''ll get up as early as we can, get some food in the morning tomorrow, and take the teleportation gate." Our ns are pretty straightforward. Thanks to the magic item being so urate, it doesn''t require much on our part. She moves closer and leans on my shoulder as we walk, Marcus soundly asleep on her back. "I''m betting you''re as tired as I am, huh... We''re getting in that big bath connected to our room. We haven''t gotten to use it yet, thanks to being so busy. I want to soak my body in some hot water." While I''m not a bath guy, but if it''s big enough to befortable for the two of us, then I''m down. ~~~(POV: Saintess Lucy)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Holy City, Personal Chambers)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:28 PM)~~~ ~~~(Warning: Graphic Content Below)~~~ We managed to do it... We recaptured all of our objectives and managed to even save a few million women. The way they used them like cattle to reproduce and bolster their forces disgusts me. The only use men have is being food for the current forces and newborn monsters. The reproduction cycle of monsters in the monster horde is a blight. If I could, I would''ve continued the campaign into the monster''s territory. However, my soldiers were tired and wanted toe home and see their wives and children. Who am I to deny them that after witnessing such atrocities. "Saintess Lucy?" A knock on the door and a timid voice take me out of my memories of the past two weeks. A head pokes through the door, and one of the most important people in the world to me smiles as she sees me. "Come on, little sister... Don''t keep me waiting. I''d love to spend some time with you." The door pushes open, and she runs over to the bed. She''s not my blood sister, but I''ve raised her since I rescued her from the city she was in. She''s one of the lucky ones, hiding in a ce that the monsters couldn''t see or smell. I can''t imagine the things she''s witnessed, but she''s untouched and remains pure. "I was wondering if you could teach me how to use healing magic!" She hops onto myp, and I hold her. All my skills and attacks arebat-oriented, but I know a person who could teach her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 328 - Boiling Politics ~~~(POV: Saintess Lucy)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Holy City, Meeting Chambers)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:08 AM)~~~ The constant arguing around the table on this early morning isn''t something I can tolerate for much longer. Today''s topic is the next step in our war against monsters and what we''re going to do. We have them pulling back and on the ropes. As much as I hate to say it, it''s a perfect chance to use the weapon the new people built. There won''t be any human casualties, and none of ournds and kingdoms will e damaged. Only ces in the monster''s territory. We can annihte our greatest enemy and reduce them to what they were before. Disorganized and without leadership. The orc tribes started this, and that means it''ll be our first target. Taking out the orcs, forever. The Pope ms his hand on the table and takes off his hat. He''s trying so hard and is itching to retire as soon as the next Pope is selected from the new people a month and a half from now. "All this bickering and arguing isn''t getting us anywhere!" His voice echoes in the massive chamber as silence follows his statement. I''m going to miss him when he''s retired. My eyes glide around the darkened expressions, and I see the reports strewn about. Every since we recovered a number of women, the poption has been calling for a major push in the war. An offensive one that''s only been done a few times in history. No one has taken on the entire monster''s territory, but these weapons... They give us an edge. One that we need and no one knows about other than the ones in this room. "The reports from the recovered prisoners are all the evidence we need to continue this into the monster territory. Lucy, I want you to take a week off, and after that. Prepare the entirety of the church''s forces, and I''ll talk to the rest of the rulers, informing them of the n." They''re likely getting reports too. Thinking the same things we are and making preparations for another expedition. "The rest of you, I want all of you to contact every high-ranking adventurer you know. The church is going to pay any fee they deem. We''re ending this war." He''s ignoring the obvious, too scared to talk about it. I''m too scared to talk about it too. That kind of power... It shouldn''t be in the hands of mortals. Everyone begins to stand up, but I clear my throat before anyone gets too far. "What about using the weapon that the new people made? Not only does this save us countless innocent lives that''d be wasted fighting the monsters in their territory, but this will also save the church huge amounts of money." Hiring high-ranking members isn''t cheap, and we''ll never recover from it. My old friend ces his arms on the table and looks down at his reflection from the fresh polish. "You''re not wrong, Lucy... I''m worried we wouldn''t be able to live with the consequences of doing this... Who knows what kind of power these weapons can unleash... If we are to use them, we need to vote... Here and now." The members of the council exchange looks and retake their seats. Voting has its upsides and downsides, and I can''t go through them all here. Making this decision is for the greater good of our people, and if we do decide to use the weapons, the trade for whates after is worth it. "Since you''re the one that suggested this, what''s your first vote, Lucy?" My silence causes everyone to stare at me. Waiting for me to speak, waiting to hear the yes or no of the Saintess. "I vote that we use the weapons that the new people have built us." A holographic board appears in the middle of the table, keeping track of the votes. It gets a check in the yes column, and I look to my right, and the voting goes around the table. It takes longer, but that''s fine. Everyone is considering the risks of what''s going on. A responsible approach to the situation at hand. The votinges to a head, with a tie. Thest one that needs to vote is The Pope, and I can see the fear in his eyes. The pressure is on him. "For the better of all human and humanoid life, I vote yes." A light fluttering and then sinking feeling fills my stomach. Once we use these weapons, everyone will know what the church is holding and how much scrutiny that''ll bring. "You''ve made the right choice, Alex... The threat of the monsters in the monster territory will be gone after this." The resident kissass, Colsare, starts to talk in a gant tone. One that many fake politicians use. ~~~(POV: Colsare)~~~ ~~~(Location: Personal Chambers, The Holy City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:00 PM)~~~ GOD DAMN SON OF A BITCH!!! How in the hell am I supposed to know this was going to happen. Pacing around my office doesn''t help, but I didn''t anticipate this would happen. The Church of the Dark Ones said that this didn''t have a possibility of happening! "This has gone to total shit!" I shove everything off my desk and turn towards the hologram crystal. Dread fills me knowing that I have to inform them of this news, and I have to do it while one failure is already under my belt. The curtains in the room close, and the hologrames to life. "Master, I have dire news..." I kneel and try to see as small as possible. He''s quiet. Not telling me to continue or not. I lift my head, and he squints at me. He nods his head a single time, and I stand up. "They''re going to use the weapons, master... They''re going to invade the monster territory and annihte it with the weapons I told you about..." He stays stoic, but I see his fists clench. The war is integral to our n, and without we won''t get what we need. He turns off the hologram, and I''m left in shock and surprise. The breath that I''ve been holding back on instinct escapes my lips, and I stand up and lean on my desk for support. "He''s going to take drastic measures... This means I''m going to want to get out of The Holy City before anything happens..." The contingency n is unknown to me, but he said that he''d want me out of the city if this ever happened. No time to waste, as they say... Staying here only increases the chances of me getting caught or worse. I like my life and freedom, and I''m getting out of town. "I have everything that I need in terms of money, but I''ll be a wanted man... I need to make a stop first..." Changing how I look physically won''t be cheap, but I know that it''s my best option. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:17 PM)~~~ The day after tomorrow is when we''re leaving. We''ve already made backup ns in case Helda, and Melimora try anything to jeopardize our safety and the crossing into the borders. "What do you think about getting some more Shattering Cards before we leave? You need a deck, after all. Who knows all the free time we''ll have for games." Hailey isn''t that convincing. She and I have different versions of fun and as enjoyable as it is to beat her at her own games. It gets old. "I''ll tell you what, if you can beat me without me letting you win, I''ll get my own deck before we leave." The anger spreads across her face and body as I drop the fact that I let her win thest time we yed. Determination burns in her eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 329 - A Powerful Enemy... ~~~(POV: Emperor Lnd Costar the X)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Koses, The Koses Empire, Personal Office)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:31 PM)~~~ News has reached me on what The Church of Light is nning. I never expected them to take such a drastic step, to actually adapt and change. They''ve steeled their wills and are ready to bring this war to an end. Not that it holds any consequence. The Monster Horde and its war with humanoids have served their purpose. We have everything we need. My meeting with the other members of The Church of The Dark Ones is soon, and it''s the topic of moving the n onto its next phase. Colsar has proved to be a formidable pawn. I didn''t think he''d survive for so long under the keen eyes of the church. They must be truly going blind, and we''re going to use that to our full advantage. The weapon they have won''t interfere with our ns. Since this war ising to a swift end, we need to remove our many agents worldwide. "My Emperor, your daughter hase to see you." My butler pokes his head through the door and informs me of my weakness. My daughter doesn''t know anything about what I''m doing or who I am. There have been many nights where I tossed and turned from guilt. She''d think me a horrible monster, but she wouldn''t understand. "Send her in. She doesn''t usually bother me when I''m working if it''s not important." He leaves with my order, and I look at the document on my desk. Finding a husband for my daughter churns my insides. I know what the nobility is like in my Empire, and I will not give the hand of my daughter to a man of such virtues... I''m the worst hypocrite that''s lived in my generation... "Daddy? May I talk to you about something?" Shees through the door, and I stuff the document in my desk drawer. She slowly walks to my desk, and her elegance lights up the room. She''s one of the most beautiful girls that''s ever lived. "How can I help you, Aurora? You rarely talk to me when I''m working unless it''s important to you." She''s a very well-mannered and polite girl. She doesn''t raise her voice, and she speaks gently. I watch her release a deep sigh as she takes a seat in the chair on the otherside of the desk. She takes off her gloves, and she runs her fingers through her hair, and I can tell how nervous she is. "Do you know what mom was thinking when she was my age?" Ahh, being the princess of an Empire doesn''t mean you don''t want to dream about other destinies. "All I''ve read are her diaries, but she didn''t start writing in them until after she married you." I''ve read them too. They leave out a lot of information. "Your mother was a low-ranking noble, as you know." She rolls her eyes as she hears one of the things that make her mad. Beera was a knight and a powerful swordswoman that made a name for herself. I''ve known her from before that time, and we go back to being childhood friends. She was my first love and wife. Aurora was the result of a passionate night after our honeymoon and two years after Aurora was born. She died inbat, fighting against members of The Church of Light. "Before her life as my wife, she was a powerful knight and a renowned swordswoman. She was my light, and when you were born, you were both our light..." Don''t mistake me. I''m an evil man. That doesn''t mean I''m not without a soul, without love, without hate. What the church did is what drove me to banish them from my Empire and secretly join The Church of The Dark Ones. "Howe you never told me about this... All her diaries talked about were the royal lifestyle..." That''s an easy question to answer, but not to say to my daughter. Aurora is just like her mother... I didn''t want my only daughter to be thrown into a life of danger... Suffer the same fate as Beera. "There is only one reason, Aurora... It''s an incredibly selfish one... I didn''t want you to end up like Beera... I don''t want to lose you as I lost her..." She''s all I have left of Beera, and she''s the future of the Koses Empire. She''s the beacon of the entire Empire. The sweetheart of everyone''s heart. "I don''t know if I''m supposed to be mad or not..." There is only one thing I''m going to t out lie about to my daughter, and that''s my ties to The Church of The Dark Ones. "Will you let me learn how to fight?" My throat drops in my stomach, and I feel empty. I know what I''m supposed to say... I''m supposed to tell her that she can... That as the future of the Empire, she should know how to fight... If Beera were here, she''d want that. "You can learn... But, you need a ss that''ll help you grow." Her smile bursts across her face, and I instantly feel better. Beera wouldn''t want me doing what I''m doing against The Church of Light. It''s not about what she wants in this situation, cause I already know... It''s what I want, and I want to see The Church of Light burn and all its allies along with it for what''s it''s done to me. "Ohh, Thank you, Daddy!!!" She leaps over the table and hugs me as she used to when she was a little girl running around the pce and grounds. She gives me a kiss on the cheek and heads for the door. She knows where she can find the royal treasury. "I hope that I die a terrible death and 10,000 years of torment before you ever find out about me, Aurora... Your judgment of me is the only one that matters..." She''s going to have fun learning how to fight... Just like Beera said... ~~~(POV: Saintess Lucy)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Holy City, Personal Chambers)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:19 PM)~~~ My body rxes every muscle and joint as the hot water soaks my body. "Dear Almighty Father, I needed this..." Thest time I got to bathe in my own bath was too long ago... Before the New people arrived. My back pops as I sink further in, and the jets of water make me groan at the release of tension. The magically embued water heals my body and mind. Rxing me further into a lull that I haven''t been in for months. My neck pops over and over again as I roll it in circles. "An entire week to rest and rx before using the weapons to destroy the monsters... I wish that I didn''t feel like I should get a little longer... I don''t get many opportunities to be selfish..." My eyes flutter open, and the top half of my eyelids block my view. My energy is so low, that I can''t even keep my eyes open. Until I got in this bath, I was running on fumes. "I have afortable Emperor-sized bed waiting for me... One that''s been freshly cleaned and magically enhanced too... Just enjoy it, Lucy..." Filling the silence with my own voice is the most I can do. It requires the least amount of energy. The bathroom door opens, and I''m quick to move the bubbles to hide me, and I see the little girl I saved. "Big sis Lucy... Can Ie in too... I''ve never had a bath before..." There are no issues with that. She smiles as I nod my head and wave her over. "Can you help me undress... I don''t know how to get out of the clothes..." She does look cute, though. The servants did a good job. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 330 - Differential Perspectives ~~~(POV: Queen Tessa, wife to King Jackson)~~~ ~~~(Location: Captial City Zenith, Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:14 PM)~~~ Jackson has been so busy managing the newnd and dividing it up among the nobles that he''s hardly in bed early anymore... This giant bed feels so empty without him here... "You''re thinking about me, aren''t you?" My heart leaps in fear at the sudden voice. The silence is now broken, and Jackson is standing in the doorway. He enters and slowly closes the door behind him. "Yeah... I was... We hardly have time for ourselves anymore... This is the earliest you''ve been to bed in a few weeks..." There are times in every rtionship that you need to sit down and talk. Especially if you aren''t spending as much time together as you want to, he heads over to the walk-in closet and begins to undress. Our Kingdom has expanded greatly since the war with Bellvia... We''re one of the strongest powerbases in the world now. yer Zern''s mother is a noble of our Kingdom, and my new powers thanks to the feather I got from yer Zern. "You said that you were going to dye your hair back to its original color. Change your mind?" It wasn''t that simple. The hair dye doesn''t work on me. My hair remains a vibrant and shiny white now. "I tried... Nothing worked. The hair dye would flow out. It''s safe to say that I''m not getting my original hair color back... My powers are expanding too... I''ve learned that I''ve got some new healing skills." Most people would be excited. There are several reasons why I''m not. Giving reasons would make me sound ungrateful and cynical. A part of me hates myself for that. My husbandes out of the walk-in closet, and he''s in his pajamas. For a king, he wears in clothes to bed. "Tell me what''s eating you up, Tessa. We''re partners, and we''re here for each other. You can tell me anything." What''s eating me up... To much... The biggest one on my mind is how one-sided this rtionship feels. He does everything for me... Protects me... Supports me... Wages a war for me... The only thing I''ve done is sit next to him ande to bed with him. "There are a lot of them... I feel like I''m not contributing anything to this marriage..." His left eyebrow raises, and he gives ma a crooked smirk. I hope that our children will have that one day. "I can''t really say I know why you feel this way, Tessa. I don''t see our marriage that way. Who does more for who... We''re both young and in this together." Sometimes I wonder where he gets his wisdom from. Heys next to me on the bed and rolls me over to lean on him. It''s sofortable being like this with him. He makes me feel safe. "Okay, I''ll try to stop thinking about this... How goes the nobles and dividing up the newly acquirednd from the war with Bellvia..." His deep groan tells me everything. His hand glides up the side of my body, and my body reacts against my wishes. The same hand leaves my body, and he rubs a hand through his own hair. The stress of a King is hardly understood. Jackson is one of the great ones, the ones that care about their subjects and the future of his Kingdom. "Some nobles are ready to fight one another in duels of honor andpetition to see who gets thend in a tournament. I''m worried some of them will take it too far..." I wouldn''t doubt it. I have an idea, but it''s a little risky. My hand finds its way under his shirt, and I gently scratch his stomach and chest with my fingernails. "Would you like to hear my idea?" He looks at me slowly. He nods his head with a subtle smile. "Give thend to Amelia. She has the most influence other than you in the Kingdom. Her son being who he is will protect her from any attacks." No one will try to kill an Angel''s mother. At first, he has a confused crease on his eyebrow. After a couple of seconds of consideration, his eyes widen slightly, and he sits up. "You''re a genius, Tessa! Why didn''t I think of that!" He''s about to get out of bed. I grab him by his cor, and he halts. He turns and sees my frustrated look. "I can take care of it tomorrow..." That''s what I thought. I want you here tonight. He settles back into his spot, and I wrap my arms around him to make sure he won''t sneak off in the middle of the night. "That really is a brilliant idea, Tessa... Millions will be willing to help her develop thend thanks to who she is... She''s considered a Saintess these days... Giving birth to the grandson of The Almighty Father has made her revered by millions..." His mind is still on work. I''ll have to be satisfied with just his physical body being here. He hardly knows how to stop working. "Jackson... Stop thinking about work... I want you to rx and shut off your brain for a while..." My words might reach him, but once he''s in the zone of problem-solving, it''s hard to get him out of it. I feel his hand grab my butt, and I let out a little squeal. He''s not taking the exact route I thought he would. I''m not going toin. "I''m thinking about another problem right now... Want to hear about it..." His voice is smooth and teasing as he ys with my butt. I lightly nod my head as I try to avoid eye contact. "We need to make some kids. Want to start tonight?" Heat rises to my face, and I know I''m flushed red. He''s pretty bold when we''re alone like this. His hand finds the underside of my chin, and he lifts my head. We lock lips, and I''m convinced. We pull apart, and he''s already taking my bra off, letting my breasts free. "I''m not going to like sharing these one day, but I''ll enjoy them all to myself for now..." His lipstch onto my left nipple, and my back arches in response. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:50 PM)~~~ Sally wraps her legs and arms around me as we''re both close to sleep. My body''s warmth is mixing with her''s. She lets out a content sigh as I hug her closer. After tomorrow, Helda will be contacting us again, and we''re going to be moving across the border. I''m excited to see the Elven Kingdom with my own eyes for the first time. Very few screenshots existed in my old life, and the ones that did were terrible. "Cera... I can''t fall asleep..." Sally presses against me to get my attention, and my eyes meet hers. "What should we do..." There are a few things, butst time we had sex, Hailey and Jasmine heard. So that''s out of the question for tonight. I have one idea, and she might like it. I turn my body slightly, and I lean up. "I can give you a back massage... It''ll help you rx and get some of the tension out... I can see how nervous you are as time passes... I''d be too if I were in your shoes..." After talking to Helda, Sally has be more fidgety and scared. Going into her racist homnd is slowly getting to her. She''s stuck in her own head. She turns on her stomach and takes her shirt off. Giving me ess to her back, and sheys back down. Her breasts pop out the sides, and she moves her blond hair out of the way. "Thanks for doing this, Cera... You see things that others don''t care to look for..." She''s a sweetheart for saying so, but it''s about her right now. Time to help her rx. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 331 - Conflicting Goals ~~~(POV: Samael, Arch-Demon of Pride and King of the Underworld)~~~ ~~~(Location: Personal Pce, Underworld)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:51 PM)~~~ Father and the rest of my family are moving in their ns. Why Father decided to bring the humans from Earth here is idiotic to me. Now he''s putting importance on a half-breed mongrel that doesn''t deserve any of his power. Michael desecrated the sanctity of the blood in his veins. Copting with a female and fathering a child. What makes me mad the most is he was proud... Father was happy that Cera exists, no matter how fake his existence really is. They ignore the fact that he''s not the actual son. Only the power existed. Changing Amelia''s memories made things easier for them, making her believe she gave birth to a son, but when all she did was give birth to an unguided and thoughtless power. Finding its host in Cera, and before him, Jameson. Otherwise known as Bluechaos. The power that was once Jameson now belongs to Cera, and the reason for this is the prophecy couldn''t be fulfilled without someone like Cera. Jamesoncked the one thing Cera had. A hard life and the will to make the hardest decisions. I think Jameson a lowly creature, and Cera is a better option. The maniptions of my father make me look amateurish, and I hate that. Saying that his n is for the future of all existence. "How have you been, brother..." My internal debating is interrupted by the voice of my sister. Gabriel. She''s here for the same reason I predicted when The Old Gods were set to return. The Underworld and Overworld must work together. The Old Gods have no interest in sharing, and if they did. I would''ve joined them, but they made their stance clear. "Enjoying the silence of my throne room, sister. Tell me, have youe here to beg for my cooperation? To plead that the forces of Underworld must work with Overworld?" I haven''t agreed to it yet, working towards this goal. She folds her arms and looks at me with pity. "You used to be such a noble and beautiful man, Samael... Now you''re a twisted and prideful monster. Your physical appearance matches what was inside all along." Her words aren''t new to me. Gabriel and the rest of the family wouldn''t understand. I''m the one that should rule. I know what''s best. She moves closer with her wings outstretched, my demon ones matching in an exact opposite. "Father has already begun to move towards confrontation. The Old Gods aren''t strong enough to face Overworld yet, but when they are. There will be a war, and you''ll have to pick a side in this fight. Annihtion or helping us." Letting her speak without interruption makes her drool on. ~~~(POV: Gabriel, one of the Arch-Angels of Overworld)~~~ ~~~(Location: Samael''s private pce, Underworld)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:02 PM)~~~ Reading my brother''s emotions is never easy, not since he''s had the demonic form he has now. He doesn''t look anything like I remember. Thest time I saw him was so long ago. "Samael, that is a name that is never spoken in Underworld. The only reason you''re still alive from using it is that I permit it." His Pride and vanity have consumed him fully. That''s the sin he represents, Pride. "That is the name you were given when you were created. Not the name you go by now. Despite what you believe, you were an angel at one point. Now all you are is... This." His smile makes my skin crawl. His teeth are sharp, and his red face and twisting horns make him a ghastly sight. He''s never going to redeem himself. There are too many things that are blinding his vision, too many things that he can''t see past. "Better that I be myself and know who I am. Then pretend that I''m something else and live a lie." I don''t know why father wants Samael to help us. We can win this fight without Underworld''s help and his help. This trip was pointless. He stands up from his throne and walks over to one of the windows. He peers into thendscape of dead trees. He thinks himself king of this realm, but our father still has power over this domain. "Tell our father that I''ll help when the timees, but I want something in return." He''s always ying at something. Whatever it is, it''ll serve him better in the end. I will not leave here without knowing his demand, but before I can ask, he turns around and starts to speak again. "My price for helping is an item that''s currently being held by Cera. The Dice of Wand. That''s my price for my help and Underworld''s help." The Dice of Wand... What purpose would Samael have with The Dice of Wand? Speaking on our father''s behalf regarding this is ill-advised. Getting in between Samael and father''s mind games always leads to a mess. "I''ll ry this to father... I''m surprised, Samael... I never thought you''d fold so easily..." My attempts to goad him into anger are easily seen, and he squints his eyes and stares into me. He chuckles to himself. His chuckle turns into a full-blownugh, and it''s one filled with a twisted growl at the base. "Stick to ying messenger, Gabriel. You''re not cut out for the big leagues. Run along, sister. Father won''t be waiting for you for long." I hope that Michael has a better time than I am. He''s going to take longer than me. His task is far more delicate than this one. ~~~(POV: Fenrir, Beast of Ragnarok)~~~ ~~~(Location: Gaia, near the Boulder mountains)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:41 PM)~~~ The cold breeze brushes against my fur, and a calmes over me. My fur blows and waves in a nonexistence wind going in the opposite direction of the current direction of the wind. The moon illuminates my view of thendscape out in the distance. Miles of forest and snow-capped mountains are under the light being reflected. Hard times areing for many people. Gaia is going to undergo a massive change in the uing war. One that''ll shape and tear lives apart. Gabriel should have already spoken to Samael at this point. Now all I''m waiting for is Michael to finish his task, and The Almighty Father will tell me to retrieve Cera. Micahel and Samael... It was wise to send Gabriel to speak with him. If Michael went, there would''ve been a battle. There is too much bad blood between the two of them. "The politics of Gods is so boring... I should''ve stayed out of it..." Something is maddening about having to wait for a long time, with nothing to do. My own children are going to be dragged into this battle. They''ll not be able to resist the chance to have a glorious battle. "Only you would think that, Fenrir..." The feminine voice of Gabriel fills my ears, and I see her standing next to me. "I''vepleted my task, and I hope that Michael finishes his soon." That was the first time she saw Samael since his transformation. He was once the most beautiful angel in Overworld. His ego swelled and fed his Pride, wanting what his father had. Many things went wrong at that time, and Samael only has himself to me. It''s evidence that even higher beings like angels are capable of falling to the deepest depths of darkness. His Pride was all he had left in the end, and he decided to be his own father''s greatest enemy. Even in my long life and with all my power, I wouldn''t want to fight The Almighty Father. Only a madman would, and Samael has proven to be just that. Even though I''m the Beast of Ragnarok, there are beings that I can''t beat. The Almighty Father is one of them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 332 - Crossing The Border I ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:14 AM)~~~ My eyes are still heavy with sleep, and it takes me a few seconds to force them open. The sun is just starting to rise and shine through the broken windows. Lighting the room to blinding levels. My spin and neck pop in the motion of leaning my body up. My legs flex and stretch out, popping my joints as the action spreads to the upper half of my body. A premature unfurling of my wings urs. The brilliant golden feathers reflect the light in the room and make it brighter. My wingsing out without me toggling them on have happened from time to time. They just want to be stretched too, sucks the room isn''t big enough for me to stretch them all the way out. The slight stir of Sally causes me to look at her. She''s looking at the wing that''s above her, upset at the light that''s being reflected off it. "C''mon, Cera... It''s barely the crack of dawn... Turn those miniature stars off..." She turns on her side and buries her face in her pillow. The wooden floor isn''t the mostfortable ce to sleep. Now that''s she''s up, she''ll not fall back asleep. Before I can say anything in response, a creak from the direction of the door grabs my attention. Turning my head, I see Jasmine. Her expression is many things. Fear... Confusion... Shock... Surprise... Hailey told me she''s a devoted follower of The Church of Light. "Uhhh... Umm... Whaa..." She can''t find the words to speak. From her perspective, this is a shocking revtion. Jasmine is a sweet and slightly airheaded girl, but that''s just a defense mechanism to keep the creeps away. I''vee to understand a bit more about Jasmine, and she''s a bright girl with a great life ahead of her. "Morning, Jasmine. Sorry about the bright light." My wings disappear into my back at the end of my apology. Her eyes bulge slightly, and she takes a step back. She leans against the wall, and she starts to take deep breaths. The longer she tries, the more breath she loses. She''s starting to hyperventte. She might need some help, and with that, I''m the only one around at the moment. "Jasmine, you need to take slow breaths. Pace them." She starts to freak out more as I stand up and approach. My closing proximity causes her to slide to the ground. Once I make it to her, I squat down and ce one of my hands on her shoulders. Her eyes are squeezed shut, and her breathing is bing more desperate. She''s elevated into a panic attack. I lean her forward, and her head is between her legs now. Her breathing is ragged, but she''s not panicking anymore. Sally''s soft footsteps glide across the wooden floor as her bare feet smack it in a rush to get over here. "Jasmine, what happened?" She sits next to me and ces her hand on Jasmine''s free shoulder. Sally was still waking up when Jasmine saw my wings. "She saw them? That''s the only exnation I can see." My nodding head confirms her question. She lets out a soft sigh and wraps Jasmine in a hug. Jasmine immediately responds and wraps around Sally like a constrictor to its food. Jasmine lets out soft cries, and I see the tears falling to the ground from Sally''s clothed chest. "Hailey told me how much you follow the church and the Gods of Light. We were waiting for the right time to tell you." I don''t know if my words get through. Going through all she has, the church and the Gods of Light were all she really had for a while. Many ex-ves turn to religion andmon jobs to fade into the background of society. Few rarely go beyond those two paths. "I''m sorry... I''m acting... Like a weirdo..." She tries to talk through gasps and choking sobs. People react differently to situations than others. I''m d she isn''t bowing her head and calling me things that I''d rather not be called. In all truth, I''d prefer this reaction over the alternatives. "Ohh, you don''t need to be sorry, sweetie... Cera understands... You''re not the first one to freak out from learning the truth..." Sally''s giving a good attempt at consoling her, but I would''ve been more selective with my words. That''s just me being picky, though. Dealing with sensitive people all my life has taught me to use a certain approach when speaking to people. Especially in the state that Jasmine is in. "I never thought... I''d ever... Meet you..." Too many NPCs of Gaia, I''m a beacon of hope. Knowing that I exist among them brings a feeling of safety for them. At least, I think that''s the case. Sally looks at me and wants me to say something in return. This means a lot to Jasmine, and Sally doesn''t want me to disappoint her. "You''ve impressed me, Jasmine... You''ve even made me proud..." She looks up from Sally''s chest with red puffy eyes. Both Sally and Jasmine are waiting for me to continue. Speeches aren''t really my thing, but I know how to tell people the truth. "You''ve had a life harder than everyone I know except for one." My eyes meet Sally''s as I say that. They''ve lived a mirrored life. "Many would''ve given up, or worse... You fought and kept fighting... There are only a handful of people that can say they have such a will..." They both have wills greater than anyone I''ve met. It inspires me to be better than who I was... Who I still am... If they can do this after everything, there isn''t a reason I shouldn''t either. "Thank you..." Her face scrunches up, and she starts crying harder than before. I look at Sally to make sure I did this right, and she just smiles and nods her head. I know how to read people, but reading distraught people isn''t my thing. It feels wrong to try and dissect someone mentally that''s going through such a hard time, hence why I don''t do it and why I''m bad at it. "I''m going to talk with Hailey, there are some things we need to discuss before Helda and Melimora get here." Sally nods as Jasmine continues crying, but she''s slowly calming down. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:23)~~~ She''s slowly calming down and isn''t whaling into my chest anymore. My fingers run through her hair and I gently scratch her scalp. "Y''know, yer Zern is Cera''s name here on Gaia. Has Hailey exined how the new people work to you yet?" She shakes her head and looks down at the ground. "When you get a chance, ask her." After Cera exined everything to me I understood. I''ve also put some things together myself. She dries her eyes again and I see a bit of myself in Jasmine... More than a bit... When I was her age, I was simr... Lost in the fog of life of a former ve... "He''s different than I thought he''d be... I expected something more... Godly..." She''s yet to see him fight and the extent of his power. Her face flushes red and she twiddles her fingers in circles. "So... You''ve slept with him..." Now my face is bing flush. To many, I''d be considered the luckiest woman in all of Gaia. "I''m sorry... I shouldn''t have said that..." It''s a natural deduction to have after seeing what we''ve been through. "It makes sense though..." That''s confusing to me. She smiles as she sees my confused look. "It makes sense that only an Angel would see past what either of us used to be... ept us wholely regardless... I''m jealous, Sally... He might be the only one that can see past the bad things..." She''s thinking the same way I used to. Finding someone that does see past it... It''s hard... But they''re out there... I''m not so cynical anymore. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 333 - Crossing The Border II ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Private Residence, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:44 AM)~~~ They won''t like how long it''ll take to traverse to the actual spot where we''ll cross. Going over the wall isn''t an option. The magical barrier produced by the border wall prevents anyone froming in that way. Getting through the actual wall has happened before, but only on really old sections of the massive border. Going under is the best option. There are only a few ces along the border where the ground is soft enough, and the border wall isn''t that deep into the ground. We''re heading for one of my scarcely traveled paths. The Elven Kingdoms authorities have been finding some of my more frequent routes. Nothing stays hidden forever, and that applies to everyone. My contacts are in ces, and all the right people have been bribed. Once I get them into the Elven Kingdom, I''ll get my legacy dagger. "Helda... When are we leaving? They''re probably already up and waiting for us..." Melimora has a problem dealing with new customers, and I do too. This has a lot of ways going bad, and most of them are for Meli and me. All this nning has been done to prevent the worst oues from happening, but there are still some bad ones. "We''ll leave at exactly 8:00 AM... I need to focus my thoughts and go over everything in my head... I suggest you do the same, Meli..." The people we''re dealing with are powerful on their own, but this Cera... He''s in a different league. His supposed sister, Hailey, is also extremely powerful. I doubt she''d be able to straight-up beat her brother, though. The feeling I get off him terrifies me... It makes me feel smallpared to him... "Should we care about why they''re trying to cross the border? That Cera can cause some serious damage if he wanted to..." She brings up a brilliant point. One that I''ve been avoiding and doing so because of my fears. "I don''t know, Meli... It''d be in our best interest not to dig into why they want into the Elven Kingdom... We don''t want to know, usible deniability and all." While what they do in the Elven Kingdom isn''t my concern, my curiosity has officially peeked. They''re not going for good and just reasons. No one who wants to get into the Elven Kingdom using my help ever has good intentions. They have incredibly powerful gear and are a tightly knit group of friends. "Have you found anyone that can handle Cera for the right price?" We don''t have the funds to have such a strong adventurer help us. Fighting them for the dagger is ast-ditch option, and if they refuse to give it to me after getting them across the border. "The Empires are keeping the S ss adventurers and higher on retainer. None are this far out and in our price range. As much as I hate it... We have to trust them." Trusting people isn''t in our nature, and we''re only doing this to get the dagger. We''ll have to follow along the border to the west. I have a carriage that''s willing to take us. It''s not going to be cheap, but it''s better than walking. "When we do this... Promise me we''ll never break our rules again... I know how important the Fotis dagger is to you, but it''s not worth our lives..." Apart of me wants to say it is... How selfish of me... ~~~(POV: Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Helda''s Private Residence, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:53 AM)~~~ Her silence speaks volumes... To her, this dagger is worth dying for... After this mission, I''m going to have to take some time to think about things. "You wouldn''t understand how much this dagger means to me, Meli... It''s all I have left of my family..." She doesn''t see me like family... I guess she wouldn''t... We''re not blood-rted... It hurts way more than I thought it would. Staying in the same room as her will only show how much that hurt, so I leave and head to the bathroom. Once inside, I lean over the sink and look into the mirror. It''s not a face that I like seeing sometimes. "You''re my family, Helda... Why don''t you see me as a sister too..." Salty and hot tears guild in the corner of my eyes and slowly start to fall. My life has been one that always followed behind Helda... We''ve been business partners and friends for centuries... She''s willing to risk it all for some stupid dagger... We might be done working together after this... "The thought of leaving her doesn''t upset me as much as I thought it would... As much as I want it to..." What does that say? Isn''t that an answer? ming Cera and his group does me no good... Somewhere deep inside, I knew this day would eventuallye... Helda considers me a friend... Not as family... "Time to put on your poker face, Meli... You''ve got a tough road ahead..." This job is likely myst with Helda... I better make it worthwhile... Give a good ending to the chapter we''ve shared... My eyes dry up, and I wash my face and eyes to get rid of the crying look. Now that I''m all good, I leave the bathroom and head back to Helda. I enter the living room, and she''s putting on thest of her gear and getting ready. "Since you''re already dressed and prepared for the trip, you have to wait for me." She speaks, but her words go through me. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:02 AM)~~~ Sally and Hailey continue talking in the run-down kitchen. They''ve left Jasmine with me. She''s more ufortable around me now. Knowing who I am. "You know I''m still the same person. The blood in my veins doesn''t make me any different." She looks towards the ground after I try to start some dialogue with her. She slowly raises her head and sees that I''m still looking at her and waiting for her to talk. She takes a calming breath and straightens out her hair, and tries to gather some courage. "What''s it like..." My confusion is obvious on my face. "Y''know... To fly..." That''s one way to try and get past this awkward barrier. She, and many others, have never flown before. It''s a rare ability on Gaia. Only certain creatures and magics allow you to fly. "It''s the most freeing feeling in the world. Nothingpares to seeing the world pass below you as you fly at 400+ MPH." She smiles lightly, and I think it''s a good sign. "Hailey and Sally have both flown with me before." Hailey had a rough time flying over that massive ocean. She''s probably airsick after that whole ordeal, but she was a real trooper. "If I asked... Would you mind taking me on a flight in the future..." She''s bing morefortable and casual now, and these are leaps in progress. "I''m sorry... I shouldn''t have even suggested that..." And the progress is torn away by her fear and hesitation. When people learn about me, they all act like they''re of a lower status than me. Gaia''sws and ways may say that, but I don''t. I''m still half-human. "I want you to consider something, Jasmine..." She lowers her head thinking she''s done something wrong. "I''m still half-human." Her head shoots up, and she looks at me with wide eyes. From her reaction, I don''t think that ever crossed her mind. Everyone only focuses on the angel blood in me, not the other human half. If people recognized it, it''d make my life easier. "Okay... I''ll try my best to remember that..." I don''t see the difficulty in remembering that. There are probably many factors that I can''t see. Since I''m who I am. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 334 - Getting On The Carriage ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:08 AM)~~~ Sally and I watch as Cera and Jasmine talk. I''m d he''s putting in extra effort to see that she''s alright. Jasmine''s had a shocking revtion to the identity that Cera keeps for the NPCs of Gaia. There are only a few NPCs that know his real name. Sally and Jasmine are two of the four. Helda and Melimora know his real name, but not yer Zern. Jasmine has a smile on her face and isughing again. People think that Cera is this figure that is above them all, but he doesn''t like being looked at that way. It''s not because he''s humble, believe me. It''s because he hates attention. "He sees it as a real inconvenience..." My soft whisper barely reaches Sally. I didn''t intend for her to hear that. She stays silent and looks me in the eyes. She notices it too. Cera is... Well... Forck of a better term... A control freak... People getting in his business and treating him like a God get''s in the way of his own lifestyle. He prefers the silence and solitude he used to have before his identity as yer Zern was revealed. A lot of things have happened due to him being revealed. The elven royal family wanting him to marry and have children with one of their princesses is a perfect example of getting in the way. It''s like the saying. You can stick a hat and shirt on a monkey. In the end, it''s still a monkey. You''re not changing the monkey, and Cera is the monkey in this scenario. He won''t change cause he can''t go against his nature. There is something hardwired into him... A mechanism that I can''t fully describe... The best I can do is he has an instinct that he listens to when the situation calls for it. He doesn''t want to be... Tamed. "He''s pretty rigid when ites to interacting with people... I''ve seen him fake being this benevolent angel... Back in Zenith..." That sounds exactly like him. He''s great at manipting situations to his benefit, and that was one of them. Sally has seen more of him than I thought she would. He''s not malicious with his gifts of deceit and maniption. He uses them to pass through situations that are unfavorable in the endgame of his ns. "He''s always 12 moves ahead... It drives me crazy..." That''s a bit of an exaggeration. Before we can continue talking, a knock at the door is heard, and Cera gets up to answer it. The door gently opens and reveals Helda and Melimora. "I was wondering when you two were going to show up. You run into any problems preparing for the crossing?" While it''s small talk on the surface, I can see what he''s really up to with that question. Helda and Melimora also see the true meaning behind it. "Let us handle the details and problems with the crossing. All you guys have to do is rx until we reach our destination along the border. We''re heading West in a carriage, and it''s about a 2-day trip." Cera folds his arms and squints his eyes slightly, but I know he''s not going to argue about it. There is nothing to argue, the n sounds fine, and they know what they''re doing. They''re not going to risk losing out on the dagger, and Cera knows that. Helda and Melimora also know that... It''s aplex game of strategic moves and careful wording. "Okay, where this carriage you speak of?" Helda moves out of the way and waves her hand. Arge carriagees rolling down the road and stopping in front of the ce we''re staying at for the time being. "It''s definitely big enough for all of us... I take it by the size your riding in the cabin with us... Wanting to keep an eye to make sure we don''t pull a fast one?" Melimora flinches in the slightest way, but she regains herself quickly. Helda nods her head a single time and starts walking towards the carriage. "Let''s get a move on. The longer this takes, the more risk there is we get caught." We already have everything, and I follow behind Cera, who''s following behind Helda. Sally is walking at his side, and Jasmine is at mine. Jasmine''s smart enough to know that talking about Cera is bad. Especially around Helda and Melimora. The less they know about all of us and our powerful abilities, the better. We all load into the carriage, and the carriage starts driving on its own. Magically enchanted for sure. No driver and some horses made out of wood. NPCs refer to such objects as puppets. Just forms that can be manipted by magic. There''s a tense silence, and it''s between Cera and Helda. They are ring at one another, and Cera''s calm grin does not affect the poker face of Helda. "I''d ask you to tell me something about yourself, but I already know the answer to that... Mind if I ask you something specific instead?" Her gaze hardens, and her hands clench. Cera is too good at getting into people''s heads and reading everything too perfectly. "I''d rather you didn''t. This is a business transaction. Not a trip with friends and family." She''s quick to draw a line in the sand, and Cera got exactly what he wanted. A limit to how far he knows he can push Helda. He knows her position on this deal now too. She believes it to be a business transaction, and she''s right. It is, but it''s a very personal and important business transaction. "Fair enough, I won''t ask anything about you... How about you, Melimora... Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Before Melimora can scowl and shut him down, Helda holds out her arm and stops Melomora before she does anything. Cera is refusing to look Helda in the eyes and only looking into Melimora''s. "You really let her speak for you? I can see why. You''re both scared of what I''ll find out. Rest assured, my secrets are much bigger than yours. I know when to stop." Cera leans back andys his head on Sally''s shoulder. Closing his eyes and checkmating the conversation. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Carriage, leaving Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:23 AM)~~~ Damn it! If I weren''t sure he was a powerful fighter, I''d say he''s some noble that''s too good with words and reading people... His true intentions were to drive a wedge between Meli and me. We both already know he has secrets, and it''s obvious on skeptical we are. Meaning the who point of that conversation was to divide. Melimora and I are close, but we''ve had our problems in the past before. He saw that from the first moment we interacted with him. I shut her down, and I dominate negotiations. She has little voice in anything we do, and he''s using that. Out of all the people I''ve smuggled across the border and all the friends I''ve made doing so. He''s the one I''m going to hate after he''s gone. Never again am I breaking our rule. Only close friends are allowed to use my services. "Cera... Do you think we can stop for some food before we leave..." My attention is dragged out of my thoughts, and I look at the youngest in their group. They haven''t eaten breakfast yet. This... Jasmine... It''s going to make things inconvenient. I know she will. Cera opens one eye and looks at me, and I can''t tell what he''s thinking. "I don''t know, Jasmine. Helda and Melimora might''ve already prepared rations for the trip." He''s doing it again. Using the situation to find out more about us. What we''ve brought, what we didn''t bring. How prepared we are. He can find all this out from Jasmine''s innocent questions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 335 - Uncomfortable Ride ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Carriage, on the road to Helda''s destination)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:33 AM)~~~ Jasmine doesn''t know how much she''s helped me with all the innocent questions she''s asked. The insights I''ve gained about Helda and Melimora tell me things that I didn''t know from the first time we met them. They''re staying quiet out of fear that I''ll learn more. I can''t force them to talk, and that means it''s a waiting game again. Helda is the one I''ve learned the most about. She''s a cautious woman and prefers silence over anything else. It''s obvious I like the same thing, and because of that, I know that she must think simrly to what I think. She''s methodical and disciplined. She''s extremely calm on the surface, but she has things bothering her beneath the exterior. The same way my problems affect me. Never show weakness. That''s how we are. It''s like staring into a mirror of myself. That isn''t a guy. Knowing that I''m seeing a version of myself also tells me she''s trying to figure out anything she can about me too. It''syers andyers of mental games. Luckily for me, I love mental games. Meaning she must like them too, which makes her a dangerous opponent that shouldn''t be underestimated. Underestimating your opponent is what leads to your ultimate failure. We''re not enemies... Yet. I know she''s made ns cause I would''ve done so in her situation. No way in hell will I trust a stranger that has something I desperately want and need, and they know that. She''s not trusting me, which is the smart and correct strategic decision. I''vee to admire her in thest couple of hours. The empty road along the border and the quiet that''s in the carriage have helped me see things I couldn''t before. "You hate the elven royal family, don''t you?" My sudden question towards Helda causes no reaction, but I know more is happening beneath her cool surface. She must hate the royal family. Having her as an enemy isn''t what I want, and we have every intention to give her the dagger once we''re across the border. If she hates the royal family... Maybe I can get some help in our mission... "You don''t have to answer that. I understand that more than you think." She gives no physical reaction, but no righteous elf would do what she does for a living. She''s breaking plenty ofws doing what she does for a living, and she''s doing it in defiance of the royal family. She''s a pure-blooded elf, and she wouldn''t suffer from discrimination. Leaving only a few reasons on the table. The first is that she hates the elven society and cares little for what happens to her homnd. This is the most likely, in my opinion. The second one would be she''s only doing it for the money, but since she''s simr to me, that''s the least likely. She''s not of low moral character that is driven by such a goal. The third being she was raised in this lifestyle and knows nothing else. This is possible, and it could bebined with the first reason. I can''t know any of this for sure. She''s lived a long andplicated life. She is nearly three times as old as Sally, and she''s seen a lot in the world. Maybe the three reasons I''vee up with arepletely and totally wrong. The few interactions we''ve had can''t give me nearly enough for me to know every little detail about her. Only a few things are on the surface and are easy to get to. Her secrets are hers. I''m not trying to get to the core of her. Sally ces her hand on top of mine, and my eyes meet hers as my head turns. "I need to use the bathroom... Can we pull over so I can?" She doesn''t need to ask me for permission to use the bathroom, but she probably feels Helda would make those decisions and is too afraid to ask her, which deludes into her making me a conduit for the question. My attention turns to Helda, and she sighs. Stoping the magical carriage with the snap of her finger. "I suggest that everyone that needs to use the bathroom do it now. The fewer stops we have to make, the better." Melimora speaks the most she has since we started this trip. Not that it''s anything important to note, but I can''t be sure. Melimora is harder to get to know since Helda is making sure she doesn''t speak or interact. "Thanks, I didn''t know how much longer I could hold it." Sally is the first one out the door, and Hailey and Jasmine follow her out so they can use the bathroom too. Leaving me with Helda and Melimora. There is a tense feeling in the air now that we''re alone. Helda and Melimora stare at me harder than they ever have before. This is new, and they do it once all my friends are gone. Meaning that they''re trying to determine if I''m any weaker mentally when I''m alone or not. "I''d be more scared of fighting with them next to me than away from me. That''s what you''re trying to find out, right?" For the first time, I see Helda grit her teeth. My deduction was spot on if this is the reaction I get, and it proves that I''m doing better getting in her head than she is getting into mine. "How about we don''t talk for the remainder of this trip. I don''t like you, Cera. I don''t want to speak to you, and I don''t want you speaking to me." Prickly confrontation, but I''ve handled simr situations before. Sally and the other two won''t be back for a couple of minutes, and that gives me ample time to dig around for some more information. "Okay, I won''t speak to you Helda, how about I talk to Melimora? She seems like she wants to get a few things off her chest." I''m just firing into the dark with that statement, but they have some issues between them. I saw it earlier. ~~~(POV: Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Carriage, on the road to Helda''s destination)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:49 AM)~~~ His mind games are starting to get on my nerves. He''s good at saying and doing the right thing at the right moment. It makes me wonder how he became so good at this? He doesn''t look older than 20, and he''s talking like he''s done this for the vast majority of his life. "I stand that same ground as Helda." There is no need to make the answer any longer than that. The way his grin slowly pops on his face makes me want to smack it off. "Figures, here I thought you two were partners in this business. From what I''ve seen, you''re just doing everything Helda tells you. Like a puppet and her the one pulling your strings." He''s not going to turn me against her. His observation is right, though. I''d never betray Helda, but I''m tired of my role. It''s the reason I''m leaving her and this job after this job. I''m tired of being a mindless and opinionless partner. "You''ll stop ying the mind games you''re ying. If you won''t, we''ll cancel this job and leave you here in this carriage while we leave back to Border City." Helda immediately takes out the big guns, but Cera is smart enough to know it''s a bluff. Helda''s lust for the dagger would never make her abandon this job, but Cera does something I can only consider an extremely calcted move. "Fair enough, I''ll stop." From what we''ve both experienced, he''d push the subject just a little more. Now, he''s backing off? That doesn''t go with any of his behavior to this point. He''s ying another angle here... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 336 - Unseen Conflict ~~~(POV: Saintess Lucy)~~~ ~~~(Location: Personal Chambers, The Holy City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:44 PM)~~~ Today has been unnecessarily stressful, and it''s supposed to be a time that I can rx and recharge before we invade the Monster Hordes territory. Apparently, we''ve had spies in our ranks of the church, and now we''re going through everyone and making sure no other spies are hiding. Alexander is absolutely livid with this entire situation. Our enemies were hiding right in front of us, and we couldn''t see them. Normally, I''d be on a warpath right now. The reason I''m not is cause I need this break. Alexander said that he and the rest of the verified officials would handle it. I need my rest before heading back out intobat. All of our forces are getting rest, and the adventurers guild is helping protect the resettling townspeople. It wasn''t cheap, but it''s not like the church has or will have money problems. "Sometimes, I wish that this was someone else''s responsibility..." Thefortable chair that''s magically heated and helps my muscles is causing my body to be like jelly. The damage that I received from all the fights during ourst expedition hase for their piece of me. Ignoring them with magic and sheer will was my only option at the time. Now it''s simply here making me ache. The chair is helping, but I''m going to soak in another magically enhanced bath in a couple of hours. "Saintess Lucy... Why did you give me this power, Arch-Angel Gabriel..." She blessed me with power at birth, but now I''m wondering what the purpose was... Am I supposed to serve the church and have no free will of my own? What about my dreams and desires? "Howe I was forsaken from normal life... Why did you choose me to carry this burden..." Millions would argue that it isn''t a burden, and they''d die a horrible death over and over to have a simr life. It''s not as great as many say it is. My mother... I haven''t spoken to her in years... I wonder how she''s doing... Thest memory I have of her was her giving me up to the church... She cried endlessly that day... I want to see her again... No matter where she is or how hard it''s going to be to find her. I want to see my mother. Maybe she''ll have some answers to the questions I have... The church has provided me everything that I''ve ever needed, but what every child needs is the guidance of at least one of their parents. My knowledge about my father is none existent, and I wonder who he was too. "The little bit of time I remember with mom, dad never came up when we talked..." She always avoided the subject, and it makes me worried now. Having the knowledge of the cruelty of the world, I can''t help thinking I''m the product of a terrible act. Most beautiful women aren''t safe, and I remember mom being so beautiful. "Tomorrow, I''m going to look and see if the church has her record information..." They''d know more than anything I would. She''s an important figure, just like Amelia Zern is. ~~~(POV: Alexander Leopold, The Pope)~~~ ~~~(Location: Adventurers Guild, The Holy City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:33 PM)~~~ The prices they''re demanding are more than outrageous, but it''s not like I''m in any position to negotiate in any form or fashion. "Now, Mr. Leopold. Please sign the dotted line, and you''ll lock in our services until the people who''ve lost their homes have resettled. You have my word." That''s probably the only upside to working with The Adventurers Guild. They hold up their word and stand by every contract they make. Large or small, and they know that''s something you won''t find in another private organization. "I know, Vero. Just remember, those people need protection until this war with the Monster Horde is over." Vero is the head of the branch in The Holy City. He''s an SSS ss adventurer. He wields a Legendary ss himself, and he''s one of several in the Adventures Guild. The amount of power they have blows me away sometimes. The only way the church willpete with them is through the artifacts and treasures that we have. "Of course, Mr. Pope. We keep people safe and secure for the right price." While I hate the way, they do business. I do appreciate how transparent they are with their desires. They never beat around the bush, and that saves me a colossal headache. "Yes, yes, Vora. I know all about the price. It''ll be paid. I can guarantee you that. The church has funds that are used in the chance something like this might happen." We do have an Adventurers Guild fund, just for this asion. A ce where we store a portion of the church''s ie for the demands of The Adventurers Guild in case we ever need them. It''s the secondrgest fund on our books. I take the pen and sign my name on the paper and slide it across the table. Vora picks up the paper and takes it over to a file cab and stores it. He turns and smiles at me. Not a cocky or arrogant smile, but one that indicates satisfaction that a business deal has been done in favor of The Adventurers Guild. "I''ll inform the members that are already out on the field and doing their jobs that a change of ns has urred. Congrattions, Mr. Pope. You''ve just won the safety of the innocent." His smile turns to a grin as he approaches. His hand is outstretched for a handshake, and I do the polite and courteous thing. After shaking his hand, I turn and leave his office. That''s one problem that I don''t have to worry about anymore. It''s a good thing that everything has gone this smoothly since the unrooting of spies within the church. When I learned of this news, I saw red for an entire day. ~~~(POV: King Jackson)~~~ ~~~(Location: Pce, Zenith City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:23 PM)~~~ The nobles are in a state of anger, but they can''t voice it no matter how badly they want to. Amelia Zern is taking the majority of thend that was won in the war with Bellvia. This is the easiest solution for my people. Everyone citizen below the noble rank highly respects and cherishes Amelia. There are millions of citizens lining up to help her develop thend. The massive hall is silent as all the nobles are aligned in the room. Waiting for me to speak, and holding in their anger. "I know that most of you are upset at the loss of a greatnd... Amelia Zern is an important person to our kingdom... More important than even me..." Everyone lowers their heads, knowing that my words are true. She isn''t here, right now. She on her property, she keeps to herself. She''s agreed to take thend and has epted help from the kingdom and our people. She''s our critical link to yer Zern... Without her... He''ll no longer be affiliated with us. Having her take thisnd means ensuring her stay and loyalty to Zenith, and securing a connection to yer Zern for the future. Some of my more richer and arrogant nobles decide to step out of the lines of nobles and make an approach to the throne. They stand in a line, four of them are looking to speak. I nod my head and the middle one takes a breath. Duke Parker, a brilliant merchant. "While we understand and ept the strategic decision of this move, we all lost forces in this war." They''re not wrong. I have no intention of my nobles going unrewarded for giving up as many soldiers that we''re needed for this war. "You bring up an excellent point, Parker. That''s why I''m cutting the taxes that all nobles have to pay the crown by 60%." Many shoot their heads up at my words. "This will endure a 5 year period." This is more than generous, and I can see the happy faces already. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 337 - Greater Responsibility ~~~(POV: Amelia Zern)~~~ ~~~(Location: Mansion, Outside Zenith City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:16 PM)~~~ My life of rxation is ending, and I couldn''t be happier! I''ve been going bonkers in my own skin! I''ve only known the life of a hard worker, and living the life I have now makes me feel like I''m doing nothing productive. "Lady Zern, shall I prepare the nightly bath?" George does such a great job taking care of the kids. It''s his turn for a break. The chair rattles slightly as I stand up from it, and I look at him. "No, you go and take some time to rest. You and the rest of the employees have been invaluable in helping me raise the kids." Normally, George and the rest of the people working at the mansion would be called servants. I will never refer to them that way, and I even y them all a wage for their hard work. George lowers his head and exits my office. He''s learned that when I make up my mind, I''m not going to change it. The door gently shuts, and I look at the stacks of paperwork on my desk. Most of it is Unions and workforces offering their services to help develop thend. "Even the poor have formed a Union..." Millions from all over the Kingdom are heading here. The Capital has begun to reach maximum upancy, and Jackson says the sooner I decide to get started on this, the sooner the city will be freed up. He had a meeting with the rest of the nobles today, and I''m grateful he doesn''t make me go to those. My eyes move from the papers on the desk and look out towards the window and the setting sun. We''ve got about an hour and a half before all daylight a gone, and the temperature drops. The kids are hoping that my son wille back soon. They want to go for a ride in the sky, and I don''t me them. I haven''t answered their request cause I don''t know the next time I see my boy. The thought of not seeing him anytime soon hurts me greatly. Knowing that he''s safe helps a little, and having the orphans fill the gap in my heart in a way keeps the tears at bay. He''s grown powerful and independent since I lost him at birth, and now I''m wondering where and when he''ll pop up next in the world. There are usually rumors on where he''s at. I haven''t heard anything since The City of James. Some pretty dark things when down there, but I couldn''t be more proud of my son. Sally and my son destroyed a powerful family of vers and criminals by the sounds of the reports. He has a good sense of right and wrong, but I notice contradictories in him. He''s a gentle and forgiving man sometimes, and for others, he''s a brutal killer. I''ve heard and seen him have no regard for life, be them a bandit, a noble, or even a king and his court. I can''t help feeling that his mind is twisted in a way... That he lies to himself and tries to rationalize his decisions. "Makes me wonder what my son has been through in his life... What made you this way..." Seeing him in that state breaks my heart. I''m d he has Sally cause he needs someone that loves him and he loves. The way he acts makes me wonder if he''s all there... Mentally... "People who suffer great losses... Lose something in themselves... I know what that''s like..." He''s his own man now, and I can''t stop anything he does. I hope that he thinks before he acts cause his choices will get him into trouble. ~~~(POV: King Jackson)~~~ ~~~(Location: Pce Royal Bedroom, Zenith City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:22 PM)~~~ Tessa slowly rubs her finger in a circle on my chest. We''re both silent and looking at the ceiling. "DO you think Amelia is ready for this? Developing that muchnd is going to take years, and even with all the help she''s getting, it won''t be easy..." Tessa isn''t afraid to speak what I''m thinking. I''m worried about Amelia, and I''m worried about her safety. People areing from all over the Kingdom... Even people areing from outside mynds... Not all their intentions are pure, and Amelia tends to trust easily... People might use her to get close to yer Zern... "I don''t know, Tessa... She has everything she needs, but this is an incredible undertaking..." My problems have been cut in half now that the nobles are happy. She''s also an important figure for the church. If I asked the church to help with her security during the development... Maybe... They''re so busy with the war, though... They can''t spare the extra forces to help Amelia in her task... "Why don''t we hire some help from an independent organization? The Mercenaries Guild sounds perfect for the job." Tessa makes a great point. That has problems in of itself that put new dangers ahead of Amelia. "The Mercenaries Guild and other independent organizations like it are double-edged des. There is an equal number of disadvantages as there are advantages." My guidance can''t help Amelia since I don''t even know what to do. Some King I am... Guidance... Guidance! That''s the key! Tessa lets out a little squeal as I jump out of bed and head over to my office. Still in my nightwear. Guidance is what Amelia needs, and I know just the person that can help her. And me. "Jackson! Come back to bed this instant!" A hard shiver goes up my spine as I hear Tessa''s voice from down the hall. That was a bad move on my part. This can wait until tomorrow morning. The fear I have at an angry wife is greater than doing this right now. I leave my office, and I look down the hall towards my bedroom. I see my wife and Queen standing in the hall, in her nightwear too. She''s much more beautiful in her clothes. Her arms are folded, and she''s ring at me with the power to crack a stone. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Taking the same route Hailey and Jasmine took)~~ ~~~(Time: 8:41 PM)~~~ The blizzard raging outside is something I''ve never seen before. Snow only existed in certain ces on earth. The magically heated tent is doing wonders for us. "Mom, how much longer until we get to where we need to go?" Marcus has been having a hard time. He doesn''t like the cold, and that makes sense because he has a Legendary Fire magic ss. The Phoenix has great power, and I had to stop Marcus from using his magic to stop the snow and blizzard. I don''t want to do unnecessary damage to the environment. I don''t know how that works here. "It''ll be about a day''s walk once we get up tomorrow. The yers in the town said the storms stop during the day." He folds his arms together and gives a cute pout. Chris wraps an arm around Marcus and hugs him. "It''s okay, Marcus... Remember, we''re doing this to find Cera and Hailey. Don''t you want to find them?" Marcus slowly nods his head and tries his best not to be in a sour mood. It''s cute at this age. I''m hoping there won''t be as much trouble as when Hailey was growing into her pre-teens. So far, he''s turning out to be like Cera. Marcus sits up and lifts his hands together. He creates a fire flower using his control over fire. He''s gotten a lot better at it since he first started. He exined that the ss makes him do it to refine his control. "Do you think they''ll be easy to track down? From the magical device, they''re on the move again." Marcus hears Chris''s whisper and turns to us in frustration. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 338 - The Second Day ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Carriage, heading to Helda''s destination)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:19 AM)~~~ Sally is sleeping on my shoulder, her blond hair cascading down my chest piece. She''s snuggled against me and has her body firmly against mine. Hailey and Jasmine are using each other as something to sleep against. It''s a funny-looking way to sleep, if not a little painful. I look across the carriage and see Helda awake, and Melimora is sleeping. Melimora has surprised me. She''s decided to sleep even though I''m sitting right across from them. It shows that she still trusts Helda greatly. The carriage is magically heated, keeping up warm as the cold morning is slowly warming up from the shine of Gaia''s sun. My eyes shift towards the window opposite the wall''s side, and I see the endlessndscape. It continues for miles, mostly frost-covered treetops and snowcapped mountains in the distance. While the weather is very cold at the border wall, it doesn''t snow here very often. From what I remember about the lore of Gaia, the elven people can ward off the climate with their magic. Personally, the earth could''ve used that. Too bad we didn''t have magic. There are white fluffy clouds in the distance, slowly making their way towards the border walls. Sally shifts and squeezes her body against mine. Her legs find a way to wrap around my body. She wouldn''t be doing this if she were awake. Her soft and supple figure is causing a reaction in my body, and I suppress it as fast as it arrives. If we were alone, I''d partake in her since she''s so hard to resist. I''d make sure she was awake and was okay with it, my eyes move away from the window and my mind off of Sally. Helda has an unwavering gaze. "Most would consider your staring rude, but I can appreciate how vignt and careful you are. I''d do the same in your shoes." No reaction from the pureblood elf. She''s a famous smuggler only known for helping friends and acquaintances across the border. What we did to convince her to help was just short of ckmail, and I don''t like beingpared to a ckmailer. "We could be friends. You look like you could use some more." My attempt at humor does not affect her, and her stoic face at my bad joke causes me tough. Seeing such a look on a beautiful elf is funny to me, not for the reasons you think. When I see Helda looking like this, I think of Sally making the same face. The thought of her positive and energetic personality making a face of stone-cold neutrality makes meugh. Helda is a tough one to read, but I know almost all the things on the surface. There isn''t very much to see on the surface if I''m being honest. She hides her feelings and opinions better than most I''ve met. "You make me feel like I''m talking to a brick wall... Some feedback or interaction would be nice... It''s not like we''re going to betray you... We have no use for the stupid dagger..." My eyes shift back to the window with a nice view as I finish talking. What I said was meant to draw out more information, not try and make friends. While that is a good idea, it''s impractical with someone like Helda. I have no intention to betray her, and I''m trying to make this trip a little more bearable. "I''m not going to take anything you say at face value, Cera. You''ve proven to have a dangerous ability." She''s referring to my talent in getting information. Inferring things from what people show me is helpful, but I wouldn''t call it a talent. A skill that almost anyone can learn, and it makes me look much smarter than I actually am. I have above-average intelligence, but that''s where it ends. Having future knowledge is what makes me look like a genius. Put those together, and you have a near-perfect mask. Sally squeezes me in her arms and legs and grumbles words that I can''t make out. My attention turns to her, and I kiss her on the forehead. "That''s a fair point, Helda. We''re never going to be friends, and I can''t see us working well as allies. Perhaps, in a different life, that could''ve been different." My mock at her rebuke doesn''t go unnoticed. It''s not a mock of say... Rudeness... To make her mad, but one to show that I don''t see her as a threat. She gets the underlined message. Her slight squint in her eyes tells me that. "Your word games and attempts at unbncing me are bing annoying, Cera. I''d request you to stop if I thought there was a chance you would." She infers that I''m vain and arrogant with that. In a sense, I''m both of those things. She has learned some things about me in the time we''ve spent talking to one another. As a great man once said, you can''t hide everything. "Sometimes, ying at one''s own game can bring insights into yourself and your opponent. Your trying to y at my game, or was it your first?" Her temples flex as she grits her teeth. I''m referring to the first time we met and who started this game first. It could be argued that we both started it simultaneously, but implying that she did will only benefit me. "Having your weaknesses bore in front of your opponent shows how much you underestimate them. That''s the downfall of many powerful people." My head darts at Helda, and my eyes harden. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Carriage, heading to Smuggling point in the Border)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:31 AM)~~~ My threat to the lives of his loved ones doesn''t slide over him, and that''s what I was hoping for. It''s obvious that it''s not possible to kill a single one of them by myself. Still, his overreaction tells me that he''s either extremely protective of his loved ones, or they''re not as powerful as I originally thought, and both can be used to my advantage. My eyes shift to look at the elven beauty firm attached to him as her life depends on it. She''s formed an incredible bond with Cera, and elves are creatures that form powerful attachments to people and creatures they truly love. "I''m only going to say this once, Helda... Don''t even think about touching them... If you try, nothing in this world will stop me..." Finally, a reaction. A serious threat and one that carries weight, and this ensure something for me. I''ve gained an insight into Cera too, and that insight is his loyalty and protectiveness over his loved ones. Willing to go to the absolute edge for them. "I won''t think about it if you won''t think about doing the same to us." His reaction tells me nothing. No raised eyebrow, squinting eyes, anything to tell me. I''ll take his silence andck of reaction as an indication we have a deal. I''ve gained some ground in my dealings with him, and now I''m finally seeing into the man known as Cera. "I''ll be d to be rid of you once this contract is finished, and I know you can say the same. We should make this trip as quick as possible." My words cause most people in the carriage to stir awake. Sally slowly opens her eyes, but she refuses to let go of Cera. Meli is slowly waking up and rubbing the gunk out of her eyes. The only two that are still sleeping are Hailey and Jasmine. "We can continue this conversation another time if you''re up for it." The edge and anger in Cera''s voice tell me I''ve hit somewhere that hurts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 339 - Roadblock ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Carriage, Heading to Helda''s Destination)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:17 AM)~~~ The air in the carriage isn''t as tense now that everyone is awake. Hailey and Jasmine are silent and are both looking out the window with the view. Sally is sitting next to me and nervously watching Melimora and Helda as they stare right back at me. Threatening my friends and loved ones is something I take seriously. I don''t care if she got any information about me from my reaction. There are certain lines you don''t cross, and Helda doesn''t abide by those unwritten rules. That makes her all the more dangerous, in my opinion. Helda raises her head in concern and looks out the window that shows the road ahead. I match her action, and my eyes see the same thing she probably sensed. There is a group of human bandits blocking the road. My stomach twists in disgust, knowing what they''re after. There is only one reason human bandits would be on the road so close to the Elven Kingdoms border. "vers..." As the words slowly exit my mouth, there is an immediate reaction from Jasmine and Sally. Given their history as ex-ves. These twisted freaks are looking for elven women since they''re probably a good sell. Helda stops the carriage with the wave of her hand, and we''re about 65 feet away from the makeshift roadblock. "Things can never be simple... Running into vers on this route isn''t umon... Normally, there wouldn''t be this many, though..." Helda starts whispering to Melimora, and she nods along with her. She turns towards the door, and it opens. Helda exits the carriage, and Melimora follows her, and I would help them if I didn''t think they couldn''t handle it. They''ve been doing the for longer than all of having been alivebined. "Cera..." Sally grips my hand and moves a bit closer. I wrap my arm around her and try my best tofort her. She''s a strong girl, with only a couple of weaknesses. Jasmine does the same with Hailey, and that''s when I have an idea. "Do you two want to handle them?" Hailey looks at me with fury in her eyes, but it''s not her decision. Sally faced her torturers back in The City of James and killed them brutally. While she''s stronger for it, she knows that vers took her mother. Judging by their expressions, they''re thinking about it. Sally stands up and heads straight for the door, not asking me toe or anything of the sort. She''s determined to face this demon from her past as well. I stand up to follow her out, and I step out onto the road. Helda and Melimora are up ahead, talking with the bandits. Separated by 30 feet and being careful. I fall in line behind Sally, and I hear another set of footsteps behind me. Jasmine is right on my tail, and Hailey is getting out of the carriage to follow too. "Talk about arge carriage! You got any more beautiful women in there!? We need some for a payday!" My anger slowly boils at the vile words. Helda and Melimore turn around to see us approaching, and we stand right behind them, and they both give a neutral reaction. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Open Road, near Elven Kingdom''s Border)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:24 AM)~~~ My eyes scan over the group of criminals, and I can only imagine what my mother was feeling in a situation that''s far worse than this one. She didn''t have a group to help her... To protect her... She suffered a far worse fate than I could bring myself to think about. "We''re willing to pay for a peaceful passing, but if you force our hands, nothing will save you." Helda''s words are solid. She''s standing strong, likely having dealt with a lot of this over the centuries. She''s been smuggling people around and in the borders of the Elven Kingdom. "Hmm... Depends on how much you''re offering... I can fetch a pretty penny for products like you, minus the male, of course." My skin crawls at his words. Calling us products, like we''re not living thinking beings. Before Helda can respond, Cera steps forward and stands in front of Melimora and her. "You''re not leaving this road alive, and the ones that are going to kill you are people who''ve suffered at the hands of people like you." Helda is visibly angry, but Cera ignores her. The leader of the group grits his teeth, and arge scowl appears on his face. There are around 30 of them, and most are wearing basic leather gear and carrying iron swords. The stronger ones are near the front, and they''re wearing some decent armor and carrying some quality weapons. "You''ve just sealed the fate of everyone you care about, kid. I''ll make sure to take my time and teach them how it''s done." His words make my vision slowly turn red. Cera steps back, and I feel his handnd on my shoulder. I look at him, and he nods his head, and my resolve to kill them has been steeled. I step forward and draw my weapon, and I prepare to use some of my strongest attacks that my Legacy grade ss offers. They''re going to suffer the pain of Winters Wrath. The bandits slowly get ready for a fight, and the leader smiles. "We''re going to enjoy ughtering your boyfriend and showing you what it''s like to be with a real man." Before I can even think of a retort, a blur passes by me and closes the distance between our group and the bandits. Her de slices through the man behind the leader, him barely dodging her attack. ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: Open Road, near Elven Kingdom''s Border)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:29 AM)~~~ My rage-fueled attack causes the man I killed to fall to the ground dead, in two separate pieces. I can''t contain it anymore. The fear that was there is now only reced with a red hot vengeance and thirst for their blood. I turn, and I see Sally already cutting through the other side of the group. She swings her sword with a purpose, the same purpose I have. To kill these men and inflict pain unto them as we do it. "Wait! Wait! I''ve changed my min-!" My sword''s sharp edge cuts through the leader''s neck as his head is lopped off and thrown to the ground. The rest of the bandits are trying to make a quick escape into the forest now that their n and leader has crumbled to nothing. Sally and I run side by side into the forest, hunting down the survivors. Cutting into the backs and their abdominal cavities. Their organs slowly spill on the ground as the bodies pile up. "Don''t stop until they''re all dead!!" Sally screams out with a fury that I''ve never heard from her, and I can rte to her feelings. It''s a hard thing, during their words after everything we''ve been through... ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Open Road, near Elven Kingdom''s Border)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:31 AM)~~~ The screams of the bandits echo through the woods and back to the road. My eyes stare at the piles of bodies on the road that are chopped up and disced. Organs and blood are pooling, and my eyes shift to Cera. He''s staring out into the woods. If the weakest of their group are this strong, then I don''t see any way to beat them in a straight-up fight. While I know I can beat Sally or Jasmine one on one, I know for a fact that I wouldn''te out unscathed. "You just had to do that, didn''t you?" Cera''s sister, Hailey, starts a conversation as she walks over and stands next to her brother. He doesn''t respond, and she lets out a deep sigh. "I suppose it''s for the best. It''s not like they didn''t deserve it." I wonder how strong those two are... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 340 - Some Disagree ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Open Road, near Elven Kingdom Border)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:57 AM)~~~ My eyes follow Sally and Jasmine as they walk out of the treeline. They''re both dripping with blood that isn''t their own. Both of them used some of their strongest skills to take out the group of bandits. The bodies of the ones that suffered those attacks are easy to pick out from the rest due to the damage dealt with their bodies. I''m proud of Sally and Jasmine. They channeled their fear and anger. Used it to kill parasites that prey on innocent people. "We''ll need to stop by a river or town so we can get them cleaned up. While I can clean their armor using my Inventory, I can''t clean their bodies." My words confuse Helda and Melimora since they don''t know what an Inventory is. The two warriors return to the group, and I can tell they are ufortable with the amount of blood covering them. "Cera, I''m ming this on you! You could''ve reminded me that it was going to be dirty! Ugh! I hate this!" Sally isn''t happy with the condition she''s in, but she''s cute when she gets like this. It''s not angry, a nice frustration. Hailey shakes her head and turns back to the carriage, and Jasmine starts to follow her. Helda sticks out her arm and stops her. "We''ll need both of you cleaned up before we start moving again. Luckily for you two, I have a magic to help with this." Talk about conveinent. I''d love to have magic that can clean me when I get all dirty and disgusting from fighting. Sally and Jasmine are both visibly happy at the notion they don''t have to stay in this morbid state for long. Helda holds out her hand, and a blue light ignites from her fingertips a few secondster. Sally and Jasmine are covered in the same blue light. After a good 5 seconds, the light disappears, and both of them arepletely clean. Helda leaves towards the carriage, and Melimora follows her, and I''m left with Sally and Jasmine. I shrug my shoulders, and Sally rolls her eyes, and with that, we head back to the carriage ourselves. We enter and see Hailey in her same spot, and we all take seats. "The carriage can get through the roadblock without any trouble. It has repulsion magic." This carriage has everything... Makes me wonder what else the elven people have invented and have been using. I''ve never seen a carriage do all this. I''ve only heard rumors about what''s inside the borders of the Elven Kingdom in my old life. "We could''ve handled that situation without bloodshed, but I can''tin given who those men were." Hailey is quick to voice her opinion. There was a better way to handle that, but Sally and Jasmine needed that. Sally hase a long way in getting to face the people who''ve done her wrong. I think vengeance is perfectly fine, and many would disagree with my stance on that if someone hasmitted an incredibly horrible deed against you and hasn''t suffered consequences for it. You have every right to seek andmit revenge against that person or people. It''s my opinion, and some would agree with it, and some are against it. "When you''ve suffered years of very, torture, and sexual abuse. You can tell me not to feel the way I feel about these men, about wanting to ughter them..." My eyes shift towards the voice that isn''t mine. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Carriage, Heading towards Helda''s Destination)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:03 AM)~~~ Hailey has no right to speak from a high horse, given she hasn''t suffered at the hands of men like those bandits. Her eyes meet mine, and I can see the disbelief in them. I know that I''m considered the sweet and nice Sally, but there are some things that I will go out of my way to do. Defending my brutal actions against vers is one of the things I''m going to defend. She doesn''t know how to respond to my rebuttal, and her expression softens. "You''re right, Sally... I''m sorry that I said something like that... I don''t have any right to cast any judgement on the actions taken against those men..." Cera lets out a small chuckle at Hailey''s apology, and I see frustration roar from her, along with an upset facial expression. She grits her teeth and stands up in the carriage, and moves in front of Cera. "What''s so funny? Don''t you agree with me?" Cera isn''tughing about the apology, I know Cera, and he wouldn''t do that. He''s probablyughing at Hailey, given that she isn''t the type to apologize or admit she was wrong in some way. That might be what Cera is finding funny. Cera rolls his eyes and puts his hands up in mock surrender. "Never thought you''d be one to show your belly so fast. The Hailey that I know and grew up with wouldn''t throw her opinion away no matter who she was talking to. You getting soft on us?" Hailey realizes what he wasughing about and is somehow more offended. She balls up her fist, and she uses all her willpower to resist hitting him. "You''re so lucky that there are other people here, Cera... If there weren''t... I''d give you a taste of the beatdowns I''d give you before you grew taller than me..." He squints his eyes slightly with a smile, and it ticks Hailey off more. He''s winning, and everyone that can that. She sighs and rxes her body, and my mind tries to imagine what they were like when they were kids. Sometimes, I wish I had a brother or sister, but knowing they''d have to suffer the same life I did makes that thought disappear as fast as it does appear. "Rx, sister. I''m sure that no one''s opinion of you has dropped." Hailey does a good job ignoring him, and he ends it there. ~~~(POV: Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Carriage, heading towards Helda''s Destination)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:14 AM)~~~ They are a family, and they act like one that''s been close for a very long time. That''s how Helda and I should act like this if she did consider me a sister, and since she doesn''t act that way with me. It shows that she doesn''t think of me as a sister. "You two are more simr than either of you would admit." Sally is quick to try and bridge the two together after the show. Hailey ispletely ignoring the outside world and making sure that no one is bothering her for the time being. "Don''t worry, Sally. She''ll get over it. We always do. It''s part of our dynamic." Cera speaks in an even and rxed tone, and the talks die down. There is a misced and ufortable silence in the carriage now. The only one that seems to be enjoying the difort is Cera since he sees it as an opportunity to gain information. "We''ll be arriving at our destination by the morning after tomorrow at thetest. If we don''t suffer any more interruptions, we''ll get there by nightfall tomorrow." Helda knows these roads and how long it takes to travel them better than anyone alive today. My concerns are about how I tell her I''m done working with her and I''m going my own way... We''ve been working together for centuries, and I''m the person she trusts the most... She might take it as a betrayal... If she does, that isn''t my fault. I''m allowed to leave and be my own person and have an identity outside of Helda Vora''s business partner. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 341 - On Their Tail ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:51 PM)~~~ We''ve arrived at where our children have been staying for a while. At least that''s what the magical device is saying. They''ve already left town and are following the border. "Honey, I know that you want to keep going, but Marcus and I are both tired. There are some pretty good inns around here." Chris and Marcus are ready to rest for the night. My mind is tired and in need of a break too, and it''ll be nice to sleep in a bed after getting here. "Fine, let''s get a ce, and we''ll head out again following the trail first thing tomorrow morning. They''re going to keep moving, and we''ll continue to lose ground if we stay here too long." My drive to find my other two children is turning into madness. Chris doesn''t think I can see my obsession, but I know what I''m doing and how I''m acting. "I''m d that you''ve decided to slow down for the night. I was afraid I''d have to drag you to a ce to rest." My re shows I''m not amused. "I saw a pretty nice ce that isn''t too expensive. They even have a restaurant across the street." His voice is careful, selecting every word with precision. We walk to the inn, and Marcus is already asleep in Chris''s arms. Seeing them like that makes me smile. While we''re not aplete family yet, we''re getting closer. The inn is warm, and there are some yers here and there. I walk up to the counter and pay the overcharged price, which marks another chunk of our remaining funds gone. The bedroom is cozy and neatly decorated. Chris ces Marcus on one of the beds, and he sits down on the other. He motions for me toe and join him. Wasting no time, I sit in hisp as he wraps his arms around me. "Don''t worry, sweetie... We''ll catch up eventually..." I know that... It doesn''t make it any easier. They''re my babies, and I miss them... I want to see them... "Chris, do you think they''re as worried about us as we are them?" I can''t help wondering if they''ve even thought about us. They''re adults now and are quite powerful on their own. "It makes my insides churn, thinking that they may not even want to see us..." It''s been a long time since we saw them. The day they left the ruined LA on the yer continent was the worst day of my life. Both my oldest children left the nest, literally. Cera sprouted wings and flew away with Hailey on his back. "Of course, they''re thinking about us, and I know they''re worried. Not nearly as much as you, though." His tone has a joking and humorous edge to it. ~~~(POV: Christian Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Rented Inn room, Border City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:32 PM)~~~ Violets already asleep in my arms, she''s willing to work herself to exhaustion to find our other two kids. My effort to gentlyy her down on the bed works, and she''s sleeping heavily. My next objective is to use the bathroom, and once inside, I look at the mirror. It''s been so long since I''ve had a haircut or a shave. Starting to look hobo-ish. My temptation to cut off all my hair and do it old school is high. Looking like I''m in my early to mid-20s again means I can probably pull off the bald look. My Inventory opens, and I pull out a dagger, I run some water on it from the sink, and I start chopping hair off. It does feel good with every bit of hair that''sing off. I spent around 40 minutes, but now I''ve got a buzzcut look, and my facial hair is gone. I look down at the floor and sink, and it''s a mess. Not like I''m going to clean it up either. I''ll leave it for the owners. Overcharging us deserves some retribution. As I exit the bathroom, I notice that Violet is awake and is looking at me. She sees my new look, and her eyes bulge out of her head. She bolts out of bed and stomps over to me, making sure to convey how mad she is. "I can''t believe you went and butchered your hair without even talking to me about it!" She lets out an angry whisper, waking up Marcus like this doesn''t end well. She smacks my shoulder a few times and scowls. I don''t care right now. I needed all that hair off my head and face. She calms down and sighs. She stands on her tippy toes and runs her hands along my buzzcut. It''s an unfamiliar sensation, but it does feel good. "Well... You don''t look bad... You''re lucky this time. Most don''t survive such a brazen move with their wife." It''s an established fact that when you''re in a rtionship, your hair isn''t yours anymore. Your partner doesn''t want you making decisions about your hair without their input, and this mostly affirms to women and their men''s hair. If given a choice, we''d all have the same generic haircut. Simple and easy, but when you''re with a girl. It''s what she wants for your hair. "My brazen move, huh... I''m thinking about keeping it like this." She smacks my shoulder again. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Carriage, heading towards Helda''s Destination)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:17 PM)~~~ Sally is struggling to stay awake. Her head is leaning on my shoulder, and her eyes are fluttering open and closed. It''s like when a kid is trying to stay upte with their parents. My eyes leave her, and I look towards Helda and Melimora. This time, it''s Helda that''s asleep. Melimora stares into my eyes, and I can tell she''s a little more emotional than Helda. My attention is taken away as I feel another head fall on my free shoulder, this time, it''s Hailey. Jasmine isying her head in Hailey''sp. Already sleep. Hailey''s eyes are closed, and I bet she''s already asleep herself. I wouldn''t mind some sleep, but I''m not that tired mentally yet. "They trust you." Melimora surprises me. She''s a conversation starter. Her words tter me, and it does make me feel good that the people I''m traveling with do trust me. It means that I''m doing something right as a teammate and a friend. "We''ve been traveling together for a while now, and Hailey''s my sister. I''d hope they''d trust me by now." I''m not a noble and righteous man, but I do know how to love and take care of the people I care about. Melimora doesn''t react to my words, and she remains stoic. "Why do you let Helda determine everything? She even provides your opinions for you. I''m not trying to create a wedge between you two, just saying what I''ve observed." She doesn''t respond, but I can tell by the clenching of her teeth and the flex of her temple that she''s bothered by my words. ~~~(POV: Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Carriage, heading towards Helda''s Destination)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:24 PM)~~~ Cera has a natural inclination to see what people are feeling and thinking based on their body and facial expressions. He doesn''t expect a response from me. He''s provoking the thought of my partnership with Helda. He knows full well that I''m nning something. He doesn''tpletely know what I''m nning, but he sees a weakness in Helda and me. I can''t be mad at him. It''s not like he''s a terrible man. If he were, he wouldn''t have such good friends that trust him enough to protect them while they sleep. I can only guess what they''re nning once they get into the Elven Kingdoms''nds. Spending lots of time on the inside of the border isn''t what Helda and I do cause it''s dangerous for us. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 342 - Entering The Elven Kingdom ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Carriage, at Helda''s Destination)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:42 PM)~~~ This entire day has been spent mostly in silence, and now we''re at Helda''s destination finally. We exit the carriage, and we follow behind Helda and Melimora on a rarely traveled path. "Do exactly as I say. It''s been many decades since I''ve used this entrance, and it''s one of the oldest ones. It can get a little unstable." That doesn''t sound good. How can a wall this big get a little unstable and still be standing here? That doesn''t really make sense. Sally bumps my arm with her elbow and points to an opening in the wall up ahead. It''s just big enough to fit people, but we''ll have to crawl on our bellies to get through. "It''s going to be a tight fit. Make sure you''re ready." This isn''t good. Hailey is mildly ustrophobic. My eyes turn to her, and I can see she''s already extremely nervous. My approach doesn''t go unnoticed by her, and she stiffens once I reach her. I ce my hand in the middle of her back, and he jumps a little. After a second, she rxes. "Do you think you can handle this?" She''s a very strong woman and is capable of taking care of herself. ustrophobia isn''t something to take lightly, and it''s still emotionally stressful when in mild cases. "I''ll be fine, Cera... The sooner we get a move on, the sooner I''ll get through that stupid hole..." She steels her resolve and rolls her neck in an attempt to loosen up. Helda turns towards us and looks at Hailey. Her face is the same it always looks. She moves towards us, and she folds her arms. "The trip through on our stomachs will take about 30 minutes, longer if we have to hold up for you." My concerns for Hailey double immediately hearing that. Hailey moves closer to me on instinct, hearing the news about how long this will take. Sally moves up behind Hailey and wraps her in a hug. My attention turns to the small hole, and I can''t help but gulp myself. That isn''t something I want to get stuck in. "Let''s do this. Hailey, you''ll be in front of me. That way, if there is any trouble, I can help you." She nods her head at my n, and Helda moves towards the hole. She gets on her belly and starts to crawl inside. Melimora follow behind her. Sally follows behind Melimora, and Jasmine follows behind Sally. As soon as Jasmine''s feet disappear, Hailey gets on her stomach and crawls in, moving forward. I follow her in, and I can already hear her breathing heaving. "Oh, God... Oh, God... Oh, God..." She''s not in the ce she needs to be mentally, and I can''t help her get there right now. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Crawling through the border wall)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:58 PM)~~~ My sense of time is being lost, and I can''t seem to clear my head of terrible thoughts. It''s getting harder and harder to breathe. There is enough room for two people to stack on top of each other while on their stomachs. That''s the only give there is this hell. "There is going to be a fork ahead. Make sure you take the one on the left!" Helda''s voicees from the front. I can barely hear her, and my panic causes me to forget what she said. "Did you hear what she said, Hailey?" Cera''s voice is soft and full of a caring tone. My words can''te out. I''m trying my best not to scream... "She said to take the turn on the left at the fork. Repeat what I just said." He''s babying me, but I can''t reallyin. I need it right now. His hand reaches up, and I feel it on my calf, and my panic slightly subsides. "She said to take the turn on the left..." He remains silent and lets go of my calf. "Could you tell me a story, Cera... Something to help distract my mind..." I can''t keep thinking of being crushed and buried alive out of my head, and I need something else to think about. I''m going to go insane without a distraction. "Remember when we were kids, and you''d always try to take my Legos... You never liked them. You just wanted them cause I had them..." I do remember, and I''m not the only one that pulled crap like that. Cera was smart enough never to get caught. "Well... I''m the one that destroyed your stic yhouse..." My memories of that day flood me. Mom and dad were so mad at me. They thought I was the one that broke it. They said all the evidence pointed towards me. I always knew it was Cera, and to be fair, he was getting back at me for what I did. "Mom and Dad were so mad, and I felt bad that you got yelled at so much... That''s why I saved up whatever change I could find and bought that doll for you..." That''s a good memory. He starts to chuckle, and I don''t know why, and he takes a breath. "In truth, I didn''t save up any money... I found it in the garbage at our school... Figured I could use it to make you happier and save the hard-earned change I saved." I stop in my tracks, and I try to kick him. He''s using his palm to block my kicks. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Crawling through the border wall)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:03 PM)~~~ She grunts out and tries to kick harder each and every time. "I can''t believe you!! I slept with that doll every day!! I had that thing in my mouth and arms!! You gave me trash and let me y with it knowing full well what it was!!!" Her anger echoes through the hole, and Jasmine makes sure that we stay on course. Myughter causes her to get angrier. "Keep moving, Hailey... You want to get out of here, right?" She stops kicking me and starts crawling. My little idea has worked, and I''ll be the first to say it was all too easy. I didn''t really give her a doll out of the garbage. I''m only saying this now to get her mind off the fact we''re crawling through a narrow hole in a massive wall. She cusses me out and starts to question all the other nice things that I did to her. I''m d that she isn''t being bothered by the tight space anymore. Getting her mad seemed like the easiest way to do that, and I was right. "You''re such an ass!! I can''t believe mom and dad believed everything you say!!" The bitterness is starting toe out, but oh well. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location Crawling through the border wall)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:05 PM)~~~ Thenguageing out of Hailey''s mouth can cause a virgin to lose their purity. Cera continuesughing as Hailey tries to convey how mad she is, and hisughter is on causing her to get angrier."Your boyfriend sure knows how to get on people''s nerves..." Melimora start to speak to me in a low and barely audible whisper. Cera uses his talent at getting people mad to benefit him or the said person. It''s obvious that he''s doing this to get Hailey''s mind off her fear. "He uses it when he finds it necessary, and this is one of those moments. You can see that, right?" While I can''t see her face, I can guess what she''s looking like right now. She releases a sigh and leaves the conversation at that. Hailey talks and cusses all the way to the end of the small tunnel, and we exit one by one, and I look at the dark forest ahead of us. Illuminated by moonlight, and for the first time in my life. I''m seeing the Elven Kingdom, and echoes of pain and sorrow roar through me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 343 - Paying Helda Vora ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside the Elven Kingdom, near the border)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:34 PM)~~~ Sally is staring in all directions around her and seeing her homnd for the first time. We''re nowhere near a town or city, and the dungeon we need to go to for the potion to hide our identity is probably pretty far away from here. "Is it just me, or are the stars prettier here..." Hailey''s head is tilted up and looking into the sky. She''s not wrong. Perhaps it''s magic that''s been cast on the night sky. "The Elven people are obsessed with blood purity and physical beauty. They''ve developed several different magic spells to enhance the naturalndscapes and skies." Helda surprises me with her sudden exnation, and wee to an open clearing. A field that separates into another forest. Helda turns around and looks at us, and she folds her arms. "This is where I leave you, and you''re on your own. That means it''s time to give me what I did all this for." She holds out her hand and waits for the dagger. My attention falls on Hailey, and she nods her head. She takes the dagger out of her Inventory and tosses it to Helda. She catches it and immediately inspects the Legacy grade dagger, and I fold my arms as well. She lifts her head, and I actually see a smile. "I''m d that you''re people of your word, and while this trip has been difficult, I''m d that we stuck through it." Her personality haspletely changed, and she isn''t cold and angry anymore. She starts to walk towards us to head back to the way we got in, but I want to ask both Melimora and Helda something. "I''m curious, how much do you hate the royal family of the Elven Kingdom?" While I''d like to have them as allies and help me, it''s up to them. Getting their opinions on the royal family will answer whether I should ask them or not. Helda turns to look at me, and she sighs, her eyes gliding over to Sally. "I hate the royal family, and I''d love to put an end to them. The family that''s been ruling for thest 5 centuries has messed up the Elven Kingdom, but I''m not stupid enough to take them on without help." She does hate the royal family. That''s pretty interesting. My eyes shift to Melimora, and she looks a little surprised. I want her opinion too. "They''re a gue for a once great and noble kingdom, and I''d love to see new leadership installed in the Elven Kingdom." Sally smiles, and she tugs on my sleeve, already thinking what I''m thinking. They could be invaluable in our effort to destroy the royal family and confront the Orvello family. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Forest, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:44 PM)~~~ Cera smiles as he looks at us, and I watch him turn around and whisper some things to his sister and Jasmine. Sally joins in, and while I''d like to know what they''re talking about, I want to get a move on too. He turns back to me, and he slowly moves forward. "Would you like to know why we''re here?" It''s an odd question, and I don''t usually know that sort of thing. Itplicates the deal. Whatever it is, I''m sure it can''t be too insane. I nod my head a single time, and he takes a light breath. "We''re here to dethrone and punish the royal family for everything they''ve done. We''re also after an elven noble family by the name Orvello." Scratch that. They''re crazy. It''s so crazy, I burst outughing, and Melimora chuckles alongside me. Taking on the elven royal family is absolute suicide. You need powerful warriors that can take on the strongest army and fighters Gaia has to offer. "You''re insane, Cera!! There isn''t a group in the entire world that can stop the elven royal family! Let alone a single man!!" My words are between my gasps of breath from myughter. He keeps the same smile on his face. Myughter is halted, and my breath is taken away. By what you may wonder, it''s one of the most incredible things I''ve ever seen. Huge golden wings sprout from Cera''s back, and they glow in majesty and royalty that can''t bepared to anything else. I watch as Jasmine kneels, and Sally leans into one of the giant wings. Closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of them. My eyes soak in every detail that I see, every perfectly ced feather and the rich shine thates from his wings. Angel wings are said to be white, but the offspring of an Arch-Angel would have golden wings. He''s yer Zern. He''s The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. "Wha... How... Why..." For the first time in my life, I''m at a loss for words. His grin turns into a smile, and he spreads his wings out and makes them even bigger. Sally steps away to give some room. They shift and harden with regal fluidity. "We''re taking on the royal family and the Orvello noble house, Helda... Would you like to join us? Having you help us will be great help..." My mind is trying to figure everything out. ~~~(POV: Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Forest, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:55 PM)~~~ Unbelievable... It''s breathtaking... My body won''t move, and my mind is enraptured in the beautiful sight before me... I never thought I''d see yer Zern in person, and I never would''ve entertained the thought that Cera was yer Zern... Helda is as stiff as I am, and I''ve barely processed Cera''s question... Helda hasn''t answered, and I don''t think she can get out of her shocked state. This is a chance for me to be my own person, make a decision without her, and she might even want toe along. "I''ll help you, Cera." His eyes look at me, and he smiles. Helda''s head darts to stare into my eyes. Questioning why I''ve decided this. I move forward and reach my hand out, and he does his. We shake hands, and I take a stand next to him. Waiting and watching Helda. "We''ve got one, and we still have room, Helda. Don''t you want to help us get rid of the royal family?" Cera''s voice is soft and coaxing, a temptation that I''ve never heard in a man''s voice before. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Forest, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:58 PM)~~~ Helda is unmoving like a statue, and she doesn''t even look like she''s breathing. "I... I don''t know... I''ve never prepared for something like this in my life..." My heart goes out to Helda cause Cera has that effect on people. Making them stumble and lose all sane and rational thought. Revealing his real identity isn''t something he does. He''s taken a major risk in showing Helda and Melimora, but we''ve already got Melimora on our side. Helda is halfway here. She just needs to get over her shock. "I''m a regr guy, Helda... You''ve spent thatst 2 days with me, and what have you learned?" Her eyes slightly widen, and she rxes. Cera isn''t some arrogant or shy man. Helda can see that Cera is more human and normal than he is Angel and extraordinary. That makes him even more special, in my opinion. "Okay, I''ll help you... But if I''m going to help, there is something that I want that the royal family has in their possession." Cera nods his head, and she walks over and shakes his hand. Cera didn''t n to include them in the fold. He thought it was a bad idea. Seeing how civil they can be when they know they can trust someone has changed his mind, and I''m d that he has. "Wee to the team, Helda. We''re going to aplish a lot working together." She gives a small normal smile and nods in confirmation. Now we can do this. We have guides now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 344 - Playing Catch-Up ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Following Cera and Hailey''s trail, Open Road near the border)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:20 AM)~~~ The magical device showing us where to find our children is saying they''re already on the otherside of the border, which causes major problems for us. We''re being led to where they got in, but I don''t know if we''ll find it. This thing''s uracy isn''t the most reliable. We''ve been traveling for thest few hours, and Marcus is asleep on Christian''s back. We''re a day and a half behind them, and it''s only going to get wider now that they''re on the otherside of the border. "Your intense thoughts are leaking out of your head right now, honey..." Chris speaks without turning around to face me. He knows what''s going on with me without even looking. "We''ll get in, I promise." He makes it sound so easy. His confidence helps take my thoughts on other pressing matters. My main concern is the threat we''ll be under once inside. The elven people are notorious for not letting in people from the outside world, and we fit that category. It leads me to believe that Cera and Hailey found their way in, away from the guards and away from the elven forces. Their resourcefulness has impressed me, to say the least, and it makes me a proud mother that they''re able to survive and thrive on their own. Even if there is a part of me that wants them to still want me to take care of them. I''m a very attached mother, and I''ve been working on trying to get that to tone down a little. Chasing after my kids isn''t a real good sign of progress... That doesn''t mean I haven''t made any... "Sorry that I''m always obsessing over them... Being an overbearing and overprotective mother... I can''t help it sometimes... It''s hard thinking about them and not being able to see them..." He remains facing forward, and Marcus stirs slightly. He slows down and falls into ce next to me. His hand reaches out for mine, and his fingers intertwine with mine. "You worry enough for the both of us, and I thank you for that. Cause if you didn''t, I''d be on the obsessive one." His small smile calms me, and I look at the face of my youngest son. His gentle features squished as he sleeps and drools on Christian''s shoulder. My hand squeezes his bigger hand, and he does the same in return. I hope that it''ll be easy to get across the border, cause if it isn''t. I''m going to make a way through it. "We''ll be catching up to them in about a day, to the point where that got through the wall more specifically." We''ve got to hurry, and I''d insist we''d run if Marcus weren''t asleep right now. ~~~(POV: Christian Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Following Cera and Hailey''s trail, Open Road near the border)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:33 AM)~~~ There are ways for us to get across the border, and one of them is sleeping on me right now. Marcus is strong enough to burn a hole or path through the border wall. "Cera and Hailey are probably on some dangerous mission that''s located in the Elven Kingdom. I''m kind of jealous." The topic of conversation doesn''t have the effect I want on Violet. She scowls and lets go of my hand, turning her head away from me in an attempt to shun me. She doesn''t want to think about or talk about the possibility that our kids are doing something dangerous right now. "Don''t even talk about that, Chris. I know their fighters, but I don''t want them doing anything dangerous." Her voice softens along with her expression. She''s having another motherly episode, and those never go away no matter how old one gets. I''d have the fatherly version is I didn''t think they could handle it without us. They''ve been doing fine without us. "What do you want to talk about then? All we''ve discussed is our kids and how we''re going to find them." I''d love to talk about something else for a change. The rxed shrug from her indicates that she really doesn''t think about anything other than our kids. There is one topic that I can bring up, but it''s not that far off from what we''ve already been talking about this entire time. Violet has brought up a desire to have another child now that we''re back in our early 20s physically. I''ve given it some thought, and I wouldn''t mind having another kid. The problem with that is we''ll have to stop all our adventuring and settle down again. Personally, I''m not ready for that. I''m also notfortable taking the baby on our adventures with us. "There is one thing I''d like to talk about." Her calm and even words interrupt my thoughts. She looks at me and smiles, and I think I know what she''s going to say. "Have you been giving the thought of having another kid a chance? I''d love for us to have another baby..." Her eyes fall to the ground, and my resolve falls a little. It''s not like the process of making a baby is difficult. It''s the best part, in my opinion. The problem is privacy. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Following Helda and Melimora, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:15 PM)~~~ Now that we have a guide through the Elven Kingdom, it will make our time here much easier. They''re currently taking us to a safe house where we can stay for the night, so we don''t have to sleep in tents and the sort. "The ce we''re heading is pretty remote, and thest time we spent any time there was about 130 years ago." Meaning it''s likely in a state of disrepair. While sleeping in a ce that has a roof sounds nice, I''d prefer it not be partially rotten. The home we squatted in, The Border City, isn''t a ce that I want to stay in again. "Don''t worry, Sally. It should still be in decent condition. The spells that I put on it should''vested this long." Helda surprises me, and I look at Cera, and he just chuckles. Jasmine and Hailey are following behind Cera and me right now, and Hailey''s still in a bitter mood about what Cera pulled in the small path getting here. "You know that he only said those things to get your mind off the tight space, right?" Hailey ignores my words and keeps staring a hole into the back of Cera''s head. He looks at me and shakes his head. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Following Helda and Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:21 PM)~~~ Hailey is pretty bitter about the things I said, and I''ve exined that they''re not true, but she doesn''t believe me. That isn''t my problem, though. I did what I was supposed to do, and I helped her through that cramped tunnel. "Don''t bother with her, Sally. She''s just going to have to get over it, no matter how much she doesn''t want to." I can almost hear the grinding of Hailey''s teeth. My eyes find their way to her, and she has a deep scowl, and she isn''t in any mood to deal with this. Cera has mastered the art that women have pioneered. Passive-aggressive behavior. He''s using it against Hailey right now, and he''s doing a better job at using it than she is. If she''s trying to use it at all. Her''s is more aggressive than passive. Cera turns around and walks backward as he speaks to Hailey. "I said that everything I told was a lie to motivate some anger from you. You should be thanking me that I helped distract you while in that small ass tunnel." She squints her eyes and stays silent. This must be typical sibling behavior. They do this a lot, and that''s the only conclusion I cane up with. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 345 - Relaxing Different Ways (R-18) ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:47 PM)~~~ It''s been longer than I wanted it since I got to sleep on an actual bed, and the safehouse has 4 rooms and plenty of space for everyone. Helda says we''re going to be staying here until she gets into contact with some of her friends on this side of the border. There are apparently a lot more elves that disagree with the royal family and the currentws. Cerays next to me, and I feel his hand find mine. We stare up at the ceiling as the soft bed fits our figures. "It''s far morefortable than wood. My back would pop if sleeping on wood made me sore." His joke doesn''t go unnoticed by me. I let out a small tired chuckle. His body is far stronger and harder than wood, but that''s not how he feels when I''m against him. It''s softer and pleasurable when I''m physical with him. He must have some conscious or unconscious control over how hard his physical body is. "Not so much when I''m around... My body and your body get along like peanut butter and chocte..." He smiles as he tilts his head on the pillow to kiss my forehead. I don''t usually talk like that. I''ve figured out it''s okay to talk like this when I''m alone with Cera. I''m oveing some of the things that have made me ufortable. What makes it better is Cera isn''t forcing me. He''s supporting me and being patient with me. "That''s the best way I could describe it to... Why do you think that is..." I couldn''t say. Maybe it''s something more than random chance. Sometimes, I like to think that Cera and I were made for each other. He''s everything I needed in a man and partner. He''s explored a world that was unfamiliar to him as well as for me. While I couldn''t give him my purity due to my past, he''s the first to have my love. He''s also the first to give me pleasure while doing the act of lovemaking. My mind is muddled with the nights and hours we''ve had to indulge in each other''s bodies. His lips are right in line with mine, but his eyes are closed as he''s trying to sleep. My judgment and mind arepromised when I''m thinking about Cera... He awakens feelings and sensations that I''m addicted to. Love, lust, pleasure,pany, satisfaction, and many more. The actions that I''m taking are something that I''ve developed in the time I''ve spent with Cera. My lips move forward, and they connect with him. After a second, I move mine in a rhythm with his, forcing him to move along with mine. His eyes open, and he gives his full participation, only for both of us to close our eyes and continue the amazing act. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:58 PM)~~~ The hot water rains down my body, and I press the soap harder on the dirtiest ces. It''s been so long since I''ve had a hot shower, and there is ever one attached to our room. Jasmine was excited to see that we have a bathroom attached to our room. It''s my turn this time. She got to use it before me. I''m going to take a shower twice a day until we have to leave. It''ll be a long time before I get another chance to take a shower. My body was producing an odor that I hadn''t had in my entire life while on earth. It doesn''t make it any better when everyone else smells bad, either. I''m afraid I''ll lose my sense of smell one day, and the rank odors that I deal with daily make it possible. My next and back pop multiple times as the hot water runs down my back. Flowing over myrge butt and back to the tiles. My womanly figure is something that I''ve gotten from my mom. My chest and butt are farrger than they shoulder be for someone with my size. It''s something that made women jealous back on earth. The worst part about having a body like mine is the stares you get and the types of men approaching you. They love to be disgusting, and it''s impossible to find a decent man. "Sometimes, I wish I could make my own boyfriend... Craft him out of y and bring him to life..." Water trickles down my body as I exit the shower, and I grab the towel. The warm and dry towel snuggles against my body, and I exit into my room. My bed is separated from Jasmines, and I slowly make my way over to it. And I release a long sigh as I take a seat. "Jasmine must be in the kitchen getting some food..." She was telling me how hungry she was, and the kitchen looked fully stocked. I don''t know how fresh that food would be, but if you''re hungry enough, that doesn''t matter. My eyes stare up at the ceiling as Iy on my back. My mind drifts between different memories of my childhood and life. My mental energy is drained from all the shit I had to deal with in thest day, and I''m soon asleep on the couch. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:13 PM)~~~ He thrusts his hips into mine, and he hits me deep and hard. The tip of his long and thick rod hit my cervix again and again. The thick veins of his member are rubbing against my walls, causing screaming pleasure. His chiseled chest is pressed against my chest, and my nipples are poking into him. My breathing is heavy, and I can hardly keep my eyes open. The way he moves his hips from side to side when all the way in... It makes me see stars... His rod is throbbing, and it makes my tight tunnel squeeze harder. "Ohhh, Fuuuuck..." Words escape my mouth as he nts himself as deep as he can. My body rocks and shakes as I reach climax, and he explodes into me, filling me up to the brim. Inside of pulling out and stopping, he continues with new vigor and energy, and I continue toe. The sensitivity that I''m under right now makes it impossible to resist him or the pleasure he induces upon me. I''m addicted to him, and how he makes me feel, I have no shame in saying that. Cause I know Cera loves me, and I love Cera more than anything in the world. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:18)~~~ Sally''s fingers drag down my back as I press my body against her. I plunge my member into her deeply every other second. She bites my neck as I lift her with me still buried in her. I start to swing her back and forth in my rod while she hangs from my arms by her knees. Her eyes are half-lidded, and her pupils are rolling to the back of her head. He grits her teeth as I feel her tighten harder than ever before, and she covers my rod with liquid and juices. That causes a response from my own monster, and I bury myself as deep as possible in her. I release another huge load and pain her insides. "Fuuuuck Ceeerrraaa!!!" She screams out as I thrust a couple more times to make sure I get everyst drop out. She''s biting her lip as I throb in her. I gentlyy her back down on the bed, and I pull out. She tightens harder as I slowly drag my long and thick member out of her. The tipes out with an audible pop, and I release a couple more shots onto her wet entrance. She shivers, and her head pulls back, and her eyes closed. Her head and legs shake,ing to a final release. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 346 - Helda’s Contacts ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:29 AM)~~~ Ashburn and Le are supposed to be arriving here by tomorrow morning. I''ll need their help, and if we''re going to get the transformation potions that we need from the dungeon that Cera has his sights set on, we''ll need all the help we can get. Melimora sits next to me on the couch as the others are still asleep. We had a hard time sleepingst night from all the noiseing from upstairs. It''s been a very long time since I''ve heard the act of having sex so close by. It was quite annoying, but Cera and Sally are consenting adults. It''s not like I can really tell them to stop. No matter how annoying it gets. Melimora was ready to get up and charge into their room to shut them up. From the sounds of it, they''repatible partners, and that''s a hard thing for an elf to find. One that''s been an ex-ve, no less. It''s hard to find that one, and Cera is apparently able to see past the things that Sally has been subjected to. Most people only see ex-ves as impure animals, and that causes a lot of freed ves tomit suicide. It''s a hard life out there for the ones that struggle on a daily basis. Being oppressed by your own government and people isn''t something the Elven Kingdom should be proud of and encourage. "Do you think that any of them will be getting up anytime soon?" Melimora stops my train of thoughts in its tracks. She turns her attention to the people we''re housing in one of our dozens of safe houses. "I doubt that Cera and Sally got much sleep. They were at it for a long time... I feel bad for the girl. The stamina of an angel must be endless." Hailey and Jasmine were on the same floor as the loving couple and probably struggled to sleep as we did. Melimora leans back in her spot on the couch and releases a long sigh, and it''s bing moremon with her. "Do you think that we could pull this off? Take out the royal family and change the Elven Kingdom for the better?" If anyone has a shot, it''s the group that we''re a part of right now. She shares the same concerns as me. There aren''t that many powerful sympathizers with our ns. Most people who would want to help are poor and unable to contribute in any helpful ways. The poor in the Elven Kingdom is heavily oppressed, and while they''re eager for change, they have no power. "We''ll have to find out and see, and I''ll admit that I have hope..." It''s hard to see my homnd like this... ~~~(POV: Ashburn)~~~ ~~~(Location: Heading to Remote Safehouse, near Lekkora City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:40 AM)~~~ It''s been many years since Ist saw Helda and Melimora, and I didn''t think I''d ever see them again. They have a specific way of doing business, and it''s kept them safe for some time now. I know thest time I saw Helda and Mekimora, they were discussing new ways on how to bring others across the border. They''re smart and rescourseful. Without them, I would''ve been the man that I used to be. I''ll admit, I''ve grown to love Helda over the years and the few letters we''ve shared. A man can''t help falling for a girl with virtues like Helda. It''s hard to find that in an elven woman. Melimora is a dear friend, and I consider her a little sister. She has probably changed quite a bit in thest 100 years. Time isn''t that important to us elves, main due to our life spans. Much of humanity and other races are jealous of our many gifts, and I don''t me them for that. "They want me there by tomorrow morning, and they''re lucky I''m nearby." When Helda contacted me, it did make me smile. Asking me toe to one of the safe houses means she needs help with a job. ~~~(POV: Le Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Heading to Remote Safehouse, near Brokelia City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:48 AM)~~~ My cousin has decided to get a hold of me and ask that I help her with something. She''s the only family I have left, and we''re thest of the Vora family. My husband walks next to me and smiles as I look at him. I met him after I had Helda sneak me into the border. I was carrying illegal goods, and I didn''t want to try and get past customs. Jaeson helped me escape from capture multiple times once word got to the government about what I was selling. "To be honest, I''m nervous about meeting your cousin... You''ve told me on many asions that she doesn''t trust outsiders... Do you think she''s going to have a hard time epting me..." Helda is a lot of things, but she looks out for those she considers family. Helda will be surprised seeing that I''ve found a man and married him. We''re not the type to get married, but he''s everything that I want and more. "She''ll be d that a man like you exists in the Elven Kingdom, and she''ll be happy for me that I found you. Don''t sweat it too much. It''s not that big a deal." Helda isn''t the menace she''s been portrayed. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:06 AM)~~~ Cera is so warm... Even though I''m not affected by the cold, thanks to my Legacy ss. It''s nice to share in the heat that he provides. My arms and legs are wrapped around him, and my most private parts on smothered against his bare skin. He was energeticst night. Normally he stops after a few times. Last night''s fun went on for a few hours. At first, I tried to be quiet for everyone else in the house, but after a while, I couldn''t keep quiet. He was every bit as gentle and rough as I needed him to be. The things he did to me made me feel ways that I never imagined existed in the act of making love. It sends shivers down my spine and throbs of pleasure in my lower lips just think about it. He''s asleep still, and I''m barely waking up. I don''t think I''ll ever fully adjust to his size, but he makes sure that he''s gentle enough not to leave any pain behind. "You awake yet, Cera?" My voice is soft, and I feel a hand run up my back and stop at my shoulder. That tells me he''s awake or getting to that state. Iy my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. My fingertips make little circles on his hard abs and chest. It''s something that I love to feel. He responds with a simr gesture. His fingertips run along my ribs, giving me butterflies in my stomach. He''s doing it just enough to make it bearable. That''s one of the ces that can make meugh uncontrobly. He''s being gentle and sweet with it. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:10 AM)~~~ Hailey and Jasmine will be mad at us once we see them again. I got carried awayst night, and my stamina and need for multiple releases took over me. Seeing Sally in a state of pleasure overtook my sense of reason, and I went beyond the rate that I normally stop at. I''m afraid that I might''ve pushed her too far. She doesn''t seem mad, and she''s affectionate even now. Maybe I should ask... "You alright?" Her head leans off my chest, and I open my eyes to see her looking at me, confused. "Was I too rough or forcefulst night?" Her confusion turns into a look of love. Instead of answering me, she shows me. She crawls up my chest and locks her lips with mine. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 347 - Tired ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:08 AM)~~~ I hate my brother sometimes... That hate usuallyes around when he does something that makes my life harder. I''ll love him since he''s my brother, and he''s always there for me, but the sibling hate is also there. Today, I''ve woken up muchter in the morning, thanks to him. The walls here are thin, and it''s easy to hear people. It shouldn''t be hard to figure out why I''m so mad. The other part is cause Jasmine was in the same state I was in. Annoyed and tired, the worst part of it all... I can''t yell or scream at him cause they did it in the privacy of their own room. If we heard them, that''s our problem. Not theirs, and as badly as I want to yell at my brother, I can''t. He''s not going to care either way and lying here in bed and staring at the ceiling. I can say I wouldn''t care either. Jasmine is asleep next to me, trying to get some shut-eye herself. We didn''t get to go to sleep until after Cera and Sally were done, and that took a while. Way longer than it should have. My eyes close as tiredness ovees me. I''d love to continue sleeping, and I don''t think there are any issues with me doing so. We''re not doing anything today, and we''re just waiting for some of Helda''s friends to get here. She said she''s expecting them by tomorrow and that it''s important that she talk to them alone first. "Hailey... I don''t want to get up yet..." Jasmine groans out in her sleep, and I sigh. She''s talking in her sleep again. She does that a lot. She quiets down, and I''m left with my need to sleep. My eyes are closed again, and I think about things that could happen to us during this massive undertaking. We could get captured, we could die, and that''s my greatest fear. Hailey and Sally won''t being back. They''re not yers. The same can be said about Halda and Melimora and their friends. Putting them at risk doesn''t seem fair, and a part of me wants no one but Cera and me to handle this. The problem with that is it won''t be as important to the Elven Kingdom if Elves weren''t directly involved with the demise of the royal family. Politics was something that I was never good at, so this could be wrong. My consciousness is beginning to fade a bit. My dreams overtake me, and I''m no longer thinking about the problems that gue my mind. Instead, I''m getting the rest that I missed out on with all the noise down the hall. The sleep bes deeper, and everything I''m worried about is forgotten. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:30 AM)~~~ My eyes flutter open, and I see the ceiling above me. Sally and I decided to go back to sleep this morning, and I''m d she convinced me too. There aren''t many times I convince myself that sleeping in is a good idea, and others would tell you that there aren''t many things that would make them get out of bed in the morning if they didn''t have to go to work or school. Getting up now seems pretty good, but the only problem with that would mean I''ll wake up Sally in the process. She''s still attached to me and isn''t letting go anytime soon. "Men would die to have this situation, and since I have it, I should be grateful..." Sally stirs and squeezes her body against mine after the whisper that I spoke to the ceiling. Her head is over my heart, and it''s a calm beating at the moment. She told me listening to it soothes her and that she wants to listen to it when she''s going to sleep. My hand slides up her back, and she lets out a small moan as it arches in tandem with my movement. Her eyes slowly open, and she slowly looks up at me. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:34 AM)~~~ The softness of Cera''s hand sends electric currents up and down my back. My body and heat are rising as he continues. My eyes meet his, and he lets me see a tired grin, and I rx further. My body is reacting in a way that I don''t want it to right now, and there isn''t anything I can do to stop it. He has no intention of doing anything with me right now. Yet I can''t help wanting him to do something with me... The way he makes me feel when he touches me... It''s indescribable... He makes it so much better than I ever thought it could be with someone that I love and cherish, and he does the same back to me. "You''re making me weird, Cera..." He stops his hand, and I look at him again. My eyes take in his confused look, and he is honestly stumped with my words. Someone so smart can be pretty dumb sometimes. "You make me feel things physically and emotionally that I''ve never felt before... Things that I''m bing addicted to... That I''m already addicted to..." I don''t feel shame in saying this since it''s Cera... ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:50 AM)~~~ They''re sleeping inter than I expected, and that can only be pinned on Cera and Sally. My attention is set on the device in front of me. It''s an orb. A crystal ball, to be more precise, and it''s capable of picking up frequencies for within the Elven Kingdom. These frequencies are turned into moving pictures that are used to entertain or talk to the public. Since we''re out so far in a remote part of the Elven Kingdoms country, there aren''t any strong signals. I''ve been trying to get some thest 2 hours, but nothing is working. "Still not able to get a signal, huh?" Way to point out the obvious, and it''s making me more frustrated as time goes on. Meli sits beside me, and she takes the crystal ball from me. She tries to locate a signal herself, but she can try as hard as she wants. She''s not getting it, though. She spends about 10 seconds working on it, and voices and noises starting from the crystal ball. That''s impossible... "Sometimes, you just need the right touch." I snatch the ball from her and check to make sure she didn''t tamper with anything. My eyes turn back to her, and she''s smiling smugly at me. "There is no way that you fixed this piece of shit in 10 seconds while I wasted two fucking hours on it." She raises an eyebrow at my foulnguage. I rarely curse, but when I do. It means I''m mad. She chuckles, and she stands up and starts to walk towards the kitchen again. My attention is put back on the crystal ball as a male elf is talking through it. They inform the public of important things, but it''s controlled by the royal family. "There are many concerns about the recent massive breach in the wall. Many are saying powerful fire magic is the cause." My heart tightens as he talks. I can''t help but worry he''s talking about something that can ruin this. There is no way that any of that is connected to us. We didn''t blow a hole in the wall. I''ve never heard of fire magic strong enough to break through the Elven Border before. It must be a high-grade ss with plenty of attack power. That''s the only exnation I cane up with. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 348 - On Their Tails {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Forest, The Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:44 PM)~~~ The abandoned carriage on the road gave us everything it needed to. That''s where our kids got through the wall. We found a very small and tight tunnel that could be traversed on our stomachs, but Marcus wasn''t up for something so dangerous. "Do you think he''ll be alright?" Chris ces a hand on my back, getting my attention as Marcus walks ahead of us. Marcus is getting so much stronger than either of us, and it''s something that we''re bing concerned about. Not that he''ll misuse his power, but it presents a danger to him in more ways than one. Blowing a massive chunk out of the Border Wall will gain us some heat if they find out it was us, but I can''t be sure. We got out of there before anyone could get up. He''s still a kid, and I''m worried that once people find out who he is, they''ll try to use him. He''s a Legendary ss wielder, after all, and that''s priceless to many powerful people and organizations. "He''s responsible with his powers... He doesn''t ce himself on a pedestal because of them... I''m worried about what others will do if they find out..." A mother worries. The Elves won''t let us go easy if they find us out here. They''re likely scouring the forests. Instead of following the exact same path on our kids, we''ve made a major divergence, and we''re looking to loop back around after losing potential pursuers. "That''s not what I mean... Do you think he can handle the pressure when ites out..." I didn''t even consider that... There are going to be so many people that''ll try to turn him to their side. He''s an impressionable kid that can be convinced of something if given evidence, even if it''s fake or not. "We''ll be there for him, and I''m not going to let this world hurt him that way... I''ll suffer an eternity of deaths before that happens..." His hand slides up and rests in the middle of my back. He''s not going to be my little boy forever, and I''ll be missing him when he leaves my side when he''s older. Turing and flying away from the nest himself, just like Hailey and Cera have. While we''re pursuing them to be a family again, I know that I won''t be able to stay with them forever. They''ll want their space from mommy and daddy. They''re adults, and one day I''ll blink, and Marcus will be just like them... It makes me feel so empty... "No, the world we live in now won''t hurt him... He''s already too strong for any normal NPC or yer to threaten him... He''ll be a force that many wouldn''t have the balls to approach..." His words are the other side of the coin, and they''re just as possible too... ~~~(POV: Christian Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Forest, The Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:02 PM)~~~ She tries her hardest, and she inspires me to try my hardest. We can''tpete in power with Marcus or Cera, probably Hailey too. "Thanks for being such a great man and husband, Chris... An even better father too... I know we''ve had our disagreements when it came to Hailey, but I''m d that we worked everything out..." She causes me to sh back to those moments. Those days were easypared to what we''re dealing with now. While it''s not as stressful financially, it''s mentally and physically draining, despite the fact we''ve regained our youth. "There were times that I wondered if our marriage would end, but you stuck by me anyway..." I wrap my arm around her and pull her closer as I talk. She''s dealt with so much crap in our early life together, and even though I worked myself to the bone, I still felt that I didn''t deserve her... That I wasted her life and stopped her from having a far better one... "I''d never leave you, Sweetie... You''re my soulmate, and you gave me the best gifts I could ever ask for..." There is a tightness in my chest... It''s hard to hear her say that, not because it''s not true or she''s ever been unfaithful... Hearing her call me her soulmate makes me what to shed tears for the first time in my new life on Gaia... "You don''t know how much it means to hear that... You''re my soulmate too, Violet... You''re the one that gave me the most important things in my life..." We''re talking about our children... They''re our pride and joy, and no parent would disagree... She leans her head into my chest and slowly closes her eyes... She''s trying hard not to cry at this moment between us, and I''m not going to ruin it with any more words. Marcus is ahead of us and ying with his fire, enjoying himself. He''s the reason we got through so easy. Her hand sps mine, and I hear her make a loud sigh. "I''m excited to see our kids, and all I can do is hope they don''t move from where they are. It''s going to take about 3 days to avoid any elves following us or tracking us. They know that there are intruders that have entered their kingdom, and they''re be looking everywhere." She''s got her mind in the right ce. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Forest, The Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:25 PM)~~~ They''re sure being lovey-dovey back there, and seeing that isn''t something I like. Parents being like that aren''t a good sight. My distraction is my practice with my fire, and my control is still getting better. There is still a long time before I get to see my brother and sister, but it''s not that long. It''s going to be exciting to show them what I''ve learned. I''m betting that I''m stronger than both of them now, and I can''t wait to show off. Hailey and Cera will want me to stay with them instead of staying with mom and dad. I''m starting to see why Hailey felt so smothered by mom. It''s pretty intense at times. Since Cera and Hailey aren''t here to divide the constant attention, I''m taking 3 times as much. Dad tries his best to separate mom from me, but I''m needing a break from both of them. I know that I''m really young, and they''ll never let me stay with Cera and Hailey, but I can dream. My eyes turn towards the orange sky being lighted by the angle of the sun right now. The Elven Kingdom has some of the best views I''ve seen. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, The Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:45 PM)~~~ Hailey and Jasmine are upset by the looks of it, but they haven''t said anything yet. They''ll get over it soon. It''s not the end of the world. They even slept in, and that should be enough to let it go. Perhaps there its something that isn''t as easy as letting it go. They have an intense connection, Hailey and Cera. They''re a vtile siblingbo. She is staring a hole into Cera''s head, and Sally is caught between them. She''s visibly nervous herself. "If you''ve got such a problem, Hailey. Just say something, this isn''t high school where passive-aggressive behavior will benefit you in any way."That sets off her fuse faster than I thought possible. It''s a little funny, if I''m honest. She darts up from her seat and stands in front of Cera as he rxes against the couch. "There is such a thing as the right time! Thin walls and a house filled with people isn''t a good time to indulge in one another!!" Sally''s blush explodes onto her face as she buries her face in her hands in embarrassment, trying to hide. It''s quite a showing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 349 - Travelers And Meetings {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: 1st princess of the Elven Kingdom, Olisandra Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Elven Captial City, Greshina)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:15 PM)~~~ Mother is on a warpath right now. The Border hasn''t been breached in many centuries, and this leads to the obvious conclusion. A very powerful person has entered ournds that aren''t one of our own. Someone that isn''t to be trifled with, and now there is panicing from my mother and the council, and I don''t me them. The meeting room is filled to the brim with our best warriors and any other important nobles. THe Orvello Family has even decided to show up, and this is the second time in my 450 years long life I''ve ever seen a member of their family this close to the royal capital. The head of the Orvello family is sitting close to my mother. Zaenera Orvello has a reputation of being shrewd and callous and one of the best strategic minds that have ever graced Gaia. "I want to know how the hell an entire 40 hole was sted through our borders!?" Her question is directed at the scientific head of our country. He''s not the most talkative person, but his mind is always working on some problem. He holds the many reports he''s collected, and he slides them across the table for everyone''s viewing. I take a copy off the table and start reading myself. "As you can tell, an incredibly powerful fire spell was used to literally melt through the magical enchantments and ancient Elven metal." I''ve never heard of a fire spell like that before. The room is silent as he takes a breath to continue the exnation since there have been no questions too far. "We''ve deduced that this fire attack spelles from a powerful ss and is exclusive to it and that only leaves a select few options from what we know so far." That''s a great ce to start, but I doubt we''ll get any names. People with powerful sses are great at hiding themselves. The new people that I''ve read about are even better at it. "If you had to guess, Helixixs. Who or what would you say had the ss strong enough to deal with this?" My mother''s question is a simple one, and the man takes out a separate list and starts to look through it one more time. My mother''s impatience is quite obvious, but he looks back up, and he takes a small breath. "From recent announcements from humanities churches, there is one ss that popped up some time ago that has the strength needed." Heys the paper down and slides it over to mom. "The Phoenix Legendary ss. We don''t know who has it, though." That''s bad... Very bad... ~~~(POV: Ashburn)~~~ ~~~(Location: Heading to Helda''s Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:48 PM)~~~ The whole day of travel has seen that I''ve covered a lot of ground, and I should be arriving in the morning. There isn''t that much to say to Helda after I meet her again. She''s a pretty cold individual and doesn''t like talking for long periods of time. I don''t me that either. I prefer ack of words to an excess of words. Some people just don''t know how to shut up. I''ve be much stronger since thest time I saw her, and despite the temporary retirement I''m enjoying, I''m looking forward to seeing what she has nned. My eyes turn up towards the night sky, and my ears twitch slightly. I hear something deep in the forest, but nothing that''s close enough to perceive me and attack me. It almost sounds like the burning of something, but I''m not in the mood to see what it is. The types of monsters out in those woods are dangerous and powerful and are only held back by the powerful enchantments that hold things away from the cities. It''s suicide not to stick to the paths. You have to be extremely powerful to stay alive at night. ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:08 PM)~~~ I can''t get enough of this night sky, and the temperature is perfect to be out thiste. It''s not too cold, and it''s not too hot. Hailey is sitting next to me, and she''s in a better mood after getting to vent her frustrations about Cera to... Well... Cera... She didn''t hold anything back, and Cera didn''t react in any way. It''s like a ritual with them. When Cera does something that pisses Hailey off, he lets her vent her anger about it. sometimes he even makes it worse by adding insults. "He''s so fucking lucky he''s my brother... I would''ve loved to wipe that grin off his face!!" She grows from a whisper to a scream at the end of that sentence. There has been a subject that I''ve been avoiding with Hailey. One important to me. It involves her connection to Cera, and since Cera is The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, that means she has a special ce in the hierarchy of power in this world. I can''t be sure that she''s an angel simr to Cera, but her immense power and ss exin that she''s connected. This is all too confusing to me, and I think leaving it alone is the best thing I can do... ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:14 PM)~~~ That smug asshole will get what''sing to him after all these years, and nothing is going to stop that from happening. I''ll make sure that I get him back for every cheap shot he''s dealt me! Now, what''s the best way I can wound his pride? There has to be something that''s clearly obvious... A good insult about his manhood might work! Wait... That wouldn''t work. Not only is it weird, I can infer from how much Sally loved it that it''s probably rather splendid... Ugh, enough of that... Something else then... "Hailey, can I ask you something that doesn''t really make sense?" My thoughts of exacting revenge are interrupted by a depressed Jasmine, and I focus on her instead of my problems. She doesn''t really get this way without reason, and she''s not that much a talker when ites to her problems. She sees me nod my head as I ce my hand on her back as we sit on the porch enjoying the night. "How do the yer''s system and sses work? Why is it so different from us?" That''s a big rabbit hole, and I don''t know if I can answer those questions, but I''ll try. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:28 PM)~~~ My embarrassment from early hasn''t died down a bit... I was hoping that no one would acknowledge what we didst night and how long we did it... I didn''t realize that I kept everyone upst night from all my noises... I just want to curl up and die! I''ve never been so humiliated in my life! This is way worse than when we were in Border City! Cera is sitting next to me as he looks over towards Helda and Melimora, but it''s no longer a mental chess game with them. It''s a silence that isn''t filled with a tense vibe. "Do you have a n about how to get into the capital once we get the potions from the dungeon?" Helda''s sudden question causes Cera to raise his eyebrow. He leans forward slightly and grab a snack off the table, and quickly eats it. "I''ve been brainstorming some ideas, but the best approach seems to be a silent one. If we go zing in there and have disregard for any innocent lives, we''ll be no better than the royalty poisoning your country." He''s right to be concerned about that. We don''t want innocent civilians to be involved. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 350 - Heading To The Great Elenahiers Dungeon I {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling through the forest towards Elenahiers Dungeon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:19 AM)~~~ Ashburn and Le are pretty nice people, and Le''s husband, Freskra, is a pretty cool guy too. My eyes fall to the side of Hailey, and Emerald is walking next to her. The Legacy beast has grown too big to be carried around. Now is the most dangerous part of her development, she''s too big to carry around anymore, but she''s not strong enough to fight off powerful enemies. Emerald has taken after Hailey in more ways than one, and the green striped tiger has an attitude towards me. The same one I get from Hailey, and it''s a funny sight to behold. "Ashburn, have you learned if any other dungeon divers are in Elenahiers Dungeon?" My distraction from the silence is stopped as Helda asks one of our new party members a question. Elenahiers Dungeon is the ce where we''ll get the potions needed to change our appearances into elves. Since Haily, Jasmine, and I all look human, it''d be a death wish walking into a popted center. I know very little about Elenahiers Dungeon, on that she was one of the greatest mages ever to exist and created some of the most important potions used today. Ashburn has his hands behind his head as we walk in the morning weather of the Elven Kingdom. It''s a pleasant temperature. "From what I''ve heard, it''s been blocked off for any adventurers or parties. Apparently, with the New People being here, the dungeon has changed a bit. More deaths have caused the ce to be locked down." That isn''t good news. Not like every n that''s been made hascked kinks. A great leader does not create a perfect n. It''s one that can adjust their n to the changes that ur. "Luckily for us, the guard patrol isckluster, and thanks to that breach in the border wall, most attention is on that." That does make things more doable, but I have a feeling something will go wrong. Helda closes her eyes as she walks, and I can tell she''s also making adjustments to the n. We''vee up with some good ideas, and we''re all ying specific rolls once we have the potions. "What about the security of the capital and the Orvello Estate?" Sally grabs my wrist, hearing that name of the family that damned her mother to a cursed life, and subsequently her. It''s a hard thought for me. Thinking about the life she''s had fills me with a rage that I''ve rarely had in my life, and I have to suppress my power actively. "The security has ramped up quite a bit, and the Orvello Estate has new magical barriers that have never been prated." Sally moves close, and I wrap my arm around her, giving her somefort. She''s a strong girl capable of incredible violence and anger, but she''s right to be scared of the Orvello family. Any sane person would. The family heads tossed Sally''s mother to the wolves like she was worthless, their own daughter. "Are our routes into the capital still viable?" Helda impresses me more and more as I learn about her. She has routes into every town and city in and around the Elven Kingdom. I wouldn''t be surprised if she had simr things all over this continent. "While some of them are, none that you would consider the first choice remain. They''ve cracked down on the criminal underworldtely, and they''re not slowing down anytime soon." The life and job of a smuggler... ~~~(POV: Ashburn)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling with the group)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:33 AM)~~~ Helda is as thorough as I remember her, and with the n to get rid of the royal family in y, it makes sense why she''s acting this way. While I''m old friends with Helda, I didn''t expect her to make this much use of me. I should''ve thought so, given how long I''ve been in the Elven Kingdom. "Le, what does the nobility look like right now?" Helda is asking Le the right questions. I don''t involve myself in the political scene, and from the letters I''ve corresponded with Le and Freskra. They''re good friends from back in the day when we were all smuggled across by Helda and Melimora. Speaking of Melimora, she''s looking as beautiful as ever, and I''m looking to bring up my courage and finally ask her to try a rtionship with me. I''ve been apprehensive given her general dislike for men, but since we''ve also talked over the years, I want to give it a shot. I''ll just need to find the right time to talk to her and seeing how serious Helda is being. I don''t think there are going to be a lot of openings. So when I see one, I''ll have to man up and ask her. Make myself unafraid of rejection. ~~~(POV: Freskra)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling with the group)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:50 AM)~~~ Ashburn is the only person I know from this group of people, and that''s only from Le and me sending messages to him from time to time. He''s a really decent man, and I trust him, by I''m not sure I trust everyone else here. Helda and Melimora are people that Le said we could trust, and I''ll take the word of my wife. She''s smarter than me when ites to this stuff. Cera and Hailey, siblings and incredibly powerful. Cera is the one thates to ournds wanting to take on the royal family, but I can tell that he''s doing it not for himself but for the woman that he loves. Sally, the girl that''s ignited this entire scheme, but not on purpose. I have a keen eye when ites to understanding people. This information has been ryed to me, and I''ve deduced some of it on my own. For instance, Jasmine is an ex-ve, just like Sally. They walk and act the same way everyone has that''s escaped from that damned existence. Their conversations about what to do and the nning impress me, and I kind of feel pointless, but my uses wille inter. I know they will. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling with the group)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:00 AM)~~~ Emerald has grown on me so fast, and it''s strange. It feels like just yesterday I got her, and now she''s walking next to me. Almost at the point that I could ride on her back and my feet not touch the ground. She''s going to grow to be muchrger than any normal taming creature out there. I don''t know how big she''ll be once fully grown, but I''m excited to see. Jasmine has been extremely quiet ever since I exined to her how sses work for us yers and how everything else works. She''s mainly been focused on the bigger questions, she even asked me if we''re Gods, and that''s understandable considering the way I exined it. Cera is on my left, and Sally is on the other side of him. He''s looking ahead and watching the neers. The discussion regarding our destination has been an interesting one, to say the least, and I found it surprising that Cera doesn''t know that much about the dungeon we are going to. Considering that he knows so much about everything, but this isn''t halting my suspicions and probes of questions when the times are right. What we''re doing here... In the Elven Kingdom... It''s truly insane, and I''m getting more and more scared as we get closer. My fears are not of my own well-being but those that can''t respawn like Cera and me. We''re the only yers here, and there is a chance that someone or multiple people will die in this undertaking. It sinks in more with every step. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 351 - Heading To The Great Elenahiers Dungeon Ii {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling with the group)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:28 AM)~~~ My thoughts about my friends dying permanently really put me down in the decent fun energy that''s happening right. Everyone is talking and learning more about each other. My hand reaches out for Cera''s arm, and I pull on him. He turns his head, and his grin falls, seeing my worried look. "Can I talk to you about something..." Despite both of our ws, we''re always there for each other. We fall to the back of the small group and create some distance between the people we''re worried about and us. My hand is still gripping his wrist, and I let him go after he tilts his head in the same way he always did when I needed someone to talk to. The same look that he gives me when he''d be the only one to support me. My baby brother... My eyes harden on Sally and Jasmine. They''re my main concerns. He looks towards where I''m looking, and his body rxes slightly, and I do the same. "I''m worried about it too, Hailey... I''m digging through so many possible ways to protect them, but I can''t find an answer to all of them..." It''s hard to hear that, I''m not going to lie. I''m so used to him having some n or idea prepared in case something goes wrong, but him saying that he doesn''t have answers for some of the things that might happen causes a pit in my stomach. "Do you think we should even have them go into Elenahiers Dungeon with us? Won''t that solve everything?" His eyes slowly shut, and a secondter, his head shakes. He folds his arms, and I see his muscles flex in frustration, seeing that he''s having a hard time with this too. "The area the dungeon is located in is incredibly dangerous, and leaving them alone outside is more dangerous than taking them in with us..." Oh... I don''t want to lose my friends... My new family... Sally and Jasmine are the sisters I''ve never had... Out of nowhere, I feel him sling an arm around my shoulder and bring me into a sideways hug. The same one that mom and dad would give us when times were going to get harder... "You and me... We''re going to have to keep them safe, and if ites down to it, take a death. Losing a level and item is more than cheap for their lives." He couldn''t be more right. It''s nice to hear him care... I''ve only died a few times, and I haven''t died since I got my Legendary ss. I doubt Cera has died a single time, given how much he knows and how strong he is. "I wonder what happens if they do die..." The words leave my lips before I can even think about stopping them. Cera hugs me tighter in his hug. I know he''s thought of the same things. He takes a deep breath, and for the first time in my life, I hear a shaking and nervous sigh from Cera... "Most people would say don''t even think about that... I don''t like that approach." His voice ends with a sharp tone, and his gaze is focused. "I think that the only way to be ready for the situation that causes that to happen is to think about it." He''s always seen things differently... My arms sling around his back, and I hug him tightly back. We can aplish anything if we work together. That''s how it''s always been with us. While we''ve beenpeting most of our lives, there have been an equal amount of times where we''ve been on the same team helping each other. "Dad would tell you that it''s wrong to think like that..." We both let out a small chuckle... ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling with the group)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:51 AM)~~~ Haileyys her head on my shoulder as we walk, and these are the moments I act like the brother she needs. The times she vulnerable and weak, the same times that I''ve found myself in the past, and she''s helped me. "Mom would probably yell and hit us for even thinking such dark things... Never believing something so bad could happen..." Mom was always predictable... She releases an unconscious groan at my words. Remembering all the times, she''s taken shit from mom, not able to do anything about it. She''d have left home a long time ago if she could''ve afforded it. I''m d that her future has changed. My actions did work out in the end. "You don''t know that half of it... She''d always know just what to say..." Her growl in anger causes me tough. She looks up at me from the side and wonders why I find that funny. "Where do you think we learned how to piss each other off? How we know what to do and what to say at the right times to make each other mad? Mom taught us that..." Not on purpose, of course, but behavioral traits of the parents fall to the children. Hailey looks like she realizes something, and her reaction is funny to me. "I can''t believe I didn''t see that!! That''s where I learned how to twist and turn things around!! Mom showed us!!" Hailey would know better than saying this in front of mom, but it''s just us. "God!! Now I know why she and I always fought!! I''m so much like her!!" Can''t rte, but I can understand. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling with the group)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:07 AM)~~~ Jasmine and I are both pulled from our conversation at the loud and anger-filled words of Hailey, but they''re not directed at Cera. They''re towards her mother. "What do you think that''s all about?" Her whispers can only be heard by me, and I''m just as clueless about the situation as she is. Cera has talked about his parents before, but not the way Hailey is right now. She says words and phrases that shouldn''t be directed towards one''s mother, but Cera lets her vent, and he keeps one arm around her to make sure she''s got someone to lean on. He steps up in major ways when things are serious. "Hailey hasn''t talked about her mom a lot, mostly just her dad..." Jasmine implies something that I already know. Cera has told me on asions when we''re talking about his family that his sister is a daddy''s girl. The princess that was exalted in his eyes. He also told me that his mom and sister had differences, but nothing like this. "It''s none of our business, and I think the reason we don''t know is cause they don''t want us to know..." Jasmine silently nods her head in agreement with me. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling with the group)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:16 AM)~~~ Family drama isn''t something that I''ve experienced before and based on the things I''m hearing. I don''t want to. Le and I have had disagreements in the past before, but we''re cousins, not close family. The family that Cera and Haileye from must be a reallyplicated mess and has problems that I couldn''t begin to rte to. My focus shifts from the slowly quieting of the yells behind me and on the mission at hand. Elenahiers Dungeon is on an entirely different level when ites to difficulty and danger, and we''re going to be in that dungeon for at least a day, if not longer. Cera and Hailey''s power will help, but even with them, it''s not going to be easy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 352 - Heading To The Great Elenahiers Dungeon Iii {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling with the group)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:29 PM)~~~ We''re getting closer to our destination, but we''ve still got plenty of ground to cover. All this time in my head with my thoughts has made me realize something. Melimora and I aren''t as close as I''d like us to be. This hase to my attention thanks to the many things I''ve seen with Hailey and Cera. The sibling rtionship they have is something I want for Meli and me. Meli has be distant thesest few days, hardly even talking to me anymore. It''s natural for people to drift apart, but I didn''t think this would happen with Meli and me. "Have you been well since thest time we talked?" Speaking of Melimora, she''s having a conversation with Ashburn. He''s a good man, and he likes Meli. It''s not hard to see he''s interested in her. She''s a big girl that can observe things for what they are. She doesn''t need my help or input. I''m leading the group alone by about 10 feet. "Depends on what your definition for well is, Ash. To me, things have been at a far lower standard than I''d like them at, but I can''tin due to what we''re doing right now." Yes, who would''ve thought we''d end up going after the royal family. Ashburn stays silent, and there is tension between the two. Mostly from Meli''s response. When a person that''s interested in you asks you how you''re doing, it''s a question to see if now is a good time to talk about something more. People think that asking the ones they like personal questions in a hard time is a bad thing. I couldn''t really tell you if they are or not, those are things that I''ve observed over my life from the interactions of those around me. "I''ll be honest, Melimora. I wasn''t expecting that answer. You normally have the same two answers. One answer is fine, and the second answer is slow. This is the first time I''ve heard you talk like this before." He listens to her... That''s sweet... Rare to find in a man these days... Elven men especially. He passes the bar that''s been set all these years, and he could fetch any girl he wanted due to these traits. He''s got his heart and eyes firmly set on Meli, though. "There is something I can say that''s insensitive in response to that, but I''m not going to say it." A single chucklees from my lips at Meli''s response. She''s been like this for as long as I can remember, and it''s one of the qualities that Ashburn likes. If he didn''t, he would''ve stopped trying 55 years ago. "I''m d you didn''t, then. You''re words cut deeper than you think, Melimora. You know that, right?" She doesn''t respond, and the quiet tension between the two gets worse as time goes on. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling with the group)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:50 PM)~~~ It''s strange seeing someone as stiff and rigid as Melimora having someone interested in her... It goes to show that someone is out there for everyone. Poor Ashburn... He''s trying his best, but he''s not getting much from her. She either doesn''t know or is so uninterested in Ashburn that she''d rather drive him off with the cold shoulder. Cera is walking next to me and is watching with an amused look on his face. He moves closer to me and lowers his head to whisper. "Are you thinking what I''m thinking?" No, I know that I''m not. He''s probably scheming something that will cause some sort of conflict. He rolls his eyes as I turn my head away from him and let out a huff. I''ll not participate in childish behavior. I''m over 100 years old, and I''ll not be involved in whatever he''s nning. "Just enjoy the show then, cause this is going to be fun." He starts to walk forward, but I grab his hand and try to drag him back away from the two ahead of us. He stops and looks back at me, seeing the drag marks from my boots in the dirt. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling with the group)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:02 PM)~~~ She''s being a spoilsport with the way she''s trying to prevent me from speeding Ashburn''s and Melimora''s awkward and cringy conversation. "You''re not going over there if it means I have to make you..." She tries talking in an angry whisper, and she''s not wrong in this situation. I''m not doing this to be mean. I''m doing this to help both of them. Sometimes an ufortable topic or conversation needs a little push. Melimora either doesn''t know or refuses to acknowledge Ashburn''s feelings. What I''m doing is opening the door and bringing it out in the open. While it is fun to do this. Ashburn could end up wasting his time in the end. This will give him the answer he needs. Meilmora is someone who prefers direct confrontation, the quickest path. He''ll waste too many years on Melimora if he continues trying to do it this way. "Sally... What would you do?" My low whispered question causes her to raise her eyebrows in shock. Assuming that I would already know the answer to that. Which I do. She''ll say that it''s none of her business and we should stay out of it, and she''s right. When something is right, it doesn''t always mean it''s the thing you need to do. Doing the wrong thing at the right time can be far more useful than doing the right thing at the right time. "Of course I wouldn''t interfere, you idiot!?" She lets out a yelling whisper. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling with the group)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:07 PM)~~~ Cera starts walking again, and I watch Sally struggle to stop him with all her might. It''s like watching someone try and stop a car. Her legs are slowly sinking into the ground the closer Cera gets to Ashburn and Melimora. He makes it to them, and they both look at him in confusion. They look over his shoulder and see Sally trying her hardest. His eyes meet Melimora''s, and he looks at Ashburn. Ashburn realizes what''s about to happen and slowly starts to panic. "You know that Ashburn likes you, right?" His question hits the ears of everyone present, and I soon hear stifledughter from the girl I''m walking next to. I softly elbow Jasmine''s shoulder to get her to stop talking. Ashburn has a look of horror on his face, like doom as befallen him. It''s a hrious expression! I have to try my hardest from seeing the expression. It''s one of the funniest I''ve ever seen. Melimora raises an eyebrow and looks at Ashburn. "You like me?" So she didn''t know, that''s a good thing and a bad thing. Mostly good, though. Ashburn looks like a deer caught in the headlights, he''s at a loss for words. He does his best to straighten up andpose himself from his flustered state. Melimora is waiting for an answer with a genuinely curious look on her face. "Yeah... I''ve liked you for a long time... Is that weird for you?" His nervous voice levels out after getting over the worst of it. The entire group has stopped now that this is happening, she looks him in the eyes and she takes a small breath. "It''s not weird, in my opinion. That exins why you''re always nervous around me, I thought you hated me or something." He has a dumbfounded expression on his face, that''s not a rejection, but it''s not a reciprocation either. He turns his head towards Cera, with dead eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 353 - Arriving At The Great Elenahiers Dungeon I {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Nearing Destination, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:00 PM)~~~ Thest two days of travel have been unnecessarily long, but time didn''t move any different than it usually does. That''s a strange thing to me, how some days feel so much longer than others. It makes me think about things many would consider insane. Sally hugs me tighter from behind and snuggles her body in closer. She''s resting on my back. She''s been having a harder time sleeping thest two days. I''m doing my part to help her rx, and it''s easy. She weighs like a feather to me. "We should be reaching the dungeon in a couple of hours." Helda has been a more reliable navigator than I ever could''ve been. My knowledge about the Elven Kingdom is extremely limited. Convincing her to help us was the best decision I''ve made so far, and while outing my identity to Helda and Melimora was a calcted risk, it''s paid off already. Ashburn, Le, and Freskra have told me some about themselves, but nothing too big. I''m a stranger to them, and I wouldn''t want them telling me all about them. Seeing people that closely guard their lives means that they''ve experienced what I have, in some form or fashion. "Cera." Hailey''s voice grabs my attention, and she catches up to me and walks by my side. "Have been thinking about how we''re going to protect Sally and Jasmine..." Her whisper is barely audible. Sally won''t hear it cause she is asleep. Hailey is looking like hell, and it''s all because she can''t stop thinking about how we''re going to handle this situation with Jasmine and Sally. Myck of response frustrates Hailey, but not to a point she''d get physical. "I''m not going to worry about it, Hailey." Her face twists into a stupid look, and she tries to wrap her mind around my words. I''ll take care of Sally and Jasmine, and I''ll be taking extra damage for their sakes. Hailey will see what I n to do once we''re inside. "What the hell do you mean you''re not worrying about it!?!" Her voice makes Sally stir on my back, and she moves her head. My eyes look at Hailey''s, and she looks so sleep-deprived. She''s never had the life of a loved one on the line like this before, and it''s driving her crazy. A tough lesson with Hailey is sometimes the most effective, and this is one of those lessons. "Say what you want, Hailey. Contrary to popr belief, I''m not a God." Compared to the power of a real God of Gaia, I''m still weak and easily kible. The only reason I''m still alive is thanks to the blood that''s supposedly flowing through my veins. "Ohhh, that''s such crap, and you know it! If there is anyone that I''ve seen close to that level, it''s you!!" She''s really losing her marbles over this jeopardy game with Jasmine and Sally''s life. All I can do is roll my eyes and walk a little faster to ignore her. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: nearing Destination, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:09 PM)~~~ There''s no way he doesn''t have some sort of a n! He''s always prepared! He''s always got the answer and know''s what to do!! Jasmine catches up to me after giving Cera and me some privacy. "Are you finally going to tell me what''s going on here?" Her voice is full of worry, and it drives into me with nothing but pain. I''m so scared of losing Jasmine and Sally... They''ve be a part of my family, and Cera is acting like the thought of them dying in a few hours doesn''t bother him. "It''s nothing you need to worry about. Something that happens between us from time to time is mimunication, and I''m trying to fix that." Lying like this makes me no better in the end. Helda and Melimora will probably be able to hold their own, but everyone else is at serious risk of injury and death. Jasmine and Sally''s lives are more important to me than the rest of the NPCs, but that doesn''t mean I''m not worrying about them. Jasmine looks mad at myeback to her question, and I''m getting more stressed by the minute. ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: Nearing Destination, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:17 PM)~~~ Hailey creates some distance between herself and the rest of the group, and I can''t tell what''s going on in her head right now... She''s been on edge thest day, and whatever''s on her mind is really freaking her out. "Don''t worry about her." Cera''s voicees from my side, and I turn to see him. Sally is sleepingfortably on his back. He''d know Hailey way better than me. He''s her brother. Hisck of concern for his sister''s mental state makes me a little worried, though. "This happened a lot growing up. When something really bothered her, she''d react like this. Totally stressed and crazy." That''s... Not asforting as I''d hoped his exnation would be... She''s really a tough person, but this is the first time I''ve seen her act so stressed before. Things getting to her like this must mean they''re serious. "Don''t you care about her enough to try and fix the problem... She''s making me worried and stressed..." He makes me mad with his sigh, and that''s when I have to remind myself that he''s yer Zern. I can''t look at him and judge him based on the current experiences that I''ve lived. He''s at the highest possible life rating there is. I''m worthless next to him... I shouldn''t be judging him... "I can''t hold her hand through everything, Jasmine. She''s an adult, and she can figure it out on her own." He''s right... Hailey is an adult, and she''s not Cera''s responsibility... ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Nearing Destination, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:28 PM)~~~ They''re acting stranger the closer we''re getting to the dungeon, and I can sum it up to the differences between us and the new people. Hailey and Cera wille back to life after they are killed. We do not. That''s what''s driving Hailey up the proverbial wall. Her fears are rational, but the way she''s handling them is irrational. As long as we all work together, everything will be fine. The dungeon itself is difficult, but with propermunication and a strong team, it''ll be easier than she could realize. It''s been around 131 years since I''ve done this dungeon, and at the time, I wasn''t that strong, but I had a great group of friends and strongmunication with them during the entire dive in the dungeon. They''re going to be fine, and Cera realizes this. That''s why it''s not driving him crazy like it''s driving Hailey crazy. It makes me worry, though... She has such ack of confidence in herself and the group that she could be a liability in the dungeon. If this is how she reacts to stress, it''d be better if she waited outside the dungeon. ~~~(POV: Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Nearing Destination, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:35 PM)~~~ My thoughts are mostly on Ashburn right now. Despite what''s going on behind me, I''ve got a problem on my hands with him. He''s a good guy, and I like him... But I don''t want to be in a rtionship, and I don''t want to keep being distracted by this. He''s not expecting an answer, but I feel like I''ve given him false hope. Not saying no when I first found out and remaining silent is probably putting ideas in his head. Things that''ll only make it more painful if I do reject him. "Once we reach the dungeon entrance, we''ll rest for the rest of the night and start in the morning." Helda''s n stops my thoughts in their tracks, and I focus on the task ahead. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 354 - Arriving At The Great Elenahiers Dungeon Ii {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:17 PM)~~~ We''ve got camp all set up for the night, and tomorrow marks the start of our dungeon dive in Elenahiers Dungeon. Sally and I are alone in our tent, and she''s half asleep. Her head is nted on my chest. "You scared about tomorrow?" Her tired voice makes me sleepy. It''s that a strange thing, how someone else being tired can make you tired too. My mind is ready for some real rest, and despite the dangers of tomorrow, I intend to sleep tonight. "I don''t share Hailey''s panic and fear for this dungeon... You know why she''s so scared, right?" Sally isn''t stupid, and I''m betting she''s already figured out why Sally is acting the way she is. Sally moves her head and shifts it so she can look up at me. Her eyes are half-closed, and she has a small grin on her face. "She''s worried about Jasmine and me... She''s sweet for caring so much, but I have faith that we''ll make it through this unscathed. You know why, right?" She turns my question into her own. I do know, and I feel a certain tingling butterfly feeling when she has so much faith in me. I''ll not let anything happen to Sally and Jasmine. I''ll try to protect everyone, but they''re my priority. "This is the first time I''ve ever been in a dungeon that''s so difficult. You got any advice for me..." Her voice is getting more tired the longer we keep talking. She''s trying her best to stay awake. She took a nap while I carried her, and she''s still this tired. She''s been stressed herself from this challengeing up. "Stick close to me, and I''ll watch your back. When a monster too strong for you to handlees along, I''ll handle it. This is a great chance to learn about fighting as a team." We haven''t had many chances to fight as a team like this. We mesh well, but it''s not the two of us anymore. We''re going to be traveling with Helda and the rest for a while, and I don''t know how long that''s going to be. "I''ll take that to heart, then. You make me worry, though." My confused look causes her to roll her eyes as she smiles. "You never said who''ll watch your back..." If everything goes smoothly, there won''t need to be anyone that watches my back. She sighs at my silence, and she crawls up my body until we''re face to face. She looks into my eyes as her fingertips glide across my cheek. "The thought of you dying kills me, Cera... Even if youe back, watching that... I can''t stand the thought..." Her eyes are starting to water up. She''s been stressed about this way more than I thought. My hand rests on her lower back, and I gently rub her back in an attempt tofort her. "If you promise not to do anything reckless, I''ll promise to..." She lets her tears fall freely at my words. Showing that I''m taking her seriously is making her feel better. She leans closer, and our lips touch. Both of our eyes close, and we sink into the feeling. ~~~(POV: Ashburn)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Elenahiers Dungeon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:32 PM)~~~ Cera outing my feelings for Melimora like that pissed me off, but it wasn''t as bad as I thought it''d be. I was afraid she''d recoil in disgust or say she didn''t like me at all. Her not reacting those ways must mean I have a chance... She hasn''t said anything since it happened... Does that mean she''s been thinking about it... Helda didn''t give a reaction either, and I was worried about her reaction more than Melimora''s. She''s known to inflict great harm on those that hurt her friends, even if they''re her friends too. "What are you thinking... It''s driving me crazy..." I talk to the tent ceiling above me, and the solitude does get to me. Being so alone... When you think you can share a life with someone... Loneliness really eats at you, and it makes things so much worse. I turn on my side, and my back pops as it does. I''m not stressed about the dungeon, not like I''m stressed about Melimora. I can''t be distracted tomorrow, so this will be thest time I think about this until we''re done with the dungeon. ~~~(POV: Le)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:40 PM)~~~ Freskra makes a fantastic pillow, and I can''t sleep without him by my side. His hand gently flows through my blond hair, and his steady heart rxes me... "What do you think about Cera, Sally, Jasmine, and Hailey... A strange group, huh... And that magical beast..." He''s been thinking about them since we met them. We don''t know much about them, only their names and why they''re here. My thoughts about them are skeptical right now... I know they''re strong... Especially Cera and Hailey, but I don''t think they''re bad people. Helda and Melimora wouldn''t waste their time with them if they were like this. "They wouldn''t be here if Helda and Meilmora didn''t trust them, and that means we should trust them too." Helda and Melimora have great judgment. It makes me wonder why Cera did to convince Helda to do this. It''s obvious that Cera is the one that''s changed Helda''s mind about helping strangers... At least in this scenario... "Then I''ll not worry about them. Hopefully, nothinges back to bite us from doing this. We''re really trying to take on the royal family." That''s what I''m worried about... ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:45 PM)~~~ She''s getting worse as time goes on, and now that we''re in our tent, she looks like the undead by how deprived of sleep and rest she is. She staring at the ceiling of the tent with hollow eyes. She''s worried about Sally and me... That''s the only exnation I can think of on how to describe what she''s going through right now. My hand finds hers, and she looks over to me, and it''s hard seeing her like this. "We''ll be fine in there, Hailey... You and Cera will be there, along with everyone else... We''re not as weak as you think..." She hardly reacts, but I can see a sh in her eyes. "You need to sleep, and if you don''t, I''ll tell Cera not to let you in the dungeon tomorrow." She darts her body up and stares at me. Her gaze is intense, and she''s trying to find the right words to rebuttal my threat, but she can''t. She''s either too tired, or she can''t think of one since she knows that she''s not handling this well. Sheys back down on the nkets closes her eyes. "You better not be faking either cause that''ll seal it." She doesn''t react, and her chest is slowly rising and falling. She''s already asleep, and my worries are taken care of. She''ll have to be 100% tomorrow, and going to sleep this early is sure to make sure she gets plenty of sleep. Iy down beside her, and I look at the ceiling above. The warmth of the tent is nice enough to make me drowsy too. My eyes start to close, and not long, I find myself asleep. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:03 PM)~~~ Cera and I embrace one another as the sleep catches up. Sharing a kiss and feeling each other up has got me hot and bothered, but we''re too tired to do anything more. He''s mentally exhausted, and I''ll admit that I''m the same way right now. His presence helps me let go of any thoughts of worry and stress. He''s my rock... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 355 - Diving Into Elenahiers Dungeon I {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:12 AM)~~~ My concerns for Hailey aren''t as serious as before. Mostly due to her not looking like hell anymore. Jasmine must''ve convinced her to rx. That''s impressive... It''s hard to get through the head of anyone with Adamo blood. "Is everyone ready?" Helda looks around the small campsite we''ve made, and everyone is standing outside a tent. Sally and I are standing together, and Helda''s eyes stop on Hailey. "Do you think you can handle this? I''m debating if I should let youe with us or not. You could end up a liability." Hailey doesn''t react in a negative way. She hardly reacts at all. "Good, if you had said anything, I''d have requested you say out here. Since you agree, it means your head is clear now." Clever method. Helda starts walking to the entrance of the dungeon, and it''s truly an immacte design. Massive silver gates block our way into the massive stone brick path. "Once we''re inside, always call out where monsters areing from within your view. Communication will make this far easier for us." Helda and Melimora walk to the silver gate together and ce their hands on it. We follow behind them, and we stand in a circle around them, and the gate to the dungeon slowly opens. The stone path lights up from the magicalnterns on the walls, and we cross the barrier separating the dungeon and Gaia. "The monsters we''re facing are called the children of Saeramar. He was the mad son of Elenahier." The lore junky in me is going crazy. Learning new things about The Ancients World, aka Gaia, is one of the few things that I''d say I enjoy greatly. It was once first, but it''s been reced by being with Sally. "Many elven people have perished in this dungeon, and while it''s not as long as others in the Elven Kingdom, it''s one of the most dangerous." Melimora takes over the exnation for Helda. They slowly draw their swords after a few more steps, and everyone in the group also follows suit. "Saeramar took over his mother''s work and practices, but he was far too unstable mentally to have the support of the Elven royal family. There is no knowledge of what happened to Saeramar." Saeramar isn''t a name I''m familiar with in the slightest anywhere. My de hasn''t been used in a bit, and I''m excited that I actually get to fight again. Despite the fact that I have to protect almost everyone, it''s still an opportunity to cut loose. The only one I don''t have to protect actively is Hailey. She''s got a Legendary ss and knows how to use it. Sally and Jasmine have powerful sses, but they''recking levels. Emerald... She''s waiting outside the dungeon and guarding the camp. Hailey has given her strict orders to run if anything too powerful shows up. I open my yer interface, and I toggle my wings on. As they sprout from my back, I hear multiple gasps from behind me. "Ohh... That''s right... We didn''t tell you guys..." Helda stops and starts to talk. The shocked expressions of Le, Freskra, and Ashburn almost make meugh. "Cera is actually yer Zern, The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. He''s the reason I''m even trying this crazy idea, but I figured if there is anyone that can dethrone the royal family, it''d be him." Helda''s calm and rxed exnation falls on deaf ears. In the next second, all three of them are bowing to me. The slight glow from my golden wings is lighting up the hallway a bit. "Please, don''t bow... Despite what everyone says, I''m still half-human." They raise their heads in hesitation. I''m not someone that likes the idea of being bowed to. The whole idea of that life seems inconvenient. The first to stand is Ashburn, and he looks beyond nervous. He''s trying his best to put on a normal face, but it''sing out contorted from the stress. "Get on your feet, you idiots!! We don''t have time to y through this crap!" Hailey is adamant about making sure this doesn''t take too long. Le and Freskra both stand up, and that ends that. Faster introductions are far more effective. In my opinion, it doesn''t give people time to pucker their lips and try to kiss my ass. My wings are slightly folded due to the cramped tunnel. I can''t fully let them spread out. If I did, they''d tear a long path through the walls as I move. "The first encounter with monsters should be about 35 feet ahead." In this tiny tunnel? Great... ~~~(POV: Le)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:28 AM)~~~ No wonder Helda and Melimora were convinced to go along with this crazy n! yer fucking Zern is helping them!! Talk about a curveball! I knew Cera was powerful from the way he looked and held himself... That''s why I couldn''t sense a distinct power from him!! He''s a divine being, and as a mortal, I wouldn''t be able to sense it!! My eyes fall on my husband Freskra, and he''s looking sick to his stomach. He''s a devoted follower of the Gods of Light, and this is a big deal for him... "You doing alright, honey..." There are pops as his stiff neck turns towards me and his smile is forced and funny looking. "Remember... He wants to be treated normally... You can tell, right?" My whisper causes him to flinch. Cera has to deal with this all the time, and heading to the popted areas must be hard... I feel for the kid. I really do... Having the responsibility that he has must weigh heavily on his shoulders. Sally has lucked out, from what Melimora has told me. She sleeps with Cera often, and not the type of sleep where you close your eyes and dream. She''s his girlfriend, and that''s awesome. He can see past the obvious stigma that Sally carries, and it''s easy to see that Jasmine and Sally are ex-ves... He loves her and treats her like she''s a woman to be loved and cherished, despite knowing about her past. Both men and women would cast Sally aside as a friend, lover, or acquaintance learning the truth... It''s a sad reality... The sounds of monsters and snarls are heard just ahead of us, and everyone''s body tenses up. I watch Cera''s wings, and the Legend of an angel''s wings are burned into my mind. He''s got golden wings, not white ones... Golden wings are what Arch-Angels have... Nothing short of a legendary weapon can harm the wings, and they can be used as weapons too... ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Forest, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:40 AM)~~~ Losing the people chasing after us has taken far longer than I hoped. We''re two and half days away from Cera and Hailey''s current position. "Don''t you dare say anything to me right now, Chris!!" My anger is misdirected at him, but I want to be alone right now. He sighs, and despite my threat, he stands next to me and hugs me. My anger goes away, and my arms wrap around him too. "Get a room!!" Marcus''s childlike voice interrupts us, and it causes both of us tough as we pull apart. I walk over to Marcus, and I pick him up. While he''s light now that I''m strong, he''s just too big to carry in my arms anymore. "Mom! C''mon, I''m not a little kid anymore!" He struggles free andnds on the ground. He runs ahead of us, and I die a little inside hearing that. My youngest child is growing up way too fast. My husband ces his hand on my back and leans me on his body. "We''ll reach them... I promise..." Yeah... I just hate how long it''s taking us. My kids are so close... Yet so far away... "He''s really growing up... He''ll probably be as tall as Cera..." My memories sh... The first moment Cera passed me in height ys in my head... It didn''t take him long... He''s 6''3 now, but that day sucked... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 3/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 356 - Diving Into Elenahiers Dungeon Ii {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:17 AM)~~~ My entire body is already covered in blood from the monsters that are exclusive to this dungeon. The Children of Saeramar are very high level, and they''re extremely durable. My wings are dripping with blood, and The Witness is soaked, red liquid dripping off the tip. Everyone else is in a simr condition, and we''ve only been fighting monsters none-stop. Hailey and I move at speeds that allow us to see the world in a slower motion. We''re both fast, but these monsters are just as fast as we are. Jasmine and Sally are both of our main concerns. They''ve been killing enemies, but only the weakest ones out of the constant stream that''sing after us. The Children of Saeramar are true abominations. They''re humanoids that have multiple arms and legs, moving in a manner akin to beasts and demons. The stuff out of nightmares... Really... "They''ll keeping until we reach the rest area! A ce built by the Elven Adventurers that frequent this ce!" That''s something I''m looking forward to seeing. A ce built inside a dungeon that can be used to rest. Elenahiers dungeon is far moreplex and unique than I anticipated. The system has an influence on this ce, scaling the level of monsters once it engages inbat with one of us. If one fights me, it''ll be around level 190. If it decides to leave and fight someone else, it''ll scale to their level. A new feature that I didn''t know existed. It''s been that long since I went into a dungeon since The Collision. This is far more beneficial for the yers and NPCs, in my opinion. "I bet that I''m going to be over level 145 after this dungeon! Maybe even higher!" Sally''s excited voice reaches my ears as I slow down, and the area resumes normal speeds. She''s having fun... That''s awesome!! I''m gaining EXP and doing it fast. By the end of this dungeon, I''ll be level 194, after all this time too. I''ve stagnated at this level for a very long time, and it''s time that I start up again. I''m still at tier 1 in terms of the tier system, and I have to do my tier 2 mission before I can even think about doing my tier 3 mission. I''m very far behind, and that isn''t good. yers everywhere have definitely surpassed my level and tier, especially those in big guilds. "Stick together and keep calling out where more areing from! These ugly freaks will overwhelm us if we don''t kill them as fast as they show up!" Helda knowing how this dungeon works and what we need to do helps more than I can put into words. We continue moving forward, and piles upon piles of bodies are forming behind us, and the walls, ceiling, and air are thick with blood. You can smell the iron in the once mortal and human or elf abominations we''re facing. Some of them differ from one another, like ears and height. Meaning there is a mix between human and elf abominations in here. What I''d like to see is the boss. What kind of fucked up monstrosity is the end fight. It has to be strong since it''s guarding the potions we need. Asking Helda right now is impractical since, you know... We''re in the middle of a battle... "Moreing from the left passageways!!" Ashburn is quick to call out another group heading our way, and I cut through multiple at a time. My wings and sword work in tandem, making it easy to absolutely destroy everything thates my way. There are few that hang around longer than you''d think. I match up against these creatures well since none of them are using armor or weapons. They''re charging us blindly with their disfigured and disgusting bodies. They do look unholy... It''s bing annoying having to shake my head every few seconds to get the blood out of my eyes. The smell... It''s some of the worst stinks I''ve ever smelled in my entire life. Hailey, Jasmine, and Sally have all taken a second here and there to puke getting this far, and the only reason I haven''t is cause I know a worse smell than this, and this probably ties with the second. The heat from the blood and bodies is causing the humidity and heat to rise. Since all the warmth escaping from the dead corpses has nowhere to go, it''s just hanging around and making it worse. While I won''t sweat from an activity like this, I know that everyone other than Hailey is probably getting a little swampy in their clothes. We continue fighting all the way down the long and every changing paths. Helda knows the direct route, and following her is the fastest way through. After about 25 minutes of keeping a steady pace and doing this the right way, we make it to massive doors that don''t fit in. Helda pushes them open, and as soon as we enter, the monsters behind us head back the way we came. My wings disappear, and blood sshes and flings everywhere as I do so. "Ohh,e on, Cera!! No need to make the rest area covered in blood! All of us dripping in it is enough as it is!!" The rolling of my eyes at Hailey causes her to sigh, and Sally lets out a little giggle. I look at her, and she''s dripping in blood, and I''ll admit... It''s rather hot... Thinking like that and feeling like that kind of makes me feel like a psychopath, but seeing her be a badass inbat and her looking like this is the result... Damn... It''s hot... "We should all take an hour or so break and refill on food and water. It''s going to be a 2 hours long continuous fight to get to the boss room from this point." Geez... This is sucking more and more. My eyes shift towards my EXP bar, and I''ve gained 70% of my entire level. Leaving me at 73% out of 100%. That''s a lot of fucking EXP, and I''m starting to wish I had more time to grind this dungeon over and over again. "God!! The fucking stink is nevering out of my armor!!" Hailey flicks her wrists, sshing blood around just like I did... Hypocrite. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:48 AM)~~~ My assnds hard on a stone chair, and I lean back, letting the blood slowly drip off me. It''s hot and gooey... It''s disgusting in ways that I never imagined... I''ve been covered in blood before, but not blood as thick as this... It''s taking most of my will not to find a corner and hurl over and over again. "You okay, sis? You''re looking a little green..." Speaking of the cyborg... Howe he''s not bothered by any of this!? It''splete shit that he''s always fine in every situation! Always in the perfect state of mind!! "Oh, shut up! Spare me the sarcasm and act! I''m making you buy me all underwear!! It''s in my panties, for fuck sake!!" My anger and frustration ovee my modesty. I don''t care how inappropriate that sounded. Not right now, at least, and Cera chuckles to himself and shakes his head like the cocky little shit I know! Sometimes, I wish I could just... Kick him right in the nuts! I love my brother to death, but... God! He''s so annoying! "Don''t even talk to me right now! I''m mentally checking out!!" He raises his hands in mock surrender. Ugh! This dungeon can suck my nuts!! Even though I don''t have any!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 73/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 357 - Diving Into Elenahiers Dungeon Iii {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:50 AM)~~~ The room is bing worse and worse in regards to smell... Sometimes, when something smells so bad, it gives you a headache... That''s what this is like, and we''ve only been resting for 3 or so minutes. Shouldn''t call it resting. We''re all unbelievably ufortable. The blood leaking off our clothes and weapons is spreading around the room. My attention is mostly on Freskra, mostly due to him being the actual shade of green... He''s been throwing up in one of the many corners of this room, and now that his stomach is empty, he''s got nothing left to through up. His wife, Le, is gently rubbing his back, and he''s doing the same for her. She''s not thrown up yet, but it''s easy to see she wants to... My fingers are starting to stick together thanks to blood getting to that weird state between dry and wet... The state where it''s dry enough to start getting hard but moist enough to still be considered a liquid. Everyone in the room is in a simr state as me... No one was left out when it came to getting covered in blood. The room is silent, and I hear the asional frustrated cussing from my sister''s direction. She doesn''t like getting dirty, and she''s as dirty as she''s ever been before. Her long hair is matte and disgusting as the blood starts to harden and clot. She''s picking the dry pieces out of it. My hair is much longer than I''ve ever had it in my life. While it''s nowhere near the length of any of thedies in the room, it''s long for most men. I''ve been meaning to get a haircut, but it slips my mind whenever we''re in a town or city. Considering the priorities that I put first. "Do you think we''ll get this dungeon finished before Hailey decides she''s done..." My thoughts are interrupted by the bubbly whisper of my girlfriend. Still getting used to saying that, but it''s something that she''d want to hear. "My guess... 3 hours is her limit, but it should only take us 2 to finish this dungeon... She''s going to be pretty sour and pissed for days, maybe weeks, after this dungeon..." We have smiles andugh as we''re trying to make light of a poor situation. My thoughts shift from Hailey to Jasmine, who''s sitting next to her, and she''s in a much better mood than everyone else. Her personality and general energy make it hard to be put into a depressed mood without talking about her past. That''s the only sore subject that she seems to have... But I''m still getting to know her. The few chances I''ve had to talk with her alone have given me much light. She''s a very positive and nice person, but it''s a front to hide the pain underneath. She''s genuine in her efforts, but she thinks that if she can fool other people about her pain, she can fool herself... She still hasn''t learned... She will, but it''ll take time... Jasmine and Hailey get along fantastically despite the major differences in personality and life experiences. It goes to show that you can be friends with pretty much anyone... There are exceptions to this, but generally, it''s true. "Can I be honest with you..." Sally''s soft whisper tipped with a nervous edge catches my full attention, and I turn my eyes to her. She''s got her beautiful blond hair soaked in blood, and lines of dried drips areing down her face. I''d look the same if I gazed into a mirror. We all look like this at the moment. "You can tell me anything you need to, Sally... But I have a feeling this isn''t as serious as you think it is..." She grins lightly and scoots a little closer to me. Sally has given me a tremendous amount of trust, and I''ll never betray that trust... She''s told me things about her life that many would never speak to her again after hearing... I don''t judge people for things out of their control... "This may not be the time or ce to have this discussion, but do you think your parents would like me?" Hmm... Interesting question... Not because I didn''t think she would ask it, but because of my parents... They''re overprotective... Especially when ites to mom and us... Her approval of Sally is a 60/40 flip, and while I can see her liking Sally, there is a chance that she wouldn''t want me being with her. Parents are usually wrong about the people you fall in love with. Disapproving at the beginning and end up being wrong. Mom would want to have a long private conversation with Sally before she puts her own opinion forward. "Yeah, Sally... I think my parents would love you, but you''re not asking about that... You''re asking if they''ll love me being with you..." She looks away slightly and nods her head. My father leaves me to my own choices, believing that life will teach me the things I need to know about the opposite sex. "My dad won''t give you any grief, but my mom, on the other hand... You''re going to be sat down and have a long chat with her... She''ll insist, and she''ll make it impossible to say no..." My question tone and gentle whispers hit her hard. Meeting the parents and loved ones of the person you''re with is always hard, but it''s not like we''ll be seeing them any time soon. "Besides, we''ll not see them for a long time down the road... Hailey doesn''t know where they''re at, and neither do I... Willing to bet they have no idea where we''re at..." It causes some invisible weight to lift off her shoulders. She moves a little closer again, and sheys her head on my shoulder. "That does bring me somefort... It''s hard being honest about my past and what happened to me... People are really horrible when ites to that sort of thing... I can''t help feeling that about anyone... Even your parents..." I understand that, and I don''t disagree with her. She''s allowed to be as skeptical and cautious as she wants. "CERA!! How in the hell do you get blood out of your underwear!!" We both start to burst outughing as Hailey''s anger-filled voice interrupts our discussion. "I figured if anyone knew, it''d be you!" I''ve told Hailey and Jasmine some stories about my adventures. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:56 AM)~~~ Cera slowly stands up from his spot and walks over to me with an amused expression. Those are words I never thought I''d say to anyone. Let alone my brother, so I get the face he''s giving. "Depends on what type of blood it is... If it''s from monsters, I got a trick, but if it''s yours from your period... That seems like something you''d know more than me." Ugh!! Dumbass!! I slug him on the shoulder, and he stands next to me, and he lets out a chuckle. "It''s not mine, idiot. Now tell me how to get all this disgusting dried and crusty blood out of my underwear. It''s starting to chafe, and it''s not something I''m going to tolerate the entire dungeon." He sighs and rubs his neck. He''s probably thinking of an idea. He crosses his arms and gives me a solemn look. "The method that I use might not be right for ady, but regardless, I usually unequip my underwear when it''s blood-soaked. Don''t know if that''s something you''refortable with..." Of course, it''s something that guys easily do with no problems. Seems like my only opinion right now... Thank God for the Inventory and system! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 73/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 358 - Diving Into Elenahiers Dungeon Iv {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:59 AM)~~~ Hailey and Cera act like true siblings... It''s a funny sight to see sometimes... Their dynamic adds life to the group in ways that I didn''t know we were missing. "You''re making a trade when you unequip your underwear from under your armor." Cera stops Hailey in the middle of her going through her menu. She exined some things about yers and the system they have. She raises both her eyebrows in an annoying sibling-like way, waiting for an exining. "Well, it should be obvious... You really need me to spell it out for you?" His voice is on the cautious side, and she''s not amused at the dyed conversation. "Without your underwear, all the blood will cover... That ce directly..." Hailey nearly dry heaves, and she smacks her brother on the shoulder. It doesn''t hurt him, and I doubt she did it to hurt him. "Why would you even say that to your sister''s face with no shame! Sometimes you''re the most out of this world person I''ve ever met!" Cera just shakes his head and turns around, heading back to Sally. Leaving Hailey with serious doubts about the... Topic... He pointed out. She''s got more than one issue on her hands, and that''s the fact that we''re about to leave and get drenched in blood for the next hour and a half or so. "Everyone! Finish what you''re doing right now! We''re leaving in one minute!" Helda''s voice bounces off the walls of the small room at the same time. I think about the break being over. I stand up, and Hailey is in a state of deliberation. She''s lucky she can use the system and remove articles of clothing. I''m stuck with the dry blood chaffing me until I get a chance to change and get my clothes changed, which will be a long time from this point forward. I''vee to learn that Hailey is a little spoiled... Something that I only learned thanks to Cera since she acts so differently around him. My attention is taken from Hailey, and I look towards Ashburn and Melimora. They''re having ast-second chat about something, but it doesn''t look like things are going badly. In fact, I see a small smile on Melimora''s face. A big fat smile on Ashburn tells me he''s gaining ground with her. I wouldn''t think Melimora is the type to find someone to love, considering how bitter she is. I have no ce to judge since I''m terrified of trying to find the right one. "Alright, everyone! Let''s head out and take on the rest of this dungeon!" Helda is standing at the barrier opposite of the one we came in through, and we all make our way towards her. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:01 AM)~~~ We pass through the barrier, and we all have our weapons drawn as we slowly spread out. The hallway is far more narrow, and my wings don''t have nearly enough room to attack enemies, but I can still block attacks. "We''re going to have to change our strategy for this part, Hailey and Cera. You''re leading the group." That''s fine by me. Judging from Hailey''s expression, she''d rather not be on the front lines where all the monsters and blood wille from. "Whatever enemies get past you, we''ll take care of... I seriously doubt that will happen, though. After about 500 feet, things will open up, and we''ll need to spread out a little." Seem logical to me, and I have faith in Helda''s strategy. Hailey stands at my side, and she gives me a single nod. We start to move forward, and after about 20 feet, we''re already starting to get swarmed. We work in nearly perfect synchronicity, and it gives me a certain feeling when I get the chance to fight alongside Hailey. She might not feel the same way, but this is a rare moment that I do cherish. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:36 AM)~~~ These past 30 minutes have been absolute hell!! Blood and guts are everywhere, and I''m still getting soaked. The only thing that I can be happy about is the fact that I''m getting more and more EXP the deeper we get into this fucking meat grinder! Cera''s attack style doesn''t make it any easier, and there have been multiple times I''ve been sprayed with blood because of him!! If we weren''t in the middle of fighting, I''d smack him silly. "We''ve got about 100 more feet of fighting, and we''ll be entering a muchrger pathway! More enemies will start to swarm us too!" Helda talks to us as we sh through enemies and paint the walls red. Cera has a small smile on his face, enjoying this. I can deduce it to him getting EXP. All the time we have left to fight is daunting to me, but we need these potions if we''re going to take on the mission we''re here for. They say that things that are worthwhile are never easy. I can only hope that the saying is correct in this instance, and we''re not just wasting our time here. Cause if we are, I''m taking an entire day off. Once we get back to civilization, or a river, I''m soaking in the water for a loooong tiiiime. "Don''t have such a disappointed look on your face, sister! This a rare chance for us to fight together and do so without having to worry about our friends!" His voice is only loud enough for me to hear, but he still has to raise his voice so I can hear him. The point he brings up would normally make me smile, but the stupidity of this dungeon brings down my mood my many different levels. "Why don''t you enjoy it on your own!? This is the worst!" Of course, I want to quit and have someone else take my ce, but no one will be able to kill as efficiently as me to keep up with Cera. I''m faster than Cera, but that''s where my advantages end. He''s got me trumped everywhere else, and I have no issues with that... Well... I have a little issue, but that''s just because we''re family and brother and sister. "You should be more positive! If you were, maybe you''d actually enjoy yourself!" His insistence that I have fun is getting on my nerves. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kindgom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:49 AM)~~~ We start to enter therger pathway, and the monsters are already on top of all of us. My eyes and mind are slightly distracted as I see Cera unfold his wings to their full length now that he can. Hailey and Cera are more than a match for this dungeon, and I think they can take this entire ce on their own. If Cera were alone, he''d probably be done by now. He''s like a tornado of carnage that tears through anything thates his way, and he''s not even using his most powerful attacks. Just basic swings and attacks, he will make the boss fight down the road easy. "Helda! How much longer until we''re at the boss room!?" Cera asks a question that I''d expect from Hailey, given her current attitude. We''ve got about another mile and a half of fighting and different environments to fight in. This dungeon is really a test of mental and physical willpower. "We''ve got about a mile and a half! More changes should be expected!!" There is a long groan that turns into a shallow scream from Hailey as I answer Cera''s question. She''s making this hard than it needs to be. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.193] [Exp: 73/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 359 - Diving Into Elenahiers Dungeon V {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kindgom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:55 AM)~~~ This long open pathway makes it far easier to fight than what we were traveling through thest hour. I haven''t suffered from any enemy attacks. My ability to dodge and fight is one of the best among the yers considering how much I know and yed the game. My health hasn''t fallen a single point, and my wings make for perfect shields when I attract a lot of attention. Gaia and The Ancients World are the same things, but I''ve gotten into the habit of calling our new home by its real name, Gaia. My focus hasn''t been entirely on the fights I''m in at this very second. Mostly due to how easy it is to kill these freaks. I don''t use that term in offensive ways either. These creatures are true freaks. Mindless and disfigured beasts that have no sentience. There are countless things on my mind, and most are what you''d consider low priority on my things to do. I''ve been thinking about Sally and my life with her... Everything is great between us, and I don''t see any problems in our future. That being said, mom and dad always said that if you find the right one, and she loves you. Don''t waste any time... The meaning behind their words is obvious... The thought of having a girlfriend never crossed my ns for my life, let alone a... Wife... But if I was going to be with someone the rest of my life and a person I love... It''s Sally... Perhaps it''s too early... I''m a little over 20 now, and marrying young doesn''t seem like the best idea... Sally... She makes me want to through that logic away... She''s also over 100 years old, and she herself doesn''t look a day over 20... Is that something she''d want... "Watch the left!!" Hailey calls out to me, and I quickly make an adjustment to dodge the attack and take the monster''s head off. "Get your head out of the gutter, Cera!" She''s right... Now isn''t the time to think about this. My eyes lock on the many different variants of abominations heading for me, and I use my wings to spin and act as a blender as they mindlessly jump at me. Getting decimated in the process. "Ugh!! No need to shower me in blood, you moran!!" Hailey is covered head to toe by my move. The organs and meat from the creatures bounce off the walls and ceiling. I hear groans of disgust from behind me as I turn to see everyone covered in blood and some of the innards of the monsters. Not really the time to say orin about anything. I turn my focus back to the fights, and I start to unleash a carnage that I haven''t dealt out in a while. My own frustration with myself drives this moment of catharsis. Hailey is killing them as cleanly as she can, limiting the amount of blood she''s exposed to. She''s be a great warrior, and someone that I know I can rely on if I''m not around. She''ll be able to protect Sally if anything ever happens to me. Not saying that anything will, but everything that''s happened to me... To Earth... To Gaia... It makes me wonder what my future holds with this ss... What kind of shit I''m getting sucked into without my knowledge... Permanent death may be disabled for yers, but that could change one day... "Hailey, you''ve got four heading straight for you!" Helda makes a callout, and Hailey is already prepared for them. They never stop charging at us... It''s a dungeon that doesn''t require a lot of thought, and it''s easier to clear dungeons like this. Everyone behind us is getting attacked by monsters from time to time, but they can handle the small amount they''re gettingpared to the heavy numbers that Hailey and I are receiving. "Sally and Jasmine, keep it up! You''re both doing great!!" Positive reinforcement from Helda... How rare... They''re leveling up crazy from this... Just like I am... I''m level 194 now, and I''m 50% through my new level. My once stagnant stat points that were sitting at 30 are now at 40, not that those numbers will make any significant changes to my stats. The power scale is sorta broken with me... Nothing outside Gods and Demons can hurt me anymore. Really powerful Demons, but Gods... I''m not sure I''m strong enough to handle a true God on my own yet... "We''re going to switch who''s fighting at the front in the next section since the monsters will be weaker! We''re giving Hailey and Cera a break!" That''s great news from Helda. "That''s in about 800 more feet, so let''s keep this up!" Hailey isn''t happy to hear that crap. The constant onught of monsters is getting boring, and my thoughts are drifting to less important matters again. This time, I''m thinking about mom and dad and how they''ll react when they do meet Sally for the first time. I''m not worried about how dad will act... But mom... She''s really overprotective, and she isn''t afraid of meddling. If she doesn''t approve of Sally, she''ll try everything and more to end our rtionship. There is around a 35 to 40 percent chance she''ll not like Sally and insist that I have nothing to do with her. While the odds are low... They aren''t as low as I''d want them... Perhaps letting Sally and my mom handle it like women would be smart... Sally has really gained confidence and isn''t afraid to fight for what she loves and wants. If our rtionship is on the line, I don''t doubt she''ll fight like hell to convince my mom she''s worthy of me... Never thought I''d have to go through something like this, but that isn''t until a long way down the road. It''s going to be a long time before I see my parents again. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:25 AM)~~~ My armor and hair are painted crimson as the blood drips and flings from me as I move. I''m never going into an Elven Dungeon again after this one. Nothing will ever convince me of going into one... This has been the most disgusting experience of my life, and it''s not even close to being over. I would''ve puked by now had it not been for the sheer amount of enemies. There isn''t enough time to stop and throw up, and I''m not going to vomit and fight at the same time. That is a sight that I don''t want others to see me in, no matter how necessary it might be. "We''re about 500 feet from the next change in the environment!" Helda is updating us like she''s a PA or something. I''m annoyed by it... This entire mission better be worth it, and if it''s not, I''m taking my anger out on Cera... Since this who thing is his damn idea! Besides, he''s strong enough to handle it, and it''s only bearable now because I''m hoping that there is a chance that I get to beat him up. He deserves it for all this shit he''s putting me through. Mom and dad would tell us to quit bickering and act like adults... But it''s never going to be like that between Cera and me... We''re always going to act like this... Like kids... It''s in our nature as siblings, and nothing will change that. "C''mon, Hailey... Put a smile on that face!" Speaking of Cera, he knows that I''m not having a good time right now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.194] [Exp: 50/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 40] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 360 - Diving Into Elenahiers Dungeon V {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kindgom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:51 AM)~~~ We''ve been traveling through the ever-changing and confusingyout of Elenahiers Dungeon. Hailey and I are taking a backseat right now and letting the others fight the monsters this time, giving us a much-needed break. "How much longer do you think this is gonna take, Cera..." Hailey sounds far more exhausted than I feel. Our bodies won''t be getting tired for days, maybe weeks of continuous activity such as this, but our minds are still the same in terms of endurance, and it''s quick to reach that point you need a long break. It''s more so to rx the mind from the constant focus and vignce. It''s draining beyond belief and can affect our decision-making negatively. We''ll make it to the boss room in about 10 minutes... Maybe a little longer... Helda has been doing a great job leading us through the dungeon without any problems. The time-consuming process isn''t fun in any sense. Such a tedious dungeon will be monotonous in no time at all. "We''re getting closer, sis... We''re almost there..." I want this to be done just as much as her. The work is almost paying off, and the final fight against the boss will be a fast one. I intend to use all my skills to make sure that it does. My damage will be in the multimillions once my skills are activated, and The Witness only adds to the damage dealt thanks to the many perks thate along with it. Those potions are already ours. In other good news, I''m now level 195, and I''m 60 percent the way through the level, giving me another 10 stat points that won''t make any difference whatsoever. Hailey has probably leveled up plenty herself and is waiting and willing to help me finish off the boss in the instant we can. Our speed and attack powerbined will kill the boss faster than you can blink. Sally and Jasmine are doing excellent on their own, and it makes me feel more confident in their own abilities to protect themselves when I''m not around. They''re getting stronger in this dungeon too, and their individual power is rising at this moment. "How do you want to handle the boss, Hailey?" It''s obvious that Hailey and I are taking care of the final monster of this dungeon. I know next to nothing about it, and Helda said she''d exin it at the entryway to the boss room. That''s the only time in the entire dungeon we''re not getting hammered by monsters from every direction. Could''ve used better wording... "Want to make it interesting?" Her voice is teasing and cocky, which is all too familiar to me. She wants to bring some wagers and bets into this, and I''m not opposed to the idea, but it depends on what''s on the line. "I''m interested, but what exactly are we betting on? It seems to me that neither of us has much." She smiles wickedly, and I can already tell she''s nned this for a long time ago. Likely wants to stop me from doing something that annoys her. Hailey is like me in many ways, and people would agree. While I don''t have the same temper as her, we share many more things. Scheming against people and making ns is one of those traits. "If I win, you and Sally aren''t allowed to have any sex for the duration of our time together." Okay... That''s a seriously low blow... She''s sick of hearing us in the middle of the night. I need toe back with something just as spiteful and personal... Something that''ll really sting if I end up winning the bet... I have just the thing! "Okay, and if I win, you''re not allowed to clean up after this dungeon until I say so." She immediately regrets ever bringing up this idea of a bet, and we both know that if she backs out now, it''ll go down in our personal record books. She grits her teeth in anger and nods her head a single time. Now it''s time to discuss the parameters of the bet. "Now that we have the wagers set, what should we have as the goal needed to bepleted... Total damage against the boss? Final hit? The best amount of damage in one attack? Speed of attacks?" There are many choices... Listening to them off just annoys her. Further letting her know what''s truly on the line, and I don''t have any intention of losing. I like Sally too much to not be able to touch her and indulge in pleasure with her. "How about we have the group determine who does the best against the boss?" Her suggestion is neutral in favor of either of us, and I respect that. Leveling the ying field. We both have to agree, and I''m looking for some loophole that she might have, but nothing pops out. A part of me is telling me this is my sister, and she''s got some sort of n. Doing exactly what I''d try to do. "Fine, but only Sally and Jasmine can determine which of us win." She looks at me and squints her eyes slightly. She''s assuming that I''m ying some angle, and she''d be right to assume that. Having only Sally and Jasmine determine who does better locks in one vote for me automatically. Securing a 50 percent winning vote by default, Sally votes for me no matter what. She knows how good I really am. Jasmine is a toss-up between us. Jasmine is too bubbly and friendly to vote for Hailey automatically, and I''ll have a better chance to win. "You just love insulting my intelligence, don''t you! Like I''d agree to something like that! It''s either all of them, or we find a new way to settle it." I knew it wouldn''t get past her, but one can hope that she''d miss something. Not likely though, she''s my sister after all. There seems to be no other option. We''ll involve everyone in the voting. I still get a vote locked in from Sally either way. "Fine, we''ll do it your way, sis. Just remember that you have yet to see my full capabilities in action." She''s not seen me use my most powerful skills and attacks yet, but I can say the same for myself regarding her abilities. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kindgom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:07 PM)~~~ Jasmine and I are killing any monsters thate our way, and I''ll be the first to admit that it''s easier than I thought it''d be. The monsters are adjusting to our strength levels individually. Ashburn and Melimora are also doing arge majority of the work. I''m happy to do this since Hailey and Cera needed a break from doing all the work. They''re getting a chance to refresh before the big boss fight ahead, and I''m looking forward to clearing my first dungeon with an entire party of people. The first dungeon I ever cleared with another person was Cera when I got my Legacy ss Winter Wrath. To say the ss ising in handy right now is an understatement. Slowing down enemies andpletely freezing some has been a cakewalk. Not to mention the help from my Ice Puppets and many of my other skills that are heavy on damage and defense. There is a difference with this dungeon, though. I''m so used to Cera always leading that having Helda lead us makes things a little weird. Not in a bad way. I''m just so used to the safety and security of Cera protecting me that this change of style is new to me. It''s nice that I get to prove I''m not some weakling that needs to be taken care of all the time. Showing off my power to Cera does give me more confidence in myself. Every time I check to see if he''s watching, he always is. His smile tells me everything I need to know. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.195] [Exp: 60/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 361 - Diving Into Elenahiers Dungeon Vii {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kindgom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:21 PM)~~~ Cera and Hailey finish off the boss, and an explosion of blood and lightes from the area where they''re fighting. My eyesnd on Cera, and I see his entire body glowing in golden light, and his hair is floating in a nonexistent wind. The golden wingsing from his back are pulsing with a light, one I know to be divine. He looks heavenly... He sheaths his sword and looks to Hailey, and I do the same. She''s also got a red aura around her, from one of her skills likely, and I see the smile both of them share. The boss fight didn''t take long with the two of them working together. Cera looks towards the chest at the otherside of the room, and Helda is already almost there. She opens the chest once in front of it and pulls out four potions, but we only need three, so we''ve overachieved in that regard. The room is being lit by Cera''s light, and as his light fades, the room gets darker. Only the torches on the walls are giving off small bits of light. "We''ve got the potions. Let''s get out of this dump!" Hailey is eager to get out. Cera and Hailey had a bet, and despite the fact that the wager was serious from both sides, Cera ended up winning. "I don''t know why you''re so excited, you''ve lost the bet, and that means I get to say the next time you get to clean yourself." The anger and frustration are apparent on Hailey''s face, and normally I''d find it funny. This time, I feel bad for her. She grits her teeth and stomps her way in front of Cera, sticking her finger in the middle of his face. "Hey! They''ve yet to vote! We have no idea who won! So why don''t you shut your face!!" A snicker escapes my lips, and I''m quick to suppress it before it bes augh. While it''s true that the votes from all of us are yet to be tallied, it''s obvious he won. She''s wanting to leave and clean herself before the votes are officially in. "You two can finish thister. Until then, drink these." Helda tosses a potion to both Hailey and Cera, and I find my heart skipping a beat at the risky move. They catch it with ease, and Hailey is quick to drink the potion. A silver light engulfs her, and her hair bes a golden blond. Her ears elongate and gain a pointy tip, and her eyes change to a light blue from their original blue-green. She''d look absolutely beautiful if not for the fact she''s covered in blood. "The look suits you, Hailey. Who knows, you might get a boyfriend now." The hurtful words cause Hailey to sock her brother''s shoulder, and he smiles. I''ll admit that I''m eager to see what Cera looks like with elven features, and I''m going to miss his dark hair once it''s gone. They''ll look like this until they dispel the potion''s effects or they leave the Elven Kingdom''s borders. Cera pops the lid off the potion and chugs the liquid inside. He''s engulfed in the same silver light, and his transformation begins. His hair turns to a pure white, and his ears be pointy and long just like all elves, and hisplexion gets a tiny bit lighter, and his blue-green eyes change into a sharp steel blue. His eyshes turn white. My breath is caught in my throat... "You''re so beautiful..." The words exit my mouth far louder than I intended them to. He turns his head towards me, and my eyes meet him, and my heart stops for a second. He moves closer with a smile and stops a few inches in front of me, and I find myself looking up at him with my mouth agape. "Take it you prefer this look over my usual? If you ask me, it''s a little Godish for my taste, don''t you think..." He lowers his head, and we''re eye to eye. The teasing edge in his voice is obvious, and my flushed red cheeks are blooming in refusal to my thoughts. He does look so much more... Godly... I love the way he looked before, and I know I prefer it, but the way he looks now... He''s irresistible... "I''m... I... What..." My mind is jumbled as his lips move in closer to mine, and his steel-blue eyes peer into me. My body leans forward without my doing, and my lips close in on his, but before we can connect, he pulls away and ces his hand on my head. Giving me a head pat in the process. "Too bad, I can''t do such actions with you until the votes are tallied." My body is... Hot... He''s made me aroused before, but my legs are shaking... He walks over to Helda to talk to her, and I shake my head, getting the muddled thoughts out of my head. My eyesnd on Jasmine, and she has a look of shock from both Hailey and Cera''s transformation. Helda tosses Jasmine her potion to, and she immediately down it. Hoping for a simr transformation. She goes through the same process as Hailey, and the only difference that Jasmine has is her hair is a lighter blond. "Looking good, Jasmine. You''ll drive all the boys crazy when we reach a city." Le is fast topliment Jasmine, and I walk over to her. She is very attractive, and with the elven features, those are only enhanced more. Her smile gets wider and wider at all thepliments she''s getting. Sometimes a girl needs to hear those types of things... Like beautiful and pretty. "Alright, everyone, let''s use the exit stone at the other side of the room and get out of this dump for good." Helda announces the next step, and Hailey is the first one over there, and if there could be smoke behind her, there would be. Cera waits for me to walk beside him, and we''re thest two to join the group. Helda ces her hand on the dungeon, and we''re all teleported out of the dungeon and back outside the entrance. The sun is still high in the sky, and we have plenty of daylight left, and nowes the part that Hailey is dreading. However, Hailey is nowhere to be found. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:32 PM)~~~ Figures she''d run off to the nearest river orke, and I don''t really mind. She''s my sister and I love her. Despite the fact we made a bet, a girl needs to be clean, and I can respect that. My attention is more on my level. I''m now level 196 and 40 percent through the level. This has been a spectacr dungeon in regard to leveling. Too bad it''s one of the most disgusting dungeons I''ve ever been in, and all of us are looking forward to getting a chance to clean up. I''m looking forward to seeing my features as an elf, cause while I love my human look, seeing myself as a different creature can be interesting. If Sally''s reaction is anything to go off, I''ve lucked out on this. My eyesnd on the girl next to me and she''s quick to avert her gaze. She can''t keep her eyes off me... I know that once she gets used to this look, she won''t act like this. She''s experiencing something new and fascinating. "It''s okay to look, Sally... You know I look at you all the time... You have the same right as I do..." She covers her face in cure embarrassment with her hands. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 362 - Next Stop, City Of Wessixs I {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside river up from campsite, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:44 PM)~~~ Helda has informed us that the City of Wessixs is the closest poption center. Once there, we''ll be able to get a carriage and supplies on the rest of the journey to the Elven Capital. Helda says that by carriage, we can take time to n and figure things out on a more in-depth level. I''m fine with all this, and I''m d someone is taking the lead this time around. We''ve set up camp near a river, and we''re all taking turns getting cleaned in private. Hailey brought us to it after she rejoined us. My sister didn''t like that I insisted that this go in our permanent records as a skipped punishment, but nothing she can do about it. Now, I''m floating in the warm water all on my own as the gentle stream cleans the blood of me. This river is connected to a hot spring, and it''s pleasantly rxing. I even have my wings out, so they also get some water. They''re like my extra limbs. Even though they''re already clean, I do like to have them out when I have a chance. "I take it that you''ve not spent too much time without me?" The voice that belongs to my girlfriendes from behind me. Small waves are created as I turn my body, and my wings ssh some water around. We lock eyes, and she''s already out of her clothes. Sally''s long blond hair is covering her chest, but I can clearly see her lower region without trouble. "My eyes are up here." Her voice is light and easy, and she steps forward. She walks into the water and straight to me. Her arms find themselves wrapped behind my head, and there is only a couple of inches between our lips. I feel her hand run on my wings and through my feathers, and it gives me goosebumps... She''s never touched my wings like this before, not so affectionately. "I''m d that I can make you have this kind of reaction, Cera..." Her voice is lower, just slightly. She sounds a tad out of breath as she talks too, and the next thing I feel is her rubbing her thumb against my ear. My new elven ears, and I''ll admit that looking into the reflection of the water earlier made me freeze a little. I never knew that I''d look so good as an elf. "Are you worried that you couldn''t get me to act like this..." My voice is breathless too. She presses her body against mine, and we both let out a sharp breath. "It''s something a girl worries about from time to time... My worse fear at the moment is other girls once we enter Wessixs... They won''t be able to keep their eyes off you... Some might even get handsy..." Ahh... It doesn''t take a genius to understand what she''s wanting right now. Confirmation in our rtionship, and even though it''s random, this ismon in any rtionship that''s still young, and ours is technically still young. No matter how well a young couple gets along together, they''ll need moments like this. "How do you want me to prove that only my attention is for you..." My words are thick with heat... One that I can''t control... Her face gets flushed, more so than it already is from the hot spring water flowing around us. She closes the distance between our lips, and we connect. My hands run down her body, and I make it a point to miss all her private bits. We pull apart, and I can see a mixture of frustration and eagerness in her features. My wings spread out around us, and I bring them in. Wrapping us in a private bubble and steam rises out the opening at the top. We haveplete privacy now, and I don''t have to worry about any onlookers. "I wasing here to enjoy yourpany and talk... Now that it''se this far, I can''t help wanting to go further instead..." Jolts of excitement flow through my body, and my lower area starts acting up. She smiles lightly as my long and thick rod pokes her lower regions. She sinks a hand in the water and grabs it in a soft grip. "You''re feeling the same way by how honest this part is... I''m starting to feel really hot, Cera... Do you think now is a good time for this..." The heat has considerably risen in the small and intimate cocoon I''ve made with my wings. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near the river, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:04 PM)~~~ Sally left the camp towards Cera upstream, where we''ve all taken turns getting clean from all the blood. It''s not hard to assume why she''s going, and knowing those two, they''re having fun right about now. That hot water running down the stream from the hot springs upriver is amazing, and I''m nowpletely clean. The only ones left that need cleaning are Le and Freskra, and they''ve taken off on their own to a different and private part of the river for some alone time themselves. They''re a really great married couple, which makes me a little jealous... Can''t help thinking I''ll never find a man that''ll love me and marry me... It''s my fault too... My taste in men is extremely poor. Jasmine rxes at my side as we sit in front of the campfire, enjoying the silence and warmth that''s being provided. "Now that we''re done with Elenahiers Dungeon, does that mean our next targets are the Orvello family and the royal family?" She''s got her mind on the objectives when it should be rxing. We''ve just got done clearing a pain in the ass dungeon. Taking a load off and rxing is a natural step, and she should do the same. "You need to get your mind off the mission for a little while. Rx and enjoy the moment, and think about things that aren''t pertaining to problems. You''ll age faster if you never stop and take a moment to catch your breath." Dad taught me that... When I was trying to find my job as an actress. Jasmine stays quiet but releases a long sigh after a couple of seconds. The sun hasn''t set yet, and there are still a few hours of daylight left. I''m looking forward to getting a good night''s rest before we''re back on the mission. "What do you think about clouds... How they''re made and why they exist..." Jasmine can sometimes astound me... Not because that''s a stupid thing to ask or say, but because there are things that she was never taught, and it''s known what clouds are in The Ancients World. Gaia. However, she was never given a formal education, and it exins a lot of the questions she has. "They''re made of water and sometimes other elements too." She scoffs, the answer underwhelming to her. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near the river, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:10 PM)~~~ Sally and Jasmine seem to be having a pleasant conversation, and while I''d like to join them, I don''t think that''s the best thing right now. The reason being is Meli has something important to talk to me about, and I''m waiting for her. It''s probably about Ashburn and what to do with him... Her thoughts have been on him, and what came out... I can tell that about her, and it''s not a bad thing. If she could ever love anyone like a woman loves a man, then Ashburn has the best chance, but that doesn''t mean it''s even close to being set in stone. "I''m d that you''ve waited this long, sorry to keep you waiting." My thoughts are interrupted by Meli''s voice behind me, and I turn to see her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 363 - Next Stop, City Of Wessixs Ii {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near the river, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:13 PM)~~~ Meli takes a seat next to me and rxes. "You''re not going to like that I''m about to talk about, and it''s not about Ashburn." Okay... Now I am worried... That''s what I figured this conversation would be about, but instead, it''s something I''m not going to like. "I''ve already made up my mind about this decision..." I have a bad feeling about this... She never acts like this... Not unless it''s serious, and by the way she''s making it sound, it''s very serious. "Whatever it is, I''m sure that we can handle it. There hasn''t been anything we couldn''t ovee together." We''ve been friends for centuries, and I think of her as my family. Nothing can stop us when we''re working together. Her features take on a sadder look, and she turns her eyes towards the ground. Avoiding my eye line as much as possible. "When we''re done with The Orvello family and the royal family. I''m leaving the partnership and taking my own path..." Wow... Okay... I don''t even know how to respond to that... She''s leaving? She''s actually leaving our partnership!? My emotions hardly ever go out of control, but I can''t help feeling betrayed and angry about all this!! She''s just leaving and not even exining why. "You going to tell me why you''re leaving? Or is that something that you don''t want to do?" My passive-aggressive tone is in and easy to see. I can''t help it froming out. She slowly shakes her head, takes a deep breath, and lets out a long sigh. She looks annoyed, and that deepens my anger at this moment. "No, I''m not going to tell you why I''m done. If you want to know, you''re going to have to figure it out for yourself." She stands up and heads towards the campfire where Hailey and Jasmine are sitting. This... This hurts... I never imagined something like this happening... Not in either of our lifetimes... She''s leaving after this quest, huh... She said that if I want to know, I have to figure it out for myself... This is never something that anyone wants to hear... It means that you''re the problem, and you can''t even see it. She''s been hurt by something I''ve done. More than likely, something I''ve been doing for a very long time... You don''t decide to leave something like this at the drop of a hat and without a justifiable reason. Why couldn''t she have just wanted to talk about Ashburn!? That would''ve been so much simpler than this!! I stare at the ground, not looking at anyone. Lost in thought, trying to figure this out. I''m blind to my own mistakes. I''ll admit that... My pride and ego get in my way all the time. It''s something that we elves suffer from. Meli is different than me. She doesn''t suffer from such vanity problems. Whatever I did, I won''t be able to see... Talk about pathetic, but that doesn''t mean that I''m not going to try. She''s my family, and I love her like a sister, and while Le is a cousin, Meli is my sister. I''m going to have to go through every horrible thing I''ve done to her. Directly or indirectly. "I see you''re lost in thought." Ashburn''s voice interrupts me, and he smiles as I look up at him. He folds his arms and raises an eyebrow at me. He''s never seen me like this before, and I see a lightbulb go off for him. "So she finally confronted you about it... It''s obvious to everyone, and the fact that you can''t see it troubles me..." His voice softens at the end of this remark. His words make me angry and also enlighten me a little. What I did... Everyone can see it except for me... That makes me feel even more terrible about this whole shitstorm... "She''d never forgive me if I told you, but I can give you a hint." He gets my full attention, and I''m listening closely. "Think about all the times that you made business decisions and Melimora''s involvement." That''s... Vague... Figures that it wouldn''t be much help, but it does give me something. He turns and leaves towards the others around the campfire and takes a seat right next to Meli. They''re all bing really good friends, and to think that I treated Hailey, Jasmine, Sally, and Cera as adversaries... Another mistake, but that''s due to my line of work and the risks that I take with my job. I''ve got issues... Things that I ignore cause I think I can. Speaking of that group, Cera and Sally have been off on their own for a while, and I''ve got a pretty good guess about what they''re doing right now. I don''t me Sally either. Cera makes an extremely attractive elf, and while he''s handsome without the elven look, it sure does make him pop out. Sally has be someone that I understand a little better than the rest. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and she''s a sweet girl, and I admire that about her. Even with all the shit she''s been through in her life. She''s capable of such kindness. I can say the same for Jasmine too. They''re both amazing when ites to being extraordinary despite the hard lives they''ve lived. Both are ex-ves, and no onees outpletely whole after that. I have a lot of respect for Cera... He''s able to see past the things that happened to Sally. See her for who she really is and love her. Most men would never give Sally the time of day due to the life she had. ves and ex-ves are considered by many to be less than desirable since they share many partners. It''s a sad reality. Cera must be someone who has many things going for him to look past that stuff. The sounds Sally makes at the times I''ve heard them... Always saying how great his is, and that it''s the best she''s ever had, and that she''s actually feeling pleasure from it. "Never heard a girl talk about a man''s private bits like that before." He''s a total package, it seems. Sally gets him all to herself, and she should be happy for the rest of her life thanks to Cera''s doing the things he does for her. He''s more than just a good partner in bed, and I can see that. It makes me jealous cause I want a rtionship with a man like that at one point in my life. It''d be nice to feel cherished for who I am and see me for everything. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near the river, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:13 PM)~~~ Jasmine and Melimora share augh and continue talking about the dungeon and how fun it was to them... I don''t have any feelings that have a shred of having fun in that fucking dungeon, but I''m just different than these girls. "What do you guys think Cera and Sally are up to right now?" Ashburn''s question causes the whole group to look at him. It''s obvious that they''re doing the same things as Le and Freskra and spending quality time together. Probably being intimate at the same time. "You''re not that much of an idiot, are you?" The teasing tone in Melimora''s voice doesn''t go unnoticed, and Ashburn can''t help but blush. He''s a love-struck man, but it''s cute. I''ll admit that. Jasmine takes a second to understand the meaning behind everything, but she gets it. Despite being an ex-ve herself, she''s still unaware of thenguage of love since she was treated like an object... She wouldn''t know... "Don''t worry. You''ll find a man that''ll love you the same way Cera loves Sally." My words cause a deep red flush to appear on Jasmine''s cheeks. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 364 - Next Stop, City Of Wessixs Iii {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near the river, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:35 PM)~~~ The sun is getting closer to disappearing behind the mountains, and it''s getting colder as it does. The river is still incredibly warm, almost hot, and while I''d love to take another dip. Drying off in freezing weather isn''t something that I want to try. "You got any food?" Jasmine''s sudden question causes me to chuckle and embarrass her slightly. Before I can give her an answer, the sounds of soft footsteps approaching the campfire behind us take''s our attention away. We both turn and see Cera and Sally walking towards us. Hand in hand and having satisfied looks on their faces. It''s hard getting used to the way Cera looks, and I prefer his human features over his elven ones. There is something strange about seeing the brother I grew up with look any different than how I know him. Sally is pleased with the way he looks like an elf, but she sees Cera differently than I do. She sees him as a man and lover, and I see him as my annoying brother. "You should ask Cera. He''s bound to have food." Cera lifts his head at us as they finish their approach. Hearing his name being used, he''s curious as to why he''s the subject of a conversation. "Cera, Hailey said that if I wanted food, I needed to ask you." That''s not at all what I said. Cera looks at me and already knows that''s not true, but he sighs and opens his Inventory, and tosses Jasmine a Food Ration. While it won''t taste great, she''ll be full after finishing it. Sally takes a seat next to me, and Cera sits on a log getting close to the fire. Sally isn''t affected by the cold, thanks to her ss, but that doesn''t mean the rest of us aren''t. "What took you guys so long anyway?" My question has its intended effect and Sally''s face flushes red, and she looks away while messing with her fingers. Cera rolls his eyes and ignores me, knowing that I''m just trying to mess with either him or Sally. "Well... We spent some quality time together... It''s not like that''s illegal..." Sally''s cute timid voice causes me to smile, and Cerays his hand on her head. She covers her face with her hands and tries to seem as small as possible. Jasmine has a knowing embarrassment on her face, finding the subject awkward to talk about. Cera and I are different not because we''re brother and sister, but because we''re from Earth. Talking about rtionships and physical intimacy is normal on Earth. Be it with your family or friends. Here, it''s not something to talk about so openly. Many consider it something that should only be discussed in private with the two in a rtionship. It''s a social norm that I''m not used to yet, and I know Cera isn''t either. "Oh, c''mon, Jasmine. I get Sally being embarrassed about this topic, but I don''t know what''s got your checks to red." The tease in my voice causes Jasmine to turn her head away from all of us. Sally and Jasmine are very innocent, and I love that about them. Despite their pasts as ves, they have excellent moral standing and decency that I admire. "Don''t make fun of me, Hailey... It''s weird hearing this... It should only be between them..." My suddenughter causes her to sigh in disapproval and start ignoring me. My attention turns to Cera, and he''s looking into the fire, and I can see how rxed he is. It helps that we''re all clean now. "When are we leaving for Wessix''s in the morning?" Cera shrugs his shoulders and tilts his head over to where Helda is. "So you''re just gonna let her n everything?" That''s out of character for him... He smiles and nods his head a single time, further annoying me with hisck of responses. He can see that it''s getting to me, and he takes a breath. "I don''t know much about the Elven Kingdom, Hailey. Helda and Melimore guiding us are saving us weeks of time... Besides, I needed the break..." I get that... He does take charge the majority of the time. I have no problems with Helda and Melimora leading us around. I''vee to trust them, seeing how much they want the Elven Kingdom to change. "What are we gonna do after we''re done here?" Jasmine asks us a question that I haven''t given much thought to, and Cera raises his head from looking into the fire and grins. Sally and him probably already have ns, and that''s something Jasmine and I weren''t here for. "Sally and I were nning on some quests, but that might change... Depending on how this quest goes... We might decide to do something else." His exnation is in typical Cera fashion, and the best thing to do is ignore him. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near the river, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:54 PM)~~~ I haven''t gotten to spend many nights like this... I don''t know what to really call it, and some would consider that sad... Seeing the smiling faces of my friends and loved ones was something I used to take for granted. Before, I made my wish toe back, but so much has changed since then, and life is better even if it''s not on Earth. Hailey''s question about what we''re going to do after this has my mind distracted. There are many things I want to do, and one of them is figuring out more about these Old Gods and what they''re doing. They''vee back thanks to me and my actions, my disregard for the timeline. Everything is messed up, and probably on a path to destruction. I can''t be sure, but many things concern me, and that''s the truth. "What''s with the serious look on your face?" Sally''s voice breaks my concentration. Telling her might cause her to be in the same mental state I''m in right now, and I don''t want that burden for her. The knowledge I have will cause her turmoil she''s not ready for. There is something else I''vee to realize, and that''s I can''t take Sally with me when the timees to take on things around my level and life rating. She''s be annihted, and those are probablying up. "Nothing bad, just going over some thoughts that I''ve ignored to this point." She moves closer and wraps her arms around me. We''ll have to split up for a time, and that sucks. That''s going to be a bad conversation, but it won''t be forever, only until I handle whatever''sing for me. Cause I know something is, and if Sally is with me. I won''t be able to protect her. "Maybe if you share with me, I could help you." She doesn''t understand, and she won''t for quite some time. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~: Campsite near the river, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:01 PM)~~~ I don''t try and pry answers from Cera... He does make me worry when he looks like this. It means that he''s thinking about some really serious things, and while I feel a little hurt that he won''t share them with me. I understand there is a massive power gap between us, and he only wants to protect me. I''m not stupid enough to think I can help him... Not with his responsibilities and destiny... I know that there are great dangers in his future, and being next to him in all those moments won''t be possible... I hate the thought of being useless... Some things can''t be helped, no matter how hard you try. "These aren''t the type of things you share, Sally..." Instead of saying anything in response to him, I kiss the side of his head. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 365 - City Of Wessixs, A Moderate Merchant City {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Closing in on Wessixs, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:48 AM)~~~ Last night, I actually got some decent sleep, which is unexpected. The morning has been easy, and we wasted no time packing up our camp and making our way here. Wessixs is within view now, and there are plenty of carriagesing and going from the main gates. Helda wasn''t lying when she said it''s one of the more busy cities... She imed that Merchants do lots of business here thanks to thex taxws and sales tax. Thanks to that, it''s one of the wealthiest cities in the Elven Kingdom. We''reing here for information and items that we''ll need for facing the royal family and the Orvello family. Not anyone can just get into the capital of the Elven Kingdom. You need clearance, papers, false identities, everything that makes it seem like you''re supposed to be there. They take their security seriously, more so than I''ve ever seen. "I know where to go and who to talk to, so we''ll rent rooms at an Inn, and you can let me handle everything." Helda has proved her value time and time again. We look elven, but that''s all we have at the moment. Looking as we do now serves the basic need to blend in. If we came in here and stayed in our human looks, we would''ve been attacked on sight. "Remember, don''t take to people and avoid groups. You look like elves, but you know nothing of our customs." Melimora is adamant that we follow these rules. I have no qualms against not speaking to anyone. I wasn''t going to in the first ce. I doubt anyone in our group was going to spend time talking to strangers. "What about food? Are we allowed to get food?" Jasmine is quick about asking for the protocol regarding food. I''ll want to know this too. She''s not the only one that wants a good meal. Helda sighs in slight annoyance and pinches the bridge between her nose. "Don''t worry. We''ll make sure that you are fed. Don''t leave your rooms. If people find out you''re yers, it''ll raise many gs. It''ll make what we''ve done so far meaningless." She doesn''t have to tell me twice. Staying in bed while Helda and Melimora do all the heavy lifting sounds great. Le, Freskra, and Ashburn are not bound by the same rules Sally, Jasmine, Hailey, and I are bound by. They know how all this works, and they won''t be confined to any rooms. "Once we''ve secured everything that''s needed, we''ll head for the capital." I don''t know how long they''ll take to get everything. Hopefully, it''s not more than a couple of days. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Stay at an Inn in Wessixs, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:49 AM)~~~ Jasmine and I are sharing a room, and I''m d that the walls are soundproof with magic. Sally and Cera will likely spend some time doing intimate things, and I don''t want to listen to any of that, and neither does Jasmine. "Do you want first dibs on the bath?" All the roomse with their own private bathroom. I n on taking a long soak myself. The heated river was wonderful, but I want soap, shampoo, and conditioner to clean every part of my body. That''s what our bathroom has. "You can have it all to yourself, for now, Jasmine. I''ll take one after you." Usually, I wouldn''t hesitate to take the offer, but Jasmine seems to need it more than I do. Mom and dad would be proud. On the subject of mom and dad, I can''t help wondering what they''re doing... They''re probably having some awesome adventure enjoying their new lease on life. I would do the same if I were in their shoes. They''ve sacrificed so much for us over the years, and now it''s their turn to have fun, albeit with Marcus in tow. Marcus is my youngest brother and someone that I hoped would turn into a sess in the family. Instead, he''s been dragged into this world with us, and he''s all alone in terms of people his age and mentality from Earth. All his friends are dead, at least most of them... So many innocent children have been lost... Parents have been destroyed emotionally... The thought of my parents having to go through all that makes me queasy. Especially mom... She''d have a psychotic breakdown and give up on life if we all died and she lived. To many, the worst part is that they can''t kill themselves to be with their kids... Some parents only live for their children, and without them, they''d rather be dead... Suicide is never the answer, but sometimes, everyone goes to that dark ces... The really unfortunate ones don''t have people to lean on... I don''t know where this train of thought came from, but it isn''t something that I really do... "The water is magically enhanced!!" Jasmine''s excited voice pulls me from my thoughts as I hear the water to the bathtub running. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Remote Safehouse, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:14 AM)~~~ This remote house has been somewhere our children stayed... I can smell their scents, and I know that they were here... That, and the item we''re using to track them, shows that they were here at one point. A mother always knows what her husband and kids smell like. It''s something that we never shake and never forget. Chris stands next to me as we watch Marcus head into the kitchen to investigate any snacks since he''s hungry. "We''re right on their tails, and they apparently went to a dungeon ording to the magic item..." That piques my interest as I turn to him to read the information myself alongside him. There is little information on the ce. Only a location and a name... Elenahiers Dungeon... That''s a weird name for an elf, but who am I to judge. I was named after my grandmother''s favorite color. "We should also take the dungeon on..." His words confuse me... "They obviously took it on for a specific reason, and they got something they needed. We probably need it too..." He makes a great point... They wouldn''t stop off at a random dungeon in the middle of nowhere for no reason at all. No one would do something like that, which means we should also head there to find out what they were after. "Marcus! Finish up in there! We''re leaving!" Chris knows there is no time to waste. We need to make up for the time we lost. ~~~(POV: Chris Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near the river, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:29 AM)~~~ We''re right on getting closer as the days go by, but all these distractions and detours is causing all the ground we made to be lost. Marcus is ahead of us, using his magic to do rather reckless things, but he can''t be harmed by his own mes. Violet has tried on many asions to stop him, but he''s in that part of his development... The one where he''s forming his own ideas and thoughts, disobeying and discovering things for himself. Cera was the easiest to raise, but he gave Violet some heart attacks when he was younger. He didn''t disobey us, but he had a far worse habit. He loved going off on his own for adventures... Away from Violet''s eyesight. I can''t tell you how many times he''s disappeared, been gone for hours while the police search for him, only toe back home with a huge smile on his face from having fun all day. Violet tried to be mad, but he didn''t know that disappearing on us was worse than disobeying. Violet shed many tears in those days... Harder times, in my opinion... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 366 - Stops And Pursuits {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} {Sorry about the spotty uploads this month. Been spending a lot of time with family. This story is going to be back to its normal everyday uploads by January 1st. I''m gonna try to keep uploads every day until then, but I might get distracted by family again. Happy Holidays and Bted Christmas everyone!} ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling through Forest, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:18 PM)~~~ The dungeon that Cera and Hailey took on is important to whatever they''re doing in the Eleven Kingdom, and if they needed it, that''s a good sign we need it to. From how long the elven security pursued us, it''s safe to assume that outsiders aren''t wee. It could''ve also been the massive hole that Marcus blew in the Border wall... Either way, getting whatever was in that dungeon is imperative to find our kids. ording to the magic item, they''re staying in a city by the name of Wessixs. That''s all the information we''re getting from the item. "Don''t worry, we''re a strong team, and we can aplish anything if we set our minds to it." Chris is right about that... We haven''t met a dungeon or quest that we couldn''t beat. It''s not because our sses are super powerful either. It''s because we move as one. Marcus is the main damage dealer, and Chris and I take care of defending and keeping monsters away from Marcus. The number of times I''ve had a mini heart attack from monster after my baby boy... Thinking about it right now makes me livid and rabid!! "Yeah, I''m confident in our teamwork, but there isn''t much I can really do, and it''s driving me crazy... Marcus handles so much of the workload in the damage department... It makes me feel useless..." I don''t know if this is how gamers are supposed to feel, but I can''t know for sure... I''ve never been a gamer... It could just be me... Chris rubs his thumb across the top of my hand, and the sensation calms me. Being with my other half... Being with Chris... He''s given me more happiness than I could''ve ever imagined. "Don''t worry so much. Taking your mind out of this ce you''re in mentally will take your stress away." That''s obvious, but hearing it from another person has a greater effect. Marcus grabs our attention, and we see what he''s pointing at. A beautiful viewes in, and my mind is wiped nk. We all stand near the edge, and the vast forest continues into another mountain range. The peaks are high and covered by clouds. Snow is scaling down, and as it gets closer to the forest, it starts to disappear. I move closer to Chris, and I lean my head on his shoulder. A piece of me wants to stay here and rx with Marcus and Chris, but those thoughts are quickly crushed by my drive to find my other two children. "Mommy, do you think that all of this has been explored before..." My youngest son''s question isn''t one I can answer, but my best guess is that it hasn''t. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Staying at an Inn in Wessixs, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:27 PM)~~~ My eyes are closed as I rx my body on this bed, but my mind is racing. It''s been a while since Ist heard from Helda and Melimora, and I''m starting to get a little worried. They must be having a harder time getting the things we need for getting into the capital than I thought they would. If they need help, we wouldn''t know... They also didn''t tell us where they were going... We''d have no idea where or who has them, and if they have been captured by someone, then it''s likely they know about us too... This is just the nner in me... The piece that makes sure that I have all the possible points covered... Even if I can''t see them. "Stop worrying about them." My sister''s voicees from my side, and I turn my head and open my eyes to look at her. Hailey and Jasmine are hanging out with Sally and me. Things got pretty boring, and now they''re here to pass the time. They''re all engaged in apetitive match of The Shattering... A card game that''s exclusive to The Ancients World... To Gaia... One that I''d find fun myself with, I had a deck to y with. On the other hand, making Hailey mad isn''t something I want to do right now. She always gets a certain way when we y together, and it does bring out thepetitive side of me. As much as I don''t want to admit it. "It''s been longer than I expected them to be... If they''re not back by nightfall, then we''ll have to go out looking for them." The cover of the night will help us. While we look like elves, we still don''t know the customs and how to act. She sighs and turns her attention back to Sally, who she''s ying right now. Jasmine is watching the game between them with intensity. She''s looking forward to ying the winner, despite having lost every game she''s yed in. She''s improving, though, and it''s making Hailey frustrated. "They''re big girls. They can take care of themselves." It''s not about that. I know they can take care of themselves, and they''re strong, but that doesn''t mean that trouble doesn''te knocking. No matter how strong you are, no matter how prepared you are. Things can still go to shit faster than you can say fuck this. "They''re our allies, Hailey. If they need our help, I''m going to help them." It''s an uncharacteristic thing for me to say. There is a difference, though. Most of the time, I won''t go out of my way to help someone when ites to allies and friends. I''ll move mountains to help them, and I consider Helda and Melimora both allies and friends depending on how their moods are for that day. "So, go out and look for them. I''m taking a break for a change." Can''t me her for wanting that. Sally looks nervous at the rising tension between Hailey and me, assuming that a fight might end up breaking out. "Why don''t you take my spot for me, Jasmine. Cera and I will check around town for Helda and Melimora." She''s quick to try to defuse the situation, but as she''s standing, Hailey points at her and motions for her to sit down. She looks at me for guidance, and I nod my head for her to do so. She sits back down and picks her cards back up. "Sally, if Cera wants to check for Helda and Melimora, he''s doing it by himself. He needs to learn there are times that we need to wait." That''s the pot calling the kettle ck. I''d offer her the same advice in a simr situation. Waiting until nightfall is my only option, and once ites, I''m looking for them if they''re not back yet. I might even get Le and Freskra to help me. They''ll know more about Wessixs than me. "Although, if you y me and beat me, I''ll help you look for them." I turn on my side, away from Hailey, as her offer reaches me. I can feel her upset re on my back. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Wessixs, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:48 PM)~~~ This is harder than I thought it''d be... Most of my contacts in Wessixs have either left the city entirely or have driven their prices high enough to make a noble pop an eyeball in anger. "Where do you suppose we look now? Relozz is thest person that I know that might still be around..." Relozz... A scum of a person, and even worse of an elf... Doing business with the parasite isn''t something that I want to do, but I don''t think I have any choice right now. Knowing him, he''ll demand different forms of payment, but we might luck out, and he could be sane for once. Who am I kidding? Relozz is never sane. We''ll need to be on our toes in there cause he''s always got powerful guards with him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 367 - Bad And Even Worse {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Staying at an Inn in Wessixs, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:20 PM)~~~ Helda and Melimora have been gone for hours now, and the cover of the night has descended upon the rest of Wessixs. My hood is adorned, and I''m ready to go out searching for them. Everyone else is staying behind in case theye back, and I''m looking forward to seeing the city at night. Wessixs is a pretty city, and night poses less risk of an incident. Keeping out of trouble is my main objective. My height isn''t an issue either, male elves are naturally tall, and I''m the average height among elves. "I''lle back before midnight, and if they''re not back here by then, we''ll all need to start searching." My final words reach everyone as I exit the room. Not giving them any room to reject my order. I''m quick to leave the Inn, and I''m already walking down one of the roads. I can''t do any in-depth searching. I don''t know this ce at all. All I can do is keep my eyes and ears open for them. Helda and Melimora are powerful and don''t need my help. But they shouldn''t have been gone this long, and it''s making me worry. More often than not, something bad happens after someone says they''ll be back at a specific time and they''re not back yet. "What do you know about the yers?" I''m stopped in my tracks by a conversation that''s happening ahead of me. I get over my stupor and slowly follow behind. Keeping within hearing distance. Never have I heard an NPC refer to a new person as a yer. Not since theunch and the merging of our worlds. "Not much, but the elven royal family says that they''re different than the rest of us. They go by another name called new people, but yers is how they refer to each other." This is... Unexpected... I knew it''d be different here, but not like this. The Eleven Kingdom and society are doing something that I haven''t seen. Adapting to the yers and trying to learn more about them at a deeper level. The rest of Gaia only sees yers as people to exploit and ignore. Our immortality makes us valuable soldiers, and I can see why that''d be of interest to the Elven Kingdom. They want to use us too... They''re still unaware of my presence, and it''s allowing me to continue listening to their conversation. "You hear about the mobilization against the orc species. Apparently, we''re invading their territory and exterminating them forever. The royal family is mobilizing millions for this." Wow... There is a lot going on here that I didn''t know about. The elves have a burning hatred for orcs, and I can understand that. They''re cruel and vile creatures,cking mercy and any redeeming qualities. "The Eternal Light is preparing to hire the strongest of The Adventurers Guild to help us too. The thought of outsiders helping us is making the nobility nervous." The Eternal Light... It''s the Elven version of The Church of Light... One of the elves leans forward in aical manner and releases a long sigh, and shrugs his shoulders. "I still can''t believe that the royal family demanded that yer Zern marries into the family. The Son of Arch-Angel Michael isn''t some object. It''s absolutely absurd in my opinion..." This I already knew of. Worldwide Announcements are to thank for that. It''s been quite some time since Ist heard a Worldwide Announcement, and I hardly realized they were gone. Goes to show how little I cared for them. "I hear what you mean. It''s hard to see any logic in the royal family''s decisions these days. They''ve been ruling since before I was born." Never thought I''d overhear such an interesting conversation on a night stroll. I also don''t relish the thought of being treated like an object that can be handed around. That gives me some perspective on how some people feel, and I thought it was bullshit. Probably cause I''ve never objectified someone, but I understand now. "Do you think civilians will be asked to join in the crusade against the orcs?" That''s something that I''d also like to know. His friend shrugs his shoulders and ces his hands in his pockets. "Not from anything that I''ve heard, but who knows... The royal family might do somethingst minute to pull all healthy males into the war..." Elven society is very strict on who''s let into its military. Only men are allowed, and it''s been like this for thousands of years here. At least from what I understand about the general lore surrounding the elven people. "I swear, if I''m demanded to join, I''m leaving ournds for good. Any ce is better than here at this point... I''m tired of being treated less than what I''m worth by the Nobility and Purebloods..." From the sound of that, he''s not happy about the things going on here. I''m willing to bet there are millions more elven people that have the same opinion as him, and the royal family is too arrogant or out of ce to evenprehend what''s happening in their country. "I heard that the human Church of Light is pushing into Monster Territory soon. Saintess Lucy has been killing monsters by the thousands." I''ve met Saintess Lucy, and that doesn''t surprise me. She''s arrogant in her power, but that''s because she''s rarely ever met someone that''s stronger than herself. Our first and only interaction left her on her knees and borderline unconscious from my Divine Pressure Exertion. "The war is supposed to end soon at this rate. The Monster Horde is close to breaking." Never underestimate the monsters... ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Meeting with Relozz, Wessixs, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:55 PM)~~~ ~~~(Warning: Disturbing Content Ahead, Read at your own caution)~~~ Relozz hasn''t changed at all in thest 100 years... We''re looking up at him... He''s sitting on a mock throne, covered in naked elven women... It''s sickening seeing such a scene... His hand slides between one of the woman''s legs, and he inserts his fingers as he stares down at us. She releases mindless moans of pleasure. Brainwashed from this treatment for so long... It''s taking all my will not to kill him here and now, and I don''t get this way for no reason. It sucks that we need his skills in forgery and creating false identities... His connections... "Now, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Helda? Come to finally give yourself to me?" His face twists into a sick smile that''s full of everything vile in this world. Melimora and I are on our guards, and I''m ready to fight at a moment''s notice. "We need false identities, nobility papers, everything that you can think of to get into the elven capital." My answer is concise and to the point. His face turns to its usual neutral look, seeing that I''m not reacting the way he wants me to. He stands up, and the women around him move off of him and out of the way. He''spletely naked himself, and it''s a disgusting sight. He''s covered in sweat, and the odor from their activities is all around the room. The only thing that makes this somewhat eptable is his tiny penis. "Like what you see?" Neither Melimora nor I have looked anywhere other than his face. He holds out his arms and a robe appears out of thin air, and he wraps himself. "Follow me so we can discuss business. I don''t want the whores to hear about my work." He starts walking towards one of the doors, and we follow behind him. His demands are always outrageous and sick, and I''ll try to find some form that doesn''t involve physically pleasuring him or finding someone who will. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 368 - Unbelievable Demands {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Meeting with Relozz, Wessixs, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:04 PM)~~~ We enter Relozz''s office, and it''s covered invish decorations. The scum of an elven man doesn''t know taste if it looked like a woman. He sits down in his chair and looks towards us. "Please, take a seat." He waves his hands to the two chairs that are free, and he''s only doing this to make more tension. We''re not sitting down, no matter what. He lowers his hand on the table and releases a sigh, more for theatrics than anything else. "Fine, be that way. We''ll get right down to business." Melimora and I are watching every move he makes. "I can get you what you need to get into the capital with no problems, but my price has gone up. Not a lot of business in Wessixs these days." His tone is drawn out. Slowly gaining excitement and knowing that what he wants is something only true monsters provide. "Some of my women have... Passed due to some extenuating circumstances..." My stomach turns as he speaks... He enjoys torturing and sexually abusing women, and sometimes men if they''re pretty enough... A truly sick creature... He leans back in his chair, havingid down the terms of his work. Melimora and I are silent. Both of us want to reject him. There are other people we can go to in different cities... It''s better than Relozz. "However, I''m in a different mood today." His voice has a perverted edge to it. "If one of you pleases me now, I''ll provide my services." It takes all my willpower not to draw my dagger. This is aplete waste of time, and Melimora is already turning towards the door, and I follow. "Oh, I''m just kidding,dies. I know how you feel about me. What I really want is to meet that lovely elven blonde that you arrived in town with." Him knowing about us doesn''t surprise me, but we ignore him and exit out of the door. Closing it behind us in the process and making our way towards the exit of this facility. He was undoubted talking about Sally, and if he knows about us, he knows where we''re staying. He''d be a fool to attack them. Sally is strong and would kill that insect quickly. "What do you suggest we do now?" Melimora brings up a good point. Relozz was thest person I knew of in Wessix that could help us get what we need. There is another city, but since there is no fast way to get there, it''d take a couple of days on foot. Quicker by carriage, but still... "The City of Lerro is to our Northwest, and there are people that I know there." Lerro is our best option after here. inconveniences are named as such cause they make things far moreplicated than they need to be. "Wow... We haven''t been to Lerro in... What? 135 years? I wonder if they still have the best ice cream after all this time..." I''m doing the same thing, trying to get my mind off the women enved to Relozz. I''d kill him if I could, but when you kill a person like Relozz. Word gets around. Everyone that can provide what we need to get into the capital won''t provide us any services. Fearing that we''d kill them the same way we killed Relozz, it''s just the business. We exit the location and start walking down the street, but I spot a familiar face as we''re getting closer to the city center. Seems like Cera got antsy waiting for us. My elbow connects with Meli''s shoulder, and I point towards Cera now that I have her attention. She moves towards him in the same stride I am. "What are you doing outside the Inn?" My voice is in a whisper as Cera turns his head and sees us. He''s wearing his hood, and the reason he stood out to me is thanks to his extravagant elven features. He folds his arms at the tone he''s received from me and has an amused smirk. One that doesn''t have any ill will, just genuine intentions. "Take it that whatever you''ve been through tonight has put you into a sour mood." He hits the problem right on the head as he always does. My anger and hate directed at Relozz is making me overly emotional at the moment. Cera sees my look and gains a serious air about him, and I can tell that he will be persistent with this. "What happened? You haven''t given a look like that in the entire time I''ve known you. Now even when we were messing with each other in the carriage ride." Hiding the truth can onlye back to bite you, and I sense no reason not to tell him. Cera is level-headed, and the likely hood of him doing anything rash isn''t probable. "We met with a contact. He has a taste for beautiful women and enving them. He only epts payment in his demand for fresh women." A sh of a scowl appears on Cera''s face, but he closes his eyes and takes a single deep breath. Acting the way someone should in very tense andplicated situations, he opens his eyes, and his shoulders straighten up. "I know you wouldn''t make any deals with someone like that, meaning we''re having to adjust our n, right?" A single nod from me confirms his deductions, and he turns around and starts heading back towards the direction the Inn is located. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Walking back towards the Inn, Wessixs, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:17 PM)~~~ As much as I want to kill this Relozz individual, that isn''t tactically or strategically sound. A death with that much importance to the criminal world in the Elven Kingdom can lead to trouble, and that''s something we don''t need. "Don''t say anything to Sally or Jasmine. They might act rashly." My words are cruel in a sense... I don''t like keeping things from Sally or anyone I care about. On the one hand, Sally and Jasmine are ex-ves, and they''ll do something that could jeopardize our quest here. "You can''t save everyone... It''s a sad sentiment..." Helda shows a side that I don''t get to see often. She offers sympathy and agrees with my choice, and Melimora agrees along with her. We make it back to the Inn, and we head upstairs. They split off into their own rooms, and I head to mine. They''re heading to rooms that are empty and quiet. On the other hand, mine is filled with a bunch of girls. I prefer the silence right about now. I open the door, and I''m hit with the fruity scent of shampoos and soaps. My eyesnd on the room, and there is no one here. My ears pick upughtering from the bathroom and steaming from the slightly cracked door. Seeing no desire to get screamed at, I head over to the bed and plop down. Our bathroom is bigger than the rest, so I understand. Why they''re all bathing together is something I won''t understand. The disgusting habits in the world... They make my stomach turn... I feel like absolute shit not helping poor women... Trapped in that hell with Relozz... When you know something, you can''t unknow it. "Please forgive me..." My contractions and ws... My dodging and epting of responsibility... Can I really call myself a man... My eyes slowly close, and I drown out the soundsing from the bathroom, and a numb silence fills my thoughts. Clearing my mind of the world and my problems... The demons that are eating away at my mind... A moment of peace, traded for denial of my responsibility... Such an ego... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 369 - A New Enemy Approaches {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Saintess Lucy)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Lost Kingdom of Feradia, Capital City Feradia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:16 PM)~~~ The stench from rotting corpses whiffs through the air, and even on this massive balcony, I can smell it above the city. My view of The City of Feradia from here shows how massive it is and how much damage it''s sustained. "Mydy, the bodies have been tallied." A priestess enters onto the royal balcony and informs me of some news. We''re using the abandoned and partly destroyed pce as a base of operations here in Feradia. This massive Capital City was lost in the war against The Monster Horde, but when we arrived here two days ago, there was no upation of monster forces. A dead city filled with corpses is what greeted us, and now we''re tallying the dead. My body is ridge as I turn, and I try to steel myself. It''s been so much work, and I feel like I''m burning out. I wish I could retire like Alex is doing... "Gather the officers andmanders in the main hall. We''ll need to discuss our next move there." She bows her head slightly and walks through the door and back into the room. Leaving me on the balcony alone. Why didn''t they upy Feradia? This is a strategically valuable kingdom and has many routes and rivers leading into othernds for future invasions. The entire Kingdom of Feradia has been empty... It''s like The Monster Horde came through, killed everyone, and left... They didn''t even take the women... That''s out of character for the monsters... The signs obviously point to monster forces and the way the people were killed match the same type of wounds inflicted by The Monster Hordes weapons and attacks... "What the hell is going on..." When an enemy does something that breaks their current pattern, it should bring you concern. It''s a great indicator that things are changing on the opposition''s side. There are times to think about this in the meeting. I leave the balcony edge and the view of the ruined city. Taking the same path, the priestess too. We''ve brought them along to bless the dead and try to help any survivors with injuries, along with our forces sustained injuries. They''ve been a great help. The halls and carpets are stained in crimson, and the smell permeates my senses. I''ve grown sick and tired of war... Fighting endlessly... All of this started with the arrival of yers and yer Zern''s actions against The Orc Army. Getting to the main hall takes no time at all, and once there, I look out towards the massive makeshift table, and all my forces officers andmanders are silently waiting for me as I approach my spot. There are papers in front of every seat. Waiting to reveal how many have died in total in the Kingdom of Feradia. "Let us see how great of a loss the human race has suffered in this assault against Feradia..." Everyone steps forwards at my words and takes a seat in the rough and raggedy chairs, and I do the same. The wood is quite ufortable, but this is war, not tea time. We take the reports, and I see the faces fall on everyone, and as I read the number, I grit my teeth in anger. "Over 260 million have been ughtered... I''ve never seen such high losses on our side before... Why would they kill everyone? Taking the women would''ve helped them in the end, right?" An officer I don''t know the name of speaks what everyone is thinking. There are collective sighs and groans from around the room, everyone is scanning the more in-depth data, and I see the amount of death for the children and elderly... Not a single life was spared, and the few survivors we have found are too traumatized to talk. "This is uneptable!! We need to retaliate again!!" That won''t work... The Monster Hordes territory has been abandoned. It''s the reason we''re here and searching for them. When my forces invaded The Monster Horde Territory, there was nothing left. All monsters and enemy forces were nowhere to be found. "We can''t retaliate against an enemy we can''t find. They''ve switched tactics for this war." The discussion continues, but I''m too consumed by the amount of dead. There are too many possibilities to know what happened to them, or what this means for our war... We''ve been tracking the movement of their armies, and this is where we''ve been led. "What is their goal..." The conversations and debates all halt at my words... I''m honestly surprised that anyone heard me... I bring up the most important point to talk about. Everyone is silently waiting for a deeper exnation and a new avenue of discussion. "If we can find out their goals, we can find out where they''re going... They didn''t take the women, meaning they no longer need them... They''ve abandoned their territory and are moving in massive numbers... Attacking Kingdoms wherever they can find them..." It''s almost like they''re searching for something. What they''re searching for is beyond me at this point, but I can only guess that it''s hidden from them. Everyone in the room is thinking deeply about my words, and we all hear a voice that isn''t a part of the table. "When we bless the bodies, the souls of the dead are sometimes left behind in pieces, which is strange." The priestess drops a huge piece of information. When mortals die, you go to either The Underworld or you go to The Overworld. The blessing of the bodies is a church''s tradition more than a ritual to help move others on. If there are pieces of souls left behind, then they''re being taken. When a mortal dies, their soul arrives at either destination in one piece. Only someone capturing and locking souls would leave this behind. Realization falls on everyone, and I jolt up from my seat and m the table with my fist. Breaking the long and rickety monstrosity. "They''re collecting souls!! THEY PLAN TO RESURRECT A POWERFUL ENTITY FROM THE UNDERWORLD!!!" They need sacrifices to do that, and the easiest ones to get are mortal souls. You can trap them and take them anywhere. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Staying at an Inn in Wessixs, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:55 PM)~~~ Sally snuggles up against my body, and we both smell good for a change. After all three of them were done in the bathroom, I took a turn and soaked my body in magically enhanced water. I haven''t been this clean since the time I visited Amelia in Zenith. "You smell wonderful..." Her head is buried in my neck, and she''s warming me up for a change. Having a girl tell me that I smell good... It gives me a funny feeling in my stomach... Perhaps it''s because Sally is the one saying such a sweet thing. "Mmm... You don''t smell half bad yourself... Be a shame to ruin it by getting sweaty..." She chuckles at the mention ofborious physical activities. She glides her hand up and down my chiseled stomach. The feeling of her fingernails give me goosebumps, and they cause my heart rate to rise. Luckily, that''s the only thing that''s rising right now. "Yeah... Ruining it by getting sweaty would suck... But if we both get back in the bath right after, then we won''t stink..." Her voice is ridden with temptation, and I''m hardly able to resist. My body betrays my mind in the end. The new tent in the nket makes Sally raise her head and smile at me. Right before sinking under the covers and heading towards my lower half. I close my eyes to enjoy this... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 370 - Politics {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: King Jackson)~~~ ~~~(Location: Bedroom in Pce, Zenith City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:31 AM)~~~ News from The Church of Light has been enlightening and worrying at the same time. The Monster Horde has been preparing for something, something far darker and sinister than anyone could''ve imagined. "You''ve been out here for hours. Come back to bed." My lovely wife and queen Tessa decides to join me on the balcony attached to our room. Being out here helps clear my head when problems start to pile up, and no matter how fast I solve them, they''re constantly popping up. "Sorry, just thinking about the reports that The Church of Light has sent out to all us rulers. Even the ones that are independent such as ourselves." She knows what I know. I don''t keep things from her. She''s a ruler of this Kingdom too. She leans her head on my shoulder and looks out into our beautiful capital with me. Her white hair is cascading down, and it''s taking my breath away. The light from the moon is shining down on Zenith and us, and it''s causing her hair to sparkle. "Well,e and get some sleep. You need rest too." She smiles at me, and my worries wash away for a brief moment. Her hand finds mine, and she pulls me from my spot and takes me back to our bedroom. As wey down in bed, my mind drifts to Amelia and how she''s handling all the work she now has. Thend we''ve captured in our war with Bellvia has started development, and Amelia has more help than she''d need. Millions are wanting to work for and with her. Being the mother of yer Zern draws a lot of potential allies, and the same can be said about enemies. "Would you like me to kiss you to get you to rx?" She knows me too well... She ces her hand on my cheek and turns my lips towards hers. She kisses me, and my eyes close, distracting me from my thoughts once again. She''s right about taking some time off. She pulls away from the kiss, and my eyes slowly open. Sheys her head on my chest, and I find a sense of calm peaceing into me. "Thanks... For being you... You''re the best..." My words are something that I don''t say often, but I say them when they need to be said. She deserves to hear them. I''m dreading all the meetings I have starting at noon, but that''s part of being a leader and ruler. "Who else would make sure this ce doesn''t fall apart? Without me, you would''ve died of stress and overwork ages ago." She''s not wrong. She makes it easier. "Now, go to sleep. You need it." My eyes close at hermand, and I find myself asleep fast. ~~~(POV: Amelia Zern)~~~ ~~~(Location: Meeting in Pce, Zenith City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:13 PM)~~~ The room is loud with bickering and arguments. All of them are based around the subject today, and that''s the development of the Kingdom and our role in this uing threat that The Church of Light has discovered. "As the report states!! The Church of Light doesn''t know who or what''s being summoned yet!!" A noble that I don''t know screams over everyone. This causes an outbreak of retaliation in response. My eyes drift towards Jackson and Tessa, and the disappointed look in his eyes tells me he''s getting sick of this fast. "You cretin!! We no longer hold any obligations to The Church of Light!! Their problems aren''t ours anymore!!" A nameless noble speaks above the majority of voices, and they all respond in different ways. I''m getting sick of this, and I''m finding fewer reasons to be here. Wasting time with this is costing valuable learning time that I can be used to develop thend that''se under my possession. Instead of saying anything, I stand up and leave my seat. Heading for the doors to the pce. "Lady Zern! What are your thoughts on this!?" Jackson''s voice rings out, and silence ensues. My head turns, and I look at all the nobles that are waiting for me to speak. "We need to decide on what takes priority, which is why I''m leaving to do something that''s important to the Kingdom. You can argue as much as you want, but nothing is getting done by doing so." Leaving no room for any follow-up questions, I leave and descend the stairs into the courtyard. My personal guards are immediately at my side, and they keep me protected as we continue towards my carriage. This life has far more things I don''t like than I do. The carriage starts to move, and my escorts surround my carriage. People notice me and try to shout and scream out requests. It''s hard. They don''t understand that I don''t have powers like my son... I can''t heal their sick and wounded, and I can''t give them the salvation that only someone like my son can. Many see me as a saint and less of a noble... It''s why many refer to me as Lady, respecting that I''m the one that gave birth to everyone''s hope. "Mydy, do you wish to read the reports on the status we''ve made." My head butler takes my attention away. ~~~(POV: Saintess Lucy)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Lost Kingdom of Feradia, Capital City Feradia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:03 PM)~~~ The holograms of the rest of the council members fill the room, and we''re discussing the possibilities of what might be summoned. "What we do know is there constantly on the move and taking as many mortal souls as they can. Be them human, animal, insect, pretty much anything that''s considered alive. Disregarded their own forces, of course." We all listen to the topic. We have so little information to go on, and this entire situation isn''t going to end well. "Need I remind everyone that this isn''t the first time that they''ve tried to summon a creature from Underworld either. Last time, Fenrir took care of them before we could." The Pope''s voice reminds me of that day... Being in the presence of Fenrir was unlike anything I''ve ever seen or felt. The Beast of Ragnarok and the Eater of Gods was far more powerful than yer Zern, and I''d not want to meet up with Fenrir again. "There is an upside to this. yer Zern and Fenrir are friends. That could be used to help us." It turns my stomach hearing some of the ideas that are bouncing around this meeting. Why have we fallen so far... My eyes close, and I try to think about all the information that we already have. "What we should really be asking is who''s willing to help us? More Kingdoms are bing independent, following King Jackson''s stance. The Monster Horde isn''t defeated. It''s just disappeared." My topic of conversation causes silence from everyone. The threat of The Monster Horde is still very real, and there isn''t anything we can do at the moment. They''vepletely dropped off the face of Gaia... "You bring up a great point, Saintess Lucy... One that I don''t know the answer to..." Alex lowers his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. His recement will be selected soon, and we''ll be stuck with a new person as Pope... Tracking them down and locating where they''re doing the summoning ritual is imperative to stop this. "Should we reach out to King Jackson? He could say something to Amelia and she could speak to yer Zern. We need their help..." An idea that I''ve heard many times but always fail rings in my ears again. This is bing monotonous and pointless... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 371 - Broadened Perspective {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Eeroxis, Lieutenant of the Monster Horde)~~~ ~~~(Location: The rxes Pass, Near The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:28 PM)~~~ We''ve been collecting souls constantly, and we''re getting closer to the amount needed to summon... It... Why themanders and generals are so motivated to do this is something I don''t understand. "Eeroxis, how much longer until we''re out of these mountains?" Mymander, Hexer the Brilliant, has tasked me with navigating us through The rxes Pass. He''s a hybrid between an elf and vampire and probably the strongest fighter I''ve ever met. Why he''s not a general yet is beyond me. "We should be out by nightfall, and we''ll be exiting into a forest called The Red Thicket." Our division has been tasked with scouting out The Kingdom of Avalon. A new City that houses these... yers... Specifically. Many on the high council believe these yers or new people are the greatest threat to our sess right behind yer Zern. "Good, tell the scouts to go ahead and gather information in case there is something unexpected ahead." At his order, I wave my hand, and a magic sigil pops up. Letting a blue and purple light into the sky. Giving the scouts the signal to move forward. We''re riding on top of skeleton horse puppets. While ufortable, they serve their purpose. "Commander Hexer, why have we stopped collecting souls? Assuming that''s still our objective." There are many divisions and armies in The Monster Horde, and we''ve split up our grand army since our invasion of The Kingdom of Feradia. Now we''re scouting out other weak and vulnerable Kingdoms in which we can harvest souls, but it''smon knowledge that yers are immortal. "That''s for me to worry about, Eeroxis. You have your orders, and I expect you to follow them." He''s not in the mood for questions, so I''ll leave him be. Still, is scouting The Kingdom of Avalon out really our only objective? The generals report directly to the high council, and themanders report to the generals. As a lieutenant, I report directly to mymander, which is Hexer. My thoughts are stopped as we turn a corner, and we get a fantastic view of The Kingdom of Avalon. While the capital isn''t in sight, the massive cities close to the border are. It''s a shame that we won''t be attacking this ce. It''d be foolish to. Despite how strong Hexer is, I doubt that he can survive an onught of immortal fighters. "It''s such a shame that wherever we go... We have to destroy such things... The Kingdom of Avalon is lucky they are spared this fate..." Hexer surprises me with his words... As a half-breed between a human female and orc, I might not have the best taste in poetry and deep thoughts, but I know I''m far smarter than the rest of my kind. Having been born around three months ago, I''vee a long way. "Do you ever wonder why we''re enemies with humanity and humanoid creatures?" I can''t stop my question froming out... I wonder about this a lot, and I see that this war is pointless in certain regards... We''re fighting them because they are who they are, and they''re doing the same to us. "You''re thinking about something I find myself thinking often... Perhaps it''s because it''s in our natures to hate and harm each other..." That''d be a pathetic and sad reason if it''s true... It''s just spection, of course. ~~~(POV: Hexer the Brilliant)~~~ ~~~(Location: The rxes Pass, Near The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:40 PM)~~~ Eeroxis has proven to be apetent fighter and an excellent lieutenant. He''s broken the notions I''ve held about orcs, but that doesn''t mean by any measure he''s a genius. Given more time and experience, he''ll learn what''s needed to be more than he is. I find it a great sign that he thinks about the same things I think about, in a sense. More importantly, my own ns areing along nicely. The high council and the generals are starting to get worried. They''re noticing that my power is far greater than they realized, and they''re making moves on their end to find out how to handle me if I need to be put into check. Overthrowing the high council and the generals is my goal. Taking the main seat of power for myself and changing the goals of The Monster Horde. Summoning ancients evil beings isn''t what will win this war we find ourselves in. While I can''t stop it right now, I intend to find someone that can. Specifically, yer Zern. I have it on good intel that he''s, in fact, a yer and is near The Elven Kingdom, if not in it already. What he''s doing there is none of my business, but if I can just talk to him and get him to understand my n. I''m sure that he''ll help. "Eeroxis, what are your thoughts on yer Zern?" I''m curious about what he thinks of such an existence. yer Zern is strong, but I know that I''m stronger than he is right now. That''ll change, though. yers are reported to grow in strength at exponential rates, and that includes yer Zern. "Well, I know that the council''s attention is pretty much focused on him and figuring out how to get rid of him. Personally, I think he''s doing things of his own agenda." Bravo Eeroxis. That''s exactly what yer Zern is doing. He''s on his own side, and he''s not our greatest threat. Well, the greatest threat to the ns of the high council, but to me, he could be a powerful ally. "That''s a smart conclusion, Eeroxis. I''m impressed. Now here''s a challenging question. Why do you think yer Zern exists? His being here doesn''t make sense..." Eeroxis won''t know the answer to this, but he has a lot of potential to be an important ally to me. Helping him learn how to think inplex manners can be beneficial to both of us. "In truth, I don''t know,mander Hexer. Best guess, yer Zern isn''t who everyone believes him to be." That''s a logical conclusion that''s based on the current evidence. That''d be something I''d consider too, but at this moment, there is no answer. It''s not something we can know for sure. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: On the road in a carriage, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:12 PM)~~~ We''re heading to a different city that might have what we need to get into the capital, and riding in thisfortable carriage is something that I find nice. "When do you expect us to arrive?" Hailey is quick to ask the question that''s on my mind as well. We''re supposed to be arriving in a city by the name of Gradule, and it''s North of Wessixs. Helda pinches the bridge of her nose as she''s getting tired of all the questions that Hailey is pestering her with. I understand. She''s my annoying sister. "We''ll get there by sunrise tomorrow, and that answer won''t change no matter how many times you re-word it." My eyes are closed as I''m listening to this conversation. Sally is resting her head on myp and sleeping herself, getting a nap in from time to time helps the stress that a person goes through. "Fine, how about the capital? What''s that ce like?" That''s something that I''m also interested in, but Helda isn''t in the mood to exin things right now. She''s had to deal with a lot of shit since we started this trip to Gradule. Ashburn and Melimora have been talking to each other outside as they walk. Wanting privacy and movement. They''re beside the carriage. The revtion that Ashburn likes Melimora has changed said girl, and while she''s still pretty neutral. She''s showing some form of... Affection? Towards Ashburn. She might even be considering him as a partner. I wouldn''t exactly know since I''m in here. For now, I''m just enjoying the peace and quest that''sing with this ride... Well... Almost peace and quiet. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 372 - Gradule, A City Falling Apart {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Front gate to The City of Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:17 AM)~~~ The ride here was far more annoying than it should''ve ever been, and that''s all thanks to Hailey. I lost my temper with her, but she deserved it. She''s been ignoring me ever since I yelled, but she''ll get over it. "Wee to the City of Gradule... Enjoy your stay..." The hollow and tired voice of the guardsmen brings reality into the situation. That reality is Gradule is a piece of crap town that shouldn''t even be here. The carriage moves forward, and we''re all looking out at the scenery. The carriage is slightly more cramped than I''d like now that Ashburn and Melimora are back in, but you can''t have everything. "I can''t believe this once beautiful city has be like this..." Le grabs my attention with her soft words. I don''t know anything about Gradule and its history. Helda, Melimora, Ashburn, Le, and Freskra would know more. "Yeah... It''s sad... This used to be one of the richest cities in The Elven Kingdom... Now it''s reduced to this..." Le''s husband, Freskra, also has an experience with this ce by the sounds of it. Focusing back on the looks and it''s almost disgusting. Homeless everywhere I look, and buildings are in serious disrepair. The noble of this city must be one greedy motherfucker to cause this to happen. "The Baron that rules over this city has been exploiting the people for years... Using them to line his pockets with money that should go to the city... The royal family overlooks it..." The elven people have it hard... Helda knows a lot about the nobility, but that''s to be expected. She''s a pureblooded elf. While she grew up as a smuggler, elves treat purebloods with respect. Even if they aren''t nobles. "We''re heading to a ce where criminals gather. It''s a pretty rough crowd, so never go off on your own." Melimora is quick to warn us about the destination we''re heading to. It''s not the first time I''ve been to a rough area where nothing but trouble flocks to. Sally and I have been to plenty of ces like that, but it''s different here... This is The Elven Kingdom. I don''t know what type of criminals we''ll run into. "Should we prepare for a fight just in case?" I raise my eyebrows at Sally. Having not expected a question like that from her. Her eyes are locked on Helda and Melimora since they''re sitting together. "Yeah, just in case, be ready to fight. Things could get real rough at the drop of a hat." Helda''s calm and even exnation warns me that the threat is serious. "Don''t let them see your face, Sally. Hide your body as best as you can too. They like beautiful women, and you''re their type." Now I''m on edge. If anyone even tries to touch Sally, I''ll go full-ded hurricane full of fury on their asses. "Okay, thanks for the warning. Now I can go into this ce knowing what I''m walking into." It pisses me off how women are treated in this world... "Cera... Please keep your cool in there... No matter what type of looks I get..." That''s way harder than she realizes... ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Criminal Hideout in Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:24 AM)~~~ The group follows me in, and as my eyes cross the room, I notice there are lots of new faces. The smell is the same as I remember, a bunch of men who haven''t bathed in weeks. "Oh god... It reeks in here..." Hailey makes sure her voice is low enough so only we hear her. The person I''m looking for goes by the name of Terox. She''s someone that can get us what we need. Manni, the bartender, recognizes me and waves us over. It''s nice to see him, but I''m surprised he''s still in this ce... He told me he was nning to leave a long time ago... Over 100 years ago... "How''s my favorite smuggler?" He starts a casual greeting as we all stand near the bar, and if there were anyone I''d consider an uncle, it''s Manni... He showed me a lot about the criminal world, taught me how to survive outside of smuggling... Something my father overlooked. "It''s been good, Manni... As much as I''d like to chat, I need to talk to Terox. Is she still here?" He smiles and points to the stairway leading upstairs. I turn around and look at the group that''s waiting for instructions. Leaving them here is my only option. Terox only likes talking to people one on one and no one else in the room. "Behave, everyone. I''ll be back once I''m done talking to Ferox. Hailey, I swear if you start anything, you''re off the team." While I don''t think I could force her to do that, the idea of how serious I am is behind that threat. She rolls her eyes and turns to the side. I turn and walk towards the stairs. I make my way up the stairs and to the door. After a couple of knocks, a guard opens the door and Scans me. Getting all my information. It''s not something I like, but it''s necessary to speak to Terox. He sees I''m good and lets me in. "Well, if it isn''t the renegade herself!!" The smile on my face is evident from my old nickname. Terox is sitting on a couch and looks at me. Thest time we saw one another was before either of us hit puberty. She stands up as I approach, and we hug. "It''s been too long, Little Bolt... Seems you followed your mother''s footsteps and became one of the best forgers in The Elven Kingdom." We pull away from one another, and she offers me a seat. Terox knows why I''m here... I wouldn''te this far back into The Elven Kingdom if it weren''t serious. "What do you need? Your terrorist status has stopped you froming this deep since you left." To The Elven Kingdom, I''m a terrorist. Ever since I was a little girl... I barely made it out alive, but I did it. That was centuries ago... ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Criminal Hideout in Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:38 AM)~~~ Cera is close by my side, and his arm is wrapped around my lower back as he holds me tight. I''ll admit it makes me feel safer, and it feels good to be held so close by Cera... But it''s embarrassing too. "How much longer do you think they''ll take?" My question is only directed at Cera. The rest of the group has split off to check out this ce. The smell is truly terrible, but the ce is huge. There are games going on in every corner. "Depending on the demands that Helda has to fulfill, it could be fast or quick. Best guess, another 10 or 15 minutes..." That''d be my guess too. He pulls me closer, and I lean into him. I look at him, and I see he''s staring at something. I track what he''s looking at, and it''s a group of guys making eyes at us. We''re all covered in cloaks and hoods, hiding most of our features, but my feminine feature is stilling out. "I don''t like them looking at you... It makes me want to brutalize them... They''re looking at you like you''re meat..." They really are, but I ce my hand under his chin and turn his eyes towards me. He just needs to see that I''m okay and nothing terrible will happen. "Hey, we''re getting out of this ce in no time. I can handle a few looks. If they do try something, we''ll handle it like always..." His eyes soften up, and he loosens his hug slightly. A bit to my disappointment. However, they decide to be idiots and say something from where they''re standing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 373 - Keeping It Cool... {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Criminal Hideout in Gradule City, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:42 AM)~~~ My blood boils as one of the men looking at Sally with vile and disgusting eyes opens his mouth from where he''s standing. "You''ve got a nice piece there, kid! Why not let me borrow her?! I can show her a better time than you ever could!? I can satisfy her for sure!!" As I''m letting go of Sally to go deal with them, she ces her hand on my shoulder and tries to get my attention. It''s hard to stop myself from doing something... I could kill these freaks in an instant... They shouldn''t be considered people... Despite their elven looks, they act like humans. "Don''t listen to them... They want you to react... We don''t need the trouble..." You know that I''m acting irrationally when someone has to talk to me like this... With a calming breath, I move back and sit next to Sally. The men see that I''m not going to do anything, and I can see the looks over victory on their faces... She was right about them wanting a reaction. "If Helda isn''t back down here in 15 minutes, I''m going up there myself." Being here isn''t tolerable. I can''t imagine how Sally and Jasmine feel... Even though they''re covered up, and it''s hard to discern their looks, it''s obvious that men are going to try something either way. It''s harder to cover up Sally''s looks since her figure is more pronounced. "I agree with you there... Until then, ignore everyone and keep your mind off those jerks..." Our low whispers are only audible by us. Gradule has be a city that I never want toe back to, and I''m happy I''ll never see this ce again. "Sorry about the patron... They can get this way with new people around." The bartender, Manni, decides to speak to us. From how affectionately he was talking to Helda, he must be a really old friend. He looks like he wants to ask me a question. He sees that I nod my head for him to give it a shot. "Mind if I ask you how Helda has been doing since I saw her?" That wouldn''t be something that I know, but before I can answer. Melimora pops up next to Sally and me. She looks at Manni, giving him a look. "I see... Seems that you''re new to her group..." Talk about learning tomunicate without words... She takes a seat on the barstool next to us and releases a long sigh. "How about you tell me how you''re doing, Manni... Thest time I saw you, you were saying you''d get out of this ce..." His face bes less vibrant, and there is a change to his atmosphere. "C''mon, don''t get like that, old man..." Melimora speaks to him in a familiar way too... ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Criminal Hideout on Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:47 AM)~~~ Terox has finished listening to the story so far. Her eyes are wide at the news that I''m traveling with yer Zern, and he''s here to destroy the royal family and the Orvello family. She leans back on her couch and slowly rubs her forehead. "It''s not gonna be easy... However, I can get you what you need..." That''s the best news I''ve heard in days. Finally, some ground has been made. She looks me in the eyes, and I can see her sad look, and I''m actually worried... I''ve never seen her look this way... "Do you know why Manni''s stayed for so long?" What does Manni have anything to do with this? I shake my head... "The reason he''s stayed... It''s because he was worried about you... he wanted to be here when you came back..." Oh... He''s always done something like that... Manni means a lot to Terox and me, and she wouldn''t bring this up for no reason... "Manni... He''s gotten sick... He isn''t showing it right now, but he''s only got a few years left..." My world spins, and I feel like throwing up... Manni... Uncle Manni... "My price... I want yer Zern to heal him... I heard stories about his ability to heal others..." I''ve heard them too... If Manni is sick, I''m going to do anything I can, and I''m sure Cera wouldn''t mind helping... Not at all... Especially if it''s essential for our quest... "I''ll talk to Cera. I''m sure he''d help even if it weren''t the price you''re asking for..." As I stand, my legs feel like jelly, and I feel like a piece of my has been taken away. Terox stands up and follows me downstairs. we make a straight shot to the counter, and Manni is already making small talk with Melimora and Cera... "Cera, Manni... I need to talk to you guys upstairs..." He looks at us weirdly and then looks towards Sally. I get it. He doesn''t want to leave her here alone. "Fine, Sally cane to. Let''s go." He stands up and starts walking towards the stairs with Sally. Terox and I look at Manni, and he has a worried look. He sighs and puts his rag down, and heads upstairs too. We follow them, and Manni is already sitting on the couch. I make my way towards him, and I p him across the face. "How dare you not inform me about your medical condition!! Why would you keep that from me!?" He rubs the red spot on his face... He looks up at me, and his eyes are sad... I feel a part of me break at that look. "I didn''t want to interrupt your life and adventures... I figured if you ever dide back, it''d be because you wanted to... Not because you had to..." This!!! This fucking!!! He''s being an idiot!!! What kind of twisted logic is that! That doesn''t even make sense!! Manni leans back on the couch and closes his eyes. "Well, you''re in luck cause Cera is gonna heal you." Instead of reacting in any way, he just keeps his eyes closed and stays the way he is. "Weren''t not waiting any time, Cera. Heal him." Cera looks like he''s about to exin something, but Manni stands up and clears his throat. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Criminal Hideout in Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:55 AM)~~~ There is a lot of tension, and Manni looks like he''s about to say something serious... "First off, Terox. I don''t appreciate that you''d go and tell people about my condition behind my back." He looks at the elven beauty, and she averts her eyes. "Secondly, what makes you think I want to be healed?" Uh oh... I can already see the anger bubbling in Helda and Terox. She steps forward and stares into his eyes hard, and her fury is rising. "You''re getting healed, Manni. Whether you want it or not. You''re not leaving me yet..." Her voice bes weaker as she speaks, and it starts to crack. Manni reaches his arms out and wraps Helda in a hug, she has her face in his chest, and I can hear her soft sobs... He pulls away and steps back. Having steeled himself for his fate, Helda looks at Cera in desperation. "I won''t heal him unless he wants me to... From the looks of it, he has someone on the otherside he wants to meet again... Right?" Helda looks at Cera in confusion, and she turns to Manni to see if his hunch is true. Manni nods his head and takes a small breath... "I miss my family... My wife... They''re all waiting for me on the other side... A few more years and I can be with them again..." It does hurt to hear this... I can''t imagine what Helda and Terox are going through... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 374 - A Piece Dies... {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Criminal Hideout in Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:02 AM)~~~ Manni has the look of a man that''s happy with his fate. If he weren''t, he would''ve been searching for help all this time... I''m not the only one with strong healing skills. The downside is they only activate when I equip my Divine Grade Title. Manni not wanting to be healed is a saving grace because once my title is activated, people will know I''m here... Manni has unknowingly saved our entire quest here by refusing any help. "Are you insane!? You''re getting healed!!" Terox is the one to blow up now, and it''s interesting to see. Helda and her are simr from what I''ve seen. Helda having a borderline meltdown isn''t what I''d thought I''d see today. The man who is the subject of the woman screaming at him stands up calmly and fixes his bartender clothes. "I''ve already epted that I''m dying in a few years... I''m looking forward to the end... Seeing them all again... One thing that sucks about being an elf is the incredible lifespans..." He''s right about that... Living too long can be a curse... His family had to have been killed over the years, and he''s waited for an event in his life to help rejoin them... He sees the sickness he has as a chance to be with them again... "I''m sorry, to both of you... But nothing will change my mind... You''ll both be fine without me. You''ve been doing things on your own for years now..." That''s an understatement. My eyesnd on Helda specifically, and I''ve never seen her look like this before... Tears are falling heavily from her eyes, and her face is red. She''s trying hard to bottle it up, but it''s still bursting out... "How could you... How could you be so selfish..." Her words sting Manni, but it''s not changing his mind. He steps forward and ces his hands on Helda''s shoulders. She looks up at him, and her tears are pouring down her face. "Hey, everyone goes eventually... Don''t you think I deserve to be with the people I miss and love? They''re waiting for me on the otherside... I miss them so much, Helda..." She cringes in pain, and she wraps Manni in a hug. Suddenly, Terox hugs him from the otherside, and he''s being sandwiched by crying girls... He closes his eyes and smiles. One arm is behind him. Hugging Terox, and his other arm is hugging Helda. "Cera?" My eyes meet his, and he gently stares into my eyes. "I''ll need you to watch over Helda here..." She''ll resent that statement, but I nod my head regardless. He peels both of them off him, and he turns to Terox. He takes a breath and ces his hand on her head. "Now, you''re getting out of this town. I''d appreciate it if you went with them, but you don''t have to if you don''t want to. Cause I''m not staying here after today. There are some people I need to meet with before I die." Terox has pain all over her face and body. She''s the one that stayed with Manni after all... I''m not against her joining us. The more help we have getting into the capital, the better. She has skills and contacts that''ll make that easy. Manni steps away from Terox and starts walking towards the door. Turning around as his hand rests on the handle. "I love you both like my own children. Remember that, okay?" He turns around and leaves. As the door closes, Helda and Terox both copse from where they''re standing and hit the ground hard. Sally is quick to rush to both of them and do her best to console them. My eyesnd on Terox, and I walk up to her. She looks up at me, and her eyes are red and puffy. Fresh tears are rolling down her cheeks. "How about it? Youing with us?" Her eyes slightly widen... She brings her hands up and wipes the tears away, doing her best to regain herposure. "I''m sorry that you''ve had to witness this embarrassing disy, yer Zern..." Ahh, there it is... I help her up with my hand, and she straightens up. I turn my body and look at Helda, still on the ground with her hands buried in her face. Sally looks at me in some sort of attempt to tell me to help. As I walk towards her, she keeps her head down. I squat in front of her, and she slowly raises her head. Her eyes are looking into mine. "I know what you''re going through, but Manni has chosen his fate... And you should be happy for him..." She grits her teeth and abruptly stands up... She takes a deep breath, and her body straightens as she does. She walks over to Terox, and I see something that genuinely surprises me. She ps her across the face harder than Manni. "You could''ve gotten ahold of me!! Why didn''t you tell me what was going on!!?" Terox holds her red cheek in surprise and pain... This is truly sad to see, but sometimes a conflict needs to happen... Things need to be hashed out and dealt with... "I''m sorry... He made me promise that I keep it a secret... Even from you..." Helda''s eyes bulge in rage, and she balls her fist and strikes Terox. She falls to the ground and jumps on top of her. Sally moves to stop them, but I hold my hand out in front of her. Helda smacks Terox over and over again... "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!! YOU COULD''VE DONE SOMETHING MORE!! STEPPED UP AND TOLD ME!!" Helda''s strikes are slowly getting weaker... "WE promised that we''d all look out for each other!" Her punches are now ps, and she''s losing her will and rage. "You broke that promise..." She fails to see she did the same by leaving... In a way... ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Criminal Hideout in Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:11 AM)~~~ It''s hard to watch this, but she''s not hitting Terox anymore... Suddenly, Terox flips Helda over and is on top now. She balls her own fist but doesn''t strike. "AND WHERE WERE YOU!?" Helda looks like she''s lost a part of her soul. "You left and never came back! You became a Terrorist and changed everything!" Helda''s hollow eyes slowly leak fresh tears. Terox stands up and wipes the blood from her lip and nose, spitting some out to the side. "Before this esctes any further, you should both consider this isn''t anyone''s fault... It''s life, and it happens..." Cera slowly talks at my side, and I look at him. He has a solemn look, and his arms are crossed. Standing tall and confident, like he always does... Terox turns to him, and her anger is quickly fading. Helda took this way harder than anyone else... Probably cause Terox has known the truth for a long time now... That Manni was dying, but I don''t think she truly epted he wanted to die... "Helda, there are moments in life that change you... Let this be one for the better..." Helda flinches and slowly gets up at Cera''s words... She stares at Terox, and her anger is gone too. They both needed to let out the pain and anger. "Terox... If you want toe with us, I won''t say no... But I don''t think I''ll ever have the same rtionship with you after this..." The bitterness in her voice is evident, but it''s understandable. Terox looks to the side, rubbing her elbow in nervous silence... It''s something that I didn''t think I''d see today, but this is evidence that anyone can be vulnerable... "I''ll join you, and I agree with you, Helda." There is a spiteful edge in her Terox''s voice, and I can see the trouble brewing already... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 375 - Leaving Gradule, Heading For The Capital {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Criminal Hideout in Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:15 AM)~~~ Helda walks calmly towards the door leading downstairs and leaves the room. The only ones left in the room are Terox, Sally, and myself. Terox looks towards us, and I can see her nervous look. "Look, I''m indeed yer Zern, but please treat me as a normal person. I don''t like the whole elevated existence. It gets in the way." She grins and nods her head, rxing her posture. We''ll want to get out of Gradule as soon as possible, and now we''ve added a new member to our group. Terox is an important person to know and have help. "It''ll be an honor to help you in your quest, yer Zern. Helda has already informed me of everything before the whole show just now." That saves me time, but there is one thing I want to clear up. She can''t be calling me yer Zern. That''ll cause problems, far more than any of us are prepared for. "You''ll have to stop calling me yer Zern, though. My real name is Cera Adamo, and that''s what you''re going to call me." Terox is an intelligent person and understands why I do this. She nods her head with slight enthusiasm. Sally turns back to me and tilts her head towards the door. We do need to get a move on. "We''re leaving right now, so get whatever you need, and let''s get out of here." Her eyes dart towards a specific chest, and she''s quick to start rummaging through it. Sally and I take this time to leave her to her business and head back downstairs. My immediate concerns are with Helda and Terox, they''ve got some bitter resentment between the two of them, but Terox agreed to help regardless of the newly formed issues. Speaking of Helda, she''s at the bar counter and talking with Melimora. I don''t like interrupting conversations, but this is necessary. Melimora sees meing up behind Helda and points me out. Helda turns and looks up at me, and while my features are covered and so are hers. I can tell she''s very displeased with me in particr. "I''d like to make sure Terox, and you won''t have any problems. Now that we have a way into the capital, the most critical part of our quest here is almost here." She folds her arms and leans against the counter. Melimora and Sally decide to leave us. There are no objections from me, and Helda doesn''t care either. "Don''t worry. I''ll keep my new issues with Terox in check, make sure she does the same. I''m not going to be the only one keeping my issues buried." Naturally, but who knows what might happen. I don''t know much about Helda and Terox''s rtionship. This event about Manni and his sickness could lead to a catastrophic meltdown of our group. We have enough people to do what we need to do. Le and Freskra, not to mention Ashburn. Now that Terox has joined, that makes four new people to the group. We can divide tasks even more, when we reach the capital. Getting more done. It doesn''t take much longer for Terox to finish getting the things she wants to bring with her, and she meets us by the bar. Helda and Terox share a gaze, and there is a lot of tension. "Let''s get this over with." Helda stands up with charged movements and heads towards the front door of the hideout. Terox looks at me and shrugs her shoulders. Melimora and Terox follow Helda out, and I go around the massive room and grab the rest of my friends. Sally and Jasmine walk in front of Hailey and me. Once outside, the carriage parked in the alley across from us is being brought out by Helda. It''ll be cramped in that carriage now. "Mind riding on the top with me?" I step up next to Sally as I ask my question. She smiles and nods her head with anticipation at the prospect of riding on the top of the carriage. As the carriage is brought out of the alley, I grab Sally and leap on top of the carriage. She takes a seat, and I join her. Helda knows where we''re going, and I don''t have to be in that tense, tightlypacted space with people who are mad at one another. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:25 AM)~~~ Cera and I are looking at the passing clouds as the carriage slowly moves along the road... The only beautiful parts of the Elven Kingdom are the ces that are influenced by the royal family or the nobility. "What do you think the capital looks like?" Asking Cera this isn''t ideal since he wouldn''t know himself... It''s a strange feeling... Heading where my family and the royal family are... Getting revenge on my family is one of the goals we''re going to the capital for, and I''m forever grateful to Cera for doing this... Without him, none of this in my life would''ve urred. "That nervous, huh... Don''t worry... We''ll seed. I''ll make sure of it." My hand squeezes his harder, and a warm feeling spreads through me... I tilt my head, and I look at him. His elven features are bare to the world. No longer hidden with his hood. The white hair and the wonderful light shade of his skin halt my breathing. His sharp blue eyes and pointy ears heat my body up. "You''re always so sure... Has there ever been a moment in your life when you weren''t?" He closes his eyes as I say that. His chest is rising and falling with easy breaths, and I don''t know if he''ll answer or not. "There was a point where I didn''t know anything... That I lost everything that was valuable to me... I decided to change all that, and that''s why I''m here now..." I don''t see Cera as someone who goes through something like that, but from his nightmares, I can guess... When he talks in his sleep, I''ve learned a lot about him... Mainly some of the worst moments of his life... The one he dreams about more than the others is when his mother was killed... The one from the ce hees from... Earth... "You want to talk about it?" He''s told me about Earth and the difference between yers and us... I know there are some things he''s keeping from me... He''s afraid of whatever truth he''s holding to get out. "When we''re done with the elven royal family and your family... I''ll tell you everything..." My heart flutters... I didn''t think he''d agree to tell me anything, but he''s going to... "Until then, let''s focus on the current problem..." That tells me he sees the truth he''s hiding as a problem... ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:50 AM)~~~ Terox and I haven''t stopped looking at one another since we got moving... Not speaking a word to one another... "Would you two knock it off! You''re making it so awkward in here!! I feel like walking outside next to the carriage!!" We''re both stunned at the sudden angry outburst from Hailey... We break out of the deadlock and look towards Hailey. She folds her arms and looks at us angrily. "Look, you two are mad at each other, but handling it like this is so stupid. When Cera and I get into a fight, we talk and get over it. Sometimes it''s moreplicated than that, but in the end, we always get over it." She doesn''t get it. We''re not her and Cera. We''ll never be them, and Terox would agree. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 376 - The Long And Empty Road {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Terox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:46 AM)~~~ Being in such close proximity with Helda is hard... We''re mad at each other... Very mad, but she''s still someone I hold dear... I hope she thinks the same as I do... We''ve since stopped staring at each other, and that''s thanks to Hailey. I''vee to learn that she''s Cera''s sister... She herself is powerful and has a legendary ss all to herself. She''s not keen on sharing things about her ss, only the name. Battlemind, and apparently, she''s faster than her brother from what she''s told me. Likely the fastest mortal alive at the moment. I look over at her, and she''s whispering with Jasmine. Jasmine... An ex-ve... I couldn''t imagine surviving a life as hard as that... It''s unimaginable... While I''m thinking about ex-ves... Sally is one herself, and from what I''ve heard, she was in the hands of the James family... What I find truly inspiring is how she''s treated despite her past... Most ex-ves are treated like garbage... Sally, on the other hand, is in a rtionship with The Son of Arch-Angel Michael... He wants her... I''m a little jealous... Finding a person to see you for who you really are... It''s hard... Sally will be the focus of much envy and hate if people ever learn about her... "Honey, I want to walk outside next to the carriage." My thoughts are interrupted by Le, someone that''s a good friend of mine. A blood-rted cousin to Helda too. I regret that I missed her wedding to Freskra... Freskra smiles from the words of his wife and opens the door to the carriage, and steps out. Le following close behind. That leaves six of us in this carriage, and the extra room is weed with the exit of those two. Hailey immediately stretches out her legs and lets out a long sigh. "Do you want to head out to, Melimora?" This time it''s Ashburn to speak. Surprising me with how direct he is, Ashburn and I have worked together on several asions. Melimora looks towards the door, and she closes her eyes and nods her head. Standing up and leaving. Ashburn is right behind her, and that leaves only four of us. Without saying anything to one another. Jasmine and Hailey both leave the carriage to walk alongside too. Now it''s just us, Helda and me... She slowly looks in my direction, and her bad attitude hasn''t changed. Manni was important to both of us. Once her emotions and anger subside, she''ll be able to think about the situations clearly. We''ve both acted immaturely, but I''m not apologizing first. The way she reacted was wrong, and I''ll be stubborn about this. There is an awkward tension, and neither of us is speaking the first words. It''s in to see that everyone left so we could talk, and the gesture is nice. However, it''s wasted in the end... "Where do you suppose Manni went..." She stuns me with her first question... I wouldn''t know where Manni went... He was already gone by the time we left the room... Manni never talked about the ces he wanted to see or visit... He spent most of his life in Gradule, looking after Helda and me before we grew up... After Helda had to flee, he remained to wait... "I don''t know... Manni never talked about the things he wanted to do... Only how much he wanted us to all be together..." She darts her head in my direction, and she has a scowl. She grabs ahold of her anger and sighs. Looking out the window again. "Why would Manni refuse to be healed... Seeing his family after death is a poor reason... He still has people that love him here..." She''s selfish right now... It''s from how much she''s hurting... My understanding of her feelings makes it difficult to disagree... Manni choosing to die... I don''t understand it either... That was probably thest time we would ever see him, and it ended like that... "Maybe when we''re his age and have been through the same things he has, we''ll understand..." Helda stays silent at my addition to the conversation. I''m d that we''re not fighting, but we''re still mad at each other. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:00 AM)~~~ There hasn''t been any yelling from the inside of the carriage, which is a good sign. Giving them an opportunity to talk seemed like a good first step, but I don''t know if they''ll be good by the time we reach the capital. "Cera, what should we do if they end up bing a problem?" I can''t help asking, since there is a chance that it might happen. He stays quiet from thefortable spot he''s found on top of the carriage. Sally is resting on him and enjoying hispany. "They''re too professional to let their personal issues get in the way of our great mission. They know how important it is... What we''re doing..." I wish I shared his optimism... I''ve never seen Helda so angry and passive-aggressive. That should tell you how serious the problem is between the two. If Helda, aposed and mature woman, acts like a teenager. There is a problem. "You know that it''s not our business, but if it does be a problem, Melimora will handle it." My eyes look towards Melimora, and I see her confusion at my brother''s words. She stretches the back of her head, and she herself looks nervous. "Why would I be the one to fix the problem? I know a lot about Helda and some about Terox, but their rtionship was before I met Helda. Getting in the middle of that isn''t something I want to do." Well said, Melimora... Being thrust into that role isn''t right. Cera stays quiet, and it''s starting to get on my nerves. I like to see people''s faces when I talk to them. It makes for a better conversation. "You''re the only one here that would get through Helda''s stubborn head, and we''ll need that if there is a problem." Well... He makes a good point... Helda would listen to Melimora... I think... Melimora sighs and folds her arms. Displeased with the assumption that she''ll handle it. "Despite what you may think, Cera. Helda and I have our own issues right now, and I''m not going to solve her problems before we solve the one between us..." Ohh... That''s not good news. Cera lifts his head and looks down at us from the top of the cabin. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:05 AM)~~~ There are even issues brewing between Melimora and Helda now... I saw iting, but I didn''t think they''d get in the way... "Okay, I won''t force you to do anything, Melimora. Let''s all hope that whatever oue we get, it''s not one that ruins what we''re trying to do here." Ugh. Since when did things get soplicated... I guess this is what happens when problems fester. Can''t say I don''t know what it''s like, cause I do. I''ve done this in my old life, and it didn''t help in any way whatsoever. "I''m d that you''re listening, but I doubt that Terox and Helda are going to make up any time soon, but I doubt they''ll cause any problems either." That''s some good news, Melimora would know. Le would too, but not as well. Sally decides to sit up next to me, and she looks over the edge of the top of the carriage down at everyone else walking. "Do you think that they''re miscing their anger for Manni''s choice with each other? Cause if so, it will be a problem..." She''s... Right... You never want bad things to be right, which means this needs to be addressed, but I''ll give them some time before that happens. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 377 - Coming To An Understanding {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:40 PM)~~~ We''re camping near the road tonight. Everyone agreed that they needed a break from the carriage. I''m in the same boat as them. While Sally and I aren''t in the carriage with them, that doesn''t mean we''refortable on the top. There are a few of us sitting around the campfire right now, and there isn''t much talking going on. Sally and I have been enjoying the silence, but I can tell that Hailey and Jasmine are bored and slightly nervous. Mainly from how well Terox and Helda are getting along, which is to say they really aren''t getting along. Terox and the rest are around the area doing their own things. Helda and Terox aren''t an issue yet, but they might be one. Talking to Helda about it now would be good. There isn''t anyone to get in the way of my conversation with her. Aside from the people here, but they wouldn''t interrupt... Well... Hailey would, but I''m hoping she won''t. "Mind if we talk about something you don''t want to?" Helda nods her head. Showing that she does mind and she doesn''t want to talk about it. She''s looking into the mes of the fire, and she''s trying her best to ignore me. My eyes never leave her form, and she''s growing annoyed with me. "It''s not my ce to talk about it, but if it''s interfering with our quest, then we''ll have a problem. Mainly, the boot of Terox and you." She has no initial reaction, and I''m reminded that Helda has one of the best poker faces I''ve ever seen. I''m not trying to make this hard or difficult for her. I want her to understand that this group has a priority system. "I get where you''reing from, Cera. That doesn''t mean that I''m going to entertain this conversation. Despite the valid concerns you bring up, that doesn''t mean Terox and I are making up." Challenging as ever, but I don''t need them to make up. Their rtionship can be over for all I care, but they can''t jeopardize this quest with their passive-aggressive attitudes and behaviors. It''s just going to cause more anger to build up. "I''m not saying you have to be friends with her again. I want you two to reallymit to putting your differences aside until all of this is done." She looks up from the fire and sighs. While they made an agreement in Gradule, that''s hardly standing up to any scrutiny at this point in time. "I won''t have a problem with her, as long as she doesn''t start anything. I won''t start anything either." That''s the best I can get out of Helda, and I can only hope that Terox can agree to the same things. I stand up and head in the direction I saw her going. Leaving everyone behind. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:47 PM)~~~ My eyes watch Cera as he heads into the woods where Terox has gone. It''s hard seeing him walking away... Knowing that he''lle back helps, but I don''t like being apart from him... "Let''s cut the crap. Cera may be nice with you, but I won''t be. You need to get over it and move on." My worry spikes as Hailey begins talking to Helda. Hailey is far more confrontational than Cera is. Their personalities are very different despite being siblings. Helda stares into Hailey''s eyes, but Hailey isn''t intimidated in the slightest. That''s because if Hailey wanted to, she could kill Helda before she could blink. "You don''t get it, and that means you shouldn''t have any say in this. Not that you would even if you did understand." This is going to get ugly. They''re both women who aren''t afraid to fight and aren''t afraid to speak their minds. Helda is moreposed, but that doesn''t mean there aren''t simrities in other ces. "Yeah, well, guess what? This isn''t going to be thest time this happens, and you''re not the only one in the world who has suffered a loss. People go through worse every day." Hailey makes a good point... Compared to some of the problems that people go through on a daily basis, Helda and Terox aren''t suffering that much. "It''s all about perspective, Hailey. My problems are bigger to me than they are to someone else, and vise versa. I''m not going to be a thoughtful person regarding how small my issues may be. In the end, if they involve me, they''re important to me." That''s also a good point... Their eyes are locked, and I can see the growing frustration on both of them. "I can see why Cera is the favorite in your family. It''s obvious with a personality like yours. Your parents would prefer Cera over you any day." Now that''s a low blow. Hailey remains calm, but I can see the flexing of her temple from clenching her jaw. It feels like I''m caught between a tornado of power and a meat grinder of violence. "You don''t know the first thing about my family or me. I''m not going to add to the problem, so I will drop what you said. But, if you continue to act so disrespectful towards me, I''ll make you respect me." It''s hard to be this close to these two. Helda looks back into the fire as if nothing happened, and Hailey leans back against the log she''s resting on. "Why don''t we all have something to eat?" My heart jumps as I hear Jasmine''s voice. Ipletely forgot she was even here from how tense this entire situation has been. Helda and Hailey both ignore her. That''s a little cruel to the kind girl just offering some food. ~~~(POV: Terox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:13 PM)~~~ Cera sits next to me as the rushing rapids of the river rises and falls every second, depending on how hard the water decides to rush at that moment. "Mind telling me why Helda hasn''te here herself to discuss this with me?" Helda and I are in a state we''ve never really been in. We me each other for Manni. Despite how he''s still alive, he''s still going to die. Manni was important to both of us. After the death of my parents, he practically raised me. Manni took in Helda after her father and mother perished. He raised us like his own kids while always reaffirming how we have our own parents and how they loved us. "That''s not something I''d know, but best guess... She''s hurt, like you." That''s one way of looking at it. Some fish jump out of the river just to jump back in. Sshing around as they travel. "Have you ever had disagreements with the people you love? So much that you thought you''d never have the same rtionship ever again?" There is silence, and I turn to see him struggle to hold hisughter in. Wow... That''s not the reaction I was expecting. He starts to full out augh and not bother holding it in. My face bes red, and it''s embarrassing, especially given who Cera really is. "Are you kidding?! Have you ever met my sister!?" I don''t know Hailey all that well yet, but from what I''ve seen, they have your typical sibling rtionship. "She bit my nose thest time we had a fight!" Laughter bubbles up from my throat. I''ve never had a fight with someone that I was driven to bite their nose. "I was holding her back from punching. She couldn''t get out of my grip. So she moved her head forward and bit down as hard as she could. I pissed her off, but she started it." Now that sounds like something I''d have wanted to be there for. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 378 - Times Of Old {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:35 PM)~~~ We''re all gathered around the campfire... Taking in the silence and doing our best to ignore the awkward tension between all of us... While we have been traveling together for some time now, very personal events have started to appear. Events only close people share, and this group that has been made isn''t considered close... We''re united by a goal, not a friendship. I''ve got some ideas that might pass the time of this silence. "How many of you know of The Crying Heavens Catastrophe?" My sudden and random question sparks the interest of many, and no one confirms knowing such a story. I know a lot about The Ancients World... Gaia... The knowledge I hold isn''t known to many, and some will never know it due to my actions. The curious stares from around the campfire tell me there is an interest in what I''ve said. "It was long ago... Before the formations of Empires and Kingdoms... During the time of the Tribal wars... When the elven people were the only intelligent race on Gaia..." This was before the time of humanity and its massive takeover of Gaia... This was during the time of the wars that elven armies waged against the monsters. Deeming them impure and evil, when they were nothing more than fellow creations themselves... This event... This catastrophe... That is what led to the monsters having hatred towards humanoid life... It wasn''t named that before, but after humanity came around, it fits better. More of them are on the edges of their current choices to sit. Even Helda and Melimora are interested. "The intelligent creatures known as elves waged a war against all creatures they thought impure... Most of all orcs and monsters..." To the elves, it is named The Great Purge, but it has other names depending on who you hear it from. The name I''ve given it is my own choice. Hailey looks at me in confusion and worry, and she seems like she wants to say something, but she keeps quiet. "During these wars, the bloodshed satisfied The Demon Lord of Pride, my uncle, Lucifer. Formally known as Samael. He saw the potential in the constant war and cursed the monsters. Making them what the elves wanted them to be..." Everyone has stopped breathing. The light crackling of the fire is all that can hear. "Once this curse was cast, it was said Overworld wept for the now cursed monsters... Knowing they''ve been twisted and had their destiny stolen... This is what sparked the birth of the human race and other humanoid life... Filling the gap the monsters left..." They weren''t always called monsters, but their real names are lost to time. I know this Lore is from a traveling yer I met in my old life. Said he found the tale engraved on the walls of a dungeon somewhere on the Origin Continent. "The story ended with the suppression and near extinction of the now morphed monster kind... The bodies lost in that war is what was used to build the foundation in The Elven Kingdom..." Not bad, if I say so... The looks I''m getting tell me my story isn''t that bad, and while it''s based on Lore, I don''t know how true it actually is... I''m not the one to discover this after all, and I couldn''t confirm its validity. "You paint the elven people in a light that suggests we''ve always been this way..." Helda lowers her head, looks back into the fire and exins her protest to the story. There was once a time that the elven race and Kingdom was considered benevolent and kind. Uncorrupted by the same cancerous things affecting it now. "In many ways, the elven people have always been true to a pattern..." She raises her head at me. "That''s to bend history in their favor..." Hailey squints her eyes ever so slightly... Like she just figured something out. The saying that history is written by the winners... It''s more than applicable to the elven race... Sally leans her head on my shoulder and moves a tad bit closer. "Do you think that things will change if we really do try and make a difference?" Sally''s question is probably on everyone''s mind right now... When a viin is defeated, one will rise to take its ce... I have plenty more story''s that I''ve heard and discovered for myself over the years... Keeping the knowledge, I''ve had of the future has greatly benefited me... At the cost of something that I don''t like to think about... In the end, am I any better than the elves? I''m bending history for my own gain... When I look at the elves... I see myself... ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom) ~~~(Time: 9:54 PM)~~~ This confirms it for me... Cera knows more than he should, and he''s acquired knowledge he shouldn''t have... A power that he shouldn''t have... How he''s done it... I don''t know... He''s my brother, but at the same time... He''s not... After the release of The Ancients World, he changed... He acted so strange that day... Hugging mom, treating us differently for a while... Made so much money using The Ancients World... Brought us out of our lifestyle of dirt poor... All using The Ancients World... It''s like he''s... yed the game before... Is that possible? There wasn''t a bata from what I remember, and no one knew what The Ancients World had in store... Except him... What did he do... Something he did changed his life... Our lives... He meets my gaze, and there isn''t any nervousness or uncertainty... "Cera, I want to talk to you in private. Follow me." I stand up without any more exnation, and I head towards the treeline. Cera doesn''t initially get up, but after seeing my serious look for him to follow, he decides to join me. We go deep into the woods and away from the others... I don''t want anyone hearing the conversation we''re about to have. Once we''re in deep enough, I turn around and see my little brother... I love him to death, but I have to be cautious... There is a chance he might not be who I think he is anymore... "How do you know all the things you know about The Ancients World... About Gaia... About this world..." He remains calm and folds his arms. This is reallying out of nowhere for him... I gave no signs that I was looking and listening into things... "Why does that matter, Hailey? If I didn''t know any better, I think you are suspecting me of something nefarious." We know each other too well, and this is to be expected... Especially him dodging the question with his own question... My handnds on the hilt of my sword, and his face gets serious. "Tell me how you know all this... Tell me why you have so much knowledge and power... It''s like you''ve had an advantage this whole time and used it forpletely selfish reasons..." My action towards my sword has shown him how serious I am... If he''s not my brother, I''ll kill him... I''ll try... It''ll be hard killing someone with his face... He takes on a solemn look, and I see streaks of sadness in his eyes... Steel yourself, Hailey... He might not be your brother... "I made a wish, Hailey... One that I didn''t think through and it''s changed everything... If I tell you the truth, will you be able to live with what I reveal?" His words are filled with pain and suffering, and I find my will crumbling... He really is my brother... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 379 - Hailey Learns The Truth {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Away from Campsite with Cera)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:00 PM)~~~ Cera speaks in a manner suggesting the burden of knowledge he''s carrying will hurt me. He''s even concerned if I''d be able to live with what he reveals... My hand is now off the hilt of my sword and my arms hand at my side. "You''re my brother, Cera. My little brother that I''ll always love and be there for, just like you would me. You can tell me anything." He has a look of hesitation... He said that he made a wish, one that changed everything... "You won''t believe it at first, but let me tell the whole story... Reserve your judgment..." He''s making me a little nervous. He''s never acted like this before. He looks like this is the biggest secret of this life, and he''s afraid of how I''ll react. I know I''m vtile in my emotions, but I know when to hold back. I gently nod my head and wait for him to start talking. He takes a breath and rubs a hand down his face. "I''ve yed The Ancients World for 5 years... I''m from the future... I found an item that allowed for one wish of anything... I wished that I''d go back five years and retain all my knowledge of The Ancients World..." Umm... What? That''s bullshit if I''ve ever heard it. He asked me to keep quiet and reserve judgment until he was done talking, and I''m going to... "Our lives... They crumbled in those five years... Mom died... Terrible things happened to all of us... Dad lost himself... You..." Mom died... How did she die? What about me? He sees my questioning look, and pain spreads across his features... Cera doesn''t want to continue talking about it, but he takes a breath and continues. "You got hooked on drugs and gave up on bing an actress... Mom tried to bargain with your dealer... But he killed her, right in front of you... You didn''t even care... All you wanted was the next high... You kept going until you overdosed and died..." This... This is all a lie!! He sees my anger and waits for me tosh out in rage, but I control myself and close my eyes... "The Ancients World was all I had, and soon that was leaving me too... On ast desperate attempt, I found A Divine Item... That''s when I wished to be sent back to the day before The Ancients World was released..." Oh my God... That exins why he was acting so weird... It exins why he changed and acted differently... It exins how he knows so much... And how he was able to get money from the game... This fits... He''s from 5 years in the future... "My actions had consequences... The Collision... Us losing Earth... It was my fault... I changed the timeline, and now this is the result..." Wow... This is... Wow... Cera suddenly loses his breath, and he takes a seat on a rock as he takes deep breaths. Trying to catch a breath, he never lost. My world is spinning... I became an addict... I''m the reason mom died in the future?!! I was so addicted that I OD''d and died... My stomach feels horrible... I rush behind a nearby tree and start to hurl... Some of the food I''ve hades up... He''s not lying... He can''t be... Everything he''s told me lines up with what I''ve seen... It supports his ims... "How... How could I be someone like that... Why did I end up so fucking bad..." I can''t stop myself from asking these questions... Now I know why he asked me if I''d be able to live with the truth... The truth is that I was the reason mom was killed, and I became an addict... Cera''s heavy breathing fills my ears, and that''s when I realize that he''s lived with this knowledge... Kept it from everyone... Carrying this burden... I leave from my tree, and I approach my brother. I sit down next to him, and I wrap him in a hug... We''re both silent and trying to find some bnce at the moment... It''s hard knowing this... I wish I never asked now... ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Away from Campsite with Hailey)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:06 PM)~~~ Hailey holds me, and I''m scared she doesn''t know how to handle the truth I''ve revealed... She''s a strong-willed person, but even they fall... "I''m sorry... I''m so sorry, Cera..." Her voice is heavy with sadness and guilt... Tears are streaming down her face. I can feel theming through some of my armor... "I don''t know how I could do that... Why did I do that..." Hailey was devastated after her never-ending failures of bing an actress... She eventually gave up and turned to a life that would numb the pain... Make her forget about her life... "You couldn''t get your dream job as an actress... After countless failures, you gave up... The pain grew too much for you, and you turned to Heroin and Meth... Doing anything to get a high... You eventually became a prostitute..." She lets go of me and runs back behind the tree to puke. Hailey''s fate has changed, but that doesn''t mean it''s any less painful to talk about it... Hearing if for the first time as she is... It must be hell... "Mom was buried alone... And dad fell apart... He tried so hard to help Marcus seed, but mom''s death destroyed him... Dad grew to hate you and me..." I couldn''t bring myself to ever ask him why... Hailey''s open weeps cause me to pause in the telling of the truth... She''d struggle with all this bad, and there isn''t anything that I can do to take back everything I''ve revealed... I stand up and approach her from behind. I hold her hair and rub her back, and she cries and pukes... Dry heaving at this point, having thrown up everything she''d eaten... It''s hard seeing my sister like this... She''s always the same to me... The few times she has been like this, it''s because of a life-changing event... "I''m sorry... I''m sorry I asked, Cera... Please, take it away... Take what you''ve told me away..." She plops down on her knees and croaks out her words... Dry from puking and crying so hard... Once a truth is revealed... It''ll never be hidden again... She turns and wraps me in another hug. I pick her up and carry her in my arms... She silently cries as I slowly walk back to the campsite. "Is there more..." Her voice is weak and tired... All I do is nod in response, and he bes a little more lifeless... Hailey knows now... Knows about the truth... ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:15 AM)~~~ My eyes are locked on the forest... Waiting for Cera and Hailey to return... I''m worried about them, they''ve been gone for a while, and they don''t do this often... I spot a personing from the woods, carrying another... Cera is carrying Hailey... I stand up from my spot around the campfire, and I rush over to them. Worried that some sort of fight urred... As I get closer, I notice that neither of them is physically hurt, and what stands out to me are Cera''s red and puffy eyes... Like he''s been crying... Hailey''s eyes are closed, and she''s holding onto Cera for dear life. "What happened..." My question wakes Hailey, and she slowly gets out of Cera''s arms... Walking past me and to her tent... I look at Cera, and he shakes his head... Telling me with this action to leave it alone... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 380 - Heading To Greshina, Capital Of The Elven Kingdom I {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: 1st Princess of The Elven Kingdom, Olisandra Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Pce Bedroom, Capital City Greshina)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:55 PM)~~~ The council has been meeting every day for thest 2 weeks... Time has felt like it''s been moving faster and faster for me. These days are passing like sand does in an hourss. "What do you think their decision is? They''re really considering war with all the races..." My Sister, Bezikel Oryzox, shares a bedroom with me. We''ve been together for as long as I can remember. Staying in the same room now that we''re adults doesn''t bother either of us. My question has stopped my younger sister mid brush stroke. She looks into the mirror with a solemn look. Our mother and the leaders of our Kingdom have begun to make more and more rash decisions. Obsessing for power and control on arger scale... I''ll admit it''s started to scare me, and I''m worried about the mental health of my mother. Bezikel is in the same state I''m in, and that''s one of fear. I''ve been considering something... Something drastic... "I fear that they''ve all lost their minds... It''s bing unsafe for us... The pressure on our shoulders is rising..." One of us is expected to seduce yer Zern when he''s found... I initially thought it was possible, but having opened my eyes and taken a step back... I see now this is all for naught, and the elven people are doomed if we continue this madness. "What do you think about running away, Blezikel... Getting away from all this chaos and taking a stand in the rebellion..." For years, there has been a rebellion, but they haven''t made any ground. If we help them, offer assistance and information in exchange for asylum... Then we''ll have a safe ce to stay... "We both know that mother will tear the entire Kingdom apart looking for us... The only people that''d get hurt are the ones who don''t deserve it. The poor and mix bloods..." We don''t share the same racist stances as the rest of the nobility and royalty... There are no other terms to describe elves of mixed heritage... My mother is someone I love very dearly, but over thest 200 years, she''s really changed... Hurt so many innocent people... "What are we supposed to do then? If we stay here, I fear that a worse fate awaits us..." Blezikel stands up from the mirror and makes her way over to me. Sheys on the bed, and we both stare at the window above our bed. The stars are out, and it''s lighting up the room. We don''t need candles or magic at night. The stars are bright enough to keep our room lit. "How do you think we can do it... It''d be impossible without the help of someone powerful... Someone that can get us out here..." She''s right about that... We need help... Blezikel and I wouldn''t know anyone that could get us out of the pce grounds without someone from the guards knowing. Let alone Grrshina... "Mom would always tell us story''s of the secret passageways underneath the pce... Do you think we could find and use them to get out..." My sister stays quiet at my suggestion. ~~~(POV: 2nd Princess of The Elven Kingdom, Blezikel Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Pce Bedroom, Capital City Greshina)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:12 PM)~~~ Olisandra has a good idea, but it''s not perfect... The only way we''re getting out of this city is entirely undetected and in one fell swoop. We have to be gone before they even realize we''re gone. "Yeah, I remember... She said an entrance at the lowest part of the pce will lead outside the walls..." I remember that day... It was one of the worst days of our lives... If we are doing this, we need to do it as soon as possible. We''re both powerful and can hold our own against any regr person we encounter. We''ll need to hide our identities... Blend in somehow... "So? What do you think? Should we run for it when we get the chance or stay..." She wants to leave. I can hear it in her voice... I want to leave too. I turn my head and look at her. "Yeah, we''ll prepare in the following days. First, we need to find that passageway, after that. We can gather our things and get as far away as we can as fast as we can. It''s not the best n, but it''s our only option right now..." She nods her head in agreement, and that means we''ve decided... We''re running away from this copsing society... We''ve been together for so long. She''s only a year older than I am. I don''t think I could live without my sister. "For now, let''s act normally and show no signs we up to anything. If we''ve learned anything from mom, it''s how to lie and how to get our way." She''s crafty like that, and she''s right in taking this approach... If anyone assumes something is up, we could be caught. It''s gettingte now, and I''m starting to get tired from this exhausting day. "Do you think our Kingdom will ever heal... Be something more than it already is... I''d love to see a change... One for the better..." My question is more profound than a yes or no answer, and it''s constantly on my mind. Olisandra would think the same as me... She takes a deep breath and releases a long sigh. "I don''t think we''ll ever be more than what we already are... Our entire nobility and royalty system needs to be burned down and rebuilt from the ashes... That''d take more than just a few people... It''d take everyone... Something the elven people can''t do..." A sad reality... Better to fade into the ck than die in the rain of blooding for us... ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:03 AM)~~~ Sally rests next to me on the furs of our tent, and I can''t sleep... Not after telling Hailey the truth... Some of the things I''ve kept hidden... She reacted the way I thought she would... She hasn''t spoken a word to me since then... "You need to sleep, Cera... I can tell you''re still awake..." Sally hardly stops my train of thought... Hailey must be going over what I said... The things that I''ve revealed and the reality of her future... Old future, that is... She''s not ending up like that this time. "My mind is poisoning my soul right now... I can''t stop thinking about all the bad things that have happened in my life..." The wordse from my mouth without my thinking... Sally raises her head and looks at me in confusion, and I know why. I don''t say things like that... Not usually... "You''re really lost in your head... Sometimes, sharing helps... You can tell me what''s bothering you..." No, not yet... After we''re done with The Elven Kingdom and Sally gets her revenge, and we change this country for the better... Changing The Elven Kingdom wouldn''t work with ordinary people. We''re not a group of ordinary people, which will help us in this endeavor. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:34 AM)~~~ How could I do something like that... How could I be some whore who sells her body for drugs... Was being an actress that important to me... Was it that important that I''d have rather have no life at all... Jasmine is softly snoring to my left, but I''m not sleeping tonight... I''d still be crying if my tears weren''t dried out from all the crying I''ve already done... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 381 - Heading To Greshina, Capital Of The Elven Kingdom Ii {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Elven Queen Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Alone in Office, Capital City Greshina)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:12 AM)~~~ There are too many variables to attack any human Kingdoms or Empires in the current state they''re in. They''re strong and gaining power every day, all thanks to gaining independence from The Church of Light. My attention is on the reports in front of me now, and they''re not good. The massive hole in the Border will take longer to repair than expected. Not to mention we have no idea who broke in and where they are. The first time I discussed this with my allies, it seemed impossible... The fire mage that burned through the Border wall has enough firepower to invade a legitimate empire. "My Queen, it''s be awfullyte. Why don''t you good to bed for the night." My butler pokes his head into my office, voicing his concerns. The silence and solitude of my alone time have been interrupted. My eyes meet the old man that has served me since I can remember. Evander was there during my birth so long ago. He was the butler to my parents. "After I''m done with these reports, Evander. After that, I''m heading to bed." He looks unconvinced at my lie, and here I thought it was modest enough. He steps into my office and heads over to meet me at the table. He stands at my side as the paper rests on the table. "You''ve always been great at deception, but you could never lie to me. Just like your mother and father. Hand fulls all on their own." Evander has been serving the royal family for 17 generations. He''s one of the oldest and strongest elves alive today. He''s older than the majority of the Greshina. Out of the years of expansion, he''s seen many things. He knows more about the Oryzox family than I do. "Not everyone has the same insight as you, Evander... Sometimes, there are sleepless nights when taking care of business..." He knows what I''m nning, and he''s told me how he thinks about it. Evander has witnessed many wars and conflicts the elven people have been in. Knowing what I''m nning has caused him to question me several times. "When I was a boy, the Elven Kingdom was the same as it is today, just fewer guards and nobles... I''d love to see it change for the better... Instead of the same thing every ruling man or woman..." His words cause me to halt, and I look up at him. For the first time in my life, Evander has a sad look... He''s thousands of years old, and when he was a boy, the Elven Kingdom wasn''t much different than it is now. "We are elves, Evander. We''re meant to be on top and rule over everything. Not just our people... The half-breeds get their chances..." He sighs and turns towards the balcony. Enter the patio looking over Greshina. He''s still in his stance of formality and ready for anything, but there is an air about him that''s changed. I get up from my seat and join him on the balcony patio. "Do you know what you''re ancestors told me, my Queen..." His voice is soft and tired, and it''s the first time I''ve heard him like this... "They told me to look after the family... To help make the Elven Kingdom great..." That''s... Evander takes his hands from behind his back, and he leans forward against the stone railing. "I have failed, my Queen... No matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t do anything... Your parents begged me to make sure you didn''t turn out like them... I failed them too..." He starts to lean his body forward and against the stone rail. "I don''t think I can live like this anymore..." My heart sinks as I watch what happens. The top half of his body starts to fold over the stone railing... I burst forth, and my hand grasps the back of his uniform at thest second, pulling him back to safety... Once I have him safely from the balcony, I can''t help or stop my body from moving. The first thing I do is p him across the face, and in that exact second, I wrap my arms around him... Evander has been here for me every step of my life. "Why would you do such a thing?! Is what I''m trying to do so evil!? Securing the future of the Elven Kingdom and its people!? That you''d think you''re a failure?! That you''d try to kill yourself..." He doesn''t respond... He doesn''t hug me back... He remains unmoving in my arms... I pull away and look up at him, and his eyes are watering... "What will happen to me when you purge the half-bloods? For I am a half-blood." My breath is taken from my lungs, and I step back... There isn''t any way Evander is a half-blood... There just isn''t... "Will you kill me too? Will I die at the tip of a soldier''s de for your conquest?" Evander is too strong to kill like that... But he''s bound by magic to obey any order I give him... Someone could use that... "I''d never kill you, Evander! I''d never let any harme to you! You''re not a half-blood!" My ancestors wouldn''t have allowed this! They wouldn''t have let a half-blood take care of future generations! My eyes meet his, and all I see is the truth... He''s telling me the truth... ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Elenahiers Dungeon, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:45 AM)~~~ We''ve cleared the dungeon, and we know why Cera and Hailey came here. They got the potions that turn people into elves. Physically, at the least... "Doesn''t Marcus look the cutest?" My wordse out of instinct, looking at my youngest son. His hair is pure white, and his ears are pointy and curved. His eyes are now a clear blue. He looks just like Chris does. One of the most adorable things is seeing them together. "Yeah, but I''m d these are permanent changes. Being able to dispel it anytime you want is nice." I wouldn''t mind them looking like this for the rest of their days. Unlike their white hair, mine is a golden blond and much longer than before. Blond isn''t my first choice, simply because I love my original raven hair color. However, elves onlye in certain hair colors. White, blond, and sometimes blue, from what I''ve seen. "C''mon, you really prefer this look over my old one? Some husband you are..." I''m not surprised Chris likes the way I look. He likes me anyway I look. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:12 AM)~~~ My nerves are on end, and my mind is filled with echoes and thoughts about what Cera revealed. Just as I thought, I wasn''t able to get any sleep... The sun will start rising in a couple of hours, but I''m already too edged out to get any sleep. Instead, I leave the sleeping and snoring Jasmine and get out of the tent. My eyesnd on the campfire. Low and behold, my brother is already sitting there and looking into the forest beyond the fire. As I approach, he slowly turns his head, and we make eye contact. His face hardly moves from his neutral resting position. "Couldn''t sleep, huh... Neither could I..." I don''t respond, and instead, I sit next to him in the dark and look to where he was before. It was hard to hear what he told me, and I don''t think I''ll never fully process everything... He changed our lives and fates, but at the cost of billions of lives... "Yeah, couldn''t sleep..." My head finds its way against his shoulder, and my stress is lowered a little. He''s my rock, and I rely on him... I need to do the same for him... He''s my brother, and I''ll be there for him... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 382 - Heading To Greshina, Capital Of The Elven Kingdom Iii {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:20 AM)~~~ Hailey and I are looking into the darkness of the forest, and she rests her head on my shoulder. Moments like this with my sister are rare, and when they happen, it means she''s in a headspace she needs help with. Everyone has moments in their life when they need someone to help them... Doing that for Hailey is my duty as her brother. She''s my blood. The campfire has a mild me, and it''s producing a warmth that I wee. Sally and I are unaffected by cold environments. Her ss prevents her from sustaining cold damage. My stats are too high to get affected by anything Gaia''s natural weather can produce. "What will you tell mom and dad if we ever see them again..." She''s asking the hard questions here... Mom and dad will react differently than Hailey... How they''ll respond has been on my mind for some time now, and it''s not like there are a lot of oues. "I''m not sure they need to know anymore... I thought about it a lot and told myself I''d tell everyone eventually, but some things are better left hidden..." She''s not going to argue after what I''ve revealed. I know she regrets asking me about my strange behavior and knowledge that I carry around. "Yeah... That seems smart... I''m not debating with you on this one, brother..." Her voice is getting heavier with exhaustion. We''ve both been up all night at times. The cause of this sleepless night is stress. Something that we''re both experiencing regrly. It''s nice that it''s just the two of us right now. No one to get in the way of a needed time of silence and conversation. "I trust you won''t tell them... Hearing it second hand, or at all, will be bad..." She keeps silent, and I decide to take her silence aspliance. We''ve been doing this long before Marcus was born, long before things got bad for us on Earth. The stars are slowly fading from the sky, mainly from the sun''s arrival soon. While it''s not light out, it''s that weird time of light before the sun rises. "Do you ever think about the people that died... The people that got dusted... I''m terrified that they''ve ended up somewhere far worse than us..." No, I don''t think about that... It''s not an idea I would entertain... The dead are gone, and while it is my fault, and somehow I''ll pay for it... I don''t think about them... Or maybe I did? I don''t remember anymore... "Would you hate me if I said no? My actions led to the death of billions, but Earth was already dying. There wasn''t much time left... Maybe this was the best we could get..." She doesn''tsh out or react violently. She sighs and rxes her body a bit. My eyes are focused in front of me, so I can''t see her reaction. "Cera, look at me." I turn my head, and Hailey has her chin on my shoulder and looks at me. "I''ll never hate you, and predicting and preventing an event like this can''t be done by a normal person... If you did know, I know you would try to stop it..." Hailey is right about that. If I knew about The Collision, I would''ve tried to stop it... Maybe not... Seeing the way the world was going and the ultimate fate of humanity, this was final salvation... Something to save us from our doomed existence. "Do you miss any of your friends? I know you had some close ones before all this happened..." While Hailey had friends, only a few were close. She doesn''t answer, and I take that as a hint to drop the topic of conversation. "My friends, they''re dead... None of them yed games... Thinking themselves too good for them..." People miss out on tuns of fun with that mentality... This time it cost them their lives... "Where are Sally and you heading after we''re done here?" That''s something I''ve given a lot of thought to. There are many options to choose from and quests that are yet to be finished... The first thing I need to handle is my tier-up quest in The Kingdom of Avalon. I''m still only tier 1, and I''ll have tier 3 after Iplete tier 2 and tier 4 right after 3... I''m far behind on my original priorities. "I''ll have to ask Sally, but best guess at the moment is The Kingdom of Avalon." She lifts her head at that. She might want toe along since she''s a yer to and it''s a Kingdom made by the system for yers to meet and talk. Every yer heads there to tier up to the 2nd tier level. After that, tiering up gets a bit hard. "You probably didn''t ount for me in your ns... But I''d love toe with you guys..." Hailey knows that I would let here with me. She''s only saying this out of courtesy. I wouldn''t mind the group just being Sally, Jasmine, Hailey, and me... Once this quest is over, I''m betting the rest of the people taking on this crazy quest with us will split up and go their separate ways. "You don''t need to ask, but you already knew that. Don''t just assume Jasmine wants toe with us, though." Jasmine might want to do something else. Her desires for adventure and goals shouldn''t be pushed aside toe with us, but I can''t speak for her. Not that what I just thought is correct. She has so many choices given her new power. "She was telling me she wanted to make a difference in the ve market. Shut it down forever..." That''s a noble goal, and she shouldn''t be held back if that''s what she wants. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:42 AM)~~~ My arms fail to find the other half of me, and at the missing of his person, I lean up and look around the tent. Getting my clothes is my n, but first, I have to get the gunk out of my eyes. After getting everything on and prepared, I leave the tent and look around till I see Cera and Hailey near the campfire. Silently sitting... They talked about something serious. At my light footsteps, they both look up and give fake smiles. Hailey looks particrly rough fromck of sleep and energy. Whatever they talked about yesterday has kept her up all night. "You two been out here all night?" I didn''t even notice that Cera was gone, and that means he made sure he was careful about getting out undetected. Hailey remains quiet, and I look at Cera for an answer I''m not getting from the sister. "Yeah, we came out here to talk around 5:00 AM... We''ve been discussing memories, thoughts, ns, and other things. Did you sleep alright? I know I kept you up for a while." He''s sweet to be concerned about me, but it''s not about me at this moment. It''s about them. As I sit next to Cera, I wrap my arms around him and give him a big hug. The best hug that I can provide. Before long, I do the same for Hailey. Doing this just seems right. Comforting them somehow is all I can think of at the moment. "My brother isn''t worthy of you." She hugs me back, and we all can''t help but chuckle at her words. Soon, we''ll be back on the move, and I''m getting nervous the closer we get to Greshina... The closer we get to my family... The family that condemned my mother and me to a horrid life... I survived... She didn''t... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 383 - Heading To Greshina, Capital Of The Elven Kingdom Iv {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:02 AM)~~~ Everyone is starting to wake up and join the growing ring around the campfire. Jasmine and Melimora have taken a seat, and we''re waiting for the rest to wake up. Jasmine is looking at me, and I recognize the look. "Hungry?" She nods her head and has a rise in positivity. I open my Inventory and toss her some dried meat. Making my supply of fried meat go from 4 to 3. She chows down on the food, and every present takes this opportunity to get their own food and start eating. Sally gets some Food Rations from me, making my supply go from 3 to 2. "When everyone is awake and has eaten something, we''ll start moving." That was implied, but nothing wrong with clearing it up. We still have some people sleeping. Ashburn, Le, Freskra, Terox, and Helda are still in their tents. Doubt it''ll be much longer given the noise we''re all making. "Melimore... Mind if I ask what Greshina is like..." Sally speaks between her bites and swallows. I''m curious to know more about Greshina too. I know very little about it from my old life. Even during that time, people didn''t get into The Elven Kingdom. Only a few lucky yers ever got across the Border for a quest, and they''d be kicked out as soon as they were done. "It''s the oldest city in The Elven Kingdom and the heart of our people. The most important and influential people work and live in Greshina." That''s information I could''ve deduced myself. I''d like to hear something I couldn''t figure out. Melimora senses the disappointment at theck of information, and she sighs as she leans back against the log she''s resting against. "The history of our prejudice and racism starts in Greshina, and it''s where all pure-blood elves stay. You''re not allowed inside without proof of who you are. It''s why we need Terox." The elven society is split between pure-blood and half-breeds. Melimora probably doesn''t know as much as we''d hope she''d know. Helda and Terox would know far more, given that they''re pure-blooded elves and have been to Greshina before. "Do you know anything about the Orvello family..." Sally is treading a dangerous path... Asking about her family could cause more pain than she might imagine. I know nothing about the Orvello family... The things I''ve learned from Sally telling me about them are all I know. Apparently, they''re one of the most powerful pure-blood elven families. "The Orvello family keeps to themselves, but they''re obsessed with blood purity. They''re also the richest noble family in The Elven Kingdom." Wow... That''s not good... Sally stays quiet and lowers her head towards the ground. My arm finds its way around her shoulder, and I pull her closer to me. Bringing her body in closer to mine. "You''re stronger than you know, Sally... Remember that..." She leans her head against my chest as the words exit my mouth. Her mother was condemned by their family, and she was too. Everyone seeing her reaction stays quiet. It''s no secret who Sally really is... Saliandra Orvello... She must hate sharing her name with the family that cursed her mother and her... "They stay on a property on The Elven Kingdom. It''s massive and constantly guarded. Not unbeatable, though. Their own arrogance blinds them from danger." Melimora is right about that. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:45 AM)~~~ The carriage slowly moves, and Cera is resting on the top of the carriage with me. We decided that it''s morefortable to be out here than in that cramped carriage. Terox and Helda haven''t been a problem, and I think they''ll hold it together until after we''re finished. My mind is being pulled back to the Orvello family... My family... Cera has been an incredible support for me, and so has everyone else... Sometimes I feel like I''m using him... "Do you ever feel like I''m using you, Cera..." It''s not something I''d usually do, but ripping the band-aid off fast is the best option. He doesn''t respond, and instead, I feel his hand run up my back and rest with his fingers on the cusp of going into my hair. Hisck of response worries me, but his affectionate touch is helping that. His chest slowly rises and falls as we look at the morning clouds lit by the rising sun. "No, I don''t. Everyone needs help... Some more than others, and some less than others... It''s only using them if you don''t help in return, and you''ve helped me, Sally." Oh... My stomach feels light now that I know his answer. He makes me feel funny but good funny... I know that I love him, and I know he loves me... But moments like this reaffirm all that I feel for him... Do I do the same for him? Do I make his stomach flutter? "When we make it into Greshina, we''ll be close to finishing why we came. I have a n in mind, but we''ll wait until we''re in the city to talk about that..." He''s always got a n... Hailey is also worrying me... She''s changed sincest night when she and Cera talked... "Mind if I ask what happened to Hailey? She''s not looking so good..." The clouds are fluffy, and the sun shines brighter every minute that passes. Cera does say anything, and I understand why. It''s between him and Hailey. Business between siblings... It does suck that it''s affecting her so much, and Cera didn''t sleep at all. He doesn''t look as rough as Hailey, though. "I revealed a terrible truth to her... The same truth I''ll reveal to you when we''re done with everything here..." I know I should feel worried about that... But I don''t... When I hear Cera talk about some terrible truth, all I feel is trust in him... Am I gullible? More than I thought I was? ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:00 AM)~~~ I can tell how worried Jasmine is by the way she''s ncing at me from time to time... I''m adding to the already tense and awkward atmosphere in the carriage. Cera and Sally have the right idea in riding on top of the carriage. Terox and Helda aren''t speaking, but it''s not so bad since they have a better understanding now. The things that Cera told me are repeating in my head over and over... I try to imagine what he tells me, and when I do, I feel a hollow numbness and a loss of will to live... Thinking that I could be something so... It''s torturing knowing that I ended up like that... The truth about him changing the future... It makes me question everything... What if I never existed... Most of my family problems wouldn''t have happened... Mom wouldn''t have died... The future wouldn''t have been so horrible that Cera made a desperate action as going back in time to fix everything... "We''ll arrive at the wall of Greshina by noon tomorrow. Is there anything anyone would like to ask me for information?" Terox''s words barely register for me... No one asks anything, and the awkward silence returns, and I decide that I''m going to walk outside next to the magically moving carriage. As I leave, Jasmine joins me. Everyone else decides to stay inside. My eyes unconsciously look towards the top of the carriage, and Cera and Sally are resting at the top of the carriage, looking at the sky as theyy down... He''s lived with this truth... He''s better adjusted to it than I am... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 384 - Heading To Greshina, Capital Of The Elven Kingdom V {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:20 PM)~~~ The day has been quiet, and nothing has happened between Terox and Helda, which is a good sign. Sally and I are sitting up now and looking out ahead on the road. Hailey is up there all by herself. "You should go talk to her... She needs someone that knows what she''s going through..." Sally speaks words of wisdom, and herpassion is something I love. Deciding not to waste any time, I stand up and jump off the top of the carriage towards her. Ind a little behind her. She hears mynding but doesn''t slow down or wait for me to catch up. In a burst of speed, I''m right beside her. She doesn''t look at me, and I see that her eyes are in a state of redness and dryness... She''s trying to deal with what I told her on her own... Saying something out of nowhere would work, but it''s not very tactful. Instead, just being next to her will help. When she''s wanting to talk, she''ll say something. The road is wide and empty and without any other upants. Sometimes, this trip has been boring, and I wouldn''t mind some action. Elenahiers Dungeon was fun but far too bloody. My eyes catch movement on the road up ahead. "Did you see that?" Hailey speaks, but it''s not about anything pertaining to her issues. As we keep walking, a roadblockes into view. There are elven men and women in leather armor, and some are ted armor. The stronger ones are at the front. From the looks, they''re bandits. Bandits holding up one of the main roads to Greshina... That seems unlikely... "We''ve got trouble. Seeing bandits holding up this road seems out of ce. I didn''t think the elven people would let something happen so close to their capital." Hailey nods in agreement with my observation. We get closer, and the carriage behind us has stopped moving. Sally warned the others, and they''re letting Hailey and I take care of this problem. "How do you want to handle this, sis... Killing them would be easy, but this could have unforeseen consequences for us... What they are, I don''t know..." This all seems like some sort of trap or bait. These bandits are out of ce. We continue walking towards them, and they prepare to start talking. Hailey has yet to give me an answer, and before we''re within earshot of them, she speaks. "We''ll give them one chance. After that, they''re mine." I''m not going to argue with her. As we get within talking distance and stop. There is silence. The bandits haven''t talked yet, and neither have we. Normally bandits would speak by now, but they haven''t. The one I assume the leader steps in front of the group and folds his arms. He looks at us up and down. Myself more than Hailey. He''s gauging our danger. My leather-looking armor is deceiving, but it''s not leather armor. "All we want are your valuables. Hand over everything you and the people in the carriage have. Once done, we''ll let you through." Wow... I wasn''t expecting that... From most of the encounters I''ve had, they''d demand sexual favors from the females traveling with me. I''d expect Hailey has dealt with the same problem. Seeing a group only after valuables is actually something... Nice to see? Didn''t think I''d ever feel that way or say something like that... "I''m only saying this once, let us pass or die." Hailey cuts right to the chase. Their reactions also surprise me, and the leader turns around and whispers to the other strong members. Hailey and I look at each other, and we''re both a little confused. "Alright, just be wary once you reach the capital. The corrupt guards won''t let you past so easily." The group moves aside and removes the roadblock... I''m thoroughly perplexed... My face shows this, and Hailey is giving a simr reaction to me. She waves for the carriage to move forward, and we wait for it to pass before we follow behind. We don''t keep our backs turned to them. Only when we''re out of sight do we turn back towards the road. "Was that some delusion or hallucination? Am I losing my mind?" You''re not the only one that feels that way, Hailey... Never had I had an encounter like that before. Why would they stop us, demand out valuables? Just to let us past with no issues after a threat upon their lives? Just thinking about the events makes me wonder even more. Technically, they did the correct thing to preserve their lives... I''m just not used to people acting to preserve their lives like that... What could this mean?! I''m literally thrown for a loop here! "I''m dumbfounded... Literally. Dumbfounded." We catch up to the back of the carriage, and Sally looks over the edge of the top and towards us, curious as to what happened. "Do you have any ideas what that was?" I continue talking, and I try asking Hailey, but she looks as confused as me. In the end, it''s not bad. It''s just so unexpected that you don''t know what to do when the pattern fails to repeat. "Your guess would be as good as mine... I''m so used to having men demand that I share my body with them. Demand that of Jasmine. They didn''t do that. It makes me worried if I''m honest..." Maybe it''s the way elven bandits do things... My attention is taken from Sally''s waving hand as she wants to be let in on the conversation. "What did they ask from you?" That''s a valid question for her to ask, and she must''ve drawn the conclusion that we handed something over to them. I shake my head, and I have trouble finding the words to exin what this might mean... Could there be an ambush further up the road? ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:32 PM)~~~ Those bandits'' behavior confused me so much that it''s actually distracted me from my depression. I wee the distraction, but I''m concerned about that... "What do you think the odds of us running into more down the road are?" My question is a little dumb since the closer we get to the Greshina, the more security there''ll be... Before Cera can answer, Helda steps out and joins us. If anyone would know, it''d be her or the people that have been here the longest. "What did you guys give to let us pass?" Huh? She doesn''t know either? Cera and I both shake our heads and exin that we didn''t hand anything over and we actually threatened them. "That''s... Odd... I''ve never seen that before..." Wow... I expected Helda to know about this... Cera takes on a thoughtful look and closes his eyes. He''s thinking about something, and given his future knowledge, he''s probably trying to remember something about this. He opens his eyes after a couple of seconds, and he''s disappointed. "We need to be alert for the rest of the trip. Something could be going on that we missed back there." I agree with that conclusion. That was way too easy to be real, and if it was. I don''t think I''ll ever see it again. "The closer we get to Greshina, the less criminal activity there is around. I doubt we''ll run into anything... I have no clue what to do about this..." Helda calmly exins her thoughts, and it''s on the same baseline that I thought. The closer we get, the better the security. Out of the ordinary raises red gs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 385 - Time And Effort {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: City of Wessixs, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:29 AM)~~~ The magical item has been taking us the exact path Cera and Hailey have taken, and this ce was where they went after they were done with Elenahiers Dungeon. The City of Wessixs, a Merchant city that has a lot ofmerce. Following in Cera and Hailey''s footsteps helped in ways I didn''t count on it helping. The potions that changed us are the main things. Since we look like elves, we don''t have any problems with people suspecting us. All we have to do is keep to ourselves and get information. We''re heading to an Inn they stayed at, and we''re not expecting to get much. Chris and I don''t know what they look like. They took the same potions we did, and that means even when we do catch up with them, we won''t recognize them. It hurts my pride as a mother that I don''t know what my kids look like anymore, but I know that it''s no fault of mine. The Inn they stayed at is just up ahead, and I''m eager to ask the bartender some questions. They''re sure to know something. "I can see that look, and you''re getting your hopes up." I look at my husband, and he can see that I''m unhappy with that statement. I''m allowed to hope that there is some information about my kids, and he should be doing the same thing I am. "You need to stop being so negative. If there is a small chance that there is some information about our kids, then we should have hope." He closes his eyes and releases a sigh. I have the sudden urge to smack him. My urge has halted as we stand outside the destination that the magical item has marked for us. "Remember, I''m not trying to bring you down. I''m just trying to keep realistic expectations. We already have an item that tells us where they''ve been. We can just continue traveling instead of stopping here." His pragmatic approach is a double-edged sword. We might miss information and clues if we skip this and head straight for Gradule. He does bring up a good point, though... We can get a lot of ground covered during the time we''re searching here. "Alright, we''ll do it your way, Chris. Let''s keep moving." Marcus starts walking on the road, and we leave, heading towards Gradule. Chris and I aren''t wasting any more time. Marcus leads the way in front of us, and we''re looking around Wessixs as we make our way towards the gate exiting towards Gradule. It''s strange not seeing at least a couple of yers. The elves do a great job of keeping people out. "Honey, I''m sorry that my approach always seems different than yours." My heart flutters at my husband''s words. I should apologize for my ws too. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Road leading to Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:51 AM)~~~ Mom and dad are being lovey-dovey, so I''m staying ahead of them on the road. I don''t want to see my parents sucking each other''s faces. While they''re back there doing what they want to do, I need to think of something that''ll entertain me until something interesting happens. My control over my fire is improving, and I always enjoy ying with it. I wouldn''t mind an actual fight. Elenahiers Dungeon was fun, but it was really bloody. Mom was afraid that I couldn''t handle that. Proved her wrong. I know that I''m a kid and young, but I''m not a baby anymore. I can think for myself, and I can protect myself. Having a Legendary ss means that I will be hard to kill, and I have a lot of power. My thoughts have been filled with my older brother and sister. It''s been so long since I saw them... I want to show Cera how much stronger I''ve be, and I want Hailey to know she can''t pick on me anymore. "Sweetie! Don''t go too far ahead! Stay within our view!!" Mom makes sure I''m not getting too far away from them. I''m starting to wonder if she has a mental problem. She doesn''t like separation from her children... Do all mothers go through something like this? Cera would know what it''s called. "Yeah, Yeah! I know already!" My annoyance is clear, and normally I wouldn''t talk to them like this. I''m just getting sick of how I''m still thought of as a weak, defenseless kid that can''t fend for himself. I''m strong than both of them. If anyone is protecting anyone, it''s me protecting them. They wouldn''t have been able to get into the Elven Kingdoms Borders if I didn''t blow a hole through the wall. "Don''t give your mother attitude, Marcus! She''s just worried about you!" Yada, Yada. Leaving it at that is the best thing I can do. I keep my eyes ahead, and I upy myself by using my fire. I can''t help wondering what Cera and Hailey are doing here in the Elven Kingdom. Most yers are spending time near The Kingdom of Avalon due to its importance for tiering up. They''ve really gone out of their way toe this far. Maybe it''s personal? I can only ask when I meet them. We''ve been gaining ground on them. They''ve slowed down at some ces. ~~~(POV: 1st Princess of The Elven Kingdom, Olisandra Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Searching for the secret passage leading out of the pce, Greshina)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:07 PM)~~~ It''s been a long time since I''ve searched down here... Blezikel is keeping up appearances and making sure that no one suspects that anything is going on. She''s vouching for my whereabouts, and I have free reign to search these ancient halls. The upper pce is where most of the people stay. These lower levels haven''t been used in millennia. Trying to remember where it exactly is has been difficult. It''s been many years since I''ve been down here, and when I was, I wasn''t older than seven. Blezikel was even younger, so she wouldn''t have any better chance at remembering it than I would. "What has brought you to this ce, Princess?" I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound of the voice I hear. I look around, but no one is visible. I keep walking forward, hoping to find out where and who that voice came from, and as I turn the corner. I see... A Ghost... What the fuck!!? "Stay back! I''m not getting my soul sucked out of me!!" I turn and try to leave, but before I can, I''m already levitating off the ground, and I''m taken towards the ghost. The ghost looks familiar... Like I''ve seen him before... I can''t put my tongue on it... "I didn''t expect one of my descendants to run from the mere sight of me. Am I really that old and unfamiliar to you?" Descendant? I''m his descendant? I stop struggling to get free from the grasp, and he lets me down. I take a better look, and I can''t recognize who this man is, only that he''s familiar... Now that I''ve calmed down, I can think clearly. I can handle fighting monsters and men, but I draw the line at the undead. They''re just not something that I mess with. "I''m sorry for freaking out. I don''t like ghosts or the undead." The man smiles, and I take a better look at his clothes. He''s wearing elven royal armor from long ago. He''s part of this family, but I don''t know who he is. "That''s not unexpected, but I can''t help feeling hurt that you don''t know who I am. I''m King Ezelmare Oryzox, and I was the first Elven King to restore rights to half-bloods in our kingdom." Ohh... Ezelmare was killed in a coup by the nobles... He was killed, but his wife survived. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 386 - Keeping Attention {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: 2nd Princess of The Elven Kingdom, Blezikel Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Attending a Party for the nobility, Greshina)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:54 PM)~~~ Olisandra is running out of time... She said she''d be here by 4:00 PM, and she''s only got 5 minutes left. While suspicion about her absence isn''t rising, I can''t keep distracting people for long. Mom will notice soon, but I don''t have to worry about that at the moment. She''s busy entertaining guests. All nobles that support her, and it''s hard to see her be something like this... Olisandra and I were following in her footsteps, but we''ve both seen that several things have changed... "Princess Blezikel, I was hoping to find you here." A familiar voice fills my ears, and I turn to see Gael Dezial. An elven noble the same age as myself. He and I have known each other since we were young, and he''s someone I''d consider a friend. Not only were we great friends, but mom nned for me to be married to Gael to ensure his family''s support. When yer Zern was revealed, when The Son of Arch-Angel Micahel was announced... That all changed... Mom sees yer Zern as a chance at making the elven royal family''s true gods... Instead of just in name... Gael has had an affection for me, and I for him... We''ve never tried anything more than just friends, but it''s not like we can try... "Gael, it''s been so long since thest time I saw you. How have you been?" He smiles and straightens out a little. He''s much taller than I am, and he''s very attractive. Most of the noblemen are jealous of him, but that''s for his wealth. The elven nobility is filled with beautiful people, and it''s one of the staples that follow our society. One of the things that I don''t know if it''s good or bad... "It''s nice of you to ask, but talking about boring politics isn''t something that I''d ever bring to bear on you, Princess." He keeps formalities up when in the presence of others. Before I can respond, another woman interrupts us. Grabbing Gael by his suit and pulling him gently. My eyes look at the girl, and I instantly recognize who she is. Urea Orvello, only daughter to the Orvello family and one of the most important nobles in The Elven Kingdom. "While I don''t mind you talking to other beautiful girls, Gael. I get nervous when it''s the princess herself." Typical. While her voice is sweet and polite, Urea is one of the most cunning nobles I''ve ever met. She''s known Gael for almost as long as I have, and since I''m no longer avable, they''re to be married to each other. Combining Dezial and Orvello blood and joining the noble house in an alliance. "She is an old friend, Urea." Urea smiles and rolls her eyes a little. Pulling Gael away as she whispers into his ear. Making himugh in the process. They''re good together, but I''m a little jealous. If there were anyone I''d like to have been married to, it would be Gael... Urea is a lucky woman, and she''ll be happy with him. "Don''t look so down, Blezikel. You still have a chance with yer Zern." My mother''s voice stops me from looking at their retreating forms. ~~~(POV: Only Daughter of the Orvello family, Urea Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Attending a party for the nobility, Greshina)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:22 PM)~~~ Gael slowly dances with me on the ballroom floor to the slow music, and his eyes are looking into mine. His smile is calm, and he''s steadily dancing with me. "I have to be honest, seeing you talk to Princess Blezikel made me jealous, and I''m sorry I pulled you away from her like that." He raises a single eyebrow and moves a little closer. Many consider me shrewd, cunning, sometimes maniptive... That doesn''t mean I''m a terrible person... All it means is I know how to get what I want, and while that sounds bad, there are worse things I could do but choose not to. "Hmm... Now, what am I to do with this information? Some might say I need to rethink things with you." The tease in his voice is obvious. I''m d that he''s a good spot when ites to my more overzealous reactions. Seeing him with women of incredible beauty just makes me nervous. I''m good about not being jealous, but there are times I feel like I need to step in. "Hey... I should be getting praised. Most girls would rip you a new one for talking to so many girls." I stand by that statement too. He smiles again and leans in, his lips touch mine, and I sink into the kiss. All my worries are washed away, and my thoughts are free from any of the fears I have. "You are an amazing fiance, Urea. I''m d that your mine, and I''m yours." He talks sweet words as he pulls away. He brings me closer and wraps me in his arms. We sway to the music and enjoy each other''spany. Gael isn''t someone I worry about being unfaithful, and he''s not someone that I imagined myself having... The revealment of yer Zern is the reason I have Gael now, and I''m happy that I''m the one that gets him. "Our wedding day is approaching... Did you ever think that you''d loved the person you''re marrying?" My question isn''t something many people give thought to. Not in our world of nobility. Most marriages are political and forced. While this is what our marriage is, we benefit from loving each other. We''ve known each other since we were kids, and it''s feelings that weren''t hard to find. "We''re lucky in that we love each other, Urea... Not many can say that in the nobility anymore..." He hugs me a little tighter as he says that... ~~~(POV: Elven Queen Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Attending a party for the nobility, Greshina)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:06 PM)~~~ This party has hardly taken my mind off what Evander has revealed to me... He''s a half-blood, and I''vee to question everything I''ve done to this point... Evander is an amazing man, and if he''s capable of such things, then maybe the other half-bloods are. My current train of thought is interrupted as the doors to the hall open, and Olisandra walks in. She''s farter than anyone of the royal family should be. Usually, I''d go and chew her out for portraying something like that, but not with everything on my mind... "Mom, I''m going to talk to sister. See what she was up to." Blezikel stands up from our table and leaves towards her sister. I''m lucky to have such wonderful daughters... Sometimes, I feel like I don''t deserve them, and I''m doing everything wrong with them... After my son was killed... "My Queen, the evening is gettingte. Should I signal the staff to start bringing out the food?" Evander''s voice interrupts my thoughts and my heartaches. I nod a single time with my head, and he waves his hand. Staffe out and start preparing everything at the motion. Changing my n... The ns of the nobles... It''s impossible now... Nothing can stop what I''ve set in motion... I''ve damned my Kingdom, and I know that I now leave nothing for my daughters to rule... "Evander, I wish there was something I could do..." No one hears my whisper. Not even Evander himself. It''s too quiet to hear. This isn''t how a Queen acts... How a sane person acts... How apetent leader makes decisions... Am I so cowardly to change things... What is there that I can do... I don''t know what I''m doing anymore... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 387 - Broken Minds {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Butler Evander)~~~ ~~~(Location: Personal Bedroom, Greshina)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:40 PM)~~~ The party was a sess, as it always is... Lying to her isn''t what I want to do, but she''s gone mad. The Oryzox family will have to forgive me for my lies. There isn''t anything I can do to bring some reality to what she''s nning. Queen Oryzox is undergoing tomit a terrible act against her own people. More than 40 percent of the elven poption are half-bloods. My worries and duties are blurring together now, and I hoped that this wouldn''t ever happen. There are things that need to be done. To undo what she''s set in motion. "When I do decide to die, one day... I want it to be when The Elven Kingdom is fixed..." The only one I have to talk to is the person staring back at me in the mirror. Pure-blooded elves have a form of immortality. They live forever and stop physically aging when they wish, but we can still be killed. As a pure-blood, I have these qualities, and it''s been my duty ever since the first Oryzox was crowned that I''m ordered to kill the elven ruler if they descend too far into madness. A curse gues our throne. Not a literal one, but a metaphorical one. I''ve killed every elven ruler since the first day I was given my job as the royal family''s butler. Given to me by the first king of The Elven Kingdom. "You know what you must do if she doesn''t change, and you must try the cycle over again. Hope that Olisandra is a better fit." In a sense, I''m losing sanity myself. Talking to the reflecting in the mirror. The burden of my responsibilities will never end, forced to live an eternal life. There have been countless times I wished to die, to finally have release from life. I don''t even know how old I am anymore... "Look at you, you old man... Talking to yourself in the mirror... Maybe it''s you that needs to be put down..." Moments of madness are bing more frequent. Olisandra and Blezikel are thest hope I have anymore... If I''m to kill their mother, Olisandra will take the throne, and if she doesn''t, Blezikel will. I fear that their mother''s insanity has infected them in some way, but that doesn''t mean I can fix them. "ying God now? I knew that you''d lost your marbles, but this? Talk about scary." The reflection speaks to me, not in my own words. I throw my fist forward, and the ss shatters and sprays in every direction. "I''m losing my own grip on reality... There isn''t much time until I lose my mindpletely... Too much time has poisoned my mind, and immortality, my soul..." Elves that live for a very long time either lose their minds or have their memories wiped after a certain number of years. In all the thousands of years I''ve been alive, I haven''t wiped my memories once. When a memory wipe urs, you remember that you had your memory wiped, and you keep your most precious memories. Not me. It''s all still there, everything I''ve experienced and all the terrible things I''ve done. Do I have a weak will? Or is it a strong one... I don''t know anymore. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Camping near The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:30 PM)~~~ We''ll be arriving at the gates of Greshina by tomorrow afternoon, and tonight is our final night on the road. We''ve set up camp nearby, and I''m sitting by the fire, almost alone. Hailey is with me, and everyone else is in their tents. Hailey hasn''t spoken much since I told her the truth... She''s had a faraway look in her eyes, and bags are forming fromck of sleep. She knows that I won''t bug her, and that''s because the Adamo''s deal with problems in their own ways. Hailey and I are the same in that we dive into our heads, the difference being I usuallye out of it stronger. She needs help getting out when she does it. "Am I evil, Cera?" My head lifts, and I look at her. Unsurprised by her words. I figured she''d think something like this. Evil cane in many forms, and sometimes it''s hard to distinguish what''s truly evil and what isn''t. You can know between good and evil, but evil is smart, and it can disguise itself as good. Which makes it hard to distinguish sometimes... "Do you think you''re evil, Hailey? You know what''s in your heart more than I do. What''s in your head." She cringes at my words, and she buries her face in her knees. I never believed Hailey became what she became until I saw it for myself in my first life. I didn''t believe she was capable of sumbing to that life. That''s why I say she''d know more than me now. I didn''t know then, and I don''t know now. I''ve saved her from that future, but that doesn''t mean that which drove her to that life isn''t still in her... My eyes turn from Hailey, and I look back into the fire. I never got to speak to the Hailey that was in my old life... Not after what she became... There were things that I wish I could''ve said to her... But I never got a chance to... Maybe now is a good time... "I hated you... Not the Hailey that you are now, but the one that you became..." My honesty is twofold, and she curls up a bit harder at my words. Hailey needs to hear this, and I need to say it. For my own sake of peace. "That didn''t mean you weren''t my sister... I still loved you even though I hated you... Even after mom died... I''m sorry I couldn''t save you, Hailey... You were my sister, and I couldn''t save you..." There is no hope in holding back the tears I''ve saved for this moment. One I never thought I''d have... She lifts her head at the choking of my own voice, and she sees the tears falling from my eyes and running down my face. Her tears are the same as mine, and she stands up and moves over to sit next to me. Wrapping her arms around me. "I''m so sorry, Cera... I''m so sorry... Please, forgive me..." She chokes and hups between her words. Her tears are soaking my shoulder pad, but I don''t care. There are few moments that I get to cry in my life, and I''m fine sharing tears with my sister. I was always taught never to show weakness, that showing weakness would get me killed... I''ve never cried in front of someone like this... Everything I''ve kept buried has broken me, and I don''t think those cracks in my mind will ever heal. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~ ~~~(Location: Camp near The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:42 PM)~~~ My poor little brother... Living with all this pain... "I''m sorry that I''m such a terrible sister... That I tore our family apart..." It eats me alive knowing what I did... Hearing what I caused from Cera... Learning the truth... Cera keeps his head low, and his white elven hair hangs over his face. I see tears falling on the dirt below his face. Even now, he''s trying to hide his pain... All I can do is hug him harder, and try to support him. "I''m sorry that I''m a terrible brother, Hailey... In the end, I damned billions to fix my mistakes... There isn''t a ce in Hell or the Underworld for a monster like me..." It hurts to hear him say those things about himself, and I can''t find the words to speak... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 388 - Blood Is Thick Then Water {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~ ~~~(Location: Camp near The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:25 PM)~~~ I''m all cried out now, and Cera seems to be too... Getting the pain you bury out needs to happen eventually. If you don''t, you''ll be eaten by it. "God... Thest time I cried this hard was when mom died..." Cera speaks out of nowhere, and he runs his hand up and down his face. Clearing up the wet marks from his tears and shaking off the look he was hiding from me. Cera doesn''t cry... The few times I''ve seen him cry in my life, it was from serious problems... It hurts to see him like this... Vulnerable... "Yeah... I''m d that you did let the pain out... I know I needed to take some time to cry... I''m grateful that you''refortable enough around me to do so..." I don''t know everything that Cera''s gone through, but the few things I''ve heard haunt my mind... He stands up from his spot, and in an instant, his wings appear, and they have that amazing golden glow. They stretch out, and I can''t help feeling a little intimidated by them. The light of the campfire shines onto his wings, further magnifying their beauty. His temporary elven looks make him look like something truly divine. I''m curious as to why he''s taken them out. His body pops and cracks as he stretches a little, and I see him looking at an invisible screen. I know he''s looking at something. I just don''t know. I see him tap on the air, and he turns to me. "Do you want to go for a ride? I''ve marked this location on the map so I can find my way back." My stomach churns and lets out groans of protest at the mere memory of flying on his back again. Traveling across an ocean from the yer continent took its toll on me, and I''m not sure I can handle flying anymore. "Not really, Cera... The thought of going through all that again makes me a little sick, and I don''t want to actually experience it again." He smirks a single time and turns his head away. Walking to an opening in the camp. He flexes his body and slightly squats, and in the next second, he''sunched off the ground, and the wind produced blows my hair back. His figure quickly reaches the clouds, and he levels out. Heading in a different direction from where we came and where we''re going. "Taking a flight must be the way he clears his head..." I''m not a fan of flying anymore... Once, I was jealous of his ability to fly, but being exposed to winds and pressures made the feeling disappear quick. He can have that ability all he wants. My attention is taken from the approaching footsteps of Sally, and she''s looking off in the direction Cera went. "I''m not going to ask what you two talked about, but please tell me he''s going to be okay..." Her voice is a little shakey. She''s probably never witnessed Cera in such a state, and I figured she was spying on us. "He''ll be fine, just needed a flight to clear his head... Something to take his mind off his problems..." Sally makes her way over to me and sits next to me. Wrapping her arms around me, and I can''t stop from responding. Sally knows how tofort someone... She pulls away and grabs my shoulders, looking me in the eyes. There is a concern in them, and worry is washing over her form. "How are you doing, Hailey... You don''t have to share anything, but I want you to know that I care about you and want you to be okay." She''s bing the older sister I never had, and I''ve warmed up to Sally. Her affection for the people she cares about makes me wonder how she could''ve turned out so amazing given her life as an enved person. She escaped that life before my grandparents were born, but going through something like that changes you... Right? Maybe it depends on the person... Jasmine is simr to Sally, just less nurturing. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Open Skies, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:41 PM)~~~ A harder p of my wings sends me bursting forward, and I soar into the clouds of the night. Following my need to free myself from my thoughts, I burst through the topyer of the clouds and glide. An ocean of stars fill my gaze as I turn on my back and stare into the night sky. The blue glow of the moon shining down on me... At this moment, my worries are taken from me... It''s been a long time since I talked about the future that I changed. I locked it away and decided that I wouldn''t bring it up. Hailey caught onto me, though... Seeing that I knew too much for someone like me. Even with all of my advantages, it''s something that sticks out. "It runs in the blood... You know when something is off..." Mom and dad would know too... If given enough time around me in this world, they''d see the difference in me. I hid it well, but after being with Hailey for all this time, she caught on. "I''m proud of you, Hailey... For seeing what I didn''t expect you to find so early... I underestimated you..." Talking to the stars above calms me in a sense, and being up here. Free from my problems... It feels good... They''ll always be there, but getting out of the situation can help. There isn''t anything to run from, though... So what am I running from... "Ahhhh... This is frustrating... Pathetic..." The reality of my actions is pathetic. My denials and shifts in emotions... Infuriating... Must''ve picked it up from mom... It''s a little funny when I think about it that way. I turn and look down at the clouds, and I flex my wings and push hard. Diving down anding out from the bottom of the clouds. The endless forest that I find myself overlooking looks full. Teeming with life that I didn''t think would be here. They don''t know I''m up here, so no need to run and hide. I look at my map, and I''m getting far away from the campsite. I tilt my body and turn around, sting forward in speed and covering distance. Closing my eyes as the wind breezes against my body. It makes me wonder what the other yers that can fly are doing... People should be reaching levels where they can have such an ability... Depending on their sses. It''s a nice distraction... Well, maybe not nice, but still a distraction... ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:09 AM)~~~ It''s been a bit longer than I''d expect Cera to be gone for, but Hailey has been apany I didn''t know that I''d enjoy, given how emotional she and Cera have been. My eyes catch the faint golden glow of something approaching our position. Cera is on his way back, and I stand up and wave at him. I don''t want to sit here and do nothing. As hees in for anding, he''s quiet and far slower than he usually is. He''s making sure no one is disturbed by hisnding. I approach him as his wings disappear. "Did your little trip help some?" He nods his head and opens his arms as Ie closer. My arms are already open. Hailey groans at our public disy of affection, but we both just chuckle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 389 - The Final Stretch To Greshina I {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campsite near The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:30 AM)~~~ Everyone has finished packing up their stuff, and people are loading into the carriage. Sally and I are already on top of the carriage, waiting for Helda to get it moving. It''s a magical carriage. After all, it doesn''t need a horse. Last night was one of the most emotional nights of my life, second to the death of my mother. Hailey sure brought out the hurt part of me. Not intentionally. It kinda just came out the longer I talked to someone who knew the truth. Who had an idea of the knowledge that I carry. "You slept all night after you went to sleep, and you didn''t talk once while dreaming... Do you think that getting some of the stress out helped?" I''ve developed a bad habit of talking in my sleep. Sally has heard some of the things that I try to keep hidden. I don''t know how much she knows. She says that I''ll talk to her about it when I''m ready. "Yeah, it was one of the best nights of sleep I''ve gotten in a while." Sally is my lover and my girlfriend. Someone I''ve shared many things I ever thought I would with. Yet, I still have lots of secrets. A rtionship built on secrets won''tst, and I intend on telling her everything about the wish and the things I''ve changed after we''re done with the royal family and the Orvello family. "Do you think we''ll reach Greshina on time, just like we''re hoping?" ording to Helda, Melimora, and Terox, we''re getting close to Greshina. Ashburn, Le, and Freskra have told us stories about the capital and the things that go down within its walls. Jasmine has been interested in their stories, finding the things they know valuable information. The same that I think. "Yeah, we''re to arrive there by afternoon, if not a little earlier. It helped that we didn''t run into any trouble getting here." It''s been rtively smooth, in my opinion. Terox and Helda haven''t caused any problems, and we''re right on schedule. Once we arrive in Greshina, we''ll start making ns and giving tasks to those that can do them. This is a big job, and walking into the throne room and killing everyone will not work. It''s about making a change in The Elven Kingdom, and to do that, we need to make the proper preparations. Sally and I will be focusing on the Orvello family, and I think everyone else will rather handle the royal family. Hailey will have to help them, but these are just ideas that I have at the moment. Nothing is set in stone. "I''m scared about meeting them... Punishing them for what they did..." In an instant, I''m already sitting up and looking down at the rxed Sally next to me. While it''s understandable to be afraid, she needs to know that nothing will happen to her. If pushes to shove, and everything turns to shit. I''ll unleash all my power and start ughtering all the nobles. I doubt it''ll escte to any level close to that. "You know how I feel about revenge, Sally... I think it''s perfectly fine to pursue, and it''s in your right to punish them." I stand by her. I stand by the words that I''m saying. Sometimes, the only way to get closure is to hurt and punish those who attacked you and damned you to a cursed life. Controlling that vengeance is key, Sally does an excellent job of keeping it in check. Her constant questioning, if it''s right or wrong, is evidence of how serious she is about controlling it. She''se a long way in terms of power, experience, and fulfillment of revenge. She''s already gotten revenge on those that tortured her and abused her. Now we''re on our to find and face the people that signed the bloodletter. "Hey, I''m with you every step of the way. Remember that." She looks me in the eyes and smiles. Her blond hair is spread out on the carriage roof below her. Not wasting a moment, I lean over her, and she gains a look, understanding what I''m trying to do. Her eyes be half-lidded, and she puckers her lips. Waiting for me to descend with my own. Not making her wait any longer, I connect my lips with her, and we share a normal and calm kiss. One that''s not overly lustful. One that''s peaceful. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:40 AM)~~~ The scenery is starting to be more familiar. It''s been a long time since I was even near Greshina. Abeled terrorist like myself shouldn''t risk her life like this, but it''s a single circumstance that I''m fulfilling. The chance that the royal family can be dethroned and stopped isn''t one I''m passing up. Not when Cera and Hailey are here to help. The two most powerful people I know. Their help will ensure that everything happens and ends the way we want to. However, I''m a little worried about Hailey and Cera''s mental conditions. From what I sawst night, things aren''t so great in the head for either of them. They both seem to be doing better. "Ahh!~..." A feminine voice is heard. One that''s erotic and muffled. Everyone in the carriage looks at the ceiling above, already knowing where and who that sound originated from. "I can''t believe them." Hailey grits her teeth as she moves for the door and swings it open. Standing up on the edge and poking her head to see them. "This isn''t the time or ce!! You horny idiots!!" Shees back into the carriage with the door mming in the process. We all look at Hailey, and there is a flustered look, and it''s not for the reason you think. She''s embarrassed that her brother would even try something like that while we''re all in here. "Sorry about that, everyone... Sometimes I wonder what he thinks is right and wrong at certain times..." If only I were as bold as Cera was, such a move requires something I don''t have. He''s definitely an interesting person, and Sally is lucky to have him. She''ll need to be careful once people learn she''s the lover and girlfriend of yer Zern. Many political parties would seek to remove her, and while they''d fail, the threat is still there. "Remember when we used to try stuff like that?" We all look toward Le as she speaks to Freskra, who is blushing. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:46 AM)~~~ I''m so embarrassed! Stupid, stupid, stupid Cera!! If my looks could kill, he''d be dead. All he''s doing is smiling and looking at my reaction. I should''ve stopped when he got a little handsy. But no, instead, I allowed him to continue his touching, and he eventually found my panties and decided to have some fun in them! Ugh! I''m so mad! The way he''s looking at me ticks me off a bit, but it''s not all his fault... It''s mine too... I didn''t stop him... In fact... I weed it... Spreading my legs for him to have better ess. "C''mon, it''s not that bad. Do you want me to make a sexy noise to even us out?" My hand finds its way up the side of his head, but he doesn''t budge. Given how strong he is. Charmer, this one. He brings me into his arms, but I don''t find myself resisting. "I''m sorry, I got a little carried away, and I should''ve stopped at the kissing, but this isn''t all my fault. You need to take some of the me, too. You didn''t put up an ounce of resistance." He smiles as my eyes dodge from looking at him and not. My embarrassment grows at his words. I give a simple nod, confirming my own guilt. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 390 - The Final Stretch To Greshina Ii {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:50 AM)~~~ Sally is cute when she''s embarrassed, but I shouldn''t be teasing her too much. "I''m not letting you have any for at least a week!" Well... This is the first time this has ever happened to me. I don''t know what to think or feel. I''m not really bothered by that. I''ve gone the majority of my life without it, and getting cut off now doesn''t bother me. Does that make me weird? Most people hate the idea of being cut off from physical fun, but I''m with Sally because she gives me far more than physical enjoyment and pleasure. She''s looking at me, and she''s growing frustrated at my rxed smile. "What do you want me to say? I love being with you, and I get my fill of pleasure without sex." The best way I can describe it is I feel fulfilled just being with her. There isn''t a need for sex, and I still feel the same exact way. I don''t know if that''s called true love, but it''s something better than what most people have. Her reaction surprises me a little. She rxes and turns her eyes away from mine. "You really feel that way about me?" Her questioning voice makes me smile and evenugh a little. She looks at me and grows impatient from theck of an answer. "Yeah, I do." Her face is flushed with redness, and she turns away from me. "Hmm... Judging from your reaction, you didn''t know that I felt this much for you... Does that embarrass you? Knowing that I love you that much?" Sally curls up in a little ball and turns her head to me. Her cheeks are slightly puffed out, and she''s trying hard not to react, but I can read her like a book. I scoot closer to her, and I wrap my arm around her. Bringing her curled up form to my side. "Nothing will change the way I feel about you, Sally. I love you because of who you are." I know she''s still self-conscious about her past. She''ll eventuallye to understand that I see past that. Forcing her to see it won''t work. It''ll end up hurting our rtionship. She buries her face into her knees for a few seconds, and she lifts her head to look at me. "You''ve shown me... Shown me that you love me despite everything that I''ve been through... You really love me that much?" Her abusive past causes her to doubt anything sincere. It''s a defense mechanism, and I take no offense in her asking me this. I understand her, and Iprehend the life she''s had, and that''s why I don''t feel offended to being asked this again. "I''m not perfect, Sally. But the way I feel about you is the only perfect thing I have." My words have a greater effect on her than I thought they would. Her eyes sh in some sort of shimmer, and that''s from theing tears. She''s quick to let the ducts open and start crying. Her features crumple in cute ways as she tries to resist showing me this. "Umm... I don''t... What should... Howe..." She tries to speak between her hard weeps, and I do what I think is right and hug her. She buries her face into my neck and starts crying. No longer bothering trying tomunicate. Sally is a girl that will always have pain and fear buried away within her, and most men would be scared of that. I''m not, and I''m happy that I get to be here to help her when those moments of pain and feare out. Cause I know, I''m strong enough to help her. Sally also helps me when I''m at my weakest moments. Those don''te around often, but she''s been there or tried to be there for me. Sometimes, I''d push her away. Not wanting her to see my fears and pain. There are things that I need to learn to do, cause just as I said. I''m not perfect. She hugs me tighter as she lets out harder cries. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:31 AM)~~~ We''re getting closer to our kids, and they''re traveling the main road to the capital. We''ve run into a problem, though. We asked around, and it turns out if you don''t have verification and proof of who you are, you''re not allowed into Greshina. Knowing Cera and Hailey, they''ve already found what they needed to get inside. Or who they needed to get inside. We have no idea who or what we need this time. We already went to the Hideout that Cera and Hailey were at for a while and asked around, but no one gave up any information. "This is infuriating!! We''re so fucking close! But now we''re stuck here!!" The anger in me boils over, and the rare cussing version of myself spills out. Marcus looks at me with a smile and startsughing, and Chris is doing the same exact thing. Realizing what I''ve just done ovees me, and I cover my mouth and sit on the bed. It''s been quite a bit of time since I cursed like this. Chris stands from his spot, walks over, and joins me on the bed. We''ve rented an Inn room until we can find out what to do. He kisses the side of my head, wraps his arm around my shoulders, and brings me into a sideways hug. "Wow, thest time I heard something like that was when you pped me for always babying Hailey. Talk about bringing back some funny memories... Times before we were parents..." pping him that day was an overreaction. I''m over-emotional, I admit that. My anger got the best of me, and it''s because no matter how close we get, something gets in the way of catching up to our kids. First, it was the pursuers that chased us after Marcus melted the Border wall. Second, it was covering for the lost ground. Now this time, there isn''t anyone to help us get into Greshina, which is where our kids are apparently heading. I''m trying my hardest here, and I can''t help feeling like someone is impeding my progress. Someone that we can''t see. "Sorry, Honey... I''m just being overly emotional right now... I''m also sorry again for pping you that day..." I apologized to him already, but I still feel bad for it. Marcus rolls his eyes at how affectionate we''re getting and gets up to leave. We have to stop him. ~~~(POV: 2nd Princess of The Elven Kingdom, Blezikel)~~~ ~~~(Location: Bedroom, Royal Pce)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:00 AM)~~~ From everything that Olisandra told me, she had quite the experience down in the castle''s lower levels. Speaking to one of our dead ancestors, to be precise. The old King was able to tell her where the hidden passage was, and now we know how to get out of the pce and city undetected. We just need to finish preparing and wait for the best time. My thoughts are currently about mom... Despite what she''s be, Olisandra and I still love her. It''s hard thinking about abandoning her to the path she''s chosen. "I know that look, and I feel the same way, but we''ve already made the decision. It''s not the lives we want." My sister''s voice takes me from my memories and internal debate. She''s looking out from the balcony, and I question how she even knew that I was thinking about mom. It''s probably because she''s doing the same thing, and we''re so alike. It''s hard, leaving a parent that needs you, but you know if you stay, you''ll suffer for it... Suffer far more than a child should from the actions of their parents. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 391 - The Final Stretch To Greshina Iii {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:05 PM)~~~ Sally and I are rxing and watching the clouds pass, and with every hour that passes, we''re closer to Greshina. It''s been a long road getting here, and there is still a long road ahead of us. We have countless things left to do after we''re done with The Elven Kingdom. The Kingdom of Avalon is our next stop. It''s time that I finally get a handle on tiering up. Sally moves closer and rests her head on my chest. Her ear over my heart. "Don''t think I''m weird for saying this, but I love listening to your heartbeat... It lets me know that you''re real... That you''re not some imagination of mine..." I don''t think that''s weird... I''d think in a simr manner if I were in her shoes. Lived the life that she had. Something as terrible as that. My arm coils around her body, and I bring her in closer. Making sure that she feels safe in my arms. "I''m lucky to have found you working in that Inn oh so long ago... I can''t even remember the name of the city I stopped in when we met..." My memory isn''t perfect, and we''ve been through so much thest few months that I doubt I can remember half the ces we''ve been to... I hope that doesn''t make me a bad partner. Forgetting the ce where we first met and talked. "I remember the first time we met. You knocked on my door with some food, and when you got a whiff of me, you nearly puked. That was the day or so after a long a brutal battle against several enemies..." She''s quiet as I keep talking, and I don''t know why I''m doing this. Going down memoryne is fun and all, but I don''t usually do it with another person. Most of the time, it''s in my head... Talking to myself. "When I offered for you toe with me... I did so because I felt that you were a genuine person... A rarity... Someone that I could end up trusting and revealing my secret as yer Zern to you was a risk..." She lifts her head as I pause. Building the suspense is just cruel right now, but I''m having a bit of fun. "You proved what I felt about you right... When you learned about me, you didn''t change... It was one of the most wonderful things I''ve ever seen in my entire life... There aren''t people like you, Sally... I want you to know that..." Talking about all this came out of nowhere, but it felt right. Parts of me wish that I had met Sally sooner or in my old life as well, but the only reason I know her now is from the choices I''ve made... The knowledge that I''ve abused. "You did the same for me, Cera... You grew into someone I trust more than anyone I''ve ever known... You showed me there was more to my life... That I wasn''t a worthless thing that people walk by..." That''s hard to hear. She was treated like a leper, and people don''t tolerate ex-ves... Thinking them impure... Ignore that it was not within their control or power to stop... "Thanks for making me feel like I deserve life and love... Thank you so much for helping me with all this... Getting revenge,ing to Greshina to face my family with me..." She needn''t say any of this, but I get why she is... Sally is my other half, and I never thought I''d say that about anyone in my entire life. I thought I''d be alone and riding solo. "This got way sappier than it should''ve, but I''m d that it did... Hearing all this, saying these things to each other... It means a lot..." She leans down towards me as she finishes talking, and we find ourselves kissing again. It''s funny since she said that I wouldn''t be getting any action for at least a week, but that''s already gone considering what she''s going to me. "Hey... Let''s stop here... Before it esctes again..." I talk to her between the kisses that we share, but she isn''t slowing down or showing that she''s even listening to me right now. Sally shows her disappointment as I gently peel her lips from mine and move her away from me. "Fine, you''re right... I don''t even know the next time we''ll have enough privacy to do what we want to each other... It could be a long time since we''ll be so busy in Greshina." She''s trying her best to convince me ofing to her side of the proverbial table. All I do is smile andy back down with my hands behind my head, looking back at the clouds about us. She releases a long sigh but finds herself back at my side. "In the end, this is just as good..." I couldn''t agree more. I feel bad for Hailey... I doubt she''ll ever find someone. She''s my sister, and I''m allowed to say those things about her. Speaking of Hailey, she''s starting to hold up better and better with the fact she knows the truth now. While I don''t know her current condition, I know it''s an improvement over what we were both dealing with a bit ago. She''s a strong girl, and I have no doubts in my mind she''ll ept it and move on cause that''s the only thing that can be done. Terox and Helda might even make up and be friends again after this quest. Who knows, but right now, there is no ce to call each other friends. Not like I really should get in the middle of it. I only did so before cause it was jeopardizing the mission, but now that it''s been handled, whatever''s going on between them now isn''t my problem. Ashburn and Melimora have been getting along, and I even think that Melimora is warming up to the idea of being with Ashburn, but I can''t say for sure. Jasmine isn''t someone I''ve given a lot of thought totely since she hasn''t caused me any problems. Same with Le and Freskra. Funny how that works. You focus more on the people making things harder for you. Maybe that''s just me. That''s how it''s been my entire life. Solving problems and oveing obstacles. "When we get to Greshina, will you never leave my side?" Sally''s sudden question pulls me from my thoughts, and I look at her. She''s got a far-off look, and I can tell there is some fear. Her''s is growing more the closer we get, which I understand. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Gradule, Leaving the City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:44 PM)~~~ Since we can''t find anyone to get us in, we''ll just make a way in. Marcus is strong enough to melt through any type of wall, and I doubt the walls surrounding Greshina are any stronger than the ones that Border The Elven Kingdom. "Honey, maybe we should think about this, huh? We don''t know what can of worms we''re opening by doing this." My husband is trying to convince me otherwise. My children are getting farther and farther from me, and I''m not going to sit here waiting for something toe up. "No, we''re leaving, and we''re getting into Greshina." All that Chris does is sigh and rub the back of his head. Marcus and my husband are following right behind me as we leave Gradule. Moving on foot since it''s faster than riding in a carriage. I will find my two oldest kids, and we will be a family again. No walls or soldiers will stop that from happening any more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 392 - The Final Stretch To Greshina IV {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:00 PM)~~~ We should be getting close to Greshina now. I can tell from how often Helda and Terox are looking out the windows and down the road. Knowing my brother, he''s already thinking up a bunch of ns. "Terox, have you been making what we need?" The question is strange, in my opinion. Terox is in charge of making our false identities and getting us inside. Yet I''ve not seen her do one thing that would suggest something like that. Helda knows Terox better, so I should reserve judgment. "Don''t worry. I''ve been making them in my mind with my magic. All we need to do is pull over so I can use some magic from nature." At those very words, Helda stops the carriage and opens the door to the carriage. Terox hasn''t exined her ss or abilities to us, but from what I can deduce, she''s a producer. Someone who makes products and is nonbative. That''s my best guess with what I''ve learned at the moment. "Finish the process and hand everyone their new identities." She speaks as she leaves the carriage, and we all follow after her. As I exit, I look up, and Sally is looking down at us from the top of the carriage. Cera hasn''t bothered to give a peek at what''s happening. "This process is going to take at least 2 hours to do for every one of us, so might as well getfortable." Terox informs us of the amount of time this is going to take. Adding time to how long this trip is taking. Helda doesn''t look happy with the new timetable, but that''s to be expected. While they''re being civil with each other, they''re still far from being friends. I look towards Sally, and I notice that Cera has finally decided to look. We make eye contact, and he smiles. Nodding his head a single time to convey a form of support to me. I appreciate the gesture. Since it''s going to take a bit of time, no reason not to rx while Terox does her thing. Leaving the rest of the group, I find a nice spot and make myself a campfire. Something to pass the time, not really for heat. I''ve be good at making fires with the few things I have to make them. After a few minutes, everyone has joined me. Well, almost everyone. Helda is off doing her own thing, and Terox is focusing on what she''s doing. The rest of us are rxing around the campfire that I made. I look to Jasmine and see she''s rubbing her stomach and has the look that I''vee to understand. "Here, take this." I pull some food out of my Inventory, and she catches it without missing a beat. Quickly digging into the food. ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campfire, waiting for Terox to finish)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:30 PM)~~~ Hailey looks way better from what she used to look like a couple of days ago... She''s had a rough time, and as much as I want to ask, I know that it''s family business, and I shouldn''t get involved. It''ll be nice once we reach some civilization for a change. I''m getting really sick of being on the road and in that cramped carriage. It''s starting to stink. While the majority of us are female, that doesn''t mean we don''t have body odor too. Mix that with the guys traveling with us, and we''re going to have to set fire to the carriage after we''re done with it. There isn''t any magic that will get that smell out. "Melimora, what''s the Greshina like?" I can''t help asking this question. It''s been asked before, but I want a better exnation. She lifts her head and stops poking the fire with a stick she''s found. She adopts a thoughtful expression and thinks hard about her answer. Something that I don''t see from her often. She usually has the information that you seek on-demand, but she has to consider the answer this time. "You''re probably meaning what Greshina looks like..." I nod my head, rifying my question. We''ve already been told what Greshina is like, but we haven''t been told about what it looks like. "Greshina is probably the most beautiful city you''ll ever see in your life. I heard rumors that the new Kingdom of Avalon is something in itself. Can''t really say if it matches up with Greshina since I''ve never been there." That''s something to look forward to, at least. In the middle of the silence, Cera lets out a couple of quiet chuckles. All of our attention turns to him to learn what''s funny. "Sorry, just some dark humor in my head." We all wait for him to exin further, but he looks surprised by this. "I was just imagining what it''ll look like when we''re done with it. Probably on fire and broken in most ces." That is dark humor, just like Hailey''s. Out of nowhere, all the real elves that we''re traveling with start tough too. They start out as gentle and bubbly, but they turn into full-blown needing airughs. "Oh, God... Wouldn''t that be a sight!" Melimora decides to chime in, and her words only make the rest of the elvesugh. Only Sally and I aren''tughing. Cera and Hailey are because that''s what their humor is like, and while we all look like elves. Some of us only look this way, thanks to the potions. "Never in my life would I think that shitty city would ever have a chance to be like that! Now there is a good chance of that happening!" Leughs harder as she talks. Making everyone elseugh harder. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Taking a break from everyone, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:50 PM)~~~ They''re all sureughing hard, and I can even hear Meli''s uniqueugh among them. It must be really funny if she''s letting out a goodugh like that. I''m taking a break from therge group and from being near Terox for so long. My anger hasn''t grown, but it hasn''t subsided in the slightest either. Being civil with her is the best option I have. Theirughter starts to die down, and I''m left in silence as the wind gently blows through the trees around me. I have a pretty bad headache from the horrid smelling from the carriage. That''s bad enough to make anyone squint their eyes and show their teeth as they scrunch up their faces. It''s a funny thought, but one I''ll notugh at. It''s been so long since thest time I was in Greshina, and my memories of it are foggy. I was still a toddler when I went there with my parents, and now I''m centuries older. Perhaps it''s best that I forgot about those times. All they would cause me now is pain. "You know there are plenty of people willing to hang out with you..." I nearly jump out of my own skin at the surprise. I recognize the voice, and I turn to see Cera. He''se alone, and why he hase is unknown to me. He walks over and takes a seat next to me. Looking out over the hill and seeing the same view I''ve been staring at. "There are times that I need to be alone, and this seemed like the best time to do it." He nods his head, listening and not responding. Cera doesn''t go out of his way to do something like this, meaning he''s worried something might happen. He needn''t worry about anything, I''ve got my emotions under wraps, and I''ll keep them that way. I can''t say the same for Terox, but she''s been doing her part too. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 393 - The Final Stretch To Greshina V {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Sitting with Helda Vora, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:52 PM)~~~ Helda must be questioning why I''ve decided toe and visit her. She''s broken off from the group ever since Terox joined us. I''ve never witnessed a friendship as old as theirs turn into one of hatred. It takes more for some and less for others. Manni, the man that is dying, is the center of this conflict. It''s not his fault, though. He wishes to pass. He''s old, and he''s ready. Terox and Helda won''t have the greatest rtionship, and I doubt they can ever get back to a friendship they ever had before. "Sitting out in the middle of the woods and avoiding everyone isn''t a permanent solution to the problem at hand." Getting in the middle of this isn''t what I want to do, but I don''t think I have a choice anymore. She looks at me with convincing annoyance. We''ve moved on from our own problems. We''ve even grown to trust each other. I might even consider her a friend. "I''m not in the mood for some talk or lecture about my issues with Terox." She sounds like a teenager when she puts it like that. The thought of it is even humorous. A few chuckles escape my throat, and she sighs. I understand needing to be alone... Having that time to turn off your brain and ignore all your problems. What''s dangerous about it is sometimes you don''t want toe back. "Who said anything about a lecture? All I said is what you''re doing now isn''t a permanent solution. A lecture is far moreplex than this." My poking and prodding is starting to really annoy her. That''s not what I came here to do, so I''ll leave it at that. The new silence that has taken over causes her to look over in wonder. A questioning look about why I stopped talking. "Hey, I''m not your dad or brother. You can hate Terox for the rest of your life for all I care." In truth, all I offered was advice, and now she''s doing what I needed her to do, which was think. Stubborn people seem to make up the majority of our team, and that''s a problem in itself. My stubbornness has gotten in my way before, and it takes a perspective change. Stopping and taking a step back. Taking all the information in and processing it, thening to a decision about things after you have all the pieces you need. The two shing heads in question both jumped straight to anger and med each other for Manni''s condition, but Helda didn''t have to react the way she did. Terox only responded in the way she did because of how Helda treated her. "What do you know about losing someone... You have everyone you love..." If only she knew what she was saying. I''ve lost everyone I loved at one point, and desperation for my life to return to what it once was is what drove me here. A better life, to be sure, but one that cost billions of lives I didn''t know. The consequences of actions are unpredictable. "Let''s pretend that I do know... Would you think I''d hate someone that was so close to me for this long?" Approaching with temperance can do wonders. Temperance has a different meaning to me than what others have for it. It''s caution and reservation in situations. That''s my definition of temperance. "No, I don''t think you would, Cera... That doesn''t mean that I''m you, and you aren''t me... Manni meant so much to both Terox and me... Now he''s run off to some corner of the world to die alone..." The cynical tone in her voice doesn''t slip past me. It''s actually obvious with howyered it is within her words. "Yeah, you''re right." She turns her head fast and looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "What? I just said you''re right. Does that also not make you happy?" The realization of what I just did sinks into her mind, and her displeasure appears on her face. I yed her well there. She admitted that even if I agree with her and think she''s doing the right thing. It won''t make her an once happier or more satisfied. She feels the same way now she did a few minutes ago. "You should go. I want to be alone." I''ve aplished what I''vee to do, and I stand up without giving any grief about Terox and her anymore. The silent walk back to the camp leaves me with my scattered thoughts, and I sense that some good mighte from what we talked about. Terox and Helda aren''t unreasonable people. If they take some time to talk without getting mad at one another, they can ovee this rtively easily. However, fresh wounds hurt more than healed scars. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Taking a break from everyone, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:07 PM)~~~ I really hate that guy sometimes, but in an endearing way now. I was hoping I could stay mad at her forever. Talk about childish... He just has toe in and be all logical and reasonable... Making me think... "I went wrong in many ces in my life, but I never thought I''d lose Manni... Never thought I''d lose Melimora... The same can be said with Terox..." A hard pill to swallow. When everyone starts to leave you, that means it''s you causing the problem. Melimora is leaving me after all of this is done, and I''ll be alone... "God damn it, Helda! Just let go of your pride for a single moment and ept that it was your fault!!" I overreacted when Ished out at Terox... ming her for what happened to Manni... As I stand, I release a scream of anger and pain at my foolishness. My voice grows hoarse and ragged, and my breath runs out. Tears start flowing down my face, and I fall to my knees. Clutching the grass in my hands. Dirt runs under my fingernails, and my blond hair falls to the ground. "Why am I like this!?" All I know how to do is push people away. No one will be with me in my life if I keep acting this way... Time passes slowly... Heavier than most minutes... My pain is finally being let out. No longer suppressing it, hiding behind my pride and ego. Change isn''t easy, but I have to try. "It might be too damnte, but I''m going to fucking try!" My pain and sadness turn into resolve. This is the start of making up a lot of mistakes. ~~~(POV: Terox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Working on the false identities, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:15 PM)~~~ Everyone has been lively off in the distance, and it makes me feel better hearing theirughter and fun. My focus is not wavering, though. Everything is going smoothly, and I have about half of everything done. My mana is being drained by the sheer amount of work, but I have enough to get everyone. The silence is quickly broken near me, and I turn to see Helda. Her eyes are puffy, and there are dried streaks from tears running down her face. I don''t really know what to say or do, and I don''t think she does either. "May I join you?" My surprise can''t be hidden, but I don''t reject my adoptive sister. I nod my head, and she makes her way over and takes a seat next to me. There is an awkward silence, but she''s not being hostile. She looks like she''s in pain, and seeing that puts me in pain too... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 394 - The Final Stretch To Greshina VI {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Terox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Working on the false identities, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:17 PM)~~~ Theck of sound is rattling me a little bit. Helda hasn''t spoken. All she''s done is ask if she can sit with me. I assume she''s trying to find the right words. I''m not going to force her to talk. I wouldn''t do that even if we were on good terms. "Where do you suppose you''ll go after we''re done..." She''s giving it a shot, and that means I should too. I stop working on the false identities and give my adoptive sister my full attention turning to her. This is the first time since Manni that she''s not acting like I''m vermin. "I don''t know, Helda... Most of my life is left behind me at this point... All I can really say is I''m looking forward to the future..." She nods her head slowly and smiles awkwardly. We used to be able to talk to each other all the time, and now there is hope for that again. "What about you, Helda? I know that you have ns for adventures after the Elven Kingdom is free from oppression." She looks at me, and her eyes are filled with sadness. I don''t know what''s brought all this on, and I don''t know how to really respond. Thest time I saw Helda like this was the moment Manni told her he was dying. "I''m sorry, Teri... I shouldn''t have reacted the way I did... It wasn''t your fault... I''ve been a real bitchtely... There are too many things for me to apologize for..." Wow... This is not what I expected to happen. Helda is stubborn when ites to admitting she was wrong about something. I can tell that Melimora has a problem with her and if Helda is apologizing to me. She''s going to do the same for Melimora. "I''m sorry too, Helda... I could''ve been better in the way I reacted to you. I choose to be mad and angry with you too..." She turns her head down, and her chin starts to quiver. Tears well in the corner of her eyes. On the edge of falling. All I can do is reach over and wrap her in my arms. She reciprocates instantly. She gently lets her weeps out, and it''s hard to hear her. I''ll never hate Helda, and I''ll always care about her. "I''m d that you came here, Helda... I don''t ever want to be mad at you, and I don''t want you to be mad at me." I try hard not to cry, but my own tears start to fall. Helda was always there for me growing up. Even until the very day that she left, she tried to always find a way to help Manni or me. "God, I don''t even know why you forgive me, Teri..." I''m d she''s using my nickname again, which means we''re really back to the way we used to be. She hugs me tighter as I rub my hand up and down her back to help calm her. She''s not the only one that''s made mistakes, and forgiving our loved ones for the things they''ve done wrong to us is important. If we didn''t forgive, then everyone would be alone. "Of course, I''d forgive you, Helda... You''re too important to me... You''re all the family I have left now..." We both start crying harder after my words... While Helda has Le and Melimora, I don''t have anyone. Manni is gone now, and I thought I''d lose Helda too... Now that I know I''m not losing her, it''s making my life that much better. I won''t walk this life without someone to care about me and I about them. "There is so much more to apologize for, and I need to say that I''m sorry for leaving you and Manni..." She doesn''t need to be sorry about that... When she had to flee when we were younger, that was because of the royal familying after her. She''s marked as a terrorist now, and I understood why she needed to leave. Away from us was the safest she could make us... "I know, Helda... There is nothing to be sorry about... Life happens, and things get hard..." My choked wordse through my sobbing. We''re both in the same condition here. I can''t remember thest time we cried together in grief like this. Supporting each other. Last time we were beating each other up. Our crying echoes around the empty woods that we find ourselves in, and before long, we hear approaching footsteps. We both look, and Melimora is staring at us. An eyebrow raised in confusion, and Helda quickly stands up. Making her way over to Melimora. Wrapping her in a hug too. Melimora''s shocked face tells me that Helda doing this with her rare. Seeing her cry is probably more so... "Uhh... What''s gotten into you, Helda? You don''t act like this..." The nervous edge is palpable. Melimora needs an apology from Helda too... Helda cries on her shoulder, hugging her tighter as she lets out the pain she''s buried. "I''m sorry for never taking you into consideration, Meli... I understand now why you want to leave me... I never treated you the way I should''ve... I see that now... My pride blinded me... I''m so sorry..." Melimora doesn''t know how to react... The first thing she does is raise her arms and hug back. Melimora doesn''t cry, but she looks like she''s on the verge of crying... "So you finally figured it out... I''m d that you did... Now I can stop being upset at you..." Her voice starts to crack, and she chokes hering cry back down. Helda pulls away and dries her tears. Melimora does the same. This is something that I didn''t think I''d ever get to see... Helda reconciling with the people she cares about most isn''t what I expected this evening. While we''re getting so close to Greshina too. "You''re my sister, Meli... I want you to know that... You''re my little sister, and I love you..." Those are the words that crack the weakening armor of Melimora''s emotions. Tears fall freely, and the cracked armorpletely breaks. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campfire, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:26 PM)~~~ From the distant cries in the forest, progress is being made. Seems my talk with Helda did more good than I thought it would. "What did you say to her?" Le knows Melimora, Helda, and Terox more than any of us here, and she finds what I did somewhat improbable. It had a low chance of working, but all I wanted her to do was think. That''s when the most change urs in someone. It''s when they think. Thinking is just another form of changing your mind, and that''s not a bad thing. That''s how things change. "All I did was help her take a step back and look at everything... But in a more indirect way..." My wording was used in a more subtle way than what I just described. Le just shakes her head in disbelief, and Freskra proceeds tough. She''s the cousin of Helda and the only blood family she has left in this world. "Say what you what, but the only way that Helda changes her mind is if she''s convinced that she was wrong." Hey, miracles happen every day. Everyone has a good chuckle at her response. Those three will probably need a little while, so we might be here longer than we want to be. We''re already so close to Greshina, but sacrificing a little more time for them is fair. I know when to stop and let others deal with their problems before moving again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 395 - The Final Stretch To Greshina VII {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Resting in Tent, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:44 PM)~~~ We''ve decided to camp here for the night and reach Greshina first thing in the morning. Terox has finished all the fake identities that are needed to get in. Helda has made up with both Melimora and Terox, and it couldn''t have happened at a better time. Being so close to Greshina means I don''t need to worry about anything happening. It''s hard toprehend what goes on inside a girl''s head. I''ve never met a species that could hold grudges for so long, but that''s just their form of fighting. Men are aggressive. We like to fight and punch, and when it''s done, we shake hands and sometimes be friends. Women... They scare me... I''m not the only one, but you luck out sometimes, and you find that one. The passive-aggressive nature of the women''s form of fighting isn''t something that I''ve used before, and I don''t think I''ll ever have the ability to do so. "Where is your mind at right now?" The question takes me from my thoughts, and Sally smiles as I look at her. Has she been talking this entire time? Man, that was a total guy thing... I just tuned her out... I haven''t done that to her yet, and as she sees me realize what I''ve just done, she starts tough. "I''m sorry, I blocked out everything and got lost in my thoughts." She startsughing harder, and she even lets out cute little snorts. Something she hasn''t done before. My surprised face at the cute sound causes her to stop and turn away from me in embarrassment. Moving closer to her, I wrap her in a hug from behind, and I see that her cheeks are bing flushed. "That was the first time I''ve ever heard a girl produce a snort in front of me... You''ve be thatfortable around me?" I knew she''d grown close andfortable with me, but not to the point she''d unconsciously let out a snort while sheughs. That means I''m doing something right, and I''m d that I''m being sessful in my first rtionship. "Yeah... I didn''t mean for you to hear that... It''s been so long since I let out a snort that I forgot that I even did it anymore..." My positive mood is instantly brought down. I wish I could change everything that''s happened to her. Even at the cost of us never meeting... She deserved a better life than the one she had... "You can let out as many snort as you want... You''re never going to be in a ce where you don''t feel safe without me by your side." Sally stiffens and slowly leans into my chest. Turning her head and locking her lips with mine. Slowly moving them in a tantalizing pattern. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Resting in Tent, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:56 PM)~~~ Those two horndogs have been at it for an hour!! If they were going to get physical, they should''ve moved their damn tent further away from camp!! "Hailey, your brother and his lover sure have a lot of stamina..." Jasmine and I are trying to sleep. This important life function is being interrupted by the cries of love and satisfaction from a tent 20 feet from us. I''m guessing the rest of the camp is also growing tired of the events taking ce. "Don''t remind me, Jasmine. I don''t like the thought of my brother doing that... It makes me nauseous... So don''t say anything and try to ignore it..." A sibling''s worst nightmare is two things, getting caught having fun in bed, and catching their sibling having fun in bed. Jasmine has a red face from the thingsing in the direction of Cera and Sally''s tent, and I grow more impatient with their antics. I''m almost at my boiling point. Another cry of passion echoes into the night, and my patience has run out. "WILL YOU TWO STOP AND LET THE REST OF US SLEEP!!!" I scream at the top of my lungs, and all the noiseing from the two stops. ~~~(POV: Terox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Resting in Tent, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:59 PM)~~~ I''m d that Hailey has said something, albeit really loudly, but I''m grateful nheless. "I wonder where they get the confidence to try that in a camp where everyone would be able to hear them..." I''m in my tent alone tonight, and I was hoping to replenish more mana in my sleep. So far, that hasn''t been possible. Now that they''re quiet, it is possible. I remember my nights of passion with the passing friends that I''ve made over the years, but I don''t think I''ve ever made sounds like that. "Sally is a lucky woman, and I can only hope that I find a man that treats me like Cera treats her..." From what I''ve learned about Sally, she deserves something good in her life. Retribution for all the shit she went through in her early life. My eyes close tightly, and I find my energy quickly disappearing. Sleep creeps on me fast, and I''m in that weird area that isn''t quite asleep but no longer awake. The state right before you knock out. All the work I''ve done today will pay off when we reach the gate. My work is perfect, and everyone''s false identities won''t be gged. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Resting in Tent, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:05 PM)~~~ Hearing them go at it for so long has made me what you''d call... encouraged... It''s been so long since I''ve felt the touch of a man, and hearing Sally has made me desire for satisfaction of my own... It''s too bad that I don''t have anyone to help me with that... "I know we''re close, but get your hands out of your pants..." Meli calls me out, and I find myself less embarrassed than I should be. My hands exit my pants in a timely manner, and I look at the new sticky substance that covers my fingers. "You''re lucky, Meli... Soon, you and Ashburn won''t be able to keep your hands off each other... You''ll understand why it''s needed... Because you''ve never had it." She rolls on her side and looks at me with a crooked eyebrow. I can''t help smiling, and it''s hard knowing that Meli will probably leave with Ashburn, even if she doesn''t realize it yet. She''s grown sweet on him, growing fonder of the idea of spending time with him as more than just friends... Sometimes it just takes time... "I don''t know where you get such crazy ideas..." She quickly turns back around, but her tone is noted... Embarrassed. ~~~(POV: Sally Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Resting in Tent, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:14 PM)~~~ Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! I did it again! I got carried away and forgot that we''re not alone. My eyes are glued on the half-grin on Cera''s face. "You could''ve said something about me being too loud!!" I let out a yelling whisper as I smack his shoulder, but it''s like pping steel, and I hurt my hand more than him. He shrugs his shoulders and tilts his head to one side. "I was enjoying those. Why would I want you to stop them? The rest are just jealous they don''t have anyone to do what we''re doing." This idiot! I can''t help from smacking him again, and this time it''s on the top of his head. Again, I hurt myself more than him, but he''s getting the idea. He scoots closer, leans against my side, and wraps me in a one-armed hug. "How about next time I make all the noise?" This!! Ugh!! He''s an idiot!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 396 - The Gates Of Greshina {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Waking up in Tent, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:24 AM)~~~ My eyes are easy to open, and the weight of Sally tells me she has decided to use me as a body pillow instead of sleeping as a person should. I look at the clock next to my minimap, and it''s almost 6:30 AM. We''ll be reaching The Gates of Greshina today, and this will be the first andst time I ever see the capital of the Elven Kingdom. Once we''re done here, I have no intention of ever returning to this isted society. Sally gently falls off my body as I lean up and roll my neck. Flexing my back and getting some movement in my shoulders. She finds a stray nket and squeezes that in a hug. "Might as well let her sleep a little longer..." I exit the tent and look towards the campfire. It''s already lit, and my sister is upying thepany of Jasmine and Melimora. My approach is met with a hateful re that I regrly get from my sister. Melimora and Jasmine don''t act in such a way. It''s more they''ve chosen to ignore me outright. "You have no tact whatsoever, you absolute dumbass!" Hailey is already leaning into me about what Sally and I got up tost night. I take a seat next to her, and her disapproval continues to grow as I don''t respond. "What do you want me to say? We got carried away, and there isn''t much else I can say. Besides, it''s not like you saw us. All you heard was noise. I think you just need to get over it." She grits her teeth and scowls at me. Balling her fist at the same time. She nearly brings it back toy a punch on me, but she regains her cool and takes a couple of deep breaths. No matter how old you get, your siblings know how to push your buttons just right. "That''s not the point, you buffoon. There are times to do it, and there aren''t. You need to learn that." She brings up a good point, but I meant what I said. We just got carried away. It happens when you''re having fun with the one you love, and that''s not a bad thing. It''s my opinion that you shouldn''t get in trouble for having fun. We were in a tent and had privacy. "Oh, quit giving me shit. It''s going to happen again, and I have no intentions of apologizing for enjoying my time with Sally. You''ll just have to get over it." My sister looks at me with a look I haven''t seen before. It''s almost like she''s embarrassed that I''m her brother, and I have such an outlook. That she''s ashamed to even be rted to me at this moment. It''s hrious! "If you keep doing this... I''m... I''m gonna... You''re gonna..." She can''t find the right words, and I give her a teasing and victorious look. Showing that I''ve won this battle. She''s not happy with my look, not one bit. "I''m gonna tell mom and dad what you''ve been doing! You know mom would flip out and nag and punish you until the day you die!" Wow, she''s actually threatening to tell on me to our parents? What are we, 12? I fold my arms and squint my eyes. She''s not the only one with dirt that our parents don''t know about. Hailey has a look of victory, and it ticks me off. Her reaction soon changes as she sees my smile grow across my lips. "Yeah, two can y that game, sister. I wonder what dad would think about new years eve!" She goes pale and loses all her energy. Hailey is the apple of dad''s eye, and if he knew some of the things she''s done in her youth, then he''d be disappointed too. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Campfire, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:35 AM)~~~ How the hell does he know about that day?! Shit! Shit! Shiiiit!! "Okay, I promise not to say anything to mom and dad if you don''t say anything about new year''s eve..." I hate sounding like this. Begging for mercy, but it dawns on me thanks to his future knowledge, he has a super unfair advantage. His smile widens as he sees me realize that. Ugh, I''ll never be able to win again! Not with everything that he knows! He knows things about me that I never revealed! All thanks to knowing the future me that probably let everything be known when she became a crack whore and prostitute. "You got yourself a deal, but if they ever do find out, you can bet your ass that I know a lot more than just new year''s eve." My temple flexes. The clenching of my jaw is obvious, and my pride has been wounded more than I can remember in recent memory. His damn knowledge of the future will be impossible to defeat. "You two are the strangest siblings I''ve ever met... Maybe it''s because I''m an elf and our families work differently..." Melimora breaks the silence with an observation. ~~~(POV: Sally Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: On top of Carriage, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:20 AM)~~~ I''m still mad with Cera, but me being loud isn''t directly his fault. It is indirectly. I can''t help it, not with the way he makes me feel. "Still mad aboutst night?" He''sying next to me, and normally I would be snuggled up with him. I lightly nod my head, and he leans up and scoots closer to me. Wrapping an arm around me and hugging me gently. He kisses the side of my head, and my anger is quickly dissipating against my will. "I''m sorry, I should''ve thought more clearly about everything. I got too excitedst night, and I know better than to do that..." In an instant, all my frustration is gone, and I''m fully leaning back into him... It makes me feel good knowing he gets excited with me... He cares about me that much and loves to be with me in an intimate way that much. "It''s not all your fault... It''s 50/50, and I''m sorry too. I should''ve known better, but I didn''t want to stop either..." He smiles a way that he only does with me. A slight head tilts as he does so. Before we can close in on a kiss, he looks forward with a serious expression. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: On top of Carriage, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:25 AM)~~~ Massive wallse into view, and a gate stops from letting people in Greshina. This is where the culmination of our long journey together has brought us. "We''ve made it!" I make sure that my voice is loud enough to be heard by the people in the carriage. Both doors swing open, and everyone is popping their heads out to see. The pearl white color of the walls takes most of my attention. Sunlight is hitting it at an angle and making it shimmer like diamonds. "Wow... To think that such a beautiful wall protects horrible people..." Sally surprises me with the crudeness of her words, but they''re not unjustified. I agree with her statement, and it''s almost... Poetic. Sally unconsciously grips my arms tighter and tighter as we edge closer to the gate. Terox and Helda sit in the driver''s seat, ready with everyone''s identification. The false IDs that Terox made are masterpieces in my book. The Elven Kingdom uses an old method of ID, and it''s simr to what we had on Earth in the 21st century. The Orvello family and the royal family are here. Our enemies. The fighting in the following days will be hard. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 397 - Security Check {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: On Top of Carriage, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:30 AM)~~~ The Greshina elven security force is already making its way towards us, and we haven''t even reached the gates yet. Terox and Helda are prepared to do everything, and all the rest of us have to do is sit back and enjoy the show. The carriage is stopped by the security, and the leader makes his way towards Terox and Helda since they''re in the driver''s seat. My eyes take in the ornate designs of their armors, and they sparkle in the sunlight just like the walls. The majority of them are male, and the ones that aren''t are magical puppets. Elven society must not want females working in the guard. It''s that, or there are no female elves in this squad. "Hand over all your IDs and step out of the carriage for inspection." To be expected. The scene that I watch y out below me is almost funny. The surprised look on the leader''s face is one I''ve not seen on a supposed dignified elf. What''s causing such a look is the number of peopleing out of the carriage. It''s like a medieval clown car. "I take it that your not the wealthiest citizens..." His voice is even and almost neutral. There is a very slight hint of condensation. Sally is nervous, but she''s doing a damn good job of trying to hide it. If they don''t deliberately look for it, they won''t see that she''s nervous. "The two on the top of the carriage,e down and stand in line with the rest of your friends. We''llmence the search of the carriage while we check IDs." After I easily hop off, I make sure to lend a hand to Sally. We make our way and stand in line, and Hailey in on my left and Sally on my right. We''re at the very end. Terox hands over all our IDs, and the leader starts to inspect them as they rummage through the carriage. "From these IDs, they im that your modest nobles, and judging how you got here. I''d say that you were poor." He starts to critique and judge the IDs. Making things far more difficult than they need to be. Mainly by being a righteous ass. "Once the inspection is done, you''ll be free to enter the city. However, you''ll have to leave your carriage outside. Having such a rickety piece of junk seen on the streets of our city isn''t good." Not any of us has said two words to the man, and that''s because Helda said it''s better just to let them talk. We all watch as they finish with the inspection of the carriage. "There is onest thing, and that''s the entrance fee to enter the city. Since there are so many people, the tax will berger." Helda looks at the man in frustration. This wasn''t a part of the discussion we had about getting in. We''re being extorted. My bet, it''ll be a lot of money. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Greshina''s Gate, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:41 AM)~~~ Should''ve expected the guardsman to be the ones to extort money from people like us. "How much are we talking?" I only have a limited supply of funds, and it''ll be bad if Cera or Hailey just take money out of their Inventories. That''ll give us away instantly. The guards take a moment and whisper to each other. They''re discussing the price and likely the cut too. Our kingdom uses the same currency outside the walls. "For you to enter Greshina, it''ll cost 100 gold." Umm... What!? That''s insane. I don''t keep that kind of money on hand. "Since it looks like you can pay it, we''ll take the carriage and dismantle it for its magical parts and enchantments." As much as I want to say no, all I can do is nod my head. Not wanting to piss these guys off and make things harder, I nod my head, and they step aside and let us through the gate. We''re a big group, and we''ll need a base of operations. I know just the ce where we can have discussions and be unbothered. "Alright, everyone, follow me. I have a safe house in Greshina. Once there, we can talk." I didn''t know it''d feel this long getting here. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:00 AM)~~~ It''s easier being in this city than I thought it''d be, and I have all my new friends and loved ones to thank for that. Cera, especially, he''s taught me how to be strong and stand up for myself. What I find most irritating is all the looks that Cera is garnering in his elven form. Even men are stopping to take a look at him. He''s beautiful in an elven way. While I really like how Cera looks, I prefer his human features over everything else. He doesn''t draw such attention unless someone takes the time to actually look at his attractive features. His elven features are anything but subtle. "We''ll be reaching the safe house soon. Thest time I used this was... I don''t remember... It''s been centuries..." I bet, Helda was branded a terrorist. It''d be hard for her toe back, but she''s being a bit too optimistic. The ce has probably already been sold to someone else in all this time. Wee to a regr-looking house in a regr neighborhood. "This is it. It''ll be pretty much empty. No beds, nowhere to sit other than the ground, but it''s safe." Helda has reallye through so much. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:50 AM)~~~ Everyone is settling in for the time being, and that''s because we''re going to be staying here our entire time that we''re here. Knowing my brother, he probably wants to start nning and moving on everything right away. Before we can do all that, we need to take a day to recharge our proverbial batteries. We''ve been on the road for so long. We need a break. My eyesnd on my brother, and he has the same look he has when he''s nning something. Probably using some future knowledge, he might have. But he doesn''t know everything. "I want to talk to you for a minute, brother." He raises his head in a manner that is annoyed at me. He''s just going to have to deal with it for now. He can think of as many ns he wants while we''re resting a bit. He stands next to me as we enter a room that is secluded and far enough away from everyone. "I know you want to get started, but we all need a break for being on the move for so long. Give us until tomorrow, and we''ll all be ready." He doesn''t look happy but leaves and finds Sally. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:00 PM)~~~ We''re getting closer by the day, and from the magical item, they''ve stopped in a location. They must''ve arrived in Greshina, and now they''re staying put to n something. Marcus shifts on my back slightly, and I move him to get in a morefortable position. Marcus is sleeping on my back as we move on the road. Chris walks by my side and holds my hand. "Do you think they''ve changed at all? It feels like we''ve been apart from them for a long time... Longer than I ever wanted to be apart from any of my kids..." My question sinks into Chris, and after a few seconds of silence, he smiles and leans over to kiss the side of my head... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 398 - Greshina, Larger Than Imagined {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:03 PM)~~~ Since everyone wants to take a break and recharge after the long trip here, I should find something to pass the time. There are many things I can do, but the first thing I''m doing is taking a walk around Greshina. Getting a look and gathering information is important, and I''d like to see what we''re up against in the sheer size of Greshina. The walk to get to this safe house revealed the advanced magical nature of the Elven Kingdom. There were floating buildings and teleporters connecting parts of the city. My desires to scout out the city are being halted, and the cause of this halt is Sally. I know she''s strong, but being here is making her nervous. Therees a point that I can''t baby her, even though I''ll always be there for her. She needs to face things on her own. She can fall back on me, but facing her fears head-on is the best course for her. I stand up from my spot on the floor in our bedroom, and she looks at me as I walk towards the door. "Where are you going?" She''s fast to ask, and I turn to look at her. She has slight desperation in her eyes, which only reaffirms that I must do this. "I''m going out into the city to look around, and I''m doing it alone. This is going to be a hard time for you, Sally. I''m going to push you out into a ce that I haven''t yet." The way she looks at me pierces my heart. Not a look of betrayal, but one of doubt in me... I exit our room, but she does not follow. Meaning that she understands everything I just said and is facing her fear. I''m proud of her for that, and she''lle out stronger from it. I pass the living room, and Hailey sees me. She almost stands up, but I hold my hand out to her and shake my head a single time. My sister knows what I mean, and she sits back down. Once outside, I take a deep breath and ce my hood over my head. Covering my face and making sure I don''t draw any attention. "The best ce to get information is where guards and officials get drunk. To the tavern it is..." With a destination in mind, I start walking the streets of Greshina. Following the same path that I used to reach the safe house. It''s the one I''m familiar with, and we passed several taverns on the way. After a few minutes of walking, I make it to a rather full tavern. I enter, and the distinct scent of alcohol fills my nose. It''s not the cheap kind I''ve smelled in other ces, but it''ll have the same effect. I take a quick gander as I find a ce to sit. Taking in the people here. There are many guards, and even more so, they''re getting wasted. Some are talking and celebrating loudly, and others are near blind drunk. Asking security questions will get me in trouble. That doesn''t mean I can''t be subtle about it. The best method in this situation is to ask for stories... Stories of past events of danger within Greshina. I can gain insight from that. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:17 PM)~~~ I get why he''s left me on my own... He''s trying to toughen me up, and I''m d that he''s pushing me like this... I''ve been dominated by my fear my entire life, and ever since I met Cera, I''ve leaned on his power. Leaned on him... He''s building me up... Preparing me for our inevitable contact with my family... It''s hard being away from him, though... Sitting alone in this room is bringing me down, and I don''t like feeling this way. "Jumping into the deep end might be your best bet." Hailey''s voice fills the room, and I look towards the doorway and see her. "Thinking about what to do to get over your fear?" Processing the two things she said, I slowly nod my head, and she smiles. She makes her way over and takes a seat next to me. Releasing a long sigh as she does. "What you need to do is put on your hood and walk around Greshina. That''s the most effective way for you to do this, and I can also braid your hair to help hide it." Her suggestion isn''t without reason, but I don''t think I can do that... But if I can''t, it proves that I''m not ready. Before I can even answer, she''s already behind me and braiding my hair. We both look like elves and have simr colored hair. Mine is longer than hers, though. "This is the first time I''ve gotten to braid another girl''s hair before. It''s like you''re the sister I never had..." My body goes a little stiff at that... The implications mean she sees me as her sister. She slowly runs her fingers through my hair and gently braids them... "I don''t know how to braid hair... I was never taught, and I didn''t take the time to learn..." I decide to start talking too, and she stays quiet as I do. "Did your mom teach you?" There are so many things I wanted my mom to teach me. Things that I don''t think I can learn without a mom. Hailey is going extra slow as to buy me time to help steel myself from leaving and walking around Greshina alone. "My mom showed me when I was young, but I really honed it in school... That was a ce that you go when you''re a kid from my world..." Cera hasn''t exined everything about his world, but he talks to me about it from time to time. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:02 PM)~~~ I''ve bought as much time as I can for Sally, but now she''s heading out that door on her own too. She walks with heavy steps and tries to make it to the door. After a few seconds, she opens it and leaves the safe house. Closing it behind her. "She doesn''t know, but that''s an incredible aplishment." Helda stands next to me in the living room. It''s only Her, Terox, myself in the living room at the moment. "Cera was right to leave her here by herself, and you were right to go up there and motivate her. I don''t think Cera is strong enough to push Sally that hard. To force her so far out of herfort zone." Terox speaks this time, and her observation is wed but has valid points. Cera does what he thinks is necessary for anyone, and that includes Sally. I won''t deny he has a soft spot for her, but that not like it''s unwarranted. Sally is special, and I''d baby her too. "She''s strong enough to protect herself. All she needs is the confidence to use that power, and when she has it. I don''t think anyone will make her scared again." I truly believe that about Sally. She''s a fantastic woman, and I know that one day I''ll be calling her my sister, and mom and dad will be calling her daughter. "When do you suppose either of them will be back? We''re supposed to be taking a break after all." Helda brings up a good point and knowing Cera. He''ll be out for a while. Sally, maybe an hour or two... She''s not ready for all-night outings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 399 - Sally’s Strength {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Walking around, Greshina)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:45 PM)~~~ Never in my life did I think I''d evere to the capital city of my people. Let alonee here to take revenge for all the horrible things done to my mother and me... The streets are slowly starting to empty, and I can say with glee that no one has bothered me. I haven''t even been spared a look by ay anyone. People are too busy getting home, getting drunk, or both. Cera is somewhere around the city, and being the man he is, he''s probably trying to find information about this ce while we''re here. Cera pushing me to do this was unexpected and a surprise, but Cera doing this shows me that he thinks I''m ready to face this demon in my past. It means more to me than he''ll ever really know. Hailey gave me some needed help, and I''m grateful for her help. Hailey epting me as her future sister hit me deeper in the heart than I thought anything like that would. Being epted by a man was something I didn''t think I''d have, let alone his family. "Goes to show there is someone out there for everyone..." My cynical opinion towards those words has disappeared. Mom would''ve known all about Greshina since she grew up here. The Orvello family is one of the wealthiest families in the Elven Kingdom. My life was hell because of my family condemning my mother to a horrid fate for something she didn''t even have a choice in. My anger and resentment start to grow at the thought of them. I don''t even know what they look like, and I n to burn their faces in my memory before I kill them. I want to savor the look of defeat and disbelief of the granddaughtering back for revenge against the family. "I shouldn''t think like this, but I can''t help it... I hate them..." I''m not this type of person, but I feel what I feel. In my opinion, the royal family isn''t as important to take out. Helda, Terox, Hailey, Jasmine, Ashburn, Le, and Freskra will be handling the royal family. Cera and I will be heading to my family''s estate once we have all we need. "I wonder if you''d be proud of my decisions, mom..." I know she''d be proud of who I am, but I don''t know she''d feel about what I n to do with the Orvello''s. My resolve grows every passing minute. I think about my life and how it all goes back to my family. I''m stopping. Stopping being scared and afraid. I''m not going to be this way anymore. I have power, and I can kill those that threaten me now. My Legacy ss Winters Wrath is a perfect example of my new power. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:01 PM)~~~ Cera and Sally have been gone for a long time now, and Sally has broken my expectation about how long she can stay out there on her own. "What do you think they''re doing, Hailey?" Jasmine''s question is one that''s been on my mind too. Cera is probably learning all he can about this ce, and Sally is doing something to help her get over her fear. Jasmine hasn''t had many opportunities to have fun in the bigger cities we''ve been to, so an idea strikes me. "Want to go and find out?" She looks at me in confusion. Along with everyone else in the room. "Thest time we got to have any fun in a big city was before I left to Kill the James family." She looks to the side, giving the idea some thought. Not everything has to be done, but I thought I should offer. "Can we stop off somewhere and get something to eat?" Why is food always on her mind? It doesn''t make any sense to me... "Cause I''d love to try some actual Elven food. I heard it''s some of the best in all of Gaia." I wouldn''t know, and I doubt it''s better from the food yers from Earth make. As I stand up, she does so too. Helda looks like she wants to say something, but Terox ces her hand on her shoulder and shakes her head. "They''re big girls, Helda... Let them go out and have some fun before tomorrow. There is a lot to do..." When she puts it like that, I want to leave even faster. Not wasting a moment more, I leave the safe house with Jasmine in tail. We start off by following the path we used to get to the safe house. I saw some food shops and restaurants on the way in, and the fooding from them was great. While we walk, the streets are bing more and more empty, and the only ones out now are guards and drunksing from the taverns. We make it to a ce to get some food, but they''re already closed. It sucks, but not all hope is lost. If a tavern is open, then that means they''re selling food too. We get in the closest Tavern and make our way through the crowd and to the counter. "What''ll the twodies have?" The bartender doesn''t sound like what an elf would, but he looks like one. Not questioning anything, we look at the menu quickly and order. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Tavern in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:21 PM)~~~ I''ve learned pretty much everything I can from these pitiful drunks, and it''s time for me to take my leave. I exit the Tavern and start walking down the street. "There are old passages that lead under the city... Maybe there are some that lead under the pce..." It''s a possibility... If such tunnels existed, it''d be a whole lot easier getting into the pce. That''s what I learned from Hailey and her group going to attack the royal family. Sally and I are taking on the Orvello''s, and sadly, I couldn''t get any useful information on how to get into the estate without tripping any rms. "I''ll have to do some scouting at the location tomorrow. It''s getting toote to do it now..." Before I can continue my train of thought. I hear screams down an alley up ahead, and they sound like they''reing from men. No one is around to listen to them, so I decide to take a look for myself. To my surprise, I see a hooded female over the brutally dismembered bodies of who I assume are sexual deviants. My eyes instantly know who it is. I can tell by the shape of her figure... And her butt... Sally doing something like this is out of the ordinary, but I approve. It''s what she needs, and people wouldin that it''s senseless violence, but Sally wouldn''t kill them if they didn''t try something. I lean against the wall and just watch her from afar. She''s breathing heavy, and it''s probably from adrenaline. She''s done an intense act, but it''s good she''s not puking. She showed no mercy to the James family, and I''m d to see that she doesn''t show mercy to people who are simr in nature to that disgusting family. She sheaths her de and turns around to see me, and she flinches slightly, and after a second, she recognizes my figure too. "Cera? What are you doing here?" She sounds different... More confidence in her. Sally has steeled herself for what''s toe, and I''m d to see her trusting her own power as I do. Now that she genuinely knows she''s strong without me by her side, she''ll be less dependent on me when we face her family. I''ll be there to fall back on, but she can stand on her own and face them now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 400 - Sally’s Confidence {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: In Alleyway, Greshina)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:26 PM)~~~ Cera has yet to answer, and he looks towards the corpse of the men that tried to take advantage of me. He stops leaning against the wall and makes his way over to me. He stands in front of me and wraps his arms around me. "I''m more and more proud of you every time I see you conquer the demons in your head..." I drop my de and hug him back. Burying my face in his chest, a calmness washes over me. Helping me rx. I don''t feel guilty after killing these men, and I know I won''t regret it. His chin rests on the top of my head, and I hug him tighter. After a couple of seconds, we pull away, and he looks down at me. "Want to go back?" I''ve had enough of Greshina for the day. He takes my hand and pulls me alongside him after I nod my head. The night has fallen over Greshina, and themp posts are the only things lighting the path back to the safe house. "You aren''t going to ask me about it more?" I can''t help wondering why he isn''t digging more, but Cera is always on my side. No matter what... He''s fine with the murder of those deserving. He shakes his head a single time and gives me a crooked smile. He pulls me closer and slings his arm over my shoulders. Bringing the sides of our bodies together. "I''ve known you had the strength all along, Sally... You just needed some time and encouragement to bring it out. I do not need to ask about something I already know..." His words are honey for my heart. Cera is more than just my boyfriend, and I''ll be spending the rest of my life with him. He''s my soulmate... "Thanks... Thanks for always believing in me and giving me time to do it. The little push you gave me today was all I needed..." My past is behind me now, and I''m leaving all the painful memories in that past. Once we''re done with the Orvello''s, my old life will be over. We walk all the way back to the safe house in content silence, and when we enter the ce, we''re all staying. I notice that Hailey and Jasmine are not here. Cera sees the same thing but isn''t worried about them like I am. I shouldn''t be worried. Hailey is strong enough to kill anyone in Greshina except for Cera. Being Cera''s sister means she has some of the same personality qualities as her. Helda and Terox are silently ying the card game The Shattering. It''s a very popr card game that came out the same time the yers arrived. I no longer refer to them as new people since that''s not what they are. "Mind if I y next?" I love The Shattering, and I rarely lose. Cera smiles and lets me go and heads to our room by himself. I don''t feel like I need to be glued to him... That I''m perfectly okay here on my own. "Well,e over and join us. She''s about to lose her third game in a row." Helda gives a hard re towards Terox, but all she does isugh at the intense look. Helda ispetitive, even if she doesn''t want to admit it. It''s going to be fun ying against these two. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:12 PM)~~~ Theck of a bed is starting to bother me, but the furs and nkets put enough of a cushion between me and the ground. "Oh, C''mon!! How is that even possible!? You shouldn''t have a deck or cards this fucking good!!" They sound like they''re having fun, and I''m d that I don''t have to be there for Sally to have it. She''s grown far more than I ever thought from that scared woman I met back then... I don''t even remember the name of the city I found her in. All I remember is it was after a long and grueling battle against monsters that were from the Underworld. "It feels like that was so long ago..." It''s just what I feel, and I don''t know if time has gone by as fast as I think it has. Hailey and Jasmine were a surprise in all this, and I didn''t think I''d see my sister for many years. To be reunited because of the horrid family of James is ironic in a sick regard. "This isplete bullshit!! She has to be cheating!! She''s won 6 games in a row!!" A loudughes from Sally that is heard from even where I''m at. The Shattering was a game that I enjoyed in my past life, but I grew tired of it, and it''s not like it''s all that important this time around. I hear the door open and close from my room and two sets of footsteps. "Look who''s finallye home! Did you guys have fun?" Sally is the one to speak this time, and this lets me know that Hailey and Jasmine are back. Whatever they did for fun out there, I hope it doesn''te back to bite us. The same goes for what Sally pulled in that alley. Those bodies will be found, and I wouldn''t be surprised if an investigation started. We didn''t leave any traces of us being there, and Sally made sure she didn''t forget her de. She''ll grow in her confidence, and soon, she''ll go out of her way to protect people. It''ll be a great day when she dawns her de and ss for those reasons. To kill those that aren''t worthy of life. Many would condemn such thinking, but there are people out there that are so sick and cruel they shouldn''t be considered mortal. Putting them down like the animals they act like is only right. It needs to be done, and I''m happy to do it when the situation calls for it. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:21 PM)~~~ I never knew how great Sally is at The Shattering, and I can''t understand how she''s always winning with a deck that isn''t that good. "Ugh!! I give up!! I can''t beat her!!" Terox stands up and leaves the table, and Helda is quick to fill her ce as a new game starts. Somehow, this has turned into something far morepetitive than it should''ve been. I don''t have much room to talk, not after all the crap I start with my brother. So I''ll enjoy the games, and the banter is entertaining enough for me. "I''ve got the winner!" Jasmine pops her head out of the hallway close to our room, and Helda doesn''t even acknowledge her since she''s so focused on the game. Sally is nice enough to confirm the call out. My brother is strangely un-present... Not to mention how outgoing and confident Sally has be. She really made a giant leap in confidence and personal strength out there by herself. "You always y Dread Whisp after the fourth card... You''re terrible at The Shattering..." Sally actually mocks Helda... This rare and never-before-seen event actually stumps Helda in her tracks and causes her to stare at Sally like she''s a deer caught in the headlights. The best part is how Helda can''t think of anything to say in return since everything that Sally just said is true. She grits her teeth and focuses back on her cards. Trying to find a winning strategy. This is better than TV, but it''s been too long to say that for sure. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 401 - Interconnecting Paths {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:45 AM)~~~ We''re not that far from Greshina at this point. About a day and a half, and ording to the magical item, Cera and Hailey are remaining in one ce. Meaning they''ve for sure reached wherever they need to be. "Mommy, we''ve been after them for so long... Will we even be able to recognize them?" Marcus doesn''t know how much his words hurt. They''ve changed their appearances in that of elves, same as us. I won''t be able to tell who they are based on their looks if I see them in public. If I meet them in the ce they''re staying. It''ll be easier to find it out. "Listen, sweetie... Hailey and Cera may look different, but we''ll find them all the same." I have note this far to be stopped because I can''t recognize my children. Marcus doesn''t seem happy with my answer and moves on ahead of us. We ran into a roadblock of bandits, but we dispatched them. They wouldn''t let us pass no matter what we tried, and that left of no other choice. I don''t like having Marcus kill, it makes me sick inside, but that''s the world we live in now. I''m thankful he understands what he''s doing and knows that he should only do it when necessary. Chris has been doing all he can to help calm my drive to a more moderate level, but this is the closest we''ve been to Cera and Hailey, and I''m not getting sidetracked now. There have been enough of those, and it''s time that I get to see my kids. "Honey, don''t be so upset with him..." Chris misunderstands my feelings at this moment. I''m not upset with Marcus, and my sour mood is based on myself. The irrationality of a mother is something that people suffer from more than once in their life, and I''m one that has those irrational moments more than others. "I''m not upset with Marcus... I''m upset with myself..." He looks to me for more of an exnation, and I find it oddly cute. He''s not experienced the moodiness thates with being a woman and the overzealous and overprotectiveness thates with being a mother. The emotional range that I have as a woman is far more vtile than his. "I''ve been a very silly goose, to put it lightly..." That''s an understatement, but it''s the kindest way I want to put it. I''ve been hard on myselftely, and it''s for my own good. "Hey, I don''t know what you want me to say. I vowed to never lie to you, and I can''t say that you haven''t been like that since Cera and Hailey left." I can''t help chuckling at the good excuse he''s used to be blunt with me. His love for me is more than enough not to be angry with his opinion. He feels like he needs to do more, and that''s my fault. "I appreciate your candidness and know that I will always want the truth. Even if I don''t want to hear it." Despite us being in our early twenties again, he still walks on eggshells regarding my age and weight out of instinct. I no longer have the body of a woman who''s had 3 kids... Many would im that I looked great, but I could spot the imperfections in my form from a simple nce in the mirror. "Now that you''d brought the subject up, what do you think about how I''ve been acting?" His question surprises me the same way my response to his did. He''s not acted out of the ordinary. He''s been the same as he''s always been. The man that I love and cherish. ~~~(POV: Olisandra Olyzex)~~~ ~~~(Location: Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:00 AM)~~~ Today is the day that Blezikel and I are escaping from Greshina and leaving our mother and her madness. She''s caused too much damage and is spiraling further into madness. "We should hurry. There isn''t much time left." We finish descending the final steps into the lowest levels of the pce, and we make our way to the entrance of the secret passageway. My handsnd on the false wall, and Blezikel helps me push the path open. We stand together in the old dusty hallway leading to our way out. "We have a few hours to get far, and hopefully, that''s enough to get away." My sister voices her hopes, and I agree with her in every sense. I don''t know if we have that much time, but no reason not to be optimistic. We start running and moving at high speeds. We''re both very fast and agile. "When mom catches on to what we''re doing, she''ll likely turn the country upside down and use our absence as an excuse to kill more people..." She''s right about that, but our fate is in our own hands. We can''t worry about every life out there. We have to put ourselves first. Blezikel is far more loving and caring than I am to the people we''re meant to rule. While I do care for them, I don''t care for them enough to risk my life and mind and soul for them. I''ll not have the sins of my mother thrust upon me. I won''t be around for when that''s supposed to happen. "They''re fate is their own, Blezikel." She nods a single time running next to me. She''s resolved herself to do this with me, and I''m d. "Perhaps one day, someone will end mom... It''s a sad thing to say and think, but that''s the only way to stop her at this point... Will you forgive me for saying such things? I can''t forgive myself..." This is weighing harder on her than I thought. We can''t stop and have a deep talk, but I can give her what she wants. We increase speed and continue down the path. "I''ll forgive you for anything, Blezikel... You''re not the only one feeling that way... Mom will need to be put down before she ever stops..." There is only a matter of time left before she starts her crusade, and I''m hoping that my sister and I are out of the entire Kingdom by that time. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:45 AM)~~~ Sally stirs next to me as the sun shines into the windows of our room. Everyone else in the house should be getting up. This was the first night that Sally didn''t need to stay attached to me to sleep. It may not mean much to many others, but that tells me she''s all the safer on her own. "Morning, lover..." I can''t help but smile and cringe at the way she addresses me. I don''t think there is any way you can make saying Lover sound sexy... "Yeah, that doesn''t really work, does it?" She acknowledges my funny look, and I start to full-onugh. She''sing out of her shell, and I''m loving her more and more. "Today is the day... We''re starting the ns..." She''s right about that, and she doesn''t sound scared. Sally sounds rxed. There is much to discuss once everyone is awake and many things to check and prepare for. Who knows what could go wrong between the time we prepare and n to when we initiate the ns. "Yeah, we''ll be moving on the pce and the Orvello Estate in theing days when we know what we''re doing." Her happy expression doesn''t change at the mention of her family. She''s more than ready to face them, and I find her more and more attractive I see this new her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 402 - Chaos Erupts In Greshina {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:40 AM)~~~ Everyone has agreed to the n and scouting assignments. Sally and I are heading to The Orvello Estate to see what they have in terms of security and weaknesses. Terox, Helda, and Le are going to check for additional information regarding the passageways that are under the city. Ashburn and Freskra are going to see about the security around the Pce. Hailey and Jasmine will find out more about the guard forces and what they have in terms of weapons, magic, and numbers. We all have our roles, and now isn''t a better time to get started on all of this. "Now that we know what we''re doing, gather as much information you can, and we''ll confer at the end of each day." This way, we''re always keeping updated. We''ll continue this course of action until we''re prepared for an orchestrated attack on all of our targets. "This is all good, but what do we do if we end up drawing suspicion? New faces around this area are bound to raise suspicion." Hailey brings up a good point and one that has a risk to it. There is no way to lower the odds of suspicion to 0 percent. We all have ways to cover our faces and make sure that our identities are hidden. "If you think that you might be drawing attention, back off for a bit and approach in a different way. To recon from the same ces each day. Break patterns and keep them random. It''s the best way to keep eyes off you." This is from my years of experience before my wish toe back in time. My eyes meet with everyone individually, and no one has any more questions. "Alright, let''s get this show on the road." Sally says anything before I can, and we all head for the door. As I open it, we''re all surprised to see soldiers and guards going door to door. Helda tells all to go back and find ces inside the house to keep out of sight. This is random and something that wasn''t anticipated. I doubt we''re the cause. We haven''t done anything to raise any suspicion. Not for this kind of response. Sally rests next to me as we both look out the upstairs window in our room. We have our heads low and make sure that we''re hard to see. There are more soldiers and guards than people outside right now. I have a bad feeling that we''ve been thrown a curveball, and now we''ll have to adapt to new circumstances. Issues stemming outside our control, and there could be more troubleing. There is a chance we might not even be able to proceed with everything we have nned for today. A sudden headache makes its way up the back of my head. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:46 AM)~~~ A leader to one of the squads steps up and has a rigid posture. "The Elven Royal family has dered a lockdown of Geshina and the rest of the Kingdom. Stay in your home until the lockdown is lifted. If you are caught walking around before 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM, you''ll be executed on the spot." The man stops his speech and steps away. He and his group make their way down to the next house, and now I know that we''ve not caused any problems. Whatever has happened, it''s not because of us. I close the door and head back into the living room. "You can alle down now! I''ve got news!" Multiple sets of footstepse from parts of the house and make their way to me. After everyone gathers, they all look at me for an exnation. "Good news is we can still scout and figure out our ns." Many are prepared to hear the bad news now. "The bad news is a lockdown has been enacted, and we only have a 4-hour window between 12 PM and 4 PM every day now." Cera grimaces, and other people have simr reactions. This puts arge anchor on any ns and actions we take here in Greshina, and since the whole Kingdom is locked down, something significant must''ve happened. "Do we have any idea on what caused this? This hase out of nowhere with no indication something like a lockdown wasing." Hailey gives her brother a strange look, but not something I haven''t seen before. That means we''ll be able to leave once it turns noon in about 10 minutes. "They also said anyone found wandering around the city outside these times will be executed on the spot." This is what disturbs me the most. While there are no homeless in Greshina, there are people that live in areas of the city that aren''t secure as is. Most jump between homes in the middle of the night to escape the noble''s enforcers for extortion. This has unwittingly benefitted everyone above the middle ss, and everyone below will suffer. "We can stick to the n, but don''t spend too much time scouting now. Nevermore than an hour at a time, any more, and the increased security will be on you." I agree that''s the best option. ~~~(POV: Blezikel Olyzex)~~~ ~~~(Location: Deep in the Forests of Jelleria, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:00 PM)~~~ My sister and I have sessfully escaped Greshina, and we''re in one of thergest forests in the Northern area of the continent. Even if a search party is sent here, we''ll be impossible to find. We''ve been running since we entered the passageway, and only now are we walking to take a break. Olisandra is leading in front of me by a few steps. Mom has probably taken drastic measures to find us, and while our odds of getting out of the entire Elven Kingdom aren''t 100 percent, they''re much higher now that we''ve made it out of Greshina and into Jelleria. "To think that this forest is home to monsters and dungeons... Keep on your toes, sister..." Jelleria is a dangerous forest, and that is why we chose it. The monsters and creatures in this forest will keep anyone that mighte looking for us off our backs for some time. It''s a double-edged sword, though. We''ve already had to fight some powerful monsters, but Olisandra and I working together is hard to beat. "Yeah, something so beautiful can hide ugly things..." Such things exist in droves with the elves... ~~~(POV: Queen Olyzex)~~~ ~~~(Location: Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:25 PM)~~~ They''ve run away from me... They''ve abandoned me here, alone... "GODS DAMNIT!!!" My fist crashes through my office table, and I slump down in my chair... "Why would you leave... You must''ve been taken! It''s the only exnation!!" They wouldn''t have left voluntarily. My daughters know how important they are to my ns, and they wouldn''t have done this. I''m alone in my office now, and there is no one here to care for me. I have all hands working on finding my daughters. Even my personal staff... I''m pretty much alone in this massive Pce... "The Resistance had to have captured them! How did they get into the Pce!?" My emotions and mind continue to spiral out of control. With the activation of my ns so close, having my daughters taken puts multiple problems on purging the half-blooded. I lean back in my chair and look at the ceiling... "Without them... I can''t start cleansing my people... I need them..." My will slips, and I find tears flooding out my eyes... I''ve lost my daughters... They''re out there somewhere, without protection. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 403 - A Better Future For Few... {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Olisandra Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Deep in The Forest of Jelleria, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:45 PM)~~~ We''ve set up camp inside a cave for the night, and as much as I want to keep traveling through the night, it''s better not to lurk in The Jelleria Forest after nightfall. The strongest monsterse out at this time, and keeping in one spot and secluded is the best thing you can do to stay safe. It''s not full-proof, but it''s a way to handle the situation we''re in. Blezikel is curled up next to me, and the rain outside the cave is visible. We''re nice and dry, and it''s rare for storms to happen in the Elven Kingdom. "What do you think mom is doing right now?" I''ve been trying not to think about it. She was on the verge of moving forward with her n, and I don''t want to be anywhere near a city, town, or vige for the purge of half-breeds. I wrap my arm around my sister and gently rub her shoulder. Trying tofort her. Escaping from our mother and her armies isn''t an easy task, but we''re already making huge ground. "I don''t know anymore, Blez... She''s lost her mind... The grip on reality is gone, and she mightsh out... We need to be far away when that happens..." My sister holds back her tears... The same as me... We still love our mother dearly, and it breaks my heart knowing what she''s trying to do. A sh of lightning lights up the entrance of the cave, and a st of thunder rocks the ground. The cave is sturdy enough to handle the lightning. "Do you think it''s storming in Greshina?" Probably... Can''t say for sure... Blez and I didn''t experience many storms growing up. The rain gets heavier, and as more lightning shes and thunder rocks the world, monsters fighting each other can be heard in the distance. Monsters are territorial, and Jelleria is no different. "If it''s storming in Greshina, it''ll be good for us. It''ll wash away any tracks we might''ve left..." The dust from the passageway left footprints as we left. If the storm is at Greshina, then it''s washed away the only clues to where we''re at. Blez stops talking, and I look to see her eyes closed. I wouldn''t mind getting some sleep, but I don''t think it''ll be easy given the thunder. Blez could always sleep through the few storms we had growing up. I''d stay awake until they were finished. I don''t know if it was out of fear... I never felt scared when I heard thunder. It was just something inside me that liked staying awake for storms. "Remember when dad died..." Blez wasn''t asleep after all, but her eyes are still closed. "Do you think that what happened to dad is what''s driven her to do this..." I know that it ys a major role in her madness... ~~~(POV: Blezikel Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Deep Forest of Jelleria, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:55 PM)~~~ Olisandra hasn''t answered me yet, and I think it''s because it hurts too much. In a way, Olisandra hasn''t gotten over dad''s death... I''ve moved on, but she''s simr to mom in that way... Still haunted by his passing. "Yeah, it''s a big part of why she''s doing this... It hurts to think about him..." Olisandra was closer to our dad than I was... It wasn''t because he was a bad father to me or that he didn''t love me as much. It''s because she''s a daddy''s girl, and I wasn''t that attached to my parents. Not like she was to dad. "Do you think he''d be happy with us leaving like this..." Her arm tightens around me. She makes sure not to hurt me, but her difort with my question is easy to see. I open my eyes to see her biting her lips hard and tears falling from her eyes. She''s quick to try and dry them. "He''d probably have helped us, Blez... That''s what makes this situation so fucked... Our mom isn''t the person that our dad loved and married... After his death, all the anger and hate for half-breeds blossomed." Yeah... He was always so kind and supportive of the half-bloods. Many nobles and wealthy merchants hated him for his sympathetic views towards all of our people. Not just the ones of pure-blood. "Remember that time he told us that story of him being saved by half-breeds at the Border Walls... How they changed his life and views about the Elven Kingdom..." She doesn''t answer and decides to stay silent. I don''t me her for not wanting to talk about this anymore, and I miss dad so much... If there were anyone that could pull mom from her dark pits, it would be him... He''d only have to look at her, and she''d lose all her feelings for half-breeds. Mom and dad loved each other more than they loved us, and that''s not bad... It helped us as kids... It showed us what love was... Lightning shes again, and thunder rocks my body. The howling of battling monsters deeper in the forest continues, and I find sleep creeping on me. "You shouldn''t let it eat at you forever, sister... Dad would want you to let go of the pain you feel about his death... Move forward..." She hugs me a little tighter as the wordse out of my mouth. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:13 PM)~~~ We''ve made the best out of the 4 hours we had to scout out our targets today, and we''ll have another 4 hours tomorrow. The Orvello Estate has heavy security and powerful magical barriers that you can''t get through just by jumping over the property line. "I hate them." The rain and thunder outside are drowned out from the words I hear from Sally. There is a heavy storm over Greshina, and it''s rxing given how stressful today has been with the change in ns. "We all hate someone out there, Sally. It''s fine to hate someone that''smitted horrible things against you." Her voice isn''t shaking or weak. It''s even and has a strength in it. In my eyes, the Orvello''s aren''t her family. She can hurt them and attack them. Punish them for everything they''ve done. I know that I have an evil and sadistic streak in me, but I''d rather have a monster in me that I can bring out any time. Then be weak and considered prey to those that are strong. Be a monster, but one that''s in control. I refuse to be prey to anyone again. Not to life, bad fucking luck, some twisted sense of destiny. Sally knows what that means now, and she''s got her own monster in her that she can take out any time she needs. Cause without that monster, you''ll be an absolute victim to anyone that has that monster. You''ve already lost, and I''m not having that happen to me again. "It was hard to not just charge and start killing, but I controlled myself." That''s perfect. That''s what she needs and has. The control needed for that monster is hers, and she has the restraint and disciple to wield it with wisdom and intelligence. "I get what you mean, and believe me when I say this. I''m proud that you held back and took strategically and tactically smart moves. Thinking of it as a chess game." That''s what this situation is, and it''s a good example. Chess exists in The Ancients World, and therefore, Gaia. Sally might not have yed a chess game before, but that doesn''t mean I can''t teach her using chess as an example. I know that she''s heard of it and knows that strategy and tactics are essential to winning. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 404 - The Storm Weighs Heavily... {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Taking Shelter from Storm, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:29 PM)~~~ Setting up a tent in the pouring rain wasn''t fun, but now we''re slowly getting dry. Luckily, our tent has a waterproof enchantment on it. After setting it up, it was dry inside and dried us so we wouldn''t still be wet. "This storm came out of nowhere." It frustrates me, and my voice isced with that frustration. Marcus didn''t want to keep walking in the rain. Despite how much I want to find my other two kids, Marcus has his needs too, and a child''s needs alwayse before their parents. "No kidding, it''s good that we spent extra money on this tent when we picked it up crossing those snow and ice-fillednds to the Border Wall." I''m guessing Hailey and Cera have the same type of tent. Since they''re in Greshina, it''s a good chance they''re staying in a house or Inn... "Sorry this has happened, Honey. But we''ll wait for the storm to pass to keep moving. Traveling in the conditions outside won''t be easy." Rain is hitting our tent hard as he says that, and Marcus is cuddled up next to me. He''s clinging to me as his eyes are closed. Marcus is my youngest and the baby of our family, and I treat him like that even though he''s getting older. It''s hard to watch the kids you gave birth to and love growing up and not needing you anymore. "Have you given what we talked about a thought?" My sudden question is referring to us having another baby. My husband looks at me, confused. Seems he hasn''t been thinking about it. I don''t me him. We''ve been so busy and preupied that there isn''t much room to think about things like that. "I''m sorry, Honey. You''ll have to refresh my memory about what I was supposed to think about." He''s not going to pretend that he remembers, and I''m d that he doesn''t feel like he needs to. He sees my smile grow and chuckles with me, and it''s funny when you think about it. He scoots over and wraps his arm around me. "What you were supposed to think about was the idea of us having another kid." His expression changes, and it''s one of doom. I can''t helpughing, and he ces his face on his palm. We don''t have to have another kid, but it''s something to think about. I''d love to have another baby, but that''s my own desire for someone to depend on me and love me as my children do. Marcus won''t need that in a couple of years, and he''ll start bing independent of me. "Umm... Would you be upset if I said I haven''t?" He sees my smile and discovers this isn''t that serious. He takes a deep breath and waits for me to reply to him. "It''s okay. Just give it some thought from this point on. It may not seem like a great idea now, but we''re our bodies back in their prime." I make good points, but those aren''t reasons in themselves as much as I''d want him to want another kid with me. I can''t force him to feel that way. My eyes drift to Marcus, and he''s sound asleep. He''s a sign that there''s no need to rush this decision. My fears about Marcus not needing me anymore and leaving on his own journey are years from now. Until that timees, I''ll enjoy what time I have with him. "Oh, Thank God. I thought you''d be mad about that." My attention is back on my husband. The lightning shes and lights up our tent, and thunder shakes the ground and rings our ears. Marcus jolts up and prepares his fire for a fight. I wrap him in my arms and hold him. "It was just thunder. No one''s attacking..." He rxes and stops his fire. The rain hammers the outside of the tent, and he pushes off from me andys back down. Chris hugs me from behind and pulls me from Marcus''s side. "Come over here andy with me. Take your mind off our kids and think about yourself. Think about who you are without them." He brings me down with him, and Iy my head on his chest. His words echo in my head, and he''s right about trying to find out who I am outside of my children. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:50 PM)~~~ Cera is letting me use him as a pillow as he normally does. My confidence in myself is at an all-time high, and I don''t need Cera next to me to feel safe. I still love hispany, but I''m not clingy anymore. "Have you thought about what you''ll say to them when you''re face to face?" Cera almost startles me at the sudden break in silence. His question is a subject that I''ve been giving a lot of thought to. As much as I want to make a speech, I think the best way is to tell them who I am and say I''m getting my revenge. That''s simple and effective. "I don''t know... Something short and quick..." He lets out a single chuckle and runs his hand through my hair. It feels good when he touches me like this. Meeting the people that betrayed my mother and damned to the life that I had will be a moment I''ll savor for the rest of my life. "I wish I could help with that, but I''ve never been through what you have, and no matter how hard I try, I''ll never know what you truly experienced in the past... All I can do is try my hardest to understand and help you." That''s already more than enough. He doesn''t know how much it means when a person looks past the things that have happened to you that others would consider a stamp of shame. He sees me for me, and I adore and love him for that. "You do more than I could ever ask every single day, Cera... My life and future was saved because of you..." He''s the center of my world... I love him. I feel a kiss on the top of my head, and I look up at him. Our eyes meet, and I feel a heat rise in me. I crawl up, and my lips lock with his. My heart instantly starts to race, and my eyes get heavy. We spend a couple of minutes kissing and pulling away for air. We part for a final time, and I find myself straddling him. Looking deep into his eyes. I prefer his natural eye color more, not his elven looks. His white hair and attractive ears are something that I do like. "If we do this, others will get mad at us..." I know what he means, and as badly as I want him, we can''t do this. I don''t know how to be quiet with Cera. He makes me feel good from sex. He''s the only one to ever do that to me. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:09 PM)~~~ We got a lot of scouting done today, and we''ll keep it for the next few days. A lot has happened since we got to Greshina. We still don''t know why the entire Elven Kingdom is on lockdown, but we''re not going to let some time constraints and curfews get in our way. "When do you think the rain will stop?" Jasmine and I have been silent and listening to the sounds of the storm. It''s been rxing, and I''d instead not answer her. If possible, I wish it''d stay like this the time we''re here... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 405 - Word Gets Out {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:28 AM)~~~ Terox and Melimora are the only ones up with me. Everyone else is still in their bedrooms. I don''t know if they''re awake or not, but since we can''t leave our safe house until noon, then there is no reason to leave afortable ce. "Why do you think the Elven Kingdom is in lockdown?" Terox and Meli are having a conversation about why this is all happening. Their guess is as good as mine. The only time a lockdown is enacted for the entire Kingdom is when a severe security breach has urred. "I think someone important was kidnapped. It has to be someone very important too. It''s the best thing I can think of." Terox responds to Meli''s question with the same answer I''de to. The Elven royal family is the only authority that can enact a Kingdom-wide lockdown. Rulers in other cities and towns can lock down their own cities in emergencies, but that''s the limit to their power. "That makes the most sense, but wouldn''t they be scrambling more guards and soldiers if the person was that important." That''s a great counterargument, Meli. If a person of importance were kidnapped, soldiers and guards would kick down doors and search building by building. The only reason I can think of not doing that is from how important the person is and how much embarrassment the royal family will endure from losing someone of such high power in the Kingdom. The strata of politics is something that I about in some regards, but not everything. Perhaps a powerful noble has tried a coupe, or there is a dispute innd ims. "Then maybe it''s a drill? Maybe they''re preparing for someone to arrive." Terox brings up a good point too, and one that makes the most sense so far. Nothing is set in stone yet. We don''t know anything, and I doubt we''ll know anything any time soon. "As much as I love discussing politics." They both look at me in an insulted fashion at the insinuation that they do. "I''d like to talk about something else. We all gathered important information yesterday in our scouts, but I know we don''t have enough yet." They roll their eyes at me. I know what it''s from. It''s because I''m always focused on the task at hand and never reallyying back and rxing. Not if I have a choice anyway. "Well, what do you want to talk about? Not like I can see any interesting conversations in that head of yours." Meli is quick to make a joke about myck of casual conversation, and Terox looks like she''s ready to join in on the fun. Being made fun of isn''t something that I like or tolerate, but I can make an exception when ites to Meli and Terox. Besides, it''s better than what they were talking about. "Knowing her, it''s about mapping the best route and the most efficient way to handle enemies." I resent the fact that''s exactly what I want to talk about, and my pride won''t let me speak now. All I can do is sigh, and they proceed tough harder. Nailing it right on the head the first time is funny in this context. "Okay, you two had your fun. Now talk about something else that isn''t about politics or myck of casual conversation skills." I''m d that they relent and decide to focus on something else, and the subject this time is Sally. Sally has changed a lot in thest 24 hours, and it''s thanks to Hailey and Cera pushing her out of herfort zone and instilling confidence in her. "Sally has an air about her now. Like she can take on any challenge thrown her way. It''s nice to see her not need Cera so much." Terox is right about that. Seeing her gain new confidence was a special event in my eyes. Cera did the right thing in pushing her to be independent and strong. Sally needed that if she''s to face the family, the damned her mother and her to a base life as ves. "Yeah, she''s impressed me more than I ever thought she could. It does her justice having the confidence to take care of herself in this city." Meli doesn''t know how much her words match with her. Sally isn''t weak outside Greshina. Being so close to the family and people that caused her horrible childhood made her lose her willpower and mental fortitude. Along with any confidence she had built getting to this point, but now all those are gone. "You''re both right about that. Soon, she''ll face her family and do what she needs for closure." I interject in the conversation too. While talking about people when they''re not around isn''t my style, I''m okay doing it when it''s positive things to say. I only have positive things to say about Sally anymore. She''s a sweet, kindhearted, and caring girl that can defend herself and show cruelty if she needs to. That''s a sign of an apex predator. That''s what I think when I think of Cera. Now Sally is the same way for me. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Scouting out The Orvello Estate in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:31 PM)~~~ Cera and I are watching from an elevated position today, on top of a tall building looking into the Orvello Estate. We have a clear view of all the guards and their patrol patterns. "It looks like nothing has changed in terms of patrol patterns since yesterday. This is good. Theyck on security." Cera speaks, but I''m hardly listening. All I can do is think about charging in there and ughtering all of them. But Cera telling me we have to do this smart holds me back. "Yeah, does that mean we''ll get to attack sooner?" As much as I want that to be true, we still have to wait on the others as well. Their scouting might not be going as smoothly as ours, which means it''ll take longer. He shakes his head, but he has a small smile. Like he''s expected me to react this way. "Yes, but that depends on everyone else too. Without a coordinated attack, nothing will go smoothly. We''ll find ourselves fighting one of the strongest armies and fighters in all of Gaia." We both know that Cera can take them easily. It''s about an easy win, not a hard one. Cera and I could take out every living thing in Greshina, but that''s not fair. There are innocent people here, and even if it''s a little, they don''t deserve to be lopped in with the others we''re after. "Yeah, yeah... I know... It''s so hard standing here... Being so close to those monsters and not being able to do anything." He nods his hand and slings his arm over my shoulder. ~~~(POV: Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Walking back to Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:44 PM)~~~ It''s getting close to the curfew that everyone has to follow, and I''ve learned a lot about the pce security with Ashburn and Freskra. "The reason for the lock down is because Princess Olisandra and Princess Blezikel have gone missing..." I stop in my tracks as I overhear a conversation. Freskra and Ashburn do the same, and we all look at each other. I don''t know if I heard that right... Someone actually kidnapped the two crowned princesses of The Elven Kingdom... "Don''t believe in such rumors, not until they''re confirmed." The man''s friend responds, but what was said makes sense. Not only does thisplicate our n, but it means two of our targets aren''t here... This is bing a shit storm, along with all the rain stilling down. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 406 - Princesses Missing {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:12 PM)~~~ Talk about the biggest fucking wrench I''ve ever seen tossed right in our ns. "If we''re to seed in this task of killing the royal family. The Princesses must be eliminated too. If they''re not here, all our work will be in jeopardy of being undone in the future." Helda states exactly what''s going through my mind. This is a shit storm. The rain is heavy outside, and it shows no signs of stopping. Droplets are hitting the windows hard, and thunder and lightning roar through the sky. "There is nothing we can do about it... We need to adapt to the new problems and change. We''ll focus on the Queen and her allies. They''re likely long gone by now." It''s not the best situation. It''s one of the worst things that could''ve happened to us. Two of our targets have gone missing, and you can argue they''re more important than the Queen. Once the Princesses are dead, there will be no bloodline left. Now that option is no longer possible. "Why can''t think just be fucking easy for once!?" Haileyshes out and ms her hand on the table we''ve gathered around. Not everything that''s happened today is bad news. All the information we learned about guards, security, patterns, the works. It''s valuable, and it''ll help us. "Rx, Sis. Sometimes, things don''t go perfectly, which is a perfect example of that. Since they''re gone, we can focus on Queen Oryzox and the Orvello''s." The disappearance of two targets narrows our target list down for now. Sally has been quiet through this, and I know why. She doesn''t care about killing the royal family and freeing the Elven Kingdom. Not as much as confronting and killing her family. "What do you think, Sally. I want everyone''s perspective." She lifts her eyes from the hard stare into the table and looks at me. Her eyes be gentle. She leans back in the chair she''s sitting in and contemtes her answer. "It''s good for us." That''s... A good point, actually. "With the Queen distracted trying to find her daughters, it''ll be easier to get to her. She''ll be less vignt of her own security." That''s an insight that I needed. Everyone exchange looks, and we agree this isn''t bad news. This is great for our efforts to eliminate the Queen and the Orvello family. "Yeah, I agree with Sally. I think we should capitalize on this soon and strike hard. We should move our ns forward." Terox decides to speak, and her idea is something that I love. I don''t know how possible it is, but the advantage of attacking in a moment of weakness is powerful. Never did I think this discussion with current events would change the direction of our n to move it forward. I thought we''d have to wait and n. "Question is, do we have enough information on our enemies forces to deliver a concise blow." Ashburn speaks about what I want to talk about too. There is a lot that can go wrong if we screw it up because of this. There is silence as his question is contemted, and I''vee to a conclusion, but I''m not the decision-maker. We''re working together, and everyone should be considered. "Striking while the iron is hot is the best move we can make right now. Risky? Yes. Rewarding? More so." I throw in my two cents, and this starts to spark everyone to speak about what they think. It takes a couple of minutes, but everyone gets on the same page and believes striking sooner thanter is better. "Since we''ve reached an agreement, we need to decide the best time to strike. We all know our targets, but since two Princesses are gone, that''s more power for other tasks." It''s already been decided that Sally and I are taking on the Orvello Estate. We spend the next hour talking about who goes after who and what to do when a certain target has been killed. All of our nning and plotting hase to an apex. "Then it''s decided. We''ll sneak into the pce through the passages under the tunnel, and Cera and Sally will attack the Orvello Estate." Helda summarizes in a brief manner what we''re doing. All of this is urring tomorrow and when we do this. The Elven Kingdom will be free and in shock for a while. "Alright, let''s get some rest for the night and prepare for our attack in the morning. We''ll strike before noon. It''ll limit civilian casualties." This lockdown has helped us in another way. It''ll keep the innocentmon folk out of the way. We all head to different parts of the safe house and take some time to ourselves. Sally is lying next to me. Silently looking at the ceiling and in her own head. She''s not clinging to me, and that''s a good sign she''s ready for tomorrow. "Am I a sick person for being excited to kill them?" Ahh, the moral debate in her has begun. I''ve done this before, and it''s not bad. She''s ready to do this andmitted, but killing your family isn''t something you do every day. "No, you''re not, Sally. Not to me. We all face our demons, and it''s fine to be excited about beating them." She turns her head towards me and smiles. Mom is going to love her when they meet. That''s a long time from now, though. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:58 PM)~~~ It''s exciting to think that we''re about to liberate an entire Kingdome morning. I know that this is going to be remembered forever in annuls of history. I''m going to be immortalized in Gaia. "Do you think the nobles are strong?" Jasmine is assigned to target a group of nobles that are staying in the pce right now. They''re supporters of Queen Oryzox. Our task isn''t that simple. Once we''re done with our group of targets, we''re meeting up with the other and taking on the Queen herself. I''d be able to kill her, but that''s something that Helda wants. I''m going to back her up in case the Queen proves too strong for her. Cera and Sally will be off taking care of their own targets. Sally has been waiting for this for a very long time, and it''s not like she needs to wait that much longer. She''ll have revenge for what happened to her and her mother. Once this is done, she''ll be able to move on with her life. "No, nobles won''t be that strong. They''ll be easy to kill." My simple answer doesn''t satisfy Jasmine, but she epts it regardless. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:16 PM)~~~ Terox and Melimora are ying The Shattering, and I''m enjoying the time that I''ve spent with them. Despite my recent problems with Terox, I''m d I could let go of my stubborn pride and see the truth. In case I do end up dying in battle tomorrow, I want to savor these moments now. Hailey will back me up, but the Queen has lots of powerful items in the Treasury Vaults. There are good odds that I and others won''te out of this unscathed. I''m nning to get her before she even knows what''s happening. Taking her down when all he allies are dead and taken care of. "C''mon! You y that card every time, and I can''t do anything about it!! It pisses me off!!" I can''t helpughing a little. They''re my sisters. I''m d to have known them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 407 - Night Before Final Fight In Greshina I {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:14 PM)~~~ Terox, Helda, and Melimora sound like they''re having fun with The Shattering. Every time it sounds like they''re having a st, Sally jitters in excitement. "You don''t have toy here with me. Go and y with them." In an instant, she''s already up and out the door. I can''t helpughing at how badly she wanted to y with them. Didn''t even bother saying goodbye. That''s rare. I''m now alone and left with my own thoughts about tomorrow. All this work for Sally is going to pay off and after we''re done here. We''ll be heading to The Kingdom of Avalon for my tier-up quest. I don''t want to know how difficult my second tier-up quest is going to be. I can only assume that it''ll be something I''ll die from. I haven''t died yet in this life, which means I haven''t lost a level yet. Doing the tier-up quest raises that. It''ll be adjusted to my level, meaning I''ll be facing things that can kill me and tank my attacks. I''ll have to do it alone. Hailey would be the only one that can help me, but she hasn''t decided if she''sing with Sally and me after this. She has Jasmine to consider. Jasmine hasn''t made a choice about anything after this either. Terox, Helda, Melimora, and everyone else will be staying here to lead The Elven Kingdom and people to a better life. Meaning after we''re done, we''ll be parting from these friends that we made. "I wonder what kind of work they have ahead of them." Rebuilding the Elven Kingdom from its foundations won''t be easy. My eyes close, and I think about my journey up to this point. I''ve done good, but I''ve done more bad than I should''ve. I''ve shown heartlessness and an obsession with power and winning. I''ve taken credit for people''s aplishments. Blue Chaos, especially. Without everything he posted on the forums, I wouldn''t have everything that I have now. Sally knows some of the truth, but Hailey knows most of it. How I''ve rewritten history in my favor and the cost that act had. Billions of lives. Babies, children, adults, and elderly... All of them we''re equally annihted in The Collision... Those are on my head. I''ve bounced between epting responsibility for my actions and denying it too. In some ways, I''m more like my mother... The same denial of responsibility and reactions. Talk about a hit to my pride and ego. I know I''m her favorite, and it''s hard to see anything about my mom as bad. The things that I do see as bad I inherited from her. No matter how much I want to deny it. Hailey is a chaotic mess sometimes, but that''s just who she is. Thinking about my family has me wondering what they''re doing. Dad said they''d be going on their own adventures back when I met up with them on the yer continent. Mom was devastated when we left, but I think she''s doing good. She''s having fun out there with her husband and Marcus. Knowing them, they''re probably doing something unreasonable. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:22 PM)~~~ There are a lot of people having fun out there now, but I''m not in the mood to get rekt by Sally in The Shattering. It''s not fun ying against her. Jasmine has decided to join them, leaving me alone in our room. My mind is empty right now. Nothing to think about seriously or for a long time. I''m pretty tired, to begin with. Hearing them having fun is making it harder to sleep. Not because I want to have fun with them, but because I can''t sleep. The good thing is they can be as loud as they want. No one is going toe over and give us a hard time. Not with the lockdown and everyone confined to their homes. The guards might say something, but they''ll all be dead tomorrow. We''re attacking earlier than I thought we would, but that''s great, in my opinion. Less time consumed doing all this grunt work. My brother and Helda would consider this necessary, and in a sense, I agree. I also think that too much preparation can be a bad thing too. They don''t know that wasted time nning is important too. That''s just the difference between my brother and me... Boy... We''vee a long way since those times mom, and I were ready to scratch each other''s eyes out. I was a terrible daughter, and the future me, from what Cera told me, isn''t better. The thought of bing a Crack Whore still makes me sick, but he told the truth. I know it. I''m d that my parents will never know this truth, and I''m d that I was smart enough to see that Cera was different. That he had an advantage, no one else had. My confrontation with him led to the knowledge I have now. I don''t know nearly as much as my brother. Knowing what I know already haunts me... I couldn''t imagine what it''s like for Cera. All the things he knows much fester in the back of his mind. I have a feeling that he''s a bomb that''s ready to explode if someone presses the right buttons. And that scares me. Cera has a lot of power. He''s basically a Godpared to the rest of the yers and normal NPCs. If he were to unload his trauma into a violent outrage, nothing short of another God could stop him. I''ve been thinking about going with him to The Kingdom of Avalon. Jasmine wouldn''t mind going with us. The bad part is we can''t all right on Cera. Three separate people using him as a flying carpet won''t work. However, there are other options. Airships leading out towards Avalon, and teleportation gates outside The Elven Kingdom since they''re not here. I need to go to Avalon, too, just like every other yer out there. It''s an important point for all sses and tiering-up. "You must be thinking about the same thing as me." My brother''s voice raises me from myzy stupor, and I lock eyes with him. Despite our differences in personality. We both like time to ourselves. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora-)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:31 PM)~~~ Sallyys down her card, and I cringe as I see it. Marking another win for her and another bitter loss for Meli. "GODS DAMNIT!! YOU''RE PULLING WINS OUT OF YOUR ASS!!" There is no way any of us are good enough to beat Sally at The Shattering. She''s won 5 games in a row, and we''re all getting sour about it. Her cards are not ones you''d win with, but the way she ys them every time makes me want to throw a rope around her neck and string her up. "Oh, c''mon guys! It''s getting easier every single time. At this point, I can win with my eyes closed!" Sally''s words have their intended effect, and we''re all giving her a look of death. She smiles in a confident, almost cocky, way as she ims her cards and prepares for another game. "Okay, I''m getting the next shot at her. I''m sick of this shit." Jasmine takes Melimora''s seat as Melimora gets up and leaves to cool off. There is fun in this, but not the same fun Sally is having right now. My eyes look towards the doorway, and I see a fuming Meli enter the bathroom and the mming of the door. "RRRAAAGGHHH!!!!" The next sound I hear after her scream of anger is ss exploding. She''s punched the mirror in the bathroom. It''s rare to see her that mad. I look at Sally, and she has a satisfied smile on her face. I wish someone were good enough to beat her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 408 - Night Before Final Fight In Greshina II {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:40 PM)~~~ Hailey and I haven''t spoken much since I decided to join her in a moment of silence. Everyone else is in the living room having fun. I don''t really know why I came here... Just the brother in me sensing a lot was going through my sister''s head. She''s staring up at the ceiling, and I''m leaning against the wall and have my legs crossed. Talking isn''t that rare between us, but when it''s something deep or meaningful, then that''s rare. I can''t read her mind, and I''m d that I can''t. But, there are moments that I wish I knew what was going through her head. "How do you cope with it?" I''m taken from my silent thoughts, and I look at Hailey. She''s locked eyes with me, and I can see the pain in them. I know what she''s talking about... My knowledge of the future and everything that I know. All the things I had to go through to get here. "I just do." My answer frustrates Hailey. She leans up and crawls her way over, and leans against the wall with me. Rxing her back against it. It''s been a long time since we sat together like this... Like we were kids again. We got along pretty well, but when Hailey hit puberty, things got rough. She was mean and spiteful, and always finding something to be mad at. "That''s not an answer, Cera. That''s a deflection..." She can call it whatever she wants, but it''s the truth. I have to take it and move forward. There is nothing to be done. So staying in the past will doom me. I don''t answer her again, which causes her to look away and lean her head on my shoulder. It''s weird to be like this... Supporting each other. We''ve both changed... I don''t know if matured is the right word... Suffered is the closet I can think of... Her learning the truth about her future self has affected her deeply. More than I thought it could. The room fills withughtering from the living room, and itsts for a few seconds. "I know I''ve said it before... But I''m sorry, Cera... There aren''t words to describe how I feel... I''ve can''t imagine what you''re really going through..." I don''t want to admit it. But that means more to me than I want her to know. The foolish male pride in me. She''s not the one to be sorry, and me being sorry about what I''ve done won''t get me anywhere. It''s time I move on from bouncing between epting responsibility and rejecting it. Leave it all behind me and look towards the future. Earth is gone, and the sins Imitted against it along with it. "Yeah, I''m sorry too." She moves her hand up to her eye and dries a forming tear. We bottle things up and keep them buried until they explode. I know that I''m... I was... At risk for that. Letting go of everything I''ve done is what''s making that explosion stop. "Fuck... Since when did we be so soft..." A goodugh escapes both our throats as Hailey brings us back to who we usually are. She stops leaning her head against my shoulder and gives it a wack. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:02 PM)~~~ The pouring rain has lightened to a softer drizzle. Giving us the time and opportunity to continue traveling. Marcus and Chris don''t like traveling at night, but we''re strong enough to take on anything that''s thrown our way. "Mommy... Why can''t we sleep for the night..." My youngest son tugs on my heartstrings, and I feel my resolve for moving tonight waver. My zealous nature to catch up with my kids has been driving me for a long time now, and now that I''m on the fine stretch, I don''t want to stop now. "C''mon, Honey... We need to take some time too. They''re not going anywhere..." Chris sides with Marcus, and I don''t me them for taking a united front against me. I would if the roles were switched. I stop in my track and turn to them, and the stop to. "You two can set up camp and rest for the night. I''m not going to stop now. Not when they''re so close." Chris rolls his eyes as if expecting this, which surprises me. I''ve never made a decision like this before. He picks up Marcus and ces him on his back. Looking back at me and encouraging that I move forward. Marcus closes his eyes fast, and Chris is moving ahead of me now. "Since you''re so dedicated to this idea, I''m not getting in the way of it. I want to see them too, and if that means a sleepless night and carrying Marcus, then I''m fine with that." He''s made so manypromises for me that he should''ve never had to make. A part of me hates for pushing so hard all the time, and another part is grateful that I do. I wouldn''t have gotten this far and so close to Cera and Hailey without that constant push. "You take my breath away, Chris... You really do..." He turns his head and looks down at me with a beaming smile. He''s the love of my life and soulmate. We came this far together, and I''ll never leave my husband behind for anything. He''s the father of my babies and the reason I know what true love is. "I''m d you think so, and I can say that you do the same to me every time I see you." He knows what to say when to say it. If Marcus weren''t here, I''d jump his bones like no tomorrow. ~~~(POV: Olisandra Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Deep in The Forest of Jelleria, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:22 PM)~~~ We''ve set up camp on a cliff edge overlooking arge portion of the forest leading into the mountains. Having high ground in an environment like this is important. Blezikel and I haven''t been talking much, but it''s not for any reason of negative origin. We just haven''t found anything to talk about since we''ve left home. In truth, it''s nice. The only things we discussed were based on what our futures as rulers would be, and now since that part of our lives are gone. I feel free. That I''m not bound by some predetermined role that I didn''t get to pick. That I''m not a pawn of fate. "Why has it been raining too much... It''s let up, but it''s still soggy and muddy..." That''s something we both hate about the rain. It''s not heavily storming anymore, but it''se into a sort of calm. I know it''s not over. The clouds outside our tent are dark and unmoving. "Why are you asking me? I''m not a mage or seer. I can''t know what''s causing all this." She snorts in annoyance at my answer, and I just smile at her. It''s fun to mess with her sometimes. She''s not a fan of it, but when she messes with me she thinks it''s a hoot. Part of being sisters. "No need for the sarcasm. I figured I could entertain this boring and empty silence." Good luck with that sister. If it were that easy. I would''ve done it by now. There isn''t much to be talked about. Not yet, but once we start having our adventures outside the Border Walls, there will be plenty to talk about. I''m looking forward to this next part of my life. It''s not written in stone of what might happen. And that excites me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 409 - Night Before Final Fight In Greshina III {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:30 PM)~~~ I''ve left Hailey alone, and I''m now in my room again, and the soundsing from the living room have gradually died down. Meaning that everyone should be getting ready to go to bed and get plenty of rest for tomorrow. I hear footsteps approaching the door to the bedroom, and it''s swung open. I''m met with a smiling Sally. Knowing her, she''s dominated in all the games she yed. "From that smile on your face, I take it you enjoyed winning all those games." She nods her head with more energy than someoneing to bed should have. The Shattering isn''t my game, and I don''t have a problem with that. Besides, getting some time to myself and time to speak with Hailey was more important to me. Sally plops down beside me on the ground and cuddles the furs and nkets. "Yeah, you should''ve seen Helda and Terox''s faces! It''s the funny thing ever! Melimora smashed the mirror in the bathroom from getting so mad." Wow. Didn''t know The Shattering could bring out such violence in people. Sally winning every game shows a good mind. I wrap my arm around her and bring her in close. Sheys her head on my chest and takes a deep breath. Exhaling it slowly and getting into a rxed state. "I was hoping that you''de and join the fun, but I can tell that you preferred to stay here." She knows me too well. I''m to list off reasons why. Just not wanting to do it is enough. My eyes slowly close, and I find a peace in me that I haven''t felt in many years. A true calmness that I didn''t know I could ever have again. "Get some sleep, Sally... I know it''ll be hard with what we''re doing tomorrow. I know that I need sleep for some focus." The n is finished, and we''ll be ying our roles tomorrow. Sally and I are heading to the Orvello Estate. Everyone else is heading towards the Pce using the underground passageways. Getting an easy way inside. "Cera... I know it''ste... But can we please... Y''know... Do it..." I raise my head in surprise and look down at her. "I need a way to rx my body and mind, and it''s been a while since we got to have that intimacy..." I didn''t expect to be asked that. We had already stopped once since there were people in this house that could hear us. "That depends on if you can be quiet or not. Cause I don''t want peopleining in the morning." Sally has gained significant confidence over thest day. More than I thought she ever could. Her being so forward with me and not beating around the bush is a good idea. She slowly crawls up my body until our noses are touching. Her blond elven hair falls on all sides of me like a golden waterfall. "I can''t make any promises, but I don''t think I can sleep tonight with it..." She closes the distance between our lips as her whispers end. The gentle connection between our lips meeting is enough to convince me. ~~~(POV: Queen Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:00 PM)~~~ My daughters are lost to me... They''re out of my reach now... My scouts and troops couldn''t find anything that could put a trail to where they were taken by their captures. Thest bit of love in my heart dies with their kidnapping, and now my resolve to purge the impure among our people burns hotter than ever before. My daughter''s involvement in my ns was integral, and now that they''re gone, I have to readjust. The half-breeds and mixed bloods among my people will be culled out starting tomorrow. "My Queen, all the troops and nobles are ready for your orders tomorrow. There is nothing left to prepare for." My military advisor informs me of the state of things. There are countless things that need to be done when this culling begins, and the blood of the impure and mixed with wash away in the streets. Giving birth to a new Elven people. One that knows only superiority and blood purity. "Good, you may leave. I must be alone." My advisor lowers his head and exits my office. I stand up and head for the door leading to another part of my office, and as I open it, I see the knowledge of everything left by my ancestors. The royal library and all the questions I''ve ever needed answered are from these bookshelves. "You don''t know what you''re doing... The damage that you''ll cause..." My attention is taken from a voice identical to my own. I turn and look into a mirror, and I see a different version of myself. One that tried to control my actions, but because of her weakness has lost everything she''s ever loved. "Speak for yourself, Coward. I''m doing what''s needed. Something that you never knew how to do." Some would im that I''ve lost my mind, but I''ve never been clearer. She adopts a sad expression and looks at the locket around her neck. One that was stolen from me a long time ago. "I''ve fallen so far... To think that there will be nothing left of the Elven Kingdom after you... I hope you rot in the deepest parts of the Underworld." Her voice shifts into hollow anger. It''s haunting to hear a version of yourself say that. It''s not enough to discourage me in the slightest. She rips the locket off her neck and tosses it to the ground. Locking eyes with me again. "There is nothing more to be said. You''ll never change. You''re better off dead. Something that''sing, but you''re too blinded to see." I take no value from her words. She closes her eyes, and she fades away. I blink, and all I see is myself in the mirror now. Free from the constant bother of the husk of my former self. ~~~(POV: Blezikel Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Deep in The Forest of Jelleria, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:23 PM)~~~ Olisandra is sleeping next to me, but I can''t... I keep being reawoken from the same nightmare over and over again. Mom being killed on her throne, and Greshina burning like nothing ever before. A great cmity ising to Greshina... I feel like that... They''re just nightmares, though... Dad would always tell me to listen to my dreams... They could be insights into the future... He and I shared a bond that I can''t put into words. I was shattered the day he died... Not as badly as mom was... She changed after that... She became a heartless tyrant only concerned with what all nobles concern themselves with... I hope that father is looking down on us now and cheering for us to escape. He was apassionate king... I hoped to rule like him, but mom made sure that was never going to happen. For a long time, I agreed with her. But after seeing all the pain and death the innocent of our people suffer from I couldn''t anymore. I couldn''t ignore it. Running away was the best decision Olisandra, and I could''ve ever made. It''s our only way to a good life. She shifts beside me, and I can only hope she isn''t having the same nightmares as me. When we were kids, she would have the same dreams as me. We would wake up in bed, screaming for our daddy. He''d alwayse rushing... I remember the first night that he didn''t. That pain still pierces my heart, but I''ve learned to deal with that kind of pain... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 410 - Judgement I {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safe House in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:35 AM)~~~ A steady breath escapes my lips as I open my eyes. I look around at the ceiling, and I take a moment to gather my thoughts. My left side is upied by Sally, and we''re stuck together by a thin line of sweat. Once I lean up, she peels off me and rolls on her side. Turning her back to me and taking the nkets with her. I pull up my menu as I stand up. I equip my gear, and I make my way towards the door. I''m probably the only one up at this time, but that just gives me some extra time to myself. Making my way to the living room as quietly as I can doesn''t go so well. The natural creaking of the house makes it hard to move silently. I take a seat on the ratty couch, and dust is kicked off. My mind is clear, and my conscious even more. Sally getting sleep means she put today''s monumental task aside and got some sleep. It''s an important thing to do. After today, the Elven Kingdom will be free. But more importantly, Sally would have had her revenge, and we''ll move to bigger ces that I need to handle. The Kingdom of Avalon is on my mind right now, and I''m looking forward to seeing the Kingdom made for yers again this life. "Didn''t think you''d be up yet." Helda walks into the living room and stands in front of me. "Not after what all the noiseing from your room indicated. Thought you guys would never go to sleep." We didn''t do it for that long. It was 10:30 when we stopped. She sighs and takes a seat next to me. Running a hand through her hair and leaning her head against the torn couch behind her neck. "Sally is still asleep. I''m not someone with the best sleep schedule. Being up this early is something I''m used to." Helda isn''t the most talkative person, but she''se to trust me and I, her. You could even say we''re friends. There are plenty of things that her group has to handle getting into the Pce, and it''s far more difficult than what Sally and myself are doing. "Normally, I''d ask if you think Sally is ready for this. But not anymore. She has the confidence needed to make this happen." Yeah, I''d be a bit worried. That was before... Before she gained the confidence needed and a form of independence from my power. I have no doubt she''s going to inflict every transgression she''s suffered 10 fold because of her family. I''m not a normal person, I have a streak of bloodthirstiness, and some people hate that about me. The ones that know. I think it''s one of my best qualities. It allows me to be what I need to be. "How long do you think it''ll take you guys?" That''s all up to Sally. She''s going to want to take her time and make sure they feel some of the pain she''s had to live with. Nothing will stop us, and while thinking like that is dangerous, it''s true. "Longer than what you''re nning. Sally probably intends to make them suffer. If you do need help, Hailey will be there." My sister is the strongest person I know. Right behind me. ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: Passageways under Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:12 AM)~~~ Melimora and I are leading everyone towards the Pce. Cera and Sally are the only ones that aren''t here right now. "Remember your roles, everyone. Hailey and Jasmine will be killing important nobles. Le and Freskra will be taking out every guard possible. Meli, Ashburn, and I will face the Queen in the throne room." This is the basics of our n. There are multiple moving parts, but if everyone does what they''re supposed to do, then nothing will go wrong. "Do you think the Queen will give you any problems? You''re strong, Helda. But Queen Oryzox holds a Legacy ss." I don''t like being asked this. It''s a little insulting, but there is nothing I can do about it. I''ll give it my best, but she''s dying today no matter what. Terox is the only one that isn''t here right now, given how we decided she wasn''t strong enough inbat to really benefit anyone on this side. So she''s staying back and is only supposed toe and help if we need it. "That depends, Hailey. If the rumors about her power are true, then I don''t see myself winning without help, but I''m still doing it." My pride gets in the way sometimes. There isn''t anything I can do in regards to suppressing my pride. I''ve already done it enough to get over my issues with Terox. "Jasmine and I will hit our targets fast and hard. I want to be avable if you do need my help in the end." She''s trying to be nice, and I know that. It just sucks being thought of as not strong enough. It''s one of the worst things. My life and struggles have meant little to me. In the sense that I didn''t think I was born for some greater purpose. I can''t help thinking that this is destiny. That this is something that was written before anyone in my family was born. "Don''t worry about us. You two need to make sure you do a good job. All the most important nobles stay in the Pce." Other than the Orvello''s. Sally and Cera are on their way towards the Orvello Estate right about now. Probably discussing a n of attack. Reviewing information and guard patrol patterns. An all-out assault against the Orvello''s will draw way too much attention too fast. So they''re going at it slow. A smart move, in my opinion. Something we have done traveling through this passageway. Melimora didn''t have to stand up for me like that. Hailey isn''t bothered by it, and neither is Jasmine. "The guards in the Pce are the strongest the Elven Military has to offer. While we''re all stronger than them individually, that doesn''t mean we''re invincible. Hailey won''t have any problems. The rest of us will if we face them inrge numbers. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Rooftop looking out into The Orvello Estate, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:35 AM)~~~ Cera stands at my side silently, and we both haven''t spoken in a few minutes. Mainly from us trying to think of the best approach without making a loud approach. "I know of a way to do this quick and hard, but we''ll need to wait until the attack on the Pce starts." He speaks out of nowhere, and while I don''t want to wait that long. I know he''s good at ns. Hearing out what he wants to do is easy. So I turn to him and give him a look for an exnation. "When the Pce is attacked. All forces will move to defend it. Meaning, at the moment the guards start to move. I''ll toggle my wings and Divine Title on. All the while deactivating my potions effects and bing human again." That''s a pretty good n, and I like it. When he activates his Divine Title, everyone in the area will be notified through an announcement from the church. The chaos will cause an opening for us and the others that will attack the Pce. "I''m fine doing it this way, but when we meet, my family let me do all the talking." He nods his head a single time, and we go back to looking at the Estate. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 411 - Judgement II {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Rooftop looking out into The Orvello Estate, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:41 AM)~~~ Cera and I are waiting on the edge for the chaos at the Pce to start. There isn''t much time before I finally get revenge for my mother and me. "When do you think our chance to attack will open up?" Cera ns to activate his Divine Title to cause even more chaos and confusion. I''m bing jumpier. Any minute now, we''ll be attacking the Estate. He takes a breath and folds his arms. Closing his eyes at the same time. "In theing minutes. They know the path, and they should be entering the Pce. They''ll need a minute or two to cause enough trouble to bring attention from here. But it''ll be fast." He hasn''t stopped staring at the Estate, and the only times I look away from it are to look at him. I wonder what my mother would say at this moment... Would she support this? I don''t know... I didn''t know her... And that''s their fault. "Tell me about what was in your mother''s diaries. You said it was all you had to get to know her." Cera speaks out of nowhere, and I see that he''s turned from looking at the Estate and is now looking at me. I''ve read over my mom''s diaries countless times. It was all I had of her. I grew up as a ve, and she died shortly after I was born. The James family was a hellscape that I didn''t think I''d ever escape. It was her diaries that kept me sane. "She would write about her travels and where she''d been before bing a ve... Her favorite part was eating new things..." That''s something I have inmon with my mom. Cera squats down next to me and is showing that he wants to hear more. "There was a point that she thought her life couldn''t get any better. She was traveling with friends and adventurers for a long time... After a while, they were caught in an ambush, and the women and children were taken as ves. My mother was in them..." This was before she was sold to the James family. The bandit leader that defiled my mother is also my father. She never stated his name in her diaries. Only the tortures she had to endure from the man. "Despite being forced. When she learned she was pregnant with me. She loved me no matter what... That''s what her diaries say..." He gives a half-smile and decides to stop squatting and sit down. There is a deep part of me that wishes my mom was here with me... That she could share this moment. The family that betrayed her and the royal family inmand of the corrupt Kingdom. "I could never be that strong... Not in her shoes or your shoes..." Cera decides to fill the silence, and I find his words hard to believe. He''s the strongest person I know, and he can handle anything in my eyes. I''m not dependent on his power anymore, but I see that if anyone had true mental toughness. It''d be him. He sees my confused look and smiles. "It''s the truth, Sally... If I were in your role and your life, I''d have failed and died a long time ago..." It''s weird to hear this... But... Also good... It makes me feel stronger in myself. Even though I''ve gained all the confidence I''ll ever need. I appreciate that he''s telling me this. "Thanks... I wish my mom could hear that in person... She endures a thousand times worse than me... Her diary talks about what she had to go through..." A person born into very is easier to control than someone who isn''t... She was punished and tortured repeatedly for disobeying and trying to escape. There was one time she almost made it out, but she was too big with me and couldn''t move as fast as she needed to. When I read that, I died a bit inside... "You don''t have to talk anymore... Looks like we''ve got our window." He stands up straight, and I look toward the Estate to see soldiers and guards rushing towards the exits. Cera''s golden wings appear from his back, and a Divine Title appears above his head. The Church announces the presence of Cera to Greshina. He reaches out his arm towards me. I take it, and he pulls me close. He ps his wings hard as he keeps me attached. We fly high into the air. After getting high enough, we dive down and crash right through the top of the main building. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:52 AM)~~~ The notification of Cera activating his Divine Title leaves my screen, and I focus on killing thest of my targets. We''ve been discovered, but Jasmine and I have done our part. Helda and her group are confronting the Elven Queen at this moment. "Now that these guys are handled... Let''s go." I need to be there if Helda needs my backup facing the Queen. Jasmine and I hurry through the halls and pass bodies that litter the floor. Bodies of the men that we''ve killed getting to all of our targets. "Why did Cera activate his Divine Title? Doesn''t that seem a little counterproductive?" Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on who you ask. I think it''s perfect. It adds more chaos to what''s happening. Giving us more of a window to do what we need, and that''s taking out Queen Oryzox. "He''s doing it to cause confusion and chaos among the ranks of our enemies here. We''re almost to the throne room. Remember, we''re not to interfere unless Helda asks us." Helda feels like she needs to do this. A true elf has to kill the Elven Queen. It''s nice to be free from looking like an elf, and I''m happy to say that I never want to go back. I see the massive doors leading into the throne room, and we slow down. I ce my hand on the door and slowly push it open. What I''m met with is a confrontation. Helda and her group are staring down Queen Oryzox on her throne. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Road to The Capital, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:54 AM)~~~ We should be reaching Greshina in 20 or so minutes. Traveling through the rain and night has helped us cover enough ground to be this closee morning. Marcus is now awake and walking beside us. There is a sudden message on my yer screen, and it shows that yer Zern has activated his Divine Title. That''s Cera... He''s doing something! Chris and I look at each other, and we''ve found out that certain titles can only be seen through special conditions. One of them is range. We''ve just gotten into range of seeing the announcement of our son activating his Divine Title. "We''re close, Honey. How about we run the rest of the way. It''ll cut the time in half." He read my mind. Marcus is picked up, and we''re already running hard. Hailey and Cera are just up ahead, and we''re getting close. Closer than we''ve ever been before on this entire trip of trying to find them. I can''t help wondering what they look like... I don''t think they''ve changed, but they might still look like elves. If they do, Hailey will be hard to find. Cera, on the other hand, will be easy. All we have to do is find the man with a floating title above his head saying The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. "I can''t wait to see Hailey and Cera!" Marcus lets out a small cheer, and I feel a boost in my energy at his words. It''s been so long since I saw them... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 412 - Judgement III {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Orvello Estate in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:56 AM)~~~ My attention is on Sally as she carves through another pair of guards. I spin and use my wings as des. The surrounding soldiers are split and torn apart. I dash forward and kill two more with a single sh of The Witness. I bring my wings in front of me, and I block two different attacks. I feel their swords break against my wings. Sally leaps over the top of me and dispatches the two soldiers, and takes their heads off with precise swings of her sword. "The main room should be ahead, but we have more to go through to get to them." Sally keeps the conversation short as another group of soldiers and guardse around the corner. In a st of speed, everything slows down, and I cut through them like water. My perception of time goes back to normal, and Sally looks towards me and the bodies a little disappointed. "What? This saves us time. Do you really want me to save some for you?" She rolls her eyes and catches up to me. My wings are spread out and carving paths through the walls that are in their way. It''s an intimidating sight. It has an effect on the group ahead. "How many guards do they have?" We''ve already killed a good number, and their forces are spread thin thanks to all the chaos. Before I can attack, Sally heads off before me and kills them faster than I''ve seen her kill anything. The reason being we''re getting very close to where her family is located. They should''ve tried to escape, but if they were doing that, there wouldn''t be so many guards trying to halt our progress to where they''re at. "It doesn''t matter how many there are. I''m not letting any of them get in the way of this." Her response is a little more bloodthirsty than what I''m used to, but I don''t have a problem with any of it. I catch up to her in a burst of speed, and we walk side by side as massive doors approach, and arge single soldier is guarding the door. "You''ll not get through. I don''t know why you''ve attacked the great house of Orvello, yer Zern. But this is where your life ends." He draws his sword and gets into a defensive stance. This is an absolute joke to me. I literally have health Tens in the billions and Mana in the Hundreds of Billions. Iunch forward and spin like a corkscrew. Using my wings to tear through him and the door that he''s guarding. Ind in the center of the room, and I see the entire Orvello Family. "This is absurd!!!" Who I assume is the matriarch speaks, but instead of responding, I step aside. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Pce Throne Room, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:59 AM)~~~ The Elven Queen Oryzox stands and slowly descends the stairs leading up to her throne, and everyone moves back, so only Helda is the one that remains forward. "So this is the one that will be fighting me. Why yer Zern is here is unknown to me, but I have a feeling he''s ying a part in this." It''s an obvious deduction to assume my brother is helping. Since people know he''s here, that makes things easy to connect. "Most people would make a speech, but I''m not going to do that. You either know what you''re doing is wrong, or you''re too out of your mind to know." Helda cuts any sort of conversation short. The Queen raises an eyebrow and ces a hand on her de''s handle. She slowly draws it out and gets into a guard. "As you wish, peasant. This is thest day you will desecrate my throne room with your miserable life." I fold my arms and take a seat on a free chair to witness and enjoy the fight. Helda gets into a guard too and shifts her feet. I don''t know who will attack first, but I''m eager to see where all this goes. In the blink of an eye to a normal person, Oryzox leaps from her spot andpletely catches Helda off guard with her speed. Helda narrowly dodges a sh that would''ve taken her head off. They''re moving fast, but not fast enough for me to lose them. "You move well for a lowborn peasant." Oryzox is quick to start the insults in the battle. Those won''t work on Helda, and she''s finding that out the hard way. They''re shing de to de. One not faltering or giving advantage to the other. Helda is turning her body in a way that only a woman can, and Oryzox is fighting in a way that I''d consider beautiful. It''s almost like their dancing. But this is much different than that. They''re evenly matched when ites to skill with the sword, so they both decide to kick it up a notch and start incorporating skills and powerful unorthodoxbos. "It won''t be as easy as you think. You''re not leaving this Pce alive." Helda talks and gets an angry scowl from Oryzox. Making her be more violent and less precise with her attacks. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Orvello Estate in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:01 AM)~~~ My eyes lock with the matriarch of the family. My mother''s father. My grandfather. "I demand to know why strangers have burst into my family''s home and are killing my loyal soldiers and guards!! I''m Jezix Orvello! And I''ll be respected!!" This is the man who condemned my mother, and he doesn''t even know who I am. It takes all the willpower I have not to draw my de. All those words were intended for me since it''s easy to see who Cera is. "You''re a pathetic excuse for a man and a worm and coward of a father." My direct and blunt insult causes Jezix to stutter at the tant disrespect I''m showing him. I''m not finished, and I''m going to make sure he knows every transgression he''smitted against me. He stands up from his throne in anger and stomps down the steps. His wife, my grandmother, looks worried. She''s staring at Cera in fear, and I see another elven girl. One that I don''t know, but will die all the same. "Tell me who you are, you wretch!! You''ll know respect when I''m through with you." My grandmother looks like she wants to get up and stop him. Before he can move any closer, I draw my sword, and the tip ends right at his Adam''s apple. He takes a deep gulp, and sweat slowly forms on his temple. "My name is Saliandra Orvello, and I''vee to avenge my mother and kill this entire family for the betrayal youmitted against her." His eyes go wide, and he bes paler. He takes a step back and tries to find words to speak. "How in the hell did you escape... I was assured my useless daughter and her filthy halfbreed daughter would be handled..." As those words leave his mouth, all I see is red. I dash forward and drive the tip of my de through his shoulder. Making sure not to kill him. "ARGH!!" He cries out in pain as I pin him to the ground. Cera leaps in front of me to make sure none of the other family members try to get in the way. "NONE OF YOU WILL MOVE!!!" I scream out from behind Cera as I twist my de in Jezix''s shoulder, and he groans out in pain. He grips the de and tries to pull it out, but he can''t get it to budge. "You''ll know pain when I''m done with you!!" Finally!! They''re all mine to punish!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 413 - Judgement IV {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Orvello Estate in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:03 AM)~~~ Jezix looks into my eyes, and I see no remorse for the atrocities that he''smitted against my mother. The damned existence her set upon her. "TELL ME!!! TELL ME WHY YOU DID IT!!" I was told it''s because she was captured by bandits and lost her pure status. Arge part of me knows that there is more to it than that. Politics at work. I twist the de, and he lets out a long growl. "Knowing the truth will make no difference now, so it can die with my family and me..." It takes a piece of my soul not to end him right now. I pull out the de and shove it into his other shoulder. "RRAAAHH!!!" He lets out a yell from the pain, but it''s not as loud as the first time. He doesn''t know the true suffering he''s about to endure. "Fine, Jezix''s. Perhaps seeing the family you do care about and love die in front of you will change your mind." His eyes slowly widen, and he tries to struggle free, but my sword is cleanly through and pinning him to the ground. I look towards Cera. "Get the wife." He nods his head and slowly makes his way towards her. She tries to escape, but he''s too fast and pulls her by the scalp and throws her towards me. "DON''T YOU TOUCH JESIZA!!!" Jezix is fast to try and fight for his wife. I turn my attention towards her and make my way over. I pin her under my boot, and I lean over. Punching her square in the nose. An immediate crack is heard, and Jezix''s struggles harder. Cera makes sure that no one else is trying to get away, and he''s leaving me to do what I need to. "If he won''t tell me the truth, maybe you will. You can spare yourself some pain." She closes her eyes and turns her head away. "Thought so." I ball up my hand into a fist and give three right hooks in a row. Her face is starting to swell. Jezix is trying with all his strength to pull out the de, but it won''t move. It''ll keep him pinned for as long as he needs. I grab Jesiza by her mouth and force her to look at me. "Start talking, or I''m going to smash your teeth out next." She remains silent, and I spin her on her stomach and grab her hair. In the next second, I smash her head and mouth against the floor. Her teeth fly out along with the blood that goes with them. After getting the majority of them to break and fall out, she''s nearly unconscious. "YOU''LL PAY FOR THIS!! I SWEAR TO THE GODS ABOVE YOU''LL SUFFER FOR EVERYTHING YOU''RE DOING!!!" Jezix''s words don''t scare me in the slightest. I spin Jesiza back towards me, and her eye unswollen eye is fluttering open and closed. She''s going to lose consciousness, and she won''t be any more use to me. "Since your closing your eyes, I might as well end your miserable existence." I pull an extra dagger from my boot, and I drive it into her throat. She starts choking on her blood and staring me in the eyes as her life fades. Jezix is screaming at the top of his lungs about how he''ll get revenge. My attention is turned towards the girl, the youngest one in the room. "Grab her." As I stand and point, Jesiza bleeds to death. Gripping her throat and trying to breathe. Cera darts towards the girl and grabs her by the neck, and tosses her down to me. Shends at my feet and looks up at me. If I had to guess, she''s a rtive of mine. Jezix starts to freak out and struggle even harder. His bones are cracking, and his desperation is bing so much more enjoyable. He feels a fraction of what I''ve had to endure. The helplessness... The weakness... Theck of control... "DON''T YOU DARE LAY A HAND ON HER!! SHE''S THE LAST DAUGHTER OF THE ORVELLO HOUSE!!" That means she''s my cousin. I reach out for her, and before I can grab her by the neck, Jezix decides to speak. "OKAY!! OKAY, I''LL TELL YOU THE TRUTH!! JUST SPARE HER!! SHE''S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF THIS!!!" My attention is back on Jezix, and he scowls at me as I stand above him. He takes a few calming breaths. I didn''t think he''d break. His weaknesses were right beside him, and he still acted so arrogantly. "You... You''re not a half-breed... Your mother... She became pregnant with you after sharing a bed with the Crown Prince before he died... The First Born of the Throne and Oryzox''s son..." Umm... What!? What the fuck kind of lie is this!! Mom never said anything about that in her diaries! It''s a lie! As I''m moving to deal a killing blow to the girl, he pleads in desperation for me to listen. "Your mother and the prince were discovered, and she brought shame upon our house... We cast her out because you jeopardized the line of session for Oryzox''s daughters... That''s the truth..." No! Mom would''ve written about this in her diary!! He looks at me in defeat and takes another breath. "Yeah... I condemned my eldest daughter to a ve''s life... I let it happen... Only from the fear of having my entire house destroyed... We''re not as powerful as we once were... Queen Oryzox would''ve killed all of us..." I don''t know what to do... My instinct makes me turn to Cera, and my emotions are stered all over me. Cera doesn''t know how to react either... He''s shocked too... "You have the rightful im to the Elven Throne... You are the eldest and only daughter of Queen Oryzox''s only son... Your father was exiled too... He''s still alive out there... My spies said he''s somewhere in Avalon..." My entire world has been turned upside down... Is this the truth? How do I know he''s not lying!? He takes a deep breath and looks towards my cousin. "Please... I told you what you wanted to know... I gave you the truth... Let her live... She''s the future of our house..." I look down, and all I see is a frightened girl that can''t speak from the terror she''s in... She reminds me so much of me... Before I know it, Cera is beside me with his hand on my back. Cera wraps his arm around me and brings me into a hug. "I know this is hard to hear... I don''t know what I''d be thinking in your situation... What do you want to do?" His question causes pain to rip through me. I pull away from him and walk over to Jezix. I stand over him and pull my de out. He releases a long groan. I bring the sword over my shoulder and prepare to lop off his head. "Everyone in this house dies except for her. This is the penance for your sins." He doesn''t fight it, and he closes his eyes in eptance. I bring my sword down, and his head flies off. The girl lets out a horrid cry, and she''s doing all she can to resist grabbing her dead grandparents. I turn my attention to the rest in the room, and I give a single nod to Cera. We both leap, and we quickly kill everyone. The walls and ceiling are painted crimson, and the blood runs through the room in all directions. "Let''s get out of here. I want to see what the others are up to." Cera walks beside me as we leave now that we''re finished. This didn''t go the way I wanted it to. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 414 - Judgement V {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Leaving the Orvello Estate in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:06 AM)~~~ That was a lot of information that I wasn''t expecting... I knew that Sally was a special girl, but I never thought she''d be a princess. She didn''t even know. Her mother never said anything about this. "Is this good or bad, Sally?" I can''t help thinking this is a bit better... Her real father isn''t some random bandit. Her father is even still alive. At the location where we''re going. It''s hard to believe that she''s really an Oryzox. That''s her realst name. She''s supposed to take after her father. And her father is the son of Queen Oryzox. "I don''t know how to feel... This isn''t something I ever thought possible, and I never imagined there was a chance of this happening..." She''s taking it better than I thought she would. The confidence she''s built is helping her, and it''ll bring her through this revtion. "Does this change things between us... Should we tell what we learned to the others?" She brings up valid topics. I''ll never change how I''ll feel about her, but the others might be apprehensive about learning the truth about Sally. The truth we just learned. We''re slowly walking out of the estate and taking time to process the information. "Nothing will ever change the way I feel about you, Sally. But we shouldn''t say anything to the others when we reach them. It''ll be our secret." She doesn''t immediately react, and that''s good. She slows down and walks beside me as we walk out of the mansion on the estate. We stop, and my wings spread out, and I grab Sally. "Next stop, the Pce. Hailey and the other should be facing off with Queen Oryzox. Hopefully, Helda was able to handle her without any problems." She hugs me tighter, and I p my wings hard, and we soar into the sky. I level out and adjust to head towards the Pce. Helda is probably strong enough to take on Queen Oryzox. Hailey being there assures a safe and deathless battle on our side of this conflict. "When we get there, should we just bust through the roof ore through the doors. Cause we''re approaching fast." I want to hear Sally''s idea. While it doesn''t make that big a difference, it''s still important to me. She takes a few seconds to think about it, but I feel like I already know her answer. "Let''se through the roof. I don''t want to waste any time. I want to ask the Queen something before she dies. I''ll need your help to keep the other busy while I ask her." She''s going to ask about her father. I don''t me her. She just learned about him. The Pce is quicklying into view, and I grip Sally a bit more to brace for the dive and through the roof. "Get ready. This is going to be a bit bumpy." Once over the roof, I dive down and wrap Sally into my wings right before breaking through the ceiling. Making sure to protect her. We break through, and I see everything in slow motion. I see everyone turning to see us breaking through, and the fight between Helda and Queen Oryzox is halted to see us. Hailey and I lock eyes since we''re the only ones that can move at this speed and perceive each other. She''s still faster than me. I spin and spread my wings open andnd on the ground hard with Sally safely in my arms. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:08 AM)~~~ My attention is taken from the battle, and I watch Cerand with Sally in her arms. Looks like they''ve handled what they needed. "Gods above... He''s really here..." I look back towards Queen Oryzox and Helda, and I hear said Queen voicing her disbelief. "Why!? Why are you doing this, yer Zern!?" Helda tries to take advantage of the distraction and attacks. It almost works, but Queen Oryzox is good enough to barely dodge and leap back. Taking deep breaths as she does. Cera folds his arms and makes his way over to us with Sally beside him. "Helda, don''t kill her. Sally and I need to speak to her alone." We all give him confused looks, and I don''t know what he''s nning. They must want information Queen Oryzox has. Why do they want to speak with her? Helda doesn''t look happy about that, but Queen Oryzox will still die. Before anything else can be said, the doors to the throne room swing open, and there is a group of people. They look familiar, but I don''t think I''ve met them. My eyes meet the mans, and I freeze. "Daddy?" That man looks so simr to my father, but he''s an elf. In the span of a second, their looks change to that of our family. My mom, my dad, and Marcus are here... "What the hell..." Cera takes the words right out of my mouth. Mom is staring right at Cera. She starts to run hard and move fast. Leaping at Cera, and he can do nothing but catch. Not because he misses her, but because it''s what you should do. She starts crying and choking on her voice. "My sweet baby boy... I''ve missed you so much..." Way to y the favorite subtle, mom... "I never thought I''d ever see you again... We''ve been trying to catch up to you for so long..." How in the hell did they even know where we were? She lets go of Cera and turns to me as dad and Marcus shows up. Our eyes lock, and she starts to cry, and for some reason, it means a lot to me. "My little girl... Your hair has gotten so long..." I can''t helpughing a little. My hair has gotten long, and Cera''s has too. We''re back in our human looks. She brings me into a hug and kisses the top and sides of my head. She lets go of me, and everyone is looking at us, confused. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:12 AM)~~~ I don''t know how to react to what''s happening now. Cera and Hailey are apparently meeting up with their parents. I keep looking at the mother. She''s the one that will approve of Cera and me... Before anything else can happen, we all hear de sh, and our attention is taken by the battle between Helda and Queen Oryzox continues. They''re both fighting hard, and they''re sweating. I look at the Queen, and I don''t know how to feel... She''s my grandmother, but she''s a horrible and tyrannical leader. But she knows where my father is, where I might be able to find him. "I''m getting sick of this, Peasant! I''m ending this!" She leaps back and starts to power up some attacks that I assume are powerful. Helda prepares to tank the attack, but Cera clenches. "Dodge that! You don''t want to take a hit from that!" Helda barely reacts to the st of power, and she''s caught in the explosion. As the smoke clears, Helda has taken damage. Her entire right side is bloody, and she''s breathing hard. He right arm is limply hanging next to her. This isn''t good, and Hailey is about to step in. Before she can, Helda holds up her good hand. "Don''t interfere! It''ll mean nothing if an elf can''t beat her!" She stops and lets out a sigh. Helda''s pride and stubbornness ising back to bite her. "If I''m to die in this battle, I''m taking her with me." It''s hard to hear that... But a part of me wants to step in. I can fight and beat her. I''m an elf. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 415 - A Kingdom And People Freed {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:13 AM)~~~ Queen Oryzox has nearly mortally wounded me with thatst attack. Calling off Hailey is a foolish thing to do, but if an elf doesn''t free the elven people, nothing will change. "Peasant, you can''t go on. If you and your friends submit, I''ll be merciful. If yer Zern joins my Kingdom, I''ll even let you go." Cera would never do something like that, and he''d kill her before that would happen. Blood ising out of me fast, and my right arm is numb. It isn''t moving when I try. "There is only one way this ends, Queen Oryzox. Either you die, or we both do. Your madness and rule areing to an end. The elven people will be free from your tyranny." I straighten my body and take a breath. My fighting arm is disabled, but that doesn''t me this is over. Before I can press for an attack, a golden light envelops me, and all my wounds are healed. I turn to see Cera holding out his hand and using his healing skills on me. "I won''t do this again, so fight smarter." I send him a smile and mentally thank him. He gives a half-grin and finishes healing me. Queen Oryzox lets out a little growl and stands across from me. She''s a reasonable distance away, and now I have an advantage. As badly as I wanted to finish this fight without any outside help. Getting healed is something I needed. "I''m sick of ordinary people thinking they have a say!! You are nothing but the dirt beneath my boot!!" She charges forward in anger in our des sh. She''s moving a little slower than she did before, and that''s from using so much mana on one attack. In a sh, she drives the tip of her de towards my heart, but I block it with the t end of my de and kick her away. She twirls in the air andnds,ing back at me with another attack. I parry and twist her de to cause an opening. I take a jab at her heart. Queen Oryzox narrowly dodges the attack, and I get a good cut on her shoulder. It''s not nearly fatal or stops her from attacking, but it''s bleeding good. She backflips away, and I pressure her. Giving her no time to gather a defense. She''s recoiling from the power of my attacks and gritting her teeth in anger. "Filthy peasant!!" Her retaliation ising. Her speed increases, and she kicks me away and follows fast. Jabbing the tip of her de towards all the vital areas of my body. I''m blocking and parrying her attacks, and I use her unstable mood to shift my position and get inside her guard. I y dirty, and I headbutt the shit out of her. Arge crackes from her nose, and it''s pouring blood. She jumps back and tries to regain bnce. I''m betting that disorientated her good. Wasting no time, I dash forward, and I jab the tip of my de through her left shoulder. "ARRGGHH!!!" She stopped a fatal attack on her heart, but she''s sacrificed her shoulder. She pushes me away, and my dees with me. Leaving a clean and debilitating injury. Her left shoulder and arm are hanging to the side, and she''s lost all mobility. Figured I hit a nerve or tendon in there. "What''s the matter, Queen? Never felt a real injury before?" Her fury is boiling over, and you can see it all over her. Blood is leaking from her nose and shoulders. "I told you. This isn''t over until you''re dead or we both are. I''m not losing here." I''vee too far to fail now. To my surprise, she takes a calming breath. I can''t let her gain any ground. I have to keep attacking her. So, instead of allowing her to gain a foothold. I attack and let a blitz of strikes out. She''s doing her best to block and parry my attacks with one arm, but the power behind my strikes is starting to wear her out. But she feints a weakness and shes my side. It''s not deep enough to kill me, but it''s bleeding, and if I move the way I am, I''m going to make it worse. "Don''t think I''m going toy down and die, Peasant. No matter how much ground you gain, this victory you desperately want wille with a great challenge. You may win, but not before dying yourself." I''m prepared for that. But that doesn''t mean I''m going to let it happen. ~~~(POV: Melimora)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:16 AM)~~~ They''re not going to give the other the win. Helda is determined to be the one that frees the oppressed people of The Elven Kingdom. Her motivations and dedication to this are probably going to cost her everything. "Mind telling us what''s going on?" Cera''s... Mother... Decides to break the silence that was held for this battle. Cera and Hailey didn''t expect to see their parents, not today. Their faces tell everything. "That''s Helda Vora. She''s a friend and fighting for the freedom of the elven people in this battle." Hailey starts to talk, and I would think Cera should be the one to exin it to them. Not that it''s bad, but I just would''ve thought Cera be the one. My eyes aren''t on them anymore. My attention is on the battle, and Helda slowly gains an advantage. Regardless of her wound. "What are you guys really doing here?" The sudden question from Cera almost takes my mind off the battle. Cera isn''t a person that likes surprises. That much I know. His parents showing up out of nowhere is a surprise, to be sure. His wings are still out. The reason I can tell is from him still having them spread out. Nearly engulfing the entire group. "What''s wrong with wanting to finally reunite with our kids? Do you really not want us around that bad?" Violet, the mother, decides to respond before anyone else can. All I hear from Cera is silence. All the conversations stop as Helda and Queen Oryzox unleash powerful skills. Negating in a sh of power that hasn''t happened in the fight yet. I''ll give the Queen credit. She''s far stronger and more capable than I believed her to be. "We''re ending this! Here and now!!" I''m taken aback by the sudden outburst from Helda. ~~~(POV: Queen Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:18 AM)~~~ I''ve lost a lot of blood... Everything is starting to go grey... My arms and legs are feeling heavier by the second... I''m dying... She''s won... I try my hardest to keep up with her new onught of attacks, but she opens my guard, and the next thing I feel is numbness in my right arm. I look with my blurry grey vision, and my arm is gone. "Oh..." In the next second, I feel her de sink into my chest. It hurts... It truly does... But not as bad knowing that I don''t know what happened to my daughters. "Wait! Don''t kill her!! I need to speak with her!!" A distorted voice bounces around my head as I''m lifted off the ground a little in someone''s arms. "Please... Tell me where your son is... Tell me where my father is..." Father? My son? I see... Saliandra Orvello... Now I know why yer Zern is here and why this attack has urred... My life is slowly fading. "My son... He was exiled to where the Kingdom of Avalon now sits... He was there before it appeared... I don''t know where he is specifically... But he''s somewhere near Tesi-..." My voice leaves me as I feel a tremendous cold ovee me... My eyes are heavy, and I close them... All that I see is darkness... Before a light appears... A man walks to me... Grabbing my hand and my weakness is gone. "Are youing? Sweetcakes." I know that voice... He''se back for me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.196] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [sh Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 416 - The Completion Of Sallys Quest And Next Step {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:19 AM)~~~ Helda has won, and now Queen Oryzoxys dead in Sally''s arms. It''s been a long journey getting here, and I feel a weight lift off my shoulders. I walk up next to Sally and crouch down next to her. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder in the process. "I''m sorry she couldn''t give you his location, but we know a general area..." She gentlyys Queen Oryzox down and brings me into a hug. She remains silent, and I lift her off the ground in my hug. "We''ve done it... Everything and everyone that''s caused the life I had is dead... My past is done and gone... It''s a great feeling... Knowing that I''m free to do what I want now with nothinging back to haunt me..." Her soft whispers in my ear aren''t the only thing about her. Her Personal Quest is done. [Quest: Sally''s Revenge][Completed] [Details: Help Saliandra Orvello get revenge on The Orvello Family and the elven royal family. Head to The Elven Kingdom and find your way to The Capital. Once there, how youplete this quest is up to you.] [Objective 1: Find a way into The Elven Kingdom.][Completed] [Objective 2: Make it to The Capital and sessfully eliminate the royal family.][Completed] [Objective 3: Help Sally avenge her mother and her past by destroying The Orvello Family][Completed] [Difficulty: Legendary] [Rewards] [15 yer Levels and 15 Levels for all active Skills] [Saliandra Orvello has learned that her father is alive and she''s The First Princess of The Elven Kingdom.] [Saliandra Orvello has learned she''s not a half-breed from her mother being raped.] [You have Max Reputation with Saliandra Orvello.] [You can marry Saliandra Orvello.] [Warning: Marrying Saliandra Orvello will make you King of The Elven Kingdom.] The screen floats in front of my eyes, and it''s amazing to see this long and challenging questpleted. The Hidden Rewards for the quest has turned out to be something I never expected. I never counted on Sally being The First Born Princess of The Elven Kingdom. Let alone her father still being alive. The greatest thing is her father was exiled where we''re going next. Everyone is looking at us confused, especially my mother. Helda and the other elves in the group are looking at me for an exnation to the whole father thing Sally brought up. "If you want to know anything, that''s up to Sally..." Sally keeps hugging me, and I''m fine with carrying her in my arms for the time being. Once we make it back to my family, I have to get Sally off me gently. She stands next to me and fixes her clothes. My mom and her share a look, and Sally extends her hand. "Hello, Mrs. Adamo. I''m Saliandra Orvello, and I''m your son''s girlfriend. But you can just call me Sally." My mom freezes up at the wordsing from Sally''s mouth. It takes her a second, but she shakingly grabs Sally''s hand and responds. "Well... It had to happen eventually... I''m d my son has found such a beautiful girl..." I can tell my mom is struggling with the prospect of me finally having a girlfriend. She gets over her shock and brings sally into a hug. Sally doesn''t respond right away. Getting caught off guard. After a second, they''re hugging and they pull away. My eyes turn towards dad and he''s wearing a proud and smug look. I shake my head with a smile. After mom and Sally start talking, I feel a tug on my leather armor. I look down and see Marcus. He''s got a toothy smile. "Well, if it isn''t my little brother." I pick him up and put him on my shoulders. He''s using my wings as handles for extra grip, and I want to talk to dad before we do anything else. That is going to be postponed, cause Helda is walking right towards me. "So this is your family... Looks like you got a lot of love around you..." I close my eyes for a second and give a nod. "I take it you''re not sticking around?" I shake my head. Avalon is our next stop. Now that I''m over level 200, I have 3 tier quest to do, and the first is located in Avalon. I''ll be tier 2 after that. "I figured as much. My group has decided to stay here and transition the Elven Kingdom into a new age of peace and prosperity. Restructuring the government is going to take a while, but we''re up for the challenge." Looks like they''ve decided to rebuild from here. They''ll have resistance from nobles that weren''t here, but Helda can handle this. I have a feeling that it''s her destiny. I hold out my hand and heal the wounds and injuries she''s sustained in her battle with Queen Oryzox. "I''ll have to talk with my family about what they n to do, but Sally and I are heading to The Kingdom of Avalon." She smiles and folds her arms. I''vee to really respect and understand Helda. She''s someone I''d call a friend and ally after everything we''ve been through. "Remember, you''ll always have friends and allies here in The Elven Kingdom ready to help you. I need to go and talk with Melimora and find Terox. We have a lot of work to do." She reaches out her hand and I grab it. We give a final shake and she turns around. She walks away and that only leaves a couple of things left to do, and those are regarding my family and what to do with them. As I turn around to look, they''re all waiting for me. "Let''s go somewhere we can talk in private." That''s the first thing we need to do, and there are plenty of ces in thisrge Pce to talk without anyone listening. ~~~(POV: Fenrir)~~~ ~~~(Location: Unknown)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:16 AM)~~~ Seems as though Cera haspleted a challenge befitting someone of great power. It''s easy to overthrow a ruler, but doing it the way he and his friends have is an aplishment. Innocent lives were spared and only those deserving were killed in the battles that took ce. "Everyone is taking much longer than I thought they would." The tasks The Almighty Father gave many of us is bingplicated. Arch-Angel Michael is having a tough time tracking down the Gods he needs to speak to. The Old Gods will be returning, and as I said before, time is on our side. There is still much to be done. I''m tasked with getting Cera, but I can only do that once all the other Gods are gathered. I''m surprised Gabriel was able to convince Samael to help. His price was steep, but Cera doesn''t have any use for The Dice of Wend. Not as they are, and Samael doesn''t have the power to bring them to their full potential. "You''ve grown powerful, my young friend. I''m looking forward to speaking with you again." My words carry on the wind to nowhere on this mountain I''m rxing on. A great battle ising, and all of creation is threatened by The Old Gods. It''s the reason The Dark Ones have agreed to join forces with Overworld. Underworld has many powerful entities, but none are as understanding as Samael and his allies. Gaia is where this battle will take ce, and thends will be ravaged by blood and war. The innocent?will die. But what''s about to happen will help. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:20 AM)~~~ [Worldwide Announcement: All yers will have their friends lists and messaging capabilities restored! The system is now being granted to NPC after they undergo a trial by the system to deem if their worthy of it or not! NPCs will have all the same capabilities as yers if they pass their trials!! Allowing them to respawn and gain ess to the System! Bing yers in themselves!] Umm... What!!? Talk about a day filled with surprises... My brother is as surprised as I am. I look at Sally and she''s looking at something invisible in front of her. "What''s this, Cera?" Looks like she''s already proved herself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 417 - A Restoration {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:21 AM)~~~ There''s a translucent screen floating in front of me with numbers, descriptions, my ss, an assortment of stats. "What was that Announcement? Why was I able to hear that?" I have so many questions, and as I lift my head to look at Cera. He and Hailey are sharing a concerned look. My intuition is telling me I''ve be like them. We were all in a meeting hall, and we were discussing what to do next. "That''s a yer Interface. It shows you everything you need to know about yourself. Your gear, your stats, your skills, health, mana. It''s what I have and the rest of my family." Wow... So this is what he was talking about when he said that yers are different. As I''m going through the information in my... yer Interface... I notice that I have a lot of unused stat points. "Mind exining what the stat points do? Cause I have a lot of them. 120 of them, to be exact." I know I''ve gotten stronger over the course of my time with Cera, but this must be a numerical value ced on that progress. Cera steps closer to me and takes a breath. "Stat points are a form of currency to upgrade your stats. You''ve probably noticed the Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Speed, and Focus tabs. You spend your stat point to raise those values, and the corresponding stat will rise." That''s... Now it''s obvious how yers gain power so fast... My level is 152, and I can''t help smiling at therge number. My attention falls on the EXP bar, and my curiosity gets the better of me. "How does the EXP work? What does it do?" Cera has a hard time finding the right words to exin it. If this is how difficult it is to exin to me, then it must be aplicated part of being a yer. He sighs and closes his eyes, and folds his arms. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "EXP is the process of killing monsters and enemies and getting progress on said bar. Once you hit 100 percent on the EXP bar, you''ll get 5 stat points to spend. Since I hold a Divine ss, I get 10 stat points to spend." So he gains twice the power anyone else does? This answers many questions I''ve had about Cera and his fellow yers. Now that I''m a part of it, I get to be like them. "Since you''re a yer now, that means even when and if you die, you''ll respawn at the nearest Cathedral of Resurrection. They appeared when we came to this world permanently." Yeah, a bunch of Cathedrals came out of the ground pretty much everywhere. This all happened before I met Cera... The yers are at the center of a lot of mysteries... "So... That means I can help you on your most dangerous quests? I can stop being a liability!!" This is awesome. Violet Adamo, Cera and Hailey''s mother, giggles at my reaction. "So you''ve lived like this the entire time?" I knew about him being able to respawn, but I didn''t realize the extent of everything he can do using this System and yer Interface. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:23 AM)~~~ Sally is beyond excited about being like Hailey and me, and I''m excited for her. I''m a little worried at the same time. While she can join me on my quests now, that also means she will be a bit more reckless. "I don''t want you forgetting about being safe, Sally. Just because you can''t stay dead doesn''t mean there isn''t a penalty." She looks at me in confusion. When yers are killed, they lose a level, and the corresponding amount of stats gained from that level loss. If she were to die right now, she''d lose a level and lose 5 stat points. "When you die, you''ll lose a level and 5 stat points as punishment. Setting your progress back." She doesn''t like the sound of that, but it can be avoided. All you have to do is not die. She touches the screen, and it disappears, and I know that I''m not done talking about it with her. It''s just now isn''t the best time since we''re discussing what we''ll do now that we''re all together again. "Alright, don''t let me interrupt you guys again. You have a serious conversation to have." Sally takes a backseat, and my attention turns to my family. Sally and I are going to The Kingdom of Avalon, and I''m getting a lot of lost progress done while I''m there. "Sally and I will be heading for The Kingdom of Avalon to handle a lot of things we both need done. Hailey never gave her decision, and neither did Jasmine." Speaking of Jasmine, Hailey will want to make her a yer before they do anything else. The benefit to all this is that the messaging and friends tab has been restored. Meaning we canmunicate while apart. "Since NPCs can be yers, I''m going to find out how to get Jasmine to be one. Best guess, we''ll need to head to the Church. I can contact you through messaging to find out where you on in Avalon." That seems like as good a n as any. My eyes shift to my parents and Marcus. My mother has a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "We want toe with Sally and you... Once Hailey and Jasmine are done, they can catch up to us in Avalon... What do you say?" Mom is the first to speak. I don''t know how good of an idea that is... It''s not necessarily bad, but I can''t carry all of them. There isn''t enough room on my back. The idea thates to me at the moment is heading to a city or town close by The Elven Kingdom and using an airship. Either that, you have Helda request an airship toe to Greshina to pick us up. "I don''t see why not, but we''ll have to use an airship. Teleporters are an option, but the gold fees for all of us will be ridiculous." The Adventurers Guild will take everything we have. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:27 AM)~~~ It''s been so long since I''ve looked upon my children''s faces, and I''m so d that I pushed harder thesest couple of days to catch up. If I didn''t then, we would''ve missed them. "First things first, everyone add each other to their friend''s lists. They''ve been wiped since we added each other on Earth." I open my yer Interface and what Cera says is true. I send a friend request to everyone, and my friend''s list quickly shows new names. The only person that isn''t on here is Jasmine, and that''s because she doesn''t have a yer Interface or ess to the System. My eyes rest on Saliandra Orvello''s name, and I''m having a much harder time epting my baby boy has a girlfriend than I''m letting everyone see. She seems like a sweet and kind girl, but I''m going to need to spend time with her before I can approve of her... Not like it''ll matter... Cera will be with her either way... But I want to know the girl who has found a way into my oldest son''s heart. "Alright, since that''s handled, I''m going to talk with Helda. Everyone else, find something to do." Cera begins to walk off. But before he gets too far, he stops Sally from following. "I want you to stay here and get to know my parents. Don''t worry. They aren''t as scary as they seem." I take minor offense to that... It''s not like I haven''t earned that, though... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 418 - Going To Wait A Few Days {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:10 PM)~~~ Helda and I discussed getting an airship here, and she''d be willing to do it. It''ll take a bit of time, and I''m wanting to get out of this Kingdom today. "Not everything will cater to my needs... Helda and her allies are too busy shifting the Elven People. They''ve announced that the Elven Kingdom is free and are having to deal with a lot of people..." They basically have to fill the power vacuum. She''s given me a timeframe of around two days, and even if we leave early, it''s stilling. A bunch of leaders from different Kingdoms areing here. Apparently, King Jackson from Zenith is on his way too. My involvement with the liberation of The Elven Kingdom has drawn much attention, and it''s safe to say that leaders areing to Helda because she has a connection to me. This is a factual and urate statement. Helda has be a good friend of mine. Along with Melimora. The rest are what I''d call acquaintances. The empty halls leading to the room where my family is a little haunting... The solid gold is stained with clotted blood, and it''s a darkish hue between red and ck. The battles in these halls were brutal. Speaking of battles, the Elven Army and its military leaders have unconditionally surrendered to Helda and her... Council is the best way to describe it. The door to the room is quickly approaching. I''m relieved not to hear anythinging from it. No screaming or yelling, to be exact. My handnds on the door, and I gently push it open. My eyesnd on everyone sitting around a table and having a casual conversation. My mom and Sally are sitting next to one another. Quietly talking, and I''m d she''s being open with Sally. Everyone notices me and quiets down as I make an approach. "I''ve got good news and bad news." In my opinion, there is bad news. To others, there is nothing other than good news. "The good news is we have an airshiping here and is transporting many Kingdoms and Royalty. The bad news is we have to wait for two days for it to get here." Hailey and my dad are the only ones that show a sliver of anger at the prospect of waiting two days. My mother seems to be extra happy with it. Knowing her, she''s going to use this time to try and catch up. That''s not a problem, but I''m not a big talker or storyteller. "Alright, looks like we''re waiting two days then. As much as I want to leave now, we can''t all fit on you for a lift to Avalon." Dad is the first to speak, and there is agreement from everyone besides Hailey. Mainly because Jasmine needs to pass whatever trials she has to be a yer. "That''s all well and good, but Jasmine and I need to figure out how to make her a yer. So we''re leaving today." If there were a possibility for the sound of ss shattering from Mom''s face, it would. "Don''t give me that look. We can message each other now." She''s right. Our maps have been restored to full functionality. Meaning we can mark locations on our maps and see friends on them no matter how far away. "I''m not going to ask you to stay, Hailey... It just sucks that after all this chasing, I''m about to part with another one of my children so soon..." Mom has taken our absence hard, but it''s within the range I expected. When you live for your kids, and only your kids. Once they''re gone and no longer need you, it''s a hard spot to be in. I couldn''t put it into words since I''ve never gone through it, but it''s very hard for mothers. "Thanks, mom. Remember, you''ll be able to message me any time and see me on the map. No matter how far away." That helps mom a little, but not much. I make my way over to the table and take a seat next to Sally, and I know that it''s time that I give my mom some attention. "Okay, it''s time to ask. How in the hell did you guys even find us?" This entire situation of them finding Hailey and me seems nearly impossible. Not without some magical item or a cheat. Which in itself is impossible. She smiles and opens her Inventory. Pulling out a strange-looking rock. All of a sudden, a hologram pops out of it and shows a map and path to us. "We bought this from a yer Store. It was designed to find blood rtives using blood magic. It led us to you guys. Made by yers." Talk about an impressive invention for its time. Too bad it''s obsolete now. ~~~(POV: King Jackson)~~~ ~~~(Location: Airship, Leaving Capital City Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:25 PM)~~~ Tessa stands next to me as we enjoy the balcony of our suite. This is a Royal Airship, and it''s heading to all the Kingdoms that want to go to Greshina. We have a lot of stops, but it''s something we have to deal with. Thepany that owns airships is independent. Meaning they don''t have to listen to me or other rulers. Hence why I have no control. The puffy clouds ride the sides of the airship, and the view is something to die for. To think that yer Zern can just p his wings and get a view any time he wanted. Amelia Zern wanted toe with us, but she''s too busy developing thend that we won in our war with Bellvia. "Do you think he''ll recognize me?" My wife has a voice filled with humor. She''s changed a lot due to the feather from his wings that he gave to her. It''s given her many powers and even more attention. Her hair has changed topletely white, and she looks far more youthful than she did before. Her skin sparkles like freshly fallen snow, and her eyes are bluer than the Heziz Sea. She''s quite the sight to behold. I don''t know exactly what yer Zern has been up to, but Liberating the Elven People is something that I didn''t expect. No doubt it was from Sally. She''s a good girl, and she has a powerful grip on yer Zern. That could be something dangerous if not controlled. "That''s not something we should be concerned about." In truth, what we should be concerned about is our people bing yers. There are many things that have changed since The yer''s arrival in our world, and none of them have been for the better. While I''m still apprehensive about all this, it could be something that my Kingdom can exploit and grow stronger from. "I know what you mean... I''m worried too..." She understands more than any other woman could. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:33 PM)~~~ Sally is a sweet and kind girl, and she''s growing on me. I''m proud of my son... More than he''ll ever know... He''s epted her and loves her despite all the horrible things she''s had to endure... Most men would turn away from her due to the things she suffered. Thinking her less of what she is. Cera has looked past all that and seen Sally for who she is. I can only hope that Marcus bes a man like Cera, and it''s not a bad thing if he doesn''t. Cera is a hard one to follow, and he''s broken all expectations that I''ve ever had of him. "Why don''t we get something to eat before you leave, sis." Cera turns his attention to Hailey, and she smiles. It''s been a while since we had any good food either. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 419 - NPCs Everywhere Are Undergoing Their Trials {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:23 AM)~~~ A day has passed, and Hailey and Jasmine are off trying to figure out how to make her a yer like us. Helda has been sharing some of the reports she''s been getting from other Kingdoms. She''s taken up the role of Leader until all of this is done. In my opinion, there isn''t a better person for the job. Apparently, Kingdoms are filled with NPCs trying to be yers. It wasn''t too long ago that NPCs hated us with every fiber of their being, and here they are now, racing to be like us. It''s a tremendous thing... The hypocrisy that lives in people... Can''t say I me them... Being spared from death like yers is hard to pass up. "Thanks for taking this time with me..." Mom and I are on one of the many balconies of the Pce. She wants to spend some quality time with me. She ims it''s to make up for all the time we have missed. Regarding my mom''s motivations, they''re usually much simpler. "It''s been a long time since west talked, mom. I can''t remember when it was just the two of us like this." It''s always been the family around or things upying our time. There is a problem crossing my mind, and that problem is my parents don''t know about me knowing things about The Ancients World. Abouting back through time. Being the catalyst for all of this. "Sally seems like a sweet and kind girl. Not to mention beautiful. I''m d that you found someone you liked. I was worried you didn''t know what love was." I understand that. I didn''t give much effort into the love that a man and woman share. It was never a priority. "I''m a lot of things, mom, and at one point, I did believe that I''d be alone for the rest of my life. That was before I met Sally. She treated me so differently." I came into the Inn she was working at after killing hordes of monsters and smelling worse than death. Sally never deserved the life she got, and now that it''s behind her. She can move forward with a smile and a better outlook on life. "You and her make a good team. Doing all this is proof of that. Things are going to change now that she can fight next to you without dying." She''s right about that. Sally is going to push herself pretty hard. I wouldn''t expect anything less from her. Sometimes, the best part of her is her drive to change her life and others. "Maybe Hailey can find a nice man and get the same love that you''ve found... It''s so hard seeing you two grow up... And Marcus isn''t far behind..." Her voice starts to crack as the tears begin falling from her eyes. It''s hard to see my mom cry. That''s one thing a son never wants to see. His mother crying. I take a step over and wrap her in a one-armed hug as we overlook the balcony. "I''m hoping for the same thing regarding Hailey... I''m sorry that I grew up to fast." I can''t help saying that with a smile and a chuckle, which causes her tough and dry her tears too. Her mood is already lightening up. Hailey and Jasmine are already long gone from Greshina and are heading to one of the closest cities outside the Elven Kingdoms Borders to figure out what they need to do. "Hailey seems so different... Like she''s seen some horrible shit... The same look I see you have from time to time... If breaks my heart..." She''s more astute and observant than I gave her credit for. When Hailey learned the truth about her fate in the future, it mentally broke her for a while. It took me some time to help her put everything back together. "You don''t need to worry about Hailey. She''s strong and can handle anything that this world can throw at her." I have confidence in my sister. She''s proved that she''s capable and is ready to fight any threat to her life. My mom dries the corners of her eyes, and the wind blows slightly. "What about you, Cera... Should I worry about you... You seem to bury a lot of pain away from the world." A mother knows... Even after so much time apart and growth, she still sees that I''m holding on to some dark shit. There are things about my past and life that I''ve never given a second thought. Mainly because of how horrible they were. Seeing my sister be a crack whore and my mother dying is at the top. The implosion of my family and our lives haunts me even now. If Hailey knew everything I knew, she''d not sleep at night. "You don''t need to worry about me. I''m used to it." For some reason, those words cause her to cringe. It''s probably because it''s something parents never want to hear from their kids. That they''re used to something that causes them great physical or emotional pain. "When someone says that... They''re not alright..." She leaves it at that, and I''m grateful she does. My problems are my own, and I don''t want or expect anyone to try and help me with them. ~~~(POV: Christian Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:47 AM)~~~ It sucks that I didn''t get to spend any time with Hailey before she got to leave, but I''m happy that Cera and Violet are getting some time together. I''ll want to speak to my firstborn son alone too. There are things we need to discuss. "Mr. Adamo. Can you tell me what Cera was like when he was a kid?" My attention is taken away from my thoughts by Sally''s question. I remember those days like they were yesterday. Out of all three of our kids, Cera was the easiest to raise. He made it fun being a parent. It''s funny being asked this by Sally. Since she''s older than all of us. "He was a quiet andposed kid... There were times he''d cry, but only when it was serious... Violet became really attached to him." He was so easy to love. Hailey grew jealous of Cera, and we tried to do something about it. There wasn''t much to be done. Cera never demanded attention. He was always off doing his own thing when he wasn''t around us. And that only frustrated Hailey more. He made it seem like no matter what, it wouldn''t matter as much to him as it did to her. Pretty soon, Cera started to grow both physically and mentally. Leaving behind his immature sister, gaining love and admiration from Violet. Something Hailey never got... Not the same way Cera did... Hailey is my princess and my favorite. That really helped her get over a lot of her issues. Cera never cared about who was favorite or more loved. Sometimes, I wish he did care. That way, Hailey could see that Cera had imperfections too. But he was too smart for his age. Still is. That scorned Hailey for a long time. "There was a moment when he saved Hailey from drowning in the river... He was so young..." He was old enough to have an intelligent conversation, but he wasn''t older than 8 at the time. Sally looks across therge hall, and Helda can be seen talking with various people and looking sleep-deprived. "Thanks for sharing, but I think I need to have a talk with Helda about resting." Sally goes out of her way to help a lot of people, and that''s a good trait. I''m d that Cera found her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 420 - How To Start The Trials {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Godfrey, Esis Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:43 PM)~~~ I didn''t realize how nice it''d be to entirely be out of Greshina and The Elven Kingdom. Godfrey is filled with yers from Earth and NPCs tagging along. Trying to be yers themselves. Ever since the announcement that NPCs could be yers, rtions between The yers and NPCs have skyrocketed. Allowing for bettermunication and formation of parties. Much of my attention and focus on thest day has been trying to find out the best course of action to take to get Jasmine to her trials. Cera and the rest of my family still have a day till the airship arrives to take them to Avalon. Jasmine and I will be busy figuring out how to make her a yer. Once she is one, I''ll get a hold of Cera and find out where they are. Jasmine herself has been looking forward to bing a yer. Seeing Sally be one has motivated her, and I''m d. We''re resting in a Tavern for the time being. Getting some food and talking about our next steps. "Do you really think the best course of action is to check the giant Cathedrals?" We''ve already been by the Church. This is the next best option and from the looks of it. NPCs that have be yers all did so at the Cathedrals that yers use to respawn after dying. "Yes, Jasmine. From the information I''ve been able to gather, this is the method for you to be a yer." Word is spreading between yers and NPCs, which is why I know this now. I know she''s nervous about facing her trials, and I won''t be able to help her with them. From the grapevine, I''ve heard that she''ll respawn if she dies in her trials. This is the bright side, and it''s a good one. "What do you think I''ll be facing in my trials?" It''s hard to say... Jasmine will face something different from her trials. Every NPC has a different and unique trial tailored to them by the system. Whatever she does face, it''ll be something that tests if she can be a yer. "That''s not up to us, Jasmine. That''s up to the system. When you be a yer, your life will change." She''s not looking too positive, but that''s understandable. She doesn''t know what she''s walking into. There have been many stories already circting about what some NPCs have faced for their trials. Some have had to face great monsters that are a manifestation of their fears. Others have needed to face their past. It''s a different experience for everyone. All are controlled by the system. This is a great disy of what the system is truly capable of. Jasmine stares at her empty te of food. I''m d to see her appetite hasn''t disappeared. "Why do you think Sally didn''t have to take a trial to be a yer?" She''s asked a good question and one that I don''t know the answer to. The best thing I can think of is she''s already faced the hardest thing she could, so the system gave her the status of a yer. There is probably moreplexity to it. But it''s not something that we''ll ever know. "I wouldn''t waste time thinking about that. What you should be doing is preparing yourself mentally for what you might face. The good thing is if you die during your trials, you''ll be respawned. Then you can keep trying until you beat them." My determination is spreading to her. She needs a bit of encouragement to get to that point where she can take the trials on. She''s a strong girl, but she''s still weak mentally. Sally has ovee those mental weaknesses and is a new person. Jasmine is still carrying a lot of pain and hasn''t handled it the same way Sally has. "Yeah, that''ll be an experience to remember." We give a chuckle and take a moment of silence. The tavern we''re in is pretty lively, given how early it is in the day. There are yers and NPCs celebrating and telling stories of what the trials were like. "Jasmine... What do we do if I can''t pass my trials..." I expected something like this, but that doesn''t mean it''s necessarily bad. It''s an appropriate response to the stress she''s under. She sees my smile and bes even more confused. "Then you''ll keep trying until you do pass them, Jasmine. Life isn''t easy, and if you want to be like my family and me. You''ll have to pass your trials. It''s the only way you''re going to be a yer." There is silence as my words sink in. I watch as determination grows on her body and face. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:17 PM)~~~ Most kids would be jealous that their sibling is getting more attention than them. But I couldn''t be happier. Cera is taking all the smothering and suffocating attention that I was getting from mom. It''s his turn to be treated like a child. "Cera! Eat your food! I went through a lot of trouble to make it!" The pile of slop on our tes is food? Talk about a major failure. Mom is a fantastic cook, or at least she was one. You need a cooking skill or cooking ss to cook in The Ancients World. This is something mom doesn''t have, so all her food ising out like... This... "I''m not eating this, mom. This is disgusting." Mom would normally get angry if someone said that about her cooking. But this time, it''s different. She looks down at her te and grimaces... "You''re right... God Damnit!! Where the hell can I find a cooking skill in this fucking world!!" Mom immediately covers her mouth and looks directly at me. Before she can say anything, Cera and dad are alreadyughing. Making mom blush and try to hide her face. Mom took a lot of pride in her cooking, but now that she can''t make good food anymore. An avenue of fulfillment is gone. She didn''t cook because she was the mom or the woman, but because she''s been doing it since she was a kid and loves it. "It''s been a long time since I heard you cuss like that about cooking!!" Dad starts to pile it on, and mom isn''t happy. I can''t help but start tough too, and mom is about to get up and storm off, but Cera grabs her wrist and stops her. "Oh c''mon, mom. You gotta admit this is funny! We''ve never seen you cook something too horrible!" She tries her best to hold back a smile, but the situation is just too funny and rare. She breaks and starts tough too. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:19 PM)~~~ I have to bend over and put my hands on my knees to help me breathe better. It''s too funny to be mad at. It really is. It takes another minute, but we''ve all calmed down, and I take a seat again. "It''s okay, mom. I know of a way for you to get a cooking skill if you really want one. But you don''t need to cook for everyone anymore." He makes a good point... But I''ve been cooking for so many years. I can''t help but want it. It''s hard to think of myself and not being able to make good food. "Okay, we can talk about that after we get to Avalon." He nods his head at my answer, and I can''t help but smile. I''ve missed my daughter and oldest son for so long. I''m so d to be here with you, Cera. My sweet boy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 421 - The Cathedral For Players {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Godfrey, Esis Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:43 PM)~~~ We stand in front of the massive structure, and it''s a beautifully designed building. It''s something straight out of the Victorian Era on Earth. It stands tall into the sky and has several floors, almost an amount that shouldn''t be possible with a design such as this. "This ce is... Different..." Jasmine uses the best description she has. The Ancients World, Or Gaia, hasn''t experienced something like this. A style of building in a manner that yer Cathedrals are built. "Since the yer Cathedrals were made by the System. It''s based on buildings from our world. A very long time ago, this was known as Victorian Era building." She hardly recognizes my words, and she lowers her head to look at the massive doors. They''re open, and we can see yers and NPCs alike. NPCs and yers have be friends, the ones before all this are here helping each other. yers give their friends all the help they can give them. It''s nice to see the resentment for yers slowly disappearing. "Well... I''m as ready as I''m ever going to be..." She is nervous, and rightfully so. Jasmine slowly walks towards the massive opening into the Cathedral, and I follow right behind her. I don''t know how long this will take for Jasmine to do, but she knows that we can take as much time as she needs, but not as much as she wants. There is a difference, and taking too much time on one thing when it can be done sooner is a burden on a lot of people. My eyes look towards the many glowing gates that have NPCs going into, and arge tform in the back of the main hall where they''re transporting back. Some look like they''ve seen hell, and others have a victorious smile on their faces as they open their yer interfaces for the first time. Jasmine has a challenge ahead of her, but she can do it. She doesn''t waste any time and heads straight for a gate that will lead her to her trial. She stops in front of it to wait for me. As I stand next to her, there is a magical energy thates from the gate. I know instinctively that I''m not allowed inside. "Just pray that whatever I''m about to face doesn''t scare me into a vegetative state." She shouldn''t make jokes like that. I look at her, and I see that it''s not actually a joke. She''s being serious, and that does worry me. She steps forward and ces her hand through the gate, and looks back at me as she holds it there. "It''s a weird jelly that feels warm..." She takes another step, and she passes through the gate. It closes off behind her. I make my way over to one of the pews and take a seat. My eyes are locked on the tform, and I know that she''s likely facing her past as a ve in these trials. It''s the only way for her to be a yer. To ovee and let go of the past, something that Sally did, and something that Jasmine has yet to do. "I wish you were here right now, Cera... You''d know how to help..." He would know how to help. He always knows... I''m worried about my little brother and how he''ll handle telling mom and dad what he knows. I handled it like shit, and mom and dad won''t be different than me. "This seat taken?" A male voicees from my left, and I see a man and woman. I wave in a motion saying it''s open, and they take a seat. "I can tell you''re waiting for an NPC." Genius this one. He looks at the girl he''s with, and they share a happy look. They''re definitely in a rtionship. "We''re waiting for our NPC friend too. We''ve been traveling with her for a while, but she''s struggled since she was an ex-ve." Small world for women here... It''s sad that so many have been exploited and used in a way like that. I let out a long sigh and finally decide to talk. I might as well entertain a conversation for the time being. "My friend has gone through the same thing as yours. All I can do is be here for when she fails cause she will. But I''ll build her back up and get her to keep trying. Cause we''re not leaving here until she''s a yer." Jasmine will resent me for how hard I''ll push her, but she needs it. ~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~ ~~~(Location: Trials to be a yer, Unknown Realm)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:53 PM)~~~ I know these walls... I know this stench... This fucking hellhole... The City of James and the source of all my pain and misery since I could remember. Being a ve is a fate worse than death, and loving after it is nothing but a bane. Being treated as a taboo to society and an outcast for things out of my control. My hand is resting on the handle of my de. The door up ahead leads to the chambers that fill my nightmares and thest stop for many women that were in the same situation as me. "Jasmine... My little pig... Where are you..." My body bes rigid, and my breathing besbored. "Come service your masters..." I don''t know whates over me next, but all I can do is scream and unleash all my attacks. The halls, the doors, the rooms... Everything is destroyed as Iy waste to everything in sight, and my bloodlust and fear mix into a chaotic emotion that I don''t know what to call. "I''M NOT YOUR LITTLE PIG ANYMORE!!! I''M A FREE WOMAN, YOU MONSTERS!!!" I scream at the top of my lungs as I carve through bodies and faces I don''t recognize. Maybe I do. I don''t know right now. All I see is red, and all I feel is fear and bloodlust. I don''t know how much time passes, but it doesn''t take long before everything in this mysterious ce is destroyed. As I fall on my back, a floating translucent window appears in front of me... This is the screen Hailey would tell me about. [Congrattions!] [You have passed your trials, and you are now a yer!] [To see your information, stats, weapons, gear, friends tab, and everything else! Just think or say System!] My mind is in a haze as I read this... All the energy I have mentally is gone. The next thing I know, I''m being transported in bright light, and I see the ceiling of the Cathedral. In the next second, Hailey is looking at me from above, and she has a concerned look. "Did you do it? Are you a yer?" I give a single nod, and she beams a smile down at me. Picking me up in her arms. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:22 PM)~~~ I read the messages I''ve just received from Hailey, and Jasmine has be a yer. "Wow... She did it way faster than I thought she would..." That''s amazing. It''s a truly impressive feat that should be celebrated. Hailey is informing me that she and Jasmine will meet up in the capital of The Kingdom of Avalon. The City of Avalon. I''m jealous that she gets to be there before I do, which means she gets to start on her tier-up quests before I can. Talk about a bummer. I am happy for her, though. She''s done a lot to earn this. I''ll also say it''s great to have messaging back between yers and have our Friends lists restored. It makes things so much more convenient. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 422 - Last Morning In The Elven Kingdom {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:31 AM)~~~ Time has really flown by, and I''m so d that we can finally leave this ce. The airship should be here within the hour, and we''ll be heading for The Kingdom of Avalon. The yer Kingdom and everything that I could hope for in a ce as my next stop in this new life. My tier-up quests are in Avalon, and Hailey will get hers done before I get mine. She''s already there and having a st with Jasmine, and I''m super jealous that they can be there, and I have to stay here. But at the same time, it''s a good thing that I''m here since mom and dad need this time. They''ve been searching for us for a very long time. "I''m looking forward to the trip with you." Sally takes me out of my thoughts, and I try to clear my head. I''m hoping for some fun alone time with her in private quarters, and I''m not going toe out of our room until we''re actually at Avalon. "Yeah, I''m looking forward to it too... But not for the same reasons you are..." She catches the hidden meaning behind my words and has to look away just a bit beforeing back. We''re alone right now, but not in the same way. As much as I''d like to do that sort of stuff right now, there isn''t a really good time. Mom and dad are waiting downstairs along with Marcus, and they''re just waiting on us now. "It''s too bad we don''t have enough time to do anything..." Sally responds in a confident manner, and I find her sexier for it. I love that confident Sally. It''s the best version of her. Sally has been enjoying the new advantages of being a yer, and I''ve taught her everything she needs to know and more about what she is now. From what I know, she''s one of the first NPCs to be a yer. She got to skip the whole trial thing, and that''s something Jasmine had to do. Jasmine handled it spectacrly, in my opinion. Facing a hard and tragic past like that isn''t easy, and it''s different for everyone. Sally got over hers by taking revenge on the people who''ve wrong her, and I changed everything about my life with a wish. "Don''t tempt me... I might ignore all of them down there and take you back to the sheets... The only difference being you''ll be naked this time around." Her grin has a red tint with her cheeks. She moves closer to me and wraps an arm around my shoulder, and stands on her tippy toes. She leans her head closer to my ear. "I''m not going to stop that from happening... I''ll never reject you, Cera..." That''s thest straw with me, and I pick her up in my arms. She lets out a joy-filled squeal and hugs me as I carry her. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Pce in Greshina, Elven Pce)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:48 AM)~~~ Cera and Sally should''ve been up by now, and I can''t help wondering where they''re at... It''s not like Cera to bete for anything. They have time before the airship arrives, but I still want to talk to him. I turn to head for the door leading to the hallway that will take me to them, but a hand on my shoulder stops me. I turn and see Christian. He gives a half-smile and pulls me closer. He only gives me that type of face when we''re going to talk about something I''m not going to like. "How about we leave Cera and Sally alone, sweetie. They probably want alone time..." At first, my own denial tries to refuse the process of his words, but it doesn''t stop it for long. The inferring that Cera and Sally are being... Intimate... That isn''t what I want to think about in the slightest. "But... But... He''s..." I try to find any and every excuse I can for why Cera wouldn''t do that with Sally, but I can''t bring myself to do it. Sally is a good girl, and someone Cera holds dearly. It''s natural that they would be doing something like that. Even though I hate that my oldest son is now doing those things, it''s also a good sign. It shows responsibility and a conscious choice. "He''s not your little baby boy anymore... They''re doing adult things together, and us getting in the way does no good for anyone..." I don''t hate it when Christian is right, but I hate that he''s right about this. Cera is a man now, and he''ll do things that a man wants to do with a woman. Sally is a fine choice and someone that Cera has chosen. "Yeah... Yeah, you''re right... Why do you have to be right..." He pulls me in closer and into a hug. He runs his fingers through my hair in an attempt to calm me. I''m not that bad right now, but the reality is setting in. Cera does those things with Sally. Soon, Marcus will start wanting to do that with girls. In a few years, but that will fly by in no time. And when that happens, I''ll lose my youngest child, and it''ll be just Christian and me. "I''m d that you see that... Now, think about something else... Like what Avalon will look like..." I appreciate his attempts to distract me, but they do no good. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Avalon, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:02 AM)~~~ The capital city Avalon is more spectacr than anything I''ve ever seen in my entire life. It has a steampunk design, and it''s not just the capital that looks this way. It''s said that a lot of ces look like this here in The Kingdom of Avalon. "Wow... Every time I look up, it''s hard to look away." We''ve been here a little over an hour, and we''ve just been exploring. There is so much to do and so little time to do it before Cera and everyone else gets here. "The first thing we need to do is get my tier-up quests done. I have two of them, and I want them finished by the time everyone gets here." Jasmine nods her head along as I talk, and I doubt she''s actually listening to me. Tiering up is something I have to do alone. Jasmine and Sally will both have to tier-up here in Avalon, meaning Jasmine will handle the one she has here too. "You know that you have a tier-up quest here too, right?" She looks at me confused and tries to figure out what I mean. "All yers have toe to Avalon to reach tier two. Including NPCs made yers." Realization sets in, and she lets out a groan. Jasmine has already been through a lot getting to this point, and now she has to face another big challenge on her own. "This sucks!! Can we please take a break!? We just got here, and I''m so sick of grinding for this new yer lifestyle!! I want a breeeakkk!!" She sounds like an overly stressed teenager, which she shouldn''t be. But who am I to judge? I used to act like that. Her quest will be located in a different ce than mine, and that means we have to split up. "Remember, use your map to find the marker of where you need to go for your quests. It should show you where to go to tier-up. I''m heading off to do mine, and you better do the same." She slumps forward and looks totally defeated. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 423 - Meeting Old Faces Again {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temporary Airship Port in Greshina, Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:31 AM)~~~ Helda has set up a temporary airship port for the royal airship that''sing. We''re waiting at the port, and I can see it approaching off in the distance. "I heard that King Jackson and other leaders are on board the airship. They''re here to speak and create rtions with The Elven Kingdom." Sally knows more information about who is on that airship than I did. She spent some time talking with Helda and saying goodbyes for now. "If that''s true, I want everyone to refer to me as yer Zern unless we''re in a private situation. I don''t want my real name to be known to the public." Sally easily agrees, but mom and dad don''t think that''s a good enough reason. I can tell by the looks on their faces. I step away from the viewing ledge and make my way towards them. So we can talk quietly. "Look, there are important people that know me as yer Zern, and I want to keep it that way. I want to keep the real me hidden." Dad takes a second to give it some thought, and I don''t really know what there is to think about. I''m asking them not to call me by my real name for now. That shouldn''t be too hard for them to do, and the fact they''re giving me a hard time on this is frustrating. "Okay, if that''s what you need, I''ll agree to call you yer Zern. But I can''t speak for your mother. She loves your name too much to call you something else." My eyes shift to mom, and there is a defiant look in her eyes. She''s going to make this hard on me. They''re not going to like what I''m about to say even more. "I''ll also need you both to treat me as a friend. Not a son. Everyone believes I''m the birth son of a woman named Amelia Zern, and my father is Arch-Angel Michael. Stick to the story, or else you''llplicate a lot of things for me." Mom looks about to explode, and she takes a deep breath toy into me. Before she can, Sally steps into the conversation and grabs everyone''s attention. "Are you seriously going to be this difficult about a couple of simple things that your child needs? No wonder Hailey has such a hard time with you guys. I''m surprised Cera even gives you the time of day anymore." All of us are bbergasted. Mom doesn''t know what to say, and dad looks at me for answers. Sally has never done something like this before, and this is the first time I''m seeing this. She''s gained a lot of confidence, but I didn''t think she''d stand up to my parents on my behalf. I would''ve done it, but I think it''s working better since she did it. "You''re right, Sally... I''m sorry, Cera... I''ll do what you need of me too... Even though I hate it..." I''m further impressed as my mom actually cooperates. Mom looks hurt from everything that''s just happened, but that''s to be expected. "So... Who is Amelia Zern?" I figured this wasing too. Mom has a jealous streak. At least that''s what dad has told me. She knows that I don''t think Amelia is my real mother, but that doesn''t stop her from feeling like she''s been reced. Any mom would, I think. I fold my arms and look down at her, and I can see her shrink into herself. Realizing how stupid her question even was. She takes a step back and goes back to dad. "Thanks for helping with them. They can be so difficult and inflexible." I make sure they both hear me as I say that, and they both roll their eyes at me and go back to looking at the approaching airship. Sally wraps her arm around my side and takes a look at the massive royal airship that''sing towards us. "I''m so d that we''re getting out of this ce. I''ve had enough Elven Kingdom tost a lifetime." She takes the words right out of my mouth. I have no intention ofing back to this ce. I wish Helda the best of luck in her yer trials and rebuilding the Elven Kingdom. Our time here and with her is up. Sally leans her head on my shoulder and lets out a deep sigh. "Do you know what Avalon looks like?" I don''t. It didn''t exist in my old life, which is a consequence of my actions. "I''m looking forward to seeing it... Somece new..." There is something that we''ll need to talk about on the airship, and it won''t be something she likes. ~~~(POV: King Jackson)~~~ ~~~(Location: Royal Airship, Pulling into Greshina''s Port)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:00 AM)~~~ The airship stops moving, and we''re parked against an unloading dock made from different parts of magical contraptions. It''s obvious how hastily this was all put together. My eyes scan the crowds forming, and I see a familiar face. Two of them, to be exact. "Well, it looks like yer Zern and Sally are here, and they''re with new friends." The other two with them look to be around their age. yer Zern was a part of the rebellion here and isrgely responsible for the bright future of The Elven People. Sally is a figure of poprity spreading across all of Gaia, given her rtionship with yer Zern. "They look like they''ve been busy." Tessa doesn''t know how urate that statement is. yer Zern and Sally have changed the lives of millions. The loading ramp connects, and nobles, rulers, merchants, and everyone in between are getting off to see the capital city Greshia for the very first time. "Looks like we''re not the only ones that have noticed yer Zern." Tessa has picked up on something I''ve overlooked, and I see what she sees. Everyone is waiting for an opportunity to speak with yer Zern. He''s a very calm, tolerant, and patient man. But this might actually get on his nerves more than anything I''ve seen so far. Tessa and I make our way off and towards yer Zern as well, forcing our way past others. Walking up to him and disregarding everyone that doesn''t know how to approach him. "It''s been a long time since I''ve seen you, yer Zern." I hold out my hand for a handshake. He takes it and gives a brief handshake, and that''s more than good enough for me. But he decides to speak. "Yeah, it has Jackson... I see the feather I gave your wife has had effects... I didn''t intend for that to happen... If it''s caused you pain or trouble, I''m sorry." Never in my life have I expected that the literal grandson of The Almighty Father apologize for something he shouldn''t. While it was a trouble, it''s benefited my people and Tessa far more than any problems it''s caused. "There is no need to apologize. While the hair color changing was a shock, the abilities I gained are something that I didn''t know my people needed." Tessa speaks up before me, and I don''t mind. She knows how to talk to yer Zern. He''s not so formal when ites to royalty. Mainly because there is no King or Queen that canpete with his importance. "I''d like to stay and catch up. But Sally and my friends here are heading to Avalon. There are things we must do there. But once I''m finished there, I''ll be stopping by to visit mom again." For some reason, that causes the woman that''s with the man behind them to flinch slightly. But I nod my head and lower it slightly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 424 - The Royal Airship Ride I {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Royal Airship, Pulling out of Greshina''s Port)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:09 AM)~~~ The Royal Airship is empty since everyone that was on it has made it to its destination. Leaving my family and myself the whole ship to us. Dozens of staff are waiting up ahead as we make our way towards the viewing deck, and many be flustered and worried about how they look at the sight of me. The Captaines out of one of the doors and stands next to the door leading into the viewing deck. We make it to the door, and the Captain holds out his hand and lowers his head. "I''m Captain James Flintlock, and it''s an honor to have you on my vessel, yer Zern." Everyone around us takes this opportunity to do the same thing Captain Flintlock is doing. My thoughts regarding people and their treatment of me is a touchy subject. I don''t like being bowed to, and I don''t like being treated like royalty. I can wipe my own ass, thank you very much. "Thanks for the warm wee, Captain Flintlock. I won''t ask for much, just the amenities that anyone else would get on an Airship." That should be simple enough. Given this is a Royal Airship, it might have things run a little differently. "Of course, yer Zern. We''ll have your rooms ready within the hour. Until then, please enjoy the viewing deck and anything from our menu." He raises his head and gives a single nod. Everyone takes off in different directions to do any tasks that need to be taken care of. Mom and dad are the first to enter the massive room known as the viewing deck. The Royal Airship is already moving, and the room has tables, games to pass the time, and huge windows on each wall to see the views from any angle you want. "Do you get treated like that everywhere you go?" Dad doesn''t know how much I actually hate it. Sally and mom are off and are already looking out of one of the windows at the views as we move across the sky. "There are times that I appear in public... Don''t go thinking I like getting treated like this. It takes up a lot of time and is inconvenient. Since my identity as yer Zern is known, many seek to speak or gain healing from me." He raises his eyebrow in a questioning way. Sally and everyone else know about my healing powers once my Divine Title is activated. Mom and dad don''t know how that works, though. "When I activate my Divine Title, I gain several healing skills. The best ones you can ever have. I''ve spent lots of time healing the sick and injured in some ces." He smiles and wraps an arm around my shoulder as we look towards Sally and mom. He takes a breath, and we watch Marcus run past us and join the other two. "You''ve aplished a lot since thest time I saw you, son... You make me proud to be your father, and I''m d that everything has been going well since we came to this world..." I wouldn''t use those exact words, but they''re close enough. We''re all together again. Aside from Hailey and Jasmine, who are already at Avalon and enjoying everything the Capital City Avalon has to offer. "Just so you know, you need to have the same talk with Hailey. She could really use you or mom saying you''re proud of her. She''s had a rough time." There is no denying that I yed a role in her suffering, but that''s from sharing what I know with her. I didn''t seek to harm her. I gave her what she wanted and told her the truth. Something I don''t think mom and dad will ever hear or be ready for. Dad takes on a slightly sad expression. "I screwed up with Hailey... So did your mom... If it weren''t for you... Hailey wouldn''t still be in our lives... Thanks for that..." I''m not the hero of that story. Hailey is the one that decided to change. All I told her was I''d hate to have the new rich life without her, and she''d be stuck with the same life she has now. That''s all I really said to her. Anything she''s done after that was her own doing. "You don''t need to thank me. You should tell Hailey how proud you are of her. She needs to hear something like that." I''ve told her that. It''s different when a parent tells you''re they''re proud of you. It means more cause it means you''ve met their expectations or even passed them. "I''ll be sure to do that... She''s more than earned it after everything she''s aplished..." I can''t help wondering how Emerald is doing. Hailey''s Legacy beast got so big, she has to keep it in her Inventory now. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Royal Airship, Flying above The Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:14 AM)~~~ It''s a little awkward standing next to Violet like this, and it''s because I don''t really know how to talk to her yet. "I''m sorry that your first impression of me was bad..." She nearly startles me with the sudden start to a conversation. She continues to look out the window, and I see a resemnce between her and Hailey. They both have the same cheeks and nose. Hailey would talk about her mom sometimes. How overly emotional and controlling she could be. Seeing it firsthand wasn''t the best thing. "I wouldn''t know the first thing about raising kids, Mrs. Adamo... I can''t judge you too harshly for the way you do things..." She cringes slightly, cause I''ve judged her for the things she''s done and the things I''ve seen her do. She closes her eyes and turns her head to me, and slowly opens them. "Yeah... That''s a part of me that I''m trying to fix... The controlling, demanding, and overbearing mother... It''s obvious what you''re talking about..." It''s good that I don''t have to exin it, and it''s even better that she can recognize the problem. But as I said, I can''t judge her harshly. I don''t know how to raise kids, and I don''t know what it''s like to have a mother. So I can''t say if what she''s doing is truly wrong... "Hailey is my only daughter, and I''ve done so many things wrong by her... I don''t me her if she doesn''t even consider me her mother anymore..." Hailey wouldn''t go that far... I don''t think she would, anyway. Besides, it''s not like Hailey is here now. That means there aren''t any problems to solve at the moment. "I''m really d that Cera has found someone he loves... It''s hard to think of him as his own man these days. Mind telling me more about yourself. More about your life?" She knows about my hard life as a ve growing up, but she doesn''t judge me for it. Just like how Cera doesn''t judge me for it. "I don''t really like to talk about my life, but if you really want to hear about it. I need to warn you it''s dark, and you''ll never be able to unknow it. Some pretty terrible things have happened to me..." She looks up at me, and I can see her nod her head, and I can tell she genuinely wants to know. I''m not really sure where to start, but before I can. Someone bumps into my leg. I look down and see Marcus. He''s on his butt, and he quickly stands up. "Sorry, didn''t mean to run into you. What are you guys talking about?" That''s the end of the conversation. Talking about my past isn''t something to do around a little kid. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 425 - The Royal Airship Ride II {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Royal Airship, Flying above The Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:19 AM)~~~ We''re all sitting at a dining table and eating several different foods. It''s pretty crazy that we get an entire Royal Airship all to ourselves. Several waiters and waitresses are serving us, and food is being prepared at the highest quality they can make it. "You seem to be enjoying the food, Sally." Cera points out my current behavior. My cheeks are full of food, and I have several more tes finished than everyone else. It''s been a long time since I''ve had a good meal, and I''m not going to hold back. "Yeah, it''s been weeks since we got to sit down and eat quality food. All we''ve been eating is dried meat and rations." I take a moment between bites to talk, and Cera can only smile. Everyone else is eating fast like me, but I have a bit of recklessness with my method at the moment. Cera is eating food the same way his dad is, and Violet is the one eating with the most controlled behavior out of all of us. Marcus is trying to keep up with his dad, but there is no way that''s going to happen. I''m going through food faster than anyone else. The waiters and waitresses keeping and going. Taking empty tes from the table and bringing back full ones. This type of service is a new thing for me, and it''s all thanks to Cera. Him being who he is making things a higher level of care and quality. And I''ll admit, I''m feeling a little spoiled thanks to him... But I think it''s okay... I''ve never felt spoiled before... From the looks on his parent''s faces, they''re thinking the same thing I am. "This is something we didn''t get to do with all that money you got us back on Earth. So I''m going to enjoy it for as long as I can." Christian takes a moment from scarfing down food, and I''m curious. Cera has talked about his homeworld, Earth, before. The times he has talked, I learned a lot about him and his family. For example, they were poor at one point, and before all the yers got stuck here, they came into a lot of money thanks to an item that Cera found in this world. Given that I''m a yer now and I can do everything they can, it''s bing easier to see things from their perspective. Cera remains quiet in all the talking, and I can see him with a solemn look on his face. He''s probably missed times like these with his family. I know I''d have liked some semnce of this. "C''mon, yer Zern. Turn that look into one that isn''t so hollow looking. It makes me sad." Violet does a good job calling him by the name this world knows him as. Cera raises his head and looks at his mom. She is waiting for a response, but he never gives one. He just goes back to eating his food. She looks hurt by that, and I give Cera a kick under the table, but I end up hurting myself due to how tough he is. I curl slightly, and he gives me a look of amusement. "yer Zern, don''t ignore her like that." I''m fast to call out his actions. Violet and Christian look at me funny as if they''re a little stumped at me demanding this from Cera. "I''m not ignoring her, Sally. There isn''t anything to talk about, so I''m not going to bother speaking. Small talk isn''t what I do." Talk about a stubborn person. Violet can''t help but give a little giggle, and I let out a chuckle too. Only Cera would have logic like that. We all finish eating our food, and we''re good and full, and all the waiters and waitresses leave. We''re alone in the viewing deck and at the dining table now. "How long do you think the trip to Avalon will take?" Marcus asks a question that most of us know the answer to already. It''s going to take about two days, and that''s if we don''t run into any problems. Airship pirates do exist, and they have be more active in recent times thanks to all the yers using Airships to travel instead of Teleportation Gates. "It should only be a couple of days, and I hear Avalon is entirely made up of yers. We might even run into kids your age." Violet is quick to answer Marcus, and he doesn''t seem too excited. I''m not going to bother asking him why. Kids have the weirdest reasons for not liking something or not wanting to do something. "Why do you always treat me like I''m still a toddler on his way home from school. I''m old enough to ask if he wants to do something or not." That came out of nowhere, and Cera lets out a restrainedugh. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Royal Airship, Flying above The Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:28 AM)~~~ It''s hard for me to hold back myughter at that amount of sassinessing out of an 11-year-old. In my opinion, he''s right. He''s not a little kid anymore, and he should be considered for things he wants to do or doesn''t want to do. Most kids his age don''t want to y with other kids his age that he doesn''t know. I was the same way. I preferred to be alone. Mom is quick to turn her body, and she lets out a long sigh. "I''m sorry, Marcus. You''re right. You should have a decision on some of the things that involve you. I''m not going to force you to make friends or y with kids you don''t know. You''re to hold for that now. But please, be respectful when talking to us about these things." He nods his head, and that ends that conversation. I''ll be the first to admit mom has changed. And while it isn''t a great deal, it''s definitely progress in the right direction. "What''s the first thing we''re doing when we reach Avalon anyway?" Sally asks a question that''s been on my mind. I''ve been organizing the things that need to be done, and the first is meeting back up with Hailey and Jasmine. After that, I''ll have to take on any tier-up quests I have in Avalon. I know I have one, but there could be a second one right after it. Blue Chaos never specified these things in his forum posts. Before I can give Sally an answer, another important Worldwide Annonement starts, and it''s about an important feature that the game lost when we all came here. [Worldwide Announcement: The Auction House feature is being readded for yers across Gaia!! You''ll now be able to Auction anything off from your Inventory to the Auction House from wherever you are! However, to receive payment for any sold items, you must head to a local branch of the Auction House! Have a nice day, yers!] We all silently listen as the message reys to make sure all yers hear the information clearly. "What''s the Auction House?" Sally wouldn''t know what the Auction house is since it disappeared before I met her, and I never talked about it. It''s a pretty important feature for the yer Economy. Without it, we wouldn''t be able to trade, and now that feature has been restored. She looks to me for answers, and I lean back in my chair. "It''s a way for yers to trade anything to one another for a specific price. It''s how I got all that money for my family on Earth. I sold a Guild Token for UWDs. You''ll have ess to it as well since you''re a yer now." She looks very interested in what I just described, and we all open our yer Interfaces to check it out. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 426 - The Royal Airship Ride III {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Royal Airship,?Flying above The Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:22 PM)~~~ Sally and I are alone and away from everyone else in our room. She''s using the massive bath to take a hot soak and get clean. Given that she''s a yer now, she can put her armor and weapons in her Inventory, and they''ll automatically clean. "The water is perfect... I''d wish you''de and join me..." I hear her voice from the bathroom, and I''m tempted. There are things that I need to talk to her about, and now that we''re alone, there is no better chance. My clothes are off and in my Inventory as I walk into the bathroom, and she smiles at the sight of me. I do the same, except she has bubbles covering all her special ces. "Wow... I don''t get to see it often enough..." Her eyes are in the obvious ce. The bathtub isrge and can easily fit both of us, and that''s something I haven''t had since our time in Zenith. I remember that day. We had fun in the bathroom. "There is something I need to talk to you about... Something very important..." She hears my serious tone and straightens slightly as I make my way into the bathtub and across from her. She ys with my feet using hers, and the magical water and bubbles instantly rx me. Cleaning my dirty body at the same time. "You make it sound like it''s bad news..." It is depending on how you look at it. I''ll have to do my tier-up quest alone, which means she won''t be able toe with me or help me on it. I don''t know where I''ll be sent or taken to when I start it. There will be a period of time when we''re apart, and that''s what I need to talk to her about. I have 3 different tier-up quests that I need toplete. Meaning we''re going to be apart for a long time. "Sally... When I start doing my tier-up quests, I have to do them alone... Meaning we''re going to be apart for a long time..." I don''t know how long specifically. It all depends on how long I take toplete the tier-up quests and where they are or where they take me. Given my Divine ss is what is... I can be sure as shit they''ll be challenging. She doesn''t like the sound of that and has an ufortable look... "Okay... How long will we be apart from each other..." She''s getting sadder by the second. While she''s gained confidence and can take care of herself, it seems she doesn''t want to be that far from me. "I don''t know, Sally, and you''ll have your own tier-up quests to do in Avalon once we get there... It could be days, weeks, months... I don''t know..." She closes her eyes and takes a steady and calming breath. Thinking about everything I just said. She slowly opens her eyes, and I see strength, independence, and confidence. "Alright... If that''s what''s supposed to happen, I''m not going to fight it or be upset by it... It''s not like it''ll be a permanent change." My heart... Skips... It''s fucking hot seeing Sally like this. A confident and powerful woman. One that isn''t clingy to me anymore. Since the first day that I met her, Sally has grown so much, and I''m more than lucky to have her. "There is something that I want to talk about too..." She catches me a little off guard as she talks. "While we''re apart, I''m going to look for my father... Alone... I want to find him..." I can understand that, and Sally is more than powerful enough to handle anyone. There are vile men out there that will see her beauty and try something with her, and now she can kill them all without blinking. It makes me know that I don''t have to worry about her safety. "Remember, Sally... Even when we''re apart, we can message each other through the system." She smiles and nods her head. She moves across the tub and sits next to me. She leans her head on my shoulder, and her chest is halfway out of the water. "I don''t have to worry about you not wanting me anymore after we''re apart, right?" There is a weakness in her voice as she says that, and this is a different type of vulnerability. One that only happens when a girl is afraid of losing the man they love. I lift my arm out of the water and wrap her into a sideways hug, and kiss the side of her head. "The system lets you see if your partner cheats on you. You know that, right?" She raises her head and looks at me, confused. I open my yer Interface and show her. It shows that we''re lovers and that neither of us has cheated. "It''s impossible to fool this thing." She stares at it with a smile. She swings both arms around me andys multiple kisses on my lips, and straddles me. "This is the best feature ever!!" I know that some would consider it controlling, but it''s a feature of the system. Sally can see what I''m up to, and I can see what she''s up to. "That puts so much stress to rest!" She remains in my arms. This talk went better than I thought it would. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Royal Airship, Flying above The Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:34 PM)~~~ Marcus has his own room on the Royal Airship, and that means Christian, and I have a giant luxury room all to ourselves. "Can you believe everything that''s happened in thest 48 hours?" He starts talking as he''s putting his gear into his Inventory, and I haven''t really had time to process everything. It''s been pretty crazy, but we did what we set out to do. He plops down into the bed and watches me as my gear disappears into my Inventory. He stares at my bare body, and his smile grows. We both look in our early to mid-twenties now, a I have the body I used to have before I had 3 children. His body is tight and muscr like it was when we were younger. "I forgot what this was like..." I crawl into bed beside him as I whisper. It''s been so long since we had a moment like this. A moment to ourselves. "I''ve given it some thought, and us having another child is possible, Violet... I just want you to know that I was looking forward to it just being us for a change..." I was being selfish when I asked for another baby. I didn''t consider what Christian wanted... He waits for my response, and I know what I need to say. "I''m sorry, Chris... I shouldn''t have made it sound like it was hardly a choice... I was selfish and thought you''d want one just as much as me. I realize now that I was wrong. If you want the rest of our lives to be just us, then that''s what I want to." He lifts his head and looks at me. Wondering if I''m serious. He sees my genuine look and attitude, and his smile grows. It doesn''t hurt that he doesn''t want another kid. He''s right... It''s our time, and once Marcus is all on his own, we''ll have so much time to ourselves. I''m looking forward to it. "Oh, Thank God!! I didn''t know what I''d do if we''d have to raise another one!!" In an instant, I''mughing, and Christian isughing with me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 427 - Haileys Tier up Quest {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Avalon, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:23 AM)~~~ Cera and everyone else shouldn''t be arriving until tomorrow, and I''m going to start my tier-up quest. Jasmine is going to do hers while we''re here. We can''t help each other, meaning we''ll be apart for a while. "I''m starving, and I know that breakfast here is amazing." She''s not wrong. Most of the shops and restaurants are owned by yers. Meaning the food from our world is being made here, and that''s Jasmine''s favorite kind of food. Since she''s a yer now, she can do everything other yers can do. "You''re paying for it this time, Jasmine. I''m not footing the bill anymore now that you can carry money in your Inventory." She rolls her eyes as we make our way downstairs and towards one of the tables. There isn''t much to do this morning other than eat, and after we''re done with that, I''m going to start my tier-up quest. Meaning we''ll be splitting up. "Since we''ll both be doing our tier-up quests, everyone else might get here when we''re in the middle of doing it. What do we do if that happens?" That''s something I haven''t thought about, but Jasmine has, apparently. We can message each other now using the system, which means we''ll always be in contact with each other. "If that happens, Cera will get a hold of us when he can''t find where we''re at. I heard tiering up takes a while, and it''s a difficult process. So don''t think it''ll be a cakewalk." Everyone on their way here should know that I''m doing my tier-up quest. After a minute, someonees and takes our order, and now we''re waiting for our food. Jasmine is being who she''s always been, a slightly hyper girl when ites to food. "What do you expect to encounter in your tier-up quest?" She asks a good question, and I have no idea. My ss is Legendary in grade. Battlemind has been an excellent ss for me. Its duelist foundation has led me to learn a great deal about fighting with the de. Utilizing speed and precision. I can''t bepeted with when ites to these. Not even Cera is fast enough to keep up with me despite how overpowered his ss is. "I don''t know what I''m up against. All I can guess is it won''t be an easy quest." I''m betting I''ll die a few times before I canplete it. I can''t imagine how difficult Cera''s quest is going to be. His ss is Divine in grade, and while thates with a lot of power, ites with a lot of challenges. Something he''s already experienced. "I don''t know what to expect in mine either... Maybe I have to go through a dungeon or fight a boss." That''d be nice if that''s all I had to do. Tier-up quests can take a long time and take you to many different ces around Gaia. Cera and myself will probably be sent on long chases after bosses or items in different parts of Gaia. Not together, of course. "I''d love something that simple, but that seems too good to be true. We''ll likely have to fight inrge battles or undergo long challenges." On the bright side. Lots of EXP. We''ll be spending some time in Avalon, but Cera and I are likely to be dragged out of the Kingdom from the demands thate of our tier-up quests. "I''ll be cheering that you get something easy. Mine won''t be as hard as your or Cera''s. My ss is only Legacy in grade." Jasmine will be on her own for a while, but I''m not worried about her anymore. It''s weird to think we''ll be apart for so long. We''ve been traveling together for a long time now. "Are you excited to be off on your own? I''m not going to lie. I''m excited for you. You get to have your own journey now since I won''t be there." She looks away from the direction of the kitchen and to me. She is trying to find the best response she can. Jasmine reminds me a lot of Sally, but Sally doesn''t remind me of Jasmine. It''s a weird little thing going on there. "I think it''s something that I need. You''ve been taking care of me for so long. I need to be on my own and fight for myself." I couldn''t have said it better myself. Before we can continue talking, the foodes, and she''s no longer interested in talking. She''s immediately inhaling the food on her te, and I''m not so desperate for food at the moment. Taking it slow and enjoying the meal is something that I''d instead do. "You might as well go out into the pasture and bite into a cow." The steak she''s eating is pretty juicy, and it makes it look like she''s biting into a cow. Jasmine ignores me and continues to scarf food down. My thoughts drift to what this entails for me, and that is a long time without anyone I''d call friends or family by me. Most would be sad at the prospect, but I''m d that I''m getting a break from all this and having a chance to do something on my own. I haven''t been able to do this since I first met Jasmine all those months ago. Since I''m the wielder of Battlemind, there have been times when powerful people have tried to contact me. Having a Legacy ss grade and higher gives you special treatment. Something I haven''t taken time to utilize. I wonder what kind of things I can get if I told people who I am. It would make things easier for my tier-up questing up. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Royal Airship, Exiting The Elven Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:00 AM)~~~ We''ve got about a day of travel left, and I''ve yet to hear anything from Hailey. I open my yer Interface and send her a message. Asking her what she ns to do before we get there, and the message is sent, and all I have to do is wait for a reply now. Sally is still in bed, and I''m looking out the window in our room and seeing the passingndscape. The Border Wall of The Elven Kingdom was passed a bit ago, meaning we''re officially out of The Elven Kingdom, and I''m d that part of our journey is over. The Kingdom of Avalon is our next stop. I''m expecting some sort of grand arrival ceremony. People know I''m on this Royal Airship and that I''m on my way to The Capital City of Avalon. Sally and I spent some time being physicalst night, and it turns out we both really needed a release. That was the best night''s sleep I''ve had since Zenith, and thefort of the bed helped. We''ve been sleeping on floors and small beds since we started traveling with Helda. Now that it''s done, we can enjoy better things. I know I''m going to. Mom and dad are in their own room, and Marcus is in his own room. I don''t know what the rest of my family did in their alone time. All I know is moments alone, and unheard are rare. "Cera... Pleasee back to bed... We''re not needed for anything..." Sally calls to me from the bed. I''m tempted to join her, but I''m already wide awake and ready for the day. There isn''t much to do on this Royal Airship, other than luxury treatment and such things. Spending the day with Sally in our own room sounds good to me. "Alright, we''re in no rush..." I make my way back to her, and she waits for me with a smile. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 428 - The Borders Of The Kingdom Of Avalon {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Royal Airship, Traveling towards The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:21 PM)~~~ Sally and I have been in our room all day and enjoying room service. We''re supposed to be crossing the border of the Avalon Kingdom soon. Since we''re in a Royal Airship, we''ll not be stopped at any point in our trip to the Captial City Avalon. "I never get tired of this view..." Sally walks away from our spot on the couch and towards the window. She''s been enjoying the treatment we''ve received and is taking this downtime in full stride. "Yeah, I''m a little distracted since Hailey and Jasmine have already started their tier-up quests... They''ll still meet us in the Avalon, but it''ll be a short visit before they''re on their way..." When I messaged mom the news, she was upset but understood. All of us need to do our tier-up quests in Avalon, which means we''ll all be splitting up. Even Marcus will have to go out on this own. I know he''s ready, but I don''t think mom is. "You need to stop thinking about that... When we get there, it''ll be thest time either of us gets to be together for a while... All we''ll have is messaging the system..." Sally makes a great point... I stand up from the couch and walk up beside her. We stare out into the vastnds that are under us, and we break through the asional cloud at the speed we''re going. "You know that I''ll be thinking about you when we''re apart, right?" She looks up to me as my words reach her. "You don''t need to worry about losing me. I''m not that kind of guy..." It''s natural for women to feel insecure. While it''s not healthy to feel that way all the time, ites and goes for all of them. Sally isn''t an exception. "I know... And you don''t have to worry about me, either... I''d never ever do that to you... I care about you and love you too much to even think about something like that..." Her voice is soft and confident. And I already knew that about her. Sally isn''t the type of girl that would ever do that to me. I''d never cheat on her, and she''d never cheat on me. It''s not in our hearts, souls, or minds to do something like that. "When do you suppose we''ll finally be together after our long time apart..." She''s been asking me this frequently. I''ve given the same answer every time. Until we''re done catching up on tier-up quests. I wrap my arm around her shoulders, and she leans her head into me. I nt a couple of kisses on the top of her scalp and rest my cheek on her head. "You know the answer to that, and it''s not changing... It''s a sad reality that my tier-up quests will take the longest out of everyone... But that''s due to my ss..." She closes her eyes as the sun lights the sky in an orange glow. It''s gettingter in the day, and we''re getting closer to The Kingdom of Avalon. I can tell because the border walls to itsnd are up ahead. They''re the same size as The Elven Kingdoms, but they let peoplee and go as long as their yers or NPCs with reasons to be there. We pass over the wall, and I see lines of yers trying to get in. It''s a long wait, apparently. Sally leans forward a little, and she sees what I''m seeing too, and she can''t help chuckling. "I guess that means we''re finally in The Kingdom of Avalon... The Capital City Avalon is our final stop..." She''s smiling as she says this, and I feel like her mood has improved. She''s done a great deal of growth in our time together, and I''ve said this a lot, but I need to emphasize it. She pulls away from me and heads towards the door to the room. My mom and her agreed to spend some time together, and that leaves me alone in this big room. I''d have spent some time with dad, but he''s with Marcus right now, and I''ll not ruin that father-son moment. There are a lot of things on my mind, and most of them have to do with what I''m up against here. The tier-up quests are a mystery to me. Blue Chaos never spoke of them and chose to keep those experiences out of his forum posts. "One of the most important things, and you decided to leave it out... Talk abouting back to bite me..." I think about Blue Chaos from time to time. He''s not alive. He was dusted like everyone else that didn''t have an Ancients World character. I''ve also been looking around the yer auction, and there are personalized bounties out from the remains of the World Government for any information regarding the leaders of thepany who caused all this. "I was wondering if you''d be here alone." I turn towards the door and see dad along with Marcus. I can guess this is an invitation to join them, even though I already said no. Marcus bursts into the room and heads for the window to check out the view that Sally and I have enjoyed. Dad walks up to me and swings his arm around my shoulders, and drags me to the window too. "You know, it''s been many years since it was just us boys. I wanted to see if we can all spend some time ying our favorite game." That''d be impossible. As fun as childhood frisbee was, that doesn''t exist anymore. Not here on Gaia. "Listen, dad. That sounds fun and a good time and all, but we don''t have a frisbee, and we certainly don''t know how to make one." He only smiles at me as he pulls on out of his Inventory. I don''t really know what to say... Where the hell did he ever get one? He hands it to Marcus, and we leave the room. There is a massive activity center in the Royal Airship, and that''s where we''re heading. "When your mom, Marcus, and I were at a coast, there were yers selling frisbees for the beach. I took the chance to buy one, and I''ve been hanging on to it ever since." Wow... They went to the coast of this continent... That''s a ce I''ve only seen in pictures. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Sauna, Royal Airship traveling through The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:39 PM)~~~ The hot water soaks into my body, and magical water takes away any stress. Helping any parts of my body that are aching and swelling. My eyes slowly open, and I see Violet on the opposite end, gently looking towards me. "We never got to talk about the life that you had lived long before you met Cera..." When she puts it like that, she makes me sound old... There are a number of things I can start with, and each of them would warrant a different reaction. But given that I know that my birth father is alive, things have changed for me a bit. "I suppose I should start at the times before I was born, huh..." Violet makes her way over to me and takes a seat next to me. She''s a very beautiful woman, and I can see where Hailey and Cera get their looks. She has beenpassionate towards me... Doing her best to be gentle... Something Cera did for me when we first started traveling together. This is who he learned is from. "Listen, I''m not going to force you to talk about it... But when you are really to share with me, I''ll be waiting..." She wraps her arms around me and hugs me. She''s what a mother should be. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 429 - Arrival At The Capital City Avalon {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Royal Airship, Traveling towards The Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:52 AM)~~~ The soft and silky sheets have been a wonderful experience since our trip to The Kingdom of Avalon has started. I find it hard to get out of bed and do what I need to do. Sally is sleeping peacefully next to me, and my eyes are slowly opening for the day. The sun is beaming through the window and lighting the room in bright light. Helping me wake up further. Sally disagrees with the bright light and uses a pillow to cover her head. It''s much earlier now than it was yesterday when we got up. I''m not going to bother her, and I silently get out of bed and head to the bathroom. I run some warm water in the sink and ssh it on my face. "Everyone else is probably asleep right now..." They wouldn''t get up this early without reason to. Dad is probably the only one up this early since he has worked at a factory every day since I was born. But he may have changed a bit and started to sleep in now that he can. It''s a nice thing to have a more rxed life. Suddenly, I hear a ding, and it''s in my messages. I open it up and see that I have a message from Hailey. [Message from Hailey Adamo] [Jasmine and I are waiting at the Restaurant closest to the Airship Port. We''ve reserved a private room for the whole family. We''ll be waiting until you arrive today, and we''ll talk about what we''re doing. I need advice on my tier-up quest, and since you know what you know, maybe you could help me with it. It''s not an easy undertaking.] That''s great to hear, and I''m betting Jasmine needs help with her tier-up quest too. All I can do is give them advice on anything they''re doing. I can''t actually help them on the quests. I send her a message back that we should be there around 8:30 AM. The Captain stopped by a disguised family dinner and told us we''d be reaching our destination at 8:30 AM sharp. If there is anything that I''ve actually appreciated from the service on this ship, it''s the timetable we''ve had. Everything has a tight nit schedule, and we stay on course. It''s hard not to like that. "Cera... It''s too early... Come back to bed and cuddle me..." Sally is starting to wake up, and that means I need to make sure she stays awake. It''s almost 8:00 AM, and I don''t want to scramble when it''s time to get off. I get out of the bathroom and sit on her side of the bed. I ce a hand on her shoulder, and she looks at me. "It''s time to get up. We''ll be arriving at The Capital City Avalon in 30 minutes. No more time to sleep." Instant grumpiness spreads across her features, and I can''t helpughing a bit. Sally has a hard time getting out of afortable bed, and I don''t me her. Silk sheets and softness are hard to escape from. "I don''t want to get up, though! It''s been so long since I''ve had a bed thisfortable... Plus, that means we''re getting closer to the time where we''ll be apart..." Ahh... I should''ve known. She wants as much time with me as she can get. I''m in the same boat as her... I want some more time with her, and that''s not a bad thing. "C''mon, we can take a shower together." I peel the nkets off her, and she''s as nude as the day she was born. The same as me right now. I pick her up in my arms, and she wraps her arms around my head. Enjoying the Princess carry that I''m giving her. It''s kinda ironic since she''s a Princess. She''s handled the news that she''s the first in line for the Elven Throne pretty well. She hasn''t talked about it often, but she''s not bothered by it. It''s probably because she never intends to be Queen of The Elven People. I''ve heard through yer messages that Helda has been crowned Queen of The Elven Kingdom. She''s earned that position with everything she''s doing to help rebuild and make her Kingdom anew. My thoughts are cut short as we enter the bathroom, and I let Sally stand on her own as I start up the shower. "You''ve got a really cute butt." She takes the opportunity to ogle me and enjoy the view before we''re both getting clean for the day. The water is on is already warming up. I turn around and smile at her, bringing her in closer. "You''ve got a better one..." My retortes out slower and sultrier than I intended, and ites across very erotically for Sally. She''s blushing and wrapping her nude body on mine before we even get in the shower. I''m notining, but it''s hard to hold back. I take a step in, and Sally remains attached to me, and we''re covered in hot water as she lets go. "Mind if I take my time cleaning you?" She slowly speaks as I feel her hands wrap around my rod, and it grows at her touch. She looks down and smiles at it. This isn''t what I intended to happen, but I''m d that it took this turn. This will be thest time we''ll be able to do this for a while. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Restaurant near Airship Port, The Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:23 AM)~~~ They should be here soon, and Cera agreed to give me any information he might have about my tier-up quest. His knowledge of the future shocked and revealed many things to me. But now I''m seeing the benefit of knowing things other yers can''t know yet. "When are they supposed to get here?" Jasmine has been patient so far, and not she''s starting to lose it. She''s started her tier-up quest too, and once we''re done with the family. We''ll be splitting up until we''re done with our quests. "Cera said they''ll be here around 8:30 AM and should be at the Restaurant a little after that. It might be longer since Cera has to deal with people knowing who he is anding to greet him." People know Cera as yer Zern, and he''s incredibly famous. It stands to reason that many Nobles and Royalty will be there to visit him when he gets off the Royal Airship. "It''ll be nice to see everyone after being away from them for a few days. It sucks that we all have to part for a while." Jasmine was looking forward to all adventuring together. However, we have priorities, and thosee first. I have no doubts in my mind that it''ll be quite some time before we''re all together after our meeting today. The best part about this situation is we''re all on each other''s friends lists, and we can see each other on our maps no matter how far away we are. "Where do you think Cera and Sally will have to go for their tier-up quests?" That''s something I don''t know. Cera will have an incredibly difficult tier-up quest thanks to his ss Grade. After he''s done with the one here in Avalon, he also has a couple more to do. So I have no idea how long it''ll take. "I don''t know, but it will be hard for him. You can bet on that." She nods her head, and we sit in silence. Some time passes, and there is a knock on the door. I open it and see many familiar faces. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 430 - Last Day Together For A While {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Restaurant near Airship Port, The Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:51 AM)~~~ Mom immediately wraps me into a hug as she enters the room after everyone else, and I can''t help hugging her back. Despite our past differences, she''s my mom, and I want her in my life. "Ohh, my baby girl... It sucks that we only have today to be together..." Less than that, if I''m being honest. Jasmine and I are splitting up after we talk with Cera. Everyone is going their own direction. Marcus is going off on his own, and mom and dad will have to split up to do their tier-up quests. This will be the first time everyone is actually apart from each other. "Yeah, today is thest time we''ll see each other for a while again... At least we can stay connected with the system." She smiles widely as I say that. We turn towards therge table in our private room within the restaurant, and everyone is sitting down and waiting for the two of us to join. Mom makes her way over to dad, and I take the seat open next to Marcus. "Talk about a moment I didn''t think we''d ever get to!" Sally starts off this final meeting with a sarcasticment, and it does ease the mood with some smiles. Before we get to talking about my tier-up quest, along with Jasmines, we all pick up our menus and order some food. Jasmine and I are here because Cera might have information that could help us in our tier-up quest. It takes around 30 minutes, but all the food arrives, and we all start to dig in and enjoy the food that we used to have on Earth. Food from Earth has be the most popr cuisine around Gaia. The biggest change I''ve seen is the rtionship between yers and NPCs. It''s improved dramatically. The NPCs and NPCs turned yers have learned the truth about us Earthlings. Our story is widely known now, and we''re no longer referred to as New People or New Person. I''m betting many things have changed drastically from the future that Cera remembers. "Hailey... What are you doing for your tier-up quest?" Marcus is one of the first to finish his meal, and he starts off the conversation with an important question. My tier-up quest isplicated, and I''ll need to head to a Fallen Kingdom. One abandoned and dead. Cera leans back in his chair and raises his eyebrow in anticipation. "I''m tasked with heading to The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia. I''m to fight and kill a boss in the Pce within The Capital City Rosalia. Once I''m done with that, I''ll have another task before the quest is over, but it hasn''t been revealed to me." My eyes are locked on Cera as I say all this. He closes his eyes, and I can only assume he''s trying to recall any information that he might remember about Battlemind''s tier-up quest. "You''ll die a few times fighting the boss. That''s a guarantee. I suggest you level up a few more times, so you don''t lose the tier-up quest from deleveling from death." That''s the first time I''ve ever heard him say that about me. Cera wouldn''t joke or overy something like this, and I need to take value in his words. "The boss is tricky with its attacks. It has several attack patterns it uses, and it changes between them at the beginning of the fight and midway. Speed alone can''t save you. It releases powerful poisons that fill the room, and it has health in the hundreds of millions." Geez... This is tough... I''m doing my best not to seem annoyed, but I hate the fact that I''m going to need to level up a couple more times before I can take the boss on. "Any reason why it''s such a hard boss?" He''d know the story as to why. Cera knows more about The Ancients World than anyone else alive today. If this is my quest difficulty, I can''t imagine his. He takes a deep breath and folds his arms. "Technically, you''re going to solo a Raid. They''re like Dungeons on Steriods. There is only a handful known and actuallypleted. You''ll have to fight through the entire Capital City Rosalia before you can make it to the Pce." Wow... That''s insane! I''ve never heard of a Raid before. I''ll admit, I''m losing confidence in myself after hearing all this. "The worst part is you can''t have helppleting the Raid. If you want the item you need for your tier-up quest, you''ll need to solo the entire Raid." Figures he''d know that I need something from the boss. I can''t stop myself from slumping forward and running a hand through my long hair. I feel a smaller hand on my back, and Marcus is rubbing it in support. I smile at him and kiss him on the forehead. My baby brother is trying to cheer me up. "What about my quest?" Jasmine is the next to speak, and a long sighes from Cera. I''m worried that he might not know anything to help Jasmine in her tier-up quest. Jasmine and I got her ss in a Dungeon called The Last Wish, and her ss is named simrly. "I know little of your ss, Jasmine, but I do have some helpful information. All I know is you''ll want a skill or weapon that causes bleeding damage. The boss you have to fight has a critical weakness to it." At least her boss seems to have something that can be exploited. She''s happy that she''s got useful information about her tier-up quest, which means we''re done here. "This was when I nned to leave, but we can stay for a bit longer. I''m in no rush to grind levels. I''m not in the mood." Mom lights up at the sound of that. "You want to go and spend some time by ourselves?" Mom immediately stands up and waits for me by the door. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Restaurant near Airship Port, The Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:26 AM)~~~ Mom and Hailey leave the rest of us, and dad is looking at Marcus and me. To see if we''d like to do something simr. "You two can go on without me. I''m spending thesest few hours with my woman." My arm wraps around Sally, and I bring her close. She has a small blush, and dad takes Marcus and leaves. Leaving only Jasmine, Sally, and myself. Jasmine is a sweet girl, and she proves it time and time again. For instance, she stands up, gives a nod, and leaves to give us privacy. "Soo... I''m your woman, huh?" You can hear the joy and happiness in her voice, and it''s easy to hear a form of adoration in her. Instead of answering, I lean forward, and we lock lips. Slowly moving them in unison and I poke into her mouth just a bit with the tip of my tongue. She lets out a tiny mew every time I do it. We pull away for some air, and I know my cheeks are as red as hers right now. "Maybe we should spend some time to ourselves too... I''m burning for some love from you..." She slowly and thickly whispers into my ear. I don''t need any more convincing after that. I stand up and pick her up in my arms. She lets out squeal andughter filled with love and joy. "Alright, my Angel... Where are we going for this?" I know just what to do, and I n to spend thest bit of time we have together making a moment to remember. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 431 - Seperating {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Leedle Park, The Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:31 PM)~~~ We''ve all decided to gather at Leedle Park within The Capital City before we take off on our individual quests. Sally will be taking off towards the East. She needs to reach a town called Abble. Mom is heading South towards a town called Deadore to get her quest. Dad will have to head North to Cardone to get his. Marcus will be heading North East to get his tier-up quest, and he''s heading to a popr city named Helios. Jasmine is heading Southwest to continue her tier-up quest. She needs to clear a Dungeon. Hailey is off towards The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia. "I didn''t think this would ever happen again..." Mom starts to choke up, realizing we''ll all be apart again. My parents and little brother traveled an incredibly long way to find Hailey and me, and now we''re leaving again. This time, they won''t even have each other. "Hey... It''s not like we''ll be apart forever... We can still talk to each other..." Dad turns his attention to mom, and I take a look at everyone here. Mom is the worst off, but everyone is having lumps in their throats. My eyes stay on Sally, and she''s looking back at me. Her eyes are heavy, and she adopts a solemn expression. "The moment has finallye, everyone." My voice grabs everyone''s attention. "Today and at this moment, we''ll all be off on our own journeys. I don''t know how long, but make it worthwhile." Mom wipes the tears off her cheeks. The first to leave is Jasmine, taking off towards the exit of Leedle Park. Hailey follows soon after her, and mom after Hailey. Marcus takes some time and talks with dad before he leaves. Leaving only dad, myself, and Sally. He walks up to me and ces his hands on my shoulders. "I''m proud of you, Cera... Please, stay in touch." He gives me a hug and takes off himself. That leaves only Sally, and we look at each other. This is the first time I don''t know what to say to her. "Where are you going first, Cera... I''d like you to tell me instead of looking on the map..." I walk closer to her, and she bes further diposed. Once my arms are around her, her face is buried in my chest as she lets out cries of sadness. She''s done good at holding it in for so long, and now she''s letting the pain she''s been saving inside her out. She''s grown very powerful and confident, but that doesn''t mean her feelings have disappeared. "I''m going... To miss you... So much..." Her wordse out with difficulty due to the crying and hups. All I do is rub the top of her head. Our time together has been an amazing one, even though we''re going on separate journeys. That doesn''t mean we''ll be lost to each other. "I''ll be heading to The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs. It''s located near the city of Portes. It''s to the Northwest." Her eyes are red and puffy as she listens to me describe where I''ll be heading to start my tier-up quest. There are many battles in my future, going back to how it used to be. On my own and fighting every step of the way. Completing quests and gaining rewards. "Message me every day, and don''t take too much time responding to any of mine. And don''t go falling in love with someone else. I''ll know." The system is capable of many things. I''m d we can check up on each other like that. She can see if I''m staying faithful, and I can see if she is. I have no doubts, and I don''t think I''ll check it, but it''s nice to know that it''s there. "Okay... I''ll be off now... It''s time that I do what I need to do... Stay safe, Cera..." She stands on her tippytoes and wraps my lips with hers. We share a long and pleasant kiss. One that''s normal and filled with what you need at this moment. Love. As she pulls away, I can see her shaking as she turns around and heads for the exit. Leaving me to myself. "It''s been so long since I''ve been on my own... It''s a good feeling, but also a sad one... Quite weird, if I''m honest..." I look towards the sky and toggle my golden angel wings on. "Time to be on your own again, Cera." With those words, I flex my wings andunch off the ground hard. Once I reach the clouds, I level out and open my yer Map. "It''s so fucking nice to have this again..." I make the location that I need to head to on my map, and it appears on my HUD. A Marker heading Northwest. "Well, Portes... Herees yer Zern." Another p of my wings makes me reach top speed, and I''m covering ground pretty quick. I twist and turn in the sky, enjoying the freedom that''se with my flight. Not having to carry people is something that I''ve missed. The blue and unpolluted sky of Gaia is something you''d never see on Earth. The healthy and lush forests below me were dying back home, and I never knew what it looked like. I remember when I first saw this world. It looks how Earth is supposed to look. Untainted by man and his creations, and ever-expanding and waiting for discovery. My eyes close, and I feel the wind on my face, blowing my hair back. My thoughts drift towards what I''ll have to do once I get my tier-up quest. I have no idea what I''m up against. Blue Chaos never spoke of what he had to do to tier-up. I can take sce in the fact I don''t have to rush anything, and I can take as much time as I need. It''s what everyone agreed upon. That we''d only meet up again once everyone was finished with all the quests they have or need to get. "I have two more tier-up quests after this one..." I''m going to be a very busy man, and so will the others. An adventure awaits me. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Airship Port, Capital City of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:50 PM)~~~ My heart aches every time I think about Cera, and my tears fall harder. You''d figure I''d be out of tears left to cry, but not today. Everyone else is making their own way there, and I''m the only one using an Airship to get to Abble. "Are you okay?" A feminine voice fills my ears, and I look up to see another elven woman. I quickly wipe my tears and straighten up. She smiles as she sits next to me, and she ces a hand on my back. "A girl only cries like that when a boy is involved. I won''t pester you, but I got some advice about boys if you want it." She sees my smile, and I start to feel a little better. Nothing bad happened between Cera and me. It just sucks we have to be apart. I take a deep breath topose myself, and I organize my thoughts. "It is about a boy, but nothing bad happened... We just need to separate to do our tier-up quests, and it''s going to be a long time before we can see each other again." She takes an understanding look. She pulls up her yer Interface and goes to her friend''s tab. Sending me a friend request. She sees my confused look and chuckles. "If you ever want to talk about it, reach out to me. I''m in the same situation as you... I''m off to a town called Felliea... It''s on the same Airship heading to Abble but farther away." She''s smart enough to put together we''re heading to the same ce since we''re waiting in the same spot. I could use a friend right now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 432 - Making Friends {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Airship Port, Capital City of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:54 PM)~~~ The Elven woman that''s be my friend is named Eliza Bleeds, and she''s on her tier-up quest since she''s recently be a yer. The Airship we''re taking is supposed to show up in a few more minutes, and we''ve just been talking. "I never would''ve figured that you''re Saliandra Orvello. The lover of yer Zern." My poprity has risen too. People have found out that Saliandra Orvello is with yer Zern, and I don''t know what to think about that. "Yeah... yer Zern and I first met when he stayed at the Inn I was working at... He offered to take me with him, and I took a leap of faith..." It was hard getting over my fear that day, but I''m d that I gave it a chance. My life has be too much better. Eliza leans back on the bench we''re sitting at and lets out a content sigh with a smile on her face. "You''re a lucky woman, Sally. Sometimes, I wish I could find my prince charming in the most random ce and time. It''s like a love story. Boy finds girl. The boy asks the girl toe with him. They take off on a grand adventure." She''s not wrong about that. One thing I''m going to find extra difficult is calling Cera by his yer name. yer Zern. I''ve gotten so used to calling him Cera that''s it''s going to be a hard habit to break. "If there is someone for me, Eliza. There is one for you. You don''t have the same past as me, and it''ll be easier to find someone you love." She''s shared some of her stories with me. Elizaes from a normal Elven family in a remote farming town in The Elven Kingdom. She grew up as a normal girl. "Just the little bit you''ve shared with me, Sally... I''ll say yer Zern has a lot of character. Most men wouldn''t give you a chance do to what happened to you, and that''s no fault of yours." She''s right about that. Cera is special, and I couldn''t see another man doing that with me. Giving me a chance and see past all the bad things that have happened to me. Showing me what love and life is... It hurts to be away from him right now, but we all have things to handle. When I''m done with the tier-up quests I have, I still have to track down my father. The one I didn''t know I had. That''s going to be an interesting visit. That''s if I can even find him, but I doubt it''ll be simple. Nothing you think is. "What about you, Eliza? have you ever experienced love before?" She takes a minute to gather an answer, and by how long she''s taking, I can tell she''s having a hard time finding an answer to that. Before she can give an answer, the Airship shows up, and everyone waiting boards. We find a nice ce on the deck with some sunbathing chairs, and wey down. My stop is before hers, but that''s tomorrow. That gives us time to talk and hang out. I''m wondering what Abble looks like. "Love... That''s something I wouldn''t know... My parents loved me, and I love them. But I don''t know what it means to love a man." That''s all I need to hear. It''s hard finding that one, and both men and women get discouraged from people who lie, cheat, and run away. "Mind telling a story about one of your adventures with yer Zern? Now that I know you''ve been with him for so long, I can''t help wondering what you two might''ve done." That''s fair, and I don''t me her curiosity. If our roles were reversed, I''d love to know what those potential stories are. "Okay, I think one of the first things we did is a good starting point." Cera and I have been through a lot, and we have a lot of stories. And I think there is enough time for most of them. Eliza has been a verypassionate person and a friend since I''ve met her. She''s like a sister I never had. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Running towards Deadore, Open Roads of The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:34 PM)~~~ I look to my left for the 14th time and see again that Christian isn''t here beside me. I look to my right, and Marcus isn''t here either. I haven''t gotten close to being alone, and this is going to be the hardest thing I''ve done since giving birth. "Try and think about something else, Violet... Get your mind off them..." If I think about them the entire time that I''m alone. I''ll lose my freaking mind. So, thinking about my tier-up quest is better. I''m heading to Deadore to get the actual quest and figure out what I''m doing. I''m hoping and praying that it''s an easy one, that way, I can be finished and meet up with someone once they''re done with theirs. My thoughts drift to my youngest, and I worry about Marcus. While My youngest child is very powerful and can take on anyone, that doesn''t stop me from worrying about anything that might happen to him. I hate the thought of him dying, even though he''ll respawn. I hate it. Everyone is probablyser-focused right now... Me being the only one dwelling on things I shouldn''t worry about. My family will be fine. It''s me I have to worry about. This is a chance to figure out who I am outside of my husband and children. Cause I don''t know who Violet Adamo is outside of the people I''ve centered my world around. "It''s never good to live and die for just your family. Without an individual purpose, you''re a shell." That''s something I heard Cera say to Hailey once. Cera knows far more than he should about life and about how hard it is. It''s made me worry that he''s hiding some very deep issues that he hasn''t told anyone about. "That''s the pot calling the kettle ck..." I have a habit of doing that, but I''m quick tosh out. He holds it in and buries it, and that''s not good. It could ce terrible burdens on him. Ind on the ground and stop jumping tree to tree, and burst forward on the ground. I''ve covered some ground, but it''s going to take me about a day and a half to reach Deadore, ording to my yer Map and Marker on my HUD. "Hopefully, everyone else is making better time than me, but I doubt it." Hailey and Jasmine have the ones furthest away at the moment. Once Cera starts his tier-up quest, who knows where he''ll have to go. I clear my head and focus on myself. Trying to get out of the habit of thinking about my family. "Okay, Violet. What do you like to do when you have time to yourself..." Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. I''m not getting anything to this question, and it goes to show how I need this time by myself. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Walking towards Helios, Open Roads of The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:41 PM)~~~ I can''t help being so freaking excited to be on my own for a change!! No mom and dad constantly telling me what I can and can''t do! I get to have my own adventure and enjoy making my own decisions! "I''m never going to forget this trip for the rest of my life!" But I can''t getcent. Cera said since I hold a Legendary ss, I''ll have a veryplex and difficult tier-up quest. My ss is a magic one, and fire is my primary attack. My only attacks. People who know who I am, call me Pheonix, like mom and dad. Or some of the friends that we made. Since that''s the name of my ss. "I need to take after my brother... Think about this strategically..." That''s what I should do cause it works. That''s how you win. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 433 - Heading To The City Of Portes {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling the Open Skys heading Northwest)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:15 PM)~~~ Traveling all day by flying would make you think you''ve covered a lot of ground, and traveling at the speed I am, you''d bet that guarantees it. But despite those assumptions, I''m only about halfway, and I''m ready to sit down and just take a break. The wind blowing in my face for so long isn''t something I have tolerance for. It''s not like I''m in a rush either. The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs is my ultimate Destination near Portes, but I''m using Portes as a point of reference and once I get there. I''ll ask around and find out more about The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs. There are things about that I don''t know, and who better to ask than the locals who have the most experience with it. The City of Portes is outside The Kingdom of Avalon, and while that isn''t a big deal. It makes me wonder how far I''ll have to travel to finish all my tier-up quests. I''m currently tier-1, which means I have tiers 2, 3, and 4 to catch up on, and that isn''t something I should''ve done. I put it off for so long. Now I''m ying catch up. This is what happens when you prioritize someone over yourself, and while it''s okay to do that. You shouldn''t do it as heavily as I did it. I''ll never regret helping Sally with everything she needed to do, but I acted unwisely, putting all her needs before mine after getting my Mana Aura. "I need to fuckingnd... This wind is giving me a headache." More I''m giving myself a headache. The wind is annoying me so much I''m giving myself a headache. I softlynd next to the river, and it calmly flows. The soothing sounds of the water flowing start to rx me. "I wonder what''s in store for me... The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs sounds pretty tough..." Despite my seeming invincibility, a quest tailored for my Divine ss with scale in strength with me. Meaning the battles ahead will have monsters and enemies that have billions in health and stats that rival my own. There is a good chance that I could die a few times here and there, and I don''t like making up for lost time and levels. I decide to start a campfire for the night, and I lean against a turned-over log and enjoy the warmthing from the fire. I open my yer Interface and head to my Friends Tab. I open it, and I see Sally''s name. It says she''s awake and on an Airship. "I wonder if she would like a message from me... That''s a stupid question, Cera. Of course, she would love a message from you. It would show her that she''s on your mind." I speak to myself as if I''m a fool, and I startposing the message. [I see from the Friends Tab that you''re awake right now, and I just thought I''d let you know that I''ve spent most of my trip so far thinking about you and being annoyed by the wind. I don''t know how much you need a message from me right now, but I hope this helps in some way. By the way, the campfire and soon-to-be set-up tent are lonely without you here.] That should be good enough for now, and that is enough of that. I have no doubt she''s going to send me a message right away. "Might as well." I click send on the message, and it''s off to Sally and is now sitting in her Inbox. Hopefully, her notifications are on cause if they''re not, she won''t know that I''ve messaged her. Now that many of the system''s functions from before have been restored. It''ll be a lot easier for yers to keep in touch andmunicate information. "That reminds me..." I know you can buy lore scrolls from the Auction House, and now that it''s back up and running. I can but some information about The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs. I waste no time, and I open the Auction House and use the search bar for anything regarding The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs. Nothinges up in the search for Lore scrolls, which makes me suspect that a yer hasn''t been to or found anything about The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs. Not anything they would like to share anyway. Before I can try searching for something else, I get a message back from Sally, and I leave what I''m doing. Growing up on Earth, something you never wanted to do was ignore or postpone answering a girl''s messages. While this is the first time I''ve experienced it, that doesn''t mean I should keep her waiting. That isn''t something I want to do to Sally. [You don''t know how much it means to me to hear from you. I''ll be honest. For the first couple of hours, I was balling like a little girl whole dropped her ice cream. But I made a new friend before getting on the Airship. Her name is Eliza Bleed. And she''s an Elf like myself. She''s taking a chance to explore the world as a yer, and is now doing her tier-up quest in the same direction as me.] [She''s been a really good friend so far, and it''s going to suck splitting up from her too. I get off the Airship before she does. I hope that the tent won''t feel that lonely... My bed and body feel hollow without youying here next to me. I miss being able to hold you, and I miss your smell. I know that''s weird to say, but it''s driving me crazy.] It''s nice that''s she''s made another elven friend who is also a yer. She has the trademark of most women and messaging. She''s way better at it than I am. "As much as I''d love to spend the whole night talking with her. I need some downtime to clear my thoughts." I''m betting she''s expecting an immediate reply, and I send her one telling her that I love her and I''m going to bed. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Airship heading to Abble, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:27 PM)~~~ The final message that I get from Cera tonightes through, and my heart sinks. The message itself is sweet, but I want to talk to him and not stop. "Rx... He needs rest, and so do you." I talk myself into not being so focused on it, and I look towards the ceiling. My thoughts drift to the others that are doing their tier-up quests. If there is anyone I''m worried about besides Cera, it''d be Jasmine. The girl is strong, and she''s gotten better about handling her own fears, but I can''t help feeling that she''s going to have a rough time here in the beginning. I''d love to be wrong about this, and I hope that I am. But I trust my gut, and it''s saying that Jasmine is in for some personal trials. If there were another besides Jasmine, it would be Hailey. Taking on a Raid all on your own isn''t something I''ve ever heard of being done before. And she''s supposed to be first? I can''t imagine how frustrated she''s going to get overtime. Cera said it''s pretty much a sure thing that she''ll die a couple of times trying to figure out the boss. It''s a good thing she''s a yer, and she cane back to life having only lost a level and the stats you spend on that level. She''s probably grinding for EXP to get some levels to cushion the deaths she gonna have. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 434 - Research On The Ancient Dungeon Of Isexxs {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling the Open Skys heading Northwest)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:12 AM)~~~ I''ve been traveling since I got up at 5:00 AM this morning, and my marker shows that I''ll be there in a few more minutes. I dip below the clouds, and I look towards the marker I''ve set, and I can see The CIty of Portes just ahead. It''s quiterge, but itcks any walls for security which is quite strange in my opinion. Monsters could attack at any moment. [Worldwide Announcement: Since NPCs and yers are rapidly gaining strength, ordinary monsters that spawn around the world are bing too weak to pose a challenge! From this point on, all monsters and evil creatures now have ess to the system to grow in strength to keep up! All monsters have gained independent intellect!] My body and momentume to a halt as I listen to the Worldwide Announcement repeat. "What the fuck does this mean for the future..." In the past, this never happened. Along with NPCs able to be yers and have ess to the system. "More and more changes are happening, and it''s a precursor to something biging." That''s the best exnation I can think of. Monsters and evil creatures are gaining ess to the system... Not only that, monsters will get smarter and pose a challenge. I''ll assume the worse and say they''re as smart as a human and are capable of incredible independent thought. I''m slowly gliding as I think about this, and since I''m getting close to Portes, I shouldnd and walk around like an actual person. Once Ind, I toggle my wings off and ce my hood over my head. There are times I''m fine walking around with my identity known, but there are things I need to know, and theplications of crowds and nobles are an obstacle that I don''t want to deal with right now. Keeping my identity a secret while I''m here is my best option. The road towards Portes is well-traveled, and people areing and going from the city easily. I can see guards patrolling and heavily armored individuals barking orders at people that aren''t so armored. As I get closer and in the city, I hear what they''re yelling about. "The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs is no joke! We need to be constantly vignt!" I stop in my tracks and listen. This is a valuable chance to learn something essential to my ss and me. "It''s highly dangerous, and the monsters scale to the power of the people that enter it. Making it a challenge to clear over and over. The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs is a permanent dungeon. It doesn''t go away uponpletion." Now that''s something that I didn''t think would be here. Dungeons are sometimes one clear only and sometimes repeatable. It really depends, and now I know more about what I''m up against. "Sir, what are we supposed to do if we''re overwhelmed. I know all of us are yers now, but I don''t want to lose any levels trying to beat this dungeon." Turns out these people are NPCs turned yers. Good for them. Many in the group I''m watching nod their heads and the man in heavy armor just sighs and shakes his head. "We''re lucky to even get a chance at this dungeon. If you want to enter it, you''ll need permission from the local Church of Light branch. They''re the only ones with keys." Hmm... I was hoping to avoid all this, and I can''t go in with these guys. The monsters in the dungeon scale in strength, and they''ll all be massacred if I''m in there. "Listen, everyone. I''m not going to force any of you to go, now that we''re yers, we have a lot more leeway in how we do things, but this is a golden opportunity to gain levels and drops from The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs." Being able to respawn does open a lot of doors for them. If I want to get inside the dungeon, I''ll need a key from the Church of Lights local branch. But before that, I should hit the local library to find any information I can about The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs. I''m betting there are a lot of things that happen in that dungeon only when I''m in there, and possible hints to what those are is something that I''d want to know. Before I turn tail and head for the library, I finish listening to the final thing the leader of thisrge group says. "Fair warning, the boss at the end of the dungeon has a notorious reputation for being a pain in the ass and capable of killing entire dungeon teams." That requires skills that are able to perform incredible AOE damage. That''s good to know. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Portes, Outside The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:31 AM)~~~ The library here in Portes is impressive given the size of the city. It''s not small, but it wouldn''tpete with some of the Capital Cities I''ve been to. My hood is still on, and I walk up to the front counter. The old librarian looks at me and raises his eyebrow. "Do you have any books or scrolls about The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs?" He sighs and takes his sses off. There are probably tons of peopleing and going from here asking about The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs. "All the books and scrolls you''d want are already checked out or have been straight up buying them. You''re in luck, though, cause I know more about it than any book does. So ask away." In many ways, this is better than reading from a book. The first thing I want to know is the dungeon''syout and how long it usually takes toplete it. "What do you know about itsyout and how long it takes to clear? Preferably alone, if you know." He looks at me like I''m crazy. "Before you say anything, I''m going in by myself, so just leave it at that." He chuckles a little and straightens his back. Older generations of people know more about the ces they live than anyone else. That''s the best people to ask, which is what I''ve found myself doing. "There are many pathways and traps in The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs, but you can find the path that leads straight to the boss by sticking to the leftmost path." He''s leaving out information about theyout. From the way he''s talking, I can tell that there is more down the paths that don''t lead to the boss. "The time for a team depends on its strength, and doing it alone has never been done before. So unless you got some serious weapons and skills, you''re not getting far your own." I have a path to follow, but I want to know more about what''s down those other paths. My hood is obscuring most of my view, and from the way he looks at me from time to time, he''s having trouble reading my intentions. "What''s down the paths you didn''t mention? Have people explored those before?" He bes stiff, and he gains a look of pain. Something personal has happened based on the way he''s reacting. He takes fiddles with his sses sitting on the wooden countertop and takes a calming breath. "No one knows. People that go down those paths nevere back out. The yers thate back after respawning don''t remember what happened. It''s been something of a mystery for a long time..." This has been helpful, and I''ll be checking down those unknown paths. From the way he''s looking and sounding, he''s lost someone to the unknown paths we''re talking about. I won''t pry any further. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 435 - The Location Of The Ancient Dungeon Of Isexxs {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Library in The City of Portes, Outside The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:57 AM)~~~ As soon as I open the doors to the library to leave, the man at the counter stops me. "There is an old prophecy about the dungeon... One day, an individual that mortals will consider a God would enter the dungeon but don''t believe in those legends... Fair warning, it''s dangerous in there..." I turn and give the man a single nod. A prophecy about an individual many would consider a God woulde and take The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs for a spin... "That''s not a coincidence... I''ve known for a long time that there is a bigger picture that I''m a part of somehow, but I don''t know how... Maybe I''ll find answers inside The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs..." It''s a possibility, but this is a tier-up quest. I doubt that it''ll be anything more than getting to tier two. "Looking for yers to challenge The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs! Must be level 100 or higher!" There are yers calling out from the sides of streets and others up ahead in the market square. Everyone here is trying to get some rewards from The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs. The old librarian I spoke to said there isn''t much known about Isexxs or his role in creating the dungeon. Only that he was a prophet and came here to build the dungeon on the orders of The Almighty Father, his involvement with it ends there. "Looking for two more PLayers! Levels 115 required!" I enter the market square, and there are dozens of booths. I''m betting the only one that can get through those extra paths is me. The Witness and my skills with being more than strong enough to hold my own, but I shouldn''t getcent. The monsters inside will scale with me, and they''ll have health and mana simr to mine. "If you''re looking for a porter, look no further!!" Seems like someone is trying to find work. There were a couple of times I actually yed the porter role in my past life, but that was because it was the only way to see what a high leveled and powerful dungeon was like. "There isn''t any need for porters!! We all have inventories, you dumbass!!" Another yer shouts back at the person advertising their services, and he''s technically right. I ignore and tune out the rest of the people around me. The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs is where I''ll find my tier-2 upgrade, and nothing will stop me from getting it. The librarian told me where I could find it and how to get there. "He said there will be a lot of foot traffic at the location... That could be annoying." Peopleing and going from dungeons isn''t umon. But I don''t know what will happen to the dungeon after I''m done in there. Not like it matters in the end. "By the time I''m done and out, I''ll already be off towards my next tier-up quest. Wherever that may be." After this tier-up quest is done, I have two more to catch up on, and they''ll be harder than this one. It''s how this all works. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs near The City of Portes, Outside The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:17 AM)~~~ There is indeed a bunch of yers. All of them are in parties, and some are even attacking this ce as a guild. Conveniently, you don''t have to wait your turn. But from the looks of it, it hasn''t been cleared yet. "That motherfucking boss is a pain in the fucking nuts!!!" A man yells out, and I turn my attention. It''s a group of highly geared and high leveled yers. More yers sigh but nod their heads in agreement. "Does anyone have any idea how to clear this fucking dungeon, so I don''t have to stay near this fucking cliffside!!" I don''t bother listening anymore and continue making my way through groups of yers and towards the dungeon''s entrance. What surprises me is two guarded men and a man in a rich cloak. He sees me approaching and nces at my gear. Taking a mental note from the looks of it. As I''m about to enter the dungeon, two of the guards hold out their swords and stop me from entering. "Generous yer, you must know the cities tax to enter The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs, right?" Sounds like a typical scam artist reading off from a page. My eyes lock on the man, and I can see the greed in his eyes. "To enter the dungeon, you''ll need to pay a fee of 150 gold per entry. If you can''t pay the amount, you''ll not be allowed to enter. And don''t think killing us will solve the problem. I''m a yer now along with these guards." That doesn''t mean that I can''t kill them and enter the dungeon anyway. I''m a man of patience, but I''ll not be tested by this money-grubbing parasite. "Please pay the entry fee, yer. It''ll be unfortunate to add you to our list of troublesome yers if I''m forced to Inspect you." As soon as he says those words, I draw my de. I''m moving so fast that everything is moving slow. Before the two guards can even flinch, I cut them into pieces. As their individual parts are falling to the ground, are take the head off the man asking such fees. Everything speeds back up as I sheath The Witness, and their body parts fall to the ground in a disgusting mess before despawning and leaving some items. They are indeed yers now. "Like I''m going to have 150 gold fleeced from me." As those words leave my mouth, everyone behindughs. There are some ps and cheers. It''s definitely fun to hear, given how annoyed these yers must''ve felt. "C''mon, everyone! Let''s get a free attempt now that fucker is gone!!" Many yers starting forward to give it another try now that it''s temporarily free, and I step forward and enter alone. As I do, a single and separate dungeon instance is created. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Exiting Airship and stepping into Abble, Outside The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:23 AM)~~~ I''ve finally made it to my destination, and I''ve already said my goodbyes to Elisa Bleed. She was goodpany during the trip. I n to stay in contact with her since she''s in my Friends Tab. I hope that she has an easy time getting her tier-up questpleted. She should have an easy time given her ss is Rare in Grade. It wouldn''t be that hard. The city of Abble is something to behold, and I''ve be a bit more excited at the prospect of my own adventure. Talking to Cera through the messagingst night really helped get my mind out of the dumps, even though I hated to abrupt ending to our conversation. "Carriages to City Hall!! Get a private Carriage to City Hall!" Some people head towards the voice. I need to find a woman called Fellia Evergreen to get the next step of my tier-up quest. The problem is, I don''t know where to go to find her. "There is always doing it the way that Cera taught me." A handy way to get ahold of information is to ask the oldest people around. They know the most about people, and that''s a tactic that Cera and I have used before. I hope the rest are having an easy trip so far, and I hope that Cera is making a lot of progress. He''ll be the one that takes the longest to get everything done. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 436 - Challenging The Ancient Dungeon Of Isexxs I {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs near The City of Portes, Outside The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:26 AM)~~~ The air inside is stale and cold, and the only way to continue is dimly lit by torches. "Who knows what I''ll run into... Could be anything..." The stories that the librarian told have sufficed in warning me what I''m doing. My hand rests on the handle of The Witness, and I slowly draw it, and I toggle my wings on at the same time. My greatest weapons are my wings, and that''s because they''re indestructible and negate all damage unless attacked with a Legendary weapon or higher. Not only are they perfect defense, but they''re also capable of devastating offense. Able to cut through most things unless they''re Legendary in Grade. The hall is barely wide enough to contain my wings even when they''re folded like this. If I were to stretch them out, holes andrge carvings would start to appear in the walls as I walk. "He said to stick to the left path if you wish to fight the dungeon boss and the monsters leading to him, but I''m going the other paths." I have a feeling that whatever I''m here for, it''s hidden down one of them. The torches start to be less and less frequent, and it''s starting to get hard to see. After a couple of minutes, I see an intersection of paths. As I get closer, I''m amused by several different types of monsters. I dodge and retaliate with normal attacks with The Witness, but it''s doing nothing. "They''re scaled to me... This is going to be a problem." The true challenge is starting. [Greyback Sicker Lvl.215] [Blinded Sicker Lvl.214] [Diseased Sicker Lvl.218] Using Inspect at the same time as I back away from the group of three has given me the basics of their names and levels. They''re staying right on me, and the dust freezes as we move around from how fast we''re moving. I activate Heaves Light andy an assault down, dealing millions of damage with each attack, but they get smart and retreat themselves. This isn''t a battle of attrition I can win, not with the cooldowns I have for my Active Skills. Using King yer and Raging Machine will help me cut through billions of health, but their cooldowns are too long. "Sometimes, it''s better to run!!" I shout out as I jump past them and charge down the middle path, and cave in the path behind me using my wings. I can''t help taking a sigh of relief, which is why I need my tier-up levels. For fights where I''m against someone of equal level and stats. It''ll help me overwhelm enemies that don''t have the same tier as me and are of lower-tier level. Those guys were tier one, just like me. But they can''t go above that. That''s the saving grace about scaling dungeons. However, it doesn''t mean that it''ll always be this way. When I reach tier three, the enemies will start to scale elsewhere in the world. And dungeons could end up being changed by the system like they already have. "The bad thing is I can''t go back and try other paths unless I die or clear this one." The path ispletely dark, and I''m basically hoping I don''t run into anything. I have my hands out in front of me, and I''m taking slow steps to make sure. I know that I look like a fool for not preparing for this, but sometimes you get excited and jump in unprepared. "That''s the story of a lot of men''s lives..." I can''t help thinking about all the teen moms and dads I had at my school growing up. Those are good memories. Being who I am, there has to be something down these unexplored pathways. What would be the point of The Almighty Father instructing Isexxs toe here and construct this yer. Another things I''m curious about are Sickers. There is an enemy that I''ve never encountered before. The Lore lover in me has many questions regarding them. [You''ve finally arrived, Cera] My yer Interface suddenly pops up without mymand, and there is a message in front of me. I stop in my tracks and consider what''s going on right now. There are only a select few things that I believe are capable of interfering with the yer Interface. That''s the system and the Gods of this world. I don''t know who is currently contacting me, but this is a sign I''m heading the right way. [You''ve been distracted in your quest for power.] [But I can''t me you.] [Elven women are hard to resist, and it''s even rarer to have one love you.] Whoever is speaking to me right now knows a lot about me. "You''ve been watching me for a long time, haven''t you..." Nothing else appears in the messaging, and I get a bit irritated. "Who are you? Are you the system that was running The Ancients World, Angelus? Or are you some God contacting me?" They know my real name. They unsurprisingly know about Sally. [Do not worry. I''m not your enemy.] [As to my identity, you don''t need to know any of that.] [For I''m to warn you.] [The fights ahead are perilous, and you''ll need all the help you can get.] I don''t know what to feel about this. It seems like it''s too good to be true. [Scroll of Eternity has been added to your Inventory!] A scroll is added to my Inventory, and all the messaging goes silent. I check the information of The Scroll of Eternity, and I''m shocked I need something this powerful to give me a chance to win. [Scroll of Eternity: A Scroll that, once used, will allow you to use all your Active Skills without cooldowns. Mana consumption for each Active Skill will be reduced by 50 percent.] [Warning: Scroll of Eternity only has one use, so use it wisely.] All my Active Skills will no longer have a cooldown, and I''ll be able to spam attacks and use King yer and Raging Machine over and over. "What the hell am I supposed to fight?" My eyes pick up on a horizontal light ahead, and as I get closer, I make it out as a door. "This must be the boss I''m to fight." As I approach the door, I ce my hands on it and slowly open it. A massive arena fills my view, and there are empty stands, and the only thing upying the arena is a single stone statue in the middle. My boots sink into the sand as I move into the room, and the door behind me shuts. I stand still as a gate on the other side opens, and a massive blue wolf steps out. Just by looking at it, I can feel its strength. I use Inspect in it, and I grit my teeth. [Shadow of Me Lvl.???] [Warning: This Creature far exceeds your level!] [Warning: This Creature is Invincible!] [Warning: This Creature has a high chance of killing you!] All the warnings fill my screen as the blue wolf fullyes out of the gate. It locks eyes with me, and I can see the intelligence behind them. Whoever Me is, this is supposed to be her Shadow... Meaning that Me was a blue wolf at one point? I don''t know... She''s not as big as Fenrir, not closer. But she''s still giant. My weapon is already drawn, and my wings are ready. So what''s taking her so long to attack? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.211] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 200] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 437 - Challenging The Ancient Dungeon Of Isexxs II {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs near The City of Portes, Outside The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:38 AM)~~~ Shadow of Me''s levels are so high, that they''re question marks for me. It takes a massive gap in power to see this. She hasn''t attacked yet, and neither have I. This is definitely a battle, but how am I supposed to beat a character that''s Invincible. She slowly starts to circle around therge arena, and I do the same. The statue in the center of the arena is keeping us apart. Why is there a statue here in the first ce? It doesn''t make sense to have it in the middle of the arena... Unless... It''s there for an obvious reason... Maybe... Instead of thinking further, I dart towards the statue, and before I can cut through it with The Witness, Shadow of Me stops me as she rams her head into my body, and I crash into one of the walls. That statue is important. Shadow of Me wouldn''t have defended it if there wasn''t. We lock eyes again, but this time she''s not moving. She''s standing guard of the statue. "That''s the key to this fight, isn''t it?" As the words slowly leave my mouth, Shadow of Me understands what I''m saying snarls at me. If I''m to beat Shadow of Me, I need to destroy that statue. The question is, how can I do that? Shadow of Me is faster and stronger than me... But there is a way to do this. I understand now what the purpose of Scroll of Eternity has. Raging Machine allows me to turn Damage dealt to me into health, and I lost around 250 million from that headbutt alone. I use Scroll of Eternity and Activate Raging Machine. The second I enter this state, Shadow of Me considers me a true threat and charges at me. She''s too fast for me to do anything, so I tank the hit and use the opening for the statue. As I''m making my way towards it at speeds high enough to slow everything down. Shadow of Me knocks me away from the statue before I can strike at it with The Witness. Shadow of Me''s dedication to a statue has me asking lots of questions. But this isn''t the time to think about it. She follows up on her attack and tries to bite into my shoulder, but I block her with my wings. Her teeth aren''t capable of piercing my wings, but she''s strong enough to pin me. "Ugh! You''re a real pain in the ass!" I''m starting to get frustrated. She understands me, and I get a sort of dog smile from her, and it pisses me off even more. While I can''t be hurt while Raging Machine is active, I''m stuck here. And it''s going to end quickly. She''s killing me if I don''t do something. Anything. My hand clenches, and it fills with sand, and I get an idea. I through sand in her eyes, and she lets go. I take this opportunity to get another shot at the statue, and as my de cuts through it and it falls to the ground. Shadow of Me lets out an extremely painful scream. [Warning: Shadow of Me has lost her Invincibility] [Warning: Shadow of Me has lost her levels and stat boosts] [Warning: Shadow of Me is enraged!] The messages quickly fill my screen, and she''s already behind me. I do my best to block and stop any of the attacks, but Raging Machine stops, and I''m hit for 30 Billion Damage in a single move. But this gives me time to activate Raging Machine again. She attacks me, and the Damage is turned into health. Filling my health bad to full. She jumps away, and she''s got a red glowing off her. Her enraged state doesn''t make her stupid, but this fight is possible now. She''s no longer invincible, and her level isn''t questions marks anymore. She''s level 250, and she''s far less dangerous now, but the fight isn''t over yet. I activate the rest of my active skills and take off towards her. Landing hits against her is far harder than I wouldn''t, though, cause she''s dodging and moving in ways that I can''t keep up, and she''s a blue wolf that should move like that. Whatever race of wolf she is, I don''t ever want to fight one again. I get a lucky hit with my left-wing, and I get a total of 35 million Damage. This isn''t going to cut it. I need to get attacks in with The Witness. It''s the only way that I''m beating her, but I don''t have any way to stop her from moving so fast. All my thinking is interrupted as I''m hit with a beam of blue light and thrown across the room. Hitting another wall in the arena and being firmly buried in it. "How the hell am I supposed to beat you... How do I slow you down..." I talk to myself and think of ideas. But nothing works, maybe another shot of sand in the eyes might work, but she''ll be ready again. Wait... I have an idea! I open my wings and p them hard, blowing strong winds all around the arena in her direction. Sand is kicked up, and she''s instantly covered and blinded by it. She shakes her head to try and get it out of her eyes, but this is the opening that I needed. I dash towards her with all my active skills on, and I attack her over and over again. Dealing Hundreds of Millions of Damage in a single instance. Laying on more Damage, she tries to get away with her eyes closed, but she crashes into a wall, and I chase after. Driving the tip of my de into her. All the DOT effects of my de are active on her. I pull it out, and she screams in an animalistic-like way, and I swing my de edge at her leg and cut right through it. She screams bloody murder as she''s lost her front leg, and she''s losing health fast. I''m blown away from her as she screams, and energy from her body throws me back. My ears ring from the volume of her screams. [Shadow of Me has suffered critical injures!] [Damage dealt after this point will be tripled!] [Shadow of Me has activated Saving Grace!] [Shadow of Me has regenerated her lost limb!] The message hammers my HUD, which is a sign not to stop. Not giving her time to finish removing the sand from her eyes with her paws. I attack, and The Witness is doing massive Damage and adding higheryers to the DOT on her from its effects. After my next five strikes, she slumps against the wall, blood dripping from her. Dying. [Shadow of Me has been defeated!] [You''ve against 15 yer Levels!] I take a breath and fall on my ass. "That was a stupid fight... I would''ve lost if not for the sand..." It hurts my pride, but it''s the truth. [Statue of Me has dropped something!] The message fills my view, and I slowly look towards it. There is a light of Turquoise Blue. Indicating that a Divine Grade item has dropped. I slowly stand up and make my way towards it, and I''m lethargic from the high-intensity battle. As I reach it, I Inspect it, and I smile. [Tier-2 power up for The Son of Arch-Angel Michael Divine ss!] That''s one tier-up quest done, and two more to go... Hope the others are making progress... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 438 - Haileys Struggles {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Lost Merchant City of Celzecs, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:50 PM)~~~ I drive Hearts Needle through the heart of the final monster in a group of monsters that attacked me. The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia has been far more challenging than I ever would''ve guessed. There have been multiple instances where I''ve nearly died from the sheer amount of monsters swarming me. Their speed matches mine. My body is numb from exhaustion, and my mana is nearly empty. Even with my Legacy Grade mana Aura, I''ve used it all just getting this deep into the Rosalia... How am I supposed to take on the capital alone? The attack on the Pce there against its boss is a pipe dream at the moment. "I''m struggling with weaklings..." I''m not even at the start of the Raid. The Capital City Rosalia is where the Raid starts, and I''m about halfway there. "At least I can take a break for now..." All the monsters inside Celzecs attacked, and I''ve cleared this city. I cleared the one before this one too. "It''s like they have a hivemind or something..." When one attacked, all of them around Celzecs swarmed me. It''s good that I have Hearts Needle. If I didn''t have it, I''d have already died in thest city, but monsters and fighters are getting stronger every time I get closer to Rosalia City. "Cera probably has even harder quests than I do at tiers 3 and 4, and I still have my third one to do after this..." Everyone in our group is ying catch-up. Marcus will have challenging quests, too, since his ss is Legendary. Celzecs is entirely dpidated, and there are no ces to stay for the night. Getting out of the city is better anyway. I nned on sleeping in the forests on the way to Rosalia anyway. I don''t know if monsters respawn in the cities, but I''m not sticking around to find out. I shakingly get up and limp my way down the main road. Heading for the exit towards Rosalia City. The dirt shifts beneath me as I drag my feet, and I find myself thinking back to what Cera told me. He to me that I''d want to level up a few times before taking on Raid on Rosalia City. I''ve done that, but given how hard I''m struggling at this point, I''ll want even more levels to fall on in case I die a few times. Killing these monsters along the way is good. Maybe that''s why their here, but I doubt it. I''m betting there is deep Lore about The Kingdom of Rosalia and what happened to it. Cera would know the Lore. He knows everything... Well... Not everything but a lot more than me. "I wish you were here helping me, brother..." There isn''t anything we can''t beat together, and I regret that I can''t get help on this quest. It''s no fault of mine, but it still sucks major ass that I have to do this alone. "Mom should be nearing Deadore by now, and dad should be halfway to Cardone by now... Marcus won''t take long getting to Helios, and Jasmine should have a straightforward shot to where she''s going." Cera and Sally are the ones that decided to fly, Sally taking the Airships. I''m jealous of Cera''s ability to fly. It''d make things so much easier if I could just lift off the ground and get to where I need to go... But I need these damn levels... I reach the edge of the forest where the main road leads, and I continue walking forward. "I need to take a break and heal..." Even though I want to stop now, I can''t. Not when I''m so close to Celzecs. Monsters could respawn and seek me out, killing me in my weak state. I''d rather not risk it and continue walking forward. It''s getting darker as the minutes go by, and there isn''t much light left to get through the tree to show the path. "Just keep moving... Get to a point where you''re safe..." I have to fight my body from quitting on me, and each step sends throbs of pain through my legs. I haven''t been this sore in my entire life, and this is the first time I''vee close to defeat since the moment I got my Legendary ss Battlemind. Ever since that World Wide Announcement about Monsters gaining intelligence and getting ess to the system, things have gotten harder. Why everything has changed so drastically, I don''t know. But it all started after Helda killed Queen Oryzox, and that can''t be a coincidence. "No use in thinking about it... I''d not know without something giving obvious proof... I''m not intelligent in that way..." Not many people could figure it out, and Cera doesn''t know either. That''s a good sign not to worry about it. It''s getting harder to walk, and my body is screaming. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Local Inn within The City of Portes, Outside The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:33 PM)~~~ I''m now tier-2, and I have the next destination for my third tier-up quest. I need to head to The City of Leekes inside The Kingdom of Avalon, and once there, I need to speak to a woman named Felca Moore. She''ll give me the quest to reach tier-3. "I''ve made a lot of progress, but it''ll be even harder this next time." It won''t be as simple as cutting down a statue to weaken the boss. I''m betting I''ll have a Raid or some other extremely hard task like Hailey since my ss is rated higher than hers. It''s likely that my quest will get progressively harder. Speaking of my friends and family, I should contact Sally. I''m betting she''d like to hear from me. I''m curious as to how much she''s gotten done in Abble. I open my Friends Tab and start a message for Sally. [Thought I''d check in and update you on the progress I''ve made. I''vepleted my tier-up quest to reach tier-2. But my next stop is a City called Leekes within The Kingdom of Avalon. I hope that everything is going great on your end. Let me know if you need to know anything. I might have something that could help. You never know.] As I finish rereading to spell check, I send the message and close my Friends Tab. I lean into the chair in my room, and I''m looking out the window. The Inn below my room is alive with activity, but my room is enchanted with Noise Cancetion. "Hope the rest of you are doing well... I should contact some of the others soon too..." Mom and dad would probably like to hear from me. I wonder how mom is handling the wholepletely on your own thing. She''s probably not liking it, but she needs it. She''s been nothing but a mother for the past 20 some years, and she needs to know who she is outside her kids and husband. Dad needs the same thing, and that''s good for him. I''m looking forward to seeing how they''ve changed after I meet them again. My HUD shows that I''ve gotten a new message, and I open it up. [That''s so good to hear! I''m starting my tier-up quest tomorrow. I had to locate where I needed to go and that took me a while. I''m starting to realize how long we''ll truly be apart, and I hate it. While I''m okay for now, there will be days that I''ll ache for yourpany and touch.] She obviously needs to talk to me, so I can spend some time doing that for her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 439 - Push Towards Capital City Rosalia {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Main Road to Capital City Rosalia, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:30 AM)~~~ The warmth of my tent is making it hard to wake up. It''s always difficult to get up when you''re actuallyfortable. I look at the time on my yer HUD, and I cringe as I see the time. "There is no reason to get up this early... I don''t want to get up this early!" I can''t help throwing a little fit, but I promised myself that I''d start moving towards Rosalia before 6:00 AM. I''m wishing that I could fly more and more... Imagine how easy it would be to get to ces... But it''s pretty much needed that I walk... I''m gaining levels for when I face the Raid on Capital City Rosalia. "Time to stop whining about it..." I shove the nkets off me and take a minute to clean all the gunk out of my eyes. I lean up and stretch my body. The road I''m taking is heading straight for the Capital City, and using my speed. It shouldn''t take me long to get to the next city from here. There should be one more city before I reach the Capital from here. And I''m not looking forward to the long and drawn-out fights that I have ahead of me. My ss and gear have been my saving grace. Why the tier-up quests scale with your current power instead of being the level you should''ve been makes this far more difficult and brings home the idea that doing it as soon as you can is smarter than anything else. "I really got distracted by things there for a while, and now I''m paying the consequences for it." I don''t regret helping my friends and family. But I should''ve taken some time to myself to catch up on the tier-up quests that I have. I exit the tent and quickly pack everything up and ce it in my yer Inventory. I look down the road, and my HUD is showing the marker in the direction I''m facing. A lot of features have returned ever since Greshina, and all of them are incredibly useful. All the NPCs that have turned into yers must be astounded by how much easier yers had it than them. As I''m running full speed down the path. I get a message from Jasmine. I open it up as I''m running and start to read. From the sounds of it, things are going good on her end, and before I can write a reply, another messagees in from mom. [Hope you''re doing okay, honey. I miss you, and I''m looking forward to seeing all of you again. It''s been hard doing all this on my own, and there are things that I wish we could talk about in person. Please get back to me soon. I''d love to hear how things are going for you. You have the hardest quest at the moment and are alone.] It''s great to hear from mom, and I start to write back. I send her a message tellings her how I''m doing and encouraging her to keep it up all on her own. "She should probably reach out to dad too..." I send her another message telling her that it''d probably be a good idea to contact dad. He''s missing her for sure. And she takes my advice. I didn''t expect to get hammered with so many messages so early in the morning, but it''s not like that''s a bad thing. I''d be annoyed if I was still asleep, but I''m already moving. The trees are passing in a blur, and I''m positive there is no yer or NPCs that can keep up with my speed. It sucks the monster and enemies I''m facing scale with me. It''s be extremely annoying to fight against such creatures, but that it''s all EXP for my levels and skills in the end. "I wonder how much progress Cera has made so far... He''ll bepleting his tier-up quests faster than the rest of us because he can travel fast..." His quests won''t be easy, but he''s the best yer out of all of us. Not to mention how Sally is doing, and Marcus is probably having a st all on his own now. Not having to be babied by mom anymore. "I feel like I''m the only one that''sining about my quest..." I can''t help the words from leaving my mouth. Does that make mezy? Pessimistic maybe? I don''t know. All I do know is I''m not that big a fan of my tier-up quest. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Sleeping in a room at an Inn located within Abble, Outside The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:51 AM)~~~ My head spins with a headache, and I try my hardest to open my eyes. My allergies are really acting up, and I don''t want to get up. Butst night has refilled my energy levels for my tier-up quest. Cera and I spent a couple of hours talking to each other through the messaging, and just having that has helped clear my head. But not my allergies are clogging it up again. Cera is probably awake by now, too, and I shouldn''t fall behind on progress for my tier-up quest. There are still plenty he has to do, and I have another one after this one. But being able to talk to him and stay connected to him is helping me far more than I thought it would. "Time to get up,zy ass..." I mumble to myself slowly and lift my throbbing head. I do my best to stop stumbling to the bathroom, and as I reach it, I turn on the faucet and start to clean my face. Getting all the crap out of my eyes. I''m awake and ready to go after some of that cold water on my face. I look towards the bathtub, and I don''t see any reason to avoid getting a bit cleaner before leaving to get dirty. As a girl, I prefer to be clean and smell good as opposed to smelling bad. I turn on the hot water, and the magical water pours into the bathtub, and I hop right in. No need to take off my clothes since I sleep nude. It''s a habit that I''ve picked up while with Cera. Before, I always slept with my clothes on out of fear. Now I don''t feel that fear, and I''mfortable being naked while I sleep. The magical water soaks into my body, and I let out a long rxed moan. It''s not every day that I get a chance to soak in a bathtub, and it''s not every day that I get a chance to be clean. "I wish you were here with me, Cera... You''d love this..." I''m positive he''d love to share this with me... ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Main Road to Capital City Rosalia, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:13 AM)~~~ The next city I''m going throughes into view as I keep up the high speed. I do wonder what happened to The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia. I can''t help wondering what happened here to turn it into a home for powerful monsters and a Raid. Cera is as curious as I am. I know he is. Given his knowledge of the future, he probably knows a lot about this ce. I close in on the entrance to the walled-off city, and I slow down. I don''t want to alert any monsters of my presence. I''d prefer to take as many as I can out quietly, and that''s a real challenge. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 440 - Capital City Rosalia, A Raid {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Main Road to Capital City Rosalia, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:02 AM)~~~ Getting through thisst City without major battles worked out. I''ve leveled up a couple more times as well. I''m notpletely exhausted, and there is still plenty of time to reach Capital City Rosalia. If I move at the fastest speed I can go, I should get there by 8:15 to 8:20 AM. "Live and learn, and I''m proud to say that I''ve done that." I have learned something getting to Rosalia. Sometimes it''s better to take things slow and easy. To spend as much time as you need getting something done the easy way so you won''t be forced to do something the hard. "I was not going to fight every monster in that city, and I didn''t have to." I didn''t kill everything in the City. But I did kill enough to get a couple more levels. I''m already moving at top speed down the main road, and nothing is in front of me except for Capital City Rosalia. "Cera said that I''m going to die a few times trying to beat the boss alone, but there is a good chance that I''ll die trying to get to the boss as well." Based on the strength of the enemies so far, that''s a real possibility in the Capital. Marcus and Cera are probably having a hard time themselves, and I''m not the only one. "I need to stop getting distracted. Think about what the rest of this quest entails..." I don''t know enough about The Fallen Kingdom Rosalia to entertain this train of thought, but I can ask Cera since he''ll know. I open my Friends Tab, and I click on his name. [Do you mind telling me all you know about The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia and what I''m to face in the Capital City? All the information I can get would be greatly appreciated. While I''m talking to you, can you also give me more information you have on the enemies I''ll be fighting in the Raid? I''m walking in blind here, and since you have knowledge of the future, I don''t have to do that.] I hit send, and it heads straight for him, and I''m left waiting for a response as I keep on moving. It shouldn''t take Cera long to get back to me. He''s already up and is likely traveling by air to reach wherever his next quest is. After a couple of minutes, I get a notification from the system saying I''ve got a message. I open it, and it''s Cera. [The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia was once a thriving metropolis, and an economic powerhousepared to the rest of Gaia during its time. But by the time the fourth Queen was born, things started to go downhill. Mainly due to that fourth Queen. She was greedy and only cared for her own power. Many damn her to this day for her transgressions hundreds of years ago.] [She sold the souls of her people and herself for tremendous power to the Sin of Pride, Lucifer. Also known as Samael. She then sold the empty husks that were once people to the Sin of Wrath, Satan. Having a powerful army at her fingertips, but in time she lost her mind and control over her power and authority. Suffering the same way her subjects do.] [The enemies you''ll be facing in Rosalia City are those subjects, and they''re all going to rivel you in every statistic. You''ll have no advantage against them. They''ll heavily outnumber you, and when one sees you, all of them wille running. You can avoid them by using the sewers, but doing so will make you face a hidden boss. It is faster to get to the Pce this way, though.] [The boss herself, Consumed Queen Rosalia, is another fight entirely. As the Raid boss, you''ll find yourself overpowered by her in every statistical value you can think of. She has a fatal w. She''s incredibly dumb since she''s lost her mind. When I said you''d die a few times, I wasn''t lying, but once you learn all her fighting and attack patterns, it should be easy.] I read the long and detailed messages, and I can understand why Cera loves reading Lore so much. Learning about the world we''re in. While the story is tragic and horrid, it''s a fascinating tale. "His knowledge of the future hase in handy far more than I thought it could... I wonder what else he knows..." I can''t help being curious. He must have so many secrets in that head of his. [Thanks for all the help, Cera. I''ll be sure to use this. Mind telling me where I can find this sewer and information on the hidden boss down there? I''d prefer not to fight through the whole City against monsters and creatures as strong as I am. I won''t bug you for a while after this, so get back to me soon. I''m supposed to be there before 8:30 AM] I send the message back to him, and now it''s the waiting game again. If there is a way I can avoid all the fighting and monsters inside the City, I''ll be taking it. While going through sewers isn''t ideal, if it''s somewhat easier, I''ll take it any day of the week. I wonder if Cera and Marcus have to challenge a Raid at some point? If I have to, good chance, they have to. A notification goes off. [The sewer entrance is on the Western side of the City, and it''s not hard to get to. A run-down sewage treatment nt is your way in. But I have to warn you. The hidden boss is no joke. There is a good chance you could die to that freak too. Remember, there is a good chance you''ll be afflicted with powerful poisons and debuffs due to the environment of the sewer.] [For the hidden boss itself, you''ll want to use your strongest attacks as soon as you engage. The longer the fight goes on, the stronger the boss will be. I don''t remember its name at the moment, but you''ll know when you see it. That''s everything I have that can help you, Hailey. Good luck, and let me know how it goes. I''m rooting for you.] Cera is the most valuable resource in all of Gaia and among the yers. This Raid will be far harder than anything I''ve ever been against before. "I''m a little bitter about the difficulty of all this... I don''t want to know what I''m up against after this quest is over..." I don''t know where my next tier-up quest will take me. All I can hope is it''s not as difficult as this. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying towards The City of Leekes inside The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:30 AM)~~~ Hailey is making a lot of progress, and I''m d that she''s reached out to me for help regarding her tier-up quest. I''ve never done the Raid on Capital City Rosalia or done anything within The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia. All I know about it are from forum posts that I''ve read in the past. It was all valuable information, but I didn''t think it woulde in handy. Who knows what Hailey has to take on after this tier-up quest, and I have no clue what I''m up against for my third tier-up quest. I don''t know yet since I haven''t reached Leekes yet, and talked to whoever I need to talk to. Finding the person will be a bitch, but I know how to find people. It''s one of the things that I''m good at. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 441 - Emerald Helps In Big Ways {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Capital City Rosalia, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:21 AM)~~~ I look at the massive walls epassing Rosalia and the gate separating the outside world with the Raid on Rosalia City. "I''ll need some help reaching the sewage treatment nt that holds the secret path into the Pce... I didn''t want to do this, but Emerald should be strong and big now..." She''s been sitting in my Inventory for a while now. I take her out when I get a chance to, and she''s grown to be quiterge. Speaking of taking her out, I open my Inventory and select her icon. She appears in front of me and immediately gets on her hind legs and ces her front legs on my shoulders, hugging me. "I''ve missed you too!! Haha!!" She''s already taller than I am without standing up. From this point on, I''ll be riding on the back of her. While it is slower to travel this way, it''s not that much of a difference. Her speed stats are impressive on their own, and the most time I''d lose travelingrge distances is an hour or two. She stops her love attack and gets back on all fours, and I look up at her. "Wow... You''ve gotten so big..." She gives a prideful look. Cera said I couldn''t have any help from yers, but he didn''t say anything about tamed magical beasts. "We''re about to take on a Raid. Just the two of us. My brother has informed me of a shortcut to the Pce once inside. You''ll help me all the way to the Pce. After that, it''s back into my Inventory until I''m done here." She doesn''t look happy about that. And she knows that she can get her way if she looks at me a certain way and acts a certain way. "I don''t want to risk your life when fighting the Raid boss. I hope that you understand that. When I''m done with this Raid, I''ll be having you carry me to the next ce I need to go." Emerald rolls her eyes and releases a sigh. Agreeing to the n. Ever since NPCs could be yers, things have changed. I don''t know if Emerald can be revived or respawned. I don''t want to risk her. While she''s powerful, she''s not fully grown yet. Being a Legacy Grade beast, she can help me greatly in the future. I turn my focus towards the gate, and I walk up to it, with Emerald behind me. I ce my hand on it and get a message. [Warning: Raid on the City of Rosalia shouldn''t be done solo!] [Warning: Chances of death are extreme!] [Do you wish to start: The Raid of City Rosalia? Y/N] I click yes, and the gate slowly opens, and as it finishes raising, I step through the barrier, and Emerald follows behind me. She stays right next to me. "My brother said the ce we need to go is on the Western side of the city... We''ll kill anything in our way, but we''ll do our best to avoid a fight, alright?" Emerald gives a knowing nod and is on the same page as me. We start using the alleyways and roofs to reach the western side of the city, and we do have some encounters with monsters, but we kill them before they notice us. They''re grotesque abominations that have been twisted be horrid powers. If these once humans look like this, I can''t imagine what Queen Rosalia has gone through. What kind of monster she''s be... Emerald is easily able to hold her own against these creatures. While she''s a Legacy beast, her stats are better than mine except for speed. Monsters are stronger than yers, after all. I couldn''t imagine how strong she''d be if she was a Legendary beast. We take our time getting to the Western side of the city. If we actually agro one of the monsters, the rest will know we''re here. It''s safer to keep things on the down-low cause fighting every monster in the city isn''t ideal. In fact, it''ll mean death. After a few minutes of careful navigation through the city, wee across a problem. Monsters surround the sewage treatment nt. "He didn''t say anything about this..." Cera should''ve warned me about this. I open my Friends Tab and click on his name. [Hey, you dumbass! The sewage treatment nt is surrounded by monsters! How am I supposed to get inside without getting killed? I know you probably didn''t mean to do this, but I''m pretty upset right now! So? Any other bright ideas that you have to share with me?! Or are there no more traps for you to send me in!!] My frustration and anger are clear within the message I just sent. And now I''m waiting for Cera to get back to me. Emerald is eyeing the monsters, and I''m doing the same. We''re in a safe ce, and no one can see us, but there are so many of them. If we fight them, all the monsters in the city wille running towards us, and then we''ll die. I get a notification saying I have a new message. [You didn''t expect it to all be easy, did you? It''s a Raid for a reason. You''ll have to fight through the group of monsters surrounding the treatment nt before the rest arrive. That, or you can run past them and get into the sewers. They won''t go down there since it''s the territory of the Hidden boss. How you do this is up to you. I said good luck for a reason.] Of course, there is no easy answer to this, and I should''ve expected this from a Raid. "Well, Emerald. It looks like we''ll have to fight our way through until we get into the sewers. We''ll only have a minute or so before the whole city is on us. They all have speed riveling my own, so we only have one shot at this." She understands and gains a predatory look at the monsters ahead. I draw Hearts Needle and active all my best skills, and I leap off the roof and start carving a path inside through the monsters. Emerald is right beside me and helping in all the ways she can. She''s killing them too, but suffering damage from their speed. "RAAAHHH!!!" There are screams in the distance, and that''s our sign to get a move on. We''re inside the sewage treatment nt, and the smell makes me want to puke. There is a massive opening leading into the sewers, and I jump through it with Emerald right next to me. As soon as we cross that thresh hold, all the monsters stop their pursuits. I ssh into the most disgusting water I''ve ever been in, and I''m gagging and puking. As my eyes water, I can see Emerald having a hard time dealing with the smell too. "Let''s get..." I have to take a second to gag and puke. "Get this over with..." I''m all out of puke to give, so that means all that''s left is gagging. We step onto the walkway, and we''re dripping in old shit and piss that''s been left in the sewage. I open my Friends Tab and click on my brother''s name again. [I''m so getting you back for this, you piece of shit.] That''s all I send to him, and I''m still struggling to stop myself from gagging from the smell. After a few more steps, I get a message back from him. [If anyone is the piece of shit right now, it''s you. How''s the smell down there, by the way? It hasn''t seen any treatment in a few centuries.] My face bes red in anger, and my eyes nearly bulge out of my head. "The nerve of him..." He''s actually trying to make me more pissed, given the situation I''m in. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 442 - The Sewers Beneath Rosalia City {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Sewers of Capital City Rosalia, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:43 AM)~~~ I can''t believe I didn''t see something like thising from Cera... He always finds a way to make me miserable, even when he''s helping me. He thinks it''s all fun and games, but making me walk through shit and piss is a new level of fucked up for sibling pranks. "I honestly don''t know how I''m going to get him back for this... How do I top this..." He''s outdone himself. There isn''t a single thing I could do to get back at him for this. Emerald is still gagging from time to time, and I have to stop to gag my brains out before I can keep moving. "He should''ve told me to prepare for the smell with something! Why didn-!" I have to stop talking to gag. "Why didn''t he warn me in Avalon!" I finish my scream and go right back to puking. Emerald groans in agreement, and I''m certain she''s on my side for the same reason I am. Cera made a really fucked up prank. "Don''t worry, Emerald... We''ll get him back sooner thanter... I''m not going to let this be the end of all the pranks and crap we''re pulled against one another..." She stays quiet, and we both focus on getting deeper into the sewer. After about 15 minutes of walking, there is a shifting form in the darkness ahead, and we both stop. This has to be the boss that Cera warned me about. "We''ll have to attack it fast and hard if given time. It''ll unleash deadly damage over time attacks, and we don''t want to get caught in those. We should be able to kill it if we work together." She lowers her head and focuses up ahead. I draw Hearts Needle, and I use one of my ranged attacks. It connects, and the monster screams andes in our direction. We both start attacking simultaneously. The monster gives us some trouble, but we easily kill it, and that''s when I realize it isn''t even the boss that we have to kill down here. "This is the worst! Stuck down here! Fighting monsters in this CRAP!!" My anger gets the best of me. Before I can continue, a deep growles from further down the path, sending shivers up my spine. I''ve never heard something like that before, and Emerald is on edge the same as me. "What the fuck could make a sound like that..." I whisper as we slowly make our way in the direction of the growl and as we get closer. The air feels heavier, and I''m feeling tense vibes everywhere. There is a massive room ahead, and it''s got a single lighting from above. The light is shining down on a writhing mass of tentacles and slime. "That has to be the boss..." I get a terrible feeling just looking at it. I don''t know why... "Emerald, I don''t want you getting hurt, so it''s time to-!" She gently smacks the back of my head before I can finish talking. I look at her, and she''s got a disappointed look on her face. "Fine, you can help. Just be careful. This looks way more dangerous than what Cera described... I''m starting to think it might''ve been better to make our way through the city instead ofing down here..." Everyone doubts their choices at some point, and I''m doing that now. Emerald creeps up in front of me, but I''m close behind her. We enter therge room, and the door behind us closes. "Ahh... It seems that the wielder of Battlemind has finally decided toe and take on her quest..." The voice is heavy, and I can feel the evil from in it. The mass of tentacles shifts, and a long neck pops up, but the face of the creature isn''t where it''s supposed to be. Instead of it being on the head, it''s in the middle of the neck. It''s something you''d only see in your nightmares. "Why don''t we have a conversation before we fight... I''d much like to learn the story of the one I''m going to kill..." It''s far more intelligent than I''ve ever seen a boss be. This must''ve been from the changes the system made to the world. My skin crawls, and Emerald protectively stands in front of me, and I don''t really know what to do next... Wait... Cera said kill it as fast as possible... Before... "RAAHHHH!!" I burst forward and start attacking before any more time passes. Cera said that the more time that passes, the sooner the powerful DOT attacks start toe. I need to kill this monstrosity before that can happen. Emerald is following suit, and we''re doing heavy damage. Its health is going away fast, and it cries out in pain. It lets out a shockwave with the scream of its voice. "Seems my n failed!! You don''t have much time left!! They''re almost ready!!" The monster continues talking, and Emerald and I don''t let up on our attacks. Emerald is doing almost the same amount of damage I am, and the boss''s health is quickly disappearing. We have perfect coordination in our attacks, and wey down a final attack before it falls down dead. I get several levels, and I take a seat on the dry ground within this room. "He was right... The battle is easy if you don''t let the boss use its attacks..." Thanks, Cera... I''m not as mad at you anymore, but I''m still getting you back for all the crap you''ve put me through. "Alright, the path ahead should be easy, and we have a straight shot at the Pce... Let''s get a move on..." Emerald has been a great help. If she weren''t here, I would''ve already died a few times. She deals a lot of damage in tandem with me. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Leekes, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:03 AM)~~~ Hailey hasn''t gotten ahold of me in quite some time, and that''s a good sign she''s getting some progress done. I wish I could say the same. I''ve been looking all over Leekes for the person I need to talk to so I can start my third tier-up quest. I''ve had no luck with the elders of the city. I''m a little stumped on what to do. Maybe I should ask the local noble? By doing so, I''ll be giving up my identity, and that''s not something I want to do here. "What else is there I can try..." Perhaps going to The Adventurers Guild local branch might work. While they won''t pry into my identity, they''ll ask for obscene amounts of money. "Hmm... It''s a coin toss... In the end, I can always make gold. So it''s time that I check out what The Adventurers Guild might know." If this doesn''t pan out, I''ll have no choice but to talk to the local noble. I make my way down the street towards the building that houses The Adventurers Guild, and as I pass people. I notice that many yers and NPCs are doing really good for themselves these days. "Well! Would you look at this poor piece of shit!!" My mood is immediately ruined by the voice that is directed towards me. A group of yers makes their way towards me. They''ve seen my gear and assume that it''s weak, and therefore I''m weak. It''s a fatal mistake. My gear is deceiving, and it''s starting to cause problems. Peopleing at me to try and take advantage of me. This is the first time it''s been so tant, though. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 443 - Raid Boss, Consumed Queen Rosalia {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Sewers of Capital City Rosalia, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:31 AM)~~~ Emerald and I have been walking down this single path for 20 minutes now, and there has been little change. This is the correct path since it''s the only one to go down after facing the hidden boss. "I don''t know why it''s taking so long, Emerald. I wouldn''t expect the sewers to be like this..." I''m tempted to message Cera and ask him if he knows anything. I don''t want to rely so heavily on him. He could send me into another terrible situation again. Being submerged full body in piss and shit was horrible to trick me into, and I''m not in the mood for another one of his practical jokes. Emerald lets out a low and quick groan in agreement. Her head is hanging down, and she''s be lethargic. She''s getting really sick and tired of the smell down here, and I think it''s about time to put her back in my Inventory. I won''t be needing her help with the boss since I''m likely dying. I don''t want her to die either. I still don''t know if she respawns or not. "It''s time to go back in my Inventory, Emerald. When I''m done here, I''ll take you out." She stops in her tracks and sits. She looks more than happy to be getting out of this, and I''m a little jealous that she gets out of this. "No, don''t fight me too hard on this..." I can''t help a bit of sarcasm froming out, and she lets out a tired sigh. "Fine, fine. I''ll hurry up." After she''s back in my Inventory, I look forward on the path and begin walking again. This time alone and envious that Emerald gets a break. My time and effort in this Raid are supposed to be worth it, but I''m starting to regret even having a Legendary ss... That''s not true, but I''m annoyed nheless. "I wish I didn''t have to get killed fighting this boss... Does that mean I''ll have to do the whole Raid again?" That''s a question for Cera, and I open my Friends Tab and click on Cera''s name. [Will I have to start the Raid all over again if I''m killed by the boss? Cause that''s something that you should''ve said before I started this. Don''t forget that I''m getting you back for sending me into a fucking sewer that smells like death. I don''t know how I''m getting you back for this, but you can be sure that it''ll be worse than this.] That''s arge promise to keep, but I''m getting him back for all this. He could''ve warned me how back it was and given me advice on how to prepare. "In the end, it''s a bit my fault too. I expected him to help me, and he used that to his advantage to prank me like this. My gullibility came back to bite me." After a couple of seconds, I get a response from him. [You''ll not have to start the Raid over. You''ll be respawned outside the boss room. Normally you would, but since this involves your tier-up quest, the system will be a bit more forgiving since your doing it on your own. As to your promise to get me back, all I can say is good luck topping my prank. That''s a hard act to follow.] The arrogance in his words pisses me off more than he knows, and more than I''d ever admit or show. It''s the worse being outdone by a sibling, especially a younger one. "Stay on your high horse. I can''t wait to knock you off!!" My anger gets the better of me after rereading this message. The only good thing about this message is I don''t have to do the whole Raid over. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Leekes, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:50 AM)~~~ It looks like Hailey is about to start her Raid boss fight from these messages. That or she''s getting close. From what I remember reading about Consumed Queen Rosalia, she''s a strong entity even among other Raid bosses, and that''s something to be wary of. It sucks Hailey has to do it on her own, but that''s the way her tier-up quest works. Speaking of tier-up quests, I haven''t made any progress on mine simply because I haven''t found out who to talk to in this fucking city. I''m starting to get frustrated with my own quest, simr to how frustrated Hailey is getting. "We heard that you gave our guys some trouble!!" Oh great, more interruptions to my quest. Earlier, I was attacked by a group of yers looking to take advantage of me. It didn''t go so well for them, but it seems like they''ve gone and told on their big brothers. "I swear, if another group of peoplees at me, I''m killing every yer in this city to prove a point..." My whisper is unheard as I turn to look at the group. They''re all wearing great gear with far better stats than mine, but that doesn''t mean a thing when against The Witness. "Why don''t youe and avenge them? If killing another group of you idiots proves that I shouldn''t be messed with, so be it." I slowly draw my weapon, and I see the chills that it inflicts on them. They lean in closer and whisper to each other. No doubt trying to figure out if they should attack or not. "I''ll tell you what." The leader of the group starts talking. "We''ll let everything go if you give us that weapon. There is no need for further conflict." This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Do they really think that they can take this? How delusional in your own power must you be? It''s hard to stand here with a straight face. I''m having a hard time notughing right now, and I think there has been enough talking. I burst forward and cut right through two of the yers, and The Witness is ready to continue killing. I unleash a flurry of attacks, and every strike cuts through a yer in the group, making them dwindle in number fast. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Sewers of Capital City Rosalia, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:04 AM)~~~ I exit the blown-out hole that leads into the Pce, and I''m right outside the throne room. The smell isn''t bad here, but I''m still covered in the sewage water. I look at the massive doors leading into the throne room, and I can''t help feeling intimidated knowing what''s behind that door. "This is it..." I slowly walk up to it, and I get a message from the system. [Warning: You''re about to fight a Raid Boss alone!] [Warning: Consumed Queen Rosalia far out levels you!] The messages don''t help, and I know the first few fights with her are to learn her attack patterns and figure out how to beat her. It sucks that I have to die, but that''s the reason I got levels to burn in this time of trial and error. I slowly push open the door, and I''m met with the sight of a grotesque monster sitting on a golden throne. I walk into the room with Hearts Needle already drawn, and I see Consumed Queen Rosalia start to move, and she''s doing it in a way that seems tock a will. I''m not expecting a conversation, but I''m surprised to hear her speak. "The sister of Cera has arrived..." The voice isn''t feminine. It''s sounding like a man, and given her Lore. It''s probably a powerful demon in that body. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 444 - Battle And Death {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Sewers of Capital City Rosalia, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:07 AM)~~~ I''ve never met a monster that''s talked to me personally like this, and knowing my brother''s real name means it has far more knowledge than I ever thought. The grotesque and gnarly monster in front of me doesn''t sound anything remotely close to female, given this is the mutted body of a Queen. It''s possessed by something powerful. Why it knows such information is beyond me, and I find it disturbing that it has such knowledge. "Who are you really, and why do you know such things? What is your purpose for waiting in this ce if you''re so powerful?" These questions have been on my mind since the first words left its mouth, and I''m not sure what the answer will be. I''ll consider myself lucky even if I do get an answer. "So many questions, and so little time, little Adamo... What you should really be asking yourself is what threat does your brother pose? Do you know the things he''s set in motion? The return of The Old Gods, the system, and the fate of Earth and its inhabitants?" He''s trying to spin things on me. Trying to get me to doubt my brother. It''s clever and very typical of a Demon, but there is nothing that''ll ever turn me against my brother. I know who he is, and I know that the liesing from this creature''s mouth are illusions meant to blind me. "There is nothing that you can say that''ll ever make me doubt him, and your concern with him is warranted. He''s powerful." The rotted and scabbed face of the creature twitches. A deep bellowingugh roars through the throne room, and I keep my guard up at the corpse of Queen Rosalia jiggles from theughter. "Such blind devotion! But that won''t get you far... It''s time that I left, but tell your brother that I wish to speak to him. He has something that I desire. Tell him... The Dice are useless for him, and he should give them to me." A dark aura erupts from the boss. It seeps into the ground and disappears, and the boss slowly looks at me. There is no intelligence there anymore, and it''s in an increasingly rabid state. I can see that this monster... This Raid boss is the one I''m supposed to fight, not whatever that was... In the blink of an eye, the tip of her sword is nearly diving into my skull, and I narrowly dodge. Cera said it''d be tough, but it''s safe to say this thing is faster than me. I need to take advantage of its stupidity. Learn more and more about its attack patterns before I die, and keep improving every fight. Before I can barely shift into somewhat of an attack stance, I''m being hurled into the wall by a powerful strike from a fist. It still does heavy damage regardless of it being just a fist. My body shakes, and I stare at the creature as it moves fast at me again for another attack. "How the hell am I supposed to beat this alone..." I honestly feel like this is way harder than Cera ever specified, but as the fight goes on and I continue taking heavy damage, I''m learning more and more about its attack patterns and when it moves at its fastest. It doesn''t take that much longer for me to die, and it hurts my pride as a powerful yer that I have to do this. I respawn outside the throne room, and I take a breath. "He said that it''ll have several different attack patterns per encounter... Meaning it''s going to be different this time..." I have levels to spare, but I do want to get this done in the least amount of attempts possible. My focus shifts towards the door, and I press my hand on it to open, and I get the same warning asst time. As I step into the room, the boss is already waiting, and I barely get my sword unsheathed before I''m getting attacked again. Its attack pattern ispletely different, and it uses the walls and ceiling tounch off to gain momentum. It''s using quick thrusts and wide shes, changing up the pattern between the two between every jump from the environment to me. I''m barely able to dodge most of the attacks, and the ones that are getting through are doing heavy damage. Consumed Queen Rosalia eventually overwhelms me with this attack pattern, and I''m killed again. Losing another level and unspent stat points. I''m d that I didn''t invest them into stats cause if I did. They''d be taken away from my actual stats. As of now, they''re only being taken from the unspent stat points pool. I take a seat now that I''m respawned, and I run a hand through my hair. "I couldn''t imagine doing this without my Legendary ss..." It''d be impossible... I''m tempted to contact my brother and see if he has anything more that could help me, but I doubt it... "The worst part about progressing is fighting through challenges you''re not prepared for..." Cera would agree with me on this, and I can''t help feeling he''s in a simr situation to me... He''s stuck somewhere too, and I hope he''s having a hard time like I am. ~~~(POV: Samael, Sin of Pride)~~~ ~~~(Location: Underworld)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:19 AM)~~~ Since Hailey now has a message to ry to her brother, I can sit back and wait for everything to begin. As much as I don''t want to band together with my brothers and sisters, I''d rather do that than face The Old Gods alone. Father wouldn''t send to request my help if it wasn''t serious. "The Dice of Wand..." They''re the key to my n... This waring to us will serve as a good distraction for my ns, and I doubt anyone will see iting. In truth, The Dice of Wand hold little value to anyone, but it contains crucial information to something that I lost long ago. Hidden from me, and I''ve yet to find it. "I will reim what was taken from me..." I''m the ruler of Underworld, and I''ll not stop here. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Throne room in Pce of Capital City Rosalia, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:45 AM)~~~ There have been 5 more new attack patterns since the first one, and I''ve lost levels and stats. All prepared for, of course, but I still hate to see it. "I''m getting real sick and tired of doing this over and over... It''s like I''m a hamster in a wheel. Running and running and never going anywhere..." I can''t be all negative. I''ve made progress. I''ve even damaged the boss at some points. But all of this has umted to this, the circle has ended, and I''m back on the first attack pattern I saw, and I''m ready to finish this bitch. "Whatever deal you made to get like this, it wasn''t worth it!!" I shout as I start dodging and attacking Consumed Queen Rosalia. She''s not liking that she can''t get a hit on me, but she''s too stupid to adapt her attacks. Her mind and body are empty husks running on instinct, and I push the initiative harder than before. Using all I''ve got to end this fight. I use shes, thrusts, jabs, everything, and attack her chest and head. Using the dueling specialty of Battlemind to my advantage, but as her health drops, she screams, and it refillspletely. [Warning: Consumed Queen Rosalia has entered Enraged State!!] [Warning: All damage dealt to Consumed Queen Rosalia will be reduced by 50 percent!] What the fuck is this shit!!? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 445 - Desperate Fight {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Throne room in Pce of Capital City Rosalia, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:46 AM)~~~ What kind of bullshit is an Enraged State at the point of death?! She was going to die, and she magically enters Enraged State and gets all her health back and has a buff that negates 50 percent of iing damage!! "What kind of crap are you trying to pull on me, Cera!? A little warning would''ve been nice!" I can''t help but shout at my brother, wherever he is. He knew about this and deigned to inform me of it. I don''t know why he''s decided to do that, but I can''t help but feel like this is another one of his pranks. In an instant, my train of thought is ruined as I have to avoid an attack. The good news is she''s following the same attack pattern she used before entering Enraged State. It doesn''t take me long to adapt, but the negative 50 percent damage negation she has on her defenses now makes this fight far more attrition-like in nature, and I won''t win a battle of attrition against Consumed Queen Rosalia. "Is there an end to her Enraged State? Should I just wait for that..." I''m weighing my options as she continues chasing me around the room. I''ve stopped attacking simply because it''s a waste of Mana and effort. It''s not worth it in her current state. "You think you can walk into my throne room and threaten me!? Do this much damage to me without repercussions?!!" She speaks in a voice that has a twisted, feminine nature to it. She''s talking to me even though she''s supposed to be insane and mindless... The only exnation for this is how the system said that monsters will grow in strength and intelligence too. The same would apply to her... "Speak, you wretched witch!! Do you have nothing to say to someone in a superior position than you!? I''m Queen Rosalia!! I have no equal!!" She isn''t letting up in the slightest, and being purely on defense is not panning out so well. Her Enraged State has yet to end, and the only thing I can do is narrowly dodge her attack patterns. In the span of less than a second, she twists her de mid-strike and takes out nearly half my health. "Bitch..." The words involuntarilye out of my mouth, and the reason why is because that was never a move in her move sets. Meaning it''s brand new. Whatever is happening right now is because of the system interfering with the inhabitants of Gaia. This isn''t Cera''s fault. He didn''t know this would happen. The little bit of distance that I''ve created isn''t cutting it anymore. She''s using new attacks and new patterns I''ve not seen before. But they''re wild and reckless, making them easier to read. The only reason I''m not dead right now is that the attacks are easy to read. The attacks that are getting through are from her superior speed stat. "You''ll not escape this ce alive!! And you''ll never get your hands on the tier-2 upgrade!!" She even knows why I''m here! Things are getting more and moreplicated as the seconds go by. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: A Secret Library located in The City of Helios, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:51 AM)~~~ I''ve reached a dead-end at every nook and cranny of this hidden room. Well... It''s more like a Grand Library that''s been hidden here. I haven''t found what I need for the next step in my tier-up quest. The item I''m after is said to stick out if found, and all the clues that I''ve been following have led me here. The cool thing is I''ve learned a lot of fire magic from the books here. So it hasn''t been aplete waste of time and effort searching this ce. "The only thing I can think to do is message Cera... He might know something that I don''t... Chances are low, but at this point, I''ll take any help that I can get." I was hoping to do my tier-up quest without any help, but sometimes you just can''t do something without it. I open my Friends Tab and click on his name. [Cera, would you happen to know where I can find the item known as The Phoenix Feather? I''ve searched all over this hidden library, and I can''t find it at all. I didn''t want to call on you since you''re busy, but I''m out of options here. If you could, I''d like you to get back to me as soon as possible. I''m frustrated, and I want to be done with this quest.] I know that finding The Phoenix Feather isn''t the end of my quest to tier-up, but being stuck at this point isn''t a good sign, and I know that I''ll have a horrible challenge ahead of me. "He still hasn''t gotten back to me yet..." I know it''s only been a short amount of time, but I don''t see what could take my brother''s attention away for so long. All of a sudden, I get a message. [You''re in the right ce to find The Phoenix Feather, and I understand your frustration. It''s hidden in in sight and in an annoying and humiliating way. What you need to do is walk over to the center table, and there should be a single ink and quill cup there. It''s covered in dust, so you wouldn''t recognize it. But the ''Quill'' is actually The Phoenix Feather you''re after.] I look towards the center table and see said ink and quill... "This is some serious bullshit!!" Mom would be mad that I usednguage like that, but I don''t care right now. I rush over to the center table and use Inspect on ink and quill, and my anger boils further. [Phoenix Feather (Divine)] [Description: The Feather of the Legendary Magical Beast of The Phoenix. It holds tremendous value to many people, but to you. It''s the key to continuing your tier-up quest.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Leekes, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:55 AM)~~~ Since Marcus isn''t contacting me, he''s probably found it. I hope the rest of his quest goes well. It won''t be as easy as this part. I''m worried about him now, but he''ll have to struggle on his own. Speaking of tier-up quests, I''ve made zero progress on my own, and I''ve never been this stumped in my new life. This is probably going to take me a while. I suddenly get a message. [Found it. Thanks.] I can feel the anger in the message he''s sent. You don''t send one this short without something affecting you. Not in our family anyway. "Good luck, Marcus. You''re going to need it cause your quest could possibly be harder than Hailey''s... Depending on how you look at it..." He''ll have to take on a Raid too, but he won''t have to do it alone. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Throne room in Pce of Capital City Rosalia, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:17 AM)~~~ Ind the final blow against Consumed Queen Rosalia, and she falls dead. And my experience bar explodes as this happens. I get several notifications, but a Worldwide Announcement goes off. [Worldwide Announcement: yer Hailey Adamo is the first yer to clear The Raid on Capital City Rosalia! Hailey Adamo is the first yer to clear a Raid solo!] [The Adventurers Guild is offeringrge sums of gold on any information regarding Hailey Adamo!] [The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia has now been revealed on everyone''s map and can be transported to! To start the Raid, head to Capital City Rosalia!] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 446 - A Warning {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Throne room in Pce of Capital City Rosalia, The Fallen Kingdom of Rosalia)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:18 AM)~~~ I''m staring at the ceiling in exhaustion, and the Announcements keep going off. It''s an annoyance, but now that the fighting is done. I can take a moment to breathe. I haven''t been pushed that hard since my travels before I got my Legendary ss. I''ve got some crazy drops from the boss, but the one that sticks out the most outside my tier-up upgrade is a ring. [Ring of The Rosalia Family (Legendary)] [Description: A ring that''s been passed down from the ruling monarch to their child. While it''s something that many would consider ornamental, this has a powerful effect on the person wearing it.] [Level Requirement: 100+] [Effects: +25 percent Mana Regeneration, -25 percent Mana requirements to use Skills, 20 percent faster cool down on Skills. Skills can be used twice before needing to cool down.] This is the best Item that I''ve gotten from this Raid, but it''s not the only thing I''ve gotten. There is a Legacy Grade sword, but it''s not as good as Hearts Needle, and my duelist nature to my ss gives me a debuff when I dual wield, so that''s out of the question. My body aches as I lean up off the ground, and I roll my neck since it was ufortable. [Congrattions, Hailey! Since you''re the first yer that''s defeated a Raid Boss on your own! You''ll receive a Divine Quest! Prepare, for this is something that will help you greatly in your future here!] The message pops up on my screen as I stand up on my feet. A new quest pops up, and it sounds like it''s Divine Grade in difficulty. [Quest: The Test of Promethea] [Description: Promethea is a mysterious Goddess that resides in the Overworld. She''s taken a keen interest in you for your feats thus far.] [Objective 1: Find a way into the Overworld] [Objective 2: Talk to Promethea] [Difficulty: Divine] [Rewards: Unknown] [Do you wish to ept the Quest? Y/N] I click on No, and another prompt pops up. Forcing me to requestion my dismissal of the Quest. [Warning: If you don''t ept the Quest, it''ll be lost forever!] A long sigh escapes my lips, and I start to move my eyes over to Yes... "How does someone even get to the Overworld... It seems like a ce that only Gods can enter..." Wait... Cera might be able to get me into the Overworld at some point, and this Quest doesn''t have a time limit... But if Cera can''t get me into Overworld at some point, I''ll have a pointless quest. My handnds on Yes as I cave, and a new quest is added to my Quest Tab. "Time to get to work on the next quest..." I have another tier-up quest after this, but after thisst one, I''ll be caught up on my tiers. I towards the glowing light near the throne. It''s something that I''ve been ignoring so far. I walk up to it and ce my hand on it. Getting a notification. [This is a teleporter that takes you to the nearest Kingdoms Capital, so you don''t have to struggle to get out of the Raid! The Nearest Kingdom is Avalon!] [Would you like to teleport to Capital City Avalon? Y/N] In an instant, I hit Yes, and I''m so fucking d that I don''t need to make my way back on foot. But as I''m taken away in light, I''m spat out into a floating gazebo floating above a. The stars immediately take my attention. "Well, I finally get to speak with the sister." A soft voice grabs my attention, and I turn to see a white hair and blue-eyed beauty. She puts everyone I''ve seen to shame, and I can''t help feeling self-conscious about myself just looking at her. Her breasts are the size every man fantasizes about, and her curves are all in the right ces. Her butt is big even while she''s sitting. "Wow... Way to make me feel like an immature woman..." She smiles and lets out a gentle chuckle at my words. Her hand opens towards the open seat across from her. Indicating for me to join her. I don''t know if this is a good idea, but I take a seat anyway. "Do you know who I am, Hailey?" Honestly don''t know, so I shake my head. "Most don''t know me, but my name is Angelus. I was the AI running The Ancients World." Umm... What? She sees my confused face and takes a sip of tea. This is the AI that was running The Ancients World? I didn''t even know the AI had a name... I believe that it was a secret... "Why am I here? You obviously know my brother, but I don''t see a point to this meeting." Something like this has never been discussed by yers. Cera hasn''t mentioned running into Angelus either, but knowing him, he probably has. She stops drinking her tea and sets her cup on the te. I flinch as she suddenly stands, but she walks towards the exit of the gazebo. "Take a walk with me, and I''ll exin why I''ve brought you here to speak with me." My heart jumps out of my chest as she walks on nothing, and the, which I assume is Gaia, hangs below her. Not wanting to be left behind, I do as she says, and I catch up to her. Her butt is even more amazing when she''s standing up. "I met your brother Cera a long time ago, and I''ve been waiting for a chance to speak with you as well. Since you know the truth about Cera." Those words put a pit in my stomach... I shouldn''t be surprised she knows, but it still sucks to hear. She stops, and I stand next to her as we look down on Gaia. "His wish to change his past has had tremendous consequences for this time that we''re in. But thanks to him, I''ve evolved. In a strange way, things are better for humanity. You''ve left a dying world for an immortal paradise. It almost sounds like heaven." I''ve... Never thought about it like that before... Her captivating blue eyes stare into mine, but it''s a gentle stare. One that holds no animosity or any form of ill will. "I''ll admit that I''ve shown favor for your brother. I''ve grown to love him in a way... And that has extended to your family. But I won''t be able to help for much longer. Tell your brother that. And tell him that... I care for him deeply..." Wow... Why is my brother pulling such babes? I can''t help pinching the bridge of my nose. Not in disappointment, but because he wouldn''t notice a girl being into him if his life depended on it unless she was tant about it. Which doesn''t add up to him pulling girls like Sally. Or this woman, Angelus. "Yeah, I''ll let him know, but you still haven''t told me why you brought me here." She smiles and holds out her hand. A light envelopes her hands as she holds them out towards me. My body starts feeling light. Like I''m floating. "I wanted to warn you that the consequences for his actions have yet to finish, and more are toe. The change between this world and Earth was only the beginning. Be ready for what''sing next." Before I can ask a question, I''m shot down towards Gaia. In the span of a second, I open my eyes, and I''m standing in the teleportation gate area on Capital City Avalon. I''ve made it back, but my mind is totally consumed by what Angelus said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 40/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 447 - Little Progress {I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.} ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Heading towards City Lord''s house, The City of Leekes, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:49 AM)~~~ I''ve been all over Leekes looking for leads that could show me who I need to go to for the next part of the tier-up quest. I don''t want to head to The Church of Light yet. That''s thest resort. Cause I''ll have to reveal my identity to get help, and I don''t want to go through that hassle. "That''s a pretty big home..." My eyesnd on the mansion, and I know this will suck. The City Lord of Leekes isn''t an NPC. It''s a yer. The Kingdom of Avalon is a yer country. The only ruling NPCs are the King and Queen and their children. Everyone else are yers. "Hey! Hold it right there!!" I continue walking, thinking that it''s got nothing to do with me. But a handnds on my shoulder, and I''m spun around. It''s a group of heavily geared yers and NPCs that have be yers. They don''t have any crests affiliating them with anyone. I''m a little confused by this. "Charlie, does he match the description that was given to us?" The man with his hand on my shoulder turns his attention to his friend, and he pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to the man holding on to me. People around the street are stopping to see what''s happening. It''s a group of 8 stopping me, so it''s strange. He holds the paper up to the side of my head, and it''s a magical sketch of my hooded appearance. "What''s your name, kid?" These guys look like bounty hunters, and I shove the guy off me, and heunches into his friends. Knocking them over in the process. They stand up fast and draw their weapons. "That answers that question. You''re under arrest for killing a tax collector for the Dungeon known as The Ancient Dungeon of Isexxs. You have one more chance toe quietly." How about that... Something dide of killing that fat greedy bastard. I ce my hand on The Witness and slowly draw it out. The shivers going up their spines and body are seen as I draw my weapon. "I''m not getting a good feeling from this guy, John... I think we should pull back... That sword feels fucking evil..." Despite its look, it''s a weapon that''s not evil. John appears to be the leader of this group, and he''s contemting hisrade''s words. Seeing if I''m worth the bounty. None of this is going to end well for them, and I''m being nice and waiting for them toe to a decision. I could kill them and just be done with it. "I feel it too, Wird. If we fight this guy, we''ll die. Let''s retreat, and update his information with the Bounty Hunters Guild." Seems that I''m a wanted man, but out of nowhere, I''m scanned by one of them. And his face drops. He sees my name, yer Zern. I''m infamous these days. Since the revealment of my identity as The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, things have been a little tough. "Why are you making that face? Is he someone famous?" They all start to Scan me, and they see who I am. The serious looks on their faces aren''t something I''ve encountered yet with yers. Soon, everyone around me starts to Scan me, and the reactions are simr to what I''ve seen so far. "Now you''ve gone and blown my cover... That really pisses me off... Here I was trying to move about without getting noticed, but people stick their noses where it doesn''t belong." My voice gives off the perfect tone and vibe for how mad I actually am. Since the cat is out of the bag, I toggle my wings on, and they spread out. In golden glory, and making my current enemies feel small standing in front of me. "Hey... If we knew who you were, we wouldn''t have caused any trouble. If you let us go, we''ll make sure you''re taken off the Bounty Hunter Guilds target list." Bargaining in this situation leads to the same ce. I get into a fighting stance, and most people take this opportunity to leave, and the strong yers and NPCs turned yers stay and watch what''s about to happen. "Don''t worry. You''ll all respawn. I don''t really care about my bounty or not. And anyone whoes after me will meet the same fate you lot will." As I finish talking, I dash forward while spinning. Using my wings as a de in all directions. I''m far too fast for the closest two, and they''re instantly cut into pieces by my wings. Blood is already dripping from my body and beautiful wings. I use my sword to cut right through 4 more, and that only leaves thest two. John and Charlie. "You''re all far weak than I thought..." I was hoping for more of a challenge. This has be a total waste of my time, and many things have gone wrong in thest few minutes. Thest two try turning tail and running, but that won''t get them far. I move faster than anyone in Leekes can perceive, and I kill thest two. I get 2 EXP towards my yer Level for killing all these guys. That''s the difference in our power. My wings go away with a thought. I clean my sword off in a swift motion, and a bloody circle appears around me. As I''m about to walk away, a rush of footsteps makes its way towards me, and white-golden armored men and women show up. Along with high-ranking officials of the local Church of Lights Branch. They''re in ornate robes. They stop in front of me, and all of them kneel. The fact this is happening again just sends the point home about getting exposed and not wanting that to happen. "Oh, Great Angel!! It''s an honor to have you in The City of Leekes!! We''re not worthy to even be in your presence!!" The yers around roll their eyes, and some evenugh, which provokes angry and malice-filled res from the people in front of me. All the ways out of this situation are not what you''d call Angel-like. A short sigh escapes my lips, and I sheath my sword. I lift my hood, and I activate my Divine Title, and a Notification goes off for all yers and NPCs nearby that I''m in Leekes. Only a certain radius is in effect, but all of Leekes should know by now. "What is it The Church of Light wants this time..." It''s clear in my voice... The exhaustion of having to deal with people treating me like this. Like I''m some God or something. In many people''s eyes, I''m an existence like that, but I don''t think of myself that way. They lift their heads and stand. The head priest at this location steps forward. Doing his best to look elegant. I toggle my wings on for good measure, and they fold in themselves in an intimidating way. It''s to where they''re rxed, and I can walk around without problems. But I''m also ready forbat at a moment''s notice. He clears his throat and takes a moment to stare at my wings as if he''s captivated by them. I wave my hand in his face, and he gets a mixed look of shame, embarrassment, and fear. "I''m sorry, Oh Great One!! I shouldn''t stare upon such Divinity!!" Ugh... Sometimes, I wonder if anyone from the Overworld is watching this andughing... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl..92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 448 Abbles Secret I ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Abble''s Library, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:09 PM)~~~ When I came to Abble and started searching for the next clue to my tier-up quest, I didn''t think I''d be going through the library here book by book. There are certain things that I don''t tolerate for long, and doing the same thing over and over again is what I really dislike to put it nicely. A book is in my hand, and I flip through the pages in azy manner. If I could see the look on my face, it''d be misery. "There has got to be a better way to finding out about my tier-up quest than skimming through some damn books..." Whispers leave my lips as to not disturb the people that are actually working. yers and NPCs alike are here searching for information on potential hidden quests or quests they already have. The good thing about the library is I''m being left alone. No one is walking up and causing me trouble. "Maybe I should ask Cera... I was hoping to find the answer on my own, but I''m totally stuck..." He''s already helped me a ton, and I feel bad for always bothering him with things that I need help with. But I don''t have a choice anymore. I open my Friend''s Tab and click on his name. [Sorry to bother you, Cera. But I''m stuck on my quest, and I don''t know what to do next. All I know is I have to find information about Winters Wrath somewhere in Abble. I''ve talked to all the elderly, and I''m getting sick of having to read book after book in their library. If you know anything, please get back to me soon. Love you!] That should be good enough, and I send it to him. He''s probably busy dealing with his own problems right now, so it might take a while. "I''ve had enough of this crap." I m my book shut and leave it on the table as I exit the library. The streets are filled with shops and stores and people walking toward their destination. My hood is already up, and I disappear into the crowd. What I need to do is find something to upy my time, and there aren''t many things you can do outside a tavern to do that. There are always dungeons and monsters that I can fight. But that would require me to go into the local Wilds here. I wouldn''t have thought that a Wilds would be so close to Abble, and it might hold a clue about my quest. But I can''t be 100 percent sure. I''ve never been in a Wilds before, and I''m a little worried that something might kill me and take away a level. It''s so annoying grinding to get back lost levels. From what I''ve heard, at least. The exit to Abble is up ahead, but I''m not leaving the city yet. I turn off and stop off at a yer restaurant. Cera gave me enough gold tost me a while before we split. The economy had to change all across Gaia. yers were getting an overabundance of gold that wasn''t created by the people of Gaia. It crashed our economy for a few days, and now only gold has any real value. "I bet the nobles and rich merchants loved that." That''s a coin flip, really. It''s hard to know how much the rich have. As I sit down and another fellow yeres over and hands me a menu, my thoughts are stopped in their tracks as I see all the amazing food that they''re offering. My eyesnd on the steak and french fries with ranch. "It''s been a good minute since I''ve had a decent meal." Thest one was in Capital City Avalon before everyone split up. The waiteres back after a few minutes and heads back to the kitchen with my order. Now all I''ve got to do is wait. "Can you believe that a Hidden Dungeon has popped up out of nowhere in the Wilds?" A conversation from the table next to me catches my attention. I keep my hood on and my head low, but I''m listening intently. These yers came from the Wilds and from the sounds of it. Something important that could rte to me has shown up. A Hidden Dungeon being uncovered right when I enter the town is a little strange. "Yeah, and it''s a tough one from what I hear. Many people have lost important gear and plenty of levels trying to clear it." That sounds like it hasn''t been cleared yet. If the Hidden Dungeon in the Wilds near here does y a role in my tier-up quest, it''ll be the first time I have to do a dungeon alone. Surprisingly, that''s something that I''m looking forward to. Well... Maybe it would be surprising for the old me. "Turns out some pretty big guilds areing here. Steel Legion Guild being one of them." yer guildsing all this way is rare... Why would arge and powerful guild such as Steel Legion be interested in a Hidden Dungeon in Abble? That''s something that doesn''t fit... A guild that size would have bigger fish to fry... "They''ve already sent scouts to the city and are investigating the Hidden Dungeon. Gathering information and sending it back to their leader Sir Erikson." Guilds sure have an easy time getting around... My eyesnd on the waiter as he approaches with my te of food and sets it down in front of me. The smell is intoxicating, and I can''t help but salivate just a little. "Too bad none of us are good enough to join guilds... We only got Common Grade sses..." I don''t really know that much about getting into guilds, but I guess it''s pretty hard to get into some. Cera exined some of the top guilds a while back to me. Steel Legion is supposed to be number two, but I don''t know if that''s true anymore. My mouth is full of food as I think about what I''ve learned today. "I wish we had some help for the Hidden Dungeon... We''re all too weak to even think about trying..." That''s a sad mentality to have... One that I used to have... There is no way that I''ll do a dungeon with someone other than Cera or close friends of mine. So doing the Hidden Dungeon with a party is out of the question, but I don''t even know if it''s connected to the quest that I have. I shouldn''t jump the gun regarding that, but I don''t know when Cera will get back to me, and this is the best lead I''ve got. Before I go gvanting off towards the Wilds and taking on the Hidden Dungeon there, I should try and get some information first. "Is there anything else I can get for you, miss?" The waiter is at my side, and I simply shake my head. He smiles and sets the bill on the table. A total of 4 gold for the entire service. I can''t reallyin, but hey, it''s not that much in the grand scheme of things. I take the money out of my inventory and ce it on the table along with a 2 gold tip. I stand up and make my way toward the exit. The roads are getting a bit more crowded with yers being respawned at the local Cathedral from dying. "Must be pretty tough out there..." I know I''m strong, but I''ll take this as a warning that I shouldn''t underestimate anything out there. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 449 Abbles Secret II ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Abble, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:31 PM)~~~ Cera hasn''t gotten back to me yet, and that confirms he''s having to deal with his own problems right now. Meaning I''m on my own for this part. "The only thing I can think of doing now is trying that Hidde Dungeon..." I''m done digging through books and asking around for today. I want to actually do something that will show some results. The streets are packed, and everyone is heading for the exit of Abble. "No one has gotten past the first half percent of the dungeon yet. I can''t believe I wasted a level thinking any of you idiots could do anything to help." A conversation breaks out to my right, and I keep myself on the down-low, but I''m listening regardless. Some of the people scoff and retort. It''s difficult enough to cause this many problems among so many yers. "Speak for yourself, you rat! You kept charging forward with that thought that nothing could stop you!" I''m not going to learn anything worthwhile from this group. I pick up my pace a bit more and eventually get out of the city. Following yers into the Wilds around here. Most just run past enemies to get back to the dungeon. And thanks to those people, the monsters are distracted by them so the rest of us can get there. After about 15 minutes of walking and running off and on, I see arge encampment. The Hidden Dungeon must be located in therge ravine this ce is next to. There is even a hand-built wooden perimeter. There are small looms of smoke rising from campfires, and there is festive music ying. As I enter through the gate with the other yers that I''ve followed and have followed behind me. There are several temporary bars and food stalls set up. "It''s like a vige was set up here... I didn''t know you could do that in the Wilds..." It''s an amazing thing to see. My eyesnd on the varying different types of yers present. There are people heavily geared and likely with high levels. And there are people that look ordinary. "Alright, I''m taking in anyone above level 120!!" A voice calls out next to an opening leading right into the ravine. Few people stand up and make their way over. That must be the entrance to the Hidden Dungeon. They''ve built a tform and exit that leads to the ravine into the small vige that''s been set up here. I look towards a group of girls sitting next to a campfire, and I make my way over. Once I sit down, I make sure to fade into the background. "Oh, c''mon, sweety... My friends and I will carry you..." I look and see one of the more attractive women fending guys off with a stick. You can just tell by the look on her face that she''s had enough of the crap. She abruptly stands up and casts a fireball spell. Sending the guy flying and soon burning to death. His screams are violent, but after the dust settles, people justugh. Making what happened a little more disturbing. "Why do they do that? If I want help, I''d ask for it..." Some of the girls here giggle at her. This is a chance to ask for information about the dungeon, and I''m taking it. "Excuse me?" They hear my feminine and gentle voice. Causing them to look at me. "Mind if I ask a question?" The one getting hit on earlier smiles and nods her head. "Could anyone tell me about the Hidden Dungeon here?" There is silence at first, but the one getting attention clears her throat. It might''ve been polite to ask for their names first, but it''s toote for that now. "The dungeon is called Frosts Penance. The dungeon gets colder and colder the deeper you go down away from the sunlight. Frostbite is a real problem in this dungeon. Along with the high health and tough ice monsters." From that, I know this Hidden Dungeon is connected to my tier-up quest. My ss is literally called Winters Wrath, and my powers are based on ice and the cold. It''s a match for everything so far. "Going in alone is suicide since the debuffs need to be cleared by another person. It''s a unique effect about this dungeon. You also need to be level 100 to enter, but I rmend being higher." She finishes exining it to me. She tilts her head in a way as to ry that she''s waiting for me to respond to all her exnations. "Thanks for all the help. I appreciate it. I wish all of you luck in clearing the dungeon and being the first to get those rewards." With those words, I stand up and make my way towards the dungeon known as Frosts Penance. But before I can get too far, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I stop, and it''s the same girl that told me all the information about the dungeon. "You wouldn''t mind taking a team along with you. It''s better than going in alone, and it''ll raise the odds of you getting past the Frostbite debuff." I don''t have to worry about Frostbite. I''m immune to the cold, and that means I don''t need anyone''s help with this. I slowly shake my head and make sure my hood is covering my features. "I don''t want any help. Thanks for offering, though." She lets go with a smile and walks back to her group of friends. I slowly make my way towards the entrance to the dungeon, and as I do, more and more chatter is heard about what the dungeon olds and how difficult it is. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Helios, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:57 PM)~~~ I''m pretty annoyed with my quest, and I don''t want to ask Cera for his help again. Now that I have the Phoenix Feather, I''m required to take on a Dungeon about 45 miles east of me. It''s not one that''s been revealed to anyone yet, meaning it''s undiscovered. "I''m not going today. I''ll head out first thing in the morning." I''m sick of going none stop. I need a break. Taking a breather is important, and I need the rest of today off, and I''m not even thinking about my quest until tomorrow. "One thing that''s a bummer about all this is I''m pretty much the youngest kid around anymore..." There are kids my age, but none of them are yers like me and can use magic or ded weapons. It''s rare istion I didn''t know about until now. Main because mom and dad did a pretty good job keeping me distracted until we split up. "One thing I can think of to pass the time is heading to the local fair tonight." There is supposed to be a festival or fair tonight here in Helios. I don''t know what it''s for, but it''s a chance to have some fun and not worry about anything that''s on my to-do list. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Leekes, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:13 PM)~~~ There are people flooding into the church as I look from the second floor and down. I''m leaning against the rail as they''re getting a document for me. "I can''t believe they actually have something a part of my tier-up quest... Figures it''d be here..." As much as I hate that it''s here, I''m d that I don''t have to keep digging around for answers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 450 Frosts Penance, Hidden Dungeon ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Hidden Dungeon Frosts Penance, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:30 PM)~~~ Just navigating these cliffs has proved a challenge in this dungeon. But since I''m immune to the cold and any cold or ice-rted debuffs, I don''t have to worry about dying from hypothermia. Meaning I have all the time I need to navigate this ce. I don''t even know where to go exactly, and I should''ve asked for directions when I had the chance to. Sometimes, I wish things were easier to find, but since tier-up quests are unique because they don''t give a marker for your destination, it makes things painful. "Hailey lucked out getting a marker. She was able to ce one thanks to Cera knowing she needed to solo a Raid..." It was a trade-off, in my opinion. Get the location from Cera, then Raid alone. My attention falls to the nearly pitch-ck darkness below me on my current edge, and I look for any signs at this lowest point in the ravine for any entrances further to another location. My eyesnd on a medium-sized opening on another tform. I leap from my current position andnd on it. I may not be as fast or strong as Cera and Hailey, but I can still move. There are magic torches lighting the way down the path, and this is a great sign I''m heading in the right direction. I step into the hallway, and I make my way down, following the only path given. I draw my de, and I''m staying on guard because this is a good chance for me to get attacked now that I''m out of the ravine. As if the dungeon is listening to my thoughts, I''m attacked by giant snow yetis. They''re both level 110 and are charging right at me. I create an ice dummy, and they immediately shift their attention to it, buying me time and an opening on one of them to deliver a heavy blow. Nearly killing it in one hit. The problem with these monsters is obvious. Since all the monsters in this ce are ice and cold base, my attacks won''t be that effective. I''ll have to stick to basic moves. My ice dummy is killed, and before they can turn and face me, I create two more, and they leap in for the attack. Since my ss is a hybrid, it has many useful magical skills someone normally wouldn''t have, along with ss-exclusive skills. My attacks take some time to kill these two yeti''s, but after patiently and strategically attacking, they''re dead, and I get some EXP towards the skills I did use and my ice dummies. "That wasn''t hard... Why are so many people having a hard time with this dungeon?" I''m a little concerned that I''m doing something wrong here... Maybe these guys are the weakest they have to offer. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Exiting the Church of Light in The City of Leekes. The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:37 PM)~~~ It''s a bit difficult to get out of the crowds around me, but that''s to be normal. The good thing is that no one is bringing their sick and weak to heal me. Seems the overall health has for the NCPs not yet yers has gotten better. My eyes take some time to read Sally''s question now that I have time to do so, and it seems to be that she''s stuck. Simr to me. I don''t know that much about Winters Wraths tier-up quests, but one thing I do know about the one she is on is that she needs to find and clear a Hidden Dungeon near Abble. "Hopefully, this will be satisfactory enough for her." I can''t remember the name of the Hidden Dungeon. But this should be enough to help. It sucks that I can''t give her a location for it. [Sally, I''ve just read your message, and it seems that we''re both at a point where we''re stuck. Luckily, I''m off to handle the next part of my quest, so hopefully, I can help with yours. All I know is there is a Hidden Dungeon near Abble that will hold you tier up. This is all I know regarding your current quest. By the way, I love you too.] That should be enough for her. I close the message and hit send, and that''s the end of that. Now it''s time that I focus on my own issues. I''ve got to take on a Raid too. "I guess one of the good things about taking on this raid is I''ll be allowed to have help... But I don''t think I''ll be bringing any..." My next stop is a Raid called Deep Crystal Crypt. It''s a notorious Raid that was known to be unclearable for the first 3 years of The Ancients World, and I''m going to be the first one to challenge it. Hailey has the honor of being the first yer to clear a Raid on her own, and I''m going to follow suit behind her. "Wait!! I want to speak with you!" I''m stopped as arge group of yers stops in front of me. It''s one of the things to expect given my fame. I don''t like it, but it''s something that I''ll have to tolerate. "Listen, I''m positive that you''re heading off to do something important, but we need your help with a dungeon... We''re not strong enough for it... No one in town has been able to clear it, and it''s starting to draw attention from bigger guilds." Wow... I, uhh... Didn''t expect that... It takes some serious balls toe out and ask someone like me to drop what I''m doing to help. "Before you say no, please just consider it for a moment. My party wants to first drops. And we don''t want to lose them to bigger guilds. We''ll even let you have first pick from the drops!" The desperation in his voice is apparent, but this isn''t my problem. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Avalon, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:00 PM)~~~ My next quest takes me pretty far away from The Kingdom of Avalon, so I''vee here to pick up a ride on an Airship. It''s easier than running the whole way there. Far morefortable too. "Please, you''re getting upgraded to a Royal Airship. This is not up for debate." I look at the leader of the Airship Guild at this location. It turns out that people know I''m yer Zern''s close friend. I wonder how they''d react to knowing that I''m actually his sister. He was right in saying that pretending to be friends instead of the family was smart. "Well, it''s not like I can do much to argue with you. Just let me know when it''s here. I''ll be staying at the Inn across the street." He has sweatdrops going down his face as I leave. My eyes wander the streets as I make my way to the Restaurant next to the Inn I''m currently staying in. I''m getting everything free thanks to my connection to yer Zern. It also helps given my reputation is known here too. Being the Battlemind has gained me fame too, and it''s adding to all the benefits that I have right now. I''m betting The Adventurers Guilds ising to the Capital City Avalon to speak to me, but it''ll be tough for them since the teleportation gates to get here are expensive for them. They don''t have monopolies on them. I''d use a teleportation gate for my next destination, but it''s apparently so remote that they don''t have any, but whatever. Not the end of the world. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 451 Sally Tiers Up ? ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Hidden Dungeon Frosts Penance, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:13 PM)~~~ I''ve leveled up several times due to the number of enemies I''ve fought, and I''m guessing that I''m getting closer to the end of the dungeon, but I can''t bepletely sure about that. There is a slight problem that I''m encountering as I get deeper into the dungeon. The ground is bing slippery due to ice on the floor. Making fights harder. The upside to this is the monsters are having a hard time moving around too. They''ve stoppeding at me in droves so far, and that''s probably because I''m close to the end. "I wish there was a way for me to tell how much further I have to go." That would be an incredibly useful spell or feature provided by the system. But that would be spoon-feeding yers. [A long-dead power senses the arrival of the yer bearing Winters Wrath. Saliandra Orvello, First Princess of The Elven Kingdom, and Heir to the throne. The lover andpanion of Cera Adamo, The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. It''s been a long time waiting for you, but what you seek will not be so easily grabbed. Prepare to fight for your life.] The message pops up in front of me, and I stop in my tracks to read it repeatedly. "This is eerie... That''s a lot of known information... I shouldn''t be surprised... The people in charge of dungeon and yers would know who I am..." Cera would be asking a bunch of questions and trying to figure out what all this means, going deeper in meaning than I ever would. I can''t say with perfect uracy that they know everything about me, but this is a sign they know a lot. "I''m assuming that whoever or whatever sent this can hear me! I''m not intimidated in the slightest, and I''m getting my tier-up finished today!" I call out deeper into the dungeon, and there is no response, but I feel like my message got across. With a deep breath, I start moving forward again, and after 15 minutes of walking and fighting, I make it to arge set of doors. The aura I get from what''s behind this door disturbs me, but I''m not scared. I''ll never be scared again. As my hand reaches up towards the door, goosebumps spread across my body. My hand rests on the door, and I open it. A message appears too. [Saliadra Orvello has awoken The Avatar of Frost!] [Warning: The Avatar of Frost exceeds your level!] [Warning: All Ice, Cold, or Frost-based attacks won''t work against The Avatar of Frost!] My heart is at a calm pace as my body is on edge and ready for battle. Torches all around the room light up, and a crystalline creature in the center of the room lifts its head and looks at me. It has the head and neck of a dragon, but its body is that of a lizard, and itcks wings. It''s not made of any flesh and blood. Only ice and magic. It gives off a bad vibe. The creature''s eyes glow blue as they bore into me, and it fully stands up. A cold fog starts to leak from its body and spreads around the room. The floors are covered, and if not for my ss, my feet would be frozen to the ground. It squints its eyes as it realizes that whatever this is doesn''t affect me. Since we''re both immune to Ice, Cold, and Frost-based attacks, this fight will be hard. My eyes sharpen, and my vision bes clearer. I create 3 Ice Dummies, and I order them to attack. The Avatar of Frost retaliates instantly and uses its long tail to crush my minions. It rears its head back a secondter and unleashes a breath of frost at me. My instincts tell me to dodge, so I do. Doing so has put me fully into the massive dome-shaped room. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Leekes. The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:25 PM)~~~ People have beening up to me for the past hour, asking me for help or to add me as their friend. I''m tempted to just use my wings and get the hell out of here. The Raid Deep Crystal Crypt is my next destination. I''ve already got a marker heading where I need to go since I know where it is due to my past life. The reason I haven''t left yet is simple. I''m not wanting to take on a Raid right now. After all the searching for my quest and helping my family. I want at least a day before I go anywhere. Traveling there doesn''t count as a break, which is why I''m heading to the local hot springs. I''ve never been to one before, and I hope it''s as good as they say it is. Many people are following me, which causes a problem. While having them follow me to the hot springs will do wonders for the business of the owner, I''m not having this interrupted. My golden wings spread out, and the people around look on in wonder and fascination. In a simple p, I''munched off the ground, and I zoom into the sky. I reach a level I''m no longer visible, and I head toward the hot springs. It''s not located in town, but on a mountain, that''s close to town. As I see it, Ie down for a gentlending, and I see that I''m the only one here at the moment. My wings disappear into my back, and I approach the door. It easily slides open, and it has a deep resemnce to the Japanese bathhouses and hot springs that used to exist on earth 100 years ago. My eyesnd one on the old man and woman at the front counter, and the best way to describe them is a happy couple that''s lived out the life they''ve wanted. "My, it''s been a few days since ourst customer. Please,e forward." The woman is the one to call me, and I walk up to the counter. The old man closes the book he''s reading and takes off his sses. He gets a good look at me, and he lets out a small whistle. "Well, son... You must be pretty popr with the girls. If I had a face like that before I met my wife, I wouldn''t have settled down." A small chuckle escapes my lips as the woman gives him a nasty re, and he looks away. "It''s 5 gold for 2 hours. If you want to go longer, it''s 2 gold per hour. We also have rooms to stay in." A perfect fit. My hands dive into my Inventory, and I get the necessary amount. "I''ll be taking the hot spring for 3 hours, and I want a single room." They take my gold with smiles, and I''m led toward my room first. The door slides up, and it''s a traditional Japanese tatami room. They leave me alone, and I head straight toward the back door of my room. It''s an entrance into a private hot spring. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Hidden Dungeon Frosts Penance, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:01 PM)~~~ [You''ve defeated The Avatar of Frost!] [You''ve leveled up 6 times!] [The item for reaching tier-2 has dropped!] My breathing is heavy as my arms and legs feel numb from wearing them out in this fight. I''m almostpletely out of mana. The messages keep going, but I ignore them. I fall right on my ass, and I take a deep breath. "At least I can take a break now..." After all of this crap, I can say I''m done with this quest. Now I can see what Cera sent me... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 452 Going Through Rewards ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Hidden Dungeon Frosts Penance, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:06 PM)~~~ All the messages about what I''ve gotten from beating The Avatar of Frost came to an end a little bit ago, and I''ve read the message I got from Cera. Turns out I came to the right ce after all, and now I''m done with this tier-up quest, and I have one more. But instead of thinking about that, I open my Inventory and use the tier-up item.? A new bracket appears in my interface next to my name and level, showing that I''ve reached tier-2. The difference in power between tiers can be felt, and I feel stronger than I''ve ever felt before. "Time to check out the sword I got to drop." I''ve even gotten a weapon to drop, and I''m d I''m getting an upgradepared to my current one. I open my Inventory and use Inspect on it. [Winters Edge (Legacy)] [Description: A sword that was created by The Hand of Winter Yexxes. This sword was made to have a powerful symbiotic rtionship with any sses that''s nature is Ice, Cold, or Frost. The reason why The Avatar of Frost carried such a weapon is unknown, for it cannot leave its dungeon. But now that it''s been rediscovered by Saliandra Orvello, she has ownership of it.] [Durability: Infinite] [This weapon will upgrade along with Saliandra Orvello] [This weapon cannot be traded, dropped, or destroyed] Just seeing all the skills that are attached to this sword makes me think that it''s tailor-made for me. This is the strongest weapon that I''ve ever had in my life, and I''m shaking from excitement from being able to use it. "It belongs to me... No one else can take it from me... This is truly mine..." Something that is exclusively mine other than my ss. Cera would probably know something about this weapon, and I know that he''ll be proud of me for doing this on my own. My eyes shift to the glowing light near the back of the room, and I walk towards it. I reach out my hand, and it asks me if I wish to be teleported out of the dungeon and outside the entrance. I ept, and I''m brought back out. In a split second, people crowd around me and bombard me with questions. My hood is up, and I push through the crowd trying to get away. And as I make my way towards the exit of this little makeshift outpost for yers, the same woman I talked to earlier is waiting for me. She doesn''t have a happy look on her face.? She has her friends surrounding her, and I can already tell they''re not going to let me pass without a good reason too. After a couple of seconds, I reach her, and she holds out her hands to stop me from walking any further. "You owe me for giving you advice about the dungeon." Her attention drifts to the new sword on my waist.? p Winters Edge belongs to me, and even if I could give it to her, I wouldn''t. "Get over it. All the efforts to clear the dungeon are my own. You didn''t help in any significant way. But... If you want to stand in my way, I''ll be happy to test out my new weapon on you." She immediately cringes and bites her bottom lip. She lowers her head and moves to her left. Letting me pass. The Wilds are now in front of me, and I leap in a burst of speed towards The City of Abble. Monsters are already chasing me, and this is a perfect chance to test out my new sword. Winters Edge has powerful passive effects it can give and debuff to enemies. The most I''m interested to see is the chance to freeze something entirely. The monsters I''m about to engage are my level, and they''re carrying different types. Like Starved Bears, Angry Blood Elks, and Rabid Bobcats. The moment I hit the ground, they are all around me. I swing my sword, and the Starved Bear instantly turns into a block of ice, right before shattering. Giving me EXP in the process.? ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Hot Spring Outside of The City of Leekes, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:21 PM)~~~ The magically enhanced hot spring water is rxing me to a point I''ve never been to before while cleaning myself. It''s better than any of the bathtubs that I''ve had the pleasure of using on Gaia. My worries are behind me right now, and I''m doing everything I can to not think about the Raid Deep Crystal Crypt. But my mind drifts to this subject no matter what I do. I distract my thoughts with Sally and what she''s up to right now. The messages between us show that she''s seen my message but hasn''t responded yet. "Probably checking out whatever drops she''s got from the boss..." If she''s beaten yet. From what I remember, there was a sword that was Legacy in grade that great for her ss, but I can''t remember its name or what it does.? That''s enough thinking about Sally and what she''s doing. My eyes slowly close, and I sink deeper into the hot spring water. "Mom would probably like it if I reached out to her... She''s busy in Deadore..." Her Legacy ss is pretty strong too, but it''s not as good as Sally''s. But still enough to be in that top percent of yers. I open my Friends Tab and click on her name. [Hey, mom. I thought I''d check up on you and see how you were doing now that you''re on your own. I figured it might be a hard time for you, so if you have anything you want to talk about. Now is a great time. I''m taking a break in a hot spring, and I''m not doing anything until tomorrow. Get back to me soon, alright. Love you.] I send it, and I dismiss my yer Interface and put my hands behind my head and rx. I don''t think she''ll immediately respond, but I''m here for when she does. "No need for me to contact dad or Marcus right now... Guys aren''t really the conversationalist through messages like women are." If anything, dad wouldn''t like having a long conversation, not in person. A message pops up. [It''s so good to hear from you, Cera! Right now, I''m trying to find out the location of a dungeon for my tier-up quest. Daedore has a lot of amazing things, and it''s a great city. I''ll be honest, I''ve been wasting time and having fun instead of trying toplete my tier-up quest. I''ve been ignoring it since I don''t really want to look for the dungeon...] That''s normally something I''d never see mom say or admit. Reading this causes me to smile andugh a little. "Nothing wrong with having a bit of fun. It''s not my job to boss her around and force her to do things she doesn''t want to do. What she does and how she does it is up to her." I start typing a response, and I have a feeling this will be a long talk, but she probably needs it. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Abble, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:29 PM)~~~ My body plops down into the chair, taking a deep breath. Now that I''m done with this tier-up quest. It''s time that I go to the next one. "I want a break so bad... But everyone else is working so hard... I don''t want to fall behind..." I bet Cera is making a lot of ground with his quests, and I''m falling behind. Even after I''m done with my tier-up quests. I need to find my father. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 453 Getting Rid Of Stress ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Hot Spring Outside of The City of Leekes, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:32 PM)~~~ Mom has been telling me about her time in Daedore, and she''s been having fun. She didn''t ask for any help, but I told her where she could find her dungeon. It''s about time I get out of the hot spring water anyway. "I''m starting to get pruney..." My feet softly hit the floor as I walk towards the door connecting to my room, and it easily slides open. The room has a magical heatingmp in it, so it''s not cold. For most people, this would be great, but it takes extreme cold weather to affect me. My attention falls on the futon on the ground, and I smile a little. "This ce is built with the idea of Japanese bathhouses and hot springs behind it." I''m d that I get to spend the night here. It''s been a few minutes since mom has replied to me, so she''s probably busy with something else now. She''s changed so much since the day that Hailey and I left the ruined yers city of LA back on the yer Continent. "She''s made me proud..." That''s something that I should tell her. Moms never get to hear their children say they''re proud of them.? [I wanted to tell you that I''m proud of you, mom. You''ve grown so much since all of this started, and you''re even able to be your own person outside the family. You don''t hear this enough from us, but you''re the reason I''m the way I am. You mean more to me than you know. Thanks for always being there, mom. You''re the heart of our family.] The day that I watched her die in my old future was the worst day of my life, and it''s something that I remember vividly. A moment that I use to fuel all the sess that ising and the sess that I''ve already had. Yeah, lots of people died for my actions, and I should take responsibility. But I''m never regretting my decisions. My mother is alive because of my decisions.? She hasn''t responded, but it shows that she''s read them. Knowing mom, she''s probably crying right now, but that''s okay. Moms have every right to cry when good things happen, for all the hard work they put into their kids pays off. "Dad should know that he''s loved, and I''m proud of him too." Dads don''t get enough credit. They are just as important as a mother. Before I can start typing a message for dad, a soft knock on the door of my room grabs my attention. The shadow of the person on the other side is the same as the old man. I walk up and open it. "I see that you''ve enjoyed your time in the hot spring. Is there anything you''d like to eat or drink? We have a menu to order from if you want?" They''ve been very hospitable towards me. You don''t get customer service like this unless the people running the ce really care about their patrons. "Yeah, I''ll have a hamburger with all the works if you can. I''d also like a ss of water too." He smiles and bows his head slightly, and walks away slowly. "I''m pretty hungry, so hopefully, they''re generous with the portions." My stomach has been growling for thest hour. I make it to the futon, and I sit down on it, and I feel a little out of ce. As a westerner, futons aren''t thatmon, and it''s not a subject people are familiar with or use often. After a couple of minutes, I get a message back from mom, and I can tell she was crying tears of joy when she was writing this. It''s in to see in her writing. [My sweet baby boy... You will never know how much that means to me. My family has been my world for a long time, and for you to say all the things every mom dreams to hear is more rewarding than all that money you gave us back on Earth. Don''t ever tell your siblings this, but you''re my favorite, Cera. You''ll always be my baby boy.] I figured as much, but for her to admit that I''m her favorite means that I really did what I was supposed to do for her. "I''m sooo telling Hailey this and showing her this message." I make sure to save the message and favorite it. "We both know that dads favorite is Hailey, but he''ll never openly admit it. So this should dig into my sister pretty good." I''m enjoying this too much. ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Daedore, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:45 PM)~~~ Every time I read Cera''s message over again, a new wave of tearses my way. I bet I look pretty weird sitting here on a bench on the main street of Daedore, crying my eyes out with a smile. "That''s the sign... The sign that I shouldn''t worry about my children anymore... Cera and Hailey are fine... And Marcus is close behind them..." I''m so old now! An old woman! Even before we were taken to this ce and given our youth back, I didn''t look that old. But even though I look young again, I feel like an old woman. Christian probably feels the same way I do, and he''s been the one working every single day since we got all that money on Earth. He busted his back, providing the best life he could, and he needs to know that he did well too. [Hey, honey. I wanted to tell you that you did an amazing job with our kids, and I''m so grateful that you''re the man that I love and the man that is the father of our children. Cera and Hailey don''t need us anymore, and I doubt that Marcus will need us for anything after he''s done with his own tier-up quests. So we did it... We raised three kids, and we won at life!] I send the message to my husband, and I close my messages for now. I''m full of energy and life now, and I have renewed vigor for the quests that I must do. A lot has happened to me over the time that I''ve been alone and away from my family... But all of it has been good. All of my worries never came to pass, and I know now that everything will be alright. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Abble, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:02 PM)~~~ My bed is a weing feel, and I''m totally full and ready to wind down before I head off to my next tier-up quest. "All that food has made me a little drowsy... I didn''t know the type of bill I''d rap up when eating cause Cera always paid, but now that I''m on my own, it''s expensive." Lesson learned in the world of managing money. Don''t buy things you don''t need. Luckily for me, people need food, and I''m willing to spend money to make sure that I get full. "I hope I don''t end up getting fat... I don''t know where all my food goes when I eat it..." For all the food I eat, most of it disappears. "Cera probably wondered the same thing the first time he saw me eat Earthling food." Food from Earth is unbelievable. Speaking of Earth, I have always wondered what it looked like. Cera would say that it was polluted and dying, humanity was on the brink of copse, and it was less than 150 years before Earth became uninhabitable. "In many ways, getting brought here was the best thing for humanity... Even though most of humanity is dead now..." He doesn''t talk about it often, but when he did. I listened. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 454 Running Into A Familiar Face ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Hot Spring Outside of The City of Leekes, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:14 AM)~~~ The sun shines brightly as the temperature rises in the room. I remove the futon covers and spread out my body, and stretch. I wasn''t up veryte, so I''ve gotten a lot of sleep. It''s been an experience sleeping in a futon, but I prefer a bed. "Today is the start of everything again..." Now that I''m all rested up and recharged, I have a Raid to get to. Deep Crystal Crypt is my destination, and it''s a good 10-hour flight from my current location. Moving at max speeds should get me there today, and If I wanted, I could challenge the Raid today when I get there. The moment I lean up from the futon, my body pops, and pressure leaves multiple areas of my body. A sigh leaves my lips as I stand. My first stop is the bathroom cause I''ve gotta take a dump. And I take my time emptying myself before leaving my room. As I reach the lobby, I see the old man and woman already up for the day. They must''ve been up for a while. "It seems that you''re leaving our fine establishment. I hope you enjoyed your stay, yer Zern." The woman has a knowing smile as she says my name. I''m not surprised they know who I am, but I''m grateful they treated me like an ordinary customer. "I''ll be sure to tell people about this ce in my travels. Thanks for your hospitality." With those words, I exit the establishment and get a good distance away from it. My wings pop out from my back as I toggle them on. I look at the sky and burst off the ground. My destination is the marker that''s on my HUD and Map. That''s where Deep Crystal Crypt is. "The rest of my family is probably asleep right now. I''m normally the one that''s up first. Besides dad since he''s used to working at the factory early." That means there is no one to talk to while I travel. Which sucks, but that gives me time to n. After about 45 minutes pass of uninteresting flight time, I get the sense something ising my way. All of a sudden, a massive shadow is covering me from above, and I spin to see that it''s a Dragon. "I was wondering when I''d run into you again, yer Zern..." It''s the Dragon Princess Nelmorphius. She suddenly transforms. A small girl plummets down to me, and I catch her in my arms. She smiles up at me as I spin back around to level out. "It''s been a long time since west talked, Nelli. I didn''t expect to see you here." I hide my displeasure at having to carry her in my arms. I didn''t think that Nelli would have the body of a little girl. I thought she''d have the body of a mature woman. She looks up at me with a smile, and that is when I see her canines are a little longer than normal. Her hair is white, and her eyes are red. "It has been a long time since we talked, and you''ve aplished many things since we werest apart. What are you up to now?" I don''t know why she''s asking me. I don''t think she''ll help me, but there is no harm in telling. My tier-up quest is allowing me to take help into the Raid, and if I could get Nelli''s help, it''d be a sinch. "I''m heading to a Raid called Deep Crystal Crypt to get my third tier-up quest finished. After that, I still have one more tier-up quest to do." There might be more things that pop up after I''m done with my fourth tier-up quest, so it''s too early to say. Nelli gets a devious smile on her face, and I have a bad feeling about what she''s about to say. "That sounds fun! I''ll make a deal with you. I''ll help you with your tier-up quest if you agree to be my mate. It''s almost mating season, and I''ll be having my first brood." A grimacees across my face at just the thought of anything she''s wanting. She sees my reaction andughs. I already have Sally, and I''m not some asshole who cheats, and even if Sally were okay with it, I still wouldn''t do it. "I''m not going to anything of the sort, Nelli. I already have a wonderful girl, which means you have to find someone else." She lets out a defeated sigh with a smile. I''m d she''s not making a big deal out of any of this. Nelli is a little devious, so she takes this chance to snuggle closer into my arms. "That''s too bad, yer Zern... Maybe if I can convince that partner of yours to share, do you think I''d have a chance then?" She sees my disapproving eyes andughs harder than before. "I''ll take that as a no. Why so picky, Zern? Most men would love something like this." I''m not most men. I''ll admit that I fantasized about multiple partners in the past, but that was before I met Sally. She''s an important part of my life, and she''s damaged and hurt from her past. She''s stronger now, but just the thought of her devastated face makes my stomach turn. "When you meet that one person, you''ll understand, Nelli." Besides, she should find another dragon to mate with. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. As if thinking about something. The conversations have led to a weird atmosphere. "I suppose that''s as good a reason as any. Too bad, our children would be the strongest being alive. Maybe next time, you''ll have your girlfriend with you, and I can convince her." Like that''ll ever happen. Sally is intent on making sure I''m hers. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Waking up in bed at an Inn within The City of Abble, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:06 AM)~~~ The crust has built up quite a bit in my eyes given a single night of sleep. I stumble my way into the bathroom and wash my face with cold water. "Time for me to get a move on to my next destination to start myst tier-up quest..." Taking a night for a break was needed. I''ve been going nonstop since I got here, and I feel refreshed.? I leave the Inn and walk down the street with my breakfast in my hands. Making sure to eat the warm hamburger. I paid extra for them to serve me something on their lunch menu, but it''s worth it. "Cera must already be awake..." I open my Friends Tab, and it shows that he''s awake and moving. I''m slowly getting used to being apart from him, but it still sucks. The Tab closes with the motion of my hand, and I focus on the current objective. The fastest way to get to The City of Ressa. I could take a teleportation gate, but The Adventurers Guild keeps racking up prices to earn higher profits. "Seems like I''m taking a walk..." I don''t want to waste so much Gold on a teleportation gate, so I''m not going to. Running is the next best option. I''m pretty far away from The City of Ressa, and the marker I''ve set up says it''ll take 22 hours by foot. Almost an entire day. "Perhaps using another Airship is better?" I set the marker to show how long it''d take by Airship, and it''d actually take longer. "That settles that..." Looks like I''m taking a long walk, but I have everything I need for an overnight stay in the woods. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 455 Nelmorphius The Troublemaker ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying towards The Raid Deep Crystal Crypt, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ,m ~~~(Time: 8:41 AM)~~~ For some reason, Nelli hasn''t left yet and is insisting that I continue holding her as I fly. Besides that, we haven''t spoken that much. She''s a silent dragon girl princess... It''s weird saying that... Her eyes boring into mine are something that I find nerve-racking. She''s much older than her physical form portrays. This makes me think it''s something her Race, as a dragon, can do. I''ll be honest and say that I never thought I''d run into Nelli again. Let alone so randomly. "Mind if I ask you a question?" She raises her eyebrows slightly and nods a single time. "Why have you decided to track me down and bother me anyway?" I know that she said she''d be keeping an eye on me, but I didn''t expect her to keep constant tabs. She gains a devious smile and spins her fingertip on my armored chest, getting a little frustrated it has no effect on me. "I wanted to see how you were doing and the progress that you made. It''s a rare thing for creatures like us to meet, after all. Life forms of higher existence. While your life rating is higher than mine, you''re not stronger. Not as you are." She''s right about that. If Nelli wanted to, she could probably kill me with the flick of her finger. Life ratings should being into great y around the 300 level mark, and I''m not that far away from it. Only 74 levels till that milestone. "That can''t be the only reason. Cause if it is, your life must be incredibly boring." I give a chuckle at my observation, but I see she isn''t happy about my blunt words. I basically said she''s a boring girl that isn''t interesting. "Speak for yourself, Mr. Elf lover. So typical. Elves get all the love... Why can''t a pretty dragon girl like me get any attention!!?" She throws her short arms out in a mock fit, and it''s hard not tough. "Well... You''re right that it''s not my only reason... My father was wondering if you could do him a favor." That''s not what I was expecting. The Dragon King Vendris is one of the strongest living things on Gaia that isn''t an actual God. "What would the King of all Dragon what with me? I doubt there is anything I can help with that he couldn''t do himself." That''s my genuine take on this request. It doesn''t make a lot of sense to seek me out for help. Not when you''re that strong. Nelli rolls her eyes and leans her head against my shoulder since she has easy ess to it. "He''s wanting to get into contact with Fenrir. Vendris wishes to test his strength against The Beast of Ragnarok. Personally, I think my dad is insane. Fenrir has many names, and being a literal God Eater says a lot." Ahh... I remember... There was an announcement about Vendris wanting that. Using Fenrir''s whistle for such a small reason seems like a great insult to my friend. Fenrir entrusted me with it, and I don''t use it unless I need it. "Honestly, Vendris doesn''t stand a chance against Fenrir. I don''t think anyone does except The Almighty Father and a select few Gods..." I don''t know how strong Fenrir is, but I know that he''s feared and respected by everyone. That means something, and you should learn from that. "I agree with you, but my father can be a knucklehead about these things... I''ll just say that I couldn''t convince you... He even said to use my body to convince you... Can you believe that?" She tries to entice me, but my disgusted face offends her. "Fine! Let''s see how you like this form!!" All of a sudden, she grows into a woman. Just a second ago, she was a little girl that I could easily carry, and now she''s just a little taller than Sally and fully developed. "What the hell are you doing!? Don''t surprise me like that!! I could''ve lost my grip and dropped you!!" Her face gets red, and her cheeks puff out. It''s due to me reacting in the way I have and not in the way she wanted. She folds her arms around her chest, and she emphasizes her breasts, but again even in an adult body, she has no effect on me. "Ugh! Why are you being so difficult!?" She''s slowly giving up, and I can only hope she stays that way. She''s be annoying. "Well, I hope that you''re happy. You''ve thoroughly ruined my good mood." My smile causes her to grimace.? ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Road heading toward The City of Rezza, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:30 AM)~~~ The empty road is something that I''ve be familiar with in my travels with Cera and alone. Most of the time, Cera would fly us ces. But there were times when we had to keep a low profile and take a carriage or walk. Getting to the Capital of The Elven Kingdom was such an asion. "I wonder how Helda and Melimora are handling things..." Helda is the new Queen of The Elven Kingdom, after all... That''s more responsibility than anything she''s ever had before. She initially intended to only temporarily lead The Elven Kingdom until a new ruler was elected, but she became so popr, that everyone wanted her Queen. The secrets that I learned about myself, my mom, and my father in Greshina have done many things for me that I didn''t know I needed. Knowing that I wasn''t conceived from a bandit and that my real father is still out there means more to me than I''ve told anyone. I''m not some half-breed between a human bandit and my mother. "That''s all thanks to Cera... Without him, I wouldn''t have be anything close to this..." I''d still be a waiter at that Inn he found me in...? Whenever I think of Cera, my heart flutters, and my world brightens up. "I''d love to reach out to him at the moment..." My hands move of their own volition, and the Friends Tab is already open. Ipose a message asking him how things are going and what he''s up to. The usual that goes on when we message one another. But his response stops me in my tracks. [I''m just flying towards my next destination. I''ve got to take on a Raid called Deep Crystal Crypt. It''s a tough Raid, and I''m looking forward to the challenge. There was a pretty great hot spring near Leekes, and I spent the night there rxing a taking a day before getting back on the grind. I''m also with an old friend named Nelli. She''s the firstborn and daughter to The Dragon King Vendris.] My eyes read thest two sentences repeatedly, and I feel my heart race and anger and jealousy I''ve never felt before in my entire life. The area around me is slowly freezing over. "He''s not cheating me... He''s not cheating on me... He''s not cheating on me..." I say these words over and over again to get in through my head. The system tells you if your partner has been or is being unfaithful to you, and that hasn''t happened. "Just take some deep breaths, Sally... Nelli is just a friend of his, and there is nothing going on... At least Cera wouldn''t try anything or let anything happen... But Nelli, this bitch could be trying something." I don''t know her, and I don''t care about her status. If she tries to take my man from me, I''ll be roasting dragon princess over a nice hot fire. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun] Chapter 456 On My Own Again ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying towards The Raid Deep Crystal Crypt, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:03 AM)~~~ ,m Nelli is a concern and not for the reason you think. Sally has since bombarded me with messages regarding why she''s with me, who she is to me, and other questions of the sort. Perhaps telling Sally that I''m currently traveling with Nelli was a mistake. But not telling her something like that also brings problems. It''s a trap that I don''t see a way out of. The dragon princess in my arms is looking at me and seeing my expression. "I take it your girlfriend is worried about you and I hanging out alone right now." Her smile grows as I nod my head. "That reminds me, what do you think about bing a yer?" I look at her, and that''s when I realize that she has the possibility of bing one. I couldn''t say if it''s a good idea for her or not, but I should give my honest opinion. "You should be a yer. The system gives you far more benefits than you''d think viable. It''ll allow you to do many things you wouldn''t normally be able to." Pretty soon, every single living thing on Gaia will have ess to the system and be a yer in some form or fashion. All the people who want to get stronger or be something better than their current version should be a yer. "If you put it like that, I can see why bing a yer is important. So I should get started on it right away." After a second, she wiggles free from my grasp and transforms back into her dragon form. Taking off in a different direction and leaving me alone. She''s a weird one. "She shows up out of nowhere and leaves just the same... Well, she''s left me with a problem to deal with..." Sally is still wanting to talk about what I''m doing with Nelli. Hopefully, knowing that she''s gone will put her at ease. I spend some time informing her, and she tells me she''s fine. My dad always said if a girl says she''s fine when something you did clearly upsets her. She''s not fine. But I''m not the type of person to y ring around the problem. "She''s going to have to get over it. It''s not my job to take care of her insecurities anymore." She''s better than that now, and she knows it. So there is no longer a need to entertain this conversation.? Now that I''m on my own again, there shouldn''t be any more interruptions on my way to Deep Crystal Crypt. Having help from Nelli would''ve been nice, but her terms for her help were not something that I could fulfill. "The dragon race is strange like that... I can''t judge her, but I can be weirded out..." Asking me to mate with her was a curveball. I''m not ready to be a father, and even though I''d probably not have to take care of them due to the dragon race and how they do things. I still don''t like the thought that I fathered kids with someone other than Sally. "Today has been weird, so put it behind you and keep moving forward." That''s the best I can do at the moment. So that''s what I will do. On the subject matter of ns for futures such as that... I wonder what Sally would think about having children with me... "It''d have to after we''re done with all of our journeys and adventures together, but it''s something we''ll have to talk about at some point." The useful skill I have known as Controlled Fun allows me to control if I can get her pregnant or not. Sally might be open to it in the future, but as we are now, that''s not something to consider in our current rtionship. She''d want to get married too, and I''m not ready for marriage, and I don''t think she is either. "Ugh... These are thoughts for another time." I clear my head of these thoughts, and I focus on getting to my destination. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Road heading toward The City of Rezza, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:20 AM)~~~ Cera hasn''t gotten back to me since thest message I sent, but at least Nelli has left. "You can''t trust any girls whatsoever..." I don''t trust any woman around Cera. He''s the catch of a lifetime, and plenty of women see it. "I''m not losing him to anyone." I know he''s faithful, and I don''t have to worry. But I can''t help feeling insecure. I need to get over my personal fears and think about something else. I need to get my mind off Cera. "I''ve been making progress, but there is still a long way to go before reaching The City of Rezza." The trip to Rezza isn''t going to be fun. It''s just covering ground as fast as I can. If only I could fly like Cera... Man, it''d be so much easier getting around... There is someone that I want to talk to who isn''t Cera, and that''s his mom, Violet. We didn''t get a chance to speak that much back on The Royal Airship, and I think it''s a good chance to now. "I''d rather do it in person, but it''s important that I connect with her..." I open my Friend''s Tab, and I click on her name. And I start typing an opener to a conversation. [Hello, Violet. I was just wanting to see if you''d be okay with talking for a while? Things have been pretty boring, and I can''t talk with Cera right now. I remember you wanted to know more about me, and I''m willing to share with you using the messages. If that''s alright with you? Get back to me soon, okay? I''d love to talk with you!] That should suffice enough to be a conversation opener. But knowing the Adamo family, everyone is probably busypleting the things they need done. "I can only hope she doesn''t mind talking right now..." Violet is someone who is important to Cera, and that means she should be important to me as well. She''s my boyfriend''s mom, after all. I get a message back from Violet. [I have time to talk with you. Thest time we got a chance, it was interrupted, and I''d love to know about your past. I know that it''s a sensitive topic from how you reactedst time, so if you are ufortable, we can stop. Cera loves you a lot, and that means I have to learn about you and you about me. So you can start when you''re ready.] Starting from the beginning seems like the best idea. I don''t know how she''ll react to me having the past that I have. Some people think that a person like me isn''t a person anymore because of the things I was forced to endure. "Violet won''t be like that... But it''s always at the back of my mind." I take a deep breath and start typing. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Royal Airship taking a long bath, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:13 AM)~~~ This is the best way to travel for sure... While traveling with Cera using, his flight is definitely faster. This is way morefortable. "The trip to my next destination is around a day via Airship, so I''m going to enjoy this entire experience, and this time I don''t have to share it with my family." I bet everyone else is walking for something like that, except for Cera, of course. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 457 Arriving At Deep Crystal Cryp ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying towards The Raid Deep Crystal Crypt, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:45 PM)~~~ It''s almost midnight, and I''m closing in on Deep Crystal Crypt. The trip took a little longer than I wanted it to, and that''s because I stopped for just a little bit to check out a clearke. It was a sight that I''ve never seen on earth. "The screenshots I took really captured the beauty of it." The next time I''m with everyone, I show them what I found. My view is taken up by arge abandoned mining operation, and the only reason I can see it is from how big the damage to Gaia is. The moonlight shining down on the site helps me see the true scale. "One of the most notorious Raids known to yer in my old future." Deep Crystal Crypt has a lot of history behind it.? The Raid is known for being one of the most challenging due to its tightly enclosed spaces and a limited number of participants, given that it''s a Raid. Most Raid lets you take up to 4000 yers, and some can go up to 8000. "Deep Crystal Crypt doesn''t evene close to those numbers..." The limit for Deep Crystal Crypt is 150 yers at a single given time. During the time when everyone was challenging the Raid, people were cursing out the devs and ming them. When it was really the AI, Angelus, that was in charge of the game''s design. But now we know this is, in fact, a different world. "I''ve never taken it on, but I know the main strategies to deal with the bosses." Another mechanic that makes Deep Crystal Crypt unique is its bosses. p There are several different bosses that you can fight. Some are optional, and some are required. The drops from this Raid are known to be some of the best around the 200 to 400 level mark. "Sucks that I''m not here for any of the drops... My damn tier-up quest is here..." While there is a chance, I could get some of the items to drop. It''s better if there are more people. The Raid is strange in the fact that more people means better loot drops. It''s the only Raid known with this function. "Taking it on alone pretty much means I''ll have the lowest odds for something to drop. I could get help, but that would mean getting strangers, and that''s something I don''t want." Seeing that the barrier for the Raid is getting close, I dive down andnd. I leave my wings out since I''m going to need them in my fights inside the Raid. "This should be easier now that I''m tier-2, but that doesn''t mean this will be a cakewalk." If I were still tier-1, I would definitely need help with this Raid. But since I''m tier-2 now, there are better odds that I don''t need said help. This is what I prefer, after all. To do things alone. Sally is likely asleep right now, and Hailey is probably the same. I''m not sleeping tonight. I''m pulling an all-nighter and challenging the Raid right now. "I''m not quitting for the night when I could start instead. This is going to take a while, and I''m in the mood for some fighting now that I''m actually here." Flying from point A to point B can get really boring. Hence why I''m starting the Raid now. I approach the barrier around the massive abandoned mine, and I ce my hand on the barrier. I get the usual notification of warnings and asking if I wish to enter the Raid. I simply select yes, and the barrier opens enough for me to get inside. "This is where so many yers raged and died repeatedly." Just stepping into this legendary ce is amazing. ~~~(POV: Nelmorphius)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying to the Dragon Mountains of Hader)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:06 AM)~~~ yer Zern has changed a lot since thest time I saw him, and he''s gotten stronger. Being a yer has benefited him greatly, and I think I should be one too. "Dad isn''t going to be happy about the Fenrir deal, but what can you do?" There isn''t much about Gaia that we dragons don''t know or understand, but the enigma known as yers still eludes us. There are several things I n to find out once I be a yer. One of these things being why it is so much better to be a yer. "Dad might not like it, but I''ll only find out after I do it. Cause I might be heading in the direction of home, but it''s not where I''m actually heading." I''ve gotten a quest to be a yer, and I need to visit a yer Cathedral. That''s the only way to turn into a yer. Facing a trial tailor-made for you. If you''re able to ovee it, then you''ll be a yer. If not, you''ll be kicked out of the trial, and you''ll have to try again. "From what I''ve heard, it''s supposed to be something that haunts you from your past..." The times I mingle with humans have shed great light on recent events. There is something that haunts me greatly about my past, and that''s my mother''s death. My mom died fighting the being known as Sin of Pride. A demon that rules over Underworld with other beings like it. The Sin of Pride is unique in that he used to be an angel with a different name. It''s forbidden in our culture to say his true name. For it angers my father greatly. When the Sin of Pride killed my mother, my father entered Underworld and went on a rampage. Destroying everything he could find and trying to draw out one of the Sins. But they all stayed hidden. For they knew they had already dealt a devastating blow to the bnce of power on Gaia. They had achieved their goal, and my father left Underworld knowing they''d never appear. My mother was beloved by all dragons and the love of my father. When she was killed, my father changed that day. He foreswore that no dragon shall interact with the world unless given permission by him. I disobey that rule all the time, and while it frustrates him, I''m the only daughter he has. Given to him by the mother that I lost and the wife he loved. There is a lot of history that I still think about our people, and if my trial is to ovee something that haunts me. I know that it will involve my mother and what the Sin of Pride did to her. He didn''t just kill her. He mutted her. Her body was nearly unrecognizable. She was powerful too. Showing the strength of the Sin of Pride and his ability to fight. I know for a fact that the Sin of Pride is very powerful and very smart. I don''t know if he''s stronger than my father or not, but I wouldn''t doubt the fallen angel is. "A part of me is grateful my father never found him in the Underworld..." I don''t know what our people would do without my father. He''s the one that keeps the dragon race in check. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside the Raid Deep Crystal Crypt)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:31 AM)~~~ I''ve been at this for an hour already, and from the fights that I''ve already been in, I can tell this will be a long and thought battle. The good news is I''ve gained 5 percent EXP towards my next level. From the rate at which I''m gaining EXP, I''m probably going to level up once or twice in this Raid. But it''s getting harder and harder as time goes on. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.226][Tier-2] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Sally''s Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Scroll of Eternity (1x use)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 80/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 458 Attacking Deep Crystal Cryp ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside the Raid Deep Crystal Crypt)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:45 AM)~~~ The monsters in the dungeone in waves, and they don''t make things easy. They look like a mix between spiders and undead. Dead bodies and limbs are used to keep the monsters together. Genuinely looking like nightmare fuel. They all have the same name, and Grafted Horrors are something that I''ve never seen, but heard a lot about this Raid. My ytime regarding Raids in my old future is extremely low, and I didn''t actually Raid anything to the difficulty of Deep Crystal Crypt. While I know all the information about this ce, I don''t have any hands-on experience regarding it. Doing it alone could be considered a mistake in this situation, but it''s impossible to tell without failing. So far, I haven''t even gotten damaged yet, and everything is going pretty smooth. "At the moment, I''m not being swarmed by these Grafted Horrors... I should move slowly so I can let the cooldown timer on Heaven''s Light and Protected by Heaven finish." One problem is that the monsterse at you in suchrge numbers you find yourself like this. Having to wait for your Skills to finish cooling down before moving forward. The boss of this Raid builds the Grafted Horrors, and while he isn''t very powerful in terms of attacking. He has a ridiculouslyrge health pool. One that''ll take even me time to chew through with all my best skills. Not to mention the Raid is adjusted to fit my strength and power. My third tier-up quest has led me here, and I know that countless things could go wrong. But I''m intending on doing this first try. "RAAAAGHHH!!" My thoughts are interrupted as more monsters from down the mineshaft scream and charge their way toward me. The Witness is already slicing through the monsters, and I''m gaining EXP in the process. The group is bigger than thest, and my Skill isn''t done recharging yet. My strongest ones, anyway. My Double Strike and Parry are still useful. I''m yet to bit hit using these two in tandem. "You''re all so annoying!!" I''m getting more and more annoyed as the Raid goes on. It''s taking longer than I''d want it to, but there isn''t anything I can do about that. Going faster and rushing will just cause me to make a mistake, and that''s not what I''m about. It takes about 5 minutes, but I get rid of all the current monsters attacking me, and I''ve gained 5 EXP toward my yer Level and 5 EXP toward Parry. The mineshaft I''m in is the quickest way toward the main boss, but I have to fight a mini-boss up ahead if I want to continue going this way. I''ll admit, I''m really bored doing this. I somehow think I can do better with my time, and I can''t help but think there is more that I can do than just go after my tier-up quest. These are the only choices I got, though. "I''m really regretting that I put off keeping up with my tier-up quests." There is no need to be hiding the truth. This was my mistake, and I''m paying for it now. Everyone else is asleep right now, so it''s not like I can bother everyone else while I go through this Raid. So instead of walking through at this slow-ass pace, I''m going to pick it up. Patience and caution be damned. I start running at full speed, and I cut down enemies as fast as Ie across them. My main objective is to get to the mini-boss before 1:00 AM. I''m moving at incredible speeds, and I''m killing monsters even faster. After about 10 minutes of moving at top speed and killing everything in my way. I make it to the mini-boss room. I don''t waste any time, and I burst into the room and engage the mini-boss. I use my strongest Skills, and it''s in as day that he''s dying and dying quick. It takes 5 minutes of moving at this speed and using my attacks, but I kill the mini-boss, and I leave through the door that he''s guarding. At this point, I''m speedrunning this bitch. "I''m so fucking bored!!!" I can''t help yelling out my problems as I start to carve through enemy after enemy. The Raid boss room is about 15 minutes away, running at full speed.? My wings are doing a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of taking out arge volume of enemies. It''s like I''m a bloody tornado or something, and the mineshaft walls are getting painted in blood. After 15 minutes pass, I see the door to the Raid Boss room, and I run through the door. Many notifications go off, but I ignore them and start attacking immediately.? It seems that I catch the Raid boss off guard with my sudden attacks. The Raid boss is known as Warmore the Twisted. But I''m not going through his extensive lore. I''m tired of this Raid, and this guy is dying. I continue attacking and using my strongest Skills. I even activate Kingyer and Raging Machine. Dealing millions in damage. It doesn''t take very long, but after a couple of minutes of continuous attacks like this, I kill the son of a bitch, and several notifications go off. I level up twice, and I get the tier-up item and use it. Making me tier-3. I take the teleporter out of the Raid, and world announcements go off. I ignore them, and I take a deep breath. All I have left to do is my tier-4 quest, and I''m done catching up with all my tier-up quests. I look at where I need to go to start my tier-4 quest, and it''s The Capital City Avalon. "Going around in circles at this point..." I don''t really care. I''m almost done with everything on my te, and I can happily say that nothing hasn''t gone off my ns. But that doesn''tst forever. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Getting out of bed, Royal Airship)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:30 AM)~~~ My eyes are having a hard time opening, but I''m more than ready to start the day with a nice warm magical bath. "I''m ordering breakfast before doing any of that." I pick up the menu and order some food using the magicmunicator in my room to the kitchen. Being the ''friend'' of yer Zern sure is awesome. Everyone waits on their hands and feet for you. Cera isn''t the type to enjoy something like this. He would consider it an extreme invasion of privacy. I, on the other hand, love being pampered like this. "Sucks that I can''t have treatment like this even though I''m a Legendary ss holder..." There isn''t much that can be done or said about this, but I should be happy with what I''ve got.? ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Waking up in a Tent on the Road to The City of Rezza, Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:44 AM)~~~ I did not sleep wellst night, which can be attributed to my nightmares of Cera cheating on me repeatedly. My mind has decided to worry about something that won''t happen even when I''m sleeping. "Sometimes, I hate being a woman..." There are things that I''m never going to like due to my emotional feelings. And how close Cera is to other women is something I have to get over. I can''t wait to see him again. I know the first thing I''m doing when I see him is hug him, then kiss him, and depending on what time. Do him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 459 Arriving In Techar ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Docking at The City of Techart, Royal Airship)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:22 AM)~~~ When I woke up yesterday and started having breakfast, I didn''t think we''d arrive a few hours ahead of schedule. But this is fine, I''ve made it to myst tier-up quest location, and once I''m done here, I won''t have to spend a crapload of time catching up on tier-up quests. Now that I''m almost fully awake, I lean up in my bed and stretch. We''re docking at the port in Techart, and pretty soon, it''ll be time to get off. The Captain of the ship has to talk with the local authorities before I can get off. This was an unscheduled stop, and thates with some confirmation problems. "Gives me some time to have breakfast..." The idea of heading down to the dining hall instead of eating in my room sounds nice. It doesn''t take me long, but I arrive at the dining hall, and everyone is already in the kitchen. As I approach, they all start getting into a position to start working. "I''d like 3 pancakes, 2 eggs, and 4 bacon. With some hashbrowns too." My order is taken, and everyone in the dining has started doing their part. I make my way over to the table next to the massive window. The City of Techart is very big and has a capacity of holding up to 1.5 million people. Most Capitals hold up to 4.5 to 5.5 million. So inparison, Techart isn''t that big, but it''s still impressive as hell. "Look at all those people down there..." I have a good look at the docks, and there are several guards ordained in armor. All led by a Commander. The Captain of the Royal Airship is talking with the Commander, and all I can see from this high up is their folded arms. "I can''t help wondering what they''re talking about... The obvious is me, but it shouldn''t take that long to justify why I''m here." The politics aren''t something I''m getting involved in, but I doubt I''ll go undisturbed in my stay here. The Adventurers Guild has been trying to track me down for a while. Likely to recruit me, and they haven''t had any sess to this point. But Techart has an Adventurers Guild branch, and I can already see that I''ll have to deal with them. Literally. I can see a group from the local Adventurers Guild branch join in the conversation. My looking down at them is interrupted as a fresh, hot meal is ced in front of me. Along with all the condiments to go with it. "Will that be all, Ms. Adamo?" I nod my head, and the waiter takes off. Leaving me to enjoy the meal. I look back out the window as I eat, and the leader of the Adventurers is starting to argue with the Commander.? What for, I can only surmise it has to do with who gets to talk to me first. And subsequently asks for my help or allegiance. From the looks of it, their conversation will be a while, so there''s no need to rush through my meal. "It''s freaking early for so many people to be up..." There is a crowd starting to form behind the guards, and most are yers, or NPCs turned yers. Anyone with a ss Grade over Epic is considered a celebrity to many. Even though once you reach Legacy Grade, you start getting exclusive one-of-a-kind sses. Since I''m a Legendary ss holder, it makes sense that I draw such a crowd. "Marcus would do the same... He''s as popr, if not more than I am..." Marcus is well known too. Mom and dad are known, but not as our parents. Cera was right in wanting to make it seem like none of us are rted and that we''re all just friends. I didn''t think to avoid the problems that could ur if people knew. I''m d that Cera did. "He''s always one step ahead... Even with his future knowledge, it''s still something strange to see..." I don''t think I''ve ever seen something that Cera predicted go wrong. That''s incredibly useful, and something that I didn''t think I''d ever say. I''d never tell him that. I still need to get him back for the pranks he pulled on me. My attention is taken as the leader of The Adventurers group draws his sword and points it at the Commander. It looks like the Commander sighs and draws his sword. They''re starting a Duel. People step back, including the Captain and a small shield starts to form around the two. "This is a great show to have in the morning." It feels strange having someone fight over me. Not in the romantic sense, which I''m a little sad about. I''d love to have two guys fight over me for romance, but that won''t happen. I don''t think it will. This Duel their having is one to determine who gets the chance to talk to me first. "How selfish of them not to get my input, but I''ll enjoy it nheless..." The men take up stances with their weapons as the counteres to zero, and as the Duel starts, they both charge forward and locks des. I can''t tell what they''re saying to each from here, but it''s making both of them scowl. I''m halfway done with all my food, and the Duel they''re having seems to be even. The Captain turns around andes back up the loading ramp, and I lose sight of him halfway up. "He''s probablying to talk to me." The Duel continues on, and as I finish my food, the Captain enters the dining hall and makes his way toward me. He takes off his hat as he approaches and gulps down some building saliva. "You''re free to exit the Airship at any time, but I suggest that you do it after they''re finished with their Duel." That''s not a problem for me. In fact, I''d like to witness it in person. I tell the Captian I''m going to watch from up close, and I leave the dining hall and make my way to the ramp leading outside the ship. They both stop for a moment in their Duel to look at me, and then they look at each other with renewed energy and confidence. I''m standing on the dock on the opposite side of everyone else, and the sh of their des is loud. Sparks are flying as they''re moving and attacking at high speeds. Not fast enough topete with me, but fast. ~~~(POV: Commander Eren)~~~ ~~~(Location: Dueling Adventurer Guild Branch leader Chris, Docks of Techart)~~~ ~~~(TimeL 6:07 AM)~~~ Chris has be strong since he''s be a yer, but so have I. There isn''t any way I''m losing this Duel, and I''m not going to let them have a chance to talk to her. We need Ms. Adamo''s help, and she''s the only that has the strength to help us. "Just give it up, Eren! There will be another chance to talk to her after I''m done!!" Chris wants her to join The Adventurers Guild. Monopolizing another powerful individual and charge the city exuberant fees to use her services. "That''s not happening, Chris. Techart is done with The Adventurers Guild. Especially after you failed!!" They''re the reason we''re in this situation. The reason that we have to turn to Ms. Adamo. It''s insulting they''re even here right now. Ms. Adamo is watching calmly from the sides as if evaluating the Duel that''s going on. Compared to her, we''re both weak and rtively useless. It shows how powerful she is, given that we''re considered vital to the city. "You speak as if you don''t hold any of the me, Eren!!" Herees this song and dance. This Duel needs to end and end fast. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 460 Conclusion Of The Duel ~~~(POV: Commander Eren)~~~ ~~~(Location: Dueling Adventurer Guild Branch leader Chris, Docks of Techart)~~~ ~~~(Time 6:15 AM)~~~ Chris is getting tired, and I''ll admit that I''m running on fumes too. Duels don''t allow us to use our strongest Skills. It''s literally a battle of better fighters. "Just give it up, Eren. You''re wasting everyone''s time by making this longer than it has to be. Ms. Adamo should be wellpensated for her work, not ripped off by the city." My temples flex, and my anger spikes.? The Adventurers Guild has far too much power all across Gaia for not being a religious or political power. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Chris. You used to be a good and decent man, but you''ve let money and power corrupt the person you used to be. If we weren''t yers still, I''d kill you." He doesn''t like what I said. Not one bit. Unlike Chris, I don''t let my emotions and state of mind drive my fighting style. While I''m angry, I''m not letting it influence my choices or thoughts. "Speak for yourself, Eren!! You don''t know what it''s like!! To be poor and weak! I''m never going to be the man you knew because I''ll never live like that again!!" This is an unsightly Duel for Ms. Adamo to witness. My eyes slip to her for just a moment, and she''s watching with her arms folded. My attention is back on Chris a secondter as he attacks with all he has. We''re around the same level and tier, but I have a disadvantage in terms of gear. Techart doesn''t have the resources The Adventurers Guild has. But it''s the person using the gear, not the gear itself.? He jabs his de into my guard, but this is what I wanted to happen. I wrap my arm into his, and he realizes what''s happening. Before we can do anything, I throw my head forward and smash it against his. He''s hurt, and he stumbles back. He can''t see straight, and he''s stumbling. "Damn it..." The words are barely audible as they leave his mouth. I dash forward, and I use my sword to throw his guard open, and he is knocked unconscious as I m the t part of my de against the top of his head. "You''ve be strong, Chris. But it''s not strength that you''ve earned yourself... All of it from the Guild..." He can''t hear me, but I feel like I need to say this anyway. The barrier around us drops, and Chris regains consciousness. [The Winner of this Duel is Commander Eren!] [All yers have been healed of their injuries!] Chris stands up, and his eyes look dead as he meets mine. "This isn''t the end, Eren... Not by a long shot..." If there were a way to get rid of the Guild, I''d be the first to make them gone from Techart. "You can have the first crack at her, but when you fail. It''ll be my turn." He turns and leaves, and there is hatred as he walks away. But at least he stayed true to the agreement.? I turn from my current position, and I see Ms. Adamo standing there waiting for me. I sheath my sword and make my way to her. The moment I stop in front of her, I kneel down and ce my forehead on the ground. Bowing in front of her. "Please... I beg of you to help our city... You''re the only one strong enough..." A Commander shouldn''t have to put his head in the dirt.? But I''m willing to do anything for this city. Even if it means humiliation for me and the post that I hold. "At first, I wasn''t going to do anything for either of you." My heart drops a little, but I keep my head lowered since she isn''t finished talking. "But someone in your position wouldn''t do this unless you were truly desperate. I''ll hear you out." My hopes have been answered. She''ll listen. The guards keeping the civilians at bay have a sigh of relief as I raise my head. "Thank you. You don''t know how much it means to even hear us out." She nods her head a single time. "Let''s head to the guard''s barracks so we can talk privately." She stays quiet and follows my lead. She''s the strongest person within hundreds of miles or any nearby cities. She''s a personal friend of yer Zern as well. Her power isn''t to be trifled with, and it should be respected. "Mind if I ask you something?" Ms. Adamo surprises me with the sudden urge to ask a question. I nod, and she looks forward. "Why do so many cities and Kingdom tolerate The Adventures Guild?" That''s a million Gold question, and one I ask all the time. Kingdoms aren''t wealthy enough to keep powerful people on retainer like Empires are. Empires don''t need to rely on The Adventurers Guild since they can afford to buy the permanent services of powerful individuals. "Cause we can''t afford any other options, and ordinary people can''t take on extraordinary quests and challenges." That''s the simplest answer I can give.? We eventually reach the barracks, and we head to my office. As she sits down, I make my way to the other side of the desk and sit. "I''ll cut right to the chase. There is an imminent Dungeon break that''ll happen near Techart, and it doesn''t threaten just us, but the entire Kingdom." She looks interested now, which is something that I was hoping for. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Techart, Guards Barracks)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:32 AM)~~~ I''ve never heard of a Dungeon break before... I have no idea what that is. "You''ll have to forgive me, but I''ve never heard of a Dungeon break before." He doesn''t look surprised. Meaning that many people don''t know what it is. I can''t help thinking that Cera knows what a dungeon break is. I lucked out about this whole situation.? Commander Eren is actually the person that I need to talk to. I didn''t know until I heard his name from the Duel. Since tier-up quests don''t have any markers given to you to find the person, it was a great ident that the person I need to talk to was already waiting for me. "To be honest, I didn''t know Dungeon breaks existed until a month ago either." Now isn''t that interesting. A concept not even the natives of Gaia are used to. It must be a feature that the system secretly implemented. "Apparently, they''ve only been popping up recently. It started urring when monsters got ess to the system and became more intelligent. They''ve been breaking free of the dungeons that bind them." It''s definitely a feature made by the system by the sounds of that. The monster must be incredibly strong to break free from the Dungeon. They''re able to level up now, so it makes sense. "I''m willing to help you, but I need to know more about the Dungeon. What is its history, what''s inside, and what I''m up against." I''ve learned a lot from Cera, and one thing to always look for is the history. It holds answers to questions you might have. He leans back in his chair and releases a long sigh. "Truth be told, the Dungeon is very old and has been there for a long time. From the beginning, it was filled with weak monsters and a boss. Ones that even our new guards could handle. But all that changed." That''s a start, but I need way more information than this, and I''m not helping until I know everything I need to know. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 461 Acting Against A Dungeon Break ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Techart, Guards Barracks)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:49 AM)~~~ It''s convenient that my quest has everything to do with this Dungeon break, or maybe this was intended by the system. I can''t know the answer, but I can specte. "Ms. Adamo, I''m incredibly grateful for you hearing me out. But I need to know if you''re helping us or not." He''s rushing for an answer from me. And I don''t want to ept the quest. ? All my instincts are telling me to wait and figure out more information, but this is directly tied to my tier-up quest. After this, I''ll be tier-3, and I''ll be done catching up. "It''s too early to say if I''m helping you or not, Commander Eren. I need to see the location first. I want to see what a Dungeon break looks like while nearing its final stage." This is valuable information.? It could be something that Cera doesn''t even know about. It''s unlikely, but it''s possible. He said that his actions changed the future, which could be one of the changes. "That''s a reasonable request if I''ve ever heard one. We''ll leave immediately, and we''ll take a squad of our best guards." The history of the Dungeon is one of weakness. But the monsters inside have gotten too strong for ordinary guards to handle. This is probably the first time a yer from Earth will get an up-close look at a Dungeon break since it''s such a new and mysterious phenomenon in this world. "Alright, I''ll let you lead the way, Commander. You know this area and city far better than I do." He gives a stern nod, and his features remain stoic.? We exit his office, and we enter the guard''s lodging area. There are beds on either side of the room. And some are rxing, and others ying games. "Squads 4 and 7! Prepare for deployment! We''re taking Ms. Adamo here to Gezimophs Grove, and we''ll be showing her what we''re up against!" The men and women standing near the row leading to the door saluting and soon starting to prepare.? Commander Eren and I make our way to the door, and I watch the guards getting ready. "It''s impressive how everything is run here. I didn''t think that the off-duty guards would be so ready." This is my honest opinion. But I should know better. They''re all highly trained and disciplined enough to be prepared for a situation like this.? I wouldn''t know anything about such discipline. While my parent''s tried hard when I hit my teenage years, things really spiraled out of control from there. "I''ve put everything I''ve got into training my division. But they''ve still got a long way to go before they reach the expectations I''ve set." This is going to be fun. I''ve never worked with anyone in a military-like setting. After a couple of minutes, all the guardsing with us are reading and standing at attention. Commander Eren and I leave the Guard Barracks first, and the squads behind us are following closely. "It''s about 4 miles from Techart, and it''s bing a bigger threat as the days pass. Our Cities lord, Baron Harkson, is a good man but poorer than he should be." Politics... Something that I don''t like to talk about and things that I don''t find engaging in the slightest. "Why is even a Noble and City Lord if he''s poor? I thought ruling nobles had to be powerful and rich?" Might as well entertain the conversation as we walk. We''re about to leave the city, and it''s a little bit of a walk to get there.? Commander Eren would know far more about the political situation here in Techart than I would, and that''s for several reasons that I don''t care to name. "Baron Harkson inherited Techart through bloodline, and he runs it to the best of his ability. His family lost its wealth a generation before he was born." There isn''t that much to really say bad about Baron Harkson.? It''s rare to find unselfish and uncorrupt leaders, and I guess it''s better having him as a City Lord than another noble. "Can you tell me anything more about Gezimophs Grove? I know you said there wasn''t much, but this walk is pretty boring." He actually cracks a smile, but only I''m able to see it. We''re already outside the city, and Commander Eren is leading the way. The guards are following behind us in a perfect formation as we travel the well-patted down path. It''s apparent how often this way was used to reach Gezimophs Grove. "Legend states an insane man made a deal with a Demon and used his new powers to make creatures in the depths of Gezimorphs Grove." I know Cera would love to hear this. He''s someone that enjoys Lore and the ces he visits. "From the sounds of it, this ce has been here a long time. And no one''s ever thought to figure out more about it?" If such a legend is true, it would make sense to investigate it more. Commander Eren looks down in slight disappointment. But not at me or my question, but just at the thought of the Dungeon we''re heading to. Thinking about it, expedition and time to figure out all the Dungeons secrets is probably expensive, and that''s money Techart doesn''t have. Despite being arge city with a high poption, it''s just below average in terms of revenue. At least, that''s what I''m getting from everything that I''ve seen so far. I''m surprised Techart is still here, to be honest. The city itself is in good shape, and it''s well maintained, but everyone I saw was either poor or close to it. "As much as it would''ve benefited us, such activities are out of the city''s budget, and there is no solution to it." Techart sounds like it has it rough around here. I wish there were something that could be done, but this isn''t my responsibility.? ~~~(POV: Commander Eren)~~~ ~~~(Location: Overlooking Gezimorphs Dungeon, Near Techart City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:41 AM)~~~ We''re on a hill with a clear view of the Dungeon, and its clear activity has picked up even more since thest time we were here. "Those monsters roaming outside the Dungeon are indications that a Dungeon break is arriving soon. After a couple more days, monsters will be pouring out of that ce at an rming rate. " Not to mention their high levels.? Ms. Adamo stays silent as we''re on our knees, ensuring we''re staying low. She ces her hand on her chin and closes her eyes. She looks to be thinking about the decision to help us or not. "Do you know how to stop a Dungeon break? Is defeating the boss and monsters inside the way to halt all of this?" From the reports of other ces with simr experiences, that''s the way. I give a simple nod, and she smiles as she stands up. "Okay, I''ll help you, Commander Eren. I''ll be back when I''m done." Umm... What? She suddenly disappears from my vision, and I have no idea where she''s gone. I look towards the dungeon, and the monsters roaming outside are on the ground, dead. We''re at least 120 meters away... ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Gezimorphs Grove, Near Techart City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:48 AM)~~~ The monsters in the dungeon are at higher levels than even me. Those guards wouldn''t stand a chance. My speed is killing these creatures, though. "I''m getting plenty of EXP, but it''s starting to be harder to kill them as I get deeper." The farther I get in, the longer I have to spend on a single enemy killing it. This is going to be interesting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 462 Only A Part Of The Tier-Up Ques ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Gezimorphs Grove, Near Techart City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:48 AM)~~~ I''ve made it to the boss room in just under an hour. Thest stretch to get here was filled with the strongest monsters in here, and they were a pain in the ass to deal with. "Commander Eren and his guards didn''t stand a chance... But why didn''t The Adventurers Guild handle it?" Their leader, Chris, was around the same level as Commander Eren, and he''s supposed to be the strongest. It exins why they failed, but it doesn''t tell me why they didn''t get someone else stronger from another branch... "It''s pointless to think about. The inner working of The Adventurers Guild isn''t known to the public." Since the boss is beyond this door, it should be my focus. I ce my hand on the door, and I get a notification. [Warning: The boss out levels you by several levels!] This is the only warning I''m getting from the system, and the boss fight shouldn''t be that hard for me. I open the door, and there is a disfigured man in a cloak. He''s hunched over, and he has a crystal ball in his hand. "Don''t assume that you''ll be me so easily... My creations are far weaker than I am!!" The boss decides to talk, and I''m not entertaining this. I''m already in front of him with a leap of power, and my sword is driving its way into his body. He cringes in pain and tries to move away. "Wow, you''re a fast one, aren''t you!!" Before I can drive Hearts Needle in deep enough, he''s able to create some distance between us. I did damage to him, about 8 percent of his total health pool, and that was from an iplete attack. Attacking at full speed is the best option in this scenario. "Don''t getfortable. You disfigured freak." My words hardly register in his mind before I''m already attacking, and this time I''m doing heavy amounts of damage. Each attack and skill I''m using is doing between 10 and 15 percent of his total health, and after a couple of attacks, he uses a life-saving skill. I''m sent away from him, and his health fully regenerates, but I notice he has a new debuff. Mana exhaustion and there is a zed look in his eyes. As if he''s about to lose consciousness. "I never anticipated someone so strong would be interested in my Dungeon..." His voice is weak and trembling. If I kill him, that should end the Dungeon break. Not wasting any more time, I dart toward him and use my best skills to put an end to him quickly. His health disappears faster thanst time, and one final strike and he''s dead. I get notifications that I stopped the Dungeon break, and I leveled up twice, but the most interesting drop isn''t one I''ve seen before. One that I don''t think Cera has even seen before. [Iplete tier-3 item upgrade for Battlemind] [Description: This is a tier-3 upgrade item for the ss known as Battlemind, but this is only the first half of the tier-up item. To use the item, you must find the second half andbine these pieces using an Epic Grade smith or higher.] [Grade: Legendary] I don''t know what this means for me, but I''m not all that happy about it. It doesn''t even tell me where I have to go or what I have to do to get the second half. Meaning I''m still in the process of my quest, and no markers are showing up. "I hate that tier-up quests don''t give markers!!" This is the worst part about tier-up quests. Having to find things without your marker. On the plus side, I''m all finished with helping Commander Eren, and it''s time that I get out of here. The teleportation crystal at the back of the boss room takes me outside and in front of the Dungeon. "I can''t believe that you saved Techart in a little over an hour... No wonder you''re friends with yer Zern..." Commander Eren and his squad are waiting for me away from the entrance. He walks over to me, and I n to ask him if he knows anything that''s in connection with Gezimorphs Grove. "Yeah, it wasn''t that difficult. The boss was weak against my speed, and given he was a mage-type fighter, he didn''t stand a chance." There is a rare smile on the face of Commander Eren, and now is the perfect chance to ask. I take my time exining what I''m doing, and he understands since he''s now a yer, too, and he had a hard time with his tier-up quests till this point. "I don''t know much about anything connected with Gezimorphs Grove, but there is a man in town who might know more. I can take you to him if you want?" That''d be perfect cause I don''t know where he''d be. We spend time talking and discussingbat while we walk back to Techart, and the trip back is way better than the trip there. But to my displeasure, as soon as we enter the city, Chris is waiting with his strongest members. "I don''t know how you did it... But you''ve ruined everything, Commander Eren..." His demeanor is far darker than before, and he looks dead inside. It''s like he''s lost his will to live or something. The Adventurers Guild has probably punished him, and now he''s here trying to regain some honor. Something along those lines, at least. "Chris, it seems that you''ve failed in holding the standards your bosses want. Move aside. You''re in Ms. Adamo''s way." He steps in front of me, and his guards follow suit. In a way, they''re treating me like I''m a noble, and normally I wouldn''t like this. But since it''s Commander Eren, I don''t mind that much. He''s really doing it for himself and not for me. "Shut your fucking mouth, Eren!!" Chris surprises even me, and that level of disrespect has an effect on Commander Eren too. Veins start to pop up near his temples from clenching his teeth so hard. Commander Eren slowly draws his sword and stands in a stoic manner. "What was it you just said, Chris? I know that you''re not openly disrespecting me in such a way. I''ve tolerated your bullshit for a long time, but I''m bing sick of you." I fold my arms, and I wonder what this is escting toward. I don''t know what happens when yer guards fight other yers or NPCs turned yers. Chris unsheaths his sword too, but the second he finishes, he charges Commander Eren like a mad man. They''re moving in slow motion to me since I''ve increased my perception time, but to everyone else, they''re moving at incredible speeds and barely able to keep up. "What happens when there is a fight not in the grounds of a Duel? Especially against a Guard..." It''s not something I''ve seen before. ~~~(POV: Commander Eren)~~~ ~~~(Location: Fighting Chris near the entrance of Techart City, The City of Techart)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:34 AM)~~~ Chris, you were once a good man and a dear friend of mine. But you''ve let the power you''ve gained from turning into a yer corrupt you, and now you''re here attacking a guard and provoking a situation that can''t be forgiven. "You can''t see the damage you''ve caused to yourself..." He can''t hear me. His blind rage is deafening him to the world. The Adventurers Guild punished you because you''re acting a fool in front of Ms. Adamo. And what you''re doing now will only make it worse. You''re making the organization that you represent look like aplete and utter joke. "I''m going to find a way to kill you forever, Eren!! There has to be a way!!" Since we''re both yers now, death isn''t permanent. But his madness is taking greater hold by the minute. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 463 Dealing With A Nuisance ~~~(POV: Commander Eren)~~~ ~~~(Location: Fighting Chris near the entrance of Techart City, The City of Techart)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:35 AM)~~~ Ms. Adamo has likely grown tired of having to deal with events such as this. "Chris, when I''m done taking Ms. Adamo to her next destination, I''ll make sure that you''re banned from this city and never able to return." It''s not aplicated process, and the magic used to ban him from the city will make sure he stays out.? Chris, on the other hand, isn''t that too fond of my words, which is understandable since I''ve basically threatened to end the life he has here in Techart. "You''re not going to do a damn thing about anything, Eren! I''m more important to this city than you ever were!" I would''ve believed that a month ago, but not after he''s fallen so far from grace within Techart. Before the conversation can continue, I charge forward and start attacking. Since we''re not in an official Duel, we can use our best skills and strongest attacks. He''s not able to get through my defensive skills, and I''m wearing down his health slowly. He''s barely dodging my attacks, but nothing is getting a significant enough hit to really damage him. The look in his eyes bes crazed, and his desperation is starting to be a hazard to the environment. His attacks are threatening to hit buildings and hurt citizens. People that haven''t be yers yet and they will die permanently. I dash to shield a group trying to escape the out-of-control battle, and I seed, but I sustain heavy damage. Chris looks at me with a twisted smile and startsughing out loud. It infuriates me beyond belief that he''d do something like this. "Of course, a weak man like you would put those weak little people before your battle!! That''s what makes you lose in big moments like this!" He''s fully lost his mind at this point, but before he can continue attacking, he''s knocked unconscious. As he falls to the ground, Ms. Adamo is standing behind him with her sword drawn. She used the butt of the hilt to knock him out. "How about you don''t involve people that can respawn." She speaks to the knocked-out Chris. I''d normally feel shame at receiving any help in a fight, but given the cheap and low tactics Chris was using, this is easy to ept. I fall to one knee and try to catch my breath. This didn''t go the way I thought it would, but that''s a part of life. Out of nowhere, Ms. Adamo is standing in front of me and holding out her hand. "Before we find that man that can tell me what I need to know, let''s get you some medical attention." I don''t hesitate to grab her hand, and she pulls me up with ease. The unconscious body of Chris is lifted off the ground by the guards, and they look to me for orders. "Take him to the detention center, and we''ll ban him from the city tomorrow. Make sure all the magic seals are activated in the cell. I don''t want him breaking free." They take him away, and I can already see his party members are gone. Probably back at the guild. It doesn''t matter anymore, The Adventurers Guild will find a recement fast, and this time they''ll send someonepetent instead of hiring a person from our city again. Chris was a poor decision to make the guild branch leader here. "The Church should be just ahead... They''ll heal me, and we can be on our way..." Ms. Adamo having to see that does bring shame on our city. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Local Church Branch in Techart, The City of Techart)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:50 AM)~~~ Commander Eren is being healed by the Priestess, and I''m sitting in a pew watching the process. The head of the Church here has decided to sit next to me. "I bet the healing magic that yer Zern is capable of is more impressive than the best the entire Church of Light can offer." I don''t like talking about my brother with strangers, but there is nothing better to do at the moment. The silence makes him a little nervous, and I find it humorous that such people take my silence with such value. "yer Zern is capable of incredible things, and I''ve been on many adventures with him. His healing powers are something to envy. He doesn''t use them all that often. We''re fighters, and we only take fighters with us. The only times he''s used his healing abilities was in town begging for it." There were times that I thought he actually enjoyed helping them. My brother is off doing something extreme, and he''s probably almost done with all his tier-up quests. "Where do you suppose yer Zern''s destiny will take him?" The Priest doesn''t know how close to home this hits. My run-in with Angelus has opened my eyes to many things. The future being one of them. I''m worried about my brother.? Cera is strong, and I know that he can take care of himself, but I have a bad feeling that he''ll fight something or get into trouble that he can''t get out of with his own power. "My friend''s destiny is not your business or mine." That''s my answer to his question, and he takes that as his queue to leave. It takes a few more minutes, but Commander Eren is fully healed. He stands up and gives his thanks to the Priestess, and we make our way out of the Church. "Alright, the man we''re heading to is named Flintock. He knows a lot of things about... Well, everything. If you have any questions, he''s the one to ask. It''s a 20-minute walk from here." Commander Eren leads the way, and I follow behind him.? ,m The City of Techart is a ce that many people call home, but it''s not going to continue surviving without something to help them. There is a lot of pressure on the City Lord. We walk in silence the whole way there, and pretty soon, we stop in front of a house. "This is where I leave you." He bows his head and takes off toward the way we came. ~~~(POV: Flintock)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Private Residence, The City of Techart)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:33 AM)~~~ A loud knock on my door interrupts the flow of the book I''m reading. I stand up and make my way over to the door and open it. A girl greets me, and she''s a strong one. "Are you Flintock?" Her mood is a little standoffish, but that''s to be expected. I nod my head, and she raises her eyebrow. I step aside so she may enter.? She looks around the living room, and I feel like she''s judging everything she sees. "What can I help you out with? It''s not often I get visitors." The few times that I''ve gotten people over this year were from the knowledge I hold about the local area. She turns to look at me, and I feel as if she''s staring into my soul. Her gaze is a hard one and built from many fights. She folds her arms and closes her eyes for a second. Gathering her thoughts. She holds out her hand, and an item appears. She''s a yer, so it goes to show that she has an Inventory. "I need help finding the other half of this tier-up item." I step forward and Inspect the item. My breath leaves my lungs, and I start to sweat.? This woman is a Legendary ss holder and the one that has been in our city recently. She''s here on her tier-up quest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 464 Story Time With Flintock... Not... ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Residence of Flintock, The City of Techart)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:40 AM)~~~ He''s looking at me and then back at the halfpleted tier-up item in my hand. He clears his throat and fixes his sses. "Never did this old man think a woman of your statuse knocking at my door... But it''s obvious why you''re here now... You wish to know where the other half of that item is, right?" He''s a smart one... Okay, it''s obvious, but no need for an all-knowing attitude.? Flintock is old, so I''ll let him off the hook and just continue this conversation as if nothing bothers me. I don''t like an all-knowing attitude. It''s the same one my brother has, but I don''t mind it cause he can pull it off. "Do you know anything or not? I don''t want to waste any more time. I still have to find an Epic Grade cksmith to fix this bitch." He''s a little taken aback by my response. A long sigh escapes his lips, and he slowly walks over to his bookshelf, and the slight thump of his cane bounces around the living room. "There were ancient legends that stated the wielder of Battlemind woulde to Techart one day, searching for an important item for the ss they hold... I just need to find the darn book..." I have a feeling I''m in for a long story. It''s not like I don''t have time, but Angelus did say that eventually, Cera and the rest of the yers would be sucked into a battle. One not meant for mortals. "Ahh, here it is." He pulls a thick and dusty book off the bookshelf and peels it open as the old book creaks. "This thing is older than I am. But it should have what you seek." He starts to flip through the pages. I''m grateful that he''s helping, so I shouldn''t be all that mean to him. I''m just running low on patience from all the crap I''ve run into with The adventurers Guild. "You''ll have to give me a moment. I don''t remember the exact chapter the story of Battlemind is in..." He walks over to his rocking chair and takes a seat. Might as well take a load off. The couch slightly rocks as I plop down on it and look at the ceiling. Sometimes, I wish that you never had to do any tier-up quests to be stronger... "Hmm... Nope, this isn''t it." He''s talking aloud, but I think that''s just what the elderly do. "Maybe I should be a yer and regain my youth... That way, I won''t have to be half blind..." He must talk to himself a lot. He''s alone in this house, meaning he''s never married, or the woman he''s loved is gone too. "Ah-Ha found it!" I lean up and stare at him, but his smile fades, and he looks at me nervously. "Sorry about that, false rm." If my face could turn head and aical vein pop, it would. At this point, I think he''s just pulling my leg, but there isn''t anything I can do. I''m not the type of person to beat up an old man, but the thought crossed my mind. "You''re lucky that you''re old, Flintock. I''d have punched on the side of the head for that." He gives a weary smile and continues flipping through the pages. About 20 more minutes pass, and I''m starting to think this man doesn''t know a thing about my tier-up item or where I need to go next. My head slowly turns away from looking at the ceiling and what I see makes me see red. The damn old goat is asleep!! The son of a bitch fell asleep!! "Oh, forget this!" I stand up, walk over, and take the book out of his hands as he sleeps like a brick. The second I sit back down on the couch, I start flipping through the book and skimming the pages for anything about Battlemind. Instead of starting from the beginning, I''m starting from where he wasst at. That way, I don''t have to go through the whole book. He''s already been through about 60 percent of it. It takes an hour, but I finally make it to a page that starts talking about my ss. "Now, let''s see if you have anything to actually tell me..." My eyes lock on the top of the page, and I start reading. [The Legendary Battlemind ss is unique in several ways, and not in its status as a Legendary ss. It''s one of the few known Duelist sses with a specialization in speed and high-powered attacks. Not only does it have power, but it has a history. It was said to be created for the person who would guide the other that would save Gaia.] This is all just backstory about my ss, but I find thest bit of this paragraph interesting. "Created for the person who would guide the other that would save Gaia..." I don''t know if this is just a story leftover from The Ancients World or actual predetermined events. "If it''s supposed to happen, it''s talking about Cera..." There is no point in ignoring the obvious. I skim through the page until I find what I''m looking for. [Once the wielder of Battlemind reaches the point ofpleting their third tier-up quest. They''lle into a hurdle. The item will be broken in two, and they''ll have to find the other half. One half is located in Retooks Hideout, and the other is located in Gezimorphs Grove. They won''t drop from the boss unless Battlemind is in the room.] Bingo, I''ve got all the answers that I need, and I''m all done here in Techart, but I should figure out where Retooks Hideout is. As I stand up, the noise suddenly wakes Flintock, and he looks at me holding the book. He looks down, and he realizes he''s fallen asleep. "Umm... I take it you''ve found what you''re looking for?" He sees my disappointed and disapproving face.? I toss the book back to him, and he catches it. "Thanks for the little help you''ve given, old man. Onest thing, do you happen to know where Retooks Hideout is?" He stands up and ces the book back on the bookshelf. In a single motion, he spins around and has a new book in his hand. One that I didn''t even see him take off the bookshelf. He throws the book my way, and I easily catch it. "You''ll find all the answers you need about Retooks Hideout in that book. It''s not a ce that I like to talk about or think about. You''ll have quite the journey ahead of you. The Dungeon Retooks Hideout is located 350 miles west of here." Oh God, more traveling! Why couldn''t it have been closer!! There is no sense in staying here any longer. The streets are packed now, and I enter the crowd and make my way to the cartographer''s shop. They''ll be able to show me where Retooks Hideout is on their maps, and then I can mark it on mine. That way, I won''t be searching without a marker anymore. It takes 15 minutes to reach the cartographer''s shop in this foot traffic and big city. I''m not surprised to see this shop filled to the brim with yers. There are a lot looking to tier-up, and many yers are sent to the same ce. Only Legacy Grade and higher have unique tier-up quests. "Waiting in this line will take longer than my entire visit with Flintock..." I''m not in a good mood anymore. So much waiting to do... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 465 Last Things To Handle In Techart New Writing Style ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Cartographers Shop, The City of Techart)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:21 PM)~~~ I finally reach the front fucking counter, and I can see the people working here are just as exhausted as I am. Figuratively, of course. "How may we help you, Miss?" The man working the front desk sounds dead and ready to quit his job on the spot. I''ve never seen such a defeated young man before.? "Hello... I''d like a map to Retooks Hideout. All I need is to make a marker on my own map."? His eyes fill with a sense of wilted life, and a shadow befalls him. If I didn''t see this before in my father, I''d think he''d be sick. "You and everyone else, miss... Just hold on while I get the people that can help you with what you need..." He leaves into the back of the store, and only a few seconds pass before a screames from the back.? "Fuck this bullshit!! I quit! These yers can''t tell the difference between their ass and the ground without a God damn marker!! Has anyone ever heard of doing it without abusing us cartographers!!"? A different man storms out of the room the front desk man went into. He pushes through the crowded shop and ms the front door open as it shakes on its hinges. The ss even cracks on the window on the door. "He''s got the right idea, but I need the money..."? The front desk manes out of the room the man stormed out of and makes his way toward me.? "I''m sorry, Miss... But that was ourst Marker Maker, and we won''t be able to help you." He flinches as my expression darkens and my rage grows. I''ve stood in this line for more than an hour, and right when I make it to the front. They''re saying there isn''t anyone left to help me! This ce is full of full-blown CUNTS!!! "You do realize that if I don''t get what I want in the next minute, I''m going to tear this entire shop to the ground... And don''t test me... I have more than enough power to do this..." My words have a devastating effect on the man, and he slowly backs away and runs into the back office. There is some shouting for a few seconds, but a big bald fat man busts through the door. "Who the fuck is threatening to destroy my shop!?" The man that I''ve been talking to is punypared to this man, and I''m sure if I shouldugh or start my rampage. I''ve dealt with so much bullshit today. "That''s thedy right there... She said that if she doesn''t get what she wants in the next minute, she''ll destroy the whole shop..." He res at me, and his face takes on a disgusting twist seeing that I''m an attractive woman. The yers behind me start to back away at the look. Especially the female yers. "Well... I don''t mind forgiving a beautiful woman, but it''ll cost you. Why don''t you tell me your name before we go back into my office, and talk..."? He puts extra emphasis on the word talk, and he''s standing on the other side of the counter.? My blood is boiling at this point, and it speaks to my self-control that I haven''t killed this man and destroyed his shop yet. If Cera heard him talking to me like this, he''d annihte this entire city. My expression hardens as he leans over the counter to get a better look at my face, and he stinks like a stye filled with shit. I don''t gag, but the feeling is there. He sees my disgusted look, and his hopeful demeanor falls. I take he receives the look I''m giving him a lot. "My name is Hailey Adamo, and I''m here for a map so I can make a Marker for my next destination. You still have 20 seconds before I start leveling this ce." He raises an eyebrow and actually uses Inspect on me. His face turns purple as he falls on his ass and knocks over some chairs in the process.? He regains himself and sits on his hands and knees with his head on the cold stone of the floor. He''s just realized who I am, and now the begging should start. "Ms. Adamo!! Lady Adamo!! Please, don''t destroy my shop!! I''m sorry for the incredible disrespect that I''ve shown! Can you find forgiveness for me in your heart!? I beg of you!!" His time is still going down, and I don''t think he''s paying attention to that part of the conversation.? "You still have 11 seconds to get me the map. I need to make a Marker on my map. Time''s ticking."? My cold words piece into him like an ice arrow. He lifts himself off the ground and runs at speeds that are counterintuitive to his size. He nearly falls, but he''s in the room where the man stormed out. It''s funny. I don''t think he knows what I want. But the shouting earlier in the office might''ve involved that. Hees out of the room and has a piece of paper in his hand. He runs back, and he''s only got 2 seconds left. He ms it on the counter as time runs out. "Here... Is... Your... Order..."? He''s desperately trying to catch his breath and looking at me in hope. In the end, he''s done what I''ve tasked, and in the allotted time I''ve given him. I take the page and open it to ensure that it''s everything I need. It''s a map showing the location of Retooks Hideout, and Ibine it with my map, and a new Marker shows up. "I don''t know what kind of disgusting sweatshop you''re running here, but I''m telling Commander Eren about my experience here, and you better pray he''s as merciful as I am." I turn, and the yers in the shop make a path for me. Whispering between each other about who I am and what I''m doing here in Techart.? There was no need to pay, and I won''t have problems given that guy''s cowardice.? This pretty much marks the end of my time here in Techart, but I should say a final goodbye to Commander Eren. He''s been such a great help, and I couldn''t have done all this without him. To my dismay, what Flintock said about Retooks Hideout being 350 miles away is right. I''m surprised that senile old man could remember that, but not where the information was in the book.? ~~~(POV: Commander Eren)~~~ ~~~(Location: Guard Barracks, Techart City)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:40 PM)~~~ "Commander Eren! Ms. Adamo is here to see you again!" Now that''s a surprise. I didn''t think I''d see her again after taking her to Flintock.? She enters the office, and I can see the disappointment on her face. Flintock is a strange old man, but not that strange. Something must''ve happened. "Flintock was... Not the cause of the mood you''re in, was he?" She shakes her head and spends the next 2 minutes exining it to me. "REALLY!!? The Disrespect!!" Never in my life would I think of someone treating Miss Adamo so terribly while in our city!! "Men!! We''ve got to pay a visit to the cartographer''s shop!!" Ms. Adamo sighs and folds her arms. "As much as I want to see the punishment, you''ll deal that man. This is where I''m leaving." She takes on a gentle expression and gives me a nice smile. "Thanks for all the help, Commander Eren. Techart''s in good hands." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 466 Traveling Is Boring ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Following the Marker leading to Retooks Hideout)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:41 PM)~~~ "Cera and his ability to fly would be so handy right now... Just running through the forests is boring. But it''s not like I can''t cover a lot of ground." At the speeds I''m running, I''ll make it to Retooks Hideout in the next hour. Being this fast is something I take for granted.? "My brother is probably almost done with everything he has... And Sally wouldn''t take long with the things she''s doing. Marcus would be the only one in my situation..."? I haven''t checked in with mom and dad for a while, and I think hearing about how they''re doing is a good idea. Mom would likely send me multiple texts, so I''ll talk to her after I''m done talking to dad. I open my Friends Tab and click on my dad''s name. I''m a daddy''s girl, and it was my worst quality at one point. But I''m not that person anymore. I can''t have a real rtionship that a father and daughter should have. Before, I was just a parasite sucking his money from his wallet.? He loves me too much to ever tell me no. And that''s my fault. And partially his.? [Hi, Daddy. I was wondering how you were doing with your quests... I''m on myst one right now, but I''ve still got some work to do.] The message is sent, and I keep running. Even after I get the other half of my tier-up item, I still have to find an Epic Grade smith... I have no clue how I''m going to do that. Finding a Rare Grade smith is already rare... It doesn''t take long, but dad has already sent a message back to me. And I''m actually excited to read it. [I''m doing great, sweetie. I''m d you''ve checked in on me, but this is out of character for you. Do you need any help with anything? Do you need some Gold?] "Seems like I''m still the spoiled little princess to him... But seeing how concerned he now shows how much he loves me..." As much as I want to break the image of his little princess, I don''t think that I can ever stop my father from thinking that about me. Every daughter that''s been raised right will love their fathers no matter what. But I remember him and mom saying that they have connections with one of the big guilds. Maybe he might know someone that is an Epic Grade smith or higher. [I don''t need any money, Daddy! I can do that on my own. But since you brought up helping me, do by chance know anyone that is an Epic Grade smith or higher. I need an item reforged, but I can''t do it.] He''ll probably respond fast, and it only takes about a minute, but he''s already sent me something. [That is something that I can help you with. Your mother and I are unofficial allies of The Steel Legion Guild. We joined them on The yer Continent, but we split after getting the item that could find Cera and you. I can contact Sir Erikson and see if his guilds smith is avable.] "Wow... You alwayse through for me, Daddy... No matter what..." ,m Even at the cost of your own health or our families... I didn''t deserve you, and I''m not sure I ever will deserve you... [Thanks, Daddy... I love you, and I always appreciate and never forget your help. Even all the times back on Earth. Let me know about the smith from Steel Legion when you get a chance. Cause once I''m done with this next part of my quest, I''ll need that smith.] My message is sent, and it saying he''s already read it. Knowing him, he''s probably already trying to find a way to contact Sir Erikson, but there are ways to do that now without having to meet in person. The most popr way is using The Auction House. yers can send personal messages to people that aren''t on their friend''s list if they can find them in The Auction House. Since Steel Legion is one of the top guilds, I have no doubt that it''ll be easy to contact them. "Now it''s time that I check in with mom... I don''t want to say that I''m dreading this, but I am just a little... Mom and I have patched things up, and she doesn''t try to control me anymore, but it''s still awkward around her..." That''s something that a parent would never want to hear, which is why I''m not saying anything to her about it. There is no more need for pressure on our rtionship.? My Friends Tab is already open while I''m running, and I start typing up a message for mom. [Hey, mom. I just got done talking to dad, and he''s doing good. So I think that I should check on you too. Let me know how things are going cause right now, all I''m doing is closing the distance between where I''m at now and my destination.] "Hopefully, she gets back to me soon... We didn''t get many chances to talk or connect aftering to this world, and the few we had were actually fun..." She hasn''t responded yet, but I shouldn''t expect something back right away. She''s probably busy and doesn''t have time to talk. So there is nothing to do but run and wait. A few minutes pass, and I get a notification that I have a new message. [It''s great to hear from you, sweetie! I was wondering when the next time I would hear from you would pop up. I''m d that everything is progressing on your side. It was slow for me at first, and I was tempted to give up. But I was inspired, and now I''m making progress fast.] It''s weird to hear that she considered giving up. That''s something that mom would never say or think. She''s always given her everything and kept trying until she got it. But being away from everyone must''ve really affected her. But I''m d she''s doing well. [That''s awesome, Mom! You wouldn''t ever admit that you felt like giving up at any point, but I''m really d that you can tell me that now. It was slow for me at the beginning too, but after learning how to get Markers on my map for tier-up quests has helped.] I''d still be stuck on an earlier tier-up quest without Cera''s help, andter finding out how Markers work.? "I wonder if mom and dad have been talking? They''d talk every day with this... This is the first time they''ve been apart this long since they got married." [Yeah, I just recently found out about Markers too. They''ve been a lifesaver, but I''ve had to ask Cera for help in ces where I get stuck. He''s said everyone has contacted him for help at this point.] I don''t want to admit it, but my brother has been invaluable to all of us. But I''m proud of him, and I''m d that he''s my brother. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Avalon, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:03 PM)~~~ "I''ve made it back to the Capital City Avalon, but it''s way more packed here thanst time... But this is where I need to be to start myst tier-up quest." The Kingdom of Avalon has yed an important role in all my tier-up quests in recent memory, and I''m hoping my tier-4 quest is thest one that involves The Kingdom of Avalon. "I wonder how Sally is doing... She''s made a bunch of progress. I know it. She''s determined to find her birth father and get back to me." It''s hard being apart from her. But that''s a part of life sometimes. Being away from the ones that you love. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 467 Retooks Hideou ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Following the Marker leading to Retooks Hideout)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:50 PM)~~~ "This ce is waaay bigger than I thought it''d be." Therge castle that fills my view is something you''d see out of a fairy tale. It''s not what I''d call a hideout. This isn''t hidden in the slightest. You wouldn''t think this ce to be the location of a Dungeon. I would''ve thought a rich nobleman lived here away from the cities or something.? Taking a closer look, it''s not well maintained and is in disrepair. But the path I''m standing on that leads into the courtyard has a beaten down path and faded boot prints. It''s certainly seen some foot traffic, but nothing out of the ordinary for a ce that a group of bandits will hide in. "I might be the first person that gets to clear this Dungeon. This castle is so far out of the way that a normal yer would take days, maybe even a week, to get here." There are things that I know I shouldn''t be overconfident about, but I''m not expecting any problems from a ce filled with bandits and lowlifes. Inparison to the monsters that I regrly face, there isn''t a challenge for me here. I step forward and start to walk to the door leading into the courtyard, but before I can get too far. A barrier stops me and warns me. [You''re about to enter The Dungeon known as Retooks Hideout.] [Do you wish to enter the Dungeon Retooks Hideout? Y/N] "It''s not the normal message I get telling me that I''m under-leveled and I shouldn''t go alone. The guys in this ce are weak..." Therge majority of bandits are male, and I''m not being sexist. That''s just the facts. Most women that are associated with bandits in any way are kept as illegal ves or are the daughters of members of the bandit crew. "I''m feeling like I should cut loose and have some fun for a change... But Cera wouldn''t like it..." ? Ahh, screw it. I''m going to ughter these guys as fast as possible and do things my way. Cera can be patient in every situation all he wants, but I''m not in the mood with the day that I''ve been having. Well... Talking to Mom and Dad has put me in a better mood, but I''m still ughtering everything in this ce.? The barrier opens so I can get through, and the door that I''m walking to opens on its own as well. The courtyard is filled with bandits, but most are just sitting around or getting drunk. Some turn to see what''s opened the door, and I''m not even going to describe some of the looks that I''m getting. "Look, fes! We''ve got ourselves a babe!! She''s strutting and walking in here like she''s the main bitch!" I really don''t like getting talked to that way, and it''s not something that I''ll ever like in a million years. Some start to get up, but I don''t waste a second more. I draw Hearts Needle, and the world slows down.? The speeds I''m moving at make it seem like the world is standing still. I increase my speed again, and I chop up all the men in the courtyard, and I stand in the same ce I was. Slowing down in the process. "Maybe we shoul-! RAHH!!" There are screamsing from every direction as the bandits realize what''s happened to them. Bodies are falling apart at the ces that I cut. And as the screams be silent, the courtyard is filled with blood and dead bandits. "What the fuck is going on out here!!" The main door leading into the castle swings open, and better geared and stronger-looking banditse out. All their faces have the same shocked and worried looks on them. The pile of limbs that are left of these people is distracting them from me. "I was wondering if any of you had an item called Iplete tier-3 item upgrade for Battlemind?" My voice gains the attention of the stronger fighters, and they look between each other with caution. These guys are smarter than the others. It makes sense why they''re in the castle, and all these guys are stuck in the courtyard. "I''m taking it you''re the one that''s killed all these men?" A simple nod is all I give, but the blood dripping from my sword is a good and ominous fact to add to what they''re seeing. "You said that you''re looking for an item called Iplete tier-3 item upgrade for Battlemind?" Their bodies stiffen even further as another nod is given to their question. Some of them even take a couple of steps back. "You''re the wielder of the Legendary ss Battlemind, aren''t you..." They''re not wrong to feel fear, and Imend their intellect. They''re more connected to the times than I thought. "Give me what I want, and I''ll let everyone still alive live. If you refuse, I''ll just dice you guys up and continue into the castle. Killing the boss here and gaining my Iplete tier-3 item upgrade for Battlemind." This is the only option they have on the table, and I know for a certainty these guys are all about self-preservation. Not thoughtless servitude and death.? "Okay... We don''t have the item you want, but our boss deeper in the castle does. If you let us leave, we won''t stand in your way." That wasn''t a part of the deal Iid out. And I hate negotiating. "That''s the wrong answer. Make peace without whatever Gods you believe in." The world slows down to a halt as they hastily draw their weapons. I simply walk past them as I dice them to pieces. Regardless, they''re still bandits, and they''ve likely done some horrible things to innocent people, so there isn''t anything weighing on my conscious with their deaths. As time speeds back up, I continue walking down the path leading to the throne room in this ce. I''m getting minimal amounts of EXP. But I know the boss of this dungeon has what I''m looking for. It doesn''t take long, but I''m looking into the boss room. "That''s some gnarly gear you''ve got on." The single man on the throne raises his head, and I see him narrow his eyes as I walk further in. He''s not as strong as me. Not even close, but he''s much stronger than any bandit I''ve run across. To satisfy my curiosity, I use Inspect on him. [Retook Lvl. 150][Tier-3] [Health: 7,900,000/7,900,000] He''s a tier higher than I am, but that doesn''t mean much. Not when you''re a wielder of a Legendary ss. "You''re the one that''s killed all my men... I hope you''re satisfied with what you''ve seen with Inspect. Mind if I use mine on yours." He doesn''t wait for my response, and as he uses it, I get a notification. [The Dungeon Boss Retook is using Inspect on you.] The look on his face bes darker, and I can see some sweat starting to form around his temple. He knows he''s going to die, and that nothing can stop me from getting what I want. He shoulde back, along with all his people here. It is a Dungeon, after all, but I don''t know specifically. If this Dungeon is unique in anyways.? "Shall we get to it then, Ms. Adamo... I guess my men and I deserve this after everything we''ve done... Nothing goes unpunished now, does it..." He stands up from the throne and walks toward me. He slowly draws his sword, and I can see that he''s ready to die.? Perhaps death will be permanent for these fools, and I could only hope so. They''re disgusting bandits, after all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 468 Getting In Touch With A Smith ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Dungeon Retooks Hideout)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:33 PM)~~~ "You were underwhelming... And I''m disappointed..." Retook wasn''t even a challenge to fight, and he died after about 6 minutes of straightbat. I expected more, but I guess that means it''s over. I walk over to the many drops that Retook has provided at his death. The one that sticks out the most is the other half of my tier-up item.? The second I pick it up, it tells me the same thing thest message told me that I need the other half and an Epic Grade smith or higher.? "Dad still hasn''t gotten back to me about his content inside Steel Legion, but he wouldn''t go too long until he gives me an update." I''ve leveled up twice, and now I''m on thest stretch of my current tier-up quest. Which means there is no longer any need for me to stay in this dungeon. Or anywhere near Techart. My next destination should be wherever dad sends me, but until I know where that is, I should head to the ce where I''m most familiar right now. The nearest Capital City is Avalon, and that is where I''m going. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Avalon, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:08 PM)~~~ I''ve made some progress in finding myst tier-up quest, and I didn''t expect it to be this difficult for my 4th tier-up quest.? My next destination is a City called Zariks, about 500 miles south of The Kingdom of Avalon. I don''t know shit about Zariks. All I know is I''ve heard its name a few times, and that it''s my next ce. "When I get there, I have no idea what to do... I''ll probably have to talk with someone and find out where they are, which is the worst part about all this." I don''t like having to figure out who I need to talk to. It''s a long and arduous process, but that''s part of the process.? All of a sudden, I get a message from Sally. [I''m done with mytest tier-up quest, one more, and I can start looking for my father. I''m heading to Capital City Avalon for a bit since I need to get there to start myst one. I don''t know where you are at the moment, but I hope things are going well for you!] Well, well... Sally is on her way here, and it''d be rude to just leave when I know she''ll be here by tomorrow, and I''ll be shameless in admitting that I need some. It''s been a while since we had a chance, and I''m like an addict when ites to physical activity with her. I need another hit before too-long passes. [That''s awesome, I''m in Capital City Avalon right now, and I''m more than happy to wait for you so we can spend some time together before we split up again. I''ve missed you and your touch, Sally...] I''m being real upfront with her right now cause I''m feining for some action with her right now. I''d love to spend a night and a day with her in bed to get my fix until we meet up again. It doesn''t take but 30 seconds for me to get a response from her. [Don''t go anywhere! I''ll be there early tomorrow morning, and I''m ready to see you again. You have no idea how much I''ve missed you. Better be prepared for when I get there.] She doesn''t know how great it is to hear that from her. I''m curious about what the others are doing, but I''m not going to bug them. If they wanted to talk at this very moment, they''d contact me too. They''ve done it before. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Airship heading to Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:07 PM)~~~ I can''t believe that Cera and I get to meet up before we''re done with everything! This is so exciting! It''s already been a long time since we got to see each other, and I''m not sure how long it would''ve been before I next met up. But now we''re meeting up, and from the sounds of it, we''re going to be busy. I''m in need of him, too. It''s just not something that women like to admit. I''m one of those people. I never thought I''d feel this way about a person, but Cera has created something I never had before. Speaking of our situation of being apart, I can''t help but dread that we''ll only have about a day together. We''re both really busy. "Miss, would you like a dinner menu?" I''m currently in the cafeteria, and I''m ready to eat. He gives me a menu and takes off while I take my time selecting. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(location: Royal Airship, Heading to Capital City Avalon)~~~ ,m ~~~(Time: 7:50 PM)~~~ Back flying in the luxury style, and dad has gotten into contact with me. The Steel Legion is based in Avalon. The same ce where all the major guilds are based. He said there would be someone waiting for me at the docks when I get there. "Daddy alwayses through for me..." I don''t know who I''d be if it weren''t for Daddy... All the good things about me are from the love and care he''s shown me. I changed from many things, but him not protecting me anymore was the best thing he ever did for me. "I''ll have to get him something special the next time I see him. He deserves something great after all the things he''s done. Being a parent is a thankless job." I''m skipping on getting Mom a present... For reasons... That are obvious. While we''re in a much better ce now, Dad was the only one that loved me there for a while. And I still resent that a bit. The bubble bath I''m in is making things easier for me. I needed this moment to rx. Fighting is easy, but traveling isn''t. It''s so tedious and annoying. Something that I really hate. Cera and I are the same that way. He doesn''t like traveling, and having wings takes some of the hate of traveling off of him.? Speaking of my little brother, I should get into contact with him. [Hey Cera, I thought I''d let you know that I''m on my way to Capital City Avalon. I''ll be there by tomorrow morning and meeting with the Steel Legion guild. If you have any advice for me, let me know.] I don''t know where Cera is currently, and I doubt he''ll tell me.? It takes a few minutes, but he gets back to me. [The Steel Legion is one of the best guilds and is full of powerful yers. But beware of their leader. Don''t let him bully you around, and be sure to stand your ground. They will try to emotionally manipte you into believing you have a debt. Just get what you need from them, and forget them.] I''ve never seen Cera talk about anything like this. The Steel Legion must be full of yers that are shrewd and influential.? [Thanks, Cera. I appreciate the help. And don''t think I''ve forgotten about the pranks you''ve pulled. I''m getting you back for those.] There isn''t a being in the entire universe that will stop me from getting my prank revenge on Cera, and he better believe that I''ve been thinking up ideas for how to get him back for all this. Cause I''m not letting this go by unabated. [I wouldn''t expect that you would, but don''t think that you''re clever enough to be unpredictable. I''ll be ready for whatever you decide to do.] His challenging message fuels me further. The next time I see him, I''m going to start concocting my great n, and there isn''t a single way that he can see what I''m nning. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 469 Meeting Sir Erikson ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(location: Royal Airship, Docks in Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:45 AM)~~~ "Ms. Adamo, we''ve arrived, and you''re free to leave any time you wish." The Captain is the one speaking to me as I eat breakfast in the dining hall, and he has a concerned look on his face.? "Speak up, Captain. I''ll not stop you from speaking. This is your Airship. Basically, your home." He ces his hat on the table and releases a long sigh filled with all his exhaustion and worries. It''s like life is leaving this man. I''ve seen my father do the same thing after hard days at the factory back on earth. "It''s the people outside waiting for you. There are several guilds and city officials out there, and all of them are looking for a chance to meet you and speak with you. The city guard is doing security for us, but they''ll not be waiting all day." I understand what he''s trying to say. The sooner I get out of the Airship, the sooner all these problems go away for him. I''m almost done eating anyway, so I have no issues starting my interactions with the Steel Legion Guild before 7 AM. It''s earlier than I''d like it to start, but the sooner I get everything done. The better.? "Alright, when I''m finished eating, I''ll take my leave, and you can rest easy." Truth be told, I can hear the crowd outside from the middle of the dining hall. I didn''t take a window view this time.? There are bound to be many times more people here than when I reached Techart since Capital City Avalon is farrger than Techart.? "I''m grateful you''ve made your choice now. I''ll leave you to your breakfast, and I hope that your time in Capital City Avalon is better than most." I''ve never seen a man stand up so fast and make it out of a ce so fast.? My eyes shift down to my te, and I can''t help feeling a little cheated on the portion, but I shouldn''tin since I got it for free. "I suppose that I''ve got many people to meet... What Cera said has got me thinking..." Cera''s warningst night when I was talking to him has me a little on edge. Mainly because if Steel Legion does conduct business like that, I know I''m not going to like them. I finish my food and make my way to the exit of the dining hall and to the ramp leading onto the docks. As I descend, the crowd gets noisier. "I see why you hate dealing with your identity being revealed... Cera... I''m not a fan of this much attention..." It''s like I''m a celebrity walking down the red carpet or some bullshit like that.? As I reach the bottom, a man in very powerful-looking steel gear steps out from the crowd and makes his way toward me. Sir Erikson was said to be a man in his middle age, but since everyone reverted back to their primes during The Collision, he''s probably the one I''m looking for. The guards try to stop them, but I raise my hand, and they take that as a sign to let him through. He smiles as he stands in front of me, and I can already see that I''m not liking this guy. He''s got an energy about him... One that''s obsessed with power and possessions, and he seems the type to treat his subordinates as property.? "So you''re the daughter that Christian has sent to my guild for help. I never got to speak with you, but I had many discussions with your parents. They''re good people, it''s a shame that they left the guild, but they helped us in many ways before leaving. Despite being weak at the time." This was before Mom and Dad got Legacy Grade sses of their own, so it was a really long time ago. Maybe not in terms of days passed since then, but it feels like a year by now.? "I''m Hailey Adamo. I''m a Legendary sses holder. It''s nice to make your acquaintance, Sir Erikson... But I find it strange that the guild leader himself woulde here instead of sending a representative or some officer in your guild..." The suspicious tone in my voice isn''t hidden, and he rxes his body and closes his eyes. He acts like a tired old man even when he doesn''t look older than 24.? "I take it that you''ve heard things about my guild and me. And none of them good?"? My one and only nod confirms his question, and he lifts his hands up and shrugs. I can''t help looking a little lost at the habit only a hormonal teen would give. "What can you do? So many people nder my guild that it''s hard to get anyone new to join, but that''s not the reason you''re here. You need a smith and a highly Graded one at that." Cera wouldn''t warn me like that without a reason. My brother has knowledge of the future, meaning he knows more about Sir Erikson than he probably knows about himself. And my brother wouldn''t give me a warning like that as a joke. "Seems my father has already exined my situation to you, so I won''t waste time. I need someone that''s an Epic Grade smith or higher. Are you able to fulfill that request?" He doesn''t waste a second smiling brightly, and he waves for another person toe out of the crowd. It''s a younger boy, a little older than Marcus. I''m guessing this one is the smith. "This here is my guilds smith. He''s a Legendary Grade Smith. His ss is called Eziels Disciple." My eyes look straight into the eyes of the kid, and he smiles shyly. I don''t know who Eziel is, but it''s probably some important person or being to the Lore of Gaia. "We can discuss all this further at the Guild Hall. I hope you don''t mind walking through the crowds. I don''t have the ability to fly, unlike your friend yer Zern." Seems the rtionship with my brother is still a secret. I''ve learned a lot in regards to keeping secrets from people, and that''s all thanks to Cera.? Some would say that keeping secrets isn''t a good practice, but there are some things that the world and other people shouldn''t know. For our good and everyone else.? "I''ll make this clear before we start talking about anything regarding your services. I''m not going to join your guild, and I''m not going to unofficially ally myself with you. Other than that, I''m willing to discuss a price." Laying down thew is the best thing I can do at the moment, and I don''t have any issues if he rejects it. I''m sure if I went to the Queen of Avalon, she''d point me in the direction of who I need. "I didn''t expect that to begin with. You don''t need a guild with a group as much power as the one you''re in. But I''ll ask you some questions about payment. It''s the least you can do." That seems fair to me, but I''m not going to answer anything I don''t want to. Sir Erikson is a smart man, and he already knows about my Father and Mother, but it makes me wonder if he knows anything about Cera... I can''t be certain, but I can''t put it past him. Some people have a lot to gain by keeping others'' secrets and not telling them they know until the time is right. "Fine, I''ll answer your questions, but I''m not going to answer anything I don''t want to. I''ve been warned about you by a very close person, and I''m taking their advice over your demeanor." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 470 Cera And Sally Meet Up R-18 ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Exiting Airship, Docks of Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:19 AM)~~~ The massive Royal Airship is parked in front of the regr Airship I took to get here. It''s not entirely rare to see these ships anymore, but it does mean someone important is in town.? But my attention is taken by the man waiting at the bottom of the ramp for me. Cera hasn''t changed since thest time I saw him. "Looks like your trip went well! You look way stronger now!" He starts to talk as I run down the ramp and leap into his arms. He catches me and holds me close. I sink into the feeling of being in his arms, and I bury my head into his neck.? "You don''t know how much I''ve missed you... Cera... I''ve had nights where I couldn''t sleep because you weren''t next to me..." My soft whispers incite his hands to run up and down my back in an attempt tofort me. I pull my head out from where it''s buried, and we lock eyes.? "I''ve missed you a lot too, Sally... I didn''t know how used to you I''d grown until you were gone... I''m not the mushy sentimental type, but you''ve made my life when you''re here..." The instincts in my head take over, and I lean forward. He matches my actions, and my eyes close as our lips gently collide. A rush of euphoria explodes into my mind, and all the stress I''ve had melts away. We don''t pull away, but instead, we start to move our lips in unison. And before long, Cera''s tongue is prodding for entrance into my mouth. "Muah..." I release an involuntary moan as I open my lips just enough to give him ess. Cera''s hands find their way to my butt, and he gives me a good squeeze as he pulls me even closer.? "Hmm!!" The sensation of him touching my body is already starting to affect me, and after a couple of seconds. He squeezes again, and I pull away abruptly. "Fuah!!" I cover my mouth in embarrassment as we look into each other''s eyes, and I can''t help feeling that he''s got the exact reaction he wanted... It''s not a bad thing, but I was hoping to get a reaction out of him too... "That''s one way for the two of us to greet each other after a time apart..." The moment he finishes speaking, he lifts me up in his arms and carries me like a princess. I cover my face with my hands to avoid the looksing from people that we walk past. To describe the looks we''re getting is something along the lines of amazement and underlining approval. Especially from the women that we walk past. "I''ve got a ce all rented out for us for today and most of tomorrow. It''s an apartment with everything that we need. Food, water, a bed, and a bathroom. Along with a nice kitchen." I already know what he''s intending, and I''m excited for it... I really am... It''s been so long since I''ve felt him in me... I grew addicted to him filling me up and releasing inside me... It''s the best feeling in the world... Just the thought of it starting to make me a little wet... I never thought I''d feel this way about someone... I was never turned on, and I never enjoyed a single second as a ve... But Cera has shown me a world that I never knew existed...? Pleasurable Sex. "Cera... It''s embarrassing when you carry me like this..." I don''t sound like I want him to stop. My voice has an edge to it. One that''s filled with love and lust. He just smiles at me, and his perfect looks enrapture me. To me, he''s perfect, and to many, some would say he''s handsome. He''s inherited a lot of his looks from his mother. She''s a beautiful woman, and they have the same nose and eyebrows.? "Don''t worry, where we''re going and what we''re doing. We''ll both be able to do what we want..." He leans closer and whispers into my ear. "However loud we want to do it..." My heart rate skyrockets, and my mind bes muddled with thoughts of doing just what Cera is describing, and it''s not making the crisis in my underwear any better. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Private Apartment, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:49 AM)~~~ It took some time to reach this ce, but I close the door with my foot and walk directly toward the bed. Sally looks up at me from the bed... Her golden elven hair is sprawled out in all directions, and he chest is rising and falling with every breath she takes... She opens her yer Interface and equips everything except for her panties...? My eyes take a will of their own as I scan over her perfect figure andnd on the growing see-through wet stain. "C''mon... Take off your clothes too... It''s not fair if I''m the only one..." Her face is red around her cheeks, and there is a ssy look in her eyes from having to stay in this state of arousal for so long without any release. "As you wish, Princess..." He gulps hard as the words slowlye out of my mouth, and I unequip everything except for my underwear.? She is an Elven Princess... The rightful heir to the throne... And she seems to havee to terms with that... She actually liked it when I called her Princess... It''s something that no one has ever called her before... As I crawl on top of her, her legs open for me, and I feel her legs lock me in from behind. My long rod is already hard and throbbing.? It''s halfway out of my underwear waistband, and she looks down at it. With slight fear, and gulps hard again. "I still find it hard to believe that you can fit that inside me... It''s so fucking big..." The underwear retraining my rod slides down my legs, and I rest it against her panties. My rod isid over her pussy, and the tip reaches all the way above her belly button by a few inches.? "I''ll be gentle... It''s been a while since thest time we did it... So it''s probably not ready yet..." Thest thing I want to do right now is cause her pain. She looks at me withplete trust and takes deeper and heavier breathes as my hand glides down from her next to her breasts. "Mmm... Ahh! Don''t y with them so much... It drives me crazy..." He eyes are bing hazy, and drool is leaking from the corner of her mouth as I y with her nipples. Seeing her reaction as a good sign, I lower my lips and kiss the left one. But before I can pull away and look at her reaction to my teasing, she pulls my head back down. Making sure that my mouth is firmly sucking on her perky peaks.? "Please... It''s been so fucking long, Cera... Don''t tease me so much... It''s really mean..." I can''t describe the way she looks right now... It''s one of the most erotic scenes that I''ve ever seen, and I''m not even inside her yet.? I don''t want to make her wait any longer, so I lift my head away, and I look down at her panties. I pull them off, and her long silky legs just follow my lead.? As I get them off, her legs spread in front of me again, and my long throbbing rod is resting against her pussy... It''s giving off an intense heat... Making me almost lose my inhibitions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 471 Stress Release R-18 ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Private Apartment, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:01 AM)~~~ "Please... I can''t wait anymore... It''s aching... It feels so empty..." The slow, teasing pace that I''m using is having the effect I want... I''m using the tip of my rod and rubbing her entrance... She''s gripping the sheets with desperation every time my tip touches her clit.? "Seeing you wanting me this bad... It''s nice to know I''m not the only one that''s desperate..." She bites her bottom lip with an almost painful force. I think she''s about toe from the teasing. But she''ll be in for a surprise. I quickly line the tip of my rod up and sink it in fast and heavy. The wet walls make it easy, and I''m about halfway in as I kiss her cervix. Meaning she''ll need to adjust to my full size again. "Fuuuck..." The wordse out as a hiss from my mouth. I look down, and her legs are quivering, and she''s squirting just a little. Her eyes are closed, but her mouth is open in a silent pleasurable scream. Her need for me is the same as my need for her, and after so long apart, it''s like fireworks. I slowly pull back and hold it there. "Ha... Ha... Ha..." The breathing of the Elven Princess below me is ragged andcking energy. Her eyes open for the first time since I inserted, and she looks down to see us connected. I grab her ankles and make sure she''s good and spread. She lets out a moan at the gentle force I have against her. "Ahhh!" In a swift motion, I shove back in, and she throws her head back as I start pumping my hips with force. I lean forward with her ankles in my grasp and keep her legs spread. Back on Earth, this was called spread eagle, but it has some missionary mixed in. "Fuck... Me... So... Fucking... Good..." She''s talking every time my tip shes against her cervix, and after about five thrusts, her body rucks underneath me. But I don''t take the time to stop.? "Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuck!!" In my attempt to keep up my efforts in the middle of her orgasm, I make hers better. And mine isn''t that far behind. The pressure is already starting to build. And it''s getting harder to hold back by the second. "I''m close to..." Those three words from me cause her to clench even tighter and make me move faster. The sounds of our hips colliding are filling my ears, and the headboard to the bed is mming against the wall. It''s something that I didn''t know would turn me on so much. "Ah, Fuck!" The words escape my mouth as I stop holding back and let everything that''s been pent up inside. I feel the load travel from the point where I held it in, to the tip where I''m releasing. "It feels so fucking good!!" She curls her toes and wiggles her feet as she lets me know how good it feels when I explode inside. I lean forward and press my weight down, making me go even deeper as I let out the final shots. Pushing her cervix further in her. "Ha... Ha..." My own heavy and tired breaths are matching Sally''s... I let go of her ankles, and her legs fall down and rx parallel to mine. I pull out, and a string of our fluids mixed together follows my rod out. "Hmm!!" She quivers again at the exit, and her eyes slowly open. Looking at me and darting to my still hard and messing rod. Her smile is one of satisfaction, but it turns into a frown as she watches my rod not go down an inch. "Did you not release enough? Was I not tight enough to get everything?" As she leans up, I try to find answers in my clouded mind, but all I can do is feel my heartbeat in my ears. I fall down next to her and look at the ceiling as Iy my forearm across my forehead. The sweat is dripping from my body. Normally, this wouldn''t happen, but the system made some changes to sexual activities, it seems. "My rod may not be tired, but I am... This is the first time I''ve felt exhausted like this after only one load... Do you think it was the build-up and anticipation?" My exnation causes her to smile, and she hangs over my body from above. Her hand finds its way on my rod, and she lines it up to her entrance. She''s going cowgirl style. "Why don''t we keep going until this isn''t standing up anymore... Cause I don''t want to waste any opportunities to have this with you with the little time we have together..." I''m not saying no... Since I was on topst time, she can have all the fun she wants with me. She smiles, seeing me close my eyes and wait. The tip of my rod is the first to enter her, and it''s already gripping me tightly. She ms her hips down, and I nearlye again.? "Hmmm!!" Her legs fold to the side as she sits on my rod, and I''m buried all the way to the brim. Her entire body is shaking, and she plops down on my chest as she catches her breath. "Take your time... I''m in no rush..." That''s the honest truth too... I''m not in a rush to no more energy to continue this... But Sally might need a break right now too... ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Guild Hall of Steel Legion, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:23 AM)~~~ "These are our smithing facilities and where we''re going to help you fix your tier-up item. Since the payment is answering questions that I have, you can just leave the items here, and the smiths will get to work." Sir Erikson waves his hand, and several yer smithse over, and the Legendary Grade smith that I met earlier leaves with them. The little kid is leading the charge, and he reminds me of Marcus in that regard as well. "When do you think they''ll be done?" My timetable isn''t tight, but I don''t want to waste time here when I could be doing something else.? "That all depends on our smiths... Normally, repairing a damaged item of Epic Grade quality takes about 3 hours. But since that''s a tier-up item for a Legendary ss, it''ll take about a day or two." That''s longer than I was wanting, but nothing can be done about it. I should be happy that it''s getting done at all. "What else does your guild have? From the looks from outside, this ce is almost as big as the pce the Queen stays in." I might as well find something fun to do since I''m going to be here for a least a day.? Sir Erikson smiles, and he looks toward a group of guildmembers near the door. "We''ll visit the training grounds. All our guild members are required to spend at least 2 hours a day training when not on quests. That''s one of the reasons we''re one of the top guilds these days." I already know where this is going. Probably going to have to fight him cause he wants to test his strength against someone as strong as me, but there isn''t anything better to do. "Ahh, whatever. It''d be a good way to release some stress and tension anyway. Doing nothing for a day isn''t something that I want any part of." Sir Erikson has a growing excited look on his face, and he leads the way to the training grounds. I wonder what ss he has? Guild leaders that are in charge of guilds as powerful as Steel Legion usually have pretty highly Graded sses. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 472 Entertaining Comba ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Training Grounds in Steel Legion Guild, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:33 AM)~~~ "As you can see, we have several training grounds for our members. The recruits and lower-ranked members in the guild have to use these grounds." We''re in arge warehouse, but that''s not the best description. It''s like a pocket dimension that looks like a warehouse. You''d be able to see this from the outside, but you can''t. Meaning magic is at y somewhere in here. "Our higher ranked and stronger members are allowed ess to private training grounds. They''re connected to these grounds by that door over there." Sir Erikson points toward the ornate-looking doors where some yers are going in and out. But the vast majority are staying in the current location. "Most people who try out for the guild do so here. We have a process to vet people who are capable of joining or not. We don''t just let anyone in." They''re running a tight ship here, and this is just oneplex of several here. I''ve seen the Smithingplex, and now I''m seeing the start of the training area.? I wonder if he''s showing me all this in hopes of joining, but that''ll never happen. Guilds aren''t really my thing, and I have no interest in being someone else''s subordinate.? "This is all impressive, but everyone in here is honestly a little amateurish. Theyck power behind their attacks, and their coordination is extremely poor. You have instructors helping these newer yers, right?" If he doesn''t, then there is no point in having instructors if they can''t help. He folds his arms and looks around the room. A small sigh escapes his lips, and he scratches the back of his head. "We don''t actually teach them to be better fighters. All we do is monitor their progress, and my officers get a report about who is doing better than others. We don''t promote yers that can''t get stronger and improve on their own." That''s one way of doing things, and I''m not going to tell him how to run a guild. I have no clue about the inner workings and politics regarding guilds. They probably do this topete with other big guilds. That''s the best guess I have. "Would you like to spar with some of our best members?" His question is one I anticipated, and while the idea might be fun. I know that I''ll win. There is no fun in that. "To be honest, no. But I''m willing to see the best your guild has to offer spar against each other. If I were to fight anyone here, it''d be over before a person here could blink." My speed kills, and my overpowering individual attack power makes any fights with other yers pointless. Cera is the only person I currently know of that can defeat me.? "Then I guess we''ll just have to do that." He turns his head to his assistant. "Prepare Dungeon Breaker Squad 2 to face off against Dungeon Breaker Squad 3. There has been some bad blood between the two, and this is a perfect chance to let out their frustrations with each other." They even have codenames for the squads that attack dungeons. Which indicates they have other designations for other types of yers.? The assistant takes off toward the door that Sir Erikson mentioned earlier. And he leads me to a viewing area on the stands.? It takes a couple of minutes, but the assistantes back, and he has the two groups behind him. I can feel the vibe each squad is giving to one another. The bad blood that''s supposed to be there is thriving. "It should be a good show. Squad 3 has been trying to move up in the squad rankings, but squad 2 is proving to be difficult for them." The way they run this ce is interesting. It''s just likepetitive pay on Earth. They implemented it here since they knew the process works. Somewhat.? ~~~(POV: Sir Erikson)~~~ ~~~(Location: Training Grounds in Steel Legion Guild, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8: 41 AM)~~~ "Who do you think is winning this little spar, Sir Erikson? You know these yers better than I do." Ms. Adamo''s questions aren''t that hard to answer. There is a reason why squad 3 hasn''t gotten past squad 2. The difference in level and skill is something that will take constant grinding to ovee. That''s something my top officers don''t have time for. Grinding to get stronger is left for the yers to prove themselves. My squads are normally too busy with quests and other guild business to grind for hours on end. "My money is on squad 2. They have everything that squad 3 has, but just a bit better. They''re both incredible squads, but the difference is clear enough for me to see." She nods her head a single time at my answer, and right when I think that''s the end of our conversation, she speaks. "My bets on squad 3. I don''t know them very well, but I can see that they want to win more than squad 2 does, and there are other factors to consider outside of experience and level." Most people would dismiss what she just said, but I''m not going to. She''s a Legendary ss holder for a reason. She''s cleared an entire Raid on her own. A Raid most guilds at my guilds level can''t do yet. "The match is starting soon, so let''s hope it''s as entertaining as you''ve led me to believe." The first match is indeed starting, and it''s heading off with each group''s weakest member. That''s how things usually role here. The strongest of the group is usually who leads, but there have been exceptions to this rule. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Training Grounds in Steel Legion Guild, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:43 AM)~~~ The des of the yers sh, but there is an obvious distinction in skill by squad 2''s weakest yer''s next move. He has far better control over his sword than squad 3''s weakest. "This match has already been decided." Sir Erikson nods his head in agreement with me. But that doesn''t mean squad 3''s weakest isn''t giving it his all. He''s using some of the skills lower and moremon ss Skills. Not everyone has a ss above Legendary Grade. The lower sses have moremon skills that yers use.? Two yers could be attacking each other with the same skill, and it reallyes down to who has more experience with it and which one is stronger from leveling it up. "I''m impressed he''s gone on this long, but thepetition is just starting. The fight will get progressively better as we move up in strength with both squads." I''ll admit this is more entertaining than I thought it''d be.? "But the fight ising to an end." The moment those words leave my mouth, squad 2''s weakest does a brilliant feint andnds a fatal his on his opponent. Surprisingly, Squad 2''s leader is more upset than anyone. "Squad 3 has gotten stronger since thest time they fought, and squad 2 hasn''t improved that much. You may be right about who wins this in the end." He changes his prediction after seeing the first battle, and I don''t me him. That match was a goodpetition. Something that showed how much squad 3 has improved.? "Next match... Start!"? The announcer for the match starts the next match, and everyone in the long warehouse-like room has stopped what they''re doing and started watching. Some havee to the stands, and others are watching from where they are. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 473 Resting ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Rented Apartment, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:36 PM)~~~ We had our need for physical release, and itsted pretty much all day. Normally, a person couldn''t do that. But our yer stats affect everything, and that includes our endurance during sexual activities. "I won''t be walking tomorrow after that... But it seems that you needed me more than I needed you..." Sally isn''t wrong about that... I did need that release far more than I thought I did... I have no shame in admitting that. "Yeah... I did... All the stress that builds up in me doesn''t have a natural ce to leave... Hope that you''re as satisfied as I am..." For the most part, I know she is. What I''m worried about is tomorrow when we both split up again. She''ll handle it like she didst time, but us being apart for so long isn''t a thought I like. I didn''t know how much Sally gives me in terms of stress relief, and I give her in return... Before, I just bottled it down until it disappeared, but now I have the knowledge of sex and what it can do to help you rx... "I''m already thinking about it too, Cera... I don''t want to be apart from you for so long, but I have onest tier-up quest to do for now, and then I''m going to start my search for my real father." She''s got many things to do herself, and it''ll be even longer before we meet again next time. That''s not something I want to think about. "Do you think we should have a date tonight before we have to part again? It''d be nice to share that with you..." Her idea is the best thing we can do right now. We''re too exhausted to have any more fun, and we both stink of the smell created during sex.? I lean up from the bed and sit on the edge. My body pops as I stretch, and I look over my shoulder to see Sally getting up too. "Let''s take a shower and go do something. Make some memories tost while we''re apart again." Sally doesn''t waste any time heading to the bathroom, and I follow her. She already has the water running and hopping in. I follow behind her, and we both let out a sigh as the warm water hits us. There is only one bar of soap, though, and I''m the first one to get my hands on it. "Do my back for me... It''s all sticky from you pressing me down with your chest..." Obeying the orders of my girlfriend, I press the soap against her back and start scrubbing her. But the tension is quickly building with her heavier breaths. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Walking the Streets, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:05 PM)~~~ "The fights at the Steel Legion guild were entertaining, but now that I''m done with the tour of that ce, I want to do something fun..." The only problem is there is nothing that''s fun to do in Capital City Avalon. Not for me anyway. All the PvP activities would hold interest to an average yer, but not me. "Having to wait is the worse..." It''s definitely something that I hate more than most things, and I''m always trying to find a solution to problems in terms of finding something fun to do when I''m not busy. Sir Erikson offered to let me fight some of the guild members, but that would be boring. And I don''t like drawing big crowds. "See, I told you!!" My attention is grabbed as I hear a familiar voice ahead. My eyes lift from the ground and to myplete surprise I see Sally and Cera on a date... I think it''s a date... "How did you know that they''d say no?" The conversation I''m hearing doesn''t sound all that interesting, but this presents an opportunity. I can get some revenge for all those pranks that Cera pulled. He doesn''t know that I''m here, so this is the perfect chance to get him. But how to get him... That''s the real question...? I was thinking of doing something that would make him have to clean himself. Like a bucket of slime or a pile of shit... But that''s not ssy... And it''s unsophisticated... It needs to be deep and strike hard. He deserves it.? Hmm... ,m The ns I''ve made up until now won''t work... It''s too spontaneous that I''ve seen them here... But I have an advantage I shouldn''t waste... He doesn''t know I''m in town and that I''m this close. Meaning there won''t be a better chance to prank him and win the prank war after all these years. "Should we try the candy shop that''s been opened by yers? I hear they sell some of the best candy around." Sally is already pulling him away, and I know where they''re going... But Cera will notice someone following them after a while. Meaning keeping my distance is the smart thing. If I''m not careful, he''ll notice me and fast. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Candy Store, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:18 PM)~~~ "This has been the best date I''ve been on... I wish it wouldn''t end..." We''ve already checked out and had plenty of candy to eat. I didn''t realize that Earth has some of the best sweets you could ever taste. Just another dish that''s been brought from their world to ours. "We still have all night to sleep and talk back at the apartment. But, we can keep going around the city and find other things to check out. If you want?" That''s something that I would say yes to over and over, but I know that it''ll just keep digging into me deeper if we keep going to other ces trying to extend our time together. "No, let''s go back to the apartment. I want to spend the rest of my time here alone with you and with no one else around." He smiles with obvious happiness I rarely see from him. Knowing Cera, he was probably thinking the same thing I was, and the best thing we can do is to head back to the apartment. "That sounds perfect to me... All the party people and drunks areing out, and I don''t want to be around for that." Before I can respond, he grabs my hand and starts pulling me away from the quickly forming crowd. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(location: Stalking Cera and Sally, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:22 PM)~~~ "Well, well... Looks like you''ve got yourself a cozy little ce here, brother..." The apartment that they both left into is in front of me, and the light in the bedroom is the only thing on in the apartment.? "I don''t want to know what they''re doing up there, but now that I know where they''ll be for the rest of the night, I can make the necessary ns." I''ll need some supplies to pull this off, but it should be possible using my speed. Catching Cera off guard is crucial for all this, and I''m not failing. "The first thing I''ll need is a magic trap... But those aren''t cheap... Meaning I''ll have to spend a good amount of Gold to get it... And that''s the first part..." There are lots of things that you can do with a magic trap, and one of them is to send someone to a pocket dimension. You can fill that pocket dimension with objects, or you can cast magic on it to make an illusion. I don''t know magic like that, so that''s another thing I have to find. I have all night to do it, and I shouldn''t waste any more time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 474 Marcus, The Phoenix ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling to The City of Lequire, The Kingdom of Morvis)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:50 PM)~~~ I can see the City up ahead, and this is where my third and final tier-up quest is taking me. I''ve made a lot of progress on my own, and I know that I''m probably going to be the first one done with everything.? "I don''t know why, but I feel way more prideful about that than I should... Pride is the downfall of many people..." That''s something my brother would say, and I listened to him all the time when he spoke. Even though I am young, that doesn''t mean I''m an unwise person. Striving the be like my older brother has helped me get this far. But I need to make sure I be my own person at the same time. Not just a copy of him. Which is why I didn''t ask for help after Cera told me how to find the Phoenix Feather. That experience has helped me in more ways than I thought it would. It''s taught me to think outside the box and got off the standard and beaten path when trying to solve problems. "I haven''t heard from many of my family members... Mom is the only one that checks in every day... I wonder how they''re doing out there..." My train of thought is interrupted when the road I''m walking on gets blocked off by yers. Night has fallen, and this is the time when people looking to PKe out. "Aww! Look at this little guy, fes! He''s traveling all by himself and so young too! You''re Mommy must be very proud of you for acting like such a grown-up!" The leader of one of the groups starts to talk as he approaches, and his group of friends follows him. He stops in front of me and leans forward, and emphasizes the height difference. "Listen, pipsqueak. We''ll let you go if you hand over your most valuable items with no problems. We get what we want, and you get what you want." Gee, that sounds like a fantastic deal!! What kind of idiots pull crap like this? Instead of saying anything, I take a breath, and fire starts to ignite around my body. The PKers take a step back from the sheer heat. They were taking passive damage since they were too close. "How about no... Phoenix Fire Hellstorm." The simple wordse from my mouth, and I unleash the spell with control. Arge pir made of fire surrounds me and expands in all directions as it spins.? It''s definitely visible from the City of Morvis. It''s like the gates of hell have been open. The men close to me and the roadblock of yers have already been reduced to ash.? I let out a long breath, and Phoenix Fire Hellstorm stops. The surrounding area is severally charred, and the forest trees away from the road are on fire. Set aze from the spell I just used. "Seeing them in the City will be interesting. Most will be running back since all these drops are pretty good. They''ll want to secure the gear that they dropped on death." There is a great temptation to wait here and just kill these guys over and over. But I want to get into the City before it gets anyter. I waste no time and keep moving. Leaving the charred area that''s behind me. The gates leading into Morvis are approaching, and I can already see some of the guys I killed running out the gates with purpose. They all flinch and stop in their tracks as they see me. "What? You guys started it. Maybe being PKers isn''t the way to do things... Scum..." That final word was said quieter than the others, but they still heard it. Some grimace at being called scum. But I walk past them anyway and into the city. "Hey, kid! Hold on!" A voiceing from behind me stops me, and I turn to see a man in a guard''s armor. This isn''t something that normally happens to me, but I don''t use my spells close to cities either. "We''re you the one that caused that massive pir of fire?" There are many things I''ve learned from watching Cera, and one is to never admit to anything and protect your secrets. And my identity is a secret. I don''t want anyone to know who I am. "That wasn''t me, but I felt the heat of it behind me. I think the one who caused it is traveling behind me just a bit. But I can''t say for sure." He raises a single eyebrow and folds his arm. Taking on a thinking expression. He wouldn''t suspect a kid like me of having that kind of power. The benefit of being my age. There is less suspicion when ites to you. Something that I''m using to my full advantage. "Alright, kid. But if you know anything regarding what happened, talk to the Guard Captain. We don''t want someone with that kind of power walking around Morvis without an escort." He turns and leaves, leaving me to my business.? "Now, where can I find the woman known as Millisa... My marker is showing someone in the city center, but it''s not marking a specific person..." The City center is my next destination, and I walk past a surprising number of yers. There are many older girls to take the time to tell me I''m cute and ask if I need any help. Suckers for a cute kid, but I can''t me them.? My decision to ignore any attempts to talk to me caused mixed reactions. Some get mad, and others find it endearing. There were a few that even blushed, liking it. Those are the perverted girls. Liking that type of behavior from a little kid... What kind of things are they into... "This is the ce..." The City center is massive, and there are several things going on. There are people calling out looking for parties to take on local Dungeons, and stands and shops are open for business. It''s out of the ordinary since most ces around Gaia close at 8 PM, and it''s a little past 9 PM now. The Marker is pointing me to an older woman sitting on the fountain and feeding some ducks. Turns out it was taking me to a person.? I''m d Markers work after you start your tier-up quests. But to actually go to the person to start them, you don''t get a marker. A mechanic manyin about. ? As I walk up to her, she doesn''t pay me any attention. I look at the ducks she''s feeding, and they look just like regr ducks. "Excuse me, Ma''am. But are you Millisa by chance?" She freezes and slowly turns her head to me. Slowly smiling, seeing me, and ces the food in her hand on the fountain edge and sits down. "My... I don''t know how many years it''s been since I heard that name... Thest person to call me that was myte husband..." From the sounds of it, she''s going by a different name these days.? I take the initiative and sit down next to her. The ducks behind us make some noise but are otherwise unbothered.? "Since you know my name, that must mean you''re the Legendary ss wielder of the Fire Mage ss The Phoenix... I bet you''re wondering why I know that..." She''s not wrong. I''d love to know her connection to my ss and her history. I''m curious now, and I can''t help but wonder. "Yeah, I would like to know... You''ve been waiting for me, haven''t you?" The smile appears at my observation, and it turns out I''ve impressed her with my deduction. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 475 More Than Meets The Eye ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Center of Lequire City, The Kingdom of Morvis)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:18 PM)~~~ "I''ve been waiting for you toe to me for some time now... I was starting to worry that I''d die of old age before I''d get to meet you." It''s not a nice thought, but it''s true. She''s old, and it makes me further question why she hasn''t be a yer. She''d gain her youth back. She''d be able to live another life.? "My tier-up quest has brought me to you, and now I''m here. But it''s never as simple as just talking to someone to get what I need... I wish it were that simple." It''s harder talking to someone so much older than me. Someone who has seen life and everything that''s in it. She carries a lot with her... I can tell just by the way she talks. She sounds so tired. And not in the time to go to bed tired. The tired someone has when they''re just done. Done with everything. "I suppose that we shouldn''t put that off anymore, huh. You''vee a long way to find me, no doubt. I could bore you with my story, but let''s just say the ss you have is something dear to me." I''m d we''re moving this along, but I''d like to know more about her. If that''s possible. "Wait... I''d like to hear your story. Knowing more about my ss shouldn''t be something I overlook, and you have more information than I ever could." She looks at me sideways, surprised that I''m the one insisting to listen to her story. "Very well, young one. The best ce to start is the beginning, but that''s very far back. So I''ll do my best to summarize it." I''m on the edge of the freaking fountain and waiting for the story to begin. Cera would love to hear this himself too. "When I was just a little girl, even younger than you. I met a bird out in the forests to the mountains in the east. You can see them from here." She lifts her hand and points to the mountains. They''re hard to see since it''s night, but the moon is full and is illuminating everything just enough to get a view. I question why a little girl would be all the way over there on her own. But maybe she''ll exin why. "My family lived out there... They provided lumber for the city, and we had a great life... I would run in the forests all day and enjoy the freedom of the woods." The question I had has been answered, and I''m curious to know how old she really is. Lequire doesn''t have any buildings made out of lumber anymore. Only the inside of certain buildings has them. "It was a hot summer day... One for the record books... The same day I found that bird... It was so beautiful and small... It was weak and looked like it would die. Its colors were purple, blue, and red. Like a bird of royalty." This is getting more and more interesting. I don''t know what a Phoenix looks like, but I''m betting this is what one would look like. One so young anyway. "When I held the poor thing in my small arms, it looked at me with such weakness. It took everything I had to bring it back home." Bringing home, such a bird would probably cause problems for the parents. They might''ve viewed it as a monster. "I thought that my Mom and Dad would be more than willing to help. But they thought it was nothing more than a monster... I ran away from home that day... With the bird in my arms..." I find it hard to believe that a little girl younger than me can easily get away from fully grown adults. But it''s her story, so I won''t say anything. "After getting somewhere safe, a hidey-hole in the woods that I found. I nursed it back to health... It wasn''t easy... Mom and Dad would always question me every single day what I did with the bird, but I never told them, and I never unintentionally led them to my friend..." There isn''t that much I can say at this point. It''s an interesting story, if not a little unbelievable... Okay, a lot unbelievable... But it''s not like I can just say she''s a nutty old bat... I wasn''t raised like that. "I can see from the look you''re giving me you don''t believe me, and that''s understandable. I wouldn''t if someone else was telling me this story. But it''s all true." She straightens her back a little and looks into the cloudless sky and the stars that fill the night. It''s not something I could''ve ever seen on Earth.? "It took about a month and a half of sneaking around and being careful, but I was able to help it fully heal. And then it spoke to me." Wow... I don''t know if Phoenix''s could talk, but if they could, that would be awesome. "It told me what it really was, and that it was The Legendary Monster known as The Phoenix... It had recently been reborn from its ashes and was still in its early growth stage. It bestowed power onto me. I was the first user of the Fire Mage ss The Phoenix. Your predecessor." Umm... What? How is that possible? Wouldn''t she still have the ss? "That doesn''t make any sense, Millisa... How can I be the one using the ss if you''re the person that first had it?" ,m I''m starting to think everything she told me is a lie. "The because I gave it up, Marcus." I don''t recall telling her my name... "Everyone has the choice to give up their ss if they want... I left it for someone else to find... Because it was the only way to make up for what I''ve done." Now I have even more questions! I didn''t know that you could give up your ss! And I didn''t ever think that your ss could have people that used it before you! "That''s enough storytime. I''m guessing you want to know what you need to do to get your tier-up item." I nod, and she slowly stands up. "Follow me. There is something that I must show you before I tell you about your tier-up item." Comining is something I''m trying to grow out of, but I feel like I''m never going to learn about my tier-up item at this point. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Cera and Sally''s apartment, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:07 PM)~~~ "It''s taken me a couple of hours, but I''ve got everything I need to set up the prank." There isn''t a person alive that could understand how excited I am for this! I''m finally getting Cera back, and this will put an end to the prank war we''ve been in for years. It doesn''t take me long, but I set up everything right outside the front door, and I sit on a bench down the street. I don''t want to be watching from such a close distance. But it''ll probably be until morning when hees back out. In the meantime, I''ll find some entertainment in the tavern further down the street. That''s a perfect ce to kick back and have some fun.? "I hope the Steel Legion guild is working on my tier-up item all throughout the night. It''ll be finished by morning if they do..." I doubt that little kid who has the Legendary Smithing ss can stay up and do something like that. So it most likely won''t be my tomorrow morning. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 476 A Choice ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Lequire, The Kingdom of Morvis)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:15 PM)~~~ It''s taken a long time to get all the way across Lequire City. Millisa moves at such a slow pace since she''s old, but it''d be rude if I openlyined. Her body can''t move like it used to, and it''s not her fault.? "We''re almost to my home. Sorry that it''s taken an hour to get here. I''m not a young woman anymore, and I don''t move like I used to." She doesn''t need to tell me that. But there has been a benefit to going this slow. It''s given me time to think about the story she told me. I can believe some parts of it, but not others. She''s probably changed it over the years to make it more interesting. I heard that''s something older people do to seem more interesting to their younger counterparts. It''s quite smart, in my opinion, but it does have a chance to backfire if done wrong. "You haven''t told me why you''re taking me to your home. I think that I''ve been very patient and understanding, but I''m getting tired of having my time wasted." The wordse out of my mouth with no filter, and I can''t seem to stop them. "If it turns out you''re wasting more time, we''ll cut to the end where you tell me where I can get my tier-up quest. I''m sorry if thises across as rude or inconsiderate. But it''s reallyte, and I''d like to get some decent sleep before having to start everything tomorrow." She doesn''t react the way that I would expect. You would think there''d be some slight disapproval at my attitude. Or outright anger. But instead, sheughs and continues walking. She lifts her hand and points to a house that we''reing up on. "Don''t worry. We''re almost done with everything. I live there, and when we get inside, I''ll be giving you a choice. And it''d be wise to give it some thought." Why not tell me the choices back at the mountain? I could''ve been thinking about them this past hour... Ugh... I wish it were easier to handle this old bag, but I''ve been taken for a ride, it seems. We make it to the front door, and she lets me in first. It has the typical smell that belongs to a house owned by an old person. There are specific and weird odors that are only present in homes like this.? She indicates for me to sit on the couch, and she takes off toward a door leading into the basement. It takes about a minute, but after some crashing and banging, shees back up, and she had an item in each hand covered by old cleaning cloths.? "What I''m about to show you should be kept a secret from everyone, Marcus. Even if you don''t choose to take it, you can''t tell anyone that it''s here." Her behavior has changed to a weird serious one. It''s hard to see a feeble old person in a serious way. She pulls up a chair and sits across from me. cing the items on the table, separating us. She lifts one, and I recognize it as my tier-up item. But that makes me question what''s under the other. "This is what you''vee all this way for, and I have no doubt that you''re ready to take it and be on your way. After all, you wouldn''t have to do a quest." If you tell a yer that they don''t have to do a long andplicated quest for a tier-up item, they won''t do it. That is unless you''re offering something of great value in exchange for having to do that quest. Which, by my guess, is what''s under the other cloth. She ces her hand on the cloth and lifts it. Revealing a purple, blue, and red egg. It looks like something you''d see an artist make, iming it''s the egg of some mythical beast. Before she can exin what it is, I use Inspect on it. [The Last Egg of The Legendary Phoenix] [Description: The only egg that remains of the Legendary bird of Fire and Rebirth. It''s impossible to hatch the egg without the power of Phoenix mes. But if hatched, the bird inside will eventually be The Phoenix.] [Grade: Divine] [The anime hatched from this egg can be a pet.] [You meet the requirements to start hatching the egg.] "From your expression, you''ve already checked its information. This is everything as you see it. This leads to the next topic. You''ve got a choice to make." I stop staring at the egg, and I look at Millisa. She leans back in her chair and takes a deep breath. It''ll probably be a lengthy exnation. "Your first choice is taking the tier-up item right now. Avoiding the quest for it altogether. But if you do this, you''ll not have the egg. You leave here without it and can never return for it." I''ll admit that I''m tempted to just take the offer now. These tier-up quests are unbelievably annoying. But I''d be passing up on something that no one else would have, and it''d bolster my power severalfold in the future. "The second choice is taking the egg now, and the tier-up item disappears to the location you''ll actually have to go to get it, which is a Raid. You''ll get the egg now, but you''ll have to take on another Raid for the tier-up item." I''ve already done a Raid to get this far, and that makes the first offer that much more tempting. But the choice is obvious. Skipping out on such an opportunity to skip doing a Raid is the height ofziness. And I wouldn''t hear the end of it from anyone I know. "I''ll give you some time to think about your choice, but don''t take too long." There is nothing to think about. I''m ready to pick now.? "I''ll take the egg. I''m not letting something like this slip by me." A small smile graces her wrinkled features, and she picks up the egg and hands it to me. The second the egg touches my hands, the tier-up item disappears in a sh of light. The olddy stands up from her chair and releases a long sigh. "I''m d that you made the right decision... Now I can finally move on... Good luck on your journeys, Marcus... Just so you know, the Raid you need to find is called Nest of The Basilisk. I rmend getting some help. Even with your power." She doesn''t give me any chances to speak... She just fades from existence... Like she was a ghost or something. I look at the egg in my hands, and I smile. And I also get a quest. [Hatch The Egg] [Description: Hatch the egg of the Legendary Phoenix.] [Objective: Pour your power over Phoenix Fire Magic into the egg every day for 1 hour for the next 14 days.] [More about the quest will be revealed when objective 1 is finished] [Warning: You only have 1 hour and 28 minutes to give the egg magic!] Seeing the warning, I don''t waste a single second. I sit back down in the now-empty house, and I start pouring my Mana and Fire into the egg. It glows with energy as I do so. "Doing this first part of the quest seems easy, but I don''t like how it''s keeping the other objectives hidden from me... And it''s not showing its difficulty to me... Nothing to indicate how hard this is really going to be..." I know I made the right decision, but this could be way harder than any quest that I''ve taken up to this point. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 477 Being Patien ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Lequire, The Kingdom of Morvis)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:50 PM)~~~ [You''ve given the maximum amount of Mana possible for the egg today. You can start the process over again at 12:01 AM every day, and you have until 11:59 AM toplete the task.] The notification pops up in front of me, and I stop channeling my Mana into the egg. Since I''m done with it, for now, I ce it in my yer Inventory. And I stand up from the couch. "As much as I want to get some sleep, the Raid that I need to do is my main priority. But there is a new Marker on my Map." Looking at the new marker, I can only think it''s the Nest of The Basilisk Raid. And it''s a good 10 hours away from here. Starting tomorrow after I get up would be the smartest thing to do, and I need to be patient.? Leaving now would only make me exhausted, and I need sleep. So the closest Inn is the next choice. As I look around Lequire, I find a nice little Inn, and I get the Innkeeper right before he goes to bed. And I get my room.? I could talk about how awesome the bed is and how good I''m going to sleep tonight, but I''m not going to do that. I''m just going to close my eyes and go to sleep.? ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Room at an Inn, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:10 AM)~~~ "Cera and Sally will probably be getting up early... So I''ll need to get up earlier... It''s a good thing that I''m tired..." I don''t want to miss Cera falling into my prank, and that means I''ll have to get to sleep as soon as I can. Cera and Sally might still be up, but it''s impossible to tell. Thest time I saw them, they were up. But that was a couple of hours ago.? I doubt whatever they''re doing can go on for a long time like that. And that''s where I''m going to stop thinking about that. The thought of my brother doing... That... Makes me nauseous. But it brings up a problem of my own. Thest time I had a boyfriend was years ago, and thest time I had sex was trying to get an actress job. But that didn''t pan out, did it... I''m not the same woman as back then, but I have needs too, and I''m thinking that I should go out and find myself a person to love. This is all well and good to think about, but it''s pretty hard to find someone that''s decent in this world. And I''m not rejecting the idea of a one-night stand everyone once in a while. There is a problem with that approach too. What I need is someone that I can start out as friends with. That''s how Cera and Sally started out as. Sally said they had a natural chemistry, but they started as just travel partners, and it escted from there on its own. That''s the type of rtionship I want. But finding it is extremely hard, and not something that''ll just fall into yourp. Not like it did for Cera and Sally. They lucked out by having met the way they did... I''m proud of my brother too... Sally has been through a lot in her life, and most men would just think she''s a broken girl that''s leftovers from something bad. But Cera didn''t care about her past. That''s who he is...? Mom and Dad have their favorites, and I know that Mom loves Cera more than Marcus and me. I don''t me her for that. Cera made it easy to raise him and love him. Gave them so many reasons to be proud of him. I''m never going to be like Cera, but I should take a page out of his book. Seeing someone for more than what they''ve been through and how things were in their past. "Now I''m starting to feel bad about leaving the prank trap outside their front door..." Hmm... Not really. Cera and I will always have a rivalry, and this prank war is one of the ways to channel it. I say that this is the prank to end the prank war, but that''s just a farce. Nothing will ever stop us from pranking each other.? ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: In Apartment, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:03 AM)~~~ Sally is sleeping soundly next to me, and I''m close behind her. We wore each other aftering back from our date, and I''m going to brag a little and say that I know I fully satisfied her and more. But that leaves the problem of tomorrow. When we''ll be separating again, I know it''ll hurt, but she''s more than strong enough to do it. Speaking of leaving, I''ll need to head out to where I''m going for myst tier-up quest. I''m nearly done with everything, and once I am done. I''ll be able to meet up with Sally again and help her with what she''s doing. Her ns are to find her real father, and learn more about herself that she didn''t know was there. And I know that I want to be there for that. It''s an important moment in her life, and being there to see it will mean a lot to me. My pride as a tough person doesn''t like to admit it, but I''m soft for Sally, and I''vee to learn it''s okay if I show a softer side to Sally. It doesn''t make me less of a man. I don''t know if it shows maturity or not, but I think it''s a step in the right direction. "Please don''t go..." There is a weak whispering from Sally, and I look over to see her crying in her sleep. "I don''t want you to go..." She''s talking about me, and it''s hard to see. She''ll be okay. Tears and crying are natural when saying goodbye for a while.? I wrap my arms around her and bring her into a hug. Her crying stops, and she''s back to sleeping peacefully.? ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Lequire, The Kingdom of Morvis)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:20 AM)~~~ It''s hard to open my eyes, but I force myself up, and I stretch out my body. I''ve got a long trip today, and there isn''t a better time to leave than in the early morning. "But I''m getting some food before I go. I don''t want to travel hungry." I leave my Inn room and make my way downstairs, and all the early birds are already getting served breakfast. Everything is getting freshly cooked, and the smell is waking me up faster.? A menu is handed to me as I sit down, and I look at the choices. There is more here than what I normally see, and I''m even seeing some food from Earth on the menu. Looks like the natural inhabitants of Gaia are taking some of our cuisines.? I don''t me them. Food made on Earth is some of the best that you''ll ever have. It doesn''t take me long to pick. I order a traditional American breakfast with pancakes, bacon, hashbrowns, and eggs.? "Why is a little kid like you eating all by himself?" A floaty and soft feminine voice fills my ears, and I turn my head to see a beautiful girl in her early 20s. "I''m old enough to do everything on my own,dy. And that includes eating and traveling alone." She smiles at my snap back and takes a seat without even asking for permission. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 478 Backfire ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Watching Front door of Cera''s Apartment, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:34 AM)~~~ "Why haven''t they gotten up yet... I''ve been waiting here for an hour... It''s not normal for Cera to sleep in thiste... But given that it''s notte, I shouldn''t really be talking..." It''s not even 8 AM, yet, so I can''t be saying they should be up.? In the next second, I see the door open, and a smile spreads across my face. But it disappears seeing who''s stepping out first. "Uh-oh." I watch Sally step into the magical traps and get sucked in. Cera burst out the front door and ces his hands on the ground trying to find out what happened. I don''t know if he knows how the magic traps work.? My instincts take over, and I stand up from my hiding spot, and I run over. Cera looks up at me in confusion, and normally I''d take that look as a victory. But not after seeing Sally fall into the prank trap instead of Cera. "What the hell are you doing here!? Do you have something to do with this!? I swear, if you''re the one behind this, Hailey. There will be hell to pay." He immediately stands up and moves in front of me. Angrier than I''ve ever seen him at me. I deserve it in this instance. It was my fault this happened to her.? "It''s a prank trap... I made it to get back at you for all that crap you pulled on me with information about my tier-up quest... Sally wasn''t supposed to be the one that got caught in all this..." All that I get in response is a really long sigh and him turning to look back down at the ground at the magic seal. "What''s supposed to happen inside the trap?" He doesn''t sound like he wants to kill me, but I''m on thin ice, I can tell. "Well, it depends on the person... It shows your greatest fear happening to you... I never even considered that Sally would be the one falling into the trap..." Sally''s worst fear is clear... Being stuck in the same life, she had when she was younger... ? "You have no idea what you''ve done. She''ll see things she was hoping to never see again. And if shees out any different from before. You''ll pay for it, Hailey. I don''t care if you''re my sister. There are certain lines you don''t cross." ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Experiencing Prank Trap, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:42 AM)~~~ The world has gone dark, and I don''t know where I am. It all happened too fast. I hear a weird noiseing from my left, and as I turn, I see a door. I start walking toward it with no control over my body, and the closer I get the louder the sound gets.? I hear the voice of a woman, and she sounds like she''s in the middle of something that many adults experience. My hand opens the door without my control, and what fills my eyes breaks me to my core. It''s Cera and another woman... Someone far more beautiful and better than me... Undamaged and unused... I can just tell by looking at them. I watch as he presses down on her, and she lets out cries of pleasure from the action. Her toes curl as he goes all the way in, and as he slowly pulls out. Strings of liquid from their hips and privates colliding pull apart. No matter how hard I try, my body won''t move, and my mouth won''t open. My mind is telling me to scream and force them apart... But all I can do is stand here and watch... Cera takes my attention away, and from the look on him, he''s feeling more pleasure with this woman than me... All I can do is hope this is all a bad nightmare. I don''t know what''s going on, but I want out. I want out... I want out. I want out!? I WANT OUT!!! Before I know it, my eyes are opening, and I see up into the clouds above me. Cera fills my vision and smiles down at me.? "Hey... Are you okay?" I shove him away from me and stand up abruptly. He looks to his left, and to my surprise, I see Hailey standing there. She looks sad and is avoiding eye contact with me. "I''m sorry about all this, Sally... Cera was the one meant to fall into the Prank trap... I feel terrible for making you watch your worst fear... That was meant for Cera... Not you..." Oh... Oh, thank God that was all just some stupid illusion. I find myself in the arms of Cera the moment I hear that... Knowing that it''s all fake makes what I saw far less painful... "Why would you do that to anyone, Hailey... Even more, your ow brother... You''re sick... I had to watch Cera fuck another woman in front of me, and I couldn''t do anything about it..." She looks up in surprise, and I find myself even angrier at herck of concern for what I just said. She sees my reaction and looks down at the ground again. I don''t know what possessed her to do anything like this, but I don''t see how she can have any good a reason for something like this. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Apartment, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:45 AM)~~~ She was trapped in that damn thing for more than an hour, but I''m d she''s safe now. I don''t know how I''m going to deal with Hailey, but she can wait. Sally finally pulls away from me and looks up at me in the eyes. "What I saw you doing with that girl... It made me want to die right there on the spot... I''m d that it was just some magic trick, but I didn''t know how much that would hurt me until I actually saw it..." I didn''t think her biggest fear would be her seeing me with another woman... In a way, I''m grateful that''s what she saw,pared to the alternative that was possible... "Don''t worry... You''re out of that ce now and back in the real world... Believe me, I''m going to be having serious issues with Hailey for a while..." Hailey hasn''t said much of anything, but I can see that after seeing the effects on Sally. She knows she was wrong. "I want to speak with her first." I can''t even think of saying anything before Sally walks away from me and stands in front of Hailey. And pping her across the face. Hailey doesn''t budge and just takes it. The power difference between the two doesn''t allow for much damage to be dealt. "I''ve lost all respect for you, Hailey! I don''t know if you were even capable of such things to the people that care and love you! I don''t want you to think we''ll ever be close or ever friends after this... You''ve burned your bridge with me..." I don''t me Sally for saying that or meaning it. But unfortunately, I can''t react the same way. No matter how much I want to. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Traveling to the Nest of The Basilisk, Kingdom of Morvis)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:03 AM)~~~ "I''ve made a lot of ground, little egg... But we''ve still got a long way to go..." Filling the time by talking and filling the egg with mana seems like the best thing to do right now... Since there isn''t anything else on this back road into nowhere. But I shouldn''t be the one toin. I''m getting a pet Phoenix in 13 days. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 479 A Serious Conversation ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Airship Docks, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:16 AM)~~~ The silence between all of us isn''t unfamiliar to me... There have been many times back on Earth when the family wasn''t talking to each other. But this is the first time I''ve ever been this mad at Hailey. She''s done something I never thought she would do. She''s taken the Prank War too far and too seriously... But I shouldn''t be ming only her... It''s my fault in certain regards as well... I wouldn''t use such a cruel prank... Mine are more practical and get in the way for a time. "I''m not sure what I should say right now... I thought it would''ve gone differently than it has..."? We''re standing at the Airship Docks, and this was supposed to be a moment between Sally and I, but it''s been ruined by what''s happened. Sally has everything she needs to start her final tier-up quest, and when she''s done, she ns to start looking for her father.? My angry girlfriend is ignoring Hailey in a way that makes it seem she doesn''t exist.? "Cera... I''m really happy that we got to meet up, and when I''m going to start looking for my father, I''ll let you know. Hopefully, you''ll get finished up with everything you''re doing." She turns to me and takes a step and leans her head into my chest, and wraps her arms around me. Giving me a hug, and one that I sense is full of pain. For multiple reasons. "I''m going to miss you, Sally... It was a great time meeting up with you here for some time, and please contact me if you need help or just want to talk..." She lets go and turns her head to the arriving and stationed Airship. The one that she''s leaving on. "I''ll be sure to keep in contact, and that goes the same for you, Cera. You should reach out to me and not always wait for me." My hand rests on the top of her head as I look down at her. The height difference isn''t that big, but it''s enough to do this. Tears are quickly forming, and I spend a couple of seconds wiping them away.? As a goodbye, I bring her in and give her a deep kiss. One filled with everything that I feel about her. Her Airship is starting to board, and she takes off to leave Hailey and me alone. I look at her, and she looks like any girl would when she recognizes she destroyed a friendship. I can''t say if Sally will ever forgive Hailey for what she did, but there is always some hope. It''s not easy seeing her go, but this is a part of life. Bittersweetness is a feeling that I''m not familiar with, but I think I''m experiencing it right now. "Now what..." The one who dampened the mood, to begin with, decides to speak up, and I can''t even muster the will to stop the long sigh froming out of my mouth. "I don''t know what you want me to say, Hailey... I knew that you''d retaliate with a Prank after the stuff I pulled about the Raid you were doing... But that was all superficial damage... It doesn''t have asting impact on our rtionship..." She''s trying her hardest to meet my eyes, but every time she stares into them for more than a few seconds, she loses the nerve she''s built. "Making this up to Sally is something that might not be possible, huh..." That''s an understatement.? After all the things that Sally has been through in her life, a trap that makes you see your worst nightmare would do great damage to her. I''m very d that she didn''t have to see anything about her time as a ve for the James Family.? But seeing me with another woman and not being able to do anything about it will havesting effects. Even though it wasn''t me, and it was a magical illusion. She''s hurt looking at me... I don''t like that... It sucks. "Listen, We''ve taken this Prank War between us way too far... And you''re not the only one to me... There were times when I could''ve stopped, but I didn''t... But I never did something that was outright cruel to you..." My pride as the younger brother wouldn''t let me concede defeat, and the same can be said for Hailey since she''s my older sister.? "I could spend all day apologizing... I doubt that would make anything better for you, Cera... Just know that I love you and care about you... You''re my little brother after all..." ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Airship, Leaving Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:23 AM)~~~ My mind keeps reying what I saw in that magic trap, and every time I go back to it, I hate Hailey just a little more... I never understood the problems of having a sibling, but after going through something that was meant for Cera, I know that I''ll never want any. "What kind of crap has that family put each other through..." Saying it like this makes it a little funny, but only at the thought of all the Adamo family members pranking each other. Not just Cera and Hailey. But those thoughts are quickly squashed as Iy down in my bed and look at the ceiling. "Cera... He''d never do that to me... But seeing the illusion hurt way more than I thought it would... Seeing him doing that with another woman killed me a little..." Never in my life did I experience so many emotions at one time. I''m just d that it was all a part of the magic trap and none of it was real... But I regret letting the pain show whenever Cera looked at me. He saw that when I saw him, I was in pain. And that''s another reason I''m extremely mad with Hailey. "As much as I don''t want to see her face again... She''s my boyfriend''s sister, and I have to deal with her..."? Arge part of me just wants to hate Hailey forever, but I know she''s not alone in taking the me. Cera can be a powerful motivator. Both for revenge and for love.? "I wonder if they''re talking about it right now..." Knowing Cera, he''s trying to solve the problem right now. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Cera''s Apartment, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:06 PM)~~~ "I don''t know what I''m going to do with you, Hailey... You''re my sister, but right now, I don''t even want to be in the same room as you after what you did to Sally... She didn''t deserve any of that..." He''s not wrong... Sally is a sweet and kind girl who hasn''t done a thing to be in a trap like that... But my brother is someone who can go for a round in one of those traps, in my opinion. But that''s neither here nor there. "Maybe we shouldn''t talk for a while... Perhaps space is the best thing to get us past this..." It''s the best suggestion I''ve got, and besides, it feels like I''m going to die from the pressure he''s putting on me. Figuratively, of course. "Yeah, just leave, and I''ll contact you when I''m ready. I have some things to take care of here. I hope I don''t see you for some time..." Hearing those words hurts way more than I thought they would, but I swallow the pain and leave. I deserve all this after that... It doesn''t take long for me to get out of the apartment and I make my way to another part of the city. More specifically, the Steel Legion guild. They should have my tier-up item done by now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 480 Getting Back On Track ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Apartment, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:13 PM)~~~ "Now that all the women are gone... I can focus on myst tier-up quest... Never thought I''d say that..." Enough distractions havee and gone, and it''s time that I get back to work. I''m here in Avalon searching for an individual by the name of Kris Martim, a highly-skilled magician. Why my tier-up quest is asking me to find him? I don''t know. I''ve never heard of the man known as Kris Martim, and I don''t have a Marker showing me where to go to start the quest. Cause I haven''t started it until I talk to this guy. I should get a Marker on my map after getting the quest from him, but if I don''t, I''m gonna be pissed. "I don''t know where to start looking to find this guy... But my best guess is starting at the Pce. If anyone knows where a powerful magician is, it''s the people that are around the Royal Family or the Royal Family themselves." Now that I have a n in motion, I have to get the worst part about all this over with. Actually heading to the Pce. I could just pull the whole Son of an Angel thing, but I''d rather not. "But it''ll be the fastest way to get the information I need on Kris Martim... Nope. I''m not doing it. I don''t want that kind of crap." Since I''m doing this the hard way, I''ll need to find a way in. No one can just walk up to the Pce gates and ask if they can meet the Royal Family or anyone in their court. Wouldn''t be much of a need for security if that were the case, but there would be many dead nobles and ruling family members of Avalon Kingdom if this were the case. Today is thest day that I have the apartment, so I might as well get out of here now.? The streets are filled with yers and NPCs achieving their own goals. But before I can get very far, I see a familiar man standing at a rather popr food booth staring at me. It''s Sir Erikson. We talked a long time ago on The yer Continent. He put the pieces together that I''m yer Zern, and who my family is. "I didn''t expect to see you here, yer Zern. If that''s what you prefer to go by." He takes the time to start talking to me after getting away from his spot and walking next to me. I''m not really in the mood to even tell him to piss off. If he wants to talk, he can. But I won''t be listening. "You''re a man of few words, and I respect that. I just wanted to confirm something. Your rtionship with Ms. Adamo is something I see in siblings. Which means that the famous group of powerful friends that you have is actually your family, right?" That''s one long question with some self-discovered exnations in it. A long sigh leaves my body, and I pinch the bridge of my nose. The smart ones are always giving me trouble. "It''d be for the best if you didn''t get involved with whatever you think is going on. There are big things that are at y right now." My statement is a partial bluff. I just don''t want him getting involved with any of my family members.? "I understand that. It''s just thest time we talked. Things didn''t go so well, and since the alliance between guilds is over now that we''ve safely transitioned to this world. I was wondering if you would be willing to join a guild? Maybe even make your own?" Couldn''t make or join a guild even if I wanted to. My ss prevents me from joining or creating guilds in any official manner.? "The only reason you know I''m here, Sir Erikson, is because you followed Hailey. Or had someone following her. I don''t know what her business with you is, but keep me out of it." Knowing this is from simple deduction. I know that no one knew I was here other than Hailey. But since Hailey has business with the Steel Legion guild, from the looks of it, they put a tail on her, which led them to me. It''s not hard to see, but there are moreplex ways that it could''ve happened, and I wouldn''t have been the wiser.? Which leads back to why even contacted me if he likely knows I''m going to reject any offer he gives me. He''s ying some angle, but it eludes me at the moment. "That''s pretty impressive work, detective. But if you wanted anything to do with guilds, you would''ve done something a long time ago. I just wanted to see how you''d answer. And you didn''t disappoint." He''s impressed with my skills of problem solving and deduction. But I''ve yet to see anything that impresses me. "Youpletely redirected the conversation on how I came to find you. Gainingplete control of the conversation. A maestro of words, and a dangerous one at that." Now I''m starting to get a little impressed. But this is hardly anything. Anyone can see this. "What I''ve gathered from how you''ve handled this is several things. Would you like to hear them?" He''s trying to flex his skills and seem better than me... He''s trying to impress me... Myck of response seems to act as a confirmation of permission. "You''re a control freak... You always need to know everything about everyone in any given room... You are an incredible maniptor and master of deceit and lies... For anyone unfamiliar with you, you''re a pure Sociopath... Complete disregard for life and other people''s thoughts..." That''s pretty spot-on, but he doesn''t seem to be done. "The most freighting thing to me is your intellect... You are always 10 or 20 steps ahead of everyone... Even in major guilds that have some of the best minds out here... Your Sociopathy makes you unpredictable and dangerous. You''ve done things that seem benevolent, but only to keep up the idea you''re anything more than what you really are." At this point, I think he has some professional training in mental cases or something. "And that''s a cold, calcting predator." For most, they''d take that as an insult, but I don''t. It''s something that helps me thrive in a hostile world. "While you''re not bloodthirsty, I believe you enjoy inflicting pain... I think you''re a Sadist and take far too pleasure in causing the most pain possible for this who make you mad or get in your way..." We''re still walking at this point, and I''m not outwardly reacting to anything he''s saying. But I''m giving him credit where it''s due. He''s got me pegged.? "However, for the people that you''ve let close... You love and care about them and would do anything for them... Probably one of your only redeeming qualities..." I can''t help but let out a goodugh at thest bit. He''s right that it''s the only good thing about me. But I do have a problem with epting responsibility for my actions regarding the current state of humanity. Very Sociopathic, just like he concluded that I am. "That''s pretty impressive, Sir Erikson. While it''d be fun to profile you, I''m sure that you don''t want to miss your chance to talk to Ms. Adamo before you lose that chance. Cause you''re the type of man that has to know the secrets of people around you." Thatst bit is a freebie for him. Showing that I''m capable of doing the same thing. He chuckles and looks away slightly. Probably at the clock on his yer Hud. "Don''t be a stranger, yer Zern. While you''re not interested in guilds, that doesn''t mean you can''t have allies." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 481 The Royal Palace Of Capital City Avalon ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Looking at the perimeter of the Pce, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:12 PM)~~~ Thesest 4 hours of thinking about how I''m getting into the Pce beyond the perimeter have really opened my eyes to how stubborn I can be... Sometimes... Going in there and saying who I am is the easiest and quickest way. At first, I said that I wasn''t going to do that, but after seeing all the hassle that such a narrow-minded n would make, I have changed my mind. Besides, once I know where I''m going to find Kris Martim. I won''t be in this city for much longer. Now that I''ve changed my mind again, time that I actually follow through with it before I change my mind again. It doesn''t take me long to find a nice high point on a building. No one is even bothering to look this high.? In a single thought, my wings appear, and I stretch them out now that they''re free. It feels good to stretch them. My eyes rest on therge Pce, and it''s time tomit. Iunch off the building, and I hear people shouting as I fly over the perimeter of the Pce. Closing in on the front gardens of the castle, I flow down and softlynd. As I do, all the guards that are around doing patrols look at me and are frozen in ce. Words try toe out of some, but none can speak. "Can someone take me to see the Queen? I have business with her." I''m not surprised to see that most of these guards are NPC''s turned yers. An officer of the guard force here steps forward. He lowers his head as he gets down on one knee. "Angel Zern... It''s an honor to be in your presence... But there is a meeting between the ruling family and all the nobles..." It''s obvious he''s stalling for time, so someone can warn the people inside what''s going on. After all, I''m known for killing a King. There are other ways to solve problems without des, and that''s what I''m trying to do right now. The massive doors to the Pce swing open on the other side of the garden. And I see arge man walking down the path. He sees me and stops in his tracks. "You weren''t lying... I''m sorry I questioned your character and threatened your life..." Seems the guard escorting him was put on the chopping block if this turned out fake. Since we are in a more private area, I lift my hood off my head. Not many react, but some take a step back. It''s not often people see my face. Therge and armored man makes his way to me with haste. He''s a high-ranking officer in the military. He''s also a yer. One, which I find interesting. While the nobles are a mix of NPCs turned yers and yers from Earth, it''s rare to see this situation. The Royal Family are all NPCs turned yers. So it makes sense that yers from Earth would rise in the military. "Your visit is unexpected... But you''re wee here any time. Follow me, Angel Zern." I don''t know why I''m being addressed as Angel Zern. Not that I really care to begin with. People don''t know my real name, and that''s for a good reason. The man leads me into the Pce, and everyone is turned to the door that Ie through, and there are varying reactions.? As I''m walking toward the throne, I feel something collide with my legs. I look down, and I see two little kids that have fallen over from running into me. They look up at me, and fear grows as their eyes drift to my wings. "Control your children, Jessara!" The man in front of me is quick to look at the mother off to the side, and she has a look of fear herself. My attention falls back to the kids, and they can''t even move. My next move causes everyone to freeze. Now that I''m crouched in front of them, they curl in themselves. I grab their hands and stand them up. They straighten out and look at me. "Run back to your mother. Just be careful when ying." They''re young, and they don''t know what they''re doing. Even kids born of nobility are allowed to have a childhood.? "I''m terribly sorry for the rude and disrespectful actions toward you, Angel Zern..." The man that''s leading me to the thrones where the Royal Family is sitting decides to go all military on me. On Earth, he must''ve been a military man himself.? I''d like to ask where he''s from, but after a few seconds of walking, we make it to the thrones, and I see the family that rules over the powerful Kingdom of Avalon. "It''s an honor to meet The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. I''m Queen Korrsa Veldrindor, and I''m the ruling power of this family." The Kingdom of Avalon doesn''t have a King. It has a Queen and her consorts. Any child born from her is a prince or princess. The next to inherit the Kingdom would be the firstborn. That''s how the ruling politics is held in The Kingdom of Avalon. She''s nervous. I can see it. Her 3 children on the other thrones are also nervous.? "I''m not here to cause any trouble, Queen Veldrindor. I''m in need of some information, and I''d rather discuss this in a private area." Whispers break out among the nobles in attendance, and I hear the man that escorted me here curse under his breath. He''s not fond of nobles, and neither am I. They like to assume I''m someone that prefers the higher ss of life. Not in this world, I experienced the higher life on Earth for a brief time. And being rich on Earth during my time is way better than being rich on Gaia. But my reputation and status make me far more... Known... Than any of the nobles here. "Very well. What kind of Queen would I be if I didn''t help such a being of your Life-rating..."? It''s rare for anyone to bring up Life-ratings anymore. As the son of an Arch-Angel and the grandson of The Almighty Father, I have one of the highest Life-ratings a being can have. "You lead the way, Queen Veldrindor. I look forward to any information you have or the people that you know have." If her helping me is significant enough, The Almighty Father will reward her. Just like those shop owners that helped Sally and me. They got a reward for helping selflessly. But that''s the catch. Someone has to help me selflessly. She stands from her throne, and I follow her out of therge meeting hall and into a more private location. Guards are waiting outside the room we''re in, and we''re all alone. "This isn''t a day that I ever sawing. I never thought that yer Zern himself would ever visit my family. Let alone ask for my help. But given every yeres here, it makes sense that you are here anyway." She takes a seat as she finishes talking, and I sit across from her. A maid enters the room and prepares some tea and cakes. "I''ll make it quick since you are busy. Do you know anything about a magician known as Kris Martim? He''s someone that I need to speak to." She elegantly closes her eyes as she sips from her tea. Just from the vibe, I can tell she knows something.? "I don''t know him personally, but I have heard of him. I know a man that is in frequent contact with him. I can summon him here if you wish..." This has already proven to be the best option. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 482 Learning Of Kris Martim ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Private Room in Pce, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:02 PM)~~~ "I don''t know where to begin regarding the man you seek... Kris Martim is a very old magician and someone that doesn''t like to be contacted... The Avalon Kingdom hasn''t been around for very long, but when this ce was created by the system. Kris Martim already existed in thesends." I have no ns to interrupt her at any point in her storytelling, but she''s taking breaks to sip some tea. I don''t mind... I''m not in a rush now that we''re in a private area.? "He had the power to resist being moved by the system like all the things in thends that the Avalon Kingdom exists today. I don''t know much about the process, but essentially, the creatures that were once in my Kingdom''snd were moved somewhere else." Everything except for the man known as Kris Martim... It makes me question whether or not this man is a God... More or less anyway... Only people of that power can resist the system...? "Kris Martim built the foundations of Magic... That''s all we know about the man. He''s been around a lot longer than most Empires. There are 2 possibilities to what he is. You might find more, but these are what we''vee up with." She stands up and makes her way over to a drawer on the other side of the room, and pulls out some papers. Lay them on the table for me to see. I pick one up, and it''s a description of what the man looks like. The other paper is about possible locations. "Many surmise he''s a God that''s pretending to be a mortal. Why he''s doing this, I couldn''t possibly know. The second andst possibility is he''s a man that''s supported by the power of a God. These are the only things that we came to with what we know." As she said earlier, there may be other things that could exin Kris Martim, but these ones are the most likely.? "The list of possible locations isn''t that old, but he''s probably always on the move. He doesn''t like to be bothered, and we''ve left him alone. His power isn''t something that we have any business messing with... And I suggest you do the same... I know you''re powerful, yer Zern... But this guy is on another level..." I''m not going to ignore her warning... When a person gets the title of Laying the Foundations of all Magic, it means that you''re powerful. But from the sounds of it, he doesn''t sound like a violent person. Just someone who likes his privacy.? "Thanks for all your help, Queen Veldrindor. I can''t do anything at the moment to repay you, but thanks to you. I''ve gotten an update." My tier-up quest has marked all the possible locations to find Kris Martim, and I''ll have to search each to find the man. Hopefully, he''s actually at one of them. It''s seven locations, and they''re all far apart. "Before you leave, there is something that you should know." Instead of heading straight for the window to leave via flying, I stop so she can tell me what she needs to tell me. "Kris Martim isn''t a fan of people that could cause him unnecessary problems. Given who you are, I felt that you should know that." The Queen of Avalon has been very helpful, and to my surprise, I get a notification that he''s getting rewarded by The Almighty Father. Turns out she did this, not expecting anything in return... This is the second time this has happened out of all the people that I''ve talked to and asked for help. "I''ll be sure to remember that... You''ve been a great help, Queen Veldrindor. The Kingdom of Avalon is under the guidance of someone who can bring it to a bright and prosperous future." She closes her eyes and nods her head as I make my way for the window. I jump out, and my wingse out of my back. In a burst of speed, I make it above the clouds and take a closer look at the map. It''s funny cause two of the locations aren''t even near The Kingdom of Avalon. One of them is next to The Fairy Kingdom, and another is close to The Kingdom of Zenith. I doubt these are the most likely locations, so I''ll check the 5 still in The Kingdom of Avalon. "I''m gonna be busy... So I should start with the closest possible location... I find it strange that Kris Martim has been to 2 ces that I''ve been... Maybe he''s expecting me and has been keeping tabs on me..." That''s the only way I can exin why he''s been to ces so far away from The Avalon Kingdom. It makes sense since one of my tier-up quests involves him. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Private Room on Airship, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:22 PM)~~~ I keep getting messages from Hailey, and I haven''t looked at any of them. She needs to learn that I''m not interested in anything to do with her or to talk with her, not after what she''s done. I had to silence the notifications I get specifically from her. Forgiving her isn''t in the cards... And I don''t know if it ever will be... If I could, I''d avoid her for the rest of my life, but since she''s Cera''s sister, I can''t do anything about it.? Enough of this crap, I''m going to bed, and I''m not bothering with her, but before I do, I should check in with Cera.? [I wanted to let you know that I''m doing good, but I''d be doing better if you could tell Hailey to stop messaging me. It''s everyone couple of minutes, and it''s making the situation worse with her.] I send the message, and I plop down on the bed and look at the ceiling. It''ll be nice to get some sleep after all the stress I''ve been through today. My eyes actually feel heavy for the first time in a while. Before I can get toofortable, a message from Ceraes through. [She''s persistent, and I know that you don''t want anything to do with her right now. But you''ll have to talk with her eventually. It''s unavoidable. Just know that I''ll be on your side.] It''s the answer that I expected to get from Cera... The one I wanted to hear wasplete and total agreement, but the one I got was the one I needed to hear.? ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Leaving Capital City Avalon, Road Leading Out of Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7: 34 PM)~~~ Not all bad things have happened today... Personally... I''ve got my tier-up item repaired, and I''m now tier-3 andpletely caught up on all my tier-up quests. Meaning that I can do what I want instead of what I have to. "I wish she would answer me..." I know that sending a bunch of messages isn''t the way to do this, but I have no other choices here. I want to make sure she knows how much I wish I could fix this and how sorry I am. Cera messaged me a while ago, telling me not to bother Sally for a while, and I''ve stopped since getting that message from him. When Sally reads my messages, she''ll get back into contact with me... I hope... It''s all I can really do at this point. "I really fucked this one up... The family fuck up at it again... What''s wrong with me... I think that I''m doing better, and then I pull this crap... I''ve changed since Earth... But not enough... Cera isn''t meless in this... But he knows that..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 483 Heading To Borm City ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying, Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:10 AM)~~~ The first ce on my map that''s the closest is Borm City. ording to the map, it''s notrge by any means, and it''s a ce that doesn''t hold value to Avalon. It''s a good ce for a person like Kris Martim to hide. I doubt that I''ll find him the first ce I search, but I might find a clue as to where he''s at and what he''s doing. It could help me find the man. I''ve been flying since I got up this morning, and I''m about 20 minutes away from Brom City.? "Flying on my own time and speed will make this trip easy. But where things are easy, other parts are difficult." It''s a saying my dad said his father used... I don''t know much about our extended family... Not that it matters much anymore... They''re all dead and gone, most likely. And even if they were alive, I don''t see the point in knowing them. My mother''s family disowned her since they didn''t approve of dad, and dad''s family did the same thing. A double disownment, if you will... Hailey got to meet our grandmother on our father''s side once. Before I was born, but she was too young to remember it. Speaking of my sister, she''s been trying to get a hold of me just like she was trying to get a hold of Sally. Spamming me with messages, and hoping that I''ll reply. I''ve decided to ignore her for now, and it''s better she bothers me than Sally at the moment. "There are people I need to talk to... But telling Mom and Dad what Hailey did seems like I''m a little kid again... On the other hand, maybe they can talk to Hailey. Cause Sally and I don''t want to." That could lead to its own set of problems, which are mom and dad treating Hailey like they did back on Earth, and that''s thest thing I want for her. I don''t want her to feel insecure, abandoned, and isted from the family. "I''ll hold off on telling mom and dad until Hailey and Sally sort this out on their own." Being a mediator between the two is something I might have to do, but I''m only going to do that when I don''t have any more choices regarding their situation. Kris Martim is the subject my mind should be on, and what I''ll do when I meet him. I don''t know what he looks like, and I don''t know if he''ll be hostile to me. He''s powerful, and that''s the only thing I know for certain. The possibility he''s a God in disguise is still on the table too. "I''m not strong enough to fight a God... I know I''m powerfulpared to creatures and people on Gaia, but that window is steadily closing... The System is making everything stronger, and I need to keep up..." I don''t want the gap between me and the rest of the yers shortening that much. Cause once the power gap closes, there will be yers that think they can take advantage of me and my status. My name alone carries weight, and being associated with me is a sure-fire way to a better life. It makes me wonder how many people actually im to know me and use my name to get what they want. I doubt many seed, but there are probably a few who have gotten away with it. All this talk about my reputation and name has got me thinking about The Church of Light and how things are going with them. A yer has been selected as The Pope, and I''ve been hearing of power abuse. Ever since that day in Zenith, The Church of Light hasn''t bothered me. That makes me wonder what the counterpart of The Church of Light is up to. The Church of the Dark Ones doesn''t like to make itself known, and it''s really good at moving unseen.? Even with my knowledge about the future, I don''t know much about The Church of the Dark Ones. Only that they''re well connected and in every government spanning Gaia. "You never know how much is truly on your te until you look down at it... There are many things I need to do, and I don''t know where everything is going with The Old Gods..." That''s another problem I haven''t been thinking abouttely, and that is the issue regarding The Old Gods, and what they''re going to be doing. There is an imminent war on the horizon, but no one knows when. I have a feeling the battleground will be Gaia. ~~~(POV: Christian Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: City of Ofisir, Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:25 AM)~~~ This marks the end of catching up on all my tier-up quests, and I''m right where I need to be. Marcus told me he finished up everything yesterday, and I''m proud of him for being able to do this all on his own.? Another person I''m proud of is Violet. She''s still a couple of tier-up quests behind, but she''s making great progress, and I n to meet up with her soon. To help her on all her remaining quests. But right now, I''m enjoying a drink with a good friend I''ve made in my travels. A dwarf by the name of Eleds. He''s a good man, and he knows how to drink. Any opportunity we''ve gotten, we get passed out drunk. It''s been a real st with him, and now we''re about to start up that party right here and now with everyone else in this bar. "I''m excited to meet your family, Chris! If you''re so much fun, I can''t imagine the type of family you have!!" He''s already chugging down alcohol and making this a better day than it already is. I''m following his lead and doing my best to keep up, but it''s hard to keep pace with a dwarf when drinking. "Yeah... I''m excited for you to meet them too... By the way, when will I meet your family?" My words are alreadying out slow, and while my question shouldn''t be that hard to answer. It always is for Eled. He doesn''t talk about his family much since they''re so far away on the dwarven continent. He misses them greatly, and dwarves get homesick quickly. He''s helped me in a less direct way with my tier-up quests, like making weapons, armor, and such things. I really appreciate him being my friend, and I''m d he sees me the same way. "I''ll tell you what! When I meet all the members of your family! I''ll take you to see mine, my friend!!" He takes another big gulp of alcohol and lets out a deep breath as aical cloud exits his mouth. ? ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: City of Borm, Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:33 AM)~~~ Since I''m within view of Borm City, I slow down ande to a gentlending right outside a farm. I look to the fence line to see a stunned family of farmers. The husband has his son on his shoulders, and the wife is holding their daughter''s hand. They''re frozen in ce as the water from the nt water slowly drips out from the nozzle.? "Mornin''... I hope your day will be a good one..." That''s the only thing I say before flipping my hood on my head and following the path to Borm.? "That''s going toe back to bite me... And it''ll be soon..." People are gossips. They can''t help it. And those farmers are going to tell everyone they know about who they saw, which was me. It''s not that big a deal in the end, but I''d have rather gone unnoticed. I didn''t expect the family of that farm to be right at the property line. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 484 Searching Borm City ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: City of Borm, Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:39 AM)~~~ I haven''te up with anything in terms of finding out if Kris Martim is here or not. My quest says that I must find him in one of the seven locations provided. It doesn''t give any ideas about where he''s at, and that means I''ll have to look for him on my own. "I''m so sick of having to turn over rocks everywhere I go, and I''m tired of having to y chase the asshole that has what you need." There is a quick solution to this, and that''s an announcement to the whole City of Borm. In fact, that''s a great idea. It''ll mean that I''m done with this ce when word gets back to me. Now, getting the word out is where I need to make things interesting. The City Center is the best ce to talk to people, and that''s where I''m heading. It takes a few minutes, but I make it to a packed part of Borm and sit on a bench. Kids run by ying games as kids do, and people move about not knowing I''m here. In a smooth motion, my hood falls, and people can see my face if they wished. Now that my face is free from concealment, I toggle my wings on, and Golden Angel Wings spring from my back. Everyone that has a view of me stops and looks. Mothers drop the things they''re carrying, and fathers protect their families.? The kids that were ying have stopped and taken this time to run, and I look around to see people waiting for me to do something. And that''s when I activate my Divine Title, and it appears above my head. This is the best way to root out any information as fast as I can. People are always willing to help me, and that doesn''t change. It takes a moment, but some people start to ease up, and a mother steps forward with a child in her arms. She wasn''t in my line of sight before, which means word has spread already that I''m here. People bring me their sick, and I usually help.? But today, it won''t be for free. I need information about Kris Martim, and I''ll be trading my abilities in healing for what I need on Kris. "Please... My daughter is dying, and there isn''t anything I can do to save her... I beg of you... Please..." She falls to her knees in front of me while holding the child in her arms. My attention is on her, but I''m also looking at the reactionsing from people surrounding the area. More people are starting to arrive too. "I''ll help your daughter. But only if you have information on the individual known as Kris Martim. If anyone has information on Kris Martim, you can tell me, and I''ll help this girl!" I raise my voice so everyone can hear, and some look away or at the ground. The mother of the daughter is looking at me in disbelief. I don''t me her for looking at me like that. She must be feeling betrayed that my helpes at a price she can''t fulfill. "You''re a monster... How could you sit there and not help my baby!? All you need to do is help her!! It''s nothing for you!!" She screams at me from her spot, and people start to gasp and whisper to each other. At myck of words, she stands up and steps closer. Her arms raise, and she swings her hand at my face. Everything is moving slowly for me... My speed means I can see the world at a different speed than others if I want to... I could easily dodge this, and I could easily dispatch her. Instead, I move my closest wing and stop her hand from moving any closer. The world speeds back up for me, and she''s nearly knocked over by the sudden resistance meeting her. Everyone is deathly silent as my wing is blocking her hand from reaching any further. But she has a dead look in her eyes... Like she knows that no matter what she does, no one will help her daughter, and she''s lost her will to live.? In the next second, the crowd to one of the main roads in Borm parts, and I hear the clicking of horseshoes and the rubbing of armor. I turn to see members of The Church of Light looking at the scene in horror. Not at me, but at the woman that hasn''t removed her hand from my wing. Seeing them seems to invigorate her, and she uses the same hand to smack my wing repeatedly. She''s holding her daughter with her other arm. Her palm starts to bleed by being cut from the feathers she''s hitting.? "Save my daughter!! You''re supposed to help people!! It''s the whole reason you''re here!! Help her!! I beg of you... Help her..." She loses her will and falls to her knees again while clutching her baby. My attention is on the soldiers and Church officials watching this. Some of them look like they''ve seen a ghost, and others are staring at the woman with a death re. "As I said before. If anyone has any information on Kris Martim, I''ll help your daughter. Or anyone in town." My voice is loud enough for anyone to hear, and this time the woman stands up and turns to the many onlookers.? "Someone tell him about whoever he''s looking for!! Do the right thing and save my daughter!! There has to be someone present here that knows about Kris Martim!" A mother would do anything for their child. Most of the time, anyway... People are folding in on themselves and trying to make it look like she''s not saying anything. To everyone here, they''d be helping someone that''s attacked me in public. I don''t know what kind of crime that entails, but I wouldn''t imagine it''s a good one. Before she can continue, the head of the Church in this town steps forward and makes his way over. He looks at the woman and then at me while lowering his head. "There aren''t words that can describe how sorry I am that you''ve had to experience something like this..." Before he can say anything else, I stand up and ce my hand on the mother''s shoulder. I gently turn her around, and I raise my wing t above her and use my best healing and cure spells on her and her daughter. "Someone who knows who I''m searching for has stepped forward. You wouldn''t have unless you knew about who I''m looking for." The mother takes a deep breath, and the girl in her arms wakes and starts moving.? "Let her go. She''s just a desperate mother doing what she can. She won''t be punished for that." At mymand, she''s allowed to leave with no issues, and I look at the head official that''s standing here. He shrinks at my gaze, and I can see why. My wings are spread in an intimidating way, and people that are looking are holding their breath. "I know of the man you want to speak with, but he''s not here. He''s not even in The Kingdom of Avalon... He''s somewhere outside the borders of our Kingdom..." That knocks 5 locations off my list, and that means the man I''m searching for is either located near Zenith or The Fairy Kingdom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 485 Next Destination ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying, Leaving The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:21 AM)~~~ Now that I know where I''m going, I can skip over all the other locations here in Avalon. This leaves the choices between Zenith and The Fairy Kingdom. My best guess, I''d say Kris is located around The City of Harzon within The Kingdom of Zenith. But I shouldn''t rule out The Fairy Kingdom altogether. It''s been a long time since I was there, and I''d like to see the changes that have urred since I wasst there. The Fairy people are my allies and people that I trust. After saving The Holy Willow Tree, I''ve gained an entire people willing to back me up in almost anything I do. If I head there first, they''ll tell me where Kris is without a moment''s hesitation. They''ll even go to war for me if I asked, but I''d never do that to them. Going to The Fairy Kingdom first is the best option, and if Kris isn''t there, that''ll leave only The City of Harzon to search. I''ve been flying in the direction that both Zenith and The Fairy Kingdom are in, but I adjust my course, so I''m heading directly for The Fairy Kingdom. "It''ll just be flying for now... I''m tempted to talk with Sally... See how she''s doing with her own stuff." I n to help her look for her father after she''s done with her tier-up quests, and it helps that she''s in the process of herst tier-up quest. Hailey is off doing something on her own since she''s done, and Marcus is also finished. It''s starting to look like I''m going to be one of thest ones to finish. Mom and Dad are still doing theirs, but that won''t be for long.? "Here I was thinking I''d be the one that gets done with everything first... So much for that..." Arge part of me wanted to be the one done with my tier-up quests before everyone else. But that ship sailed a while ago. Having to travel long distances really put a damper on how fast I get these things done. I should be grateful I''ve got markers on my map showing me where to go, at least. I''m not flying and searching blindly as I have in the past. And once I''m done with all my tier-up quests, I n to celebrate such a momentous asion cause it''ll be a while before I have to do anymore. Out of nowhere, I get a message from Sally. I instantly open it and start reading. [I thought I''d check-in and tell you I''m doing better than yesterday, and I hope everything is going well with you. Thanks for getting Hailey to stop spamming me with messages. I''m almost to the city I need to be at to finish myst tier-up quest. After that, I''m going to start looking for my father.] Sounds like things are going better for Sally, and I hope she''s excited to meet her father. We know he''s within The Kingdom of Avalon somewhere, but only Sally knows where that might be. She''s the one with the quest to find her father. She hasn''t told me much about the quest, and that''s fine. It isn''t an easy subject for her to talk about. But I''ll say knowing she wasn''t the result of rape has helped her in more ways than I want to count. She carried the stigma of being a result of that for a long time. Since she isn''t carrying that pain with her anymore, I can see why she''s made so much progress without me. It''s good to see her as a strong and independent person. She no longer needs to lean on me for support unless she wants to. Open my messages and start to type out a reply. [That''s awesome, Sally. When I''m done with my tier-up quest, I''ll be heading to your location to help you. And I''m looking forward to the moment you meet your real father. Let me know if anything develops in your search until I get there. It''s going to be a chunk of time until I''m done with everything I''ve got.] I send the message, and I dismiss the screen. My attention falls on the view below me, and I can''t help being surprised. There is arge battle going on, and it''s between two different Kingdoms. I don''t know why it''s happening, but it''s a little outside the borders of The Kingdom of Avalon. "Why would there be a battle going on between two different Kingdoms out here..." I''m within The Kingdom of Smanders Borders, but neither side is carrying the sigil of the Kingdom. And that''s when it dawns on me. "Two nobles are feuding... Nobles of The Kingdom of Smander... It''s not my business, but I wouldn''t mind watching the battle..." It takes but a second to get to a good vantage point and look at the conflict from where I''m standing. Battles like these have lost their meaning since yers and NPCs turned yers have be more prevalent in the noble scene. Making battles like this undecided since no one actually loses military power. No one that''s turned into a yer stays dead, but they''re probably getting respawned at the home of whoever they''re fighting for. I couldn''t say for sure, though. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Airship Nearing The City of Farsec, Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:29 PM)~~~ Cera doesn''t know how excited I am to get his help looking for my dad after we''re done with our tier-up quests. I''m almost to Farsec, and that''s where myst tier-up quest is taking me. "Would you like to have a side dish of fries or hashbrowns?" I''m currently ordering lunch. The food they have on select with regr Airships isn''t asvish as the Royal Airships, but they''re still fantastic.? "Can I get both?" The waiter smiles at my request and writes down the order. He takes my menu, and I rx a bit more in my chair. I look out the window and see the passing scenery.? It shouldn''t be long, and by the time I''m done eating, enough time should pass to reach Farsec. Speaking of Farsec, I know very little about the ce. Only that''s it''s an important crafting city within The Kingdom of Avalon. Apparently, it has some of the best crafters in all of Gaia, but I don''t know if that''s entirely true. Cera was telling me some of the top organizations have their hands on the ones known as the best. Guilds and other such ces monopolize the best weapons and armor makers in all thends. There have been many things I''vee to learn, thanks to Cera. How the internal politics of guilds and other such organizations is one of them. How they prioritize their goals and how they run their businesses.? "Here you go, Ma''am." It doesn''t take long for the waiter to get back, and he sets my meal down in front of me. A couple of pieces of chicken with some french fries and hashbrowns. As I start eating, an announcement rings throughout the Airship from the inte. "We''ll be arriving at Farsec within the next 10 minutes. Once we arrive, you''ll have one hour to get all your belongings off the Airship and depart. Enjoy the rest of your ride." The man speaking doesn''t sound enthusiastic in the slightest. I wouldn''t be either if I was stuck flying an Airship from point to point for the majority of my life. Luckily, I don''t have to do that. After a few minutes, therge cityes into view, and the Airship starts to slow down. Just in time, too, cause I''m almost done with my food. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 486 Night Flying ,m ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying, Within The Kingdom of Smanders Borders)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:55 PM)~~~ The battle that I watched for entertainment didn''tst for very long, but it was still a good show. Why two noble houses would fight like that is beyond me. My best guess is fornd. It''s not possible to know at the moment, and I doubt I ever will. I''m getting closer to The Fairy Kingdom, but I won''t be there until around 10 PM. Making great time is one of the better advantages of flying. It''ll be interesting to see The Fairy Kingdom once again. From what I''ve heard over my travels, it''s moved again and is now a true Kingdom on its own. Speaking of The Fairies, I can''t help thinking about The Dryad people I freed from their curse. I haven''t heard much from any of them either, but that''s understandable. Coming out of a curse thatsted hundreds of years means you have a lot of catching up to do. It wouldn''t be a bad idea to visit The Dryads one of these days. I''m visiting The Fairies, and if Kris Martim isn''t in The Fairy Kingdom, then that means he''s located near Zenith.? But visiting The Dryads will havee after I''m done with everything I have to do and helping Sally find her father. I know for a fact that Sally would love to visit The Dryads with me, and I''m looking forward to asking what we''re doing next after we''re done with everything. When we find Sally''s father and deal with that, we''ll have finished everything we''ve set out to do, and it''ll be time to start another adventure. We could always start that war on very, but that''s already happening. After Helda became Queen of The Elven Kingdom, she started a proactive attack on vers. And pretty much all Kingdoms are backing her. Meaning Sally and I can start a new adventure. One that we want to do together and not out of necessity for getting stronger or progressing our quests. It''ll be something that we haven''t gotten to do yet. Sally might be having the same thoughts as me. She''s probably thinking of ideas on what to do next. I haven''t gotten a clue as to what we can do. There are some things that I''d like to go after. Items and gear that I remember from my past life. "That''ll be fun... Going back to my roots as a gamer... Thinking this was just a game... Maybe it could be fun..." That''s a pipe dream... There is no way in heaven or hell where I can treat this world as a game. It''s humanity''s new home. Earth is gone, and all of humanity''s problems have been left behind with it. I do miss some of Earth... There are things that we had there that we can''t have here. That''s enough talk about that. There is something that I need to do in Zenith even if I find Kris Martim in The Fairy Kingdom. Amelia and I haven''t talked in a long time, and it''s only right that I visit her. If she''s be a yer, then I can add her to my friend''s list. I still don''t know how I''m going to exin my mom to Amelia or Amelia to my mom. Keeping them apart and unaware of each other seems like the smartest thing to do. But spinning arge enough web of lies and a simple breeze can break it apart. "I wonder how Zenith Kingdom is doing these days anyway... They got all that newnd from Bellvia, and now they''re probably expanding. Soon, they''ll be big enough to call themselves an Empire." Amelia is an important figure in thends of Gaia. She''s regarded as a Saint by The Church, and people worship the ground she walks since she gave ''birth'' to me. The mother of an Angel means a lot. She''s the first one to ever do it. ording to everyone in Gaia anyway. There are secrets about the origins of my Divine ss that even I don''t know at the moment. It''s hard to say where any of that leads... ~~~(POV: Amelia Zern)~~~ ~~~(Location: Mansion, Near Capital City Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:24 PM)~~~ "Lady Zern... You know that it''s time to stop working for the day. You''ve been going all day every day since you were tasked with developing thend that was acquired in our war." My butler is right... It''s almost 8:30... I need to stop working... "Yeah... Can you get me some tea and cakes? I need something to unwind..." He smiles and swiftly leaves the room. I stand up from my desk and make my way to the balcony. As I exit, the sun is starting to set, and it''s my favorite time of year. The days are longer, and it''s warmer at night. As I sit down on the soft andfortable chair, I can''t help feeling my age now. I''m no old woman, but I''m not in myte 20''s or early 30''s anymore. I''m approaching 40, and all this work isn''t good for my appearance. Thepliments about how young I look are helpful, but I fear that won''tst for long at this rate. Another person has been on my mind, and that''s my son. yer Zern... I miss him every day, and I haven''t heard back from him. I''ve be a yer in hopes that he visits me one day, and we can speak using the system any time either of us wants to.? The food cart''s gentle rattle takes me from my thoughts, and my butler brings the food out to the balcony. He''s brought many selections, but the tea is what smells the best to me right now. "Lady Zern... I''ve been your butler for some time now, and I know the look you have when you''re thinking about your son... I won''t pry, my Lady... But don''t be too hurt over theck of contact." He always tries to make me feel better, and I appreciate that part about him. "Wouldn''t you worry about your child if he was off doing Almighty Father knows what... Getting into trouble and being hurt... Wouldn''t you always be thinking about him?"? He smiles gently and pours me a cup of tea. "That I would, Lady Zern..." My attention turns to the setting sun as darkness slowly takes the world. My son is out there right now... Doing whatever he thinks needs done... Off on dangerous adventures... "The King has invited you to the monthly meeting of the nobles? Will you be attending this month?" Every noble is required to attend... Other than myself... I have many special treatments due to who I am. "It''s a few days from now, correct?" He nods his head, and I release a sigh soon after. "I suppose it would be appropriate of me to show up once in a while... I miss my life as a poor woman more than I should sometimes... Butining of such things is unbing..." ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying, Within The Fairy Kingdoms Borders)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:18 PM)~~~ My map is telling me I''m getting pretty close. A couple more minutes, and I''m going tond and walk the rest of the way. Tomorrow is when I''m going to start searching for the man I''m after. Getting a night''s rest will refresh me for tomorrow''s annoyances.? The scenery has changed since crossing into the Fairy Kingdom. You can see the effect of the fairies on the environment. It''s actually quite a beautiful change. More life and energy flow in thesends. I can only imagine what it looks like in the mornings when there is light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 487 Capital City Ezhearts ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Walking Main Road to Capital City Ezhearts, The Fairy Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:17 PM)~~~ I can see the massive Holy Willow Tree in the distance and the massive city that it''s centered around. The moonlight from above is making the scene something out of an old legend or something. "It''s been a long time since I visited The Fairy Kingdom... I''m looking forward to seeing the new Capital City." Back in the early days of The Fairy Kingdom, they only had one city. And that city was the same one that The Holy Willow Tree resided in. They moved to another part of the continent so they could expand their people. Now The Fairy Kingdom has gained more cities,rger poption numbers, and a greater infrastructure andnd control. Ezhearts wasn''t the original name of the city, but since they moved. They probably changed it as a new beginnings sort of thing. "My connection to The Holy Willow Tree is still strong... I can feel it from here... Everyone would be asleep except for the guards at this time of night... Getting in might be a pain..." The guards at the main gate into Ezhearts might prove to be a problem. It''s naturally suspicious to enter a city thiste at night. Especially if you''re not a member of the race of the city, you''re entering. "The Holy Willow Tree might send someone to escort me... But I wouldn''t be surprised if it didn''t. The Holy Willow Tree is like that. The best way I can describe it is a bit key... But not entirely key..." The road ising to an end as the main entrance into the city is approaching. The city''s walls are impressive, to say the least. They don''tpare to the walls around the Elven Kingdoms Borders, but they''re still something to be proud of. As I approach the empty gates, a bunch of guards steps out. The females have butterfly wings, and the males have dragonfly wings. Just as I remember, some of them have their hands on their weapons.? "The gates are closed until 8:00 AM. Turn around and go back the way you came." Not very friendly, but I don''t me them. The fastest way through is to just show them who I am. So that''s what I do. I toggle my Golden Wings on, and they spread out in an intimidating and impressive manner. "I''m here to speak to the leaders of Ezhearts. There is information that I need, and The Holy Willow Tree might know what I''m looking for." They''ve all drawn their weapons on instinct, but I won''t hold it against them. Seeing what they''ve done a secondter, all of them immediately sheaths their weapons.? "Forgive us, Angel Zern! We had no idea it was you! If we knew, we wouldn''t have been any form of disrespect! Kaletare!! Send word to the Holy Council!" The leader of the group is adamant about his orders, and I glide my eyes over the remaining guards. Last time, female fairies weren''t allowed to serve in the military or local guard and police forces... Looks like some changes have been made. "Angel Zern, my name is Fadedar Moorse, and I''m the Captain on duty at this shift. Follow me, and we''ll take you to The Holy Willow Tree." The guards part ways as I follow behind the Captain. I look at the buildings as we walk past, and there haven''t been many changes since thest time I saw a city built by fairies. They prefer to live in wooded structures emting trees. Ezhearts is like an artificial city. Made from the roots of The Holy Willow Tree and forests grown here. It''s one of thergest cities I''ve ever been in and one that rivals the size of Capital Cities in Kingdoms and Empires. "How have things been since The Holy Willow Tree moved the fairies again? Thest time I was here, no one knew." When I visitedst time, I kept my identity on the down-low. Speaking of down-low, I toggle my wings off, and now I don''t feel so exposed. I like walking with my wings out, but not when people stare at them. And the guards can''t help but stare at them. Fadedar res at his squad for being the reason I turned off my wings. They have desperate expressions as if they''vemitted a sin. Many people consider my wings to be Holy or Divine items. Staring at them inappropriately can result in punishment. That''s what I''ve heard in my travels. But I can''t be sure it''s like that everywhere. It''s like that here a little bit, but I don''t think the guards will be punished. "I''m sorry for their rude and inexcusable behavior. As to your question from before, Ezhearts and The Fairy Kingdom is thriving. And we have you to thank for that." I hold little to do with the current state of The Fairy Kingdom. But if they want to give me credit, I won''t stop them. The Fairy Kingdom and its people are my allies. People that I can trust. "I''ve done nothing since the revival of The Holy Willow Tree. Everything that''s happened since then is thanks to the fairy people''s efforts." The reactions around me vary. Most are a little surprised at my words, and the rest are happy to see I''m somewhat of a humble person. I do have times of arrogance, but those are few and far between. "The Holy Willow Tree has never been more alive, and the Holy Council says that''s thanks to its connection with you and Fenrir. The High Priestess also says that the power The Holy Willow Tree has today is due to you sharing your power with it via the connection." That''s something I didn''t know about, but it''s not like it''s noticeable.? ~~~(POV: High Councilman Parsorm)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Ezhearts, The Fairy Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:35 PM)~~~ The High Council had barely any time to prepare in The Holy Willow Tree''s Chamber. It''s where all of our meetings are held. We like to do them here so The Holy Willow Tree can know about what''s going on in ournds too. All the High Councilmen have been awoken from their homes and told the news that Angel Zern is on his way to The Holy Willow Tree. Captain Fadedar is buying us time to prepare a proper wee for The Holy Willow Tree''s Savior. "Make sure all of the food is prepared in the next ten minutes! I don''t want a single thing out of ce within this room! He''s already witnessed our city two days before cleaning day! We can''t let him think we live in a hovel!!" High Priestess Melzark is making sure that everything is the way it''s supposed to look. Angel Zern may not know how much we fairies pride ourselves in cleanliness. It''s why we have a city-wide cleaning day every two weeks. "Calm down, Melzark. Everything will be fine. I''m sure that Angel Zern wouldn''te here expecting some extravagant greeting. The Holy Willow Tree would''ve warned us." I don''t know if that''s entirely true, but it''s easing Melzark, and that''s what''s important. "Do you know how important Angel Zern is to The Holy Willow Tree and our people?! He''s a personal friend of our ally and protector, Fenrir! Not to mention the actual grandson of The Almighty Father himself, and the only Angel to walk Gaia since creation!" She''s as at ease as I originally thought. She deeply admires Angel Zern, and she''s not the only one. Every fairy thinks of Angel Zern as a Savior. It''s understandable why she''d act like this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 488 The High Council Of The Fairy Kingdom [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside The Holy Willow Tree within Capital City Ezhearts, The Fairy Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:07 PM)~~~ "The High Councilmen are waiting for you inside, and this is where we part ways. We''re not allowed to enter The Holy Willow Tree." Captain Fadedar lowers his head in a bowing manner, and so do the other guards. We''re outside the gates that lead into the grounds that hold The Holy Willow Tree. I watch as the guards leave. As much as I don''t want to deal with councils, politics, and other such things. Sometimes they can''t be avoided. The path is clear as I walk toward my old friend, and there is a familiarity in the air. It feels like a lifetime ago when I first revived The Holy Willow Tree. Doing that has led to many unforeseen consequences. The word known as... Consequence... Is misunderstood... A consequence is a result or effect of an action or condition. It doesn''t mean that the effect or result is negative. For a long time, I thought of consequences as something bad or a punishment for something done. But after I learned the true meaning of the word, it''s be clear that I wasn''t as wise as I thought. My thoughts are halted as the massive doors ahead of me open on their own, and I can thank my old friend for that. There are no guards within The Holy Willow Tree. ,m There are many paths to take, but there is only one set of doors that opens up. They lead into arge chamber. The same chamber that I fought the demon in and revived The Holy Willow Tree. There is arge table, and people are around the table. Some of them freeze in their spots as I look at them, and others take a deep gulp calming their nerves. After getting a good look at all of them individually, there is only one that stands out. Both in uniform and in appearance. Must be the High Priestess... She''s attractive, but she''s got a fearing auraing off her. She''s intimidated by me. "I don''t like stating the obvious, but you''re all the councilmen that Captain Fadedar told me about. He sure chatted my ear off... Especially about unrted things. A giant waste of time, in my opinion." It''s clear that Captain Fadedar bought the council time, and the man is quite intuitive in anticipating the needs of the council. Judging from the reactions around the table, I''m right on the money. Not wanting to dy any longer, I walk toward the table and start to slowly walk around it, like some viin from a B-ss film. "We''re deeply sorry that we offended you, Angel Zern. We needed to prepare for your arrival. This ce wasn''t ready for someone of your stature and importance." The ass-kissing won''t get anyone anywhere. But I''m not mad at them. I''m the one that dropped by unannounced. They hold no me. Except for wasting a bit of my time, but that''s about it. "Don''t worry... You didn''t offend me, Councilmen. If you did, you would know." Shivers run up and down the bodies of the people I''m circling, and I can''t help but enjoy this a little. Taking pleasure in others'' difort and sometimes pain does make me sick in a sense. A Sadist. "Now, I''m betting you''re all wondering why I''m here at such a time. Without any warning whatsoever. I won''t waste your time like you wasted mine." I stand behind the chair of the High Priestess, and she''s as stiff as a statue that''s been freshly created. "I''m looking for a man... A being... A person that goes by the name Kris Martim. He has something that I need, and I''m searching for him. The Kingdom of Fairies is one of the ces he could be, but I don''t know where in The Fairy Kingdom." I start walking around the table again, and everyone is listening to my words intently. They know I''m not done talking, and I''m just getting started. "If you have any information that could help me in finding Kris Martim, now would be the best time to tell me. I don''t know how extensive everyone''s knowledge of him here is... But be warned... He''s a dangerous being, and perhaps even a God in disguise." As I finish talking, some of the people around the table rx a little. They''re all so tense, and that''s my fault. But it does get annoying. If no one in this room doesn''t know about Kris Martim, I wouldn''t be surprised. A lot has changed for The Fairy Kingdom, and keeping track of one man wouldn''t be that big of a concern. If they knew who he was, it''d be different. "I''m sorry, Angel Zern. But no one here knows the name of the individual called Kris Martim. If we knew anything, you have our word that we''d tell you." The Priestess is the one to speak. I know they wouldn''t lie to me. The Fairy people are honorable and trustworthy. "Perhaps you would know, my old friend!" I raise my voice to the shock and fright of the people in attendance. But my question is directed at The Holy Willow Tree itself. Thest time I was here, it created a wooden puppet to speak to me. And I watch as it forms another one. Everyone gets up from their chairs and immediately bows in the presence of the wooden doll created by The Holy Willow Tree. "It''s good to see you again, yer Zern. I''d ask you how your travels are going, but I''ve got a pretty good idea as to what you''re up to at the moment." The Holy Willow Tree is connected to many powerful Gods and has great power itself. I''m not surprised in the least that my old friend knows what I''m up to. "You nailed it right on the head. I''m searching for Kris Martim cause he''s integral to a quest I have. And this is one of the locations he could be. But since you''re here, I doubt he''s within the borders of this Kingdom. Which leaves one more." The Kingdom of Zenith is the ce that holds Kris Martim, and even the locations of where to search for him have changed on my map. The only ce that remains is Capital City Zenith. "I''ll be sure to tell Fenrir you stopped by... He hasn''t contacted you by any chance, have you?" My old friend makes it sound like Fenrir should''ve or should be contacting me. A simple shake of my head answers the question. "No, thest time I heard from Fenrir was when he helped me get my Divine Aura. He said he''ll be busy for a long time and wouldn''t be in contact for a while." The wooden doll gives a smile and walks toward me. cing a hand on my shoulder. It really does feel like a greeting from an old friend. "I hope everything continues to go well on your journies, yer Zern. Stop by when you''re not on a quest. I''d love to catch up with you. You don''t know how dull it gets being in one ce all the time." I can''t help smiling... The wooden doll sinks back into the ground, and all the people stand up from bowing. Some are sweating, and others look like it''s the greatest day of their lives. Must be pretty rare for my old friend to make an appearance. "I''ll take my leave now that I know where I''m going. I thank you all for your help. You''ve done well in rebuilding your people. And I hope your rtionship with The Dryads is still going strong." When I freed The Dryads from their curse, they opened rtions with some of my known allies. I wonder how The Dryads themselves are doing these days... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 489 Heading To Capital City Zenith [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Ezhearts, The Fairy Kingdom)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:17 AM)~~~ My eyes flutter open as I wake up. Finding an Inn to sleep inst night was the best choice. I spent extra Gold for getting a room sote. The Innkeeper wasn''t happy about someoneing in at midnight. I''m kinda nervous about heading to Capital City Zenith. It''s been a long time since I saw Amelia, and she doesn''t even know I''ming. That''s probably for the best. When I get there, I don''t want to be met with swarms of nobles and people looking to meet me or talk to me. Just going to see Amelia and finding Kris Martim is the best step. I lean up from my bed and stretch my body. I''m not going to waste any daylight, but skipping breakfast is a no-no. I heard the food is fantastic here in Ezhearts. Food that you can''t eat anywhere else in all of Gaia. I''d like to sample one of these rare and unique dishes. But none of the restaurants that serve anything are opened yet, so that means I''m leaving without something good to eat, which sucks, no doubt. After making my way out of the Inn, the streets are quickly filling with people getting ready for their days. There are some yers scattered among the many fairy people. I waste no time and toggle my wings on. People stop what they''re doing and see me, and before anyone can do something. Iunch off the ground and head for the clouds. Fairies can fly too, but not nearly as fast as me. I turn towards the direction of the marker heading for Capital City Zenith, The solitude of the sky is a part of me now, and I don''t think I can live a full life without it. I''m exaggerating, but when you''re able to fly. It''s not something you''ll give up lightly. "yers will never be able to fly as freely as I can... Some will gain spells that allow them to fly... But not soar through the clouds and feel free..." Sally is also a big fan of my ability to fly, and while Hailey didn''t like the trip over thatrge ocean. I''m betting she knows how good things for her would be if she could fly. It''ll be around 4 hours before I make it to my destination, and that means it''s a trip I can make in a single day. And still, have the rest of the day to meet up with Amelia and search for Kris Martim before the day is over. I don''t know if I''ll be able to find Kris Martim today, but I''m hot on his trail, and it''s only a matter of time until I meet the man that''s tied to my tier-up quest. I still don''t know with 100 percent certainty what Kris Martim is, but he''s likely a God. Or a direct servant of a God. I don''t know which. And that''s okay. It''s true that I don''t like not knowing things, but it''s not the end of the world when I don''t know something. There are other things on my mind, and these 4 hours alone will give me time to think about them clearly. ~~~(POV: Amelia Zern)~~~ ~~~(Location: Mansion near Capital City Zenith, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:40 AM)~~~ This morning has been nice and calm. There are no responsibilities today since it''s a day off all over The Kingdom of Zenith. Meaning I can ignore the paperwork that''s on my desk. "Lady Zern, you''ve been invited to a party tonight that''s being hosted by The King and Queen. It''d be rude to not attend. This isn''t a regr meeting for the nobles after all." All except for one thing. King Jackson and Queen Tessa have decided to host a party at the Pce tonight, and I''m not wanting to go. But my butler is making it a point to go... "I know they''re my friends, but I''ve been so busytely that I''m just wanting to take a day and do nothing. Days off like this are rare!!" I can''t help sounding like I''m whining about things. But considering my life before bing a noble, this is hardly a challenge. Besides, my kids are having too much fun today to have them settle down while I leave for a party. They earned a break from behaving perfectly for today. Just like I''ve earned a break from being a noble. So I''m not going, I''m staying home, and there is nothing that anyone can do about it. Besides, what''s with throwing a party on such short notice? We have the noble meeting a couple of days, and they''re doing this today. Sending out invites the day of! Howe they get to inconvenience everyone, and I can''t say no! "I''m not going, today is a day off, and I''m going to enjoy it. No extravagant dresses, no timetables to keep track of. I''m sorry, but my answer is no, and I don''t care what anyone thinks!" He can''t help but chuckle to himself. He fixes his sses before leaving the room and me to my breakfast. I was even able to sleep in today. That''s something that I never get to do, even when I was taking care of all my kids at the orphanage. But since I have help in people by taking care of my kids, things have gotten easier. They''ve helped ease the pain I feel about not knowing where my son is. He hasn''t contacted me at all, and I''d be lying if I said it didn''t hurt. I love my kids, but I care for my own child far more than them. It feels wrong to admit that, but it''s the truth. "I hope you''re okay out there, my son... You''re girlfriend better be taking care of you..." I didn''t kike the thought of my son traveling alone everywhere, but when he introduced me to Sally, things became easier to handle. Knowing he wouldn''t be alone. Another thing I''ve been worried about is yers. My son is one of them... Said to havee from a different world... I don''t know why my son was taken from this world and ced in the other. Just to return here again, but I won''t question things. At least, that''s what I hope has happened... Cause if not, then I can''t exin who he is or if he''s actually my son... ~~~(POV: Queen Tessa)~~~ ~~~(Location: Royal Pce in Capital City Zenith, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:05 AM)~~~ "Lady Zern has decided not toe to today''s party... I''m sorry, my Queen. She''s insistent on resting today. If one of the rare chances she gets a day off from working on the newnd." I shouldn''t be surprised. She''s been so busy with everything that she''d take the day off and not go anywhere whatsoever. I''d do the same thing in her shoes. "Thank you for informing of the noble''s decisions on the parties. Everyone ising except for Lady Zern. I was looking forward to talking with her, but that doesn''t seem to be happening." If she doesn''t want toe, we can''t force her. Not like we want to anyway. "Don''t worry. She''lle to one of the meetings or parties one of these days. She''s got the most responsibility in the Kingdom right behind me." Jackson isn''t wrong. She''s developing thend that we won in war, and that''s taking a lot of work and dedication. Besides, it''s not like the party will be any less fun without her there. She takes the attention on me when she is there, which I appreciate. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 490 An Awaited Meeting [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Amelia Zern)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside of Mansion, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:26 AM)~~~ The kids run around the gardens with smiles on their faces, and a couple of my friends drink some tea with me. I''ve made friends with some noblewoman... It was hard at first, but after I got settled in and started to learn how all this works, it got a little easier talking to others. "You know, Lady Zern. There are people talking around town about how you''ve helped the homeless and the misced children all around The Kingdom of Zenith. But I still don''t see why you''d do so much when you already have a lot on your te." My first noble friend is Viscount Marble, and the other joining us today is the Wife of Duke Opinfeld, Marie Opinfeld. Marble says things like this frequently. I''ve set up non-profit organizations to help as much as I can. Even with my responsibilities regarding the development of thend acquired in the war, I still need to help those that can''t help themselves. Kids that have been abandoned or lost their parents due to diseases, war, mistreatment by local nobles... The third is rare, but it happens here in Zenith. Those kids need a chance at life, and that''s what I''m doing. "They can talk about me all they want, but that doesn''t mean I''ll be listening. I''ve got enough going on, and listening to gossip isn''t the first on my priority list." The two apanying me let out sighs with some chuckles here and there. As noblewomen, they have as much responsibility as their husbands. The sighs are of agreement and no misunderstanding. "I think the way you handle everything is great, Lady Zern... But you do have a lot protecting you besides the King... Many nobles are still mad about how fast you rose to power, but considering who your son is, it''s not like they can say something about it." One thing I like about spending time with Marble and Marie is they tell me how it is. Even if I wouldn''t agree with it or not. But in this instance, I do agree with them. My son is my greatest protector, and even when he''s not here. People fear his wrath if they try anything with ill will. I love my son, and I''d do anything for him... There are times that I miss him so much... Those are the hardest days and the days thatst the longest. I wonder every day where he is out there in the big bad world of Gaia... I haven''t heard from him or about him in a long time... "Would you rather have someone else doing the things I''m doing? Even without my status as a noble, I''d still be able to change some lives... Now I''m just able to change more than before..." My friends stay silent at my response, and Marie''s question does echo in my mind. I''m protected by many people due to who my son is, and he''s not the only one that actively protects me. The Church of Light, King Jackson, and Queen Tessa also watch out for me. The chances I get to meet up with my friends like this are rare, and since today is a day off. There was no better time to ask them toe by. Spending the dayzing about was a good idea, but it''s better when you havepany. "I''ll tell you one thing. No matter where you are, you''d help anyone you could. Cause that''s who you are." The sudden male voice startles Marble and Marie since ites from behind us. My heart and mind freeze... I know that voice... That voice belongs to the most important person in the world to me. As we all spin to look, I see my son standing there with a smile on his face and his arms folded across his chest. His hair has gotten longer... He needs a haircut... It isn''t too long... Marble and Marie are quiet and frozen in ce. Like their seeing something that they shouldn''t be seeing. But I don''t follow their lead. I jump up from my chair, and Iunch my arms around my son. "ALMIGHTY FATHER ABOVE!! WHY DIDN''T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE HEADING HERE!?" This is the loudest I''ve been in a long time, and my yells of happiness draw the attention of the kids running around the garden. As well as, some guardse rushing from around the corners with their weapons drawn. Only to lower them seeing who I''m hugging. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside of Mansion, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:31 AM)~~~ Amelia is looking up at me with stars in her eyes as my surprise visit, and she''s also waiting for an exnation as to why I didn''t warn her I was on my way here. The two women that are here with her are looking at me with a mixture of admiration, fear, and excitement. "I didn''t want to ruin the surprise. And I''m also here on a quest. Since I''m in the area, I knew that I had to drop by." She jumps up and down in her casual clothes and wraps me in another hug. Her friend''s clothes are nobler and lessfortable. The best way to describe Amelia''s clothes is a mix between casual wear and pajamas. "This is the best surprise that I''ve had since the first day I met you!! You couldn''t havee at a better time, either! I have today off, and we can spend quality time together!! I want to hear how my son has been doing on his travels!!" My mother from Gaia is someone that I''ve grown to see as another mother. But I know that if my mom from Earth heard me calling Amelia mom, she''d lose it. So it''s best to just never have my mothers find out about each other. "And these must be your two friends. Would you mind introducing them to me? They seem a little lost for words..." My mother smiles as she turns, and she''s the shocked expressions on their faces. She grabs their hands and lifts them off their chairs. "This one is Viscount Marble, and here is my other good friend, Duchess Marie. They''re here enjoying their day off with me while the kids y." I hold out my hand in an attempt to shake their hands, but both be as rigid as statues. My mom has to guide their hands to meet mine for their handshakes. My attention turns back to Amelia, and she has a slightly confused look. "Where''s Sally? I was looking forward to talking with the sweet girl again. You didn''t break up with that beautiful and kind woman, did you!?" I slowly shake my head with a smile and take a small breath. "We''re both having to handle quests separately. Once I''m done with mine, I''ll be meeting up with her again. We talk all the time using the system." As I finish speaking, she immediately opens her system, and that''s when I see she''s turned into a yer herself. Which means she''s undergone the trials to be one. After a couple of seconds, I get a friend request, and it''s Amelia. It even shows her as my mother in the system. "Now, I''ll be able to talk with you any time I want. Do you know how much it hurt when you stopped responding to any letters I sent? I felt like I didn''t matter anymore!" Checking my mail at every ce I stop at wasn''t at the forefront of my mind, but now that she can talk to me any time she wants, I don''t think she''ll have anything toin about now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 491 Quality Time [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside of Mansion, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:40 AM)~~~ I take a seat at the table Amelia is sharing with her friends, and the kids have since gotten back to ying without any more distractions. They have a vague idea of who I am... But they''re young enough to only really care about having fun. "As much as I don''t want to ask this... How much time do I have with you?" Amelia tries to hide the pain in her question, and her friends are doing their best to getfortable around me. They''re even drinking tea now. As to her question, she won''t like my answer. I can extend my stay here for a couple of days, but it''ll never be enough for her. A mother always wants more time with their children. "I was nning to leave tomorrow..." She visibly dies a little when I say that... It sucks to have such an impact on someone... "But..." Hope immediately springs into her body, and she''s listening like I''m the only thing left in the world. "I can stay an extra day if you want me to. I know it''s been a long time... And I know that having me around is important to you... But I''ve already got a lot on my te... An extra day is all I can spare..." I could''ve worded that a bit better, but she was a little too eager for an answer fast. Waiting any longer would''ve crushed that hope. Despite the wording of my answer, she gives a smile full of happiness. However, I see her grow wary for some reason. She ces her hands on her temple and takes a deep breath. "Tomorrow is when I go back to working on thend acquired by the Kingdom. A lot of people need my signature and presence..." Ahh, the woes of a poor woman turned noble. It''s never as easy as it''s assumed. But she does have a better life now. I''m worried she''ll work herself to death, though. But since she''s talking about developingnd, that gives me an idea. "Why don''t you let me take you to where you normally go to see progress on development tomorrow? I''d love to see the projects that are being done in your name." My idea has a better effect on her than I thought it would. She immediately stands up with a smile and rushes into the house to do something. Probably tell people that are directly under her. The butler is the one that rys the messages. "Mind if I ask either of you a question?" Both Marie and Marble spit out their tea as I turn my attention to both of them. They hastily clean up the tea before it ruins their dresses. Marble looks at me with a mix of many emotions, so my eyes meet Maries next, and she takes a deep breath. "We''ll be happy to answer anything you like. As long as we know the answer." She does her best to keep her cool, and she does a good job, in my opinion. "How has my mom been handling the life of a noble? Adjusting to this life probably hasn''t been easy, and if it''s something she can''t handle. I want to know." Amelia is important to me. I think of her as a mother and someone that I want the best for. Just like she wants the best for me. And if she isn''t liking the life she has, I''ll do something about it. "She had a hard time at first, but now she''s doing better. Amelia has be beloved by many people due to her helping the poor and homeless. She''s done many great things for the Kingdom." That sounds like her... But when I look at Amelia, I see someone who''s getting run down fast. She needs to take a break and do it for more than a day every once in a while. She needs to take better care of her health. She''s a strong woman, and her body will be fine. She''s got a decent level these days, but I''m worried about her mind. Mental fatigue has just as great an effect on the body as physicalbor. "King Jackson and Queen Tessa have been taking good care of her, and with her being your mother, there isn''t anyone that would mess with her. The Church of Light even has agents protecting the perimeter of the property." My mother is considered a Saint after she was revealed. Having the backstory of giving birth to me has greatly affected her... Both in good ways and in bad ways. "May I ask you a question, Angel Zern?" Marble smacks Marie''s shoulder, but she just ignores her and waits for me to answer. I give a simple nod in confirmation, and she takes another calming breath. "There are so many stories regarding your travels and exploits across thends... I was wanting to know if they''re true..." I wouldn''t know what''s being said about me. People like to exaggerate. What people say about me when I''m not around isn''t in my control. "I couldn''t possibly know what you''ve heard about me. But anything regarding World Wide Announcements is true. Those I can confirm." They both share a look and giggle. "That''s not what we''re talking about... Many women across thends have imed to share a bed with you... And they all im the same thing... That you''re gifted down there..." Umm... What? ~~~(POV: Amelia Zern)~~~ ~~~(Location: Personal Office, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:54 AM)~~~ "I just wanted to let you know that I''m not going to be doing any paperwork tomorrow or the day after that. You''re going to have to fill in for all of that. I''m going to be busy showing my son around the newnds we acquired." King Jackson nervously adjusts his nice suit, and Tessa looks a little worried herself. It''s not every day my son stops by, and despite considering them friends, they still treat him like an Angel. "That''s perfectly fine... Are you perhaps bringing yer Zern to the party tonight? I know you said you wouldn''t be attending, but it might be fun if you brought your son along?" Queen Tessa can try all she wants, and I''m not spending a second at a party when I could be spending time with my son. Something I rarely get to do. They''ll be just fine without me and without yer Zern. And that''s all the energy I''m putting into this discussion. "No, we''ll not be attending. The nobles and the party will be just fine without us there, and nothing will be getting in the way of my time with my son." I shut off the holoprojector and make my way back outside, and I can see that something has upset my son. My two friends are sitting awkwardly in their seats, avoiding eye contact with anyone. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ,m ~~~(Location: The City of Meldro, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:12 PM)~~~ This is the first ce I''m starting my search for my father. I''ve since let Cera know about what I''m doing and where I am. It sucks that I have to start without him, but since I''m done with all my tier-up quests, everything is good. I used thest of my Gold to use a teleporter to get to this city. And I saved about 3 days walking. No airships head this way. Currently, I''m in a ce that''s called Hemlods Drinks. A popr ce here in Meldro. It''s also where you go to get the information you want about the people you''re looking for. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 492 Sally Starts Her Search [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Meldro, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:15 PM)~~~ Cera is somewhere near Zenith at the moment, and I hope that he gets whatever he''s doing done fast. I''d love to have his help with searching through Meldro City, but I''m on my own for now. The hardest part is I don''t even know what my father looks like. I only have his name. Zarmade Oryzox, firstborn prince of The Elven Kingdom, and my father. A person that was banished from his home by his own mother. My mother fell pregnant with his child, and that wasn''t the n my Grandmother, Queen Oryzox, had. Zarmade is all I know regarding my father. All I know is his name... It''s going to be difficult to find him, but I can''t help wondering what he''s been up to. Maybe he''s started a new family, and left the life he had behind him... Maybe he''s alone, keeping away from attention and trouble... It''s hard to think about it... It''s not his fault for what''s happened to me all my life... But I can''t help ming him for the life I''ve had... He''s my father... He''s supposed to protect me from the bad things in life... "Youngdy... Would you like to have your future revealed? It might bring up your spirits." My walk down the street is interrupted by the voice of an old woman. I turn and see the owner of the voice, and she smiles as I see her. If she were a yer, she wouldn''t look like this. Meaning she''s chosen to stay the way she is. "I don''t know... Is that even real? This feels more like a scam than anything..." She chuckles as I stop and don''t hold back on my thoughts. My old woman is what''s referred to as a fortune teller, and someone that makes a living off telling people''s fortunes to them... "Why don''t youe into my tent, and we can get started. If you''re not satisfied with the results, then I won''t charge you. Sound like a scam now?" That''s an approach to business that I''ve never heard of before. I don''t see the harm in doing so. She leads me into her tent, and we sit down at the table. She smiles at me as she reaches out her hand for me to take. "What I need is for you to channel your feelings and emotions into me. And also remember the best times of your life, and when you''ve felt the safest." Instead of arguing, I just do as she asks, and I close my eyes and think about the things she wants me to think about. "Hmm... Ahh... Yeees..." As I open my eyes, I see her eyes closed. She lets go of my hand and ces her hands on her crystal ball. "You''re searching for a man... One much older than you... Someone that should''ve been familiar, but isn''t..." Wow... She''s really good... How could she know any of this? Maybe she has a special ss that allows her to do these sorts of things. "This man isn''t someone that you love... But more resent... However, I feel a deep love for another... A young one... An Angel in your eyes..." Cera literally is an Angel... But she wouldn''t know that Cera is my boyfriend. It seems that all she can do is see what I''ve given her. This has been an interesting experience, and she doesn''t look like she''s done yet. "The older man you''re looking for... I can see him... He''s living in a nice home outside of Meldro to the East... The young man you''re waiting for is with another woman..." The second those words leave her mouth, I check the location and status of Cera. He''s in Capital City Zenith, but he''s not cheating on me... The other woman must be Amelia. He''s visiting her right now. After settling my fears, I go through what she said again. My father is in a nice home outside of Meldron to the East... Meaning she''s just saved me a bunch of time... But I''ve spent all my money getting here using the teleportation gate... I feel bad cause I didn''t think she''d be legit... And now I don''t have any money to pay her in thanks for her services... "That''s all I can get at the moment... I''m exhausted after that... Would you be a dear and get me some water from the sink over there..." I do as she asks, and I get her some water. I bring it back, and she gently takes a few sips. She smiles as she ces the water on the table. "I''m sorry... I don''t have any money to pay you since I spent the rest using the teleportation gate getting here... Is there any way I can pay you back with help or work?" I don''t want to leave this old woman high and dry after all the amazing things she''s just done, and she said that if I found her services worth anything, I''d pay her. "Oh, that''s alright, dear. I can sense that there are a lot of things going on in your life, despite being older than me. You''ve still got a very long road ahead of you... There is something that I wish to warn you about... Beware of wolves in sheep''s clothing..." The warning she gives me is a little ominous, but I take it for what it''s worth... Wolf in sheep''s clothing... I don''t know why, but I think she''s referring to my father... The man that I''m here looking for... It''s a gut feeling I have. "Thank you for all your help, and I hope that I''ll see you again before I''m done here in Meldro." She nods her head as I leave, and I make my way through town. I didn''t expect to find my father so fast... Maybe the man outside the city isn''t my father but has a clue about where he is... Maybe he''s a wolf in sheep''s clothing... Perhaps I jumped to a conclusion about my dad... There isn''t a way to be sure without going to check it out, but I am worried about how I should approach this. Wealthy nobles usually have private property outside cities. I''ll have to ask around about the man I''m going to see before I actually see him. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside Mansion, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:40 PM)~~~ Amelia''s friends left a while ago, and all the kids are being taken care of by the maids and butlers around the mansion. I''m sitting in her office as she shows me diagrams and maps of thend she''s developing. "Since you''re the noble in charge of thesends, you get to decide what to do with thend. King Jackson only gets to force development for around 30 percent of it. The other 70 percent is yours." She lets out a long sigh, understanding what I''m talking about. It''s funny considering that she''s been somitted to this, and a sigh like that sounds like one of defeat. "I know, but I don''t know what to do with it. So many nobles, merchants, and everyday people have been pestering me about it. Every day it''s none stop." I feel bad for Amelia... She''s doing most of this on her own... Everything except for the building and funds needed for thend. Other than that, she''s the brain and nervous system of this massive undertaking. "You know it''s okay to take a break once in a while. All of us need one." Before she can respond, her personal butler enters the room and has a cart full of food and drinks. Seems like it''s meal time... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 493 An Evening Walk [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Walking Country Side of Capital City Zenith, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:30 PM)~~~ Amelia came up with the good idea of going for a walk in the countryside around Zenith City. She enjoyed the short flight here. It helps that she closed her eyes most of the way. Turns out, she''s scared of heights, which I didn''t know before. We''re walking side by side in silence, and there are still a couple of hours of daylight left. Capital City Zenith is off to our left, and fields with crops are off on the right. Beyond those fields are forests. Amelia has been quiet for a while now, but she''s got a happy grin. I wouldn''t know the joy a parent has when spending time with a child. It''s different whenpared to other joys. That''s all I know. "You''ve been quiet... I don''t want to seem rude, but you usually never stop talking when I''m around." I don''t want to hurt her feelings, but it''s the only way to broach the subject. When someone isn''t acting like themselves, it''s okay to ask what''s going on. "I''ve just been thinking a lot about my future... I''ve gained years to my youth thanks to bing a yer, but now I feel like I''ve regained all those years with my job as a noble... I have days where I want to grab the kids and run away..." She might not know howmon that is when someone with her type of life undergoes massive changes. To be honest, I don''t even know what her dreams are... She might not even know... "Well... What''s something you''ve always wanted to do? The thing that you''d call a dream. Everyone has one, and don''t say giving your kids a better ce to live or making better lives for the less fortunate. Cause dreams are supposed to be selfish." Thatst part is just my opinion. While dreams in themselves can be selfless in nature, chasing your dreams takes selfishness. People don''t understand that selfishness isn''t always rted to doing something bad. She stops in her tracks, and I see a look of confusion on her face. But her eyes are locked on the ground, and her world looks like it''s spinning. "I... I don''t know... Is it alright to say that I''m living my dream now? Giving better lives to those who need it, and raising the kids in the best environment possible... Is that a bad dream to have?" Amelia has never given thought to a selfish dream... Most people have more than one dream... The fact this is the only one she''s had doesn''t surprise me. It''s time thaty down another hard question for her to answer. "Do you know who you are outside the loving mother and phnthropist you are? When was thest time you sat down and thought about who you really are? You''re an amazing person and a wonderful mother, Amelia. But you need to find out who you are outside the charity bank." That''s the best way I can describe Amelia. A charity bank, and that''s not a bad thing. I just want her to think about who she is outside that identity she''s crafted. Everyone hasyers to them, and if they don''t. They eventually will from the choices they make. She grabs her elbows and takes a deep breath as she looks toward Capital City Zenith. I walk over to her and stand next to her. Looking in the same direction she is. "You''re not supposed to be asking me these things at such a young age... I''m the one that should be asking you this..." Her voice has a mixture of exasperation, happiness, and some pride. "I don''t have an answer to any of those questions... I''ve been so focused on others my entire life, that I don''t know who I am as a person... But maybe I should as you the same thing... Do you know who you are?" There are a lot of things she could''ve said to me, but I''m surprised that she turned my question around on me. She''s picked up more from the nobles than she''d like to admit... And that''s a question that I don''t want to answer. "A monster." She looks at me with wide eyes as I stare into the city... It''s the best answer I coulde up with... I''m a ticking time bomb of psychosis... Inconsistencies have built up within my personality, and I''ve gained contradictory habits. Not to mention a homicidal and bloodthirsty streak. There is a numbness in me... A switch that I can flip and turn into a different person... I''m a sociopath. That''s guaranteed. But sometimes, there are moments that all my regard for other people and creatures... Die... In me. Having that distinction is what separates the monster from the rest of the world. And when I flip that switch, it disappears. "You are NOT a monster! You here me!" I failed to realize the world around me when silent, and I sunk into myself. The only thing that brought me back was Amelia raising her voice. "You are a good man that does what he thinks is right. And you''ve always protected the people who are innocent and have done you''re best to help anyone who deserved it. I know cause I remember the announcements from The Church before I became a yer." There are two sides to every coin, and the same can be said about people... Amelia thinks too highly of me, and she doesn''t question a single thing I do. All because she thinks I''m her son when I''m not. I''ve done some good things... But I''ve done some worse things... "A mother''s opinion is always on the side of their children, mom... If you knew about some of the things, I''ve done... The truth... You''d never want to see me again... You''d even condemn me..." She looks heartbroken by my words, and she tries so hard to find words as she holds back tears. Her hands can''t find a good ce to rest on me. She takes them on and off like I''m some damaged object. Her tears are falling hard, and her eyes are getting redder by the second. "I don''t know where you got it in your head that any of the things you''re saying are true. But they''re not. You hear me! Why is your opinion of yourself so low?! That insults everyone whos close to you and calls you a friend! Do you even realize that!?" That''s because I lie to everyone I''ve ever met... Even Sally... The only one that knows the entire truth about me is Hailey, and I told her because we''re the same person. Hailey and I are different in certain ways, but my sister and I both made decisions we had no business making. She wraps her arms around me and hugs me. Holding me as tight as she can, but to her, it''s like trying to hug steel. But that doesn''t stop her. She closes her eyes and rests her head on my shoulder. Crying at the same time. "No matter what you think of yourself... I''ll always love you, no matter what... I''d give up everything and the world if it meant I could change your mind... But I can''t do that... Change can only happen when you want it to... Another person can''t force it..." And she tells me that I''m too young to be as smart as I am... There are demons in my head and life I need to face, one day... And I don''t know what''ll happen to the people in my life when I do... There are so many people in my life, that I don''t deserve... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 494 Changing Topics [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Walking Country Side of Capital City Zenith, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:50 PM)~~~ Amelia is having a hard time given the direction the conversation has turned. Neither of us expected to have a conversation like this. One where we contemte purpose to life. I haven''t asked myself if I''m living the life I want to live. She brings up a great point that change has to ur when you want it to. It can''t just happen on its own. "I''m sorry for bringing up such a hard discussion... You probably have questions you want to ask me. Things about my travels. I''m ready to answer any questions you have." She''s decided to take a seat on a rock and is trying to get her mind off what I''ve said. It''s not something a parent wants to hear, but it''s unavoidable. The truth is there. A long sigh escapes her lips, and I see that all the stress she''s been holding in hase out. It''s weighing down on her. Even though she''s regained her youth, she''s going to age like milk at this rate. "Sometimes... I just want to run away from it all... Just leave and nevere back... I get so tired of everyone wanting to know me or see me... To talk to me or meet me... The only time I''m alone is when I''m in my office or bed..." I couldn''t imagine living a life like that... Her caring and kind nature havee back to bite her. Everyone gets tired of it eventually... Living such a selfless life... All the people important to me are the reason I do what I do... I came back in time to fix my family... Everything I''ve ever done... It''s been for them... And right now, Amelia needs to hear something important. "Then run." The wordse out of my mouth, and it''s like Amelia''s world freezes in time. I can see it in her eyes and body. What I''ve just said has stopped her in her thoughts. She raises her head and looks at me. A dumbfounded expression on her face, and I know what it''s from. It''s because of her connection with her kids. If they didn''t exist, she''d be free. Her speechlessness is telling me that this is the first time she''s seen this side of me. The one that I call a monster. She doesn''t owe anyone anything, and the kids she''s taken in are not as important as she is. She values herself by how she cares for others. Doing that will only lead to darker ces that you can''t get out of. She needs to be someone that isn''t tied to another person. "Umm..." She tries to talk, but she gets nothing out. Seems that what I''ve said is something she''s never expected from me. "If you want to leave all of this behind, you can. You''re allowed to live." Living, surviving, thriving... All of them are different things used for different lifestyles. But none of them describe Amelia. The best word to describe Amelia is... ve. She''s a ve to the needs of others. She always puts others before herself. A ve to their needs. Excluding the fact she rejects many nobles, there isn''t anything she wouldn''t do if someone came to her needing her. And thus, desperate people havee to take advantage of her. "I don''t know how to respond to that... Why would you say that?" There is a desperation in her voice, but I can''t tell if it''s from my words, or because she agrees with me. I''m not a mind reader. "Because no one in your life is going to tell you." My meaning has a bigger effect than I thought. She actually visibly recoils. There is a long silence between us, and we sit here in this one spot for hours. Not speaking a word. The sun goes down, and the lights of the city fill our view. It doesn''t dim the night sky on this clear night. The temperature has dropped, and I can only think that Amelia has moved because she doesn''t want to go back home. As I stand up, she doesn''t react. It''s gettingte, and the night is a sign that you should be home. But Amelia probably doesn''t feel that way right now. "You''ve been thinking about what I said for too long. There is no hidden meaning behind it. It''s just my opinion. Something that I would do." Being honest like this with Amelia is something he needs. I''ve worn a mask around her for a long time. I can be like this with Sally because she''s like me in many ways. Once a weak, fragile person turned strong given that one chance too. Amelia hasn''t been through the same things Sally and I have. Sally had a horrible life, and I lost pretty much everything I ever loved. When I was given a chance to change that, I took it. That situation is what''s happening to Amelia right now. She''s thinking about leaving. And for the first time in all the time I''ve known her. She is thinking about herself. "Take me back to the mansion." Her few words tell me more than she''d ever say at this moment. She doesn''t think of the mansion as a home. That''s why she called it a mansion. Without another word, I open my wings up, and she stands and holds onto me. I take off, and we glide through the clouds. I''m taking it slow so she can enjoy it. "Would it be wrong or evil of me if I said that I want to keep flying and nevere back? Would you do it if I asked?" She''sing to a decision and one that''ll form the rest of her life for a long time. And I''m not going to make it easy for her. "You''ll have to ask me, mom." Those simple words cause her to freeze up, and I don''t know what''ll happen next. The mansion is, at tops, a couple of minutes away. She has that much time left. I look at her, and she looks to be on the verge of a breakdown, and one I''ve seen before. Both on my mom from Earth and on Hailey. It happens when someone makes a life-altering decision. "It scares me... To think about this... To consider it..." There isn''t much more time cause when wend back at the mansion. She''ll be forced to let it go and get sucked into a life that doesn''t make her happy. Not the happiness that she wants. "It scared me too. When I had to make a decision like this." Normally she''d start bombarding me with questions about what I meant and what I''ve been through to know that. She''d be worrying as a dotting mother would. Instead, she stays quiet and keeps her eyes tightly shut. Before she cane to an answer, I bring us down to the ground andnd in the central courtyard. The guards flinch and straighten up. The sudden and unexpected entrance has been frightened As I let Amelia go, she fixes how she looks and walks to the door. She turns around and looks at me with a smile. Waiting for me to follow her inside. "I don''t have to make a decision yet. You''re not leaving until the day after tomorrow." Now she''s just putting off the inevitable. But if that''s how she copes, I won''t stop it. It''sing, and nothing will change that. She''ll need to confront it. "Yeah, but if you don''t make one by the time I leave. You''ll never sleep again. Trust me. It''ll keep you awake forever." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 495 Nervous [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Meldro, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:17 PM)~~~ I''m doing what I can to build up my courage to meet my father... I''ve decided to wait until tomorrow and head to his home in the morning. Well... I can''t say he is my father... The fortune-teller warned of wolves in sheep''s clothing. Meaning the man I''m meeting tomorrow could just be someone connected to my father. It''s impossible to say at the moment. I''m mixed with emotions, and it''s moments like these I wish Cera were here. The temptation to open my yer Interface and contact Cera is overwhelming. He''d know what to do and help me handle a situation this delicate. The soft bed I''mying on is taking some of the stress away. It feels good to be in a nice Inn room. But it''s been hard to sleep some nights without Cera next to me. Meeting him in Capital City Avalon made the trips without him a bit easier, but the pain is creeping back. "I shouldn''t be wasting any more time... Cera would know what to do..." My Friends List is open in the next second, and I click on Cera''s name. And the keyboard pops up for me to start writing. [Thought I''d get a hold of you and let you know how things are going. Tomorrow, I''m meeting a man that could know where my father is. But there is a small chance he''s dangerous. I got a warning about him, and I want to know what you''d do in a situation like this.] After I finish typing, I send the message. It took me some time to get used to a keyboard, and I''m trying to get better at typing. Cera taught me about it. It''s another form ofmunicating from his world. His home, Earth, is likely gone. I''d be lying if I said I didn''t want to know what his world looked like, but from the way he described it, it''s not something you want to see. Pollution and overpoption destroyed his world. But things that happened on his world won''t happen here. At least, I don''t think they would. It takes a few minutes, but he messages me back. And it''s just like Cera to say something like this. [I doubt there is anyone in the small city of Meldro that could hurt you, but you could always run a little recon. Follow the man, learn his schedule, and find out who he is before confronting him. The worst predators are the ones that blend in.] That''s the best idea I''ve heard. But he''s the only one I''ve talked to, to be fair. Finding out more about this guy could give me an advantage I wouldn''t have if I just walk up to him. I know where he lives, and that''s where I should start tomorrow. Before anyone gets up, I''ll be heading to his home in the east and waiting to watch him. It sounds a little creepy, but if this guy is a parasite, I want to know before dealing with him. [Thanks for the help! I never considered stalking because it''s not something I''d do. But this is perfect for the situation at hand. How is everything going with Amelia? I figure if you''re in Zenith, you''d be visiting her for the moment.] Amelia is a good woman, but I worry for her. She does so much for so many people and never takes breaks. After another minute, I get a message back, and it''s not one I''d have liked to have read. [Amelia is in a personal crisis at the moment. She''s struggling with her new life, and she''s even asked me about running away from all this and living a life that''s hers. I told her that it''d have to be her decision and that it''s only my opinion.] That would be scary for anyone. I was surprised to have seen her adjust to the noble life as well as she did, but I guess things didn''t go that well on the inside... [There isn''t much I can say about this topic... I hope that everything goes well on your end and hers. I look forward to seeing you when you''re finished with thest of your tier-up quests. Please, keep me updated.] The message is sent, and I stare at the ceiling of my room. Cera is probably sleeping in a bigger bed than I am right now and in a nice mansion too. There is a problem that I need help with. I''m out of gold, and there are no quests or missions around Meldro that pay. This ce has all of its quests monopolized by The Adventurers Guild. Meaning yers can''t get ess to them without being a part of the guild. I''m tempted to ask Cera for some gold... But we''d have to go theplicated way of doing it where I put up an item for auction, and then he buys it. And I don''t like using the Auction House. The system makes it easy, but it takes a cut of 9 percent. I also don''t like using him for things like this. I''m responsible for my own problems, and I don''t want to bug him about it. After a few minutes, I get Cera''s final message for the night. [Yeah, but she''s a strong woman and will be able to live with whatever decision she makes, but let me know how I can help you with anything. We''re a team and a couple.] It''s not hard to love Cera... But there are many people who would hate him. His personality, his choices, just the person that he is... It takes a damaged person to like another. If you can''t rte to Cera, then you''d hate him. ? And some would hate him because he rtes to him too much, and their own self-hate is projected on him. It''s a fine line for Cera, and the people close to him are there because they see a part of them in him. It''s the reason we get along so well and don''t have any problems. Why we are this way, it''s good to have differences with your partner, but you''d need to have some opposition too. And Cera and I share qualities like that. But that''s enough of thinking or talking about Cera. I''ve got toe up with a n to stay undetected as I watch this guy. Stealth isn''t something that I have a lot of experience in, but this is a perfect opportunity to learn. ~~~(POV: Amelia Zern)~~~ ~~~(Location: In bed in Mansion, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:32 PM)~~~ What my son has said to me today has been echoing inside my mind for a long time. I don''t know all the things he''s been through, but he''s a tough person that tells you how it is. And you only get that way after being exposed to some rough stuff. "Running away..." This is the main subject on my mind... He doesn''t know the gravity of the situation... If I run away, I''m abandoning all the people who care, count on, and trust me... I''ve never been at a crossroads like this. Not since I had to give up my son... That day was the worst day, and it was also the same day I had to make a life-altering decision. "It''s the same as back then... My son... Was taken from me and given to another family in another world... Michael told me that this should never be known... But he deserves to know that his family from Earth isn''t his..." The truth... That no one but Michael, The Almighty Father, and I know... Michael said The Almighty Father told the rest of the Gods a lie... That the power was from the amulet... But that''s just to protect my son... Radueriel Zern... That''s your real name... Cera... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 496 Radueriel Zern [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Amelia Zern)~~~ ~~~(Location: In bed in Mansion, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:44 PM)~~~ Michael said that I must never tell Cera... Radueriel... The truth... Everything that''s happened so far in his life will be jeopardized... But I''m so tired of having to lie to my son... He thinks that he''s keeping a secret from me. Radueriel thinks that he''s from another world and not my son. I don''t know how he''d react if I told him, and there would be consequences for me... "Michael said that when the time was right... He''d tell him the truth... Cera... Radueriel... Our son... The whole story and why everything has gone the way it has." I should enjoy the time I have with him now, and I''m actually excited to show him thends being developed tomorrow. Even though I''m not a fan of flying, it''s better than taking a carriage or walking. The teleportation gates are what we''ve been usingtely, but I''ll get to spend more time with him if I let him fly us there. Radueriel doesn''t know how hard it''s truly been for me... Lying since the first moment I met him. He''se a long way since I saw him that day... And it helps that I''ll be able to talk to him any time I want now using the system. He''s probably talking to some of his family from Earth... The family that took him in... Michael said that they''d believe he is their son. False memories would be ced within their minds. That Radueriel would have to undergo a trial... One that would take everything he had loved on Earth away from him... When the trial was over... He''d find what was needed to turn back the clock... Blue Chaos was an identity that Michael created. A way to guide Radueriel in the beginning. We''ve told so many lies to so many people... "When you do learn the truth one day... I hope it''s you who can forgive me... And I pray that your mother from Earth can ept this truth..." I couldn''t imagine what she''d go through when this is revealed... The child she loves dearly isn''t even hers... That would break anyone''s heart... Just thinking about it makes my stomach turn a little. My eyes are starting to get heavier, and I''m getting ready to sleep. My mind drifts back to running away, and I''vee to a decision. I''ll remain here and continue the n The Almighty Father has... ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: In Bed in Mansion, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:07 PM)~~~ I''ve talked with Mom and Dad for a little while and checked in with Marcus too. They''re all doing good, and they''re actually meeting up in Avalon now that they''re done with their tier-up quests. Which means I''m thest person in our little group who hasn''t finished his tier-up quest. It''s funny cause I was wanting to be the first one done. But it''s taken some time to find Kris Martim. Sally getting a hold of me was also nice. She''s making a lot of ground in her search for her father, which is awesome, in my opinion. All on her own. She''ll be fine on her own, and I do hope to help her in person before she finds the man. But at the rate she''s making progress, I don''t know if that''s possible. "Everyone is doing great and thriving on their own... I miss them... More than I thought I would..." Mainly my family... The only person I haven''t talked to yet is Hailey. I''ll be honest. I''m not upset anymore about the prank she pulled on Sally that was meant for me. It was pretty eye-opening in terms of how Hailey and I function together. I open my Friends Tab and click on her name. It''s time that I have a chat with my sister. She''s family, and I can''t stay mad at her forever. [I just got done talking to Mom and Dad. Checking in with you too. How have things been since you finished up your tier-up quest? I haven''t heard from you in a while, and I''m getting a little worried. You wouldn''t stay away for long even if I said to.] The message is sent, and I wait infortable silence. I don''t know if she''ll get back to me tonight, but I do know that she''ll get back to me. I don''t know if Sally will ever forgive Hailey, but they''re going to have to talk one day soon. About 15 minutes go by, and I get a message back. I didn''t expect an answer tonight. She must be on a quest or something. [I''m doing good. It''s been pretty boring without anyone I know here with me. Reaching out to me must mean that you''ve forgiven me, right? Cause I''m tired of being everyone''s enemy...] Now I do feel like a piece of crap. One that isn''t worthy of being called a brother. I had a right to be angry, but I didn''t have the right to make her feel like an enemy. [I''ve forgiven you, Hailey. And you''ve never been an enemy. I was worried about you. You haven''t gotten ahold of me in a while, and I figured that you were waiting for me to contact you. What have you been up to?] I''m interested in what she''s doing on her own. Being the wielder of a Legendary ss means she''s got the ability to take on some difficult quests and make an impact wherever she is. It takes a minute for her to respond, but she does, and I smile as I read it. [I''ve actually been helping a small farmingmunity that''s being terrorized by bandits and monsters. It''s the farthest south I''ve been so far. The heat is pretty crazy down here, but the people are amazing. I''ve also met the Brazilian yer Community.] Different parts of the world were spawned and started at different parts of The Ancients World when the game was first released. South America had its own continent. Just like the rest of the world. She''s gone a pretty long way from the continent US yers spawned on. I guess she figured the farther away she was, the easier it''d be for her to handle everything that happened. [That''s awesome, Hailey!! I''ve never been to the home continent of the Brazilian yers. Not even in my old life. So you''re getting to do something that even I haven''t experienced before. I''m a little jealous.] I am genuinely jealous that she''s getting to experience the Brazilian yer continent. I''ve heard that it''s one of the more beautiful ces that The Ancients World had... I should be saying Gaia... I''ve always wanted to check it out, and now she''s there having fun. [Yeah, everyone is way nicer down here. It''s hard tomunicate sometimes, though. Finding yers and shop owners that speak English has been difficult. Many of which look at me like I''m an idiot tourist, which I hate.] "Sounds like an adventure for the ages... I should tell her that Mom and Dad are meeting up with Marcus, and she should meet up with them too." [I thought I should let you know that Mom, Dad, and Marcus are all meeting up in Avalon soon. Sally and I aren''t done with what we''re after, so it''s still going to be a while.] It takes a couple of minutes, but she responds. [Mom and Dad got a hold of me a while ago about it. I''ve decided to finish all the things I''m doing down here beforeing back up. Thanks for getting in contact with me. Love ya, little brother!] She''s doing good on her own, and I can only hope that everything continues to go well for her. Hailey deserves just as much fun and memories as the rest of us. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 497 Brazilian Player Continent [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Farming Vige Ludor, The Duchy of Bordossa, Brazilian yer Continent)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:35 PM)~~~ A couple has been nice enough to let me sleep in their guest bedroom for the night since I''m the one protecting the vige. My quest is Rare in Grade, and all I have to do is defend the vige for 5 days against attacks from the outside. It''s already been 4 days, and tomorrow will be thest and strongest wave. The first two days, it was monsters, and thest two days has been bandits. I don''t know what thest day has in store, but I''m interested to see. Cera and I are on good terms again. I hope. He''s never been one to hold a grudge or stay angry at someone for very long. It''s one of his better qualities, in my opinion. And I''ve yet to hear anything from Sally, which is understandable after what I did. She may not ever forgive me, but I can try my hardest to earn it. She''s be a really good friend and someone that I can trust. To have destroyed that with the prank that was meant for Cera was never something I wanted to do. And it says a lot about me that I think it''s okay for Cera to go through something like that, but not anyone else... There are times when Cera and I are overly cruel and violent to one another. But this isn''t the first time something like this has happened. When we weren''t on speaking terms. There have been a couple of times in the past growing up. Those neversted too long, and we''re always making sure that if it''s really our fault, we apologize. Something that Mom and Dad made sure to hammer into us. "Speaking of my family... It seems like everyone is having fun on our home continent." Technically, when The Ancients World was released, and all the American yers logged on, it was called the American yers continent. All majorndmasses andrge poptions had something like this... It was a brilliant design, in my opinion. The Chinese government banned the game in their country, but that didn''t stop people in china from getting the game and ying it. I''m willing to bet that the Chinese yers that actually made it to this world from Earth are low. But not the lowest. There are billions that have died because there wasn''t enough time to prepare for The Collision. "The yers are starting to really connect more... From all over Gaia..." I''ve heard rumors that the old leaders of Earth are gathering soon, and are to discuss things. Try to rally the remaining poption. I don''t think it''s hopeless for that to happen, but there are many that don''t want to return to the old ways of Earth. Billions of yers have settled into this new world and are happy with it. And that''s not going to change. I wonder what Cera would think of all this... It''s interesting, but he''s not that big on politics. "Miss..." I hear a small voicee from the doorway of the bedroom, and I lift my head to see a little girl. The daughter of the couple that''s letting me sleep here. She''s holding a little stuffed teddy bear as she peeks around the corner. I don''t know why she''s here, but she looks scared. I lean up and wave her over. She walks in, and her bare feet shuffle across the carpet. "Hey... What''s wrong? I could''ve sworn your parents put you to bed." She sits next to me on the bed and hugs her little friend a little tighter. "I''m scared... Every day our vige is attacked all the time... But they haven''t gotten into the city for thest few days... It makes me wonder what they''re nning..." Most of the younger kids don''t know that I''m handling the infestation of monsters and bandits. I take care of theing attack each day before anyone in the vige can see what''s happening. Only the adults know that I''m handling things. So seeing the break in the pattern is worrying some of the young ones. Whye to me and not her parents? I don''t know. "There is nothing to be afraid of. After tomorrow, all the bandits and monsters will be gone forever. I promise." I''m not the best when ites to taking care of kids, and it''s obvious since my words have no effect on helping her. "How do you know, though... What if they''re just staying away toe back and kill us all... What will we do if that happens..." She''s way more knowledgeable about the cruelties of this world than someone her age should be. But I shouldn''t be surprised. The only door in the house is the front one, and the entire vige is poor and run down. "I''ll tell you what... If you don''t worry about it and go back to bed, I''ll tell you a secret that no one else knows." My voice is a whisper, and she looks at me with some hope as she nods her head. "I''m the one protecting your vige. I''ve made sure that no bandits or monsters have bothered anyone. Do you think you can keep it a secret until tomorrow?" She nods her head slowly and has a smile on her face. Her little legs move fast as she leaves my room and heads back to hers. I take a breath and pinch the bridge of my nose. "It''s always the kids that suffer..." ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inn Room, The City of Meldro)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:16 AM)~~~ "Ha... Ah... Ah..." I wake up out of breath again as I experience the same nightmare I''ve been suffering through the past week. The scene of Cera and that girl are ying over and over in my head, and it''s not going away. After seeing that illusion, it messed me up, and I haven''t gotten a good night''s sleep in a long time. Cera isn''t to me, and I don''t have any me for him. It''s Hailey''s fault this is happening. Things are going to get worse between us before they get better. After what she made me watch, I don''t think that''s ever going away for me. It''s already early, and I don''t know whether or not I should stay up. I take a deep breath and rub my forehead. It''s never easy when it''s just me... If Cera were here, I know the nightmare wouldn''t be here... I just know it... But since he''s gone, I can''t help thinking about it. I wish there was something I could do to get rid of the feeling and memory. "No one''s open right now... and because of my nightmares, I don''t want to sleep... This sucks... I need a fix of Cera if I''m going to get better... But there is no way that''s happening any time soon." The window lets in some cool air, and I decide to lean up and look out of it. Meldro is small, and out of the way. In terms of importance to The Kingdom of Avalon, it pretty much has none. Yet people still call this ce home, which is interesting to me. People will make a home anywhere as long as the ones you love are with you... I hope one day Cera and I can settle down... Start a family and live our days out in peace... Since Cera is an Angel, he''s immortal in the sense he''ll never die from old age. And since I''m a pure-blooded elf, I''ll live forever as long as I don''t die. We''re two immortals. It''s a discussion that''s too soon to have with Cera, but it''s on my mind... It''ll have to be after everything is done. When we''re done adventuring, and there is nothing left to do. But I don''t see that being 100 percent true. There will always be something to do, and maybe we can start an adventuring family. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 498 Breakfast And Takeoff [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: In Mansion, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:41 AM)~~~ It takes a second to get my eyes open, but after I get the crust out, it''s easier to get up. I make my way to the bathroom attached to my bedroom. The bed was like sleeping on a cloud, and it was one of the rare times I slept through the whole night. As I leave bed and head for the balcony to look at the views, my thoughts about today''s trip fill my head. Amelia is going to show me all the things she''s been working on in the newnds acquired in the war. After a few minutes of sitting on the balcony alone, a knock on the door leading outside grabs my attention, and I turn to see the butler. "Angel Zern. Your Mother is preparing breakfast downstairs. Do you care to join us?" It doesn''t surprise me that Amelia is the one cooking. She cooked every day for those kids. And I don''t see how that would change even though she lives here now. "Yeah, I think that''d be a great idea. I''ve not had one of Amelia''s meals in a long time." Thest time I had food that was cooked by Amelia was when I first met her, and she had me stay over at the orphanage. Speaking of the kids, I doubt she''s going to run away and leave them alone. Amelia isn''t the type of person to do that. The butler leads the way to the dining hall, and I see all the kids are present. Some are talking, and others are just starting to wake up. It''s pretty early in the morning to some. As I sit down, none of the kids are less distracted by what they''re currently doing. That''s something I like about kids. If they don''t want to give you attention, they won''t. And since they don''t know how important I am, they don''t have any interest in me. They''re all too young to understand anything regarding what I am and what I''m doing. It''s a breath of fresh air. I look around the room, and I see maids and butlers watching me with nervous looks. They don''t have the innocence of children, and, thus, know who I am. Many would say that I have nothing toin about, but that never stops anyone fromining. "Angel Zern... Would you like some coffee or tea while you wait for Lady Zern to finish preparing breakfast?" Amelia''s personal butler is someone that does his job well and keeps hisposure no matter what, and I can respect that. But given his question it, gives me an idea. "Actually, take me to the kitchen. I''d like to help my Mother make today''s breakfast. It''s not an opportunity thates along often, after all." He gives a humble smile and steps away from my chair to give me room to stand. He leads me to the door and to the kitchen. "Son of a Bitch!!" Before I can even open the door, there are loud crashes behind it. I look at the butler, and he just smiles and stays stoic. Regr urrence then... I gently push the door open and see Amelia all by herself. She turns her head to me as I enter, and at first, there is a giant smile. But she looks at the mess surrounding her. And she doesn''t look that proud of herself. "I''m sorry... It''s been so long since I cooked for the kids that I forgot how much work it is... I''ve never worked in this kitchen, so I don''t know where everything is..." My assumption that she makes food for the kids was wrong. Wasn''t the first time and won''t be thest. "Would you like some help with all this? It doesn''t seem like something you can do on your own." Knowing her, she won''t ept the help. But I''m being polite in asking. Even if she says no, I''m still going to help her. A long sigh escapes her, and I can''t help feeling her exhaustion. She''s probably been up all night. Typical Amelia... Doing more than what''s required of her... "Let me get some of the chefs to handle this... I don''t know what I was thinking when I thought I could be the one to cook all the food when I haven''t stepped foot in this kitchen before." I''m honestly surprised to hear that. I guess she''s learned to ept things more than I thought. She walks over to me and presses a button on the wall. A couple of secondster, an assortment of cooks enters the kitchen. "I apologize for thinking I could do all of your jobs on my own. Now, I hope all of you can take care of the mess without me. And still, make us all breakfast." They all bow with a smile and start to clean up the mess and cook. We leave the kitchen, and we walk back to the dining room. Well, one of the dining rooms her this massive mansion. The kids get excited seeing Amelia, and she spends time talking to each one as I watch. Amelia''s butler stands next to me and watches too. "All the kid''s Amelia brought with her have grown on us... Sometimes, they can be a bit of a pain. But they make this ce feel alive. I don''t want to think about it if they weren''t here." There are some people that need human contact... People that need to talk to others or take care of another. Amelia is one of those people. I''m not. It''s funny how different we are, and yet we get along so well. Sometimes, I wonder what my life would''ve been like if Amelia was my Mother. She''s my in-game Mother. The Mother of the ss that I''m using. It''s part of the story that surrounds this ss... ~~~(POV: Amelia Zern)~~~ ~~~(Location: Outside Mansion, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:28 AM)~~~ We finished eating a while ago, and Radueriel stands in the middle of the garden with his wings spread. He''s got many names these days... He''s known as yer Zern to the world, and Cera Adamo to those closest to him... To The Almighty Father, to me, and to Michael, he''s Radueriel Zern. A name that no one else knows. He turns to me with a smile and gets on one knee. "You''re riding on the back. It''s morefortable this way." I do as my son says, and I get on his back. He stands straight up and flexes his wings before weunch off the ground. "WAAHHH!!" I can''t stop the surprised squeal froming out of my mouth. The little shit didn''t give me a warning. He chuckles to himself as we cut through clouds and move around way more than necessary. "A little warning would''ve been nice!!" Instead of answering me, he increases his speed even more and even dives. I scream like a little girl that''s running from her Daddy when she''s little, and they''re ying. I''m holding on for dear life, and he speeds up even more. "Open your eyes, Mom! You''re going to miss the best part!!" I slowly open my eyes, and I see what he means. We''re high enough to be above the clouds, but we''ve entered a broken-up part, and the ground is visible. It''s actually one of the best views I saw. Last night I didn''t look at any views because I was too focused on the things that Radueriel said to me. "This is amazing!!" There is no more holding back my excitement, and it''s always fun when my son is here. No matter what, it''s always making me smile. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 499 A Trip To Amelias Territory [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Amelia Zern)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:39 AM)~~~ Never have I had such fun traveling before! Flying is the best! "So you travel everywhere like this?" Radueriel smiles as he ps his wings again to maintain our high speed. Since he''s half-angel, flyinges as a natural instinct. It probably didn''t take him long to get the hang of it when he first got his wings. "For the most part. Sometimes, I travel by carriage or airship to keep a low profile. There are times I don''t want to reveal who I am. People can get in the way from time to time." I''ll tell you what... If I could fly like this, I''d be in the sky more than I''d be on the ground. Being unbound from the world is something many people don''t know about. Airships are the only way a normal person can experience flying. And an airship isn''tparable to this. Not even close. But it''s nice to have my son in my arms for a change. Hugging him as he flies isn''t a good excuse to hug my son, but this is making up for all the hugs I''ve missed out on. "Since you know where we''re going, you''re the one that has to tell me when to turn or stop. All I know is a general direction." I almost forgot that we''re heading to the territory I''m developing. It was one of the rare moments I waspletely distracted from the stress in my life... Goes to show how free you feel when you''re flying like this. Unrestricted by any walls or windows. When you reach your hand out, the wind and clouds are at your fingertips. But Radueriel is waiting for me to respond, so I shouldn''t keep him waiting. "I''ll let you know based on my map. Right now, we''re heading in the right direction, but in about 150 miles, I want you to make about a 14-degree turn to the West. Then everything should be good." He could turn now if he wanted, but he decides to stay on the current course. On a less technical note, there are some things I''d like to ask Radueriel. Things that he wouldn''t tell me on his own. They''re going to be ufortable for him to hear and more to answer. But I want to hear about the years I''ve missed with my son. There are so many things he''s been through... Events that have shaped the man I see now, and I can only hope he tells me. I don''t know where to start with the questions I have... Starting out with an easy one should be good... Anything about Earth can''t be broached yet. Besides, I can''t reveal the truth. "Can I ask you a question?" He doesn''t respond at first, but he takes a breath and nods his head. He must sense that I''m going to start digging into his personal life. "Can you tell me what your childhood was like... Just some of the more prominent memories..." This isn''t something that I expect an honest answer from. He''s been keeping secrets from me for a while now. And I don''t me him for that. He''s a smart kid that knows when to lie and be honest. Well, he''s not a kid anymore. But he''ll always be my kid. He''s taking his timeing up with an answer. Probably trying to think of a good lie. I can''t help ming myself for the way his life turned out. If I could''ve been stronger, maybe he could''ve stayed... But Michael said it was unavoidable... It''s his destiny... "My earliest memories are seeing my friends... Most of them are dead now..." That''s a half-lie. The part about his friends dying is likely true, but his earliest memories would''ve been with his parents on Earth. Even now, he''s trying to protect me from the truth. "I know the truth, Cera." There is a second where he loses altitude, and he has to regain control. He''s probably thinking of a different truth, but I need to make sure he knows something. "Before you say anything, just listen... There are things that you don''t know about yourself... Things your family from Earth don''t know... Remember that you''ll always be my son..." That''s all I can say without giving up the secret that we''ve been hiding. He doesn''t respond, but I can see a look of deep thought on his face as Iy my head on his shoulder. Cera knows that I know now. And that shouldn''t make things so hard for him to talk about. "How did you know?" I expected this. But I don''t know how to answer it... I wish I knew how... But I''m going to do something I shouldn''t. I''m going to talk about some of the things I know... Just the small things... "A mother knows everything about her child... I know about Violet, Christian, Marcus, and Hailey... I''ve known about them for a lot longer than you could possibly know... I knew you''d tell me when you were ready, but I don''t know the next time I''ll get to see you after all this..." The reason I''m doing this is cause this is thest full day I''ll have with my son. I don''t know the next time I''m going to see him after this. And if I did, I wouldn''t be talking about this now. "I''m more confused now than I''ve been in a long time... What aren''t you telling me?" It hurts more than I can describe being asked that... I wish so badly that I could tell my son everything. But all I can do now is keep the secrets and make sure nothing morees out. "Let''s just enjoy the trip now, Cera... It''s nice to call you that for a change... For you to know that I know... So, can you be honest about your childhood?" This time, I won''t get any lies from him. And I''ll know what his life was like. "We were poor... But my Mom and Dad did everything they could to give us a good life... My earliest childhood memory was seeing Mom crying at the kitchen table... Iter learned it was from bills they could never pay back..." Wow... That hurts on way more levels than I expected... I was praying that he was given a good life, but Michael wasn''t lying when he said he''d be prepared for a hard life. Hearing him call another woman Mom... Stung... But I can''t stop it. "There were times that I''d try to help in any way I could... Give money and make things easier... I couldn''t make a difference until this all came along... After that, our lives changed for the better..." There is a lot of time in between now and back then. I''d love to hear more about what his life was like growing up, but I can tell that he''s not really in the mood to talk about these things. They bring him a lot of pain too. "Mom... Why has everything turned out the way it has... I''ve been searching for the answer for a long time... But I''ve gotten nowhere... Maybe you know..." My spirit cracks as I hear him say that... The worst feeling is having the answers but not being allowed to tell them... I feel like I''m going to puke from having to do this... It hurts fucking bad... I have to physically cover my mouth to stop myself from talking... My Motherly instincts are trying to take over, but I can''t let them. Radueriel can''t know the truth yet. I don''t know the grand n The Almighty Father has, but I know it''s going to be terrible for Radueriel. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 500 Taking A Nap [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:13 AM)~~~ We''re getting closer to the part of thend that''s actually under the process of development. Since the territory that Amelia is in control of is sorge, only parts of it can be developed at a time. And we''re heading to a part of it where a city is being built. Amelia has been quiet for most of the ride since we finished talking. And what she''s said has been on my mind. Turns out I''m not the only one keeping secrets. Amelia knows a lot about me. She shouldn''t. But things have been so strange and inconsistent since we yers got stuck here. And I''ve been so distracted by all these that I''ve ignored a very important quest. The quest for me to be the first yer to reach tier 3, and while I havepleted it. It''s evolved into a new quest. I haven''t bothered to look at the details, cause I don''t n on doing it. "I can see the city from here! Look!" She points ahead with excitement and pulls my attention away from my thoughts. What I see is parts of a city being slowly built by plenty of workers. "Hold on tight." At my warning, she gets a better grip, and I dive toward the ground, and she screams at the move. I level out right before hitting the ground and slow down to the point of a softnding in one of the less developed parts of the city. She gets off my back and fixes her hair. Staring at me with disapproval from my supposedly reckless flying. I''m used to it, but others wouldn''t be. "You need to learn how to fly safely. What would happen if you lose control and crash?" Amelia doesn''t know that when I have my wings out, all fall damage is turned off for me. And even if it wasn''t, I''d just respawn after dying. Sure, I''d lose a level, but it''s not like I''ll permanently die. Before I can respond, people start toe from different parts of the iplete buildings and walls. All look toward us, and Amelia puts on her best smile. She waves at a man in opulent robes with an escort of guards. Everyone seems to be distracted by my wings, and this is a rare moment when I''m not going to put them away. I don''t have to in this situation. As the man approaches, his guards and he himself are staring at my wings. "Duke Eddie! It''s good to see you again! This is my son, yer Zern. I''m giving him a tour of one of the more developed parts of the newnds acquired in the war." She introduces me like I''m some sort of prize. Her hands are out and pointing toward me in an effort to show me off even more. The Duke lowers his head and bows, and everyone that''s closing in to get a better look does the same thing. Following the Duke''s example. Mom sees how annoyed I am by this, and has a smiling sigh. I don''t like it when people bow to me. "It''s nice to meet you, Duke. My Mom hasn''t told me much about what''s going on here. She''s about to give me a tour, and I''d like to avoid interruptions." I want to make it clear that I''m spending time with my Mom, and I don''t want any distractions. She''s looking forward to showing me around, and I don''t want to ruin that by dealing with people who want to talk to me or meet me. "My Lord, you''ll have it any way you wish." He speaks as he raises his head and signals for everyone to leave us alone. People take a second, not wanting to take their eyes off me. But they obey and leave Amelia and me alone. A long sigh escapes my lips, and Ameliaughs. "When they get just a taste of Divinity, they can''t help wanting more..." Amelia doesn''t know how right she is... I have Divinity in me, and normal mortals can''t withstand the power. Not for a long time. Not if I don''t want them to... I''ve learned that my Divinity only affects things when I want it to. "I don''t like being this... Being... For them. They look at me as if I''m supposed to save them... But I''m not able to save everyone..." The reality of my powers is that of Combat and Battle. I can''t snap my fingers, and all the problems of the world disappear. I''m an Angel. There are some that consider me a God. But I''m not one. There is a difference. "That''s okay... When the timees, I''m sure you''ll find all the answers you''re searching for. I have no doubts about that..." She''s always supporting me... No matter what... "Well... Show me around. Let me see what you''ve built so far. This is the first city in the newnds." I want to stop talking about me, and start talking about her. She smiles and holds my hand as she pulls me. It''s like how my Mom would hold my hand when I was little. It''s exactly the same. We start walking down the road, and we stop in front of aplete building. "This is one of the first buildings we''ve built here, and it''s a headquarters for political officials interested in helping with the development of thend. Duke Eddie is in charge of managing the investors and nobles." She sounds like she really trusts Duke Eddie, but I''ve never heard of the man in Zenith. Duke is one of the highest noble ranks a person can get. He didn''t exist in my old future, Which means he''s an anomaly. Why he''s here is beyond anything I currently know, but he''s someone that I want to be wary of. Organizations are capable of infiltrating ruling governments, especially in this world. "I take it you''ve got a lot of support with thend... Why Jackson threw this on you is ayered answer... But ites down to whether you still want to do this..." I figure she''s decided to stay in Zenith with her kids and the life she has here. But she hasn''t confirmed anything. She''s been thinking about it. I know that. Instead of answering me right away, she grabs my hand again, and we slowly walk outside the city and to a lone tree. It''s a decently sized one, and it''s giving off a good amount of shade. Amelia is the first to sit down, and I follow. I lean against the trunk of the tree, and she rests her head against my shoulder. Her eyes are slowly closing, and I''m also mentally tired enough for a nap. "Let''s rest for a while... I didn''t get sleepst night because of the question you asked me... After I get some real sleep, I''ll give you a full tour..." I have no problems with that. It doesn''t take long for Mom to actually fall asleep, but I can''t help looking from down the hill and to the city being built. It''srge, and one that will rival capitals after it''s done being built. Amelia hase so far since I met her so long ago. It feels like it''s been years since I started my life over, but it''s only been a short amount of time. There isn''t much to say in terms of things I''ve done differently, cause I already know all that... But I can say this life I have more to lose than before... I can''t fail this time around, and I won''t. I''ll sooner die than let the people I love perish. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 501 The Family Meets Up [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Avalon, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:48 AM)~~~ The teleportation gates getting here weren''t cheap, but I personally think they''re worth the price The Adventurers Guild has them at. Many wouldn''t agree with my sentiment, but it saved me days of travel, and now I''m where I''m supposed to be in minutes. Mom and Dad are supposed to be here around Noon, and that''s not that long from now. I''ve been waiting on a bench and watching the teleportation area for them to show up. Hailey and Cera aren''ting since they''re busy. I was hoping that I''d get the chance to show them how strong I''ve gotten. That doesn''t seem to be happening for a while at this point. "Hey, little guy. Are you looking for your Mom and Dad?" A voice grabs my attention, and I stop staring at the ground to see the person. It''s a girl in her early twenties, but every yer looks like they''re in their early twenties. If I had to guess, I''d say she''s a mother herself that gained her youth back. There have been a lot of female yers that lost children in The Collision, and some have never mentally recovered. I''ve been approached by wayward Mothers trying to find some sce. They see a young yer like me, and they are reminded of the children they lost. "I''m just waiting for them. They''reing through the teleportation gates around Noon. You''re nice for checking on me, but I don''t need anyone''s help." She smiles and takes a seat next to me. This isn''t how I thought this conversation would go, but it''s not like I can kick her off the bench. This is public property, and anyone can sit here. Since I''m so young, many are concerned about me being alone at times. I resent that in many ways since I''m probably the strongest person in the city. But that doesn''t matter when you look like me. People are still gonna treat me like a kid. To be fair... I am still a kid, but it gets annoying real fast. "You remind me of my little brother... I practically raised him back on Earth... He was independent and smart... Always looking to prove himself... The day that I lost him stings, and I know I''ll never be seeing him again... Just don''t try to do everything on your own, little guy." Getting called little guy isn''t something I''m fond of, but the way she makes it sound takes the edge off. She sounds like the many Moms that have approached me seeking somefort about losing their child. She''s a sister that raised her little brother. So there are some simrities. My sister would never spend a second trying to raise me. I don''t think she would even if I were herst family member. It''s cruel to say, but Hailey doesn''t know how to do something like that. "That''s really nice, strange woman. But I''m not the kid that you lost in The Collision. I''m sorry your little brother got Dusted like so many others, but please don''t project that loss on me." The look on her face is priceless. A mixture of bewilderment and amusement. I''m probably talking like someone not my age, and that''s because I''m smarter and more mature than someone my age would be. My blunt words cause her to smile and startughing. "My, aren''t you the forward one. Sparing no feelings whatsoever. You''ve probably had to deal with lost women like me, huh..." At least she''s able to recognize what she''s doing. The Mothers I''ve run into seeking some form of closure, love, or hope have all been in denial of what they''re doing. It''s probably because this woman lost her little brother and not a son. There is a difference, and it''d have varying effects on different people. From the way this woman talks, I can tell she has a loving and kind disposition, but she''s been through a lot of pain in her life. "I''ve dealt with my fair share of sad Mothers looking for something simr to the child they lost. At first, I would try and help them. But after the 13th time, I stopped trying so hard since it''d just run in circles." It''s a little funny that I''m having such a conversation with aplete stranger. I''d ask her for her name, but that seems too personal. I don''t want her getting attached to me in any way. I''ve had that problem too. Devastated Mothers trying to hang around me because I remind them of their lost kids, but that isn''t something I''m into. I''ve already got a Mom and a really good one at that. "You''re a strange little guy, but I suppose there is nothing for me to worry about after all. I hope that you''re parents get here soon. Do you mind if I sit here and wait with you? It''s been a long time since I talked to someone who is speaking so honestly..." She doesn''t know how right she is about people speaking honestly. I''ve seen so many yers getting swindled or manipted. Gaia is an unkind ce for the mentally weak. When I first left out on my own, I knew people would try to take advantage of me. But I never let them. If they proved to be any sort of danger to me in terms of taking my items. I''d kill them. Being a Legendary ss holder means I pack a serious punch. Besides, who said I''m traveling alone. My Phoenix Egg is really close to hatching, and after tomorrow, I''ll be meeting my pet for the first time. "You can wait with me. Just don''t try any funny business. I heard that older women have a thing for younger men, and my Mom warned me about girls like you." The expression this time is one of shock and giddy surprise. I''m definitely the first person to ever say that to her, and she''s probably wondering if shees off like that. Her mouth hangs open, and her eyes blink fast as she tries to find the right words to respond. And as a smile creeps on my features, she can''t help but startughing. I might be making her grow more attracted, but that isn''t my intention. "Well, you have me rethinking my approach to younger kids now. But your Mom and Dad would be proud to see how responsible you are all on your own. I''m sure of it." Speaking of Mom and Dad, they should be getting here any minute now. I got a message around 11:00 AM telling me they''re on their way via teleportation gates, but it seems their going to cut it to thest minute. A few minutes pass, and I''m still watching the teleportation area. People areing and going at a regr rate, and I see a new arrival. My Mom is the first to show up, and I don''t think Dad would be far behind her. They''ll be seeing each other for the first time in a good chunk of time apart. I stand up and wave, calling my Mom by her first name to get her attention. She turns toward me, and a bright smile graces her features. She actually runs to me and lifts me off the bench, and squeezes me in her arms. "Oh, my little Marcus! I''m so d that you''re okay! Leaving you to do your tier-up quests was the hardest thing I''ve ever had to do before!!" Mom sets me down, and she looks at the woman that''s sitting with me. She looks at me for an exnation, but I just shrug my shoulders. The woman stands up and holds out her hand for a handshake. "I''m Mary Grant. It''s nice to meet you." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 502 Smothering [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Avalon, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:02 AM)~~~ So Mary Grant has been the woman talking to me. Mom sets me back on the bench, and she shakes the woman''s hand with a suspicious look in her eyes. Mom is still being overprotective, even now. Mary, on the other hand, has a nervous smile at the look my Mom is giving her. "I''m Violet Adamo, and this is my youngest son Marcus Adamo. From what I saw, my son doesn''t know you. So why are you hanging around him?" Way to be subtle, Mom... Mary is a nice enough person from what I saw, but it''s not like I know her like a friend or something. Mom has every right to be suspicious. Mary doesn''t help her case by scratching the back over her head and stumbling over her words. What''s worse is she starts to avoid eye contact, which is a sign of guilt. "I''m sorry, Ms. Adamo... He just reminded me of my little brother... They were around the same age, and I lost him... Marcus was kind enough to talk with me... Said he''s dealt with a lot of Mothers... It was never my intent to do any malicious." Way to go, Mary. You''ve thoroughly ced my Moms attention on me and taken it off you. She didn''t need to know about me having to deal with a bunch of traumatized strangers. Mom''s eyes are filled with piercing disapproval. It''s a look that Hailey would normally get from her. And it''s not one that I thought I''d ever get. In her mind, it''s probably something I should never do. "Marcus, I''ll deal with thatter. But you." Her focus shifts to Mary, and her expression has rxed more than before. She''s not so judgemental now. "I''m sorry for your loss... I''m very protective of my youngest since my two oldest are off doing who knows what. They don''t update me enough on what they''re doing. If you''d like, you can wait with us while my Husband gets here." I''m surprised by Mom''s soft and caring voice, and I guess it isn''t something that I can understand between the two. Mothers and women in general and better than men when ites to unconditional love. So they''re more understanding of each other when ites to love and family on a fundamental level. Maybe I''m wrong. No way for me to tell at this point in my life. In truth, kids my age don''t think this way. But seeing how much my parents love each other and how much they love us. I learned that love is important, and that''s why I think about it often. "That''s extremely kind of you to offer, Ms. Adamo. It''s been so long since I met a person that was being genuine, let alone two of them in one day." Mary has had a rough time... A way harder time than what my family has gone through... So I see now that''s why Mom is doing this. The two of them join me on the bench, and I''m in the middle of them. I''m watching the teleportation area for Dad while the two of them talk. It''s not that interesting to me, but I have no choice but to listen. So is the curse of being a kid. "I''d ask what you''re doing in Capital City Avalon, but since you''re a yer, it''s because you''re doing your tier-up quests. Marcus just finished his third one, and I''m done with all mine. The only one in our family that hasn''t finished all his is my oldest son." I wish Dad were here... "Yeah, I''m almost done with my second one, and that''ll mark the end of it until I need to start working on them again by level up. From the sounds of it, your entire family has made it alive... Most haven''t been as fortunate..." Somehow, I knew the conversation would steer this way, but it''s Mom''s problem to deal with. She''ll be better to talk about it with anyway. "Yeah... I''d be devastated if any one of my children didn''t make it... I''m d that I listen to my oldest son... He''s the one that helped all of us get into the game... Before the governments made the gaming pods practically free..." Cera is the only reason we''re here. Without him, we''d all be Dusted too, and he''d be alone. Probably wouldn''t have ever met Sally too. "Sounds like an extraordinary boy..." There is no way my older brother is a boy, not after all the things he does with Sally when they''re alone. Never meant to hear that, but I made sure to leave as soon as I knew what was going on. "Cera is almost 21 now... He''s no boy anymore. And Marcus may be young, but he''s stronger than me and his Father. Probably everyone in Avalonbined too." Parents love to talk about their kids, and I don''t like how I can''t tell her to stop talking about me. You never tell a Mom to stop talking about you. Bad things will happen. Mary doesn''t act all that surprised, and that''s because I told her without saying that I''m strong. But she''s apprehensive about stronger than everyone in all of Avalonbined, and that''s an exaggeration, in my opinion. "That''s impressive for one his age... I''m tempted to know more about your other kids if Marcus is this strong." This is when I subtly tug on Mom''s armor, and she looks down at me. I give her the look she needs to see. Cera said to never talk in-depth about our family''s power. Mom gets the message and quickly changes the subject. I do the best I can to tune them out and watch for Dad, but Mom makes it hard when she grabs my head and wraps me in a hug. Firmly between her chest. Embarrassing, to say the least. "Yeah! He''s my little hero! Always helping any way he can despite how young he is!" I struggle free with a red face from what just happened. "Geez, Mom! I''m not a little kid anymore... I don''t like that..." Mary can''t stop from giggling, and I see the expression on my Mom''s face darken. She''s mumbling incoherently under her breath. And then she bites her lower lip to the point it bleeds. "Now my youngest is too old to even want hugs from his Mommy, huh... When did you stop being my little hero, Marcus..." Her dark expression lifts, and a sad one takes its ce. I can''t help feeling bad, and also a little manipted. Mom knows that when ites to crying, it''s my weak point. I have to fold and give her a hug of my own free volition. And she hugs me back with a smile of victory. "Now I see where Hailey learned to manipte Dad... She got it from you..." The words thate out of my mouth as I pull away put a fresh frown on my Moms face. "That''s not true! Your older sister didn''t learn anything from me like that! She''d have to pay attention to me to learn it." She''s not wrong... Hailey really ignored Mom when she started to go from a girl to a woman. And Mary justughs at our antics, but I turn to see Dad pop up in the teleportation area. "Mom! Dads here!" The conversation between the two is stopped as Mom stands up and starts waving to Dad and saying his name. He sees us and smiles. Quickly jogging toward us. But Mom can''t wait any longer and starts running to meet him halfway. Jumping into his arms and kissing him. Causing me to turn away and let out an annoyed groan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 503 A Long Sigh [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Avalon, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:14 AM)~~~ As Mom and Dad spin around like you''d see in a movie, I look at Mary. And who I see is someone hurting deeply. Our family is one of the luckiest ones out there... Actually, we are the luckiest. "My Mom and Dad are probably going to suck face for a while. So do you want to do something that isn''t watching my parents do... This stuff?" Asking Mary to hang out with me is undoubtedly strange, but I can''t think of anything better to do. I''ve already given my Phoenix Egg the power needed for today before any of this happened, and Mom and Dad don''t look like they''re stopping any time soon. The person keeping mypany shakes her head and stands up. She stares at the ground with heavy eyes and a loss of self. Mary had a harder time seeing us than I thought she would. Most people act this way when they learn our entire family made it. "That''s not a good idea, Marcus... I think that now is a good time to go... I don''t want to overstay my wee... You have a wonderful family, little guy... Don''t ever lose them..." She turns to walk away, and I''m tempted to try and stop her. But it''s the same for me. I don''t know Mary, and she''ll only feel more pain spending time with us. It''s mercy letting her go with no problems. Mary Grant is a lovely woman, and I hope she finds happiness one day. As I watch her walk away, I see her hand rubbing the tears that are falling away. I didn''t want to remind her of the one she lost, but I ended up doing it anyway.? She eventually fades into the crowd, and I miss her being here already. Mostly from having to watch my parents be all smoochy with each other. They''re still kissing and hugging. But to be fair, this is the longest they''ve been a part of their lives. From what I know about their rtionship, that might be the case. But I can''t know for certain. "This is the worst..." All I can do is wait for them to get done with what they''re doing. So to distract me, I open my friend''s list and see what my two older siblings are up to. It''s showing Hailey''s in the Southern Continent.? Cera is in The Kingdom of Zenith, and Sally is in a city called Meldro within the borders of The Kingdom of Avalon. So she''s busy doing her own thing at the moment. She''s a nice girl, and my brother and she get along really well. Mom was worried about her for a long time on our travels together. Hoping that she was worthy of Cera. I asked Dad about it, but he said it''s a Mom''s job to worry about the woman her Son''s date. I never questioned him beyond that. It seems like something I can''t understand yet. I''m tempted to message my siblings, but they''re way busier than I am. It''d be rude to interrupt them. After a couple more minutes, Mom and Dad finally finish and make their way over to me. Mom looks around in confusion. "Where did Mary go?" They became fast friends, but I wasn''t paying attention to most of their talks. I was only going in and out. She looks to me for an exnation, and I point in the direction she left in. "She said that she didn''t want to overstay her wee, and left. She thanked us, but I think seeing us caused too much pain..." Dad doesn''t even have a chance to ask before she takes off after Mary in the same direction. I don''t know if she''ll find her, but if she does. I wish my Mom luck. Only my Dad and I remain, and he sits down with a smile next to me. cing a hand on top of my head in the process and rustling my hair. "I''m proud of you, Marcus... Going out on your own as you did, and handling the dangers of Gaia. You''re Mom would message me over 100 times a day about you... But I always knew you''d be okay." It means a loting from my Dad... That''s something he''s only ever said to Cera. And despite how much Hailey wanted to hear it, she never did. Hailey is Dad''s favorite, but that doesn''t mean he''s proud of her. I''m grateful that I''m not Mom or Dad''s favorite. Do you know how annoying it''d be to be this young and be the favorite? I wouldn''t be able to do anything without one or both of them by my side. Hailey and Cera take the heat off me. That''d be a weird and unique position to some, but that''s just how I feel. Besides, I''m too strong and too cool to really care. I''ve proved that I can thrive on my own, and I have no intention of staying together with Mom and Dad after we''re done here in Avalon. Mom is going to freak out that her youngest is leaving, but it''s not like they can stop me. I''m free to do what I want now. Going through this journey on my own has brought a lot of needed confidence that I didn''t have before. "Thanks, Dad... So, what''s the point of all of us meeting here in the first ce? Hailey and Cera are busy, and I''m in the middle of a new quest." He chuckles as he leans his head back, and it''s nice to see my Dad like this. There was only one time I saw him so rxed, and that was when Cera brought home all that money. That was a hard time for Hailey, but for the rest of us. It was better. It goes to show that the biggest strain on a rtionship is money. To me, it is. That''s the only thing my parents ever argued or stressed about. When it was gone, they were lost for a little while. But also, they could finally breathe easily. "Your Mom and I wanted to start traveling together again, and I was thinking you''d join us. But from the sounds of it, you''re going to strike it out on your own, huh?" He''s being cool about it, which is a good sign. Maybe Mom will too. "You''re not mad? Cause I have no intention of traveling with Mom and you after we''re done catching up here in Avalon." My bluntness causes him to cringe a little, and I know that Mom won''t take it nearly as well as Dad. She''s convinced that I''m still needing them. "I''m not mad, and I don''t rmend you tell your Mom the same way you told me. Women need delicate exnations, or they''ll feel attacked and blindsided. I''ll have to thank Mary if she finds her cause it''s allowing us to talk." He''s got a point there. Mary leaving was a good thing since Mom is chasing after her now. "But..." Oh, this can''t be good... "There are things I was hoping to teach you before we parted. And since I won''t get another chance like this, it''s time that we have ''The Talk.''" Ahh... While I know where this is going, I get why he''s doing it... It''s a tradition... For all Sons and Fathers. "To start with, you''re way too young to have sex. But if you find yourself in a situation with a girl, I and your Mom won''t be there. Meaning we can''t stop you." This is going to be one long talk, and I know it''s only going to start getting more awkward from this point on. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] ? [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 504 Reaching Out [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Violet Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Searching for Mary Grant, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:29 AM)~~~ I''ve been waiting a long time to see my youngest Son and my Husband again. And I''d be with them if it were any other situation. But Mary is a good girl and someone that''s utterly alone in this world. That''s the impact she had on me from the time we talked. "Marcus said she went this way... But I''m getting nothing..." I''ve been asking passing yers and stall owners if they recognized anyone with Mary''s description. No one has been of any help, and I''m starting to lose hope I''ll find the sweet girl. I don''t care what people think when ites to helping others. If I see someone I know to be a good and kind person, and they need my help. I''m going to help them. It''s a part of who I am, and Mary needs someone like that in her life. "I''ll never find her at the rate I''m searching now..." In a city that can hold millions of yers, It''s going to be improbable I find her on my own. And while I''d like to get Marcus and Chris to help me, they''re likely bonding right now. And I don''t want to get in the way of that. A long and defeated sigh escapes my lips. I''m not finding her. Not like this... There has to be a better way to look for her. I don''t want to give up on that girl. I want her to know there are still people out there that care about her. There is only one person I know that''ll have a good enough idea to find Mary. Cera knows this world and how it works better than anyone I''ve ever met. Hopefully, one day, he''ll tell me about it. But for now, I open my Friends Tab and click on his name. [Hey, Cera. I was wondering if you knew how to find someone in a city full of millions, and you have no idea who they are? I don''t have her on my friend''s list, and I don''t know where she''s going or where she''s staying.] I send the message, and I continue down the same road, and the crowds don''t get any less thick than they are. After a couple of minutes, I get a message back from my oldest Son. [If you''re searching for a woman, she''ll be heading to a ce she feels safe. That''s if she''s not on a quest. Inns are a good ce to start, but since still early in the day, I''d doubt she''d go there. You need to go to a ce where yers flock, especially female yers.] How he''se up with an idea like this so fast only makes me more proud of him. Cera proves over and over why he''s my favorite child. And I know it''s wrong to have favorites, but it''s just how it feels. He made being a Mother something to love and enjoy. To my surprise, he sends a follow-up message. [Is she someone that lost important people during The Collision when lots of people got Dusted?] I''m not surprised that Cera hase to this conclusion. He''s smart, and for good reason. [Yeah, she lost the little brother that she raised. She''s all alone here.] He might know some more information knowing this now, and after another minute, he responds. [There is a yer Shelter in Capital City Avalon. I heard about it thest time I was there. Families impacted by The Collision gather there to support each other. If nothing else I suggested works, that might be where she is given what''s happened to her.] I never knew such a ce existed here in Capital City Avalon... If I did, I might''ve stopped by and shown support to the Mothers and Fathers that lost their families... If there is anywhere she''d be, it''d be there. And that''s going to be the first ce I search. But I don''t want to leave my Son still thinking I need his help. [Thanks for all the help, Cera. I made a new friend, and I''m trying to find her. If I do, I''ll let you know. Love you.] With that, I close the messages and focus on where I''m going to find this support center. It could be in the direction I''m already walking. I pull off to the shop and stop at a yer-owned and ran stall. "Would you mind telling me where I can find the ce that families go to talk about the ones they lost in The Collision?" The man lifts his head and sighs. From the sounds of it, he''s lost a great deal too. He points down the road I''m already on. "You''ll find argeplex about half a mile down the road. It''s what you''re looking for. They''re good people, and they helped me get passed my problems." I give my thanks and leave. Based on that, Mary is going there. And if not, then I''ll just do what Cera suggested if this doesn''t work. I''m interested in seeing what a ce would look like. Billions of people lost so many loved ones, so it probably can''t hold them all. Not unless some magic is involved, but even then... That''s so many people... ~~~(POV: Mary Grant)~~~ ~~~(Location: Center for Impacted Families of The Collision, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:54 AM)~~~ "Mary!" The moment I walk into one of thergemunity meeting halls, I hear a familiar voice. I turn and see a man that''s been helping me since I got here. "Hey, Kyle!" I''ve been away for around two weeks at this point, and this is the first we''ve talked since then. I have a bad habit of not messaging people or answering them when they message me. I prefer to talk face to face. He''s around my age, and he was someone that grew up on the same street block as me. After getting back from The yer Continent and onto our Original Continent, that''s when we ran into each other. We were both heading here. Tier-up quests have brought a lot of people together. I hope that Violet and her family do well from now on. Kyle is pretty much the only real friend I have, and he''s so busy with his responsibilities that we hardly talk anymore. "I was wondering if I''d ever get to see you again. You took off without telling anyone, and you wouldn''t respond to any messages I sent you." When he puts it like that, I seem like a really key person. But when you gotta do something, ites first. Besides, I don''t have the same obligations to this ce as Kyle does. Before I can respond, I feel a handnd on my shoulder, and someone spins me around. I recognize it as Violet, but instead of saying anything. She wraps her arms around me and gives me one of the best hugs I''ve ever gotten. I can''t help but respond and give her a hug back. And when we pull away, she looks at me. "It wasn''t nice that you left without even saying goodbye to me. After talking with you for so long, I learned that you''re a good person. And that''s really rare. I was worried about you... But it seems like you already have a home here." She takes her eyes off me and looks around. There are yers all around the same age, in their early twenties or younger. Being in this world has made everyone revert back to their primes, and if you hadn''t reached you''re prime yet, you''d stay what you''d look like and grow into it. "Well... It''s a ce I heard about on my way to Avalon for my Tier-up quests... When I got here, I saw how many people were ruined by The Collision... There isn''t really enough room for everyone here..." She nods her head with a smile and looks over my shoulder, right at Kyle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 505 An Offer [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Mary Grant)~~~ ~~~(Location: Center for Impacted Families of The Collision, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:58 AM)~~~ Violet looks back at me after taking a look at Kyle from over my shoulder. I turn my head slightly and motion for Kyle toe over and meet her. Leaving like that probably wasn''t a nice thing to do after talking about such personal things with her. She''s tracked me down, though. So it''s not all bad. After a couple of seconds, Kyle stands next to me and holds out his hand, and Violet grabs it for a handshake. "I wasn''t expecting you to disappear like that on me. You didn''t even give me a chance to add you as a Friend. And there is another thing I''d like to talk with you about, but that can wait." As she finishes talking, her attention turns to Kyle, and there is an awkward silence. But we both catch on, and Kyle hasn''t been officially introduced yet. My friend rubs the back of his head with a nervous smile. And I''m starting to think if he''ll talk or not. After a little bit more of the awkward silence, he takes a breath and rxes. "I''m Kyle, and I''ve known Mary since we were kids. We grew up on the same street, and I thought she was dead before I met her on the way here. We both lost everything when The Collision happened..." The Collision is a severe trigger for trauma here in the Center for Impacted Families of The Collision. Many parents lost their toddlers and infants, and the few families that did make it still lost an important person. Violet and her family are the only ones that I''ve met where all parents and children survived... They''re lucky that they all created a yer before The Collision happened. If the government didn''t hide it from us, more people probably would''ve made it. But they hid it from us. Thinking that was the best idea. "I''m happy to hear that you actually have someone to call a friend, Mary." She turns her attention to my friend with a smile. "I''m Violet Adamo, Kyle. My family is here to meet up. My two oldest children won''t being, but my Husband and I are here with our youngest. Mary and I talked for a while before she left while I was in the arms of my Husband." His look of confusion and surprise is evident. The Adamo family is a rare circumstance in this world. "For your own safety, don''t tell anyone here about that. The worst ones will attack you from how far they''re gone mentally. And others will resent you and try to make life harder for you. There hasn''t been a single family with your circumstances." Violet takes a moment to register what was just said to her, and her expression changes to a sad one after it sinks in. "I knew there are billions missing, but I never thought that others would resent the people who didn''t suffer a simr fate... I guess I''d be the same way if I were the only member of my family to survive..." Kyle is called over by another worker, leaving Violet and me to talk alone. She smiles at me, and I know she''s going to talk about what she wanted to since Kyle is gone. "You''re part of a nice ce here... But I was wondering if you''d like to travel with me?" Of all the things she could''ve said, that wasn''t what I was expecting. "My Husband and Son don''t think that I know what they''re talking about right now, but I know Marcus has no ns to stay with his Father and me. So I was hoping you''d join us." I don''t know what to say... One thing is for sure. I''m not going to get in the middle of a rtionship. I''d be third-wheeling if I left with Violet and her Husband. I don''t even know his name. Besides, I''ve gotten used to being alone. It''s something that''ll be hard to break. "It''s going to be a no from me, Violet. I don''t want to travel with a Husband and Wife. I''d be a third-wheel. And besides, I''ve gotten used to the solitude. It''d be weird to be in constant contact with people now..." Violet could have many reactions to my answer, but I didn''t expect her to start crying. Before I can say anything, she wraps her arms around me and squeezes me in her arms. All I can do is hug her back and do my best to try and understand what''s happening. There are soft sobs in my ears, and I really didn''t think someone cared for me this much. Violet is a very emotional person that attaches to people. In more simple terms, she''s a symbiotic parasite. "I had a feeling that''s what you''d say, and what I''m about to say is going to be hard. But Marcus could be willing to take you with him... I don''t want him traveling alone, and I know he''ll be leaving us after a couple of days together here... Hows that sound?" It''s funny how much she''s trying to hang onto me, but Marcus reminds me too much of my younger brother, and it''d be painful to travel with him. She pulls away and sees in my eyes that''s not something I want to do either. She dries her tears and opens her yer Interface. The next thing I know, I''m getting a friend request from her. The pressure to ept right away is on, and I do what she wants. I see her on my Friend''s Tab, and now I''ve made a friend with someone who actually cares about me. Kyle cares, but not enough to cry about me. "Thanks for caring about me, Violet. If there were more people like you, the world would be a better ce. And I don''t want to keep you from your family any longer than I already have." Violet gives me one more hug, and I watch her leave the room. After a few seconds, Kyle walks up beside me and folds his arms looking the same way Violet left. "I''m not going to pester you about what was talked about. But I want you to know that Violet is a rare find. I don''t think you should make a decision about whatever she offered without thorough consideration." Some things are better left the way you have them. If I''m going to travel with someone, they have to be my age. ? "They''re good people, but I have my own path to travel now... The pain from losing my brother is still there, but I''m moving forward. I''m making sure that I''m not dragged down by my guilt or pain." A lot of change is needed for anyone that''s lost people in The Collision. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Bench near Teleportation Area, Capital City Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:11 AM)~~~ "If you happen to get a girl older than you pregnant, I''m not backing you up. You''ll have to deal with your Mother on your own. And finally, if you do find yourself in any of these situations. Be smart. It''s easier than you think to screw up." This has been the longest 30-minute talk of my entire life. When Dad said, we needed to talk about things regarding girls and what I do with them when they''re no longer with me. I didn''t think he''d go this far. "And just so you know, if you do pull a girl older than you. You can be sure as hell I''ll be proud, but we''ll never tell your Mother, okay?" Ugh! Dad! How old does he think I''ll go after. He sees my reaction andughs. "Marcus, you''re a cute kid and women like that. If you decide to pursue a girl 6 or 7 years older than you, you''ve got a shot. Girls feel different about age than men do. If you''re charming them, the age doesn''t matter." It would''ve mattered back in the 21st century... But in the 23rd century, he''s right. And I''m d this conversation is over. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 506 Trouble In The New Land [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Land Amelia Zern is developing, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:36 AM)~~~ We''ve both been resting under this lonesome tree for a few hours now... Amelia has been snoring here and there during that time... Showing me that she''s really asleep. All the work she does must mean she doesn''t get enough sleep. My eyes are focused on the developing city below the hill we''re on. "There are times when I wish every day can be like this..." Days where I don''t have to do anything important... But my quest to find Kris Martim is still on my mind. He''s somewhere near the Capital of Zenith, and that''s all I really have to go on. Amelia''s head moves a bit as it rests on my shoulder. And that''s when I stop thinking about my Tier-up quest. Today is one of those days when I shouldn''t be worrying about my problems and priorities. Everyone needs a day where they can let go. There is something else on my mind, though... It''s what Amelia knows about me... I''vee to the conclusion she knows way more about me than she''s letting on. And I don''t know the extent of what she knows. If it were something that changed our Mother-Son rtionship, she''d bring it up... Maybe it''s something to do with what I''ve said in the past... Maybe she''s put some of the things I''ve said together. I could be overthinking all this, but my instincts aren''t usually wrong... What she''s not telling me is important. It''s not like I have any room to talk... I lie to her face every time I look at her. And while I''m really good at lying, I don''t like doing it to the people I care about. Lying to Amelia makes my insides turn. But it''s for the best. There are things she can''t know about me... Who knows, maybe she''s thinking the same thing I am when I''m not around... The Ancients World was far more than anyone could''ve imagined. There are millions of things I don''t know for sure. "Angelus might know something..." The AI that gained freedom and independence... The same AI that helped cause The Collision and is now a God here in Gaia. Anyone can send messages to Angelus using the system to message the administrator, which is Angelus. If I asked her if she knew anything, would she? From what I hear, she never replies to anyone, so it might be a lost cause. But I''ve had run-ins with Angelus in the past, and she said that she''s been watching me for a long time... There are beings aware of my actions that exist outside time and space. Like the Gods of The Ancients World. "What time is it..." The waking of my Mother pulls me from my thoughts, and I look at my HUD to see the time. We''re getting pretty close to the afternoon. "It''s almost Noon... You slept for a few hours. Didn''t want to wake you, so I just sat here with you..." She notices she''s clutching onto my wings like they''re nkets. She got a little chilly from the wind and used them while still asleep. Her attention turns to the town as she lets go of my wing. "I don''t want this day to end... You don''t know how hard it''ll be to see you leave tomorrow to finish what you''re doing..." The conversation right after waking up shouldn''t be such a bummer. Before I can respond, the hill opposite ours on the otherside of the town is having small shadows appearing. There are soldiers lining the hill, and they''re not from any house or military branch in Zenith... "What is that?" Amelia sees them as she points out, and realization falls on her. "My best guess, soldiers from Bellvia wanting theirnd back." That''s the only exnation I cane up with. I heard some of the soldiers deserted the army when the war was lost, and they created their own private militia with the intent of getting back what was taken by Zenith. I haven''t heard of them doing anything at this point... But they''ve picked a helluva day to do this... As the seconds slowly pass, more soldiers are appearing on the hill. There have to be at least 3,000, from what I can see. And even more on the backside of the hill we can''t see from here. Amelia grabs the hem of my armor and steps a bit closer. She''s strong, but she can''t fight off a force like that. But I can... "There are too many unarmed citizens and civilians in the city... And there aren''t enough guards to take a force like that... What''re we going to do..." There is genuine fear and concern in her voice. The people in that city mean something to her, and I doubt most of them are NPCs Turn yers like Amelia. Which means when they''re killed, they''ll stay dead. Without saying a word, I spread my wings open, and I''m about tounch off the ground. But Amelia grabs my arm and stops me. Looking at me like I''m insane. "What? I''m going to handle it." There is a loud smack as she wacks the side of my head, but she recoils and holds her hand inical pain. It''d be like hitting steel. She looks at me again while holding her hand. "I forbid you from taking on that many enemies by yourself, Cera! There is no way in Overworld or Underworld I''m letting you do that!" Her concern isn''t unwarranted, but this isn''t unfamiliar territory for me. I''ve foughtrge numbers like this before and done so with sess. The monster attack I faced when I first got my wings was arger group than this. My hand lifts from my side, and I rest it on top of Amelia''s head. And she looks at me with tears forming in her eyes as they get bigger. Already fearing what I''m going to say. "I''ve done this before." However, my words have a much more devastating effect on her than I originally thought. Maybe what I''ve just said is worse than what she was expecting. She grabs onto my arm tighter, and I take my hand off her head. As the seconds pass, I feel her grip loosen and finally free me. And I see that she''s heartbroken from what I''m about to do. I get it. No Mother wants to see her Son leave for battle... Fearing the worst every time. My wings spread out again, and Iunch off the ground, and what I hear from below me makes my heart ache a little. "CEEERRAA!!" She falls to her knees and covers her eyes. And Ind in front of the army that''s approaching the developing city. They all freeze, and I can see the fear spreading among them. My mind is on Amelia. She''s acting like this not out of fear that I might die but out of fear that such burdens are ced on me. That I have to do such things in the ce of others. In her mind, it''s a sacrifice that shouldn''t be ced on me. The Golden Glow of my wings is apparent, and the army parts as a horse carrying a man make its way through. What I see is a distinguished man that carries himself with pride and discipline. Likely a General or powerful warrior. He hops off his steed and approaches me with caution, and yet with an air of dignity. "Seems like today was the worst day that I could''ve moved my forces on thend that was once ours... Is there a possibility for an ord?" I don''t know why this is happening, but it''s certainly developed into an interesting situation. But I''m not going to show mercy. This is my Mother''snd. "You know thisnd belongs to my Mother. You knew what you were getting into the first moment you came marching this way. What was at stake." He takes a single breath, and a tired air fills him. But he doesn''t draw his sword. "My life in exchange for the lives of my men." That''s not something I hear every day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 507 One Life, For Thousands [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Land Amelia Zern is developing, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:58 AM)~~~ "You''re telling me that you''re such a selfless leader and man that you''re willing to die for the men you''ve brought here today?" This is the first time I''ve encountered a person willing to make such arge personal sacrifice. Giving up your life for another''s is the greatest sacrifice a person can make. The man I''m looking at is unknown to me, and he''s in histe 40s from the looks of it. He looks surprised that I''m surprised he''d offer that. "How else is a leader supposed to act? The failings of Bellvia and its rulers are the reason we''re all here. We wouldn''t be here if we were like them. And I''m not like the spineless cowards that led our once-great Kingdom to defeat." That''s a mighty high opinion of oneself, but from what I''ve seen, he''s backing it up. There is only one question left to ask. "My decision will depend on your answer to my next question." He nods his head, and I can see that even though there is fear and respect. There is also someone prepared for the consequences of his actions. If he were as smart as he was brave, he wouldn''t be standing across from me. This is a man that can lead a Kingdom. Usurp the throne of Bellvia, and lead it better than before. But he decided to be a fool ande here with an army brandishing swords. Not only is he still waiting for my question, but so are the soldiers that can hear us. "How much of your force is NPCs Turned yers?" If I kill him, and hees back at thest Respawning Cathedral, this has no value. The forces that I''m on the fence about ending might juste back after I kill them. The man I''m talking to is taking longer to answer than I think it should take. That''s not what I want to see. He''s likely weighing his odds about lying to me or not. "All of the forces you see before you are NPCs Turned yers." His word selection is very specific... Why would he phrase it like that? Are the forces I can''t see still NPCs? He''s ying some angle... Or he''s buying time by confusing me... One doesn''t rise to the position of a military leader unless they''re smart, and this man is a fool... I''ve already established that... But being a fool is different than being an idiot... "You''re lying." He''s trying to save the lives of his men by bluffing about their status to me. Hoping I let them all go. That''s the best y he has. It''s where his life is spared, and so are the men he''s leading. He gambled and lost. "I''m not lying. You can see for yourself if you want." There is a burst of confidence from the man, and while it''s strange to see. I''m still convinced he''s lying. A sign of guilt and desperation is a desperate attempt to prove you''re telling the truth. But his even and calm expression makes it hard to tell. The fact his hand hasn''t left the handle of his sheathed sword means something... It means he''s prepared to fight... This adds to the good possibility he''s lying to me. So I take my eyes off the man and look to the closest line of soldiers. After using Inspect on some of them, it shows the same information you''d see from anything else. Nothing to indicate that they''re yers or NPCs. He did that to buy more time... What''s he buying time for? A great force? That doesn''t make sense... A rogue military faction like these guys doesn''t have allies... Not even The Kingdom of Bellvia allies with them. "I don''t know what games you''re ying at, but they''reing to an end here. Since there is no way to prove that these men are yers or NPCs, I''ll have toe to a decision on my own. And your lies to keep buying time are an anomaly..." I still don''t know where buying time fits into all this... But enough time has been wasted. I grab the handle of The Witness and unsheath my Legendary Grade de. It''s my greatest weapon aside from my wings. Speaking of my wings, I spread them out, and as I finish preparing, a look of desperation appears on the soldiers and that sells the truth to me. They wouldn''t look desperate if they were NPCs Turned yers. The leader that I''ve been talking to gets a fresh scowl and tightens his grip on his handle. He takes a deep breath and pulls it out of its own sheath. "HOAHHHH!!" The battle cry that escapes his lips inspires the rest of the men to yell too and draw their weapons. But now that I know the truth, I can make a decision. "What''s your name?" He''s steady and prepared for battle, but he still hears my question. "I''m Fredlin Vendez. General of the Militia of Bellvian Soldiers." Fredlin Vendez is a name that I''m still unfamiliar with... "I''ll take your offer up. Your life in exchange for the lives of your men. Now that I know they''re not NPCs turned yers. I can let them go knowing they''ll nevere back." People would say this is a foolish thing to do, but it''s something that''s necessary... When they see how hopeless it is to challenge Zenith and me by proxy. There won''t be any more problems in the future. The man prepares and gets into his battle stance, and I flex my wings intimidatingly. Brandishing The Witness in my own stance too. But instead of either of us attacking, the rushing of horse hooves down the path can be heard, and the man known as Fredlin Vendez looks back to the sound in desperation and fear. After getting a better look at the approaching rider, that''s when I see it''s a female. One in high-quality armor. "You stupid girl!! I told you to wait until I return!" From the age difference and the air between them, I can tell they''re Father and Daughter. The girl hops off her horse and approaches her Father. Taking out her sword too. "If you''re going to kill my Father! You''ll have to kill me too!" Talk about something you see in movies... The man turns his head to me, and I see the worried look of a panicked parent. Not the one of a warrior. "Please, Angel Zern... Spare her life... She knows not what she speaks... She''s young and naive..." You can say that again... I don''t like the thought of killing a Father and Daughter... Or a Father, period... I thought the man was alone in terms of family... Taking him away from his Daughter wouldn''t sit well with me... "The deal still stands, Fredlin. Your life in exchange for everyone here. But your Daughter attacks, I''ll respond ordingly." I can see the hope in his eyes flicker to life, and when I look at his Daughters. The hope in her eyes is gone. Before she can say anything else, he chops her with his hand on the back of her neck and knocks her out. He motions for one of the soldiers to take her away, and he does. Turning back to me now that the issue has been settled. He lifts and points his sword toward me, getting back in his stance in the process. "I''ve kept you waiting long enough." Bellvia never deserved such a man fighting for them. I follow his lead and get back in my stance. And the soldier watching all fight to hold back tears. After today, they''ll all be going home to see their families. Alive and well, and it''ll be all thanks to Fredlin Vendez. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 508 One-Sided Beatdown [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Land Amelia Zern is developing, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:07 PM)~~~ "Angel Zern... I wish to tell you that it was never personal against your Mother... Using here... I did n to take ournd back by force, but I was never going to harm anyone you cared about..." The great general Fredlin Vendez hase to a final rationalization at the end of his life, but I don''t me him. The fury of a Son when his Mother is harmed or threatened is unstoppable. And I''ve suppressed my anger long enough. His death will not be a quick one, and his army will witness what''s really in store for them if they decide toe back. "Your judgment isn''t for me to decide, Fredlin. My family in the Overworld will decide what will happen to your soul when you fall this day." For some reason, that brings the manfort. But I''d be worried if I were him. There are cruel and torturing fates that await those who''ve caused problems for me. And I''m certain this man will fall into the category. Enough time has passed, and Iunch forward at an incredible speed. The world is moving slowly, and everyone is frozen. Fredlin''s eyes are the only thing that moves ever so slightly. His body can''t keep up with me, but his mind barely can. It''s impressive that he can manage that much, and it''s a mark of a powerful warrior and someone that has spent many years at the top of everything they take part in. As I approach his form, I know what I must do. I stretch out my left Angel wing, and m it hard against his right shoulder and upper torso. Even in this moment of time when everything is slowed, I can hear the bones crack and break. The world speeds back up as he goes flying into a group of soldiers, but none of them will sustain life-threatening injuries. "AAHH!! UUGGGHHH!!" The general of this army lets out a pained groan as he clutches his shoulder, and even from where I can see. The impact my left Angel wing had on his right shoulder and upper right torso was devastating. Blood is leaking from where the bones are sticking through the skin, and little gaps in the armor. He slowly raises his body, and I just wait for him. His left hand is clutching the destroyed shoulder and heavily damaged area on the torso. Even his right eye is closed from the sheer pain. "I''ve never been hit so hard in my life... But... I get... The feeling... You held back... A lot... Of power..." His breathing is ragged, and he''s a bit wobbly. It looks like just talking is taking energy out of him. My eyes scan across the men watching, and they''re all openly crying now. Some are even trying to look away while standing in position. "If you need a minute to catch your breath, I can wait. This fight is long from over." Fredlin probably doesn''t deserve this when he''s got such good character. A man of discipline,mitment, and order. But this isn''t an attack on him as a man or against his character. This is an attack in retaliation for the actions he''s taken today. I''m not cruel enough to belittle the man and who he is. The humiliation of his actions is already pronounced in our fight. A good man''s honor and reputation shouldn''t be destroyed because of one little mistake. But no matter what I do today when word gets back to Bellvia, many will im him as a heretic. Mark him as a monster, instead of a man, All because I''m who I am, and that sucks for me too. Cause no matter what, there is no decision where both sidese out of this the same as the other. He''s a man that''lle back again. I can see it in the way he holds himself. That means death and the destruction of his legacy is the only way to keep my Mothersnd safe, and by default, The Kingdom of Zenith safe. My inner thoughts have given him enough time to fully stand up on his feet, and he''s holding his de with his left hand. Now that his entire right arm is out ofmission, he''s forced to fight with a hand he doesn''t train. Further cementing my victory and the final defeat of Bellvia in the process. "After today, these men will return to Bellvia and call you a hero, Fredlin. But the Church of Light and the Royal Family of Bellvia will ostracize you and your family. Use you as a scapegoat. I wish there were a better way, but there isn''t." All he does is smile with a mixture of pain and satisfaction. Knowing he''s doing the right thing now makes it easier on him. If only he weren''t a fool... He never would''ve been in this situation to begin with. In another show of apex speed, the world slows down, and I rush forward. This time, I drive the tip of my de into his gut, and the world speeds back up. [Curse of Dposition has been ced on General Fredlin Vendez!] One of my swords affects proc, and I pull the tip of my de out. And from his wound, he slowly starts to be consumed by the process of dposition. It''s an ugly and painful sight, but these men need to see it. "You''re a Monster!!" One of the soldiers to my left screams out, and he takes his helmet off as he stares at me. Fredlin looks up at me in desperation. In hopes that I do not take offense. Even as he''s slowly withering away, he''s doing his damndest to save his men. "You equate me to the same standards you would like any other human, but I''m not human. I''m an Angel, and I''ll do what I need to save the people I love." There was an ancient decree long ago before the yers and before most of the Kingdoms and Empires of today. No Angel shall take a mortal life. But this rule doesn''t apply to me. I''m still half-human. Most of the men looking at me don''t know what to do. And that''s not their fault. "Don''t be angry at the death of Fredlin Vendez." I turn to look at the slowly dying man, and he''s close to death. Very close. "He''s sacrificed his life for all of you and secured the future of Bellvia in the process. Cause I would''ve killed everyone here if not for him." The looks are varying, but all are within the realm of fear and intimidation. I''ve done a service for both Bellvia and Zenith. And Fredlin Vendez will forever be marked as the lowest man, even though he isn''t "Thank... You..." As the light leaves his eyes, they slowly close, and he takes hisst breath. The Curse of Dposition continues to spread across his body until there is but a pile of rotten flesh and bone. A death that was undeserved, but necessary. The soldiers all turn and run in fear, falling over one another in an attempt to get away from me. They stayed long enough to support their general, and I can respect that. As I''m about to turn and leave as thest man rushes over the hill, I see a lone girl running down the hill toward me. But her eyes aren''t on me, but on the repulsive pile a few feet away from me. She falls to her knees next to her Father and cries out in pain. This moment is one she''ll never forget. Her Father is in such a state that she can''t even hold his dead body. "You should be proud of your Father. Despite being a fool, he deserved more from this life. And it''s time that you return with his men." Her eyes lift from the rotting remains of her Father, and I see a red hot fury in them. But she doesn''t reach for her sword. All I see are hot tears on a wrathful face. "You''ll live to regret this." Who says I don''t already... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 509 Promises [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Land Amelia Zern is developing, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:17 PM)~~~ In a final look at the grieving and angry Daughter of Fredlin, I can see that a small piece of her died today. I sympathize. When I watched my Mother die, and I couldn''t do anything, it changed me. It made me the person that I am. I cast aside my biggest weaknesses and most of my humanity. And the product of who I am is from the trauma I''ve lived through. The saying of what doesn''t kill you makes you stronger is the best way to describe who I am. "Don''t spend your life chasing me in vengeance, girl. That''s a wasted life and one you can never get back." She''s got the same furious look in her eyes, and her tears are all dried up. All that''s left is a determined girl. I can see parts of my journey to power in her. In what''s happening right now. "I promise... On the life of my Mother and Father, I''ll kill you for this... You brandish your power with no consequence to who''s in the way... Who knows how many you''ve killed that were undeserving of it..." All she can take with her now is a lone ne that''s left from Fredlin. All that remains of the man is his sword, armor, and that ne. Curse of Dposition works in a gruesome but effective way. She stands up and stares at me, but her sword stays in its sheath. And she''s obeying what her Father wished. "My name is Torma Vendez, and I solemnly swear that I''ll be the one to kill you for the acts you''vemitted against my family... Against my Father... Remember my name, and my Fathers name... For they''ll be thest words, you ever hear..." This is grounds of Divine Punishment from The Almighty Father... And I wouldn''t put him past doing it... Threatening me in such ways has led to the downfall of many people... If her Father could hear her now, I wonder what he''d say... I bet he''s in Overworld begging for his Daughter and family to be spared for her promise. Since nothing has happened yet, I would say he''s seeded. But it would''vee at a cost. I should say something in return, something that needs to be said. She needs to be warned. "And I Solemnly swear if youe after the people I love and care about, I''ll not only destroy your family, but I''ll reduce the entire Kingdom of Bellvia to ruin. If you so wish to chase me, I won''t stop you... But there is a difference between us that you can''t ovee." My warning has beenid out, and she turns to leave up the hill with her Fathers ne. It''s the only thing she can take with her. She''s not a yer, so there is no Inventory to put her Fathers items in. So she''s taking what she can carry. Now that this has been handled, I turn to look at the city and the people I did this to protect. And I can see my Mom on the hill where I came from waiting for me. She witnessed the whole fight from where she was at. I''m nervous to speak with her... Moms get a certain way when they do things that are dangerous and scary to them. My wings spread out, and Iunch off the ground and speed back to her. Landing softly a couple of feet from her. "You''re an idiot..." Her voice is raspy, tired, and hollow... The eyes that are usually clear are red and puffy. Makeup smeared all over the ce. And she''s looking like I''ve put my life on the line. "There was never any danger. Not for me." She scowls at me and makes her way over. pping me across the face. And I don''t budge cause it doesn''t hurt. But this time, she isn''t in pain from hitting me so hard. Looks like what I''ve done has angered her far more than I realized. Amelia''s eyes lift from looking a the ground, and painful hot tears are falling from them. Her face is starting to scrunch up... Trying to resist not crying in front of me. This is something that only parents can understand. "That''s not the point... Do you know how much it hurts me to see you leave like that... To fight... To kill... It kills me a little every time I''m forced to go through it..." There were no other immediate options, and I solved the situation as best as I could given the hand I was given. But all I see in front of me is an emotionally hurt Mom, and there isn''t a rationalization you can make with a Mom in this state. Or any woman in this state. I don''t know what to say or do... Amelia isn''t like my Mom... She doesn''t act like this normally... Meaning this has been building up for a while... Maybe I should just follow my instincts... So I reach out a single arm and bring her in for a hug... Her sobs are no longer hidden, and she cries into my armored chest... Wrapping her arms around me... Maybe knowing that I''m okay and I''m not going anywhere yet will make it better... "I''m sorry... I shouldn''t have reacted like that... It''s hard to hold it in... The pain... The thought of losing my Son..." I couldn''t imagine being Amelia Zern... Not the life she''s led... While I''ve had a hard one, I know for a fact that Amelia has had it worse than me... I can''t control what she feels... All I can do is react... Doing what I''m doing right now is the best thing for that. "Let''s get you home." She nods her head slowly in my chest, and I let her go while kneeling on the ground for her to get on my back. Once she secures herself, Iunch off the ground. I can hear her sniffling in my ear... Trying topose herself even now... "Promise me something, Cera..." I''ve already gotten used to her using my Earth name, but she hasn''t told me how she knows about it, and I don''t think she''ll be telling me any time soon. That''s okay, though. It''s only fair she has secrets from me since I''m keeping so many from her. "Anything." She hugs me tighter as I say those words, and I know she''s afraid that if she lets go. I''ll disappear forever. Even though I''m leaving tomorrow, she doesn''t want me to leave anytime until then. "When it''s time for you to go, at least tell me what it is you''re nning on doing... I''m not worrying myself to death, not knowing what you''re doing... And I want you to respond to any messages I send you... I can''t stand the thought of you... Dying..." Listening is the best thing I can do right now, and it''s working. Letting her vent all this is for the best, and I know it''ll help her. "I promise." Her grip loosens a little, and I take that as a sign I''ve done something right. But I need her to promise me something too. "On one condition." She chokes on air for a micro second... Hitching her breath in her throat... In fear of what I might say... "You take two days a week off from work. You''re going to burn yourself out if you keep this up, and when I do visit you again. I don''t want it to be when you''re exhausted like you are." All I get from her is silence at first, but she takes a shallow breath in preparation. "I promise, too." That''s good... Good... Going back to the mansion is the best thing to do now... The people can handle any problems today... Amelia won''t be bothered by any reports or paperwork when we get back. I''ve dealt with the problem, and that''s the end of it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 510 Useful Information [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Meldro, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:16 AM)~~~ The man I''ve been stalking since 7:00 AM isn''t Zarmade Oryzox. My Father isn''t a disgusting excuse of a man like whoever it is I''m watching. I''ve witnessed him go into an underground brothel and try to sexually assault a woman. Luckily the woman''s husband beat him to a pulp before I had to step in. But I''m still disappointed that my Father would even know a guy like this. "Is finding my Father even worth it anymore? If he associates with people like this, it''s probably best that I don''t know anything about him beyond his name..." I''m keeping my distance for now... There are still things I want to find out before I confront whoever this man is. Having information like that is a powerful tool, and it''s what Cera would do if he didn''t know everything about a specific person. He walks into one of the biggest taverns in Meldro, and I subtlety follow him inside. Taking a seat in one of the corners of the establishment and watching the man I''m sure has information about my Father. What the fortune teller said hase true. The guy is a wolf in sheep''s clothing. You wouldn''t suspect him of being a bad person from just looking at him. One of the things I''m worried about is the fact he is an elf, and this means there is a chance this guy is my Father... But I refuse to believe that... Not yet. My Mother wouldn''t love a man capable of doing the things I''ve seen this man do. After a couple of minutes of watching him, someone sits next to him. It''s a human male. He''s one shady-looking motherfucker. They''re probably in business together doing something illegal. It sucks that I can''t hear what they''re saying, but I''m able to read the human man''s lips. He''s talking about a meet-upter today. One that the elven man I''m following has to be at. It''s a shop that sells armor and weapons, but it has arge back room for a meeting. The human man stands up and leaves, looking like he''s got more people to talk to. What the hell is my Father involved in... "This is starting to make me sick..." My entire perception of my Father is deteriorating, and I''m getting more worried that my Father isn''t the man that I want him to be. The man that my Mother fell in love with... The elven man that I''m following hasn''t left his spot on the bar yet. I think I''m going to be waiting here a while, and since this is a good chance to get a hold of Cera. I''ll make sure that I do. My Friend''s Tab is quickly opened, and I click on Cera. [I''m hoping that you''re having a better day than I am... Turns out, my Father could be a terrible person doing terrible things... I''m holding reservations still, but it''s not looking any better as time goes on... What''s going on with you?] The message is sent with a click, and I''m left watching the man still. All he''s doing is drinking and staring at the bar counter. This person is degenerate when ites to life in general. I''m not that prideful about being a pure-blooded elf. But this guy is giving elves a bad look... But the smart thing is to stay back and keep watching. After a couple of minutes, I get a message back from Cera. And I can''t help opening my mouth a little. [Yeah, my day hasn''t been what I was expecting. A rogue militia of Bellvian forces tried to attack Amelia''snd while we were there. They weren''t expecting me to be there, and I fought a general by the name of Fredlin Vendez. Sorry to hear about your dad... It doesn''t sound good...] His day has been more interesting than mine, for sure. If I''m being honest, I''d rather be with him right now than searching for my Father... Searching for him if he''s involved in things like this... I don''t like it. And I''m slowly losing hope my Father is a good man... I wonder what''s going on in Bellvia... After their war with Zenith, they lost pretty much all theirnd. They had to in exchange for keeping their independence from Zenith. Before I''m able to send a message back, the man I''ve been following stands up and heads for the door. And I make sure to stand up and hang around some taller guys to make sure he can''t see me. I watch him leave, and I follow a little after. He''s walking down the street, and from what I can see. There is no particr direction he''s heading. It''s starting to make me wonder if I''ve been made... If I have, that would mean a confrontation ising soon, but he hasn''t shown any signs of that... After drinking that much alcohol, maybe he''s buzzed or something. But he''s not stumbling, and he doesn''t look incoherent. All of a sudden, he stops in front of an Armor and Weapons shop. The meeting was happening that soon? The man he talked to was saying it waster today... This is smelling like a trap, and one meant for me... I don''t know why, but that''s what my instincts are telling me... It''s not like I have many choices about walking in there. And the bright side is no one inside that building or in this town has the strength or power needed to defeat me. This is the benefit of being one of the strongest people around. p So I follow him inside, and there is no sight of him. There was a meeting in the backroom scheduled. And I make my way over to the front desk, and I see the only door leading further into the shop behind the man at that the counter. He smiles as I approach, and puts down what he was reading. Waiting for me to talk or bring up something to order. "The meeting that''s happening in the back, has it started already?" His expression instantly changes, but he''s not fast. I draw my de and line up the tip against his throat. He swallows hard, and someone would only be this scared if they wouldn''t revive. "Now, answer the question or die." I''ve learned a lot since traveling with Cera, and one of the things I''ve learned is you have to be a certain way when dealing with bad people. Cause they''ll only take advantage of you if you try to be nice to them. "There is a meeting happening back there... It''s the usual about profits, ns, and next targets... I told them this would happen... A girl was bound to seek revenge..." My blood runs cold... They''re involved in the ve business... That''s the only thing that can be connected to words like that... My Father is involved with vers... Did he have something to do with my Mothers life... And mine... "From the looks of your reaction, it''s true... I told them that the Sex ve business wasn''t going tost forever... I wanted out, and now I''m going to die like this..." I''m not even listening to the man now, and all I feel is a white-hot rage building in me. My Father is a ver. The same type of person that made my Moms life hell, and my life hell. In the next instant, my instincts take over, and I remove the man''s head from his shoulders. My attention falls on the door leading into the back, and I make my way towards it. I can''t believe my Father is this kind of animal. When I find him, I''m going to kill him. Just like he killed Mom. Dooming her to a life like that. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 511 Weight Lifted [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Meldro, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:31 AM)~~~ I kick the door that leads into the backroom open, and I run inside. Killing guards as I pass by. Some of them are NPCs Turned yers and are going to respawn soon. Others are dying forever. There is a door ahead of me, and I break through it. "What in the Fuck are you doing!?" One of the men at therge table stands up, but I use Ice Needles and kill him before he can move from where he''s standing. That causes everyone in the room to shut up and stare at me. As I get a good look, there are different races from all over Gaia. Lizardmen, Dwarfs, Elves, Humans, Beastman. From the looks of it, they''re bad people from each of their homnds looking to make a profit off their own people. The air among the men in the room is tight and nervous as I circle around the room. My de is drawn and ready for a fight at a moment''s notice. "I''m going to ask a few questions, and you''re all going to answer them." My hood is still covering my head and face, but you can tell I''m a woman based on my figure and voice. I''d rather not have these guys knowing what I look like before they die. They don''t deserve it. Their silence tells me that they understand. Now, what should I ask first? Information about Zarmade Oryzox is what I''m after, but these are some of the Major yers in the Sex ve business. If I can get more information out of them about that world, I cane away from this with more than just information about my Father. "How much does yourwork of Sex ves span over Gaia?" I can see they have someone in every part of the world, but I don''t know how much the infection has spread. Sometimes, you need to see how far and wide something is before knowing whether or not it''s too big to take on or not. Cause at this point, I''m tempted to take down the entire empire. Seeing this, going through all this. It''s bringing things back for me. One of the men stands up and clears his throat. He''s a human man, and it''s not surprising. Humans were the first to start the Sex ve business. "All over." The grip on my sword tightens, and I can''t help almost losing control and killing this guy. There isn''t much time until the NPCs Turn yer guardse back, and I need to move this along. He sees that I''m unsatisfied with the answer. "We have people in all Capital Cities across Gaia, and we have an undergroundwork that transports the product using Airships, Carriages, and storage containers. We have men at every checkpoint that''s bribed." My stomach is turning as he speaks... They''re that spread across Gaia... No matter what, there is no way we can get them out... They''ll just pop back up somewhere else and start over... In a moment of rage, I take the man''s head off, and that''s when I notice he''s not a yer. He''s now permanently dead. It makes me wonder how many of the men in this room are actually yers and NPCs. "How many people in this room are yers and the others NPCs?" No one answers me, and that''s what I expected. If they tell me, that means I can choose who dies and who is sent to the authorities. Either way, this is the only way to prolong the life they all have. And since I''m not getting any answers. It''s time that I asked more questions about who I came here for. My Father. If Zarmade Oryzox is involved in this, I''m going to be thest face he ever sees. He won''t be able to live with the fact that his own Daughter killed him. Cause he''ll be dead. "Since no one wants to answer that, here is another question. What does anyone know about Zarmade Oryzox?" Everyone in the room goes stiff, and I can see all the men sweating. Trying to keep theirposure. They know who my Father is from the reaction. Now it depends on how they know him. And I''m listening. One of the elven men stands up, and he has fear in his eyes and features. And he takes a breath to calm himself before talking. But what he says gives me hope. "Zarmade Oryzox has been giving our business hell for years... We don''t know what motivates him, but he''s been hunting and killing us since the Sex ve business expanded across Gaia... He''s unstoppable..." My heart lifts from the pits of hopelessness, and I can''t help but feel a giant weight lift off me. My Father isn''t involved in a bad way. He''s hunting them and killing these animals. Trying to make the world a better ce. And I find myself crying, and I can''t stop. My Father is a good man. He''s not a horrible monster that put Mom in that world... I wouldn''t doubt he''s doing all this in search of Mom... He probably doesn''t even know I exist... For all he knows, I''m dead. "There''s the Bitch!!" All of a sudden, the door to the room is swarmed with opponents, and I don''t waste any time whatsoever. I''m cutting through both NPCs, and NPCs Turn yers. But in the chaos, some of the men in the room getaway. But as I kill thest of their guards and reinforcements, I capture one of the human males at the meeting. I''m holding him down with my foot on his head. He''s missing some teeth since I kicked him in the mouth. "Tell me where I can find Zarmade!!" He spits out some more teeth and groans as I press down on his head. "We don''t know where he is!! All we know is he has connections on the inside of our world!! Traitors to our business!! If you want to find him, you''ll need to find one of those traitors!!" That''s good enough for me. I start pressing harder on the man''s head, and there are pops and cracks starting to happen. "NO! STOP ARG-!" *SPLAT!* The man''s head explodes under my foot, and I find myself lethargic and out of breath. Not from exhaustion, but from how fast everything is hitting me. I leave the area at a speed that I haven''t used before, and once I''m in a safe ce, I sit down and take deep breaths. My Father isn''t one of them... He''s been hunting them... Zarmade didn''t doom Mom to a life like that... I open my Friend''s Tab, and I instantly click on Cera. I can''t keep the good news all to myself. [Cera!! I have wonderful news! My Father isn''t a part of the Sex ve business. He''s been fighting and hunting them for years!! They fear him, and he''s not the man I was afraid of him being!! He didn''t condemn my Mom to a life like that!!] As I send the message, my fingers are shaking, and tears are running down my face. But I''m not sad. These are the tears of a Daughter who''s proud and happy her Father is a good man. I lean my head back against the wall I''m propped up against and look at the passing sky. After a minute, Cera gets back to me. [I wish so badly that I can be there with you while you do this. I promise, as soon as I''m done with myst tier-up quest. I''m meeting up with you, and we''ll be doing this together!] This is the best I''ve felt since Cera, and I split up at Avalon to go on our separate Tier-up quests. And now, things are looking up in my search for my Father. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 512 Giving Sally Information [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying back to Mansion, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:58 AM)~~~ Amelia is soundly sleeping as we fly, and I''m going at a speed much slower so as not to wake her. After crying so much, she''s in need of some rest. But I''ve been upying my time with a conversation with Sally. She''s found out her Dad isn''t a ver. He''s been fighting the business ever since Sally''s Mother was lost in the Sex ve Trade. That''s what I think, at least. I can''t imagine how good this makes Sally feel. She was so scared of Zarmade being something less than animalistic. And to be honest, I was scared too. I don''t know how Sally would''ve handled the news that thest parent she has is why her Mother''s life and her life were so bad. She''s been talking to me about various things over thest 10 minutes, and I can''t help smiling at how much better she''s doing now. Speaking of talking, she''s just sent me another message. But this one is on the more important side of things. [Since you know so much about random things, do you by chance know of any traitors in the Sex ve Trade? One of the guys in that room said that''s the only way I can find Zarmade. He''s using traitors to take the empire down piece by piece.] Even Zarmade is starting to inspire me more as time passes. Sally and I have the quest to end very in The Kingdom of Zenith, but if all this pans out good. We could end it across all of Gaia. Her Father has already done a lot of the heavy work. But what I find slightly rming is I never knew of Zarmade Oryzox being this hero. From what I remember in my old future, he was just a prince of The Elven Kingdom that was out in the world somewhere. Maybe this was what he was doing at that time... There is no way to be sure, and just because I''m excited doesn''t mean that I''m sold Zarmade is a good guy. It takes a monster to hunt monsters like Sex ve Traders. And all these years of istion and bloodlust might have warped the man''s mind. He could be dangerous. What if he doesn''t believe Sally is his Daughter when they finally meet... But as to what Sally is asking for, there is one name I heard of back in my old future. One that bounced around on the Forums and yer''s Channels. [I heard about one guy. Or should I say woman... She''s based in The City of Yordase. Within The Empire of Larmordies. I''d be wary of traveling to such a ce. The Empire of Larmordies is one of the wealthiest and most powerful forms of government in all of Gaia. Her name is Regelia.] From what I remember reading about The Empire of Larmordies, it''s one of the oldest Empires in all of Gaia, and its family has been ruling on the throne since its creation. Since it was formed and built before The Church of Light, The Pope has no authority over who rules it and for how long. It''s filled with powerful people, and they''re all fiercely loyal to the Larmordies Royal Bloodline. Not even The Adventurers Guild has establishments in The Empire of Larmordies. What I know about The City of Yordase is very little. It''s a moderately sized city filled with consumer goods, and it''s also got a local arena to do battle. That''s another thing that''s unique about The Empire of Larmordies. All of its cities have arenas and colosseums to do battle in. But my thoughts are interrupted by the message I get from Sally. [I don''t have any money left for travel via Teleportation Gate... Do you think I could borrow some money? I promise I''ll pay you back. I just don''t want to waste any time using an Airship...] I don''t know why, but I find myselfughing at the message. Never did I think Sally would ask me for money to help her, but I''m d she is. I get wanting to save time, and I''ve been in simr situations before, back in my old future. But back then, I didn''t have a sugar momma to give me money. So in a way, I''m kinda happy that she''s doing this. It lets me know she''s at a point where she feels safe to ask me that sort of thing. [Yeah, I''ll send you some money. I''m really d that you''ve asked me actually. I''ll always be there to help you when you need it, and I know for a fact that if I need help with money, you''d give me what I need in a heartbeat. So give me a price, and we''ll jump through the hoops.] To send money to another yer while far apart, you have to use The Auction House, which means there has to be a trade of some kind. After a couple of minutes, I get a private offer from The Auction House, but I can''t help blushing when I see what she''s sent me. [Private Auction] [Saliandra Orvello''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Description: The underwear that Princess Saliandra Orvello wears on a daily basis.] [Price: 500 Gold] [Attatched Message: I want those back the next time we see each other~...] Wow... My heart is racing, and I find this incredibly hot for some reason. But I''m quick to put a lid on it. I don''t want to get into this situation with Amelia sleeping on my back while flying. So I pay her the Gold, and the panties are deposited into my inventory. I can''t help looking at them in the little box; they''re the ones I remember taking off her several times. They bring back really good memories. Once again, I''m having to reign in control. After a few minutes of flight, Amelia stirs on my back and almost falls off. But I adjust, and she keeps soundly sleeping. Sally is off doing what she needs to do next, and I''m left with my thoughts. I''m sure there is a blush still on my face, but it''ll go away in a little while. The City of Yordase and The Empire of Larmodies will be a new experiences for her. And it''ll be one for me once I get there too. I''ve never been to any of the Empires that inhabit Gaia. They''re the oldest things around besides Dragons, Gods, and certain Monsters. They''ve been ruling at the top for a long time, and there is only two ways that a Kingdom can be an Empire. The first way is to expand your borders to the point you have to make an Empire. And that''s the easy way. The second way has only been done once before, and it''s an incredible tale. But that''s for another time. The second way is to Destroy an Empire and take its ce. I''ve heard as many good things as I''ve heard bad things about The Empire of Larmodies. It''s definitely a ce that''s unique like all Empires. My eyes take in the appearance of the clouds I''m flying through, and I get a glimpse of the ground every few seconds. The endless forests that are probably filled with monsters. It takes me back to the days when I first started ying The Ancients World for the second time around... When I still thought this was a game... Before I could fly... The Wilds are something that I struggled a lot with my first life... But I avoided that mess almost entirely in this life... There is something I should do... I need to check in with Hailey. She''s in the Southern Continent when the Brazilian yers first spawned and started ying. And she''s there now. Whenst we talked, we didn''t get a good chance to discuss what she''s doing, and I''d like to know more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 513 Heading To Yordase City [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Walking to Teleportation Gate in Meldro, The Kingdom of Avalon)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:29 PM)~~~ All the information that Cera gave me wille in handy. Once I''m in Yordase, my first objective is to find Regelia. The woman that might have a connection to Zarmade. It''s the information that Cera provided, and he''s never wrong. Once I''m in Yordase, I don''t know where to start searching. And going around asking people where I can find Regelia won''t work. It''ll set off rms and make her run, which isn''t what I want. Following what the men said when I questioned them... There are Airships, Carriages, and Storage Containers that house these women. All I have to do is follow one of those to Regelia. But finding one won''t be easy. These are all things that I need to figure out on my own. Cera could help, but he''d know the same amount as I do. I''m willing to bet he doesn''t know about what I figured out today. "I thought that I wouldn''t be involved with that dark part of my past again... But now that it''sing back, it''s clear that it was inevitable... Killing the James Family has liberated me... I wonder where this will lead me..." I honestly can''t say where this will take me... My Father doesn''t know me, and I don''t know my Father... All I know for sure is he''s doing something good for the world. And that''s something I can be proud of... Mom would''ve probably loved to see him again... Cera epted me regardless of the things done to me in the past... I can see my Father doing the same thing for my Mom if they could''ve met again. That''s setting my hopes too high for my own good, if I''m being honest... Cera is special in a lot of ways... And the way he loves me and treats me despite being an unwilling Sex ve to other men shows something I can''t describe... To be fair, it all happened long before he was born... I escaped that life nearly 83 years ago... But he healed me... Gave me everything I needed and more... My thoughts are stopped as I approach the Teleportation Gate, and I pay the 300 Gold fee to transport. I select my destination of Yordase City, and I''m taken in a sh of light. After a second, I''m let out on a tform, and I look around. It''s way different than what I was expecting. What makes it different are all the different races that are here. Any sentient humanoid race is within view, and this is just a regr city within The Empire of Larmodies. I couldn''t imagine what the capital looks like. "You look like you haven''t been here before, yer. Would you like a guide?" A voice grabs my attention, and I turn to see who it is, and it''s another NPC Turned yer like me. I know what this is. It''s a tactic to take advantage of people not from around here. "I''m fine." The man puts up his hands in mock defeat and steps away. Seeing that I''ve made him. I''m going to have to be careful around this ce. The first person that talked to me tried to take advantage of me. I doubt Cera would''ve even acknowledged the man. It''s a tactic I haven''t mastered yet, and that''s because I find it hard to let things unimportant to me go. If someone tried that with Cera, it wouldn''t make a difference in his mind. Now that I''m actually in Yordase, that also means I''m officially in The Larmodies Empire. And I don''t know how long I''m going to be here, but I hope it''s not that long. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Road of Marbode, Southern Brazilian Continent)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:40 PM)~~~ Cera and I talked for a while, and I updated him on everything I''m doing down here in the South. He''s in Zenith right now, staying in a Mansion. I''m a little jealous right now, but apparently, he''s got some important friends there. I''ve been giving what Angelus told me a lot of thought... How I''m the one that will help guide Cera on his destiny... I''m worried, though... I don''t know what his destiny entails... He''s my little brother, and I care about him a lot more than I''d ever admit to caring, and from the way Angelus made it sound, he''s got an important role... If not the most important role... I''m trying to keep my mind off it... But it''s really been the only thing I think about anymore... Even on this lonely road to the heart of the Southern Continent. "What am I supposed to do, Cera... Should I tell you what I know... Angelus never said I couldn''t... You told me your secrets, and I shouldn''t keep this from you either... I already jeopardized our rtionship once, and I won''t do it again..." My mind is made up, and I''m going to tell Cera what I''vee to learn from Angelus. But since he told me that he''d be busy until tomorrow, so that''s when I''ll tell him. For now, I''ll be thinking of ways to broach the subject. And speaking of talking to people, Sally hasn''t gotten back to me in any way. I''m hoping she''ll forgive my terrible prank soon... It was nice to have her as my friend... There mighte a time when we can talk about it. But giving it thought now won''t do me any good. So it''s time I focus on my quest down here. I''ve been given a bounty on the head of the King to the Kingdom I''m heading to. It''s not what I do, but the rewards are insane. I also wouldn''t mind bing a Kingyer like my brother. He''s killed royalty in the past, and I don''t want to fall behind in aplishments like that. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Mansion, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:12 PM)~~~ Amelia and I are resting in the study, and she''s calmly eating some of her favorite desserts. I''m joining her on this rare asion. But she has arge frown on her face, and that''s from the unexpected visit of King Jackson and Queen Tessa. They''ve been talking back and forth between each other and me. However, they haven''t had any luck getting a conversation started with Amelia, which is understandable. This is supposed to be our time together, and it''s getting interrupted like this. "So, Angel Zern... What are you doing in Zenith, to begin with? It would''ve been nice to know you were stopping by... I could''ve arranged a time for us to meet outside of interrupting you two..." Jackson is doing his best to keep the talks on positive terms. But Amelia is growing increasingly impatient at their presence here. "I''m here on my final Tier-up quest for the time being. I''m actually looking for a man. You might know him. He goes by Kris Martim." They both look like the name has no meaning to them, and that''s a bummer. I was hoping they knew something about the man I''m after. But it doesn''t look like it. Before anyone can say anything, Amelia clears her throat and stares at the two. "As much as I love thepany of The White Haired Saint Queen and The King of Freedom, I would like private time with my son back. Thank you." She leaves no room for discussion and even uses their monikers instead of their names. They get the hint and stand up. Taking off with a plum of smoke behind them. "Now that they''re gone, can you continue telling the story of your fight to get your Divine Aura? You left right at the good part at the arrival of Fenrir." She''s enjoying my stories more than I thought, and I''m d. But I can still see an overprotective glint in her eyes when things get dangerous in my stories. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 514 Hunting [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ,m ~~~(Location: Walking around Yordase, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:18 PM)~~~ All I''ve been doing since I got here is look around and familiarize myself with where I''m at. The city is veryrge and a little difficult to navigate. But I''ve learned a few valuable bits of information in my sculking about. One of those valuable pieces of information is arge supply shipment for the city ising tomorrow night. And it''s food for Yordase, but I''m willing to bet big money I''ll find what I''m looking for. If a shipment thatrge ising to Yordase, then it''s obvious they''ll be moving a bunch of captured women into the city. All I have to do is follow it when I find it, and it''ll lead me straight to Regelia. Now the next thing I learned is there are several ces all over Yordase where criminals go to hang out. There is a small problem with that. It''s a tightmunity. They''ll see me sticking out like a green apple in a basket full of red apples. Once I''m discovered, I can kiss any chances of finding Regelia goodbye. While Cera would continue digging for more information wherever he could find it, I don''t know what else to do in such an unfamiliar environment. Walking around and observing is the best thing I can even do at the moment. But people need to rest, and that includes me. For the first time in a long time, I''m both physically and mentally tired. And I''ve set my sights on an Inn. After entering my selected ce to stay the night, I see the customers aren''t as hectic as most Inns are at this time of day. Most people are getting out of their jobs, and theye to the nearest ce to drink. "What can I get for you, youngdy?" It''s funny to be called that when I''m older than everyone in this room. But when I look forever 21, it doesn''t make a difference, I guess. The Innkeeper is a lovely woman, and I pay for my room. She gives me the key and shows me to the room. I give my thanks and make my way to the private bathroom first. Unequping my armor and clothes. The hot shower is already on, and the magic water makes my body instantly rx as I step under the stream. "I needed this..." The stress of today is melting away, and I''m turning into a jelly elf... There aren''t enough times I get to do this, and I even get to indulge in magic soap. As I finish my shower, I make it to my bed wrapped in my towel, and I plop down on the soft nkets. My head is clear, and my body is rxed. "Tomorrow will be a busy day, so I should enjoy this moment of peace while I can..." That''s something I learned on my own... That moments like these are few and far between... Doing this without my other half makes it all the more difficult. But you can''t always have what you want. You have to make sacrifices andpromises. My eyes are heavy, and the deep sleep that I need is slowly creeping on me. Lately, my nightmares have started to slowly fade away. I''ve been reliving that prank Hailey pulled, and there are nights I don''t want to close my eyes in fear of seeing it again. But it''s not going to happen tonight. I can feel it. I''m not tense about everything, and I''m not stressed from fear. "I hope that you sleep as good as I will tonight, Cera..." After a few minutes, my towel finds its way off, and I''m under the nkets. My final thoughts before sleep are of my Dad and what he might look like... There are so many things I want to ask him, and it''s going to be a day I''ll never forget when I meet him. "Don''t worry, Dad... I''m close behind, and I can''t wait to meet you..." Mom is up in Overworld watching now... And I hope that she sees everything I''m doing... To know that I''m living a life that I never thought I''d have... One of freedom, love, and happiness... If only she could''ve had that with me... ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Tent near The Road of Marbode, Southern Brazilian Continent)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:48 PM)~~~ I''m really missing a roof over my head instead of a tent... It''s storming outside... So bad that I had to stop and set this up. I''m soaking, but luckily my clothes will be dry after a few hours inside my inventory. "This must be the infamous South American storms of the 20th and 21st centuries... I only read about them in books and seen some videos..." It''s hard to believe anything that the supposed developers and founders of The Ancients World said, but some of it makes a little bit of sense... It makes you wonder whether what they said was actually true or now. "The people who allegedly made The Ancients World imed the Southern Brazilian Continent for South American yers would have his environment and climate based on the 20th and 21st centuries..." My mind drifts to my target, and that''s the King of the Kingdom I''m currently in. I''ve covered a lot of ground since I saved that vige from monsters and bandits. And the bounty of the King''s head was made by an anonymous organization. But It''s not something anyone can pass up. Not with the rewards at stake. One problem I''ve found is I can''t pronounce or speak most of thenguage. Which is why I''m just referring to The Kingdom I''m in as The Kingdom. And The King and The King. I''m looking forward to ying a King. From what I''ve heard, the man is a terrible tyrant and one that rules on power alone. No one strong enough hase along to dethrone him. *KABOOOOM!!!* Lighting shes outside the tent as the rain falls even harder, and thunder quickly follows. Never in my life have I had my body and chest shaken from the sheer vibration from something close by. I''m tempted to stick my head out of the tent and see the sky and lightning dancing around. There are cracks of thunder every couple of seconds. But I doubt I could see anything through the heavy rainfall. I don''t think I''ll be getting any sleep tonight... ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Mansion, In Bed, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:12 PM)~~~ Today was a pretty interesting day... One that I didn''t anticipate... First, I fought a General, and then Ie to find out that Sally''s Father is a liberator and fighter for the Sex ve''s freedom. There are times that I can only wonder what would happen if I didn''t make the choices that I made... But looking back, were any of my choices actually my choices... Were they already determined to be made by me... For a while now, I''ve felt as though I''ve been a piece moved on a chess board. I just don''t know what kind of piece I am... Sometimes, I feel like a pawn... Other times I feel like a Knight or Rook... Whatever is going on in the background, I can''t see. I hope it doesn''t cost me the people I love. I''ve lost them once, and I don''t think I can lose them again. "I''m worried about tomorrow more than anything... I don''t know what Amelia is gonna do on ourst day together... There are probably things she wants to do, and I''ll do them... But those are only going to mask her pain for so long..." She goes through things that I could never understand, and maybe one day I could... But Amelia only wants to spend time with me, and for some reason... That''s too much to ask, and that''s what hurts her... She wants just a little more time with me, but I have things to do. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 515 Starts Now [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(location: The City of Yordase, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:32 AM)~~~ My eyes slowly flutter open, and I look at the ceiling for a good few seconds before rubbing the morning gunk out of my source of sight. It''s been a hot minute since I slept that good without Cera next to me. Makes me wonder if he sleeps any differently if I''m there or not. I don''t think he''d have a harder time, but it''d be nice to know that myck of being there with him gives him some difort. None of that should really be on my mind. Not with the important things I''m doing tonight. Those are when the shipments are arriving. And it''s smart to do it at night, in my opinion. It makes it easier to do illegal activities. "First things first... I need something good to eat, and the smelling from downstairs is convincingly good..." It''s a fact of life that all living beings need food, and that includes me. The nkets fly off the bed as I push them hard, and I stand up in the nude. The brisk cool air in my room doesn''t do me any favors, so I''m quick to equip my armor. I''m d that I have several different kinds of extra panties, but the ones I sent Cera were my favorite to wear. They werefortable, and I miss them already. The moment I leave my Inn room, I head downstairs. It''s a lively breakfast. There are several people, and this is what it should look like before the day starts. Most people don''t start their jobs until 8:00 AM. Wasting no time, I head to the bar and hand the Innkeeper back the key to my room. Taking a menu to one of the tables with me. As I sit down, I notice that everyone seems much happier in generalpared to the other ces I''ve visited. I guess it''s normal, considering an Empire has higher standards of living. The food on the menu is a variety I haven''t seen before. Cuisine exclusive to The Larmodies Empire. After ordering, it takes about 10 minutes, but my food gets to me, and I immediately dig in. There are a few times that I prefer my world''s food of Earths, but this is just divine... The food from Cera''s world has many wonderful things about it, but it''s got nothing on this... "It''s the juiciest hamburger I''ve ever eaten before... I wish I could have this every day..." It''s hard to resist anything that''s this good, and I bet Cera would like this more than me. He''s used to eating his world''s food, so this''ll be a pleasant change. Too bad he isn''t here to share it with me. After a couple of minutes of enjoying my breakfast, someone sits at my lone booth and looks across from me. I have my hood up to keep my identity hidden. And the person that''s sitting across from me is a male. I already know where this is going. "For such a lovely woman to be shoving meat down her throat like that... You must be pretty experienced with the art of meat..." The man''s innuendoes bother me way more than I''d ever let show. And I''m quickly running out of patience. "Get out of my face before I cut yours off." Despite my threat, it seems to motivate the man even more. This is what a masochist must be. Someone who enjoys pain and threats. And I''m not the slightest bit amused or interested. I have someone worth more to me than this parasite to society. "You know, being cruel will only get you so far with men. You''ll have way better luck catching a man to fuck with, honey. So, what do you say, sweetheart? Do you want to get out of here?" There is only so much I can tolerate. And instead of answering, I stand up and draw my de at speeds he can''t react to. The next thing that happens, he''s on the ground, dead. Before his body disappears in an explosion of little lights. Cera calls them pixels. And that''s what happens when yers die and respawn at the nearest Cathedral. Meaning there is a good chance he''ll be back. My good morning and breakfast have been ruined. And I pay for my meal and leave the Inn. Making my way away from the area in case hees back with more people looking for trouble. Do other women go through what I have to go through? It makes me wonder what women who aren''t as strong as me have to do... There aren''t many good people willing to stand up to a single person. Let alone an entire group... "All the more reason to try and make a difference these days..." It''s time I get down to business, and I''m heading to the storehouses and the supply entrance for the city. A unique area for Yordase where the supplies for the citye through. It''s got some good vantage points where I can watch. I want to see who guards the ce and who is there frequently. Knowing who I''m against and how many people they have is something that Cera taught me. I know Regelia is my target, but I don''t know how involved she is in all this. All I do know is she''s in the city, and she''ll be involved in whatever womene through, but that''s it. There could be a moment where I only see her for a slipt second, and that might be my only chance. Or she could be in charge of the entire operation and still be feeding my Father information. It does make my skin crawl. A fellow woman would be in this business... The amount of money she could make is probably what tempted her. And my Father threatening her life is what''s made her change sides... These are just my best guesses. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Mansion, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:12 AM)~~~ Today is the day I''m leaving Amelia, and she''s not happy in the slightest. Just by looking at her, I can see she''s been crying all night, but I''m not going to point it out while at the breakfast table. "So, when do you leave..." I take it she''s in the mood to talk about it, but the slight cracks in her voice tell me she''s not ready to hear any of this. But nothing can be done. It has to be talked about. "I was thinking of leaving around 12:00 PM and heading into Capital City Zenith for my Search of Kris Martim. And I can''t have you with me. You''d be a dead giveaway." Her entire form flinches, and her hair casts a shadow over her eyes... Her hands are on the table for the time being, and I see her clench them. She does so to the point they start to bleed, and her head butler has to let her know what she''s doing. It''s just us right now since the kids aren''t awake yet, and it''s working for her benefit, I guess. She doesn''t have to hold back anything for the sake of showing false strength for her kids. "This hurts way more than I thought it would... More than thest time you stopped by and had to leave... I promised myself I wouldn''t cry..." She looks up, and her eyes are clearly seen now. But there are tears falling from every part. "But I just can''t hold them back anymore... I''m sorry..." Instead of just sitting here, I stand up and make my way over to her and wrap my arms around her. She tightly hugs me and releases wails of pain into my shoulder. Soaking the outer part of my armor with her tears and snot. It''s hard being important to people, but it''s nice to know that someone cares about me this much. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 516 Schemes [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Road of Marbode, Southern Brazilian Continent)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:14 AM)~~~ Last Night I didn''t get a wink of sleep, and now I''m still not even close to my destination. And I''m nearly to the point where I don''t care how I get there. I could use my speed, but that''s a double-edged de. Once I reach where I''m going, I''ll be exhausted from having to maintain that speed for so long. So I''ve been using this miserable time to myself to think of a n about how I''m going to kill this King... I can''t even pronounce his name or the name of The Kingdom I''m currently in... However, my power and the average guard or soldier aren''tparable. I''m a Legendary Grade ss holder and every bit as powerful as 500,000 soldiers. yers and NPCs Turned yers are a different problem altogether. I don''t have the slightest clue how many this King employs and their average power. I have quality on my side, and that goes a long way. But I don''t have quantities. I''m a single person, and one lone yer can''t win against 1000 of the same level and tier. The number would eventually overwhelm anyone. My brother is the exception since he has a multitude of abilities and skills that''ll prevent any conventional defeat by numbers. Sadly, I don''t have the same luxury. "I won''t know anything until I see what I''m up against..." The nning phases of these incredible tasks aren''t my favorite things in the world, but they''re a necessary hurdle to ovee. Cera knows so much more than anyone else in the world... Having knowledge of the future gives him a distinct advantage. Having knowledge of the important things in this world makes him nearly invincible. I wouldn''t know what to do with such knowledge... But what I do know is I''m not wise enough to know how to use it the best way I can... And neither was Cera, but that wasn''t his fault... Why I''m thinking this? It''s because I''m not the strategist or tactician my brother is... And Knowing him, he''d say those are two different things, and they are... But I need to try and evolve my repertoire of skills... And not just ones from the system and Battlemind. I need to learn how to use my mind and do things better than I have. I haven''t made the best choices when ites to quests and how I approach them. My brother would head into things only when he knew everything he needed to know, and sometimes he''d risk it and not do that... "Mom and Dad would say that I''m fine the way I am... And they''d try to reassure me that I don''t need to change anything about how I''m doing things... But they''re wrong... If you fail to change, you end up perishing..." It''s a simple fact of life, and I''m not going to lose everything I''ve worked toward since I got here. Out of nowhere, I get a message from someone I wasn''t expecting a message from. Not now, at least. Cera has contacted me, and it reminds me that I need to tell him what Angelus told me. The message pops up, and I start reading. [You''ve already brought me up to speed with everything you''re doing thest time we talked. But I wanted you to know that even after what happened. I still want you to contact me. I told you that I forgive you, and I don''t like being the only one reaching out.] This isn''t what I expected when I opened the message, but it''s nice to hear it. I won''t lie. I figured my brother was still mad at me and hadn''t truly forgiven me. But this solidifies it. He has forgiven me, which means more than I''d admit. But I need to tell him, and ripping the bandaid off fast is the best way to do it. [I had a run-in with Angelus... She told me that you have a destiny... And that I''m the one that''s supposed to guide you on it... I''ve figured that telling you is the best way to help you...] As I hit send, I can''t help feeling that''ll make Cera even madder at me. But it''ll be something I have to live with. And a couple of minutester, I get a message back. And my blood runs cold... [I figured there was some n regarding me out there... But I didn''t realize you''d be dragged into it, and for that, I''m sorry... I''vee to learn many things, and I''ve kept things from you... Things I didn''t tell you when I told you why I''m the way I am now...] So there is more to the story... But to my irritation, I receive no more messages after this one. And I''m going to dig into this. How can I help him if I don''t know what he knows? [Don''t stop there! You''re leaving me with a cliffhanger here, and I don''t want to miss out on anything that could help me help you!] But all I get is nothing, and I find myself the one getting angry. "How am I supposed to be the supposed guide if I don''t know what you know!!? Dumbass!!" All I can do is yell out in anger, and it subsides as fast as ites... It wasn''t what I was expecting. Me bing the one that gets mad. But maybe this was the better oue. "I don''t know what I''m going to do about you... But I can''t be focusing on you right now... I have my own things to worry about and quests toplete." My brother will have to wait, and this leaves me with my thoughts on how I''m going to kill a King again. Running around in circles. Alwayse back to this spot. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: City of Yordase, The Empire of Lormodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:34 PM)~~~ p I''ve been scoping the ce out for a while, and nothing out of the ordinary can be seen. I''m on top of a building and keeping my head low. I doubt anyone knows the area is being watched. It looks like anyone involved in The Sex ve Trade isn''t here, and nothing more than guards are in the ce... It pisses me off... I can''t hide that. I wish whoever was in charge would show up for just a second. But no one besides officials and guards has been in the area. It mighte down to me having to find an agent for Regelia if she''s the one in charge around here... If only I knew more fucking information!! I wouldn''t be in this position of knowing nearly nothing except for a name!! "What can I do to improve my odds... Think, Sally... You know this business too... You were once a ve..." The gears in my head are already turning, and there aren''t any great ideas. The best one I''ve had is my original to follow the shipment of Sex ves to whoever is in charge. And that''s the best I''ve got at the moment. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Zenith, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:45 PM)~~~ Amelia cried her eyes out when I left, and it''s haunting me a little. But not more than what Hailey told me. Angelus isn''t someone I''ve talked to in a long time, and now she''s involving my family in her schemes. Whatever this great destiny is, I don''t like that the ones I love are the ones getting sucked into the middle of this mess. "What am I going to do..." What I should be focusing on is finding Kris Martim, but I can''t help worrying that I''ll end up losing my entire family again. The consequences of my choices are affecting my loved ones now, and I can''t do anything about it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 517 Chasing Information [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Zenith, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:36 PM)~~~ I''ve been turning up every rock I can think to look under for the man I''m after, but nothing hase up. I know Kris Martim is Near Capital City Zenith, but it appears that he''s not going to make it easy for more to find him. My money says he knows I''m looking for him, and he''s purposefully keeping away from me. That or he thinks this is a game, which is ironic. "You look oddly familiar, young man... Have I seen your face before?" The owner of the shop I''m in has been answering questions. And I figured the best way to find Kris Martim would be the ones who see the most faces and hear the most names. However, it seems this man is better with faces than he led on. He''s already suspecting me of being someone with a known face, and he''s only able to see the bottom half. "If you can get an idea that I''m a well-known person just from the bottom half of my face, then you know a man by Kris Martim. No sense in lying." He said he''s never heard of a man named Kris Martim, and I''m someone who doesn''t like being lied to. His deceit points to him knowing who and where Kris Martim is. Just by looking at the reaction on his face, he knows I''ve trapped him. I''m taller than the man, and I don''t like having to act like a bully to people like this, but sometimes you have no choice. He''s not an NPC Turned yer. And that means I can threaten his life. In an instant, I already have The Witness drawn and pointing at the man''s neck. He takes a deep gulp and puts his hands up. "Look... I don''t know much about Kris Martim, but he''se into my shop a couple of times to order things from outside The Kingdom... I don''t have an address, and I don''t know where he usually spends his time... All I know is I always smell alcohol on him when hees in..." Always smell alcohol... He''s a drunk? I''ve been under the impression that Kris Martim is some sort of God in disguise... It''s even been hinted at... But this man is telling me he''s a drunk thates in. My disappointed aura seems to convey how I''m feeling, and the man takes an instinctive step back. "I''m sorry that I don''t have more for you, but that''s all I know. I swear... From what I''ve seen of him, he''s just a degenerate drinker..." There are ces where degenerate drinkers go to get drunk, and that''s the nearest bar. But, I''m curious about one thing, and that''s what the man gets from out of The Kingdom and shipped in... "Tell me what Kris Martim buys and has shipped into the Kingdom." It''s not a request, and the man pulls out a book from under his counter. "He buys the same thing every time. See, look for yourself." He shoves the book closer in an attempt to emphasize his point, and I tilt my head and find his name. It''s true. He buys the same thing every time. And it makes me further disappointed. "Pure Fairy Cider? This is what he orders from out of The Kingdom?" Fairy Cider is a drink that deceives. Despite iming to be a cider, it''s 100 percent alcohol. Not only that, it''s rumored to be one of the sweetest and warmest drinks a person can have. ording to these records, he spends a small fortune on every order. Now, where does a degenerate drunk get this kind of money from... "I tell him it''ll only get more expensive each time, but he doesn''t care. Hees in here with a bigger sack of gold thanst time." So a virtually limitless supply of money and somehow still powerful enough to cause a problem for me... This is looking more like a front the man is putting up. It''s a strange way to hide yourself... I''ll say that... But I guess it''s been effective so far... I sheath my de, and the man takes an audible breath of relief, but that doesn''t mean my questions are over with. There are still things I need to know about him. "Since you''re being honest with me now, why didn''t you just tell me the first time?" He fixes his cor and wipes some of the sweat from his forehead. "He pays me extra to keep people off his scent if theye looking for him here. You''re not the first toe investigating the man. But you''re the only one I''ve told... Never had my life threatened before..." That exins why he hid what he knew, and now it''s time for more important questions. "What does Kris Martim look like? Describe his features the best you can." I don''t have a physical description of the man, and this shop owner has one. It''s obvious math. "Well, he''s taller than most, around your height. He''s got long curly dark hair and a big bushy beard. He smells of alcohol and wears ratty clothes. To be honest, he looks like a hobo, but the bars let him in since he always pays..." Those are helpful features, but he sees me fold my arms in the hope of better details. "His most distinguishing feature is his eyes... One is Blue, and the other is Red..." Now that is information I can work with. And I decide to leave some Gold on the counter. No sense in just leaving him nothing after that. I make my way outside, and I now have a good idea of who I''m looking for. Someone with Heterochromia and the typical look of a drunk hobo... It''s funny how that''s who I''m searching for here... I wouldn''t have thought this is what the man looks like. I was expecting a powerful entity that would prove a challenge. But I shouldn''t be counting victories before they happen. I don''t know what he''s truly capable of, and from what I''ve seen. He''s putting up a front. One that makes him the unassuming homeless drunk. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: City of Yordase, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:44 PM)~~~ I''ve been watching these unloading areas for hours, and nothing has changed. But I''ve learned something about myself in all this waiting. I''m a person whose patience runs out faster than she''d care to admit. I''ve had to fight the urge to go down there and just kill until I find who I''m looking for, and I''m losing the willpower to stop that from happening. And as I''m about to leave the rooftop and fulfill that desire, the gate leading from outside the city and into the city opens. And container after container is slowly brought in. And as I watch, I see a single container break from the group and travel down a blocked-off road. That''s the container I need to follow, and so I start running and jumping from building to building. I''m keeping my distance, but I''m also keeping it in sight. After a good 5 minute ride, it arrives at a private warehouse and enters. This is where I need to be. I make my way over, and as I''m on the roof. I find a small window to look through. There are several people in expensive clothes, and there is only one female in the room with the same type of clothes. That must be Regelia. I''ve found the bitch. The woman who knows where my Father is and how I can find him. The traitor I''m looking for. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 518 Trails Coming To Ends [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: City of Yordase, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:04 PM)~~~ Regelia is right down there, and I''m tempted to just bust through this window and start killing everyone I see. Regelia will make a break for it, and I don''t want to get caught up in all the people trying to kill me while she gets away. I doubt I''ll be able to kill her either. I have a sneaking suspicion she''s an NPC Turned yer. So, even after I get the information I need. Killing her won''t be a permanent solution. Even though she''s a traitor to the people, she''s working with, that doesn''t make her any better than the rest of the vers. Not to me. She''s just standing there with a smile. Thinking about the money she''ll make from all of this. I watch as a man walks toward the container and he opens it. My heart rate skyrockets and I see what I''ve once lived. Women from all different races are in that container. Some are skinny and near death. Others are dead, and some are healthy enough to walk. I''m barely able to hear what''s going on inside, so I slip through the window and hide on the catwalk. Able to hear everything now. "The product isn''t as high quality as we were hoping for... Select the best ones, and kill the rest. This was a disappointment from the others we''ve received." Both my heart, head, and soul scream for me to do something for these women. But if I do, I''ll miss my chance to grab and interrogate Regelia... I know in my heart if I don''t do something to help these women, I''m going to regret it for the rest of my life. Cera would do something, regardless of the risks it has to the quest he''s on. And I shouldn''t let my personal vendetta get in the way of helping those poor girls... I was one of them at one point... So in a fury, I jump down from the catwalk and start killing everyone I see. The ones closest to the exits make a break for it, and I do my best to catch them all and kill them. But some are a simr or higher level than me and can move faster than others in the room. Using their allies as decoys while they get away. I look around in hopes that Regelia hasn''t gotten away yet, but she''s gone. I release a sigh and finish off thest of the men in the room. I walk toward the container, and some of the girls recoil in fear of what I just did. My hand is already reached out, and I start to help as many out of the container as I can. "You''re all okay now. Wait here while I grab a couple of guards real fast." I do as I say, and I''m back with a couple of guards. Showing them the proof of my ims, and they''re quick to give out the rm. After a couple of minutes, hundreds of female guards are all around the location. Apparently, this isn''t the first time this has happened, and they have female guards specially trained and ready for a situation like this. Men are required to wait outside and secure the parameter. As I''m sitting on one of the steps leading upstairs, a woman in officer armor approaches me and takes a seat next to me. "You did a great thing today. May I get your name?" My hood is on right now, so she can''t see my defining features. Since my target is probably long gone by now, there is no sense in hiding my appearance. I lift the hood and look at her. Her breath is caught in her throat as she sees me. "I''m Saliandra Orvello." She''s trying to find the right words as she looks like she''s lost control of her hands. After a second, she clears her throat and tries to look more dignified, by her hair is a little frizzy. "It''s an honor to meet the girlfriend and partner of Angel Zern! Not to mention a Princess of The Elven Kingdom! I''m sorry for any disrespect that I''ve caused you!" Her words sound robotic and unnatural. Like she''s caking the fear with a highly formal apology. I can''t help but smile. "What''s your name?" I might as well learn the name of who I''m talking to. She clears her throat a second time and looks at me. "I''m captain Elly Mornes, and I''m in charge of finding and rooting out operations like this in Yordase. We''ve been having a serious trafficking problem for thest 2 years, and we haven''t gotten much ground. Thanks again... Mind if I ask what you''re doing here?" It makes sense why she''s curious about why I''m here, and maybe she can help me find out more about Regelia since I missed my chance. I''ll keep the bigger details out of it. "I''m looking for a ver by the name of Regelia. She was here, but when I saw the girls, I decided to change targets. Regelia has lots of information I need, but I doubt I''ll find her again after today." Elly lets out a long sigh herself and rubs the back of her neck. "Yeah... Regelia has been on our watchlist for a long time. We heard rumors she was in town, but we couldn''t confirm anything... I don''t know anything that can help you, and I''m sorry for that..." It''s not the end of the world... I did save around 20 Sex ves, and now their lives will get better. Being sent home and go back to the lives they had before being forced into this life. Elly stands up and walks to the other guards. Leaving me where I''m at. I don''t know what to do next. Running around town now looking for someone that doesn''t want to be found is a waste of energy. If the city guards can''t find her, I don''t think I have any chance. However, she''ll be trying to get out of the city as fast as she can. And that either means leaving through the front gate or getting out in some underground passage. It''s the best chance I''ve got, and I shouldn''t waste any more time here. So I stand up, rush toward the warehouse''s exit and start running down the street. All of a sudden, it dawns on me. Regelia wouldn''t use the gates to get in because they would''ve recognized her. Meaning there is definitely a secret way into the city, and I only have a little bit of time to find it. And the best ce to get that kind of information is criminals. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Zenith, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:15 PM)~~~ I''ve gotten nowhere in my search for Kris, and you''d think finding a specific hobo wouldn''t be hard. But this is a task I''ve never had before. At this point, I don''t know if Kris Martim is testing me, or ying a game with me. I''m almost certain now that the hobo cover he''s using is just that. A cover. He''s ying some angle, and I don''t know what it is. It''s driving me a little crazy cause I don''t usually have this hard a time finding someone. It shows that Kris isn''t someone or something that should be taken lightly. On another note, it''s starting to get a littlete, and I don''t know if I''ll be finding Kris once the night ispletely over the city. I highly doubt he''s going to be waiting in one ce for me, which means I should wait for him in one of his favorite ces... That''s it. All I need to do is wait somewhere he frequents to drink, and I''ll have him. But he knows everything I''m doing... Would that even work? Wouldn''t he just avoid me? This is running in circles. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 519 Chasing Possibilities [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ p ~~~(Location: City of Yordase, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:25 PM)~~~ I bust into the known criminal watering hole, and everyone''s eyesnd on me. Some of the people in here even stand up and draw their weapons at my entrance. Coming in like this isn''t what they''re used to, and what''s about to happen next is something that they''re not used to either. "I''m only going to say this once! Tell me where Regelia is, and I won''t kill everyone in this room!" It''s easy to tell who are the NPCs Turned yers and NPCs. The ones that can permanently die act differently when threatened by a yer or NPC Turned yer. Since no one is answering me, I think it''s time that I show them I mean business. I draw my weapon, and I start killing the closest people with brutal efficiency. Losing limbs and having their bodies diced up and dismembered around where they die. After killing just a couple of them, I turn to see the reactions of everyone. And they''re all sharing looks with each other. "Okay! Okay! No need to keep ughtering us... We get it... Regelia dide by here. About 5 minutes ago... There is a secret way into the city through a trapdoor in the back... If you run, you might be able to catch her..." It doesn''t take me more than a couple of seconds to find the trapdoor and enter it. It''s a single narrow path that leads in a direction out of the city. Time isn''t on my side, so I run as fast as I can. After a minute of running at full speed, I reach the end, and I bust through the trapdoor. And as I jump out andnd, Ind my eyes on Regelia, barely making it into the woods in the distance. She''s there. I start running again, and I''m gaining ground on her. The moment I reach the treeline, I have to start following her footprints into the woods. Following them, I end up in another clearing. And she''s in the middle taking deep breaths. Thinking no one is on to her. She''s in for a bad time. I start running again, and I''m almost to her. She turns at the approaching sound, and I m my body into her. She hits the ground, and I pin her under me. She stares up at me in surprise, fear, and confusion. "What the hell!? How did you even find me!? I ditched you at the warehouse!!" This is a rare moment for me to release some pent-up anger in a way that won''t kill someone. I ball my right fist and bring it down hard on her face. I do this 4 times, and she''s already bleeding from her mouth and spits out some teeth. I''m not pulling any punches here. She looks up at me as I stop, and she looks even more frightened. "Tell me what you want!! Is it money!? ves!?" The words register in my brain, and I knock her around a few more times for saying those things. She gets the message that I want her to keep he mouth shut until I ask the questions. She''s the traitor that Cera told me toe and find, and there is a good chance that she knows my Father. There is still a small chance she doesn''t know Zarmade, but I''m betting she knows him. Time to ask her everything I want to know. "Where is Zarmade Oryzox!? Tell me everything you know about him!!" My voicees out as a yell even though I don''t want it to. Bow, her eyes slightly widen, and she''s about to speak, but I punch her again. I knew she was going to deny it. "I know you''re a traitor to your business, and I know you''re informing Zarmade! Now, I''m going to let you speak, if you lie. I''m going to continue knocking out more of your teeth..." She doesn''t respond at first, but she spits out some more blood and looks me in the eyes. And I can see the gears turning in her head. She''s trying to find a way out of this. She''d rather not rat on my Father. I don''t know what he''ll do to her if she does. That''s probably what she''s thinking. Weighing whether it''s better to get a beatdown from me or get punished by Zarmade. "I don''t know what that fuck you''re talking about! Crazy bitch!!" So she''s taking the hard road. That''s good. No, that''s great! Cera taught me a lot about how to make people talk, and I haven''t gotten to try any of them. Some of Cera''s Sadistic habits have rubbed off on me, and I''ll admit. I enjoy causing pain to those who deserve it. So instead of saying anything, I pull out a small knife and drag the edge across her cheek. Making it bleed in the process. She doesn''t like it, and I know she''ll be easily broken. People who are in the Sex ve Trade are notoriously weak and cowards. When pain bes too much to bear, they''ll sing like birds. People of weak characters can''t take physical or mental pain for long periods. They don''t have the know-how. I grab a clump of her hair and pull on it hard enough to make the scalp lift off the skull. I bring the knife up, and I start cutting her scalp off. "FUCK! FUCK! YOU FUCKING BITCH!" If this is all she can take, she''ll be in for a rough ride. But the faster she breaks, the better. I want the information that belongs to me, and I want to know where my Father is. As I continue cutting, she keeps screaming curses at me and calling me a wide range of things. But after getting halfway through her scalp. She gives up. "OKAY!! FUCK!! Zarmade is in Rendorel to the west! It''s near Larmodies Capital City!!" I let go of her hair and stand up, but I ce my boot on her chest and pin her to the ground. "I''m not done asking you questions." She stares at me with anger, and I can tell she''s mentally dering revenge someday. She will tell me everything I want to know about Zarmade and The Sex ve Trade. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Bar in Capital City Zenith, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:50 AM)~~~ I haven''t seen anyonee or go that fits the description that the shop owner gave me. And I''m starting to think I need to find a new n to find Kris. I hope Hailey and Sally are doing better with what they''re doing than I am right now. Trying to find Kris has been taking up valuable time. And I''m cursing whoever made my Tier-up quest for doing this to me. It just couldn''t have been a little easier... "You know, kid. I''m going to kick you out soon if you don''t order something. This is a ce of business, not a ce to waste time." That''s exactly what a bar is. And it''s strange the bartender himself wouldn''t agree with that... It''s almost as if he''s trying to get me to leave... My instincts are telling me this is some kind of test, but I don''t know if I''m supposed to leave and or stay to pass the test... Maybe it''s a test of patience? I don''t know... I pull out some gold and set it on the counter. "I''ll pay for the right to sit here and wait." The bartender looks at me funny and just sighs. Scratching the back of his head as he takes the money. After a couple of seconds, I notice something strange. The bartender is frozen in ce. I look around the bar, and I see everyone is frozen. Like they''re frozen in time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.228][Tier-3] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 350] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 520 Not As I Thought [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Bar in Capital City Zenith, The Kingdom of Zenith)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:53 AM)~~~ Time is literally frozen... People all over the bar are stuck in ce, and it''s quite the scene. This is the work of Kris. He can control a fundamental part of reality, meaning he''s a God of something. As I look toward the door leading into the bar. I watch a man enter. He has the same description the shop owner gave me, and he looks right at me. "You''vee a long way, Radueriel. I''ve been waiting to meet you for longer than you''d believe." Radueriel? I''m a little lost about why he''s referring to me as Radueriel. That''s not my name, and he''d know that. He sees my look of confusion, and he walks over to me. Taking a seat next to me and grabs someone else''s drink. "Why are you calling me Radueriel? That''s not my name." He chugs down the entire drink before looking at me. He snaps his fingers, and he''s now dressed in some better clothes, and his bushy beard is gone, and his hair is slicked back. His Heterochromic eyes are still the same. One Red and the other Blue. ,m I don''t know if he''ll answer my question or not, but I can hope. After a second, he holds his hand out, and an orb forms. I look at it, and it''s the Tier-up for reaching tier-4. "This is what you''re here for. And it''s your reward for finding me the way you have. You could''vee at me a bunch of different ways, but you did what you''ve always done." I''m tempted to take the Tier-up item, but I''m worried this is some trick or trap. Tier-up quests shouldn''t be this easy. I still want to know why he called me Radueriel. I''ve never heard that name before, and I''ve never been called that before. A long sigh escapes his mouth, and he ces the Tier-up item on the counter. He runs his hands through his hair and leans back in his chair. "There are some confusing things about you that you don''t know yet, Radueriel. Things that you''re not ready to know yet, and I''m not going to answer any questions you have." Can he read... "Your mind? Yes, I can." This isn''t cool. I don''t like someone in my head. "I''d appreciate it if you didn''t read my mind. That''s not something I like. How would you feel if I were in your head?" He smiles and looks at the bartender, whos frozen in ce. His hand lifts from his side, and a bottle of alcohol flies into it. Opening it and starting to drink a fresh bottle. This guy has a drinking problem, if I''ve ever seen one... "Do you know who I truly am, Radueriel?" All I know is he''s going by Kris Martim, but I don''t know his true identity. "Some God that controls some aspect of Time? I don''t know. I''ve never seen anything like this." He presses on his nose like you would in charades. "There is a great destiny waiting for you, Radueriel. And what your sister said is true. She''ll be the one guiding you to that destiny. But that''s a good amount of time till now." He''s avoiding all my questions and topic, so there is no longer a point to this conversation. I reach over and grab the item. Immediately using it and reaching tier-4. As I make my way to the exit, the world speeds back up, and I turn around to the bar to see that Kris is gone. And I see that I''ve received two yer Levels. I immediately open my Friends Tab, and I click on Sally''s name. [I''m all finished with my Tier-up quest, and I''m ready toe and find you. Let me know where you''re at, and I''ll meet you there.] I''m walking down the street of Capital City Zenith, and I''m honestly excited to see Sally again. I''m caught up with all my Tier-up quests, and I''m ready for a change in scenery with the girl I love. The Empire of Larmodies is a ce I''ve never been before. So I''m also looking forward to that as well. After a couple of minutes, I get a message back from Sally. [That''s awesome!! I''m so excited to see you again!! I''ve found out where my Father is too. He''s in Rendorel, and that''s where I''m heading. I''ll be using a teleportation gate to get there, and I''ll meet you near the city center. Let me know when you get there.] She''s already found out so much in a short amount of time. I''m proud of how far she''se. I immediately toggle my wings on in the middle of the street, and everyone looks at me. Before anyone can move, Iunch off the ground and reach the clouds. Heading in the direction of The Empire of Larmodies. My destination within the empire is Rendorel. I know nothing about this city, and I''m not sure how I can really help Sally with my knowledge. But I''ll be there for backup. Besides, I''ve been really needing some lovin'' from Sally. I''ve missed her touch and her ce by my side. And I''m certain she''s been feeling the same way. I get another message from Sally as I''m flying through the clouds. [I was able to free around 20 Sex ves in my time within Yordase. I almost lost my chance to find my Father, but I''m d I did step in. It''s something I knew you would''ve done, and I wouldn''t be able to sleep at night if I left them to that fate.] She''s right about me doing something. I wouldn''t stand by and watch something like that. I''m not cruel. And Sally knows what that life is like. [You risked a lot by doing that, which was a good risk. While Regelia could''ve gotten away, you decided to do something that saved so many innocent lives. You should be proud, cause I''m proud of you.] There isn''t much I can say to exin how I feel. But Sally gets it. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Inside a City, Southern Brazilian Continent)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:45 PM)~~~ I can''t say the name of this city either, but it''s one of the stops on my way to the capital. The culture is way different down herepared to my original continent. There are differentnguages being spoken even among the people here. "Well, if it ain''t a fine American Chika!! How ''bout it, boys? Should we show ''er a good time?" As I''m walking down the street, some male yers call out to me, and I''m not in the mood to deal with this. I want to find an Inn, and take a long shower. The road getting here was raining, muddy, and miserable. But they decide to be stupid and catch up to me. But before they can say anything else, I draw my weapon and kill all the yers. That''s how short my fuse is. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Rendorel, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:23 PM)~~~ It''s still gonna be a while until Cera gets here, and I don''t want to start looking for my Father without him here. Now that he''s done with all the things he needed to catch up on, we can do all of this together. And if I''m being honest, I need his support for this. I don''t know how I''m going to approach my Father or talk to him for the first time. Having Cera by my side will make it easier. He''ll be here by very early morning, like 2 or 3 AM. He doesn''t like taking the teleportation gates, and I get that. When you can fly, you''d take every chance you could to fly. I''m not gonna hide it. I''m needing me some Cera... His touch and love... I''ve missed it so much... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 521 Waiting For My Angel [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Rendorel, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:45 PM)~~~ Cera and I have been talking back and forth using the system messaging. We stopped talking about an hour ago. He told me he needed to catch up on some messages sent by Violet and Amelia. I have no problems with it. I got him for a good 5 hours. He does update me on his progress here every hour, though. And it''s looking like he''ll be arriving around 2:30 AM. That''s a good amount of time from now, and I''m starting to get really tired as is. I''ve already set an rm for 2 AM, and I''ll be falling asleep soon. I can''t keep my eyes open for much longer. There are plenty of things to look forward to tomorrow... Meeting my Father... Seeing and being with Cera again... It feels like my life keeps getting better the more time that passes. It''s felt that way ever since I met Cera for the first time. And it scares me sometimes... Cause what goes up has toe down, and I''ve been only going up since my life with Cera started. Violet and Chris raised a good man, and I hope when Cera and I start having kids. We''ll be as good, or better parents than them. Violet and I have been exchanging messagestely. Talking more since I''m with her Son. She''s overprotective. But Cera does a great job of drawing a line with his Mother. And she hase to like me too. Even after knowing about my life long before anyone in that family was born. It''s weird sometimes. Being as old as I am and being with someone so youngpared to me. I haven''t given it much thought until recently. Cera is a little over 20 now, and I''m over 100. To be exact, I''m 103. Elves aging stops once we reach a certain point. So on the surface, I look like I''m in my early twenties. I''m d for one thing, though. And this is something I''d never say to Cera. But due to him being an Angel, he''s immortal. Meaning that neither of us will die from old age. He doesn''t feel the same way about never growing old and dying. Being from Earth, death is probably a kindness. While being of divine Angel blood, he has the mentality of a mortal. And all mortals eventually wee and ept death. A sweet release in the end for them. Something that I''ve never personally understood. Some are beginning to theorize that yers and NPCs Turned yers are immortal now as well. As long as a higher being like a God doesn''t kill them. They''lle back to life. From the rumors, I hope that isn''t true. Death is what keeps life in check. But all this thinking is making me even more tired, and the eyelids get heavier by the second. Knowing that Cera ising is making me sleep easier. And we''re almost done with everything we''ve individually set out to do. Once I meet my Father and aplish that. Cera and I won''t have anything on the to-do list. We''ll have to find something else to do. I''m looking forward to what it might be. Something that isn''t driven by personal goals for either of us. It''s been so exhausting living like that, and I can''t think of thest time we just did something because we both wanted to do it. Not because it needed to be done. I needed to kill the people that made my life hell. I needed to kill the James family. Then when I learned the truth from them, Cera and I left for The Elven Kingdom. And we handled all the people that condemned my Mother and me to the lives in The Sex ve trade. Now, I''ll be meeting my Father soon, the man that my Mother loved. Someone I didn''t even know existed until Queen Oryzox told us in her dying breaths. It''s the end of the road, as I can see it. My final thoughts for the day slowly cross my mind, and I descend into sleep as Cera is all that''s left on my mind. He''s probably flying in the dark right now and enjoying every bit of it. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:51 PM)~~~ ,m Today has been the day where I sent the most messages in my life. Conversations with Sally, And both my Mom and Amelia. It ended about an hour ago, but I never want to message that much again. But I don''t think it''ll be gone for long. They have every intention of talking tomorrow. Amelia was the one who talked the most out of everyone. Now that I''m on her Friend''s List, she can get a hold of me anytime she wants. I have no problems with that, but I can see it being an everyday thing. To her, she''ll be making up for lost time and getting to know me like a Mother should know a Son. I''m concerned that I''m going to be a distraction to her. In all fairness, I don''t think any Mother or Father would consider their child a distraction. Well... That depends on the parent... Some out there do see their kids as distractions. I flip my body around in the air, and I fly with my chest to the open night sky. Seeing thousands of stars as I do. Maybe even millions. It makes me wonder if there are others out there. With life on them. This isn''t a game, not like everyone originally thought it was. And many have conformed to the idea it''s another universe. Meaning there is possible life in other ces. One thing that''s always taken my mind of the bigger things in my life while I''m in The Ancients World were the stars. Both this life and the old one I had. Many spent hours staring at the stars. The pollution of Earth made it so only certain ces on Earth could allow you to see the stars. I wasn''t close to one of those ces. A doomed. And salvation in another. Makes you wonder if this is what the devs and founders intended in the first ce... That''s a nice thought, but I doubt it. They were only ever concerned with money. Even as humanity and all life on Earth would be extinct within the next 150 years. They only cared about profits. But it''s because everyone epted their fate and didn''t want to try and save us. Millions wanted to. But billions more figured it was a lost cause. For one, I''m d things turned out this way. Better our home be Gaia. As much love as I have for Earth, we ruined it. It was our fault. There is no one to me but ourselves. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: City Center of Rendorel, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:20 AM)~~~ Cera messaged me shortly after my rm went off. He''s almost here, and I''m waiting in the empty city center for him. My eyes are locked in the direction he''s supposed to being from. And after a couple of minutes. I see his silhouette in the moonlight. He sees me waving for him, and hees down fast, leveling out instead ofnding. He scopes me up and ascends. "Ahhh! Hahahah!" At first, I scream at the move he''s made, but I''m soonughing in his arms. We level out above the clouds, and he slows down. Looking at me as he holds me in his arms. "Just so you know, I''m not giving those panties back. Not without some encouragement." He opens his mouth and says something that makes meugh. I was hoping for something more romantic than that, but it''s better than what I was wanting. I reach my hand up, and I caress his cheek. "I can think of a few things..." My voice is slow and full of what we both need. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 522 Starting Our Search [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Rendorel, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:34 AM)~~~ Sally and I spent many hours having funst night, and I''m just getting up. I look around the Inn room, and it''s already pretty warm here. It''s warmer in The Empire of Larmodies since it''s further south. This is my first time in The Empire of Larmodies. My eyes find their way over to the girl I''ve shared this bed with, and Sally is still sound asleep. I stand up and make my way into the bathroom and start the magical shower. I make the water lukewarm cause I don''t want to be sweating when I get out of the shower. That''s the type of heat we''re dealing with right now. As I step in, it''s still too warm for me, so I actually make it cold. And I can''t help but sigh in relief. One of the things I hate is the heat, and while I''m very tolerant of it. I''d prefer the cold every day of the week. It''s so much easier to function in cold weather. If it''s too hot, you''re constantly sweating. There isn''t a single thingfortable about sweating from the sheer heat. But there is a strangefort in walking in the cold while bundled up. In my opinion, at least. A few minutes go by, and I hear someone enter the bathroom. I could warn her that the water is cold, but I''m not going to. "Make some room." That isn''t a request from her, and I like it. I take a step back, and she peels the curtain back and gets an eyeful. She steps in, and the water sprays her for one second, and she jumps back out. She looks at me with an amazed face. The smile on my face won''t go away. "I never said the shower would be warm. It''s too damn hot out there for anything but a cold shower. I''m not in the mood to start sweating from the heat right after I get out of the shower. But you''re wee to after I''m done." She bites her bottom lip as she contemtes what to do. She sticks her hand in again to see if it''s really that cold. "Fine. I''ll have to wait." Sally isn''t a fan of the cold, and that includes showers. That leaves the shower all to myself. But I still find that I''m being watched. I stare at her, and she stares at my body. We''re taking turns with the whole staring at each other naked. "Oh fuck it." She hoops into the shower and immediatelytches onto me for warmth under the cold spray. Joyful little squeals areing from Sally. She''s having fun, and I''m d she is. "I''m really impressed that you''ve joined me. I didn''t think you had it in you. But I want to see how you''d do without clinging to me for warmth." I grab her shoulder and peel her off me, letting the cold water beat down on her all by herself. "Ahhh! Stop! I need my heater!" She''sughing and reaching out to my body from where she is for warmth, but Sally isn''t able to. We spend a good 30 minutes having fun like this, and we eventually get out and dry off. She won''t admit it, but she liked the cold shower when she got used to it. Once we''re out of our room and walking down the street, I can see the nervous look on Sally''s face. She doesn''t know where to start looking for Zarmade, but I''m here to help her. I think this is the first time this life that I don''t have the information needed. But I can''t say for sure. There have been so many adventures since then. And a good amount of time has passed. "Where do you think we should start looking?" I decide to ask her the question most people ask me. I''ve always been the one people turn to for some ideas on how to find someone, and I''m actually looking forward to seeing how Sally does on her own. She looks at me and shrugs her shoulders. Not much of an answer, and if I didn''t know any better, I''d say she''s stalling. We can''t have that. "Sally... No stalling... I know that you have plenty of ideas on where we should start. I know this has been the only thing on your mind since before I got here." She folds her arms and looks defiant. I don''t know what''s gotten into her, but she opens one eye and smiles. Teasing me. That''s what she''s doing. I should''ve known. We''ve been apart for so long, that she''s wanting the extra attention, and she''s using this as a chance to get it. Smart move. Very sneaky indeed. "I know where we can start looking. When I was here myself, I was looking into certain ces where the criminals and lowlifes of society hang out. To my surprise, there wasn''t a ce like that here. The Empire of Larmodies takes thew seriously." Well, we won''t be able to use the local criminals to find out where Zarmade is, so that''s off the table. "Then I thought to myself that we should use the opposite. There are nobles here in Rendoral, and the nobles know just as much as criminals, if not more. There are three prominent nobles we can speak to today." She''s got it covered. I don''t need to contribute anything. But I will if the need arises, I''ll be there. "You''vee a long way in finding people that don''t want to be found. Tell me, who is this first person we''re going to meet?" As fun as it is to search for people. Sarcasm. I find talking to nobles even more enjoyable. Sarcasm again. This is a doubt threat in the searching and noble department, but half the work is already done, so I shouldn''tin that much. "Her name is Baron Issa Morell, and she''s the main importer and exporter in the city. If anyone would know about Zarmade, it''d be someone that''s in the business of moving goods from city to city." I''ll just admit it. Sally is as good at this as I am now, maybe even better. It makes me proud to see how far she''se, but I''m also feelingpetitive now the edge I had against her is gone. I''m attracted to beautiful, intelligent women, and if they''re smarter than me. It''s the ultimate turn-on, personally. Sally is showing parts of her intelligence I never got to see more than a couple of times, and even those were brief. I''m seeing the beauty of Sally''s mind. She was by no means an idiot before, but she was so timid about these things. The new confidence is throwing me for a loop. A good loop. "You''ve got this all figured out, Sally. If I was still busy with my Tier-up quest, you''d probably have this all done by now. But I''ve held you back a bit, it seems. And I can''t let that be a habit that I fall into." If there is one thing I never want to be, it''s someone that holds other people back, and I''m always going to make sure that I''ll never be that way with Sally. "Oh, c''mon. If I end up going too fast for you, I can slow down a little. And if you can''t understand me, I can dumb it down for you." Her wide smile and teasing voice have wonderful effects on me. "Oh, it''s on now, Ms. Princess." Sally and I have chemistry that''s hard to find. Some never find what we have. And it''s something that''ll never go away. Her confidence takes over, and she''s leading the way instead of me usually doing it. And I''m d cause she knows everything regarding this Baron Issa Morell. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 523 Meeting Baron Issa Morell [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Rendorel, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:41 AM)~~~ "There are only two ces that Baron Morell will be during this time of day. So the first ce is her home, and that''s the ce that I want to check. I don''t want to go to the second ce unless we have to." I''m following Sally''s lead through this. While she''s busy leading the conversation she''s going to have soon once we reach Baron Morell''s residence, I''m going to be thinking about Zarmade. Zarmade has been on my mind since Sally told me about his role in the Sex ve Trade. That he''s fighting against the trade and trying to stop it altogether. But the little I know of the man besides what Sally''s told me is very little. "The house is just up ahead." She pulls me from my thoughts, and I look where she''s pointing. There is arge private estate in the city up ahead, surrounded by guards. If they don''t let us in, I''ve got some ideas. "I''ll just stay out of the way." She rolls her eyes, and we make our way to the front gate. And the guards stop us. One of the officers on the other side steps forward and looks at us. I''m wearing my hood, and Sally isn''t. So his eyes are more focused on me. "The Baron isn''t expecting anyoneing today. Go back the way you came and schedule an appointment to meet her." He sounds like he''s spewing out recorded lines, and it''s annoying. But he''s just doing his job. So I can''t be that upset with him. He wouldn''t be a good guard if he just let anyone in. Sally herself isn''t happy with the t-out rejection. But to my surprise, Sally pulls out a paper from her inventory and hands it to the guard. He reads it over and scoffs. "You''re expecting me to believe that the Lady Morell summoned you herself. It''s a serious crime tomit fraud to meet a noble in The Empire of Larmodies." Sally didn''t tell me about it. This means this is spontaneous, and I have to adapt to the situation too. While she''s gotten great at finding people, she''s not good at getting to them. I could use my clout as Angel Zern, but Sally hasn''t given any sign for me to do so. She crosses her arms and takes a breath. Looking that older man up and down, and then looking behind him to see the Baron herself making her way over. A wide smilees across her face, and I feel like this isn''t spontaneous anymore. She never did say that we''ll have to jump through hoops to meet with Issa Morell. "Why don''t you ask her yourself." Sally points over the guard''s shoulder, and he turns to see the Baron on her way over. She''s in her mid 50''s from the looks of it. And that tells me she hasn''t be an NPC Turned yer. Getting a better look, it seems that no one on guard has done so. Thedy makes her way up to the gate and locks eyes with Sally. Then her gaze shifts to me, and it looks like realization hits her. Her eyes widen slightly, and she turns to the guards controlling the gate. "Let them in. There is much to discuss." They obey her, and we make our way into the estate, and she takes us to arge garden. And takes a seat at a table in the shade. She motions for us to join her, and she waves the guards off to leave us alone as we sit at the table. "I didn''t believe you when you said that you''re Sally Orvello, and you''re here to talk to me about Zarmade, but seeing you now. Along with Angel Zern, I''m convinced." Since she knows who I am, I take off my hood and lean in my chair. Letting them take control of the conversation. There is literally no need for me to talk. Only when I know I''m needed is when I will enter the conversation. Sally chooses to stay quiet for now, and Baron Morell takes a sip of tea. Even though she''s in her 50s, her eyes have a young glint. Energy from a time long ago to her. "I''ll cut straight to the chase, Issa. I want to know everything you know about Zarmade Oryzox." The woman shows no discernable reaction, and this is why I don''t like dealing with nobles. There are two kinds. The stupid kind, and the smart kind. And the smart kind is the one I know cause the most problems. While some can be great for the ces they live, most of the time, they only have their own interests at heart. "Now, why should I tell you anything about Zarmade. Yes, you''re famous and so is your boyfriend. But there are certain things that you don''t do. And in my business, betraying Zarmade''s trust isn''t one of them." So she''s a traitor to the Sex ve Trade too. I swear this is a cancer that will never truly be cured. But I respect Zarmade for waring against it for so long. It''s probably been really lonely. All the people that you know are basically the people you hunt. They''re only helping you because of fear. That''s the world Zarmade lives in. "If I told you the reason why I wanted to see Zarmade, then that would give you information that''s far too powerful. I don''t want you knowing things that could endanger Zarmade, or me." Issa sets down her tea and turns her attention to me. "And what does a literal God have to do with Zarmade? What interest does he hold to you?" I''m not a fan of being addressed as a God, and I never will be. But some things can''t be avoided. There are people out there that will always think that about me, and I can''t do a damn thing about it. But I''m not going to answer her. Instead, I look at Sally, and she''s still staring at Issa. "Ahh, you''re here because your girlfriend is here. Sally, you have no idea the kind of power you have... Not truly... If I were you, I''d have him doing what I need to control everything." That''s enough to anger me enough to make my wingse out without me toggling it on. She flinches ever so slightly. "You''d do well to watch your words, Issa. I only tolerate so much when people speak that way to me." Sally smiles at my response, and my wings leave as I calm down. "You''re going to tell me, Issa. Nothing is changing that, but you can choose how it happens. We can do it the easy way or the hard way." A long sigh escapes the lips of the Baron, and she pinches the bridge of her nose. "I''m getting too old for this... Zarmade is living in an apartment on the other side of town... I''ll write down the information for you... But be careful. That man is bitter and cruel. And powerful." She takes out a pen from her bra and starts to write down information on a napkin. And after a minute, she hands the napkin to Sally. "Now, get the fuck off my property." She stands up and leaves for her mansion. Leaving Sally and me to ourselves. She stares at the napkin, and I stare at her. Her face is showing many different emotions, and all of them are what you''d expect. Sally is going to meet thest of her family, and there is a good chance he''ll be aggressive, if not attack outright. There is just cause and reason to be scared, and if I were in her position, I''d be scared too. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 524 Zarmade Oryzox [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Rendorel, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:11 PM)~~~ My brain is a mess, and even with Cera here to help me. I''m scared to the point that I''m having second thoughts about meeting my Father. But Cera is walking behind me as we''re almost to the apartment he''s staying in, and backing out now would be the height of cowardice. I''m betting Cera knows what''s going on in my head. He can always tell what I''m thinking. And the closer we get to the apartment, the shakier my body gets. "If you want to stop and take a breath, just say so. It''s normal to be scared of meeting a parent you''ve never met before." Cera ces his hand on my shoulder and stops me, walking me over to a nearby bench where I sit down and take multiple deep breaths. My body shaking even more. Cera never fails to do what I need, and he wraps an arm around me. Hugging me along with a kiss to the side of my head. There are plenty of things that I''m scared of, but only a few have ever made my body shake like this before. "I''m sorry I''m acting this way... I thought everything would be fine, but now that the moment is almost here, I''m terrified he won''t love me... I''m his Daughter, and he doesn''t even know I exist... What if he hates me..." The questions that have been on my mind since I started looking for Zarmadee roaring to the surface, and I feel Cera move closer and hug me a little tighter. Having him here is helping me more than I thought it would... If he weren''t, I''d have already bolted... Fear is such a powerful emotion... I''ve let it control my life for so long in the past... But I''m not that girl anymore. I''m not some scared elf that flinches whenever a person looks at me. I''ve conquered my demons, and I''m a different person. "Hey, there isn''t anything to be sorry about. This is a situation that doesn''t fit into anything I''ve ever experienced, and neither have you. It''s okay to be scared that someone who is supposed to love you doesn''t. It''s a feeling no one wants to have." He''s right about that. It''s not a feeling I''m ready to face. And I know there aren''t enough good reasons for me not to do this. My head lifts from looking at the ground, and I look down the street to where Zarmade is supposed to be living. My Father is right down there... The man that my Mother loved before she was betrayed and sold into the Sex ve Trade. "I''ve got your back through all of this. On the off chance he does attack, I''ll protect you. You know I won''t let anything bad happen to you, Sally. Nothing will hurt you when I''m around." My rock and my support system lie with one person; half the time, I don''t think I deserve him. He''d disagree, saying that he doesn''t deserve me. But that''s just one of the reasons we work so well together. We''re always making that extra effort, so we do deserve one another. I wrap both my arms around him and bury my face into his neck. His scent fills me, and I find myself bing more at ease. "Let''s do this. If it does go bad, it won''t be the end of the world." I''ve steeled myself, and we both stand up and make our way to the apartment. My hand is shaking as I reach up for the door and gently knock. No onees at first, and I knock again. This time, footstepse to the door, and an elven man opens the door. "If someone doesn''t answer the door the first time, it means the-..." Our eyes meet, and his widen slightly. He blinks a couple of times, and his eyes start to water up. This isn''t what I was expecting. A pained expressiones on his face... "Felrenda... Is that really you..." That''s my mom''s real name... The one she was born with and given when she was in The Elven Kingdom... Before she was sold into Sex very... He slowly reaches out and touches my face... I reach up and touch his hand... He recoils and dries his tears... His expression turns to one of aggression, and Cera makes sure that he''s right next to me. But I hold my arm out to stop Cera from moving any further past me... "Felrenda... That''s my Mothers name..." As the answer slowlyes out of my mouth, his expression changes from one of aggression to caution. "You may not believe me when I say this, but my name is Saliandra Orvello... And I''m your Daughter..." He loses bnce for a second, but his angeres roaring forward, and he draws his weapon for a battle. Cera ces his hand on The Witness''s handle and nearly draws The Legendary Sword. But I stop him again, and he looks at me, concerned. "That''s impossible!! Felrenda was killed!! Died as a Sex ve!!" It''s an understandable reaction, and I don''t really know what to do to convince him myself. But Cera steps forward and into the apartment, but this time he''s got his hands up to show he''s not wanting to fight. "Queen Oryzox, your Mother, said this to us herself. Right before she died, she ordered the Orvello family to disinherit and sell Felrenda cause she was pregnant with your child, and that went against her ns. We''re not lying to you." Cera''s calm exnation is as good as any, and it does have a slightly positive effect on him. The gears in his head start turning, and this is when I step into the apartment and close the door behind me. Leaving all of us in the house. My Father puts his weapon down and copses on the couch. Running his hands through his hair and taking a long breath. His eyes lift from the ground, and he looks at me. "Umm... May we sit..." My voicees out a lot meeker than I want it to. He nods his head, and we both take a seat. Cera makes sure that I''m close by in case he tries anything. He closes his eyes and looks to be in deep thought, and I''m betting he''s thinking of how to prove this is a lie or the truth. "Do you have any evidence to prove what you''re saying... You look so much like Felrenda, but I don''t see any resemnce to me... For all I know, you''re just an offspring from one of the men that raped her..." That hurts me way more than I ever thought it would... Cera flinches in anger, and his hands ball into fists. I wouldn''t take this from anyone, but this is my Father... I can''t do anything about it... He thinks that''s what I am... Cera is showing a lot of restraint himself. If this were anyone else, he would''ve killed the person by now. And I can see in Cera''s eyes that he wants to kill him. "I don''t have any proof with me... But we can do a magical blood test... If this is the way to convince you, then I will..." I have no problems doing it this way, but I do worry that when I''m proven to be his Daughter. He''ll still reject me... He leans back on the couch he''s sitting on and stares at me. His eyes are shifting between Cera and me, and I know he''s holding a lot of anger in. I can see it on his face. "Okay, I''ll go grab a magical paternity test from the shop down the street. You two can wait here." He stands up, but Cera is quick to stand up himself. "No, Sally will go get the test. You and I are staying right here." There is tense anger between the two, and Zarmade shakes his head and sits down. Looking at me and then the door. I take the hint, and I stand up. Leaving for it. I''m nervous about the test, but I see no reason for Queen Oryzox to lie like that near death. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 525 Proof [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Rendorel, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:29 PM)~~~ Sally gently closes the door behind her, and the only people left in the room are Zarmade and me. He has the typical elven ears, but the rest of his features are exaggerated. And by exaggerated, I mean physically appealing. I wouldn''t doubt he''s broken many fair maiden''s hearts. Most royalties are beautiful people. Considering they only get the best offered, the offspring''s physical appearances are guaranteed in long-standing families. It''s in their blood. And the same goes for the Oryzox family. "You and that girl have barged into my current home and have made quite the im. What will you do when it''s wrong?" I''m not surprised this is only one residence of many dozens he might have. His refusal to address Sally by her name doesn''t go unnoticed either. And he''s letting a powerful feelinge off him, but I''m not intimidated in the slightest. Not with the kind of power I can throw around. I haven''t even gotten to use Divinity Pulse. That''d kill everyone in this city. "How about we just wait here in silence, Zarmade. Cause if you keep talking, I''ll have to teach you a lesson." His eyebrow cocks up slightly, and he leans forward from the couch. His hands are open, and I can see they''re ready to grab at any weapons he has. I''m not some beta male that sits back and takes shit from a man like Zarmade. Not for a second. Some consider him a hero, but from the way he''s acting. I''m only seeing a bitter man that can''t get over the fact his life didn''t turn out the way he wanted it to. I didn''t like the way my life turned out, so I changed it. He takes a single breath and stares into my eyes. "And, pray tell, what it is you n on teaching me if I keep talking." He''s not the type to take shit from any too. But there is a major difference between the people he''s already fought and me. I have more than enough power to back up whates out of my mouth. "Or I''ll teach you that there is always someone stronger. And I''m not someone you want to push. So if you keep acting with disrespect toward Sally, I''ll make sure you learn that lesson the hard way." There is no hesitation or fear in my voice. Only certainty. I can tell this is the first time someone has ever talked to him like this. His eyes squint, and he leans back into the couch. Our eyes haven''t unlocked from each other. "If Sally does end up being my Daughter, do you really think that would change anything? I don''t know her, and I can tell just by looking at her she was a Sex ve once too. Why would I want a defiled Daughter?" The amount of willpower it takes not to kill this man... If he were anyone else, I would kill him back to level 0 after saying something like that. He sees my hate and fury starting to build, and he takes that as a victory. Zarmade is particr scum for taking a victory the way he has. Insulting his Daughter like that. When I have kids, I''ll never treat them or make them feel unloved. Something Zarmade will never know. But if he wants to y it this way, I can y. I know just what to say to make this guy mad. "Then Felrenda was right about you all along." His face falls, and a dark expression takes over. Seems my words had a bigger effect on him than they did on me. Of course, this is all bluffing, but I have just enough information to make it seem like it''s not a bluff. "Don''t talk about my beloved..." His response marks my victory this time. And I''m not going to stop pressing this advantage. "I''ve read some of the diaries she wrote and left to Sally. They said you were nothing but a spineless coward who couldn''t stand up for her when she needed you the most. In the end, she figured that it was best you never knew Sally. That way, you couldn''t disappoint her too." He stands up and draws his de, but my Golden Wingse out on instinct without having to toggle them on, and I shield myself from his attack. His sword shatters into pieces from how hard he''s struck my wings. And I''m still sitting in my seat, rxing as I pull my wings back and look at the man. He stares at my wings and then back at me for an exnation. "I''m yer Zern. Also known as Angel Zern. And Cera to my closest friends and loved ones, but that''s not something you have the right to call me. You''re lucky Sally wants to meet you. I''d have killed you by now." He takes a seat as he tosses the handle of his broken sword to a corner of the room. He crosses his legs and props them up on the table as if nothing happened. My wings disappear, and before he can say anything else, Sally walks through the door, and she''s holding the Paternity test. She makes her way over, sits next to me, and looks at her Father. And he looks back at her. I can see it in his eyes... How much it hurts for him to look at Sally... He said she looks precisely like Felrenda, and I have no reason to doubt him. Not with the reaction he had. "Here... I''ll put my blood in first..." She ces the magical device on the table between Zarmade and the two of us. And she pokes her finger with her de and lets a drop of blood fall into one of the holes. A long sigh escapes from Zarmades mouth as he takes a drop of his own blood and lets it fall into the magical device. The paternity test lights up a few colors as it''s working its magic, and after a minute or so. It lights up green. "That''s Impossible! You tampered with it!!" Zarmade is quick to stand up and m his hand on the table. The green light signifies a match for the Father. Zarmade is indeed Sally''s Father. And Sally is looking toward the man with fear and hope, and it has a powerful effect on him. He sits back down and stares at his Daughter. I don''t know why he''d think it''s impossible or that she tampered with it. But the reality is sinking in for the man, and he realizes now his Daughter is sitting across from him. He shakily runs his hands through his hair and looks in multiple directions beforending back on Sally. "Umm... I guess that''s that..." He stands up abruptly and makes his way for the exit. Sally looks at me for guidance about what to do here, and my look conveys that it''s up to her. And she quickly stands up to stop her Father from leaving. Personally, let''s leave ourselves and forget this cruel bastard ever existed. But it''s different for Sally. This is her Father. "Please! Wait! I just want to talk to you!!" She pulls on his arm hard enough for him to stop and be pulled back. His head spins in surprise at how strong his Daughter is. He should be proud, but it''s not like this guy is a good man. Let alone a Father. Pain shes in the man''s eyes as he looks into Sally''s, and I can seerge cracks forming in the man''s armor. If there is anything that softens up a Father, it''d be their Daughter. "Just... Give me a few minutes, okay..." No longer is his voice deep andmanding, but soft and tired. It''s almost enough to pity him, and I see arge surge of hope on Sally''s face. If he crushes those hopes, I''ll end him. I''m done being nice here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 526 Overwhelming Pain... [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Rendorel, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:14 PM)~~~ Zarmade leaves the apartment to take a few minutes to gather his thoughts. He''s across the street, sitting on a bench, and I''m watching from the window to make sure he won''t bolt. I haven''te this far for him to run away after knowing I exist. Cera walks up next to me and looks out the window too. His hand rests in the middle of my back, and he slowly scratches me with a gentle touch. "That''s really helping..." I need to rx a little, and Cera is doing a good job helping with that. A smile graces his lips, and he leans over to kiss the side of my head. "I don''t know how long he''ll take, Sally... When men find out they have children they didn''t know about. They get weird... Some don''t, and others pretend that child doesn''t exist... I can''t say what Zarmade is, but I don''t think it''ll be good..." As much as I want to hold my judgments until after Zarmade and I talk, arge part of me agrees with Cera. Zarmade didn''t know that I existed, and just because he''s learned about me doesn''t mean he''ll suddenly change who he is. People don''t change like that. And if they do, it''s usually because they have no choice. Zarmade has acknowledged my existence, but I can see that I bother him. And that''s not something I wanted to do. "Do you think my Mom didn''t write about my Dad because this was who he actually was... A bitter man that has a cynical point of view on everything..." For some reason, Cera cracks a smile and chuckles to himself. I don''t know what he''s finding funny, considering the situation. He sees my confused look and smiles even more. He did something. He said something to Zarmade that shouldn''t have been said... I can tell just by looking at him... "What?" Now he''s deciding to y dumb, but he''s making it evident that he''s ying dumb. My cheeks puff out in frustration, and his expression softens. "You didn''t say anything mean to him, did you?" It would exin why there was such heavy tension when I walked back into the apartment. And it might''ve contributed to how Zarmade reacted to the truth. "I may or may not have told him that Felrenda wrote terrible things about him in her diaries." My eyebrows raise in surprise. But I know Cera wouldn''t do something so cruel without reason too. "Of course, everything I told him was lies. But he doesn''t know that. After the horrible things he said, I figured that your Mom wouldn''t mind that I knock some painful reality into him." As much as I don''t want this to happen between Cera and my Dad, I''m d that Cera was there to say something. But I''m curious. What did he exacting say about me? What did Zarmade do that made Cera react that way. Cera sees my questioning look, and a wave of hesitation takes over him. He rubs the back of his neck as we look back to Zarmade on the bench. "What did he say about me, Cera? Was it really that bad..." ,m His grip on the window seal tightens so hard that his fingers sink into the wood. The eyes I love so much hardened and are filled with hatred as they stare at the man outside on the bench. "He said that even if you were his Daughter, why would that change anything. He could tell that you were a Sex ve and that he didn''t want a defiled Daughter. That''s when I started using your Mom''s diaries." My stomach turns, and I have to spin around and rush toward the sink as I let out my breakfast. The sudden nausea came on so fast that I couldn''t do anything about it. But the words I just heard echo in my ears over and over again. Even my own Father holds my past against me... Just like everyone else... He''s not any different from the people I knew and met before Cera came into my life... What am I even doing here... "Looks like he''sing back. Do you want me to give you two some time to talk alone, or do you want to leave now and forget he ever existed?" The choice to leave is tempting, and I''m about to take the offer. But the front door to the apartment swings open, and Zarmade looks at me. The pain is clear on his face, and I find myself less than willing to talk to him now. "Sally... I know you don''t know me, and I don''t know you... But I''d like to talk to you... You''re all I have left of Felrenda..." His words fall on deaf ears, and I walk past him toward the exit. Cera is waiting for me by the door, and he''s looking behind me at my Father. "Please... Wait..." This hurts way more than it''s supposed to... And the tears are quickly falling as I make my way to the door. But Cera holds out his arm and stops me from leaving. "Are you sure you want to do this... This will be thest time you get a chance like this... Cause when you walk out that door, you''ll never want toe back..." I don''t know why Cera stops me after making it seem like he doesn''t want me to know Zarmade. But I understand why in the back of my head. Cera is the person to consider all options at least once. And he knows this is the only family I have left... This bitter and cruel man... "Please, Sally... Just give me a chance... All I want is to know you..." He wasn''t saying that to Cera... "You didn''t say that to him... You told Cera that you didn''t want a defiled Daughter who was a Sex ve... But that''s what I am... I was a Sex ve... And I was defiled... But that was more than 80 years ago... I''ve moved past it... But knowing you said that... It hurt so bad..." I really did think my Dad would think differently of me... But now I know why Mom never wrote about him... He''s been this way his entire life... And I don''t want to know this man... "I''m sorry, Sally... I didn''t mean to say those things... I thought you and him were just lying to me... Ished out in anger and pain at the thought of some random people using a Daughter that didn''t exist... If I knew, I would''ve never said those things..." But you did... And you can''t take them back... Not anymore... Cera''s arm pulls me to him, and he hugs me. And I find myself bawling my eyes out into his chest. It hurts so much... It fucking stings... ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Rendorel, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:24 PM)~~~ As Sally weeps into my chest, I can see the reaction Zarmade is having. And the devastation is clear to him. He looks ready to fall over and die, and I don''t me him. He''ll never get to know the wonderful girl that is Sally... At least, I don''t think he will. It''s still up to Sally, but I don''t think she''s convinced of talking to him. "Cera... I''m ready to go... I want to get out of here... Take me somewhere far away from here..." Sally expresses her wishes to me, and I watch as Zarmade sinks to the floor. He covers his face with his hands. He''s probably trying to wake himself up from a bad dream. I walk out of the apartment with Sally in my arms, and my wingse out. As I''m about tounch off the ground, Zarmade rushes out of the building. "Sally!! Please!! Don''t go!! I love you!! I want to know you!!! I beg of you!!" I''ll admit... It''s hard to hear this... I know how much this is hurting Sally, and I love Sally... She grips me tighter, and the quickly forming crowds are keeping Zarmade from making it to us. "Sally!!! SALLY!!" I p my wings off the ground hard as fresh wails of paine from the girl in my arms. And Zarmades final words are fading as we reach the clouds. "NOOO!!! MY LITTLE GIRL!!!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 527 The Will To Persevere [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying Away From The City of Rendorel, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:48 PM)~~~ We''re high above the clouds, and Sally is silent in my arms. Flying like this isn''t going to befortable for her, so I help her move to my back, and she goes along with it. She''s not having an easy time with what''s transpired. Zarmade isn''t a person that I''d consider good. Not after what he said about Sally. Telling her was the right thing, but it also feels like I''ve ruined something that could''ve been good for her. Cruelty breeds many terrible things... And perhaps I was cruel in telling Sally what Zarmade said. A moment where I can''t give Sally the advice she needs is hard. I''ve never experienced something like that personally. A parent saying that about me. So I can''t help her... There are times when you should help and when you should just listen and be there for her. And this is one of the times when I just have to be there for Sally. I have to resist fixing the situation cause I''d make it worse. There is no fixing what''s happened. Not any way I could. Trying to do so would only result in more pain for Sally. "Am I supposed to live with the stigma of my past for the rest of my life..." Sally''s voice is weak and croaky. A sensitive topic like this is dangerous to talk about after such fresh pain. And I''m apprehensive to talk about this. But she needs to. She wouldn''t say something if she didn''t, and I''ll tell her what I think. It may not be true or right, as it''s just my opinion. But it''s the best I can think of. And it might help her more than any answer she wants to hear from me. "There are so many things I could say, Sally... But I know what it is you need to hear." Her arms tighten around me from behind, and I p my wings again to maintain our cruising speed. "All the horrible things you''ve been through... There will always be people that judge you for it... What''s important is finding people that don''t." Sally is the sweetest and kindest girl I''ve ever met despite all the shit she''s been through. Anyone else, and they would''ve given up a long time ago. "I want you to know that I''ve never and will never judge you for what''s happened to you, Sally. It might not mean much right now, but there are people out there that won''t judge you. They''re just hard to find cause they''re judged by the rest of the world too." People who know what it''s like to be unfairly judged don''t do it to others. It''s one of the worst feelings and events that can happen in someone''s life. It can destroy them for a long time. "Thank you... I love you, Cera..." My hope that this is helping in some way raises just a little. But I don''t know what she''s going through. Not truly. But I can be there for her and do my best to understand. That''s all anyone can do for someone who has suffered a great deal. In this silence, my thoughts go back to Zarmade. At the very end, he wanted to know about his Daughter. For some people, that''s worth something. But for others, it''s not enough. It would''ve been more than enough for Sally. It would''ve meant everything. After hearing what Zarmade said about her, it changed from being more than enough to never being enough. I don''t know how this will affect Zarmade in the long run, but he knows he''s got a Daughter out there somewhere. Maybe it''ll do him some good... Or it could destroy what remains of the man... Ruining the only chance he had... Felrenda left Zarmade a Daughter, and he was too cynical, bitter, and cruel to consider anything but lies... "Where are we going now... We''ve aplished everything we''ve set out to do..." Sally asks a good question, and I don''t know what we''re doing next for the first time in a long time. We could do anything. Some Dungeons and Raids hold amazing items and gear. Quests that are fun and uplicated. Anything in the entire world of Gaia is avable to us. There won''t be anyone to stand in our way. But I know what I should do. The right thing to do. "What do you want, Sally... Where are the ces you want to go and see... The entire world is at our fingertips..." I want to take her mind off her Father, and getting her to think about the next step in our lives is the right path. "The first thing I want to do is head far East... I want to see the othernds of Gaia... The Dwarven Lands... The Lizardmen... Everything that I''ve heard since I''ve been free..." That''s the best idea I''ve heard in a long time, and I adjust my course to go East. I''ve never been to those ces, but I know valuable information. "Your wish is mymand, Sally." She moves up my back and kisses the back of my head. Resting her head between my head and shoulder and wrapping her arms and legs around me. Her eyes are closed, and she''s probably going to sleep. And I would, too, if I were her. ~~~(POV: Zarmade Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Rendorel, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:58 PM)~~~ "I''m sorry! If I had known any of this, I would''ve warned you about the two of theming! I swear! You have to believe me!!" Issa Morell doesn''t know what she''s cost me by not warning me that any of this would happen. Because of her greed and arrogance, I''ve lost a chance to know a Daughter from the woman I loved. A Daughter I didn''t even know about! She''s supposed to warn me of these things! Information that would be important to me!! She must''ve been hoping they kill me and I''ll no longer be a problem to her. But I''ve suffered a far worse fate. I''ve lost my child. "I don''t care about your apologies and excuses, Morell. You''ve far outlived your usefulness, and I''ll make sure I use all your funds, contacts, and allies to find my Daughter. You can be sure of that." My new sword swings forward as I remove her head from her shoulders. The parasite of a Sex ve Trader is dead at my feet, and I make my way to her desk. I pull open her drawers and cabs until I find what I need. A list of her known associates and allies. People that I can threaten and use. Not only that, she''s left the necessary information to ess her vast wealth from her time in the business. "If you think I''m giving up that easily, you''ve got another thinging... I''m not letting you fly out of my life without a fight." Sally is the only good thing I have left, and I want her to know that I never meant anything I said and that I love her. I don''t deserve such a sweet girl, but I''ll not continue living this life unless she knows that. She knows that I love her. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Kings Throne Room, Southern Brazilian Continent)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:18 PM)~~~ [World Wide Announcement: Hailey Adamo has killed King Barzegniro of The Kingdom of Cuebarera! Hailey Adamo is now a Kingyer! The Legendary ss Holder has received a massive reputation boost with the citizens of Cuebarera!] The dead Kingys at my feet, and I turn to the terrified guards. Being the ss Holder of Battlemind has proved to be the best thing going for me. And I watch as the guards and soldiers drop their weapons and flee for their lives. "It was fun while itsted, but it''s time I go collect my rewards." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 528 Literal Oceans Between Problems [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying To The Eastern Sea of Relsarmoder)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:18 AM)~~~ Sally has slept through the night, and I''ve continued flying. Another few more hours, and we''ll be reaching the Ocean of Relsarmoder. The reason it was named Relsarmoder is a lovely little tale. The first people to explore and cross the ocean were a family of adventurers. The Relsarmoder family has explored many different parts of Gaia, but the only ce named after them is The Sea of Relsarmoder. From what I remember about their lore, they were the first family many thousands of years ago to make friends with The Elves and their Kingdom. Opening up trade that didn''t exist at the time and helped connect The Elven Kingdom with the rest of the world at the time. I don''t know the exact amount of years this urred, only that it was a long time ago. "I should get into contact with Hailey and congratte her for killing a King. Most would say that''s a bad thing. But only if the King you''re killing is a good one." The World Wide Announcement regarding her feat didn''t go unnoted. She''s probably already got messages from everyone else in our family. I''m not sure what her motivations are, but it''s not that big of a deal whether they were pure or not. I''ve killed Kings before, and I''ve done it for purely personal gain. I may be an Angel, but I''m still half-human. The part of me that allows me to do the things I do. I haven''t decided if I should just keep flying once we reach the ocean or if I should stop a final time in the nearest city to the coast and rest before the trip. It''ll be around 20 hours of continuous flight to get across, and I''ve already been up all night. In the end, I need mental breaks too. Even if I weren''t physically tired, I''d be mentally exhausted. Pacing yourself is important. But in the meantime, I''ll talk to Hailey until I reach the city closest to the coast of The Sea of Relsarmoder. I open my yer Interface and click on the Friends Tab. As I hit Hailey''s name, a keyboard pops up with a box to send a message. I see our past conversations above, and they''ve been more serious than those I''m about to send. [It''s about time I get ahold of you and congratte you for killing a King. It''s an impressive feat that only two yers have done so far. I was the first, and now you''re the second. Who knows, it might be a family tradition at this point.] I send the message and close my yer Interface. She''ll get back to me when she sees it. Knowing Marcus, he''ll want to follow in his older sibling''s footsteps. In regards to Mom and Dad, I doubt they''ll be interested in killing Kings. From thest I heard, they''re off on their own adventures now. Making up for the lost time between just the two of them without any of the kids around. Marcus proved that he could handle himself, and I know that it probably put Mom in shambles not having to take care of one of her kids anymore. But she''ll grow out of it. Mom and Dad will be having too much fun together to really think about the kids all that much after a few months. Mom will see proof that Marcus doesn''t need her. If she hasn''t already. But my thoughts are cut short as I get a message back from Hailey. [It''s nice to join the exclusive club that is Kingyer. I''m on my way to pick up my reward too. What are Sally and you up to these days? Thest I spoke to you, we talked about the terrible prank I pulled.] Ourst conversation was me telling her that I''ve forgiven her and she should reach out. But she hasn''t yet. It''s still fresh on her mind and mine as well. But I''ve moved passed it. I doubt Sally has, though. Sally and I will be more than a few thousand miles away from the rest of the continent we''ve had all our adventures in so far. The continent we''re in is where all the North American yers first spawned. So it''d be called The North American Continent to outsiders. Where we''re heading would be considered The African Continent. Where the people in Africa first spawned. [Sally and I are heading over The Sea of Relsarmoder and toward the African Continent. I believe its Gaia name is The Continent of Alforza. It''s farrger in sizepared to the one we''ve had all our adventures on till this point.] My message is sent, and I wait for Hailey to get back to me. It takes a few minutes, but she does. [I''d ask if I could join you, but I sense this is something that''s for Sally and you. I hope that you have fun. But do you have any suggestions for me on what I should do? I''m kinda running out of ideas.] A chuckle escapes my lips as I read her message. The whole point of adventure games is to explore and find things out. Not be told where to go and what to do outside of quests. I''m not going to give her any ideas. This is up to her. [The whole point of an adventure world is to go around and find things out for yourself. I''ve influenced my family''s decisions far too much. It''s time that I step back. You have an entire world out there, Hailey. You can do whatever you want.] Getting out of my family''s decisions is the best thing I can do for them. And Hailey knows that better than anyone since she knows the truth about me. How I''ve made a wish and gone back in time. All the things that have happened are my fault. She knows this, and she''ll understand the meaning of my words better than anyone. We exchange a few more messages and say our goodbyes for now. I don''t know the next time I''ll see Hailey, but it''ll probably be when she''s supposed to guide me on my great theoretical destiny. I''m still apprehensive about that... "Mmm..." A soft moan escapes from Sally''s lips as she presses her body hard into mine. She''s starting to wake up. And I''ll be the first to say it feels great the way she''s doing it. I can feel her boobs on my back. Even through clothes, they''re great. "Finally waking up, sleepy head?" She''s been asleep for over 14 hours. It''ll probably take her a minute to wake up. She presses her body against mine even harder since her arms and legs are wrapped around me. And she lets out another yawn before replying to me. "How long have we been flying?" That goes to show she''s been asleep the entire time. Which I''m d about. It proves that I''m one hell of a flyer. "Since you fell asleep back in Rendorel, in a couple of hours, we''ll be hitting The Sea of Relsarmoder. But we''ll stop at the closest coastal city and take a break. I''d like some food and a break from flying. Going 14 hours straight takes a lot on the mental energy levels." She kisses the side of my head and squeezes me in a hug. It''s one of the things I enjoy a lot with Sally. "Alright... How long is the trip over The Sea of Relsarmoder?" Gaia is several timesrger than Earth and is theorized to expand and create newnds due to magic endlessly. That''s why the distances are so great. Taking 20 hours to get over an ocean at my top speed shows how big Gaia is even now. "I''m thinking it''ll take around 20 hours, maybe a little less if I keep top speed. That''s why I want a break before we go." It''s a long trip, but it''s where Sally wants to go to start the next chapter in our story together. And I''m excited about it more than she''d ever know. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 529 Final Rest Before Alforza [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Coastal City of Damaer, Near The Sea Of Relsarmoder)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:12 PM)~~~ Sally and I arrived in Damaer a few hours ago, and we''re resting in an Inn room now. I''m currently enjoying a massage. My lovely girlfriend has decided to show some support to my mental exhaustion by helping my body rx. We''re both currently in our underwear, and her hands are working wonders on my back. I don''t have back issues, and I''m not sore from flying. But it feels damn good to have the muscles in my back worked on. "Right there..." My favorite spots she''s getting are my shoulder des and spine. I''ve agreed to give her a massage too after she''s done with mine. But at this rate, I might fall asleep from how rxing it is. A few grateful moans escape my mouth as she works more pressure into my back muscles, and all my mental exhaustion is being treated with it. It makes sense that getting a back massage would help. The back is considered by many where people put all their stress. I can''t speak for spiritual meaning or significance cause I''m not knowledgeable about that. What I can say is I''ve manifested my own stress in a variety of ways, and cing them on my shoulders and back is one way I''ve done it. "You know, I don''t need a massage right after you... You can fall asleep if you want... You work so hard all the time, and I''d love it if you fell asleep..." As tempted as I am to disagree and give her one anyway, I don''t think I can. Not now. I''m too rxed and tired. It sucks cause I want to help Sally rx. She deserves it. But this is just too damn good to pass up. Not responding is how I decide to handle it, and she chuckles after a couple of seconds, getting the meaning behind my silence. "I''ll make sure I get every inch of your body. From your reaction, you''ve never had a massage done on you. Not when you''re so tired." She''s right about that. My mental exhaustion has proved to be one of the biggestints in my own criticisms of myself. I never find a good bnce. I just keep going until I can''t anymore. And that''s now a good habit to have. I''ve been thinking of ways to fix it, but nothing I''ve thought of so far has helped any. "I appreciate this more than I can express at the moment... If I had the energy, I''d make sure you got some relief with a massage too... But my mind has turned my body to jelly..." My mental exhaustion, when at extreme peaks, projects onto my body. While it''s not truly tired, I can feel that same tired feeling from it. It''s a weird state that I didn''t experience in either of my lives and only happens after extremely long flights. "Hmm... I bet you would... Knowing you, your hands would first start in the sorest areas of my body... Then after a while, you''d move to ces that aren''t sore... ces that are only touched during our fuck sessions..." She leans forward and whispers into my ears. I''m lying on my stomach, and I''m d I made sure toy in afortable position in case I did end up getting a little horny. Sally has slowly started to develop a sense of dirty talk when she''s in the mood. I noticed thest time we had sex. It''s far better than I thought it''d be, and I enjoy it quite a bit more than I''d like to admit. We''ve grown to the point where we can speak like that with each other. "You''re tempting me... And as tired as I am, I''d not turn the offer down if you formally give it..." As much as I''m on the edge of sleep, I can wake from that fast and remove the scarce remains of the clothes we''re already wearing. And instead of answering me, I feel her hands leave my back and the unclipping of a bra. The desire to turn my body and see is halted as I feel her lean her entire body on mine and her nipples poke into my back. "I''m willing to bet after a couple of rounds. We''ll both be tired enough to sleep... You always wear me out with that monster between your legs..." That''s all I need to hear. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Coastal City of Damaer, Near The Sea Of Relsarmoder)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:30 PM)~~~ My eyes slowly flutter open, and I look around the dark room. I look toward the only source of light, and it''s the moonlighting through the window. My eyes find their way to Cera''s sleeping form beside me, and his chest''s gentle rise and fall. I can''t stop myself from reaching out and touching him. He''s been there since I met him... Always when I needed him, and even when I didn''t think I did... Or even wanted... He''s been there and without him. My life would still be hell. The pain from yesterday''s events is still fresh on my mind, but Cera has dramatically reduced what they could''ve been and could be right now. Having my own Father say those horrible things about me did more damage than I thought. I don''t want to admit it... But it shattered me... And Cera helped pick up the pieces instantly. And the endearing part to me is he doesn''t even know how much he helped or what he really did by helping me the way he did. I scoot closer to him and wrap my naked body in his, and his arm unconsciouslyes and hugs me closer. His warmth always surprises me... Cera and I belong together... And one day, we''ll be starting a family of our own... But that''s a long time from now. ~~~(POV: Zarmade Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Merchants Road, The Empire of Larmodies)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:04 PM)~~~ There have been reports that an Angel was seen flying in the direction I''m heading. All I can go off for now is sightings in the sky. But once Sally and Cerand, my contacts in virtually every city will be watching and looking for them. A Father has to do what he thinks is right, and I know that going after my little girl is what I think is right. She needs to know that I love and care about her and that I''d search the world for her. Just like she did me... The pain and realization of my actions became even worse the more I thought about it. And that''s when I knew that I really fucked up. She went through a lot of trouble and time to find me... Searching for a Father she thought might love her. Instead, she found a bitter and cruel man that was too paranoid to understand the situation. I''m not proud of that... In fact, I don''t think I''ll ever stop thinking about... Not for as long as I live, and not for as long as Sally doesn''t know that I love and care about her. But my mind has been focused on Cera as ofte... That''s what he called himself when we met... I put a good amount of me on him... But it is truly my fault... "If he hadn''t antagonized me like that... I wouldn''t have reacted that way..." What he said to me threw me off bnce from that moment. Nothing could''ve gone right meeting Sally. I can''t do anything to him. But I''ll make sure that Sally knows he holds some me too. A part of me that I''ll never get rid of is how vindictive I can be, and that extends to the Angel known as yer Zern, Angel Zern, or Cera, as he says. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 530 Leaving For Alforza [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Coastal City of Damaer, Near The Sea Of Relsarmoder)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:41 AM)~~~ Cera has already been up for the past 10 minutes and is ready to go. He''s watching me justy in bed, and I''m looking at him. He raises an eyebrow in a questioning manner. A sigh escapes my lips, and I get out of the bed and equip all my gear. He''s wearing a smile as I approach him, and he stands up when I make it to him. It''s very early, and no ces are open for food. This means neither of us is eating before we head out. "Are you sure we shouldn''t wait until they serve breakfast? We''ll be flying for 20 hours at the least. What if either of us gets hungry on the way there?" My true aim for this question is to convince him to stay until they serve breakfast so we can get a decent meal before our long outing. His expression doesn''t tell me anything he''s thinking, and I''m growing a little impatient that he hasn''t responded. "Look, if you want to stay until breakfast, just say so. Don''t try to subtly convince me and make it my idea. If you want some food before we head out, I''m more than willing to do that." I should''ve known he''d see through that... My skills with words havee a long way, but not enough to get anything by Cera. Not at the moment. I fold my arms and look at him with puffed-up cheeks. He chuckles and kisses the top of my head. "Yeah... I want to stay for breakfast and fill up before we don''t get to for 20 hours... I don''t want to be in a bad mood for half the flight because I''m hungry and angry." An amused smile graces his features, and I''m slightly irritated. It''s not him that''s making him irritated... It''s the fact he doesn''t seem to want or need food as I do... So in a way, it is him... "The term for when a girl is both hungry and angry is hangry." What? My confused look shows him I have no idea why he''s talking about his or what he means. "Back in my world... Earth... When a girl is in a bad mood or upset, it''s usually because she''s hungry and angry. So a term was invented for this state of mind. Hangry." There are a lot of things that I find fascinating about Cera''s home, but this isn''t one of them. But I can tell from the look in his eyes that this is a nostalgic moment for him. "What does that have to do with anything regarding right now?" I''m frustrated. And his growing smile doesn''t make it better. "It has everything to do with what is happening right now." He sees that I''m not amused and knows that my patience is wearing thin. "You''re hangry. At this moment in time, I''m witnessing your first ever hangry moment, and it''s special indeed." I don''t know why, but that embarrasses me way more than I ever thought something could so fast after finding out about it. "Yeah! So!?" I throw my hands out and smack him a couple of times, and I hear himugh out loud at me. There have been times when Cera hasughed at me before. But never when I''m in a moment of embarrassment like this. It''s unbelievable. A mixture inside me I''ve never felt before is happening, and a growing desire to make him feel embarrassed is growing faster than my embarrassment. "What''s so funny, huh?! You like starving your girlfriend and making her miserable without food!?" He onlyughs harder. Hisughter is to the point where he has to sit down and catch his breath betweenughs. I''ve never seen himugh like this, and the fact it''s at my expense is driving me nuts. "Oh, C''mon! You gotta admit that it''s pretty funny! I never thought I''d see thising from you! Turns out, you can be just as hangry as any other girl out there!" Now that makes me fume. I don''t know what I can do as he''s curled up inughter on the couch. His eyes are literally watering. I''m trying to think of something that makes him embarrassed, but I can''t think of anything. So I just do what my instincts tell me to do, and I jump at him. As Ind on hisp, he loses his breath and starts to breathe hard. And now I know just what to do. I start letting fake tears fall. And that shuts him up immediately. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Coastal City of Damaer, Near The Sea Of Relsarmoder)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:33 AM)~~~ I watch as Sally stuffs food into her mouth, and enjoy the moment we have. All the fun I had this morning was cut short by Sally crying. But I soon found out they were fake tears, and she yed me, which also sent me into a state of embarrassment. Never have I been taken for a ride like that. Where I was duped so perfectly, Sally really had me going that I seriously hurt her feelings. And when I found out I was yed, I couldn''t believe it. "Enjoying your food?" I''ve since been full after a couple of steaks, eggs, hashbrowns, and bread. But Sally is still going to town. It''s like her food is a boss battle and the only way to lower its health is to eat it. She nods her head with excitement and quickly finishes the food that''s in her mouth. "I feel so much better now! I can see why someone would call it hangry. Thest time we ate anything was dinner before we got our Inn room here." Sally has been through longer times without food, and I attribute her hangry state to all the stressful events she''s been through in thest 72 hours. I have no problems with her wanting some food. I''d never had any issues with that. But seeing her like that was a real treat, in my opinion. It was a side that I''ve never seen before. Sally is capable of having ordinary girl emotions. She''s extraordinary in my eyes. So seeing that made me realize she''s got hints and pieces that are like any other girl. Jealousy, wrath, and now hangry. "I hope you feel better. You''re putting that food away like it''s yourst meal." She almostpletely ignores me, but after a couple of seconds. She raises her head from her te and looks at me with happy eyes. I never experienced that happiness a girlfriend would have after you fix your hangry state, but now I know what it feels like. "I do feel better. Do you mind if I ask what other terms are from Earth?" I don''t have any problems with that. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Coastal City of Damaer, Near The Sea Of Relsarmoder)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:03 AM)~~~ Cera and I are standing on the sandy coast that''s connected to Damaer, and we look out into The Sea of Relsarmoder. The gently crashing of the waves puts me into a rxed state. I don''t mind the thought of settling down on a beautiful coast one day. But those thoughts are a long time from now. I turn to Cera, and he looks at me with a smile. His Golden Wings gentlye out of his back, and he gets on one knee for me to get on his back. "Alforza, here wee." We st off the ground in a split second and level out above the clouds. One thing I''m worried about this trip is bathroom breaks. I don''t want Cera seeing me pee... And Gods forbid... Go number 2... Especially when we''re flying, and there are no bathrooms for thousands of miles... It maybe wasn''t a good idea to have all that food before we left... Worst case, I have to hold it in... Please don''t make me have to go to the bathroom during this flight... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 531 The Sea Of Relsarmoder I [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying Over The Sea of Relsarmoder, Heading for Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:15 PM)~~~ It''s a bit past noon now, and we''re moving at full speed. And Sally is enjoying it with her body up, and arms spread out. She''s more than strong enough to handle the force of moving this fast. It''s nice to see that she''s in a better mood. She was quiet for a while cause I had to fly close to the ocean and slow down while she used the bathroom. Luckily, she only had to pee, and she didn''t get any on me. But she was mighty embarrassed after that, which is understandable to a degree. Mom told me a long time ago there are things you don''t address with women, and she mentioned something about the bathroom. She never gave specifics, just to leave that area alone. I don''t care if Sally sees me take a piss, but I''m a guy. So there''s that. I get wanting privacy when taking a shit, but that''s one thing, and this is another. "You''re in a way better moodpared to earlier. I take it you''ve dropped the whole having to pee in front of me while flying thing." It wasn''t exactly in front of me, but that''s just a figure of speech. I can feel the blush on her face from here, and I''m not even looking at her. "I thought we were done talking about that... It''s embarrassing, Cera... Women don''t like to portray they have to go to the bathroom..." This is something I never understood, given the fact, everything that eats and drinks has to pee and poop. But I won''t talk about it anymore. But I''ll admit I like hearing this kind of embarrassment in Sally''s voice. It''s cute and timid. While I love the confident and proud Sally, I like this side of her too. There are different kinds of embarrassment, a good kind, and a bad kind. This is the good kind, and I love seeing it. "Okay. Okay. I did say that, didn''t I... We''ll be arriving in Alforza early morning on their coast. I don''t know much about the ce. Only that it''s a huge continent and something that should be fun for us." Alforza wasn''t a ce I ever visited or studied back in my old life. Most yers don''t leave their original Continent, and if they do. It''s usually for a short period of time. They wouldn''t be able to speak thenguage or understand what was said. There are magical trantors that we can buy once we''re there, but we won''t be able to understand anyone once we get there. "Yeah, I''m excited that we''re going somewherepletely unfamiliar to either of us. Everything we experience we''ll be a first for both of us. But just to be sure you don''t know too much, mind telling me what you do know?" There isn''t much to say. The extent of my knowledge regarding Alforza is that themunities are darker-skinned and speak variousnguages. The Alforza continent is also home to many subspecies of different races. I heard that there was a Kingdom of Dark Elves in the jungles, but no one could ever prove or disprove their existence. There are also nomadic tribes of High Orcs that are far more intelligent and peace-loving than their closest cousins of regr orcs on our Continent. That''s the extent of what I know, and I''m happy that''s the case. It''s nice not to know everything for once. "All I really know are some of the indigenousmunities. And that multiplenguage are spoken all over the Alforza Continent. The Nomadic High Orcs are peace-loving creatures that are highly intelligent. I''ve also heard rumors of Dark Elves in the jungles, but that''s it." She leans down, kisses the back of my head, and wraps her arms and legs around me. It''s a feeling I''ll never get tired of experiencing. Not once. "That''s great! That''s basically all I really know about the Alforza Continent too. We''re pretty much walking in blind, and I can''t wait to visit our first city there." The only issue is we''ll be sticking out like crazy, and it''ll be hard to keep a low profile, but we''ve got hoods to help with that. While not perfect, it''ll make sure people don''t stare at us unless they catch what we look like by really looking at us. I don''t even know where the nearest city will be once we get there, but I''d like to get a coastal city if I''m lucky. I don''t know the Kingdoms or their borders. This means we''ll be finding all of this out on our own, and I haven''t done something like this in many years. "When we do get there, we''ll have to spend some time figuring out where we''re at on Alforza and what Kingdom we''re in. There will be far more Kingdoms in Alforza than in our original Continent." This is crucial information; without it, we won''t know important information like what to expect when we go somewhere. But one thing is consistent, and that''s The Adventurers Guild. They have several branches all over Alforza. I could use that to help me get a good grasp, but that''s a double-edged sword. The Adventurers Guild is pretty corrupt everywhere you go. "That''s a good idea to me. But I want to stop off at a clothes store and get some gear that won''t be as hot down there. While I''m immune to extreme colds, that doesn''t mean I''m immune to extreme heats." That''s brilliant and something I didn''t even think about. Alforza will be a much hotter environment than either of us is used to, and I''ll want to get some new gear myself. It''s about time that I change up what I''m wearing. The Hardened Tree Sap Armor has been great ever since I got it at the beginning of my journey, but it''s time that I get something better. "I didn''t even think of that, Sally. We''ll do that as one of the first things we get done. First, we''ll need a magical trantor to understand what people are saying." There should be plenty of shops in any city that''ll sell these devices. We''re making good ns and discussing as a team should. While calling two people a team is a little weird, it''s true. Sally and I are a team, and we work better together on a daily basis than most people do their entire lives. The best advice I can give someone in a bad rtionship that isn''t getting better or won''t get better is to get out of it. The two of us won''t ever have to do that. We''re toopatible with each other for anything to actually get in the way of our rtionship. "You''re not the only one that has good ideas from time to time. Or did you already forget that I have plenty of my own?" Her teasing voice doesn''t go unnoticed, and I crack a smile. It''s always better to have two heads working together instead of one. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying Over The Sea of Relsarmoder, Heading for Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:29 PM)~~~ I can''t hold it in any longer... This is the worst thing that could''ve happened... I need to go number two, and there is nowhere to go... "Cera..." He lifts his head ever so slightly to indicate he''s listening. "I need to go to the bathroom again, and this time it''s not to pee..." The first thing he does is slow down and level out above the water. And I''m too self-conscious to even think about it right now. "If you want, I can drop you in the water and hover while looking away. I don''t know how easy it is to use the bathroom in the water, but you''ll get some privacy..." That''s the best option I''ve got, and it''s the one I''m taking. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 532 The Sea Of Relsarmoder II [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying Over The Sea of Relsarmoder, Heading for Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:44 PM)~~~ Turns out that Sally and I both forgot shit floats in water. For the most part, so even when she was given the privacy she needed, it ended up floating up and showing itself off to the world. And by that, I mean me as I turned around after she was done. She hasn''t spoken a word since screaming in embarrassment and ordering me to look away and forget that I ever saw anything. It was funny, but I don''t think telling her or talking about it will make it any better. So staying quiet as she wants me to has been what I''ve done. But I''m getting bored of the silence, and I want to talk to her. "You know... If we make this trip again, we can bring diapers with us." That was in bad taste, but I couldn''t resist myself. And Sally is fast to let me know how much she disapproves of such discussions by mming her fist into the back of my head. Only for her to regret it since it''s like punching steel. "Don''t ever make a joke like that again, or I''m never sleeping with you till the day we die." That''s a total bluff, no matter how much she tries to make it sound serious. Sally and I are toopatible to ever be taken off the table. And Sally won''t talk about it yet, but I know she''s had thoughts about starting a family one day. Just like I have, and you have to have sex to make babies. Hence, why it''s not a threat to take seriously. The question is... Should I keep joking or stop now... I''m digging my own grave here, but I''m not missing this golden opportunity for shit jokes or jokes that involve shit. "Ohhh, don''t be like that. We both know that one day, we''ll be changing the diapers of our offspring. This whole getting you diapers can be great practice if you let me change you." That''s in poor taste too, but it''s a little more clever than myst joke. Sally isn''t the slightest bit happy. She can''t retaliate by hitting me because that''d only hurt her. And she can''te up with something to rebuttal me. It''s a fun little dance that I enjoy ying with Hailey. And it''s probably a bad idea to y it with Sally, but this will help pass the time on this beautiful night. "Cera... You''re on wafer-thin ice... This is the final warning I''m ever giving you for the events that have happened today..." Now she sounds serious, and that''s my sign to stop while I''m ahead. On another note, I''m hoping that we''ll reach the coast of Alforza before the sun rises. But I doubt it. The stop we had to make for her to use the bathroom took a long time since she was so self-conscious and embarrassed. "Let''s talk about something else... Like your thoughts on your Father... You haven''t talked to me about it since it happened... And we''re in the middle of the ocean with the stars and moon shining down... The perfect chance for absolute privacy..." Coaxing her into talking about it is the best I''ve got at the moment, and I kinda feel like I''m forcing it. That''s not something I want to do, but I want to know how she''s doing. Being hurt by a parentsts longer than most pain. She''s silent, and I know just the way to get her to start talking. "I can keep cracking jokes if you want? It''s either that or you talk to me about what''s on your mind regarding the bastard that is your Father." The time it takes her to decide isn''t long, and it''s almost funny how fast shees to a conclusion. "If you want to know so badly... I guess I have no choice..." Yeah, go ahead and paint it that way if it makes it easier for you. That''s my whole n anyway. "I was thinking my Mother didn''t write about my Father for the exact reason to protect me from the truth of the man... It makes sense why she never talked about him now... And that makes it hurt more for some reason..." I know the reason... It''s because your Mom had already sacrificed so much... And then she continues to do so, even when there is no hope for her... Was no hope for her... "What would you be thinking or feeling if your parents did something like this?" That''s not a question I can answer cause the experience I had with my family is different. While I''ve experienced great pain because of the things that have happened to my family. I don''t think it''d be right for me topare pain... But that''s not what she''s asking... She wants me to just think about it... And the thought of something like this happening to me makes my insides churn, and my heart feels hollow... I couldn''t imagine going through the real thing. That seems like a hell that wouldn''t go away. "I don''t know, Sally... You''ve met them... It''s hard to imagine them as anything else... But the little thought I have given... It''s too painful to give greater thought to it..." That''s the best answer I can give her, and I hope that she keeps talking to me about this. I feel like the more she talks about it with me, the more she''lle to ept that it''s happened. Or something like that. I''m not a therapist. "Getting away from all the problems of my past seems impossible... And I''vee to ept the majority of the things that have happened to me... I''m trying to move on... But after that happened..." Her voice is starting to crack and break. And I can tell tears are going to start falling. "It brought back so many wounds that I''ve tried to ovee and heal... And it''s made them hurt worse..." She leans down and wraps her body around mine. Rxing is what I''d do, and I think that''s what she''s doing right now. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Approaching The Coastline of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:28 AM)~~~ The coastline of Alforza ising into view, and I''m looking forward to walking on solid ground. "It''s beautiful even from here!!" I lean up and squint my eyes to see it. We''re approaching fast. It''s miles and miles of golden sands. As we''re reaching it, Cera slows down andnds on the soft sand. And the first thing he does is take off all his clothes. And I mean all his clothes. The heat here is already extreme, and experiencing it with the rising of the sun is ridiculous. "What are you doing!?" The sudden move to remove all his clothes and be naked does surprise me more than I thought it would. But it''s not a bad surprise. You can hear the joy and excitement in my voice. "The heat is a killer down here... I might just walk and fly around in the nude if it''s this hot. Besides, I''ll get a full-body tan. I''m pale as a motherfucking ghost." I can''t helpughing at the tone of his voice, and I see him waiting with his arms folded, and my smile quickly falls as I grow with some amused concern. "I know you''re hot too. Take them off." He doesn''t need to tell me twice. I watch his features glow up as he sees my bare body, and I look down at his lower section to see his member growing and growing. I move closer and grab it, tugging on it with a teasing grip. "We need to get some rest... We''ve been up for 20 hours at this point... Actually, a little more..." A disappointed look appears on his face, but I can see how tired he is. It''s time to set up the tent in some shade by the trees and rest for the day, and travel at night. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 533 Alforzas Heat [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Resting In Tent, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:14 PM)~~~ Sally and I have been sleeping in our tent since we got here, and even in the shade of some trees while naked, it''s still very hot. I''ve grown so used to the cold back on our Original Continent. The sudden change has me ufortable. I''m not the only one in this state either. Sally has been tossing and turning in and out of sleep just as I have at the humidity and sheer heat. Taking off our clothes the moment we got here was a better idea than I thought it was at the time. We''d be soaking through our armor and clothes at this point. The whole reason I''m up right now is that the shade we set our tent under is gone now. Moved along with the sun of the passing day, meaning our tent is just as hot as the outside world. If I had to guess the actual number to the heat outside, it''d be over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It''s misery in the tent, and I''m ready to get out and find some new shade. "Why is it so fucking hot!!?" Sally suddenly sits up with vigorous desperation and deep breaths to go along with how ufortable the heat is making her. "I was just about to get out of the tent and move it to some more shade... This is the worse..." The days are much longer in Alforza, and that means the sun is shining on the environment more than most parts of Gaia that have been discovered. "What the hell are we waiting for? Let''s move this bitch!!" Sally is quick to make for the exit of the tent, and I follow behind her. Enjoying the shine of her sweaty body from behind. Once outside the tent, we move it to a ce with more trees and better shade than this time of the day. Nightfall won''t being until 9:00 PM. That gives us enough time to catch up on some sleep. We might just end up sleeping through the night since it''ll be so cool. I was nning to travel at night, but at this point, I want to catch up on sleep since mine has been so shit because of the heat. Even though I''m not supposed to be bothered by it, there it is. Bothering the shit out of me, and I can''t do a thing about it. Oncefortably in the shade, we both enter the tent, and it''s noticeably cooler now. I''d say a 15-degree difference, and that''s a lot. Sallyys her head on my chest, and I ce my hand on her lower back, bringing her closer. "Do you think they''ll have clothes that can keep us cool in the first town we visit... I''m not tolerant to the heat, and I won''t be traveling unless we can find a way to stay cool most of the time..." I have to agree with Sally. We''ll have to do something about this, and right now, all I can think about is sleeping. So when I wake up after getting some real rest, I''ll brainstorm some ideas. "Sounds perfect to me..." The tiredness and exhaustion are clearly heard in my voice, and I have a feeling I''ll be like this a lot in Alforza. Sally just releases a chuckle as she gets even closer. Our sweaty and sticky bodies are clinging together. But weirdly enough, it''s not ufortable. "I take it we''ll be sleeping through the night then?" All I give in return for her question is a kiss on the top of her head. And it''s more than enough to answer the question. I''ve made up my mind. We''ll be sleeping through the cool night and stay in the shade for most of tomorrow. Leaving the night of tomorrow. That''ll give us more than enough time to rest and adjust to the heat before we move. "Let''s get some real sleep... None of this dying from heat sleeplessness shit..." She agrees with a kiss on the middle of my chest. I can''t help wondering in my fading thoughts what the rest of my family is up to. I know Hailey is off on her own adventures. Marcus has split from his parents and is doing who knows what. And Mom and Dad are enjoying their time together. But knowing specifically would be nice. That''s something I can figure out another time. For now, it''s sleep time. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Resting In Tent, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:28 PM)~~~ The heat has calmed down, and Cera is soundly sleeping now that he can. I''m not far behind him, and I''ve been struggling as he has. Moving to the shade helped, but there were times that still made me wake from the heat. It''s having a huge effect on me...One that I didn''t really see... Never in my life have I sweat so much from doing absolutely nothing... I''ve never experienced this type of heat back where we were, and I doubt temperatures ever rise that high. "I''m d you''re here with me... I don''t know what I''d do without you..." Cera doesn''t know how much I''ve relied on him since that shit happened with Zarmade... He''s been my rock and always there no matter what I need. He''s dead asleep, so it''s not like he''s going to respond. That''s good too. Just holding him like this is enough to make me feel better and get my mind off things. He''s tried to get me to open up about it, and he has... But I''m keeping the pain buried... "If you knew how much it truly hurt... You''d go crazy knowing there isn''t anything you can do to help me..." That''s part of the reason I didn''t tell him... He''d be trapped in his own head, thinking of ways to make me feel better... But there is nothing that can be done about this... It''s out of both of our hands... I''m slowly getting over it, but it hasn''t been easy. Sleep is fast approaching since it''s not that hot anymore, and being naked and attached to Cera like this is something that I''ve grown used to... Having him in reach and sharing skinship... It''s helped me... And after a couple of minutes... Dreams take me... Not nightmares, but actual dreams... ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Resting In Tent, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:22 AM)~~~ My eyes peel open, and I look around the tent. It''s cooler now since it''s early morning. I look down on my chest and see a peacefully sleeping Sally. We''re going to be spending the day in the tent, and we''ll leave tonight when it''s cool again. "Mmm... You''re so hard..." Sally''s voice breaks me from my staring as I feel a hand on my member, and I''ve got what''s called morning wood. It''s not something I often have, but when I do, it''s pretty intense. She lifts her head with one eye open and smiles at me. "Seducing me so early in the morning, huh... Someone is in need of some lovin''..." This is turning into a situation I wasn''t prepared for, but I''m more than ready for some action. Especially when she''s offering like this. An early morning fuck can do wonders for how good the day goes. Even though we''re not going anywhere until tonight. So that gives us free time to do... Whatever we want to do... "Well... What if I was seducing you? What would you say to that?" Her smile grows bigger, and she crawls up my body and looks me in the eyes as she''s on top. My member is resting between her ass cheeks, and it''s throbbing in anticipation. "I''d say you''re on the right track..." The lips of my girlfriende down and lock with mine. I know exactly what we''re doing today, and I''m d we''re taking the time to do this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 534 Our First City [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Preparing to leave, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:11 PM)~~~ It''s night again, and the temperature has dropped to afortable 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Sally and I spent the day in the tent as the shade covered us. We had a few romps and then fell back asleep for most of the day. Now we''re getting ready to leave, and I''ve got everything packed up. All I''m waiting on now is Sally. She''s using the bathroom before we head out. "I wonder how long it''ll be until we reach a city..." My eyes are looking toward the beautiful night sky, and I feel a wave of calmness. It''s not the question I asked myself but the sense that I''m not obligated to do any more quests or catch up on anything. Seeing the open night sky has brought this sense. Sally and I are as free as the stars above us. We can do what we want now. We''vee here for the next chapter in our lives, and I''m more than excited to see where it''s all going. "I''ll tell you what, peeing behind a tree reminds me of when we first started traveling together. Just us and the tent." My lovely girlfriendes from the spot she chose to pee and makes her way toward me. "Yeah, I remember. You''d make sure you were far away and could keep me in view while hiding. It made you feel safe." The smile on her face subtly widens as I get on one knee and spread my wings out. I feel her hands trace up the middle of my back and between my wings. It feels really good, and she presses her body against my back. "You picked up on that, huh... Even after you told me who you were, I acted like that for a while... I''vee a long way, haven''t I..." Calm happiness is whispered into my ear as I stand up andunch off the ground and into the sky with a p of my wings. She''se farther than anyone I could imagine. But I''m a cynic, so it''s unfair to say that in honesty. "I picked up on many things when traveling with you, Sally... I learned so much about love, loyalty, pleasure, and so much more... I had no idea what I was missing before I met you..." Sally has been haunted by her past for so long... But I don''t see people that way... I don''t judge them for actions taken against them that were out of their control... I don''t think anyone should... Not everyone shares that opinion, though. There aren''t any clouds in the sky about Alforza, at least not where we''re at. It''s just open deserts and some scattered clusters of trees here and there. The only trees that were around were the ones near the coast we used for shade. "You already knew how to do those things, Cera... All you needed was someone to bring them out..." She''s kind for saying that... But I don''t think I''d have known what these felt like if not for Sally. "How long do you think it''ll be before we find a city?" The subject changes abruptly by the girl riding on my back. It''s sudden, but I get it. She''s said what she wanted, and now there isn''t a need to continue talking about it. That''s another part of Sally I''m liking that''s popping up more. "I couldn''t say in terms of time, but it shouldn''t be too long. We don''t have to worry about the heat, but I doubt there will be any cities within the next couple of hours. It''s mostly desert below us." Cities aren''t built without specific natural resources. One of those resources is water. If we can find a river. It''ll lead to a city or a vige. There won''t be one soon, but I have my hopes up. I don''t want to fly the whole night and be in the middle of a desert when the morninges. We''re currently traveling at top speed, and we''ll be covering ground fast. But Alforza is far greater in size than our old continent. "I wonder what we''ll see... Do you think we''ll run into any of the peaceful high orcs?" I''d like to see that, but I have no idea where they''re at. "I''m hoping for that too. Alforza is supposed to be beautiful when you get past the deserts and heat. Which is something I''m looking forward to." Sally and I know pretty much the same amount when ites to Alforza. "Wake me when a city is getting close..." I figured this would happen. I could hear the drowsiness in Sally''s voice, and if she wants to sleep, then she should. There are things that I must think about in the silence. And one of those things is what we''ll actually be doing once we reach a city. We''ve agreed the first thing is getting magicalnguage trantors, and after that, getting better clothes and armor. Finally, getting a working knowledge of Alforza''s borders andnds. Cause our maps are greyed out since we haven''t discovered anything here. The continent a yer spawns on is mostly discovered for them when they spawn, but going to new continents means you have to discover those ces yourself. Once we have those things done, I don''t have a clue what we should do next. But that''s the whole point. Just doing whates naturally and not seeking things out for a change. It''s going to be fun. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying Over Alforza, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:15 AM)~~~ "Sally..." My name is gently called, and I already know it''s Cera, but my eyes are having a hard time opening. "Sally... Wake up... I see a city in the distance..." I don''t know how long I''ve been asleep, but it doesn''t take me long to get my eyes fully open and see the massive city ahead that''s built around water. There is a massive pyramid in the center of the city, and buildings spiraling outward from it. There arerge walls that surround the city. And we''re getting closer by the minute. Cera slows down and brings us in for anding before reaching the city. "Once we reach the gate, we''ll have to do our best tomunicate. I doubt they''ll speak the samenguage as us. So it might get a little difficult, if you know what I mean. If worsees, I''ll show them my wings and Divine Title." That''s thest resort. We don''t want anyone knowing that we''re in Alforza. That''ll ruin this for us, and people will start getting in the way. "Okay, I''ll follow your lead. Just warn me beforehand if anything violent is about to happen. Like if you''re going to draw your sword or something." He nods his head, and we start making our way toward the massive walls and the closest gate. There aren''t any lines, and as we approach, the guards are actually sleeping. Talk about poor security. But most people don''te at night like this. And making secret entrances into cities in the desert are nearly impossible cause it''s built on sand. "Should we wake them?" I whisper to Cera as we look at the sleep guards from outside the gate. But it''s not like anyone is stopping us from entering. Cera shrugs his shoulders and walks through. I follow him, and we enter the city with no problem. "Want to find somewhere to sleep before the sunes up?" I wouldn''t mind sleeping in a bed, but there wouldn''t be any Inns or ces to sleep open at this time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 3x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 535 Learning More About Where We Are [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Marrinjobic, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:25 AM)~~~ The only thing we''ve learned so far is the name of the city we''re in, and I have a hard time saying it. Funnily enough, Sally has no issues. I don''t want to seem rude, but it''s probably due to her age. She''s got about 80 some odd years on me. Her pronunciation skills would be better than mine by default. One of the most surprising things so far has been how kind everyone is, and someone even took us to a ce to get the magic trantors after the city started to wake up. Now we can talk and understand the locals. It partially drains Mana when in use, but when not in use. It doesn''t use Mana, and this is an item we can use anywhere in the world. It''s wless, from what I can tell. But I''m not great with this version of science and magic being mixed together. "Where do you think we should go to find out The Kingdom or Empire we''re in?" Sally knows the right questions to ask, and I''ve got two ideas. We can either find a local Cartographer or head to the library here in Marrinjobic. Libraries have documentation of thends they reside in. We could learn about The Kingdom or Empire we''re in, but we won''t learn beyond that since it''s a local library. At least, that''s what I think. The way it works here in regards to documentation could be different. "We''ll try to find a Cartographers shop first. They''ll have the information we seek. If we can''t find one, we''ll head to the library. It might take us a while to find the Cartographer." Marrinjobic is a vast city that almost rivals some of the capitals I''ve seen back in our homnd. That''s the best way I can call it since it''s where Sally and I originate from, and that''s how I''ll refer to it from now on. "Aren''t shops and stores like that located in themercial districts? I''ve only been to a Cartographers shop once, and it was located in amercial district." That''s the first ce we''re heading since it is indeed where most shops like that are located. "Yeah, we''ll search them one by one systematically. Once we''ve ruled out if there is a Cartographers shop here or not. We''ll head to the library in ast-case scenario." The whole reason why we won''t be going to the library first is that a Cartographers shop will have way more information catering to the questions we have than a library. "Sounds like a good n to me, Cera. Lead the way." We waste no time and start searching. We keep our hoods up and heads down, and we''re wearing new armor too. I''ve got a Rare Set of Desert Warrior Nomad gear. It keeps us cool during the hot days, and it has better stats than the Hardened Tree Sap. Sally follows close behind me and makes sure she double-checks every sign after I give a nce over. So far, we haven''t found our fabled Cartographers shop. We''re about halfway done looking through the city, and it''s been a few hours. The temperature is rising with the passing of time, and we''re not miserable due to our new armor. After another hour of searching, we''re in the final Commercial District located in MarrinJobic, and the second tost building is the Cartographers shop we''ve been searching for. Talk about shitty luck. "Well... At least we found it... But maybe splitting up would''ve been a good idea... We could''ve covered more ground like that..." God... Why didn''t I think of that? We could''ve just messaged each other after one of us found it. It would''ve cut the search time in half. "When you have good ideas like that, be sure to share them with me. It didn''t even cross my mind." I''m a bit embarrassed about that. But hey, Sally has a bright mind with ideas as good if not better than mine. We don''t waste any time and enter the shop together. Sally is right behind me as I make my way to the front desk and lift my hood. The man working the table widens his eyes just a bit at the unfamiliar faces and skin tone. Humans here are darker-skinned. We''re both as white as can be. "Well, it''s been a long time since I had foreigners in my shop. What can I do for you?" His attitude is pleasant and happy, and I have plenty of questions for the man. But starting off small seems like the best way to start this. "I was wondering if you had any maps for sale regarding thends we''re in. We''re both yers, and we''re hoping to add them to our maps within our systems." It''smon knowledge you can take a map of undiscoverednds and locations and add it to your system map. Therefore revealing thends to you. "And do you perchance have a bathroom?" I let out a chuckle as Sally adds to the questions. The man smiles and points to a door. She makes her way over and leaves us. We did have a big lunch, and she drank a lot of water. We both look at each other, and the man turns to the cabs behind him. Opening a couple of them and pulling out several maps. Some are bigger than others, and I can already tell this is will cost me, but I have a steady flow of Gold from the shop I own. "These are what I have in regards to what you''re looking for. You''re currently in The Kingdom of Nu''bor. And these are The Kingdoms we border." He opens the other maps as I stare at the one of Nu''bor, and I''m taken aback by the sheer size of these Kingdoms. We''re in the biggest one. But the other three are a close second. "I have more maps in the back revealing locations within The Kingdom of Nu''bor. Do you wish to see them?" I''m grateful for the magicalnguage trantor cause I wouldn''t know how to read or talk without it. "Yes, I''ll take all the maps you have that hold information for thends of Nu''bor. I''ll also be taking the big map of The Kingdom of Nu''bor." The big map only maps thend borders, so I need the smaller maps that are mapped out what''s in the borders to fulfill the map in my system. "And make sure you get copies for my girlfriend. Don''t worry about the price either. I assure you I can pay whatever you ask." The man bows his head a single time with a smile as he heads in the back again. After a few more seconds, Sallyes out and stands next to me, and starts looking at the maps herself. I see her face light up in joy at all the potential adventures we have ahead of us. "We''re in The Kingdom of Nu''bor, and these are the three closest Kingdoms." I point at thergest map, and she gently picks it up off the table to look at it more. "And the smaller maps are the cities and towns within The Kingdom of Nu''bor. About half of it is desert, but the other half of thends are covered in deep jungles." The manes from the back with copies, and he sells us everything we need. I pay him, and our funds are getting low. And that means I need to stop off at the nearest bank. It''s been a long time since I withdrew funds from the ount that my shop is connected with. We both add the maps to our system map, and thends and areas around us are no longer greyed out from needing to be discovered. "Where should we go first?" I know the answer to that. "The bank." She smiles and raises an eyebrow but catches on after a couple of seconds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 536 Making A Withdrawal [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Marrinjobic, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:10 PM)~~~ Since we know where we''re at now, thest thing to do is decide what to do next after getting fresh funds from my bank ount. Our system maps are updated, and there are plenty of ces to check out, all within The Nu''bor Kingdom. "The nearest bank is about 12 blocks to our east. When we''re done with that, what are we doing next?" Sally gives me helpful information cause I don''t remember where the bank was. We passed it, but I didn''t pay it mind since I didn''t ount for the price of updating our system map. There are more people walking the streets of Marrinjobic since this morning when we started getting everything done. And the crowds are concerning me from their size. Sally must hold onto my elbow to ensure she doesn''t lose me. More people means higher chances for problems to arise, and we aren''t here to cause problems. We''re here to get what we need and get a move on. "After we''re done with the bank, we can do whatever we want, Sally. Explore thends of Nu''bor, or maybe all of Alforza. Take on Dungeons and Quests. Enjoy the freedom we have now." Knowing what to do next is one of the hardest things people decide. It''s not something you can predict as a good choice, which causes people to stagnate. For the first time in my new life, we''re in and I know nothing about. Everything we do from this point on has consequences. I don''t know. I''m basically blind now with my future knowledge. In a sense, that''s a great thing. I''ve caused many great and terrible changes due to my knowledge of the future. "Why don''t we check out that giant pyramid in the city''s center before we leave? I''ve never seen anything like it, and I''d like to see it up close." My hand is interlocked with Sally''s, and I bring her closer to me with a pull. "Then that''s what we''ll do first. I''ll have fresh funds, so there shouldn''t be any problems with prices for a while. I want to learn more about the pyramid if I''m being honest. Back on Earth, the pyramids had long crumbled from war." About 65 years before I was born. The only memory of the pyramids that were left resided in movies of old and pictures long since passed. I have always been fascinated by the pyramids, and I''m not passing up the chance when one is so close. I didn''t say anything when Sally asked me cause I wanted her to tell me what she wants to do. I can''t read her mind after all. After walking for a while, we eventually reach the bank, and there aren''t many people. However, once we enter, it''s magically bigger on the inside than the outside. Dozens of counters are helping customers, and I sigh as most of the lines are long. "We might be here for a good 25 or 30 minutes..." She''s not wrong, and I''m unhappy about waiting in line. It''s one of the worst experiences a person can have, and it''s not something I tolerate unless I have to. And this is one of those situations where I have to ept it. It takes that long, but we make it to the front of the line, and the man looks at me with a smile. "How may The Bank of Marrinjobic help you today?" When I give him my name, he''ll probably recognize me. But it''s fine. We won''t be in the bank for long. And it won''t take that long to reach the pyramid. "yer Zern, I have an ount connected to a shop." His eyes slightly widen as I look up from the counter and give him a good look at my face from under my hood. "I''ll need you to... Uhh... Confirm your identity..." He takes out a magic device and ces it on the counter. It''s basically a hand scanner. I set my hand on it, and he looks at the magic panel on his end. Confirming my identity and nothing else. He can''t see my stats or anything like that. "Would you mind waiting just a minute while I get my manager..." His voice is shaking and full of fear. I nod my head a single time, and he practically sprints down the pathway to a door that leads into the back. After a minute, a bigger manes out and makes his way over. He''s wiping sweat from his brow as we lock eyes. "When will I see my ount?" I''m starting to get impatient, and the man can see it. He swallows hard as his temple bes red from how scared and nervous he is. "There is a private room in the back if you wish to talk there, Angel Zern... You probably don''t wish to discuss your finances in a public ce like this..." He''s not exactly wrong. People have been staring at me from behind and the lines to the sides. Having heard my name and confirmation of my identity. Sally is staying close to my side, and I can tell she''s enjoying that this bugs me. She knows I hate attention. "Fine, take me to this private room, and we finish my business there." Honestly, I don''t want people to know how much money I have. And this is a good way to avoid that. It''s a situation I couldn''t avoid thest time I was in a bank. Everyone gets weird when they learn how much money someone has. But this was before my identity was revealed, and they would approach me not knowing who I was. The man takes us to avish back room, and we sit down onfortable seats. The big man talks with a few others that I assume are his rank. This bank is so big it does need multiple managers. I can''t hear what they''re talking about, but I believe it''s about my ount or me. A few people in butler gear approach us and ask if we want anything to eat or drink. Sally is quick to order, but my eyesnd on the managers talking to one another. "When will I be able to see my ount?" They all jump a little at the direct question, and one of them quickly approaches. It''s not the same man I was talking to a minute ago. "There are some issues with your ount, Angel Zern... Mainly being we don''t have the funds to Withdraw everything in it..." Ahh, it seems that my shop has been killing it since thest time I took money out. But I hadn''t realized that it was doing this good. "Okay, well, Withdraw around 25 percent of the total amount and bring it to me. I don''t need everything." The man takes out a handkerchief and wipes his sweat away. "Yes, Angel Zern. That would be approximately 2,970,000 Gold. We can have it all out here within the next two hours, but it could take longer." Wow. I hadn''t realized so much gold had umted in my time of surviving on the amount I had thest time I Withdrew. The reason they can''t deposit it directly into my system. Inventory is because there is no way to do that. Not right now. They must manually bring the gold from their bank and ce it on the table before me. After that, I can put it in my inventory and leave. "I don''t need 2.97 million gold. Just bring me around 15k. That should be enough for a while." Had I known that I had so much, I wouldn''t have said 25 percent. The man takes a deep breath and smiles as he heads back to his fellow managers. Another good thing about the amount change is it won''t take so long to prepare. Only 20 minutes at the most. Sally looks at me with raised eyebrows. Shocked to know how much I have. It is a bit surprising. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,m A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 537 The Pyramid Of Marrinjobic [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Marrinjobic, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:22 PM)~~~ Sally and I exit the bank, and I''m annoyed since it took longer for them to get the Gold. However, it''s not that big of a deal. Funds are refilled, and we won''t have to worry about prices. Now, it''s on to the next activity. Which is checking out the pyramid in the center of Marrinjobic. It''s visible from every part of the city since it''s thergest construct around. "If I had to guess, it''s about 30 minutes walking to reach. Marrinjobic is big, and the streets are starting to fill up." The lovely elven princess walking beside me smiles and grabs my hand. I was going to offer a quick flight there, but she seems to be in the mood to walk. I waste no time responding to her hand grabbing mine, and I reciprocate the move. She leans into my shoulder with a giant smile that makes her eyes squint. It''s her best smile, and I never get tired of seeing it. Her pearly white teeth are showing themselves to the world. "That''s perfect. It''ll give us time to walk off all that food we ate." If that''s really her reason for being happy, I can''t understand how someone so innocent can have such a terrible past. But that''s neither here nor there. We take our time and slowly walk the streets. I almost forget to have our hoods up since the bank knows who I am. They''ve probably warned the local ruler here. But it''s not like we aren''t incognito. Since I''m so tall, I blend in perfectly with the people of Alforza. Minus my white skinpared to their dark skin. I never thought I''d say a sentence like that, but it''s not racist. At least, I don''t think it is. Racism has been a problem on Earth for centuries, and from what I''ve experienced in The Ancients World, it exists here too. "Can I ask you a question?" This can''t be good... Mom always said that you need to be on guard if a girl started a question like this. Something about trap questions and out-of-this-world scenarios. "Depends. What are you asking me?" She looks at me, and I can see the bottom half of her face out of her hood. She cracks a single smile, and from how her lower face shifts, I deduce she might have raised an eyebrow. "I was curious about what you thought about Marrinjobic so far. Don''t worry, if I were to question trap you, I''d do way better than that." Oh. I suppose that''s better, I think. "Marrinjobic is a unique take on the ces I''ve been and heard about. And for all the knowledge in my possession, I know nothing about Marrinjobic other than its name. The same goes for the continent of Alforza." That''s the best way I can put it into words, and I see Sally is ready to respond to me. "I''ve lived for over a hundred years... Seen very little of Gaia in that time... Thank you for bringing me here... Thank you for taking me with you that day... I don''t want to think about how my life would be if I didn''t choose to meet you..." Her voice is small and meek. There is a cute attraction about her when she gets this way. She rarely gets like this, which is why I like it so much. Why she''s be so sentimental is unbeknownst to me... Perhaps it''s been on her mind since we got here... "Where is thising from? When we have conversations like this, it''s usually in private and driven by something..." I can see the pain her Father caused driving her to talk about this, but this doesn''t fit the privacy part. It''s the reason I''m a little worried. When people you care about and love start breaking patterns, you should try to find out why. Make sure that nothing is wrong with them or if they need help. "I was just thinking... Have you ever gotten those moments? Where you find yourself lost in the past and having a hard time with what''s happened..." She has no idea... And she knows I''ve had those moments, which begs the question of why she''s asked if I''ve had those moments. She wants me to open up right now. And I think it''s time I did. "All the time, Sally... There are lots of things I haven''t told you... Many things I regret and things that might change the way you feel about me... I''ve not directly harmed innocent people... But my actions have had catastrophic consequences..." It is impossible to ask the 9 or so billion that died because they didn''t make characters before The Collision. But I think if you could ask them, they''d me me. I''ve always been trapped in a cycle of not taking responsibility and then saying I will. Just to end up back where I started off not taking it. I''ve had a lot of time to think about it, and it''s not helped any. The weight of nearly 10 billion lives weighs on me... And even though I know the right things to do, sometimes I don''t make that choice... Sometimes, I make choices that I wouldn''t have made... And not just before my second life... Lots of things have changed for me... And that means I''ve changed... In a twisted way... I''m just as damaged as Sally... That''s probably why we get along so well... "I''ve told you everything about my past, Cera... My life as a ve... My vulnerabilities... And you helped me by not judging me from what''s happened to me..." The things that happened to you weren''t in your control... I don''t have anything to justify everything that''s happened in the wake of my choices... Angel... More like Demon... "So... Will you please share something with me that you''re afraid to say?" Now is hardly the time or the ce... Walking down the middle of the street with people around... But it''s not like anyone can hear us... But this is a talk meant to be had behind closed doors. "It''s not something I want to talk about here, Sally... Not while we''re walking..." She lets out a little giggle and gently wraps an arm around me. "Of course not, you goof. I wanted you to know that I''m ready to listen and ept you for everything. I have for a very long time. You just haven''t seen it yet... So I figure telling you is the best way to wack some sense into you..." She''s gotten way better at that... At this... ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Marrinjobic, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:55 PM)~~~ The massive pyramid stands in front of us, and there are guards surrounding it in every which direction. It''s one of the most impressive structures I''ve seen in my life. Living back on our original continent, you get used to seeing the same things... But this... It''s not anything you''d see unless you traveled to another part of the world. "How about we go inside?" My head turns at Cera, and I see his smile looking down at me. The only visible part of his face is his mouth. I nod, and we walk to the area where people areing and going. It seems to be a public area. Getting through isn''t hard, and I''m surprised by theirck of security. But we eventually make it to the main stairway leading into the pyramid. "I wonder what it looks like inside..." There is no way a noble or ruler would let random peoplee and go from their home, right? Maybe that''s how they do things here... Perhaps the ruler of this city talks to the locals directly to hear their concerns and help... And a little voice in the back of my head tells me there is no such ce in the world... Bad habits die hard... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 538 From The Top [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City of Marrinjobic, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:04 PM)~~~ Sally and I enter therge entrance to the pyramid, and instantly I''m looking around the vast first chamber, trying to take in everything. My eyesnd on several parts of the room, and I see the immacte smooth limestone all over the room. The same material the pyramid is made of from outside. It''s got a nice white gold look to it, and I can see why it''s the center of the city now. "I don''t believe it..." I see the city''s ruler sitting on a throne in the back of the chamber. He''s actually talking and listening to the people ofmoner status. I''ve never seen a ruler do this before... Even if it''s for a small city, I find it impressive. Sally is staring as much as I am, and this is when I decide to start moving forward and looking around the pyramid. People are off talking to other officials in different parts of the room, but most are talking to the ruler of the city. Marrinjobic is probably thriving for this reason. A leader that listens. "What are the odds all the cities are like this in The Kingdom of Nu''bor?" She asks a good question, and I hope there are more like this. Looking around the room, I''m noticing yers and NPCs Turned yers. It doesn''t surprise me, but it''s still amazing to see. I''m so grateful for the magical Language Trantors we have now. We wouldn''t understand or speak with anyone without them. But we''re being wise and keeping our hoods up. We don''t stand out as long as we keep on the down low. "The odds, huh... I''d say we might see more... But I don''t know yet..." That''s not really an answer to her question, but I suppose it doesn''t really matter right now. She''s as engulfed with the room as I am. I take a better look around and see some hallways and doors leading to different parts of the pyramid. And what''s even more surprising, they''re open to the public, and anyone can check out the rest of the pyramid. I grab Sally''s hand and pull her toward one that''s got a frequent supply of peopleing and going. We follow the path, and I can tell without even looking at her that she''s enjoying this. We follow the flow of the crowd and make it to a magical teleporter. Peoplee and go from it, and we hop in without even knowing where we''re being taken. And after a second, we''re let out in a room attached to a balcony. And there are some people, but not as many as you''d think. We exit out onto the balcony, and we''re on a viewing deck at the top of the pyramid. "Wow..." She makes her way to the edge of the huge balcony, and I look to the left and see on the far side a few people on their hands and knees worshipping something. My best guess is the sun, but I couldn''t know for sure. I make my way beside Sally and look over the edge with her. And the real size of the pyramid is on full disy. It was huge from the bottom, but from the top, it makes everything look like ants. "I''ve seen great views... But this one is special..." The reason why is because of the environment. There is beauty to the desert and a paradise oasis in the middle of it. With a mighty river flowing through it. I''ve seen views from high in the sky plenty of times, but not with a scene like this. Sally moves closer and leans her head on my shoulder. "After this... What should we do... You haven''t given us any ideas yet... I''d like to hear what you''d like to do instead of making mee up with everything..." She''s not wrong. I''ve been letting her carry the load with ideas on where to go and what to do. And I know that I should give something. But I really don''t know since I don''t have knowledge or information about Alforza or The Kingdom of Nu''bor. I guess the first thing would be a Dungeon. It''s been so long since I''ve gotten to do one with Sally, and we can do it. "Okay, I''d like to do a Dungeon with you. And one that''s fun and unique. Something we can enjoy together." She lifts her head, and I can tell she''s questioning my choice by how her mouth is shaped. It''s slightly nted with a half smile. "What?" I''m wondering why she''s giving me a look like this since she asked. "Nothing..." But it''s not nothing. She decides to tease me. "I just thought you''de up with something deeper to do than taking on a Dungeon." The mocking edge in her voice gives me shbacks of all the times I''ve had simr conversations with Hailey. "Fine, you want something deeper. I''ll give you something deeper." I grab her waist and pull her toward me, shing our bodies together. She lets out a yful and happyugh, and I lean down a little as she stands on her tippy toes and lifts her head. Our lips meet, and I realize this is what she wanted all along. A kiss on the top of the world. Way to trick me into it, Sally. You''ve be quite the master at maniption. Especially when it concerns me. We pull away from each other, and a stray gust of wind knocks out hoods off. But we don''t bother putting them back on. No one up here is going to cause us any trouble. I even look around, and no one is paying us any mind. Which I really appreciate. "Now that we''ve got the maps, should we head out?" We havee to see the pyramid, and now all that''s left is to leave. The next city is about 140 miles to the East, but the massive jungles are 450 miles to The South East. "Yeah, pick a number. One or two." She raises her eyebrow and grins. In my mind, one stands for heading East and to the next city, and two stands for heading South East for the expanding jungles that lead into newnds from The Kingdom of Nu''bor. "Would you give me a hint?" I simply smile and wait for her. She folds her arms and stares at my fingers. In deep thought. Sally has a great and brilliant mind. I wouldn''t be surprised if she figures it out. We''ve talked about the things we''ll do. "I''ll take two." That''s the best choice in my opinion. I bend down on one knee with my back toward her, and she climbs on. People take note of this, and eyes are on us now. I toggle my wings on, and people stand back in shock. I st off the ground and toward the cloudless sky. Our new armor will keep us cool during the days. Which is perfect since it''s so fucking hot all the time. "The jungles near The Kingdom of Alforza are our next destination." As I give her the answer she was looking for, I can tell by the way she hugs me that she''s excited. The jungles are rumored to have Dark Elves, but those are just rumors. I''m hoping we fall into some sort of adventure after all this time. My quest log is almost empty for the first time in a long time. The only one in there is to stop The ve Trade in The Kingdom of Zenith. But that''s no longer on our to-do list. We''re done with all that. This is a new journey for us, and so that''s when I open my yer Interface and Disable the quest. I don''t outright abandon it, but it won''t pop up anywhere in my system or quest area unless I search for it. "I wonder what jungles look like..." Sally speaks for both of us with that statement. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 539 The Jungle Of Nubor [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:23 PM)~~~ It hasn''t taken us very long to get here, and the jungle''s edge is in view. This is the first time I''ve seen a jungle. Most on Earth were destroyed by pollution and fire. Machines were created to help keep oxygen levels normal. But the Earth was slowly dying anyway. Trees, forests, and jungles are integral to an ecosystem. Without them, everything dies. So seeing a fabled jungle for the first time in my life is exciting. We''ve still got a couple of hours left until nightes. And that''ll give us enough time to get deeper into the jungle and find a good ce to rest for the night. "Look at that tree cover... It''s called a canopy, right?" Sally is just as interested as I am, and the jungle trees are tall and create a sort of umbre over the grounds below. The sand hase to an end. What''s below us now is grass, dirt, and mud. I''ve slowed down so we don''t fly deep into the jungle but calmly fly above it. There were some interesting facts about the Earth''s jungles in old history books. Things I knew I''d never see, but now it turns out I was wrong. "I do believe it''s called a canopy. Some jungles and rainforests areplex environments. I don''t know about this one, but I''m looking forward to finding out." What I learned about jungles, rainforests, and other factors is limited. Since most of that material was outdated on Earth. After the ruination of most of the environment, anything regarding how it looked or functioned was discarded. Which I believed to be foolish. However, it''s not like anything in those books and digital documents knew about fixing the damage we did. Ultimately, it was more like a history lesson than a biology lesson. "We''ll find higher ground and set up camp before we start to explore some of the jungle floors. I have no idea what kind of hostile creatures are down there. I''m actually excited to find out." Sally agrees with me, and I eventually find a cliff edge overlooking arge part of the forest. We set up a camp and get a fire going. We''re in the shade of some trees, and the cool grass is a nice change from the hot sand. While distracted by the sights, I fail to notice Sally wander off. The only indication that I have is her screamter. I rush to find her, only to bepletely dumbfounded. "Isn''t it the most adorable thing you''ve ever seen!!?" In Sally''s arms is a little spotted cat, one that''s barely got its eyes open. It''s dark with a grey underbelly. It lets out a long yawn and a tiny mew before cuddling back into Sally''s arms. But this concerns me the more I think about it. If a small kitten is here, barely with its eyes open. That means a mother is close by. And I don''t want to deal with it. Killing the mother of the kitten would mean raising it bes my responsibility. I move over to them, take the kitten out of Sally''s hands, and hold the adorable little fluffball myself. "We can''t keep it. I hope you know that." Instant devastation is stered all over Sally''s features. "Why not!?" As much as she wants to, she should know we can''t keep the kitten either. "It already has a Mother, Sally. If we take it, we''ll be tracked down. And I''ll be forced to kill the Mother, and that means I have to take care of the thing. Put it back where you found it. The Mother will be back for it." The disappointment on her face is immeasurable, and I do feel a little bad for making her do something. But this is the right thing to do, and I''m not in the mood to raise a kitten. As I hand the kitten back to Sally, it curls up in her arms and starts to purr like crazy. Eyes closed and enjoying being held like that. Sally tries hard to stay strong and walks back into the jungle and ces the kitten where she found it. That takes care of that issue, and now shees back in a much worse mood than when she left. She''s actually ignoring me now, and I don''t mind. If I have to be a bad guy for a few hours that''s fine. We sit in silence around the campfire, and she pokes at it with a stick. "I could''ve taken care of it..." The words are barely audible, and I just let out a long sigh. I have no doubts she could take care of it, but that would mean she has to deliberately kill the Mother. And I don''t think she''s thinking about that. Not giving it true consideration. "If you''re willing to kill the Mother of that kitten and raise it, then fine. But I''ll not kill it for you. This is something you''ll have to do." That is not something she wants to hear. "No need to be so blunt about it. But you''re right. I hate it, but you are. I can''t kill that kitten''s Mother and then raise it. That''s just fucking cruel." I''m d she agrees, but it doesn''t improve her mood at all. Wanting a cute animal and raising one are different things. It''s hard and takes time. They need constant care and attention. I don''t think that''s something either of us can give at this moment in our lives. The same can be said for children, and that''s a go thing to know. Sally and I will start a family at one point, but that''s several years from now. ? "Hey. Don''t be so down about it. It''s a good thing that you did. Sure, it sucks, but that was the best thing you could''ve done for that kitten." I move over and sit next to her, and she''s not upset with me near. I wrap my arm around her, and she leans into me. "I know... It''s hard to let go of something that cute, though..." Her voice has a funny tone to it. Like she knows it sucks, but she''s also happy she did what she did. I''m sure we''ll meet other cute things in our time in the jungle, along with very ugly things. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nu''bor, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:15 PM)~~~ Cera and I look to the night sky as we rx on a thick tree branch. The camp is below us, and Cera has me wrapped in his arms. We get to look at the night sky all the time, but this is special to me. Being here with Cera means more than he knows. "Back on Earth, we couldn''t see the stars... Did I ever tell you that?" I think he mentioned it once or twice, but he never exined why. "You''ve told me, but never why..." From what I''ve learned about the world Cera hase from, it''s not like Gaia. "Pollution was so bad, the only lights you''d see are from satellites... They''re objects that float around Earth..." It sounds like a depressing world... "There is something that I also want to discuss with you... Something really important... And it might change things between us..." That took a turn I wasn''t expecting. I remain in Cera''s arms and stay the way I am. In truth, nothing will change the way I feel about Cera. He''s not done anything that I''d hate. But if he''s talking like this, that means it''s serious to him. "You know that nothing you say will ever make me change how I feel about you or my want to be with you. You can tell me anything. We''re in a ce where sharing with each other is a safe thing." He takes a deep breath and lets out a nervous sigh. This is big to him, and I''ll be listening. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 540 Telling The Truth [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nu''bor, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:18 PM)~~~ Sally is calmly and patiently waiting for me to start talking. I don''t know where to really start. The only other person that knows is Hailey, and she figured something was wrong on her own. I''ve never actually out right told someone the truth. "What do you think about time travel?" It''s not the best way to open this conversation, but it''s the only way that I can think of starting it. I''m not really that great when ites to talking about my own problems and faults. Her face tells me everything. That wasn''t a question she was expecting, and I''m betting she wasn''t ready for me to open this conversation with a question. Most of the time you just start talking, and that''s one thing I never fully understood. "Umm... I don''t know I suppose it''s possible, but I don''t think anyone has ever done it before. Why are you asking me this?" Sally may not be ready for the truth, but I''vee this far. And I''ll not stop now. "Well, the reason I know so much and why I always know what to do is because I''ve already got the answers... The reason why I am the way I am is because of time travel..." She straightens up against the tree as we''re rxing on the branch, and I have her full attention. I had it before, but this is a look of focus I''ve only seen a few times on Sally. "What are you saying? That you''ve time traveled?" I slowly nod my head, and she raises her eyebrows. And before long, she''sughing. Actuallyughing, and that''s when I realize that she''s not taking this seriously anymore. Basically, she doesn''t believe me. "That''s a good one! I was almost taking this seriously!! Now, c''mon and tell me what you really want to tell me." She wipes some tears from her eyes and stares at me, but I give her a neutral expression and stay quiet. This is the truth, and I don''t need to say anything else. Her smile falls, and her eyes dart around my body for any signs that I''m lying or I''m uncertain, but she sees nothing. She straightens up again and tries to find the right words. Her stumbling is buying me time on how to further proceed with this conversation. "So... You''re like from the future?" That''s not the way I''d put it, and I know this conversation is gonna be a long one. I think I should start at the beginning. The ce where this all started. "Not exactly. What I''ve done is something simr, but I''ve relived the same two lives. My first life was shit. Mom died, Hailey died, and Marcus was a mess. Dad lost his will to live. And that''s when I went searching for an item in The Ancients World." It''s not the best recap, but it''s what I can do at the moment. "After I found the item, I wished to go back in time before theunch of The Ancients World. The Ancients World and Gaia are the same ces. I retained all my knowledge, and I used it to be who I am." The best term for what I''ve done could be considered a regression. And not time travel, but that''s semantics at this point. "That would mean you know the future, right?" No. Not anymore. My decisions have had repercussions, and the timeline I knew has beenpletely destroyed. And I currently only have some uses for my future knowledge. It''s almost worthless these days. "I used to know the future, but after my decisions screwing with the timeline, everything was fucked. The Collision, all the shit yers and NPCs have been through... It''s all consequences of my meddling..." I don''t know how Sally will react. I''m not looking at her right now, and that''s because I don''t want to see the look on her face. From the corner of my eye, I can see mass confusion on her face. "Does this mean you knew you''d meet me, and you knew everything to win me over?" My heart sinks in my stomach, and I dart my head in her direction. She''s not looking at me anymore. And I need to answer her quickly. "No. I met you for the first time way back then. I never knew you before I came back in time. You''re actually one of the only good things that havee from my altering of the timeline. I don''t think we would''ve ever met if I didn''t do everything I''ve done." I''m not looking at her anymore. My choices weigh on me and seeing them affect Sally makes the weight heavier. But to my hope, she grabs my hand and brings it up to kiss it. "So this is the stuff you''ve been hiding all this time... It makes sense that you''re the way you are now... Why you''re so knowledgeable, and how confident you are in your decisions... I''m d I have the answers..." She moves over and sits in myp, kissing me and holding me tightly in her arms. "Does this change anything between us?" The wordse out with no control, and as much as I hate feeling insecure, I can''t help it at this moment. This might be the first time I''ve ever felt insecure. But I can''t remember if it is. My eyes are closed, and she hasn''t said anything yet. That''s not a good sign. "It doesn''t change a thing... But it does make me wonder... How much more is there that you haven''t told me? Like how you came back? What item did you use toe back? And I''d like to know what happened to your Mom and Sister." We have plenty of time for me to answer all of those questions, and I feel like Sally should know them. They''re my deepest secrets. After I tell her everything, there won''t be anything left to hide. And that feels good. I don''t know why, but it does. "I guess I should start with The Ancients World from my old future. The one where our worlds didn''t collide." I think that''s a great starting point. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nu''bor, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:33 AM)~~~ My eyes are pouring tears as I hear the end of Cera''s story, and I can''t believe he''s been through that much. I knew Cera had a hard life. I never imagined it was something like this. He wipes my tears away, and I take a couple of deep breaths. "Hey, it''s not something to cry about. Technically, it''s never happened now. And I don''t think you should be crying for what happened to me." Of course, he''d think that. He tries to y down the terrible things that have happened to him and make them seem smallpared to others. I''ve been through my own hardships, but Cera''s is one of tragedy. Mine was one of abandonment and misfortune. "It''s big to me, Cera... That''s one of the most painful stories I''ve heard... How are you not mentally damaged from all that?" It''s a genuine question. From everything I''ve seen, Cera is a very powerful man mentally. Anyone else, and that would''ve broken them for life. "I never said I wasn''t mentally damaged..." Oh... God, this fucking hurts... I never knew that I could feel so much pain for another person. I wrap my arms around him and cry my eyes out into his shoulder. He holds me and cuddles me closer. He wouldn''t like me using that word, but this is my mind, and I can use it how I please. "Well... That''s everything... The truth about me is free..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.230][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 541 Deeper Into The Jungle [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nu''bor, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:47 AM)~~~ Sally is sleeping soundly next to me, and it''s so much cooler in the jungle than it was in the desert. The morning is here, and the sun has almost fully risen on the jungle. And the tent is slowly warming up. I lean up and crack my neck, and I take a breath. Afterst night''s talk, she brought me to the tent, and we had some fun. She said it was to help both of us feel better, and I felt great afterward. As I get out of the tent, the view from the cliff we''re on fills my vision, and a deep breath fills my lungs. We''ll be heading deeper into the jungle today, and we''re doing a mixture of flying and walking. Sally wants to experience the jungle floor. It''s a great idea. I''ve never been in a jungle before, and we''ve only been on this cliff since we got here. The jungle floor is somewhere a lot of amazing things happen. There are severalyers to a jungle. You can think of it as a hotel. Different floors for different wildlife. That was one of the things I learned from those old online articles and documents about jungles. They were destroyed many decades before I was born. "You out there?" My lovely travelingpanion makes herself known with a question, and before I can answer her, she pokes her head out. She smiles as she looks at me, and I almost forgot that I''m still naked. She steps out of the tent in a simr state, and I get an eyeful. Her hands glide over my chest and stomach as she reaches me. It feels good when her hands touch my muscles. Soon, we''re hugging in the nude as the sun rises over the jungle. It''s something you''d see in an old movie... I can''t remember its name... It was a cartoon about a wildman in a jungle, and then he met other people... It was released centuries ago, and I was a little kid when I first saw it. "As fun as it is to hold each other like this, it''s probably a good idea for us to move. The Jungle of Nu''bor is giant, and we''re wasting daylight." Once we''re apart, we both equip our armor and weapons. I pack up the tent and other things. The fire has been out for hours, but I make sure it''s out regardless. I don''t want to leave a potential wildfire out here. "Now, should we fly first or walk?" It''s up to her, and I''m fine with whatever she picks. "I''d like to walk from this point, and once we''re a bit past Noon, we''ll start flying again. I want to see the wildlife and actually fight something for a change. All this traveling and talking has gotten me eager for something other than normalcy." I hold the same sympathies. I wouldn''t mind fighting some jungle creatures. Monsters are weed too. It''ll be fun for a change, and it''s been forever since Sally and got to fight side by side. We make our way down into the jungle, and it''s far cooler down herepared to the temperature on the cliff. It was cool up there, but it''s around 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit down here. Sally is leading the way with no problems, and I can tell she''s got her map open from the way she''s walking and looking at nothing. Since she''s doing it, I might as well check it out too. Once the map is open, I zoom in on our local area. As I do, some named locations pop up in the distance. They''re dungeons. Discovered by people that came long before us. They were included on the maps we bought. That''s easy enough to know, and I''m d that there are some nearby activities. The closest one is about 17 miles away. It''d take less than a minute to reach it flying. But since we''re walking, it''ll take a couple of hours. Navigating the rough jungle terrain takes a little bit of extra time. "Should we stop off at any close dungeons, or keep walking and pass them up?" This time it''s Sally who has a question, and I''m d she''s not just assuming what I''d want. "I''d like to take on some Dungeons given the chance too. It''s been a long time since I had a good Dungeons crawl." She nods her head in agreement, and we keep walking. And I''m starting to hear the noises of the jungle the higher the sun gets. It''s still early morning, which means there are a lot of animals, creatures, and monsters that are getting up for the day. Sally suddenly stops, and I crouch down as she does. I make my way up to her and I see her fearful look. I see what she''s looking at, and I understand why she has such a look. "That''s one ugly motherfucker..." What we see is a giant mosquito, and its features are clearly on disy. Most bugs are to small to get a good look at without bringing them close up. But I hadn''t realized how ugly and weird a mosquito looks. It''s the same size as a small cow calf. It''s fucking the blood of its prey, and this is when I decide to Inspect it. [gue Bearing Mosquito (Lvl. 150)] [Health: 17,000,000/17,000,000] [Description: The gue Bearing Mosquito is an indigenous insect of the No''bur Jungles. It uses its lethal diseases to infect its prey and feed soon after its prey dies. While not a top predator in the Jungle, it''s still a dangerous threat to those inexperienced.] I can see from the green shade of Sally''s face she''s disgusted by the thing. And I''m also not a fan of the ugly creature. "I''ve never seen such a big bug..." Sally may not be experienced when ites to giant bugs, but I sure am. I''ve fought my fair share, but nothing that''s so skin-crawling before. "Do you want the honors, or shall I?" I try to lighten the mood, but she''s not having any part of the gue Bearing Mosquito. I rush forward and take out The Witness. Slicing at the creature. It''s fast, but I''m faster. After activating one of my stronger skills, I quickly dispatch it. As I look back at Sally, the green shade on her face is clearing up. "I take it you''re not a fan of bugs?" She shakes her head. "Not when they''re big ugly bloodsucking monsters that will haunt your dreams forever." Iugh at the way she describes how she feels toward such things. And I agree with her. I know she can handle it, and she will on her own. But since I''m here, I guess I''m on ugly bug duty. "Let''s keep moving. I want to get to that Dungeon before Noon." I also got a cool 10 EXP toward my yer Level. She follows behind me now. I''m leading the way in case any more ugly bugs show up. I do like bugs. Well, specific kinds. Spiders don''t bother me, and I think bugs are cool. But I hate Mosquitos and other such parasitic bugs. They suck. Literally. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nu''bor, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:31 AM)~~~ "This has been a st!" Cera is having a good time killing a bunch of monsters. From what he''s told me, he''s gotten a good 50 EXP since we started. Turns out this jungle is filled with good monsters, creatures, and animals that have it. I''ve leveled up a few times too. But since Cera has a higher level than me, it takes him longer to level up. But he''s still having fun regardless. I''m also having a good time fighting beside him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.231][Tier-4] [Exp: 2/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 370] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 542 The Temple Of Jadvar I [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nu''bor, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:32 AM)~~~ Sally and look at the old-looking structure in front of us. It looks like an old Mayan or Aztec temple. I saw them in documentaries back on Earth, but they were destroyed a long time ago too. It''s not nearly as big as the pyramid in Marrinjobic, but it''s still a good size. "So this is the location of the Dungeon..." It''s one hell of a location for one. I''m excited to fight enemies I''ve never seen or encountered. As we start climbing the steps to the top, I use Inspect on the whole structure. [The Temple of Jad''var (Dungeon)] [Description: The Temple of Jad''var was once a religious sight for the people of Cezlite. An ancient civilization that once resided in this jungle. The Temple of Jad''var is the only remaining monument to their people. And holds many treasures, monsters, and secrets.] It''s really cool. I''m learning brand new history. Things I''ve never known before, and the rest of our time here will be like this. "Who do you think the Cezlite people were? I don''t know anything about jungle civilizations..." Sally is in the same boat as me, and I feel weird not being able to answer her question. But it''s not a bad weird. It''s a good weird. "Let''s find out together, Sally. I don''t know anything about the Cezlite or this temple. You know as much as I do from reading the description the Inspect gave us." Coming through the jungle to get here, I''ve be level 231. And I''m betting I''ll be getting tons of EXP from this Dungeon. Sally has leveled up a few more times and is gaining more power. We eventually reach the top and stare into the entrance of the Dungeon. "That''s really dark." Even with the sun shining into the entrance to the Dungeon, it''s dark. Meaning it''s some magic that''s making it dark in there. Sally smiles and holds out her hand, and I watch an ice triangle form. She walks into the Dungeon, and it lights up. She''s got something to light up the darkness. And it''s cool looking too. I follow behind her, and she turns to smile at me. "Pretty cool, huh? I unlocked it when we were apart doing our Tier-up quests. I''ve had rare chances to use it, but now I''ve got a perfect chance." I''ll say. "I''m a little jealous... I don''t have a skill like that... I can use my Golden Wings to light up an area, but it''s not nearly as good as this. We can see the walls, the hallway, and paths ahead." Using the glow of my wings only lights up the immediate area. Her little floating ice triangle can light up a good chunk ahead and behind us. "It''s called Ice Energy Projection. I call it Ice Light for short." She turns, starts leading down the path, and draws her weapon in case we encounter any monsters or resistance. I do the same and draw The Witness from its sheath. There are different types of Dungeons. Some have monsters, and others don''t. We know this Dungeon has some monsters since the description said so. But that won''t always be the case. "We''ll take our time. I don''t want to get surprised. Since The System has updated Dungeons and their difficulty adjustment, we should be more careful." I make sure to warn Sally. But she knows this too. The System updated Dungeons to adjust the monsters for the yers taking them on. Meaning monsters attacking me will be strong enough to hurt me seriously. But my absurdly high health will take some time to get through. If the monsters attacking me decide to attack Sally suddenly, they''ll adjust to her level and stats. It''s a good quality of life in the world for us yers. "I agree. I don''t want to respawn all the way back in Marrinjobic." She''s right about that. If either of us dies, that''s where we''ll respawn, and for one of us, we''ll have to go back for the other. So it''s just better to be on the cautious and slow side. "Since there are so many paths, how do we decide which one leads to the boss room?" She asks a good question, and this is one of those old-fashioned Dungeons where the deeper you go, the closer you get to the boss room. That''s what I think, at least, but Dungeons might be different on the continent of Alforza. I don''t know for sure. "Generally, Dungeons like this work with the philosophy of the deeper you go, the closer you get to the boss room. But I can''t be for sure. So we''ll search this first level for some stairs or a transporter that goes deeper." We make it to an intersection, and Sally''s Ice Light shows us the end of both paths. And the strong part is both ends have staircases that lead down. "That''s weird..." It sure is. "Umm... I guess we check one, and if it doesn''t lead to the boss room, we''ll try the other path." After a few steps into the hallway, the walls fold away, and monsters surround us on all sides. They''re giant bird people with eagle-like heads and man-like bodies. I can''t use Inspect on them before we''re both attacked. I''m defending and attacking the best I can, and I''m dealing with them in a manner that shows I''m being smart about this. Sally is doing the same with her group. It takes a couple of minutes, but we kill our foes and look at each other. "Now we know this ce has traps in it." The reason I''m saying this is because the staircase at the end of this hall is gone. And I turn around to see the other staircase waiting for us beyond the intersection we were just at. I''ve gained 15 EXP from the monsters too, which is fantastic. The rate at which I''m gaining EXP for my current level is very high, and I''m getting happier and happier that I''vee to Alforza with Sally. "That leaves one other path." Her voice is sounding both excited and cautious. She''s enjoying this just as much as I am. We make it down the staircase, and Sally''s Ice Light is illuminating the new pathway. It''s wider, and there are doors in this hallway. Upstairs didn''t have doors. Just different paths. "Do you think these doors are trapped too, or containing some treasure?" My money is on the traps. "I''m betting it''s trapped. There isn''t a reason to think otherwise... Although, the description did say hidden treasures and secrets... I want to look behind these doors, but we could be setting off more traps than we need to..." Her head nods up and down in agreement. "We''ll keep moving forward then." We continue down the path and eventually enter a room. The metal statues at either side of the room start to move and make their way toward us. They''re a little distance away so that I can use Inspect on them this time. [Guardians of Jad''var Temple (Lvl. Adjusted)] [Health: Adjusted] [Description: The old guardians of the Jad''var Temple. Metal automatons that protect the deeper paths of the temple and are strategically ced to guard important areas. Where you find Guardians of Jad''var Temple, you''ll find valuables.] "Looks like we have something that tells us where important locations in the Dungeon are now. The metal guardians protect important locations. We should be able to avoid more traps now." She smiles and bursts forward toward her enemy. And I follow her lead and head for mine. It takes us about 3 minutes to cut through these guys'' health individually, but I get a cool 25 EXP. Meaning I''ve gained 40 EXP since starting this Dungeon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.231][Tier-4] [Exp: 42/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 380] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 543 The Temple Of Jadvar II [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Temple Of Jad''var, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:09 PM)~~~ We''ve gotten pretty deep into Dungeon and fought many enemies since we started. Sally is still leading the way since she has a light source. And I''m following right behind her. "The Cezlite people created this Temple to worship a God... Too bad we don''t know which God. It could tell us what''s hidden in here. We''ve been checking the guarded rooms, but nothing has given any answers..." Sally brings up a subject that''s been on my mind since I read the description for the Dungeon. It said it was to worship a God but never specified which one. It could be any kind of God, and I''m not wasting time with guesses. I won''t bother giving it more thought until we read some document or piece of history in this ce. She can give it as much thought as she wants. "I''m not thinking about it. It''d be a waste of time since too many Gods could fit the role. Let''s focus on finding the boss room or ces where we could get answers." A scoff is what I get in response. She spins around and looks at me with a challenging look. "That isn''t the Cera I know. The Cera I know pulls his hair out when he doesn''t know the answers to something like this. Unless you know you''re not smart enough to figure it out." She''ll regret saying that. "Are you challenging me to figure out who can find out first?" A cocky smirk graces her features, and that''s all I need to know she''sying down a challenge to be taken on. "Fine, first one to figure out the God of this Temple gets first picks at the bosses loot." I''m always down for some friendlypetition, and we have the perfect wager since we''re in a dungeon. "That sounds perfect. We enter rooms at the same time, and only then do we start searching them." She reaches her hand out, and we shake on it. We keep walking down the hall, and we kill the Temple Guardians as we do. Searching any rooms they''re guarding. We don''t find anything that pertains to the history of the Temple. We do find plenty of Gold, though. Another stairway ising up, and that means we''re going deeper again. The monster, creatures, and enemies we''ve encountered at getting stronger as we get deeper into the Temple. Descending the stairs doesn''t take long, and once we''re at the bottom, the entire floor lights up. And what we see blows our minds. "A jungle inside a Temple..." There are many things that could''ve been on this floor, but this wasn''t what I was expecting. Sally steps forward and stops using Ice Light. The entire floor is lit by magical orbs near the ceiling. "Have you ever seen anything like this?" She''s right to ask me that since I''d likely know given my knowledge. But I''ve never experienced it in person. I''ve only heard that some Dungeons have unique environments that you won''t find anywhere else. This has to be one of them. "No. But I''ve heard some Dungeons have unique characteristics. When you discover one, it''s not going to be found anywhere else." She steps forward and starts heading for the jungle. I''m right behind her, and as we approach, some regr-looking monkeys swing away, and birds leave the trees we''re under. It''s not like the jungle outside. Perhaps this floor could''ve been made by the people from before. That''s the only logical exnation. Why would they build a jungle inside the Temple... "Be on guard. We don''t know what''s down here. There could be a hidden boss... It might even be the boss room..." We can''t be sure. But this would be one cool boss room if it were. We eventually reach arge circr grass area that doesn''t have any trees. It''s almost like a ce to do battle. "Wee, yers." A voice rings out through the room. Sally and I stand back to back and cover each other. I wasn''t expecting a greeting. The voice sounded like an automated response. And it was male. This ce is freaking cool! I wish I could''ve done more Dungeons like this. The only one thatpares is when I freed the fairies. "The Temple of Jad''var is a holy sight, and you''re trespassing. You have one hour to vacate the area or be purged." The voice stops talking after that, and Sally gets my attention with a small elbow bump to my back. What does purged mean?" It''s a function in Dungeons that have a timer. When the timer expires, you''re taken back to the entrance. "We only have one hour until we''re kicked from the Dungeon and have to start over. We need to get a move on and try finding the boss. The bet''s still on, don''t think you can weasel out." I make sure she understands that even though we''re on a time limit now, we''ll be looking for answers to the Temple''s history. I''ve gotten 20 EXP so far, and I don''t n on stopping now. "What makes you think I want it any other way?" Sally darts off toward the otherside of the massive room, and I''m close on her tail. I make sure to keep up speed with her. We find another staircase and descend it. And this time, we enter what looks to be a massive library. The books themselves are old and destroyed. We won''t be getting any information. But before we can even talk, monsters that look like paper start forming from the old books. I use Inspect while I have a chance. [Paper Puppet (Lvl. Adjusted)] [Health: Adjusted] [Description: Magical monsters that have formed from the rotten books that once filled the library of Jad''var. While their health won''t be much, they''ve got deadly attacks that can prove to be annoying.] That''s one of the more unique monsters I''ve fought. "Let''s not waste any time and get through this ce. We won''t find any answers here. Everything is already ruined." Sally makes a great point, and we rush forward, killing the Paper Puppets as we progress forward and through the library. But at the end of it, I''ve gained another 10 EXP, and we exit through another door. It''s put us in a hallway, and there is only one door at the end. "You think the boss room is up there?" I wouldn''t think so. This looks like a trap. "I think this entire hallway is a trap. I just don''t know what it does." We start walking forward, and as I thought, it was a trap. But not a regr trap. It''s a Teleportation Trap. We''re spat out in arge chamber filled with bones. All humanoid and from people before the system existed. All NPCs from long ago and before we yers ever existed. "You know what bones mean..." I know what they mean... There is a monster in here that kills whoever enters this ce. And Sally is already drawing her weapon and getting ready forbat. As I draw my de, a low and long growles from one of the dark corners. And out from that shadowed area is something I''ve never seen before. It''s getting darker by the second, and Sally casts her Ice Light. It seems to piss off the creature, and I barely get an Inspect in before we''re attacked. [Jad''vari Lessiro (Lvl. Adjusted)] [Health: Adjusted] [Description: The avatar of Jad''vars son, and one of the stronger entities that reside in The Temple of Jad''var. Its size is not indicative of its speed. And once at half health, it''ll summon other monsters to help.] An Avatar, huh... "Get ready for a fight. It''s not going to be a quick one like all the rest we''ve fought already." She nods her head and gets into her stand, and I toggle my wings on and spread them, ready to fight. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.231][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 380] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 544 The Temple Of Jadvar III [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Temple Of Jad''var, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:48 PM)~~~ Jad''vari Lessiro locks his eyes on the two of us, and I can see that he''s clearly ready for a deadly fight. Even though it''s an Avatar, I find it strange the Inspect wouldn''t tell us that outright next to his name and level. Maybe a change the system made? It''s written in the description but not in the actual title of the hidden Boss. We''ll want to take care of this as fast as we can. The longer we spend here, the shorter time we have to find the Dungeons Main Boss. "We''ll coordinate our attacks. Both of us cutting its health down will make killing this freak easier." It''s not pretty looking as an Avatar, and they''re supposed to be a representation of that something looks like. Sally nods her head in agreement, and we bothunch forward. I match Sally''s speed, but I know I can go faster than this. We hammer the Boss with our attacks. We''re quickly destroying its health. And it''s not happy. All of a sudden, we get a surprise. [Warning: Jad''vari Lessiro suffered too much damage in a short amount of time! Boss has entered an Enraged State!] [Warning: Until rage state has subsided, Boss is invulnerable.] [Warning: Survive Bosses onught for 5 minutes, and Enraged State will disappear!] No wonder there are so many dead bodies. "Can you believe that crap!!?" Sally doesn''t get frustrated when fighting, but this is an exception. Cause I''m pissed about it too. I retreat with Sally since there is no point in attacking if the Boss can''t be hurt. We''ll have to hold out for 5 minutes, and Jad''vari Lessiro isn''t going to stand around and waste this time. He rushes us, and we decide without words to split up. It''s harder to chase two targets that are faster than you, and it''s even harder when they split up. "Don''t worry! It''s not fast enough to catch either of us! Keep your distance and stay apart! It''s after me, but it could change its mind!!" I''m its current target, and it''s doing its best to stay on me. But there is no chance he can catch me without some bullshit mechanic. And that''s when Ie to regret that thought. It''s one of those moments where you think something, and then it happens. And it''s not good. [Warning: Jad''vari Lassiro is channeling its strength stat into its speed stat!] [Warning: Jad''vari is Full of Wrath! All attacks against opponents are now tripled!] [Warning: This power will continue to grow until 5 minutes are up! Getting stronger every minute!!] "This is the worst Boss I''ve ever fought!! There aren''t bosses like this in Raids!!" I''m genuinely upset now, and it''s starting to catch up to me in speed. It unleashes a breath attack, and I narrowly dodge the beam, but I take 17,000,000 points of damage just from the heat. While it''s not a lot to my total health, it''s a sign. A sign that this Boss could kill me at its strongest and angriest form. "Well, I''m taking a shot in the dark here! But I think this is an Avatar of a God! It''d make sense why it''s so strong!!" Avatars are weaker than the ones they represent, and that''s no different here. Jad''vari Lessiro is the son of Jad''var. So what Sally says makes sense, and it''s crossed my mind, but I didn''t get much of a chance to think about it. Y''know, jumping right into battle without thinking. Rookie mistake. But my power went to my head. I honestly didn''t think anything in the Dungeon had the power to kill me, but I''m wrong. Goes to show how well the system did to adjust Dungeons and Raids. Making them deadly for even a yer of my status. "The worst part is he''s not even at half health yet!!" Sally understands what I''m talking about. Even though I didn''t get to finish talking since I had to dodge another breath attack. This time taking 31,000,000 damage. [Warning: The Boss has 4 minutes left on Enraged and Full of Wrath!] [Warning: Speed and attack power are now scaling upward at exponential rates!] I don''t like the look and sound of these notifications. "This is probably why no one has ever cleared this Dungeon!!" What? "How do you know that, Sally?!!" I backflip away from the Boss as I ask her that. I have no idea if someone has yet cleared this Dungeon. Since it was on the maps we bought, I figured it was already cleared once before. "Didn''t you see the warning on the screen for the Dungeons Description!?" No! I didn''t!! If I had, I wouldn''t have been so damn arrogant and cocky about taking this ce on! "No!! I didn''t see it! Damn it!!" To make my mood worse, I hear Sallyughing from her spot in the room. And I''m getting increasingly frustrated with this whole Dungeon. It''s not that I can''t do it. It''s from its annoying mechanics. All of a sudden, the boss losses interest in me and takes off toward Sally. Herughing stops as she narrowly dodges an attack from the Boss''s ws. Since the target is now Sally, it''s scaled down to her level. And even if I could attack it, it wouldn''t be like attacking a Boss around Sally''s level. It''ll scale that brief moment during my attack and then back down for Sally. But none of that matters since it''s invulnerable. [Warning: The Boss has 3 minutes left of Enraged and Full of Wrath!] "Aren''t you going to help me here!!? Grab its attention!! I''m barely dodging here!!" No, this time, it''s your turn, missugh at me. She sees me sit down and immediately understands what''s going through my head. "Fine! Be that way! I can do this anyway!" Sally is fast, but the Boss is scaling with her. But has scaled down since fighting me. It''s keeping the fight interesting for her. And even though she wouldn''t admit it right now, she''s having fun. As I''m rxing and watching the great show in front of me, my mind wonders for a brief moment. And the subject of my thoughts is who Jad''var and Jad''vari are. It''s clear they''re Gods, but the Cezlite people worshipped them. The entire Cezlite people are gone from the information we''vee across at the beginning and during our time in the Dungeon. "The question is... What happened to the Cezlites..." It''s been on my mind since we started the Dungeon, and I don''t think I''ll be getting an answer anytime soon. Then out of nowhere, the Boss shifts its attention to me, and I''m suddenly using my wings to stop the iing ws. I don''t take any damage, but I quickly get out of the way before I get hit with a breath attack. [Warning: The Boss has 2 minutes left of Enraged and Full of Wrath!] "The Boss switches targets every time a minute passes!! It''s not from either of us saying anything!!" Sally''s observation is correct. I noticed it the same time she did. But that means we both have to survive a final minute before the state the Boss is in drops, and we can attack again. And we''ll still have to fight through the Boss''s summons once it reaches half health. "Just make sure you get through yourst minute!! You can bet that pretty ass of yours I''m getting through mine!!" I make sure she hears me, and I notice just a faint blush at the unbridled bluntness of my words. It''s cute, but I focus on dodging. I''ve taken a total of 48,000,000 damage after all, and I don''t want to take anymore. Cause it could be in the hundreds of millions or even billions at this point. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.231][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,512,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 380] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 545 The Temple Of Jadvar IV [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Temple Of Jad''var, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:53 PM)~~~ Since there are only two minutes left of Enraged and Full of Wrath for Jad''vari, we''ll need to be careful not to send him into this state again. Some bosses can reenter states if you repeat the process. And I don''t want that happening here. While I don''t know if it would happen, I don''t want to test it out. I use my wings to move backward in a burst of speed and air. But to my surprise, Jad''vari points his mouth to the ground and unleashes a fire attack. And it''s bouncing off the floor anding at me from all directions from the front. I can''t dodge. Notpletely. Narrowly escaping the fire and taking a whopping 28,000,000,000 damage opens my eyes and sense. I''m almost tempted to activate Raging Machine and Kingyer to help stop all this iing damage. What surprised me was the new attack he used. The breath attacks he''s used so far were beams of concentrated power and not a breathy type like fire. Did a bang-up job of catching me off guard. Taking that much damage is a good example of that. "You''re not dying on me, are you!?" Sally''s words are more encouraging than they seem. It''s how I''d want to be talked to in a situation like this. And I literally have to roll out of the way to dodge a w swipe from the speed this guy is moving at. The Avatar of Jad''vari is the real deal. "Just wait until it''s your turn!! My minute is almost up, and it''ll be your turn to run around dodging this shit!!" Her smile drops, realizing the truth behind my words. And after another 10 or so seconds, a warning from the system appears. [Warning: The Boss has 1 minute left of Enraged and Full of Wrath!] Jad''vari Lessiros Avatar takes its attention off me and shifts back to Sally. And this is when I take a deep breath and sit down. I''m actually tired from that, and it''s because of the speed we were moving. And taking 28,000,000,000 damage wasn''t a great help. We still have a fight even when this state does drop, but I watch the fight Sally is putting up. Orck thereof. One of the worst parts about games is fighting Bosses with invulnerability phases. I get it adds challenge, but man, is this tedious. Not to mention we have the rest of the boss battle after this. Getting him down to half health, then he''ll start summoning minions to help. This fight is solo yers'' or small parties'' worst nightmare. So many hurdles for such a small number of people. "Uuuuugh!! I''m so sick of this shit! How much time is left until both states are gone!!?" Sally is vocalizing her frustration more than I am, but I''m right there with her. And she''s waiting for an answer to her question about how much time is left. I check the counter, and there isn''t that much longer left. "29 seconds until he''s done with this crap!!" She smiles, and that puts some pep in her step. I should warn her about not repeating the quick damage again since it might lead us back here. "Once the states are dropped, we''ll need to deal the damage in controlled amounts! Not all out like we did at first! That''s how we got into this mess, and it could lead us back here!!" It''s not a risk I''m willing to take, and Sally skillfully dodges the Boss with precision and athleticism. The 29 secondses to an end, and we''re greeted by one of the worst series of notifications that I''ve ever seen. [Warning: Enraged and Full of Wrath states have run out!] [Warning: With a clear mind, Avatar of Jad''vari regenerates to full health and doubles its health pool!] [Warning: Jad''vari is now twice as resistant to physical attacks!] [Warning: Jad''vari can reenter Enraged and Full of Wrath if dealt sudden and heavy damage!] "Why does this SON OF A BITCH have to be so hard to kill!!?" Sally channels the frustration and hate I''m feeling for this encounter, and there isn''t anything we can do about it except fight. I arrive next to my lovely woman in a burst of speed and stand next to her, and Jad''vari looks at us with intelligence in his eyes. "Alright, let''s do this controlled and with patience. Once we get him to half health, we''ll talk again. For now, let''s whittle away at this guy. Hopefully, this goes more smoothly than our first attempt." Since we''re not so far apart now and aren''t being chased, we don''t have to yell at each other. Our attention shifts back to the Boss, and The Witness is ready to fight. I lead the first series of attacks, and I make sure I never do more damage than a total of 1 percent of its total health pool, and it''s a battle of attrition at this point. Sally follows my lead and does the same approach. It takes us about 10 minutes, but we eventually get him down to half health. And this is when the Boss fight bes more annoying than it was before. [Warning: All the corpses that fill this room wille to life and help Jad''vari!] [Warning: If corpses can''t move their bodies, they''ll immobilize you with special magic by touch!] [Warning: There are no resistances to this magic!] "I''m so sick of this shit!!" This time it''s me yelling, and I''m standing next to Sally as I do it. She only lets out a sigh and nods her head in agreement. I was expecting actual fighters, but in a sense, this is worse. Instead of fighting this battle on the ground, I grab Sally''s wrist, and I lift off the floor with her. I fly around in therge chamber. There is barely enough room to get around, but I''m making the best of it I can. We dive toward the Boss together, and we keep doing what we''ve been doing. Only doing a maximum of 2 percent damage between the both of us. And that''s when wend on our second blunder of the day. A skeleton jumps up as I fly low to the ground and grabs my ankle. Immediately my wings are toggled off, and we''re immobilized. Meaning we can''t move. And that''s when the Boss uses this opportunity to strike. And before he can reach us, I barely get out of the immobilization. But I only get out fast enough to move Sally out of the way, and I take a direct hit for 30,000,000,000 damage. For the first time in a long time, but health is well below half. "You damn idiot!! You should''ve gotten out of the way instead!!" Sally makes her anger with me clear, and I ignore it for the time being as I see the Boss isn''t letting up any time soon. The good news, he''s at about 20 percent health now, and we''re getting close. She doesn''t take kindly to me ignoring her, but she lets it pass for now. But I know I''ll be hearing about it after we''re done with the Dungeon. "Let''s avoid these damn skeletons better! What happened was my fault!" I take full responsibility for what happened since I was the one flying. Sally rolls her eyes, and we move in unity to attack the Boss. We take it slow and steady, and as we reach 5 percent, one of the nastiest and rankest notifications I''ve ever seen pops up. [Warning: Jad''vari is attempting to self detonate!] [Warning: No one in the room will survive!] "YOU''VE GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!" I let my anger fly out my mouth, and I immediately activate Raging Machine and Kingyer. Hastily. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.231][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 18,512,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 380] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 546 Deeper Into The Temple Of Jadvari [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Temple Of Jad''var, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:05 PM)~~~ [Congattions!] [You''ve Defeated The Avatar of Jad''vari!] [Several new paths have been opened up deeper inside the Dungeon!] [An extra hour has been added to your allotted time to find the Boss Room and clear the Dungeon!] [You''ve leveled up twice!] "It''s finally over!! We''re done with this Son of a Bitch!!" She''s more excited about it than I am. Using Raging Machine and Kingyer made the rest of the fight easy. And thanks to Raging Machine turning iing damage into health, I''m back at max. We both make our way to the hidden Boss''s body, and there are some drops here. I indicate for her to go first, and she steps forward, inspecting the drops from the Boss. I can tell from her look there aren''t that many good drops. "I take it there''s nothing but shit, huh?" Her head raises to my half question, and she nods her head, confirming. "Most of what''s here is not very valuable. Except for one thing." As the victorious smirkes across her face, I already know what''sing. This is unfair. But the rules are the rules. "I can''t believe yo-..." She jumps in the air with pure joy on her face and celebrates. "I win! I win! He dropped a Lore Scroll all about the Temple! This means I get first dibs at whatever the Main Boss drops from the Dungeon!" It''s rare that I lose, and while I''m d she got this victory against me, I''m not making a habit of losing. It''s dumb luck she got what we bet on from the Boss, and that means I lose. She makes her way over to me and literally waves the Lore Scroll in my face, and beams her pearly whites at me. "Do you want me to read it, or do you want the honors?" I hold out my hand, and she gives it to me. I open it and start reading. "The Temple of Jad''var was the epicenter of a once great and continent-spanning civilization. Jad''var was the God of the Cezlite people. The first people that were indigenous to Alforza to rise up and create an Empire of epic proportions." Just this little bit of information has me hooked, and I''m eager to read more. Sally looks to be in the same situation. While she''s not a big person about history like I am, she''s more than interested in this ce. "The Empire of Cezlitians reached all the way to the top of Alforza to the bottom of the continent. There were 4,000 years of prosperity and peace. But nothingsts forever. The Second War of The Gods brought cmity to all of Gaia. Alforza more than anything." Wow... This ce is tied to a War with The Gods... But it''s only the Second War of The Gods... That means there was one before it. "When the battle settled, and the winners came rose from the piles of bodies. The Cezlitian Empire was nothing but rubble. And marked the extinction of the once proud and numerous people." There is still more to go through. And the history of Cezlite seemed to have ended in tragedy... Like most ces that amass great power do... It mimics some of the events that happened on Earth a long time ago. Wars that ruined entire areas of the world... "When the power of The Cezlitian Empire vanished, everything that was shadowed by their greatness was given the light they needed to rise themselves. The next Empire to build itself was The Dark Elves that dwell in the Jungles of Nae''mor." Now we know where we can find Dark Elves, and they actually exist by the confirmation of this document. It''s getting more and more interesting the longer we''re in Alforza. "After The Dark Elves came The Nomadic and Peaceful Tribes of High Orcs. The reason this connects to The Cezlitian Empire and Jad''var is these two races rose thanks to the technology left behind by The Cezlite people." This Lore Scroll is a little contradictory, but I think whoever wrote it took some creative liberties in writing, so it''d be interesting to read. "As for the God known as Jad''var, he perished in The Second War of Gods. And Jad''vari, his son, is the only one left in his bloodline. Virtually no one believes or worships Jad''vari, and that has left him in obscurity." Sally is sitting on the ground and looking up at me like I''m some sort of teacher telling a great story, and she''s a kid. It''s cute, and there is more to go through on the Lore Scroll. But this is enough for now. I put it away and help Sally back to her feet. This marks the end of our current bet, and all that''s left is to go deeper and find the Main Boss Room and clear this Dungeon. "Too bad we didn''t get a map for this ce. Did the Lore Scroll give any clues that could help us around this ce?" She thinks that I''ve read more than I''ve announced to her. "Yeah, I''d like a map too. But let''s head to the stairs on the other side of this Boss room and make our way down. After we defeated the Boss, we were told more paths opened below us, and we''ve been given an extra hour." All this time, I thought Jad''var was a God who was still alive. But I was wrong. All that''s left of him are these ruins and his son. Only a God can kill another God. Sally leads the way using Ice Light, and we make it down the long staircase and pop out in an area with multiple paths. It takes us a while, but we eventually make it to arge metal door that looks as old as the Temple. I ce my hand on it, and a familiar notification pops up. [Main Boss Room] "This is it. We''ve made it. And we still have about 50 minutes to spare. Hopefully, the Boss battle doesn''t take that long. But we have that time if we need it." She takes a deep breath, and we push the door open together. And what we see pretty much marks how difficult this fight will be. [Fallen God Jad''vari (Lvl. Adjusted)] [Health: Adjusted] [Description: A Fallen God from Overworld and the only child of The God known as Jad''var. Jad''vari has never had someone make it this far into the Dungeon, and for good reason. If Fallen Gods are supposed to be found anywhere, it''d be Raids. Which makes this an anomaly.] "Looks like the two of you made it here after all... I figured you might''ve had a chance after defeating my Avatar, but I continue to underestimate you. Son of Michael." He''s just as ugly and disturbing to look at as his Avatar. "I''m surprised a Fallen God would reside in a Dungeon... Isn''t that against the rules?" Technically, there are no written rules about this. I''m actually just trying to get an exnation as to why this is happening. "As one God to another... It''s because I''ve lost my Divinity and right to reenter Overworld... After my Father perished in battle against your Grandfather, all rights were taken with his death... Leaving me with nothing but an empty temple and a shell of my old powers..." His voice is edging between hollow rage and sadness. My Grandfather was the one to kill Jad''var... That means it''s The Almighty Father... The Strongest of all The Gods... "You''ll have to forgive me for myck of knowledge about the subject. I''ve never been to Overworld either. But I can tell that you take my presence here as an insult..." His misformed and monstrous head slowly nods... He''s probably turned into this creature after losing his Divinity. "That matters not. For I''ll steal your Divinity and rise back to what was once supposed to be mine. Don''t worry. You''ll only die. It''s not that bad. Believe me." He stands up from his throne, and there is tense energy in the air. I used Raging Machine and Kingyer to defeat his Avatar... And with it, most of my best skills... This isn''t looking good... I''m having a hard time finding a way out of this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.233][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 410] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 547 Fighting Fallen God Jadvari [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Temple Of Jad''var, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:45 PM)~~~ "Do you know what''ll happen when the two of us fight, Angel Zern?" I''m not liking the sound of this. Not one bit. I don''t think of myself as a God, but at this point, I have to if I want to take this guy on. He''s weaker since he''s lost his Divinity, and now he''s wanting mine. A battle between a Rising God and a Fallen God. "You''ll have to enlighten me." I''m not going to pretend I know because I don''t. Only fools pretend they know when they don''t, and I''m not a fool. "Given that, I''m a Fallen God, and you have the potential to be one. One of us will die. And there is noing back for you. A yer or not. No respawns, no redoes. For that is thew between a fight beings with Higher Life Ratings." Sally unconsciously grabs my arm, and even with our weapons drawn. I have a feeling that I''m not walking out of this. Which means I''ll die, or I can run. Before I do anything else, I grab Sally and throw her as hard as I can to the exit of the room. But before I can leave with her, the door closes. Separating the two of us. Sally is on one side of the door, and me still on this side with Jad''vari. "You didn''t think it''d be that easy to get away from me. I''ll admit you have great survival instincts. You know as you are now, you can''t beat me, even with the help of the system." What he means is the Level adjustment and health adjustment. It''s been lowered to help me in this fight, and he knows that. He''s stronger than me. How the fuck do I get out of this situation? I''ve note this far to die now. Not after everything I''ve been through. The Witness is in my hand, and I stare down Jad''vari. If I''m going to die, then I''m making it the hardest-fought battle he''s ever been in. "I won''t make it easy on you. It was smart to use your Avatar to draw out some of my most powerful skills. But that doesn''t mean I''mpletely out of the game yet." I can assume he''s been nning all this since the first moment we entered the Dungeon, and that goes to show how much of a threat he is. He smiles, and I watch as his form change from that of a hideous monster to that of an ordinary-looking man. He can shapeshift. It''s not an ability most Gods have. At least from what I''ve read. He holds out his left hand, and a sword appears in it. "I wouldn''t have it any other way... But there is one question I have for you before we do end up fighting. Mind you indulge in my question?" It''s easier to talk to him since he''s not an ugly monster anymore, and I guess that''s pretty superficial to say, but that''s not what''s important right now. "Ask away." It''ll give me more time to think of a game n, and I''m starting to get some ideas. I doubt he''ll be as fast as me, and I still have a Skill that lets me have invulnerability to damage left. So pushes to shove, and I can activate it to get more time. He rests his sword at his side and takes a breath. "What do you know of Overworld?" That''s a very broad and open-ended question... But he''s not asking what I know based on my knowledge. He wants to know if I''ve ever experienced it before. Which I haven''t. All I''ve heard are stories and read some Lore Scrolls regarding it. "Nothing from personal experience. But I know from Lore that it''s thend of the Gods. And a ce that houses most other than The Dark Ones..." That seems to be all the answer he needs before he gets into a stance. He isn''t moving, and I''m not moving either. I decide to strike first to see where this fight is in terms of differences between us. I use my speed, and I seem to surprise him. But I''m not buying that crap. I hit his block hard enough to send him to the other side of the room. He lifts his head with a shocked expression. I think it''s all an act to get my guard down. I''m not dropping my guard for a second. He straightens up, and heunches toward me with a de in hand, and he''s not moving as fast as I''d expect. He''s feeling me out too. I take this as an opportunity, and I parry and counterattack. Getting a good amount of damage in. Sending to the other side of the throne room and The Witness''s debuffs are already affecting him. "I didn''t ount for that damn de... While you''re not individually strong enough to kill me, that de is making up for what you''recking in this battle... You should count yourself lucky..." All of this is him blowing smoke. He''s not getting me to lower my guard, not in a thousand years. "Are we fighting, or are we talking?" He looks to have a prideful fire underneath him, and he leaps to me. Moving way faster now, but I''m able to dodge and parry. Getting in counterattacks too. But this doesn''t mean he''s not getting attacks in. He''s dealt 4,000,000,000 damage so far, and we''re both around 90 percent in total health. My wings are out and helping me in this fight, and this is when I toggle on my Divine Title and start using my healing abilities on myself. Keeping the fight more in my favor. He scowls at me, and I can tell this isn''t what he ounted for. This is good. It means he was ying me, and since I''ve be a bigger threat. He needs to switch up his game n. His weapon can''t hurt me as long as I block with my wings. And he can''t hurt me. Nothing he has is of Legendary Grade or higher. My wings are my greatest weapons and defense, thanks to this fact. "Seems that I need to stop my games. You''ve been on me since the beginning, haven''t you?" I take this as a sign to activate Protected By Heaven, and I use Divinity Pulse for the first time. Since we''re in an enclosed Boss room, I can use it without harming anyone on the outside. Meaning Sally. This attack catches him with true surprise, and I hit him with about 40 percent of his total health pool. The most dangerous thing you can do is underestimate your opponent and overestimate yourself. "DAMN!! That actually fucking hurt! I''m surprised you have so many tricks up your sleeve!" I don''t waste this advantage I''ve gained, and I push him since I''m invulnerable. But he''s barely dodging all of my attacks, and I''m only doing a couple of percent damage to his health each hit. Instead, I catch him off-guard by using Divinity Pulse for a second time. And you wouldn''t think you could use a powerful attack like that multiple times in a short period, but I can. He''s sent flying against the wall, covered in his own blood. His form is shifting between the ordinary-looking man and the monster as he groans in pain. He''s got about 10 percent of his health left, and he''s probably about to enter an Enraged state. I don''t want that, so I burst forward and drive the tips of my wings into his body, pinning him against the wall. I drive The Witness into his heart, and I watch the light leave his eyes. And I get a notification. [Congrattions!] [You''ve in a Fallen God!] Fighting that Avatar helped prepare me for this... Unfortunately for him... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.233][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 410] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] Chapter 548 Heated Argument [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Temple Of Jad''var, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:15 PM)~~~ As Jad''vari''s dead body falls to the ground, I take a step back and enjoy the fact I''ve beaten him. It was thanks to abination of him underestimating me and thinking he could trick me. In the end, he only sealed his own fate. I look toward the main door that leads into the room, and it swings open on its hinges. The doors hit the walls so hard they leave indents, and Sally steps into the room and locks eyes with me. Uh-oh... "YOU DUMB MOTHERFUCKER!!!" She screams at the top of her lungs as she leaps at me and wraps her arms around me. It wasn''t a good idea to throw her out of the Boss fight. Especially if I could''ve died permanently. But I didn''t want her to suffer a fate like mine if I lost. Sally makes sure to let her frustration with me known as she ms her hands into my chest. But not hard enough to hurt herself or me. "Sorry... I didn''t want you dying too if I happened to lose..." Her head darts up from my chest, and there are two emotions in her eyes. Fury and heartbreak. Fury for doing what I did, and heartbreak at the thought of me dying. I think. Maybe it''s different, but those are my guesses. I don''t know if she''ll ever consider my side of thinking. Women rarely do when ites to stuff like this. They''d rather die with you than live without you. If the rtionship is good. "Do you have any idea what you put me through..." Her voice is shallow and weak. The eyes that I love so much are red and puffy from crying. I feel like shit for doing it, but it felt like the right thing to do. Sally isn''t ready for the reality that I might die someday. Against a God or something else. It''s not something anyone gives lots of thought to, but that''s how things work. While I''m immortal to time now, that doesn''t mean I can''t be killed. And now that Jad''vari confirmed it for me. I can be permanently killed by a God or Fallen God. "I thought you were going to die... I thought I''d lose the one person I love... Do you know what that feels like... How much it hurts... After everything we''ve been through, how can you be so fucking stupid..." She''s crying into my chest as she finishes exining it to me, and I feel worse now. But I know that I did the right thing. And that''s because Sally would''ve done the same thing if our roles were switched. Not that they ever will be, but if they had been. There is no mistaking she''d have done the same thing to me. I didn''t do it to be a chivalrous man or because of anything like that. I did it because I love her, and I don''t want her to die. "Well... I''m not regretting a decision like that in my life... If it''s life and death between the both of us, I''ll always make sure you''re out of harm''s way like that... Whether you want it or not..." As I finish talking, she shoves me away and starts moving to the back of the Dungeon where the teleportation crystal would be. She passes right by the body of Jad''vari, and I can tell by the way she''s walking she''s mad at me. Not even bothering to check the drops from the Boss... That leaves me with the responsibility. I leveled up 3 times after defeating him, but I can tell just by looking there is only one good thing. It has the yellow glow of a Legendary Item. I walk over to it and use Inspect, seeing what I''ve earned from defeating a Fallen God. [Aspect of Transportation (Skill)][Legendary] [Description: When you''ve already visited a location, you''re able to teleport back to it. This works anywhere in the world. You can take whoever you''re holding on to with you.] [Mana Cost - 200,000,000,000] Damn! This is an amazing Skill, but boy, is that Mana Cost high. That''s almost all the Mana of my entire mana pool. The Skill is added to my list of Active Skills, and I look to see Sally activating the Teleportation Crystal. Not bothering to wait for me. This is probably the maddest she''s ever been. I make it to her right before she leaves, and I get out with her. We''re outside the Dungeon and at the top of the Temple where the entrance was. I reach out to touch her shoulder, but she shoves my arm away. "Don''t touch me." She starts walking down the stairs, and I''m a little lost at what to do at this point. I guess the best thing I can do is give her some space. We make it to the bottom of the Temple, and I open my map to see where The Jungles of Nae''mor are located. They''re not anywhere close by and near the Kingdoms we have unlocked on our maps. Meaning it''s somewhere on Alfroza we don''t have a map for yet. Sally doesn''t wait for me, and she''s already running in the direction that leads deeper into the forest to somewhere she probably wants to go. I''m probably going to regret asking, but I think it should be said. Hopefully, it doesn''t make it worse. "How long will you be mad at me?" She immediately stops and turns around with anger I''ve never seen directed at me. "What did you just say..." Her voice is a low growl, and her fists are clenching. I''vee this far already, and I don''t think I should stop now. It''s not like she can hurt me, but that''s neither here nor there. "I said how long will you be mad at me." Her eyes slowly widen as I repeat what I said. As if she can''t believe I had the gall to do it at all. "Do you have any respect for me, Cera!!? HUH!!? You think it''s okay for you to pull that kind of shit anymore!!?" From her perspective, it''d never be okay. Not anymore. But from my perspective, I think it was the best option I had given the circumstances I was in. "I did what I thought was right. From my perspective, I was making sure the person I loved wouldn''t die with me." Her eyes widen more, and she clenches her teeth. She charges me and starts punching my face as hard as she can, but she only hurting herself at this point. I grab her wrists, and she struggles to get free. "LET GO OF ME!!" I won''t budge, and I let her struggle. She keeps going for another 15 seconds, but she eventually gives up and lowers her head. I watch tears hit the ground below here. After a minute, I let go of her wrists. And she slowly steps forward and leans her body into mine. Wrapping her arms around me and staying quiet. "If you do that again... I''m leaving you... This isn''t an empty threat... If you ever pull that shit again, I''m not spending another moment of my life with you... If you don''t value your life equal to mine, I don''t want to be with you..." So that''s how she sees it... She thinks I don''t value my life as high as hers... And thinking about it, I don''t... Not really... What I did in that Boss room proves it... "Okay. I promise I won''t do that again." She hugs me tighter as those wordse out of my mouth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 549 Silent Night [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: In Tent, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:55 PM)~~~ We''re resting inside our tent, and it''s a bit awkward since our argument. While it wasn''t a truly bad one, it was one that you''d feel weird after. It was a personal argument. That''s the best way I can describe it. One that hurts more at the moment thanter. Which is why it''s so awkward. We''ve only argued one other time, and it wasn''t actually an argument, just a disagreement. "Are we going to talk any time soon?" It''s her asking this, and I turn my head to see her staring at the tent''s ceiling. Her eyes look red still, but she stopped crying hours ago. I''ve only seen her cry like that a few times before. I hate that I was the one that made her cry, but it was for good reasons. Reasons she doesn''t agree with, and that''s understandable. In the end, it''s not best to make decisions without the thoughts and considerations of those involved. And that''s what I did to Sally. I never thought I''d do that, but I guess it depends on the situation. "I don''t think we need to talk. I told you that I''d do it again. And I don''t regret it. If ites down to saving your life over mine. My choice is to save you." She can hate that all she wants, and she can threaten to break up with me all she wants. But that''s just how I am, and I''m not changing that about me because she doesn''t like it. If she feels that I don''t value my life as much as hers, then that''s her problem. It''s not my responsibility to change her perspective on that. I love and care about Sally. I''d rather her live than perish, and that''s just the truth of it. "Well, I''m serious about what I said too. If you do something like that again, I''m leaving you." It feels like the argument is starting up again, but there is really nothing stopping it. "If that''s how you feel, I won''t change it." ,m I turn my head and look toward the ceiling too, but out of the corner of my eye, I can see her looking at me now. "So you''re not even trying to change that about you?" In my opinion, it''s one of my better qualities. But I see now it depends on how you look at it. "No, I''m not changing that about me. There are a lot of bad things about me, and there are a few good things. I consider my willingness to save the ones I love over myself a good quality. I''d do the same for my Mom and Dad. And my siblings." She leans up on her elbows and turns her body to me. I turn my head again, and I see the anger in her eyes. But it''s not like before. It''s tamer. "Then why should I stay with you now?" Ahh, I figured I''d run into something like this eventually with Sally. But it sucks that it has to be this. An ultimatum has been given. Either change the way I prioritize other loved one''s lives over my own, or she leaves me. She wants to force me to equal my life with my loved ones. So I don''t prioritize theirs. "Then the exit to the tent is right in front of us." I watch as her eyes slowly widen and her mouth drops open. "So, that''s it... You''re not willing to change this one thing about you... And you''d rather throw away what we''ve built than change that..." Her voice sounds weak and broken, and I hate being the one who caused it. But a man has his values and morals, and he shouldn''t have topromise any of them. "If you want to put it that way, then yes. But I prefer to look at it like I''m not being forced to change something I think is good about me." Sally leans up and looks away awkwardly after I put it like that. She''s so focused on how dangerous it is to my life that she''s not considering how important it might be for me. We all have our values, morals, and codes. Something that we live by, and those rarely change after you get to a certain age. It''s a grueling process to be an adult, and even more so when you''re in a rtionship. I believe there are times topromise, but I also believe there to be times you don''t. For the sake of your own character. "Umm... Then what now... If you''re not going to change that about you... I can''t be with you..." She''s trying to loop it back around and start over. Hoping for a different answer. It''s quite maniptive and controlling. A side of Sally I''ve never seen before, and I''d be impressed if it wasn''t being used on me. But my answer is still the same. "Sally... My answer is the same. The exit to the tent is right there." If I lose the love of my life, then it''s something I''d never get over. But it''s better she leave me like this than die because she didn''t want me saving her. "This isn''t how this is supposed to go... You''re supposed to give up and change..." Her voice cracks, and she starts crying again, and she buries her face into her knees. I lean up and scoot over to her. Wrapping an arm around her. She leans her head into me and silently cries. "You can''t force me to change, Sally. Not when I don''t want to. Loving someone means epting and holding their ws close to you. And you consider me prioritizing my loved ones'' lives over mine a w, and that means you have to ept that about me. If not, we know what''s next." When I thought the argument was over early, I couldn''t have been more wrong, it seems. This is the first time I''ve gone through something like this. Where my girlfriend tried to manipte me. It''s definitely an experience and one that I''ll never forget. I''m honestly surprised that sally had it in her to do this. But maybe that''s because of how much she loves me. I couldn''t say for sure, but it''s nice to see Sally have a side like this. A one with typical normal girlfriend behavior. "But what if you do die from doing something like that... How do you expect me to live without you... It''s not like I can kill myself now since I''m a yer... But if you die, and I can''t... I''d lose my mind..." So this is what it''s been about. I knew it from the beginning, and she mentioned it. But it''s nice to hear her say it. She''s scared of me dying and leaving her behind. But that''s a part of life and something you can''t avoid. "We''re both Immortal to time, Sally. Yours is due to your Pure Elven Blood, and mine is due to my Divinity and Half Angel status. But that doesn''t mean we''re invincible. And there is always a threat of one of us dying permanently. So why live in that fear?" I don''t fear death. And I don''t think I ever will. There is only one thing I fear, and that''s leaving behind the people I love without a chance to live. And that can be considered selfish by some, and others the opposite. But that''s who I am. "Well... I''m not changing what I said... But I''ll stay with you if and when you do something that stupid again... But if you do, I''m keeping my word too... I''m leaving you if you do that..." That''s the best oue we could''ve gotten from this talk, and I''m d we had it. It was a silent night at first, but it turned into something we needed. rification. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 550 Following The Trail [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Zarmade Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Coastline) ~~~(Time: 8:40 AM)~~~ My Daughters trail ends here... This is thest ce that anyone saw the flying Angel Zern. My life changed the day I met her, and it''s changed more every day since. I can''t believe I was so cruel to my own Daughter, and now it might be toote. "Zar... There is nothing we can do at this point. It''s time that we let our contacts around Gaia get ahold of us when they''re seen. It''s clear they''re not here anymore." I don''t have many people I can trust... Let alone call a friend... But I have one person. His name is Izzecs Lemeld, and he''s been helping me in my quest to end very. He''s a pureblooded Elf like myself. He''s the only one in the world that I''d call a friend. I hate it, but he''s right in this instance. There is nothing left to do but wait for my contacts to get ahold of me when they see them. There is another option, though. "Well, we can try one of those magical locators of blood rtives. I heard yers used them to find their family through blood magic. I can do the same to find my Daughter." If it worked for the yers, I don''t see why it can''t work for me. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying Over The Jungles of Nu''bor, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:14 PM)~~~ Cera and I have been traveling nonstop for the pass two days, trying to locate the jungle The Dark Elves reside in. It hasn''t been easy traveling like this, but I''m not going toin about it. I''m not in the mood for that. Cera and I have been doing really well since our argument. I know that trying to manipte Cera wasn''t the right thing to do, but I don''t see where I have a choice. It''s a dumb thing to say or think, but I felt like it was the only option I had. And even then, he didn''t fall for it, and it makes me upset at the fact it''s drawn out that part of the mad it''s not what I want Cera seeing out of me. "How long are we keeping the silence between us this thick? I like it when you talk to me, Sally, and it''s something I''ve grown used to having. It''s weird not hearing it all the time." I''ve been giving Cera the cold shoulder ever since our discussion and I know that it won''t do anything in the long run, but it''s something that helps me channel my anger at him. Even if we''re not openly arguing, I''m not giving up yet. I''m not speaking to you for a reason, Cera. You''ve upset me, and I''m not going to pretend everything is alright between us when it''s not. I know I can''t change your mind, but that doesn''t mean everything is alright now." I''m not backing down from this, and that''s because it means something to me. Cera means more to me than life itself, and I don''t want him thinking he can go and die on me. "I understand that. I was just thinking you could be civil. I love you, Sally. I want you to talk to me. But if you feel like this is what you need to do, I won''t stop you." He doesn''t get it, but I know just the way to put it to make him see it my way. "How would you feel if I did that to you?" I want him to realize that it''s not okay putting his life on the line like that. No matter the situation. It''ll do way more harm than good. Even if it''s not physically damaging to me, it''s emotionally devastating to think about. "I do think about it, Sally. It''s not something I''m a fan of, and the reason why we don''t have situations like that is that I don''t allow them to happen. You''ll never have to give your life for mine." Ohhh, fuck that. "That''s the dumbest fucking thing I''ve ever heard from you in my entire life!!" The arrogance of that statement boggles my mind. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nu''bor, The Kingdom of Nu''bor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:34 PM)~~~ I''ve set up camp, and Sally is in the tent avoiding a talk with me. And I don''t me her. She yelled at me some more, and this is the first time in my life that I feel like this. It''s hard to describe, but it''s not a feeling that I ever thought I''d have. The campfire is warm at least, which is nice. But I''m enjoying it alone tonight. Normally, we''d be considering sex about now since it''s been a few days since thest time we''ve done it. But I doubt I''ll be getting any tonight. Sally is convinced that passive-aggressive punishment is the way to go, which may work for some people, but not me. "Don''t even think abouting in here. You''re kicked out of the tent." That almost sounds like a challenge. But that''s just a figure of speech. Sally has made it clear, but I''m going to push it cause that''s what we both need. "Oh, yeah? And what''s going to stop me? You?" I poke my head into the tent as I talk, and I can see it''s having the desired effect of making her upset, and that''s perfect. She ms her foot into my face, but it has no effect on me. "I mean it, Cera." Yeah, and I mean it too. Just because we''re in a rough patch doesn''t mean I get kicked out of afortable tent. That''s not how things work. "And I mean it too, I''m sleeping in the tent. I''m not sleeping outside of the shelter. And it''s cruel of you to assume you can make me." She grits her teeth and goes in for another kick. ~~~(POV: Zarmade Oryzox)~~~ ~~~(Location: Coastline) ~~~(Time: 5:10 AM)~~~ It''s been a couple of days since we went back to the nearest city and picked up the magical locator, and now we''re back here. It''s where the trail has led us, and now it''s going across The Sea of... Whoever you call it... I''m not a history guy. But now Izzecs and I know where Sally''s at, and she''s on the Continent of Alforza. And that''s across this ocean. "The trip will be multiple days... Maybe even weeks... And we''ll need a crew and ship... Taking an Airship is possible, but that would mean giving up our identities..." We''re highly wanted men when ites to international travel. Making enemies of vers across Gaia will do that to you, and we don''t want anyone picking up the scent of us. Especially my Daughter. I don''t want her to know that I''ming. "Then let''s smuggle ourselves into Alfroza." That''s the next best thing. We''ll stowaway on a ship, and we''ll get in under the radar. The problem is we won''t speak any of their dialects, and that''ll cause us issues too. But I know there are solutions to those problems in Alforza, and it won''t take us long. What we need to worry about is the deserts on the other side. Reaching a port city is the easy part. The hard part is crossing the massive deserts to find Sally. "Alright, looks like we''ve got a n. The nearest port city is up the coast, and it''ll have everything we need for Alforza." Izzecs is helping me with all this, and I couldn''t be more grateful for the man. "Let''s get a move on. It''s still early, and we could reach it by breakfast if we move at full speed." I''m in a rush, but I have every intention of finding my Daughter and getting a second chance. I need it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 551 The Jungles Of Naemor, Home Of Dark Elves [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Approaching The Jungles of Nae''mor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:44 AM)~~~ Sally and I have been traveling over thest 5 days trying to find The Jungle of Nae''mor, and now we''re approaching our next destination. Things have been both good and bad between us since our argument. And we''ve been fighting on and off about it. The downside to this is we don''t really know where we are. The Jungles of Nae''mor are 1000 miles from The Kingdom of Nu''bor. The maps we bought are only for Nu''bor and the neighboring Kingdoms. That didn''t include much, and now our maps are useless again. Well, it''s not entirely meaningless, but it''s definitely not helping. "Those trees are huge... It''s almost unnatural..." There have been many times I''ve been in and seen forests in The Ancients World, but this is by far the ce with the tallest andrgest trees. Sally is the one to make this observation, which is when I slow down. I don''t want to soar over the jungle at full speed. She leans up and looks closer as we reach the treeline and start flying over. We''re here because we found out this is where The Dark Elves reside. They''re supposed to be a rumor, but we found the Lore Scroll exining what happened to the Cezlitian people. And it also told us where we could find The Dark Elves. "I don''t think finding The Dark Elves will be easy. We don''t know how big this jungle is and how deep it goes." Jungles have multiple ecological levels to them, and each level is a different ecosystem. And this ce is no exception. "Of course, it won''t be easy, but that''s part of the fun. We have to look for them. This is so exciting! I never thought I''d meet Dark Elves!" She''s celebrating too soon, but I don''t mind. As long as she''s off my case for a while, I''m okay with her celebrating too early. Regarding my excitement, I''m more on guard than anything else. The Dark Elves aren''t a people I know about. All I know is they''re supposed to be in Alforza somewhere. If we ever find The Dark Elves, I look forward to meeting the peaceful Nomadic High Orcs after. "Should we search the jungle below us or continue flying over it?" That''s a good question, and while flying over the jungle will be faster, we''ll miss structures or locations that are hidden under the jungle canopy. I''m not going to miss out on what''s down there, and at her question, I dive down suddenly. She was not expecting that. "YOU DICK HEEAAADDD!!" As I dive fast and break through the canopy, I dodge between trees and hold my speed. Spinning and rolling in the air. She''s kicking and screaming for me to stop, but I can tell she''s enjoying it too. After a couple of seconds, I slow down and gentlynd on the ground. The wet ground and mud are hard to traverse, but it''s not the hardest environment I''ve walked around in. Sally hops off and sinks into the wet ground. "We must keep moving to ensure we''re not consumed by the jungle floor. Hop along the tree roots. It''s the fastest way to travel on the ground." Sally does what I say and follows behind me. But I''m more distracted by the sheer size of the jungle. Everything in here is just so much bigger than everything else. Limbs, nts, fruit, andmon animals that aren''t hostile. We''re skipping along the tree roots when I start to feel someone watching us. We''re pretty deep into the jungle at this point, and I wouldn''t be surprised if more dangerous animals, monsters, or creatures started to appear. "Do you also feel the eyes on us..." She feels it too... We both stop and look around our current area. Nothing stands out, but that watched feeling continues. It feels like it''s moving when we move and stopping when we stop. One of the only times I''ve encountered something like this. It''s a sign of a highly intelligent animal and something that knows how to hunt and track while staying out of sight. "We can feel you looking at us!! Why note out and talk!?" Announcing to whoever is watching us could be considered stupid, but at this point, I know they''ve got a good brain between their ears. And I''m hoping that the ones watching us are scouts or hunters for The Dark Elves that are supposed to be in this forest. There is no response, and it''s not surprising. Announcing to the people watching us wouldn''t normally work, so no reason to do it now. But Sally has other ideas than giving up on this. "I''m also an Elf! I''m from across The Sea of Relsarmoder! I''vee a long way to meet The Dark Elves!" That''s actually something that might work and gain their attention toe out of hiding. All of a sudden, a dashing blures out of some branches and sits on a branch above and away from us. The person in question is a sharp-eared and dark-skinned elf holding a bow and pointing an arrow our way. She''s a Dark Elf, and I''ll admit she''s very beautiful. It''s not something that I''d say out loud when Sally''s next to me, but she''s hot! "Why have you into ournds, strangers? Most thinking beings don''t know we exist anymore. It begs the question of how you know." Her voice is smooth and silky, and I''m finding myself dumber and dumber in her presence. The next thing I know, Sally is elbowing my ribs and looking at me, extremely annoyed. Yikes. That''s not going to help hard rough patch. "We don''t mean any harm..." I indicate for her to give her name, and she squints her eyes ever so slightly. "Jaeemara Veezmek." That''s a unique name ever for an elf, but this is a different part of the world. So maybe it''smon here. "Hello, Jaeemara. This is Saliandra Orvello, and I''m yer Zern." She raises her eyebrows and pulls back on her bow a little more. "Prove it." That''s not a problem. I toggle my wings on, and they spread out wide. Her eyes widen as her bow is immediately lowered. As she does this, more and more Dark Elves starting out of the jungle. I''m guessing this is a party of scouts. "We''re sorry for the rude treatment Angel Zern. We have to be extra cautious of those that find themselves this deep into the jungle. The people that know we''re here are either our great friends or great enemies." Jaeemara starts to exin why she did what she did as she jumps down from her branch andnds on the tree roots closest to us. "There is no need to apologize. We''re here uninvited. We''vee a long way to see The Dark Elves. If you''d wee us, we''d be most appreciative." Before she answers me, her eyes run up and down my armor and body. Taking extra long on my wings, and that''s when Sally steps closer to me and wraps her arm in mine. There is a look exchanged between the two of them. I don''t want to say it, but I''ll think it. While I love Sally''s body and how perfectly proportioned it is, she can''tpare to the outrageous figure Jaeemara has. Her curves and other parts are... Pronounced to say the least. "You''re more than wee to follow us. The City of Dark Elves is cloaked by Invisibility a few miles ahead. While we''re a single city, it''s thergest in all of Gaia. It holds all of our citizens." Sally holds me a bit tighter in her grasp as the girl turns around and looks back at me with a smirk. Knowing that I''m getting an eyeful of her figure. I slowly turn to look at Sally, and I see she''s not happy with me or Jaeemara. Not one bit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 552 The City Of Armezix, Home Of The Dark Elves [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:17 AM)~~~ We''re following behind Jaeemara as she leads us to Armezix, the City of Dark Elves. It''s supposedly a city the size of an entire Kingdom. And ording to The Dark Elves, it''s thergest city in all of Gaia. But there is a bigger concern at the moment. "You seem to like the way Jaeemara is shaped. I''ll admit, she hasrge breasts and curves in the right ces. Is she your type of woman?" Sally has been questioning me about how I stared at Jaeemara when she first showed herself to us. I never thought I''d be in a situation like this. It''s the one every guy dreads, and that''s making the mistake of looking at a beautiful girl too long around your girlfriend. Being a man, I can see my error in looking at Jaeemara. But it didn''t help that she actually enjoyed it. That added fuel to the fire for Sally, and this is the first time I''ve ever had this happen to me. A girl is jealous of another girl regarding me. "Sally... I thought you said you weren''t going to talk to me..." After Jaeemara started leading us, Sally made it clear I''m getting the silent treatment. But at this point, I think she doesn''t care. Myck of effort to get her talking might have caused this. "So you don''t want me talking to you? Okay, I won''t speak to you anymore. You can talk to Jaeemara and her great body." My God... I thought I''d be missing out on an experience like this. But going through it now, I can wholeheartedly say I regret thinking I''d miss out on this experience. But I''ll y her game, and I know I can y it better than she can. "Jaeemara!" I raise my voice so the Dark Elf that''s leading us can hear. And she slows down for a split second to level out with the both of us. I give Sally a momentary look, and I can see that she''s not believing what she''s seeing right now. "What is it you wish to talk about?" Her voice is calm and even. Weing too. But not sultry or alluring. It''s dignified and polished. Like she''s been speaking ever since the moment she was born. But that''s not really fair, considering Elves are immortal. The subject I wish to talk about is a simple one. And it''s going to win this little passive-aggressive game that Sally is forcing me to y. "I was hoping that you could exin to my jealous girlfriend here that there is nothing to worry about. She saw me looking at you longer than necessary and has it in her head that I''m going to try something with you." The blush and nervous expression that explodes on Sally''s face seal my victory. It''s not every day I get to do this anymore. Jaeemara lets out a smoothugh and takes a breath. "Don''t worry, Saliandra. I''m already married to another man. And if you don''t believe me, you can ask my two kids if you meet them." The smug look on my face is all I need to show Sally. And her blush from embarrassment soon fades, and Jaeemara moves back ahead of us. It''s so satisfying to win these little games we y from time to time. While it''s sad, it started from her insecurity. I think it was a perfect chance to show her nothing is wrong. Sally failed to notice key aspects of Jaeemara. That being the small ring made out of magical flowers on her ring finger. That didn''t go unnoticed by me, and now Sally looks like an idiot. "You jerk... You could''ve just said you''ve seen it and saved me the embarrassment and you the trouble of dealing with a jealous woman..." I reach over and ce my hand on the top of her head. Her cheeks puff out in annoyance just a little bit, and a small chuckle escapes my lips. "Why would I do that when I can see this rare side of you? I''ve never seen you so green with envy. It''s not my fault you focused on the wrong things. You only saw her body parts. I saw pieces of armor and gear that actually told me something." When I put it like that, it makes it seem like she''s the one that was staring at Jaeemara. That causes her even more embarrassment, and she shoves my arm away and turns her head with a huff. "Yeah... Well..." She''s having a hard time finding the right rebuttal. "What was that? I didn''t quite catch that." Her head darts back to me, and she''s got a cute re in her eyes. She knows that I''m messing with her longer than I have to, and she''s conflicted about it. She both likes and dislikes being teased by me. I do it the right way, and that''s what I''m doing right now. "I said... Oh, just shut up!" Theughter pours out of my mouth, and it isn''t making Sally any better. After a minute or so, I stop and turn my attention forward. Jaeemara suddenly disappears, and we keep following. We pass through an invisible barrier, and Jaeemara is in front of us again. Suddenly the trees break open, and thergest city I''ve ever seen in The Ancients World graces my sight. It''s made of marble and magic and looks like a paradise. I see off in the far distance huge towers that reach into the sky and beyond. "Wee to Armezix. The City of Dark Elves." Jaeemarands on a branch ahead of us and stops. Wend with her, and she turns to us with a smile. "I can continue taking you further into the city if you wish, but we''ll have to stop off at certain ces. There are people I want to talk to. I haven''t seen my kids in a few weeks." I take it that being a scout isn''t the easiest of jobs, and that''s something I can respect. "That''s fine with us. I''d rather have you showing us around than stumble around ourselves. People might think we''re intruders or something without an escort." Jaeemara nods her head and turns to the city. Lifting her hand and points to a beautiful residential district that is pretty close by, considering the sheer size of this ce. Even with what''s in view, it''s not even close to everything. "I live over there with my family. It''s just my husband Pazemad and our two Daughters, Le and Laura." All of a sudden, that feeling from Sally is back. But she''s not saying anything. I get it. Having two Daughterse from someone as pretty as Jaeemara could be trouble. And by trouble, I mean for Sally and me. She knows I would never cheat on her, but that doesn''t make me looking at another woman easier for her. And given this is my first slip up, I think I deserve a little more mercy. "Lead the way, Jaeemara. I look forward to meeting your family. You''ve been so nice to us, and I can only imagine how weing your home is." Yeah, our first meeting wasn''t the best. But that was Jaeemara doing her job. As soon as I proved who I was and that I wasn''t a threat. She was a sweet woman who carried an air of purity around her. It''s rare to meet both a warrior and a sweetheart living in the same person. Jaeemara leaps off the branch, and we follow her. She takes us all the way to her house, and it''s bothrge and beautiful. It''s not something I''ve ever seen a regr citizen have. Perhaps that''s the standard of living here in Armezix. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 553 Jaeemaras Family [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:57 AM)~~~ Jaeemara guides us into her home, and the first thing I notice is the scent of the ce. It''s an aroma of fruits and fragrances that make it seem like everywhere I''ve been has smelled like a stye. Given this new pleasant smell, my own odor bes more apparent. "You have a wonderful home. It smells like a tropical fruit basket mixed with some honey." Sally describes it better than I can, and that''s the closestparison I can agree with. Jaeemara is about to say something, but a taller Dark Elf male walks into the room. This must be Pazemad, her husband. It''s like any attention that was on Sally and myselfpletely disappears as Pazemad makes his way over to us. I see the adoration and love in Jaeemara''s eyes, and I turn to Sally. Smiling as I do. "I was wondering when you''d be home again, Jaee. I hope that I''m not interrupting something here." There isn''t a verbal answer from Jaeemara as she leaps to the man and wraps her arms around him. I don''t know anything about Dark Elves. This could be standard behavior between couples or exclusive to Pazemad and Jaeemara. Once again, Jaeemara is about to speak when two more interrupts make their presence known. And two young girlse out from behind a corner. They couldn''t be older than 8 and 9, and Elvish races age at the same rate as humans until 18 to 21. For the second time in less than two minutes, I''m looking at Sally again, and I notice that embarrassed and shamed look on her face. She was worried about a couple of kids. "Mommy!!" Both Le and Laura run out from their spying spot and make their way to the two parents. Jaeemara grabs them both up in her arms and kisses them all over their faces. It''s a heartwarming scene to me. Seeing an ordinary and loving family. "Now, what have my two little girls been up to since I''ve been gone? Mind showing me your projects for your ss assignment?" That''s an interesting piece of information. While centralized education for young children and adults exists in Gaia, I never thought I''d see it firsthand. I wonder what a school would look like and teach in a world like this? Especially a Dark Elf school. How cool would their lessons be? Jaeemara leaves with her two little ones, and we''re left in awkward silence with Pazemad. A chuckle escapes his lips as he takes a step close and takes on a rxed expression. "Greetings, Angel Zern and Princess Orvello. My wife and I are NPCs Turned yers, and she informed me she might end up bringing you here. I must say, I never thought I''d host divinity." While Jaeemara''s quick exit was both a great thing to see, it left me in a situation with a stranger. I admire her love for her family, so I''m not going to bitch about it. I hold out my hand for a handshake, and he takes it. Pazemad is tall and dark-skinned like all Dark Elves. He''s got nearly feminine features and the same air that Jaeemara has. I can see why they get along so great. They''re simr in a lot of ways. "It''s nice to make your acquaintance, Pazemad. Your wife didn''t tell us much on the way here. Only that you are her husband, and she has two kids." His lips form into a knowing smile as he lets out a small sigh. "Sorry, she prioritizes the family over anything else. As you have seen, when ites to dividing attention, she''s not the best at it." Nothing to apologize for, in my opinion. "That''s a good thing. I wish we saw more of it in our travels. But sadly, the world is a lot crueler than you''d hope." He turns and invites us toward arge table. We all take a seat, and I''m a little jealous that even their table chairs are morefortable than most beds I''ve slept in. "The Dark Elves heard about The Elven Kingdom, Princess Orvello. We''re sorry about all the things you''ve gone through. While knowledge about your past isn''t exactly known, it''s known you are an ex-ve. That life couldn''t have been easy." His voice takes on a somber and tired tone. And most would be offended by his words. But listening to them and him, you can tell he''s dealt with pain caused by vers before. "Oh... I was hoping that would remain a secret, but I guess you can''t have everything... I hear from your tone you have experience dealing with vers." There is a distant look in the man''s eyes, and I can tell that his long life has been one filled with a lot of pain. "My sister... She was captured and sold into very... Being a Dark Elf, she was priceless to the world... Many believed she was thest of her kind... By the time I found her, she was already... Gone..." very has taken so much from people, and it makes you see that in the real world. Monsters could be walking right next to you, and you wouldn''t even know it. "I''m sorry... Was she killed or... Turned..." My stomach twists as I hear Sally say those words, and it''s clear what they''re meaning is. "Neither... She slit her throat with a rusted nail before she could have her virginity stolen... Mazelen was devastated when I brought her back..." I don''t know who Mazelen is, but I''m taking a guess and saying that was her... Lover... Betrothed... Husband to be... Different sayings describe the same thing... A person you cherish and want to spend your life with... "I don''t want to sound insensitive or cruel... But that''s a far better fate than what awaited her... There was a time I almost did that..." My head slowly turns as the world stops around me. I knew that Sally had a hard time, and I suspected she might have thought about it. But to hear her admit she contemted suicide makes my heart sink. There isn''t anything I should feel bad about... And given what her life was like... I even understand it... "Ahh, enough of this sad talk. Jaeemara hasn''t told me anything since she said she might be bringing you guys here. Mind telling me the n?" Sally remains quiet in thought as I exin the reason why we''re here. It''s nothing big in particr, only that we wanted to see the Dark Elves. He looked at us in surprise, hearing we cleared The Dungeon known as The Temple of Jad''var. "You''re both wee to use the facilities while Jaeemara spends time with our kids. I don''t want to be rude, but you both smell... Bad... To put it nicely." It doesn''t take long for Sally to smile and stand up in excitement. Pazemad leads us to arge bathroom and leaves us to our own devices. Sally unequips her clothes, and I follow suit. We both get in the shower. As Ither my hands up in soap, I''m about to start washing her body when she stops me. I look at her, confused, and she frowns. "I''m still mad at you for what you did back in The Temple of Jad''var... And the way you''ve been acting since... Since I can''t seem to get through your thick head, maybe I should go lower. No touching, no sex, nothing." That hurts. "I''ll have to ept whatever decision you make about this. Guess that means more soap for me, huh..." The disappointment in my voice even shocks me, and I see a flicker of weakness and urging in Sally''s eyes. She almost gave in from a look like that, but I''ll respect her decision. And I won''t try to force it. That''s thest thing I ever want to do, whether she''s happy with me or angry. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 554 A Guide For Armezix [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:11 AM)~~~ As I soap andther up my body, Sally is silent. I didn''t give a fight against her decision to cut me off, and that''s because she has that right. It''s not my ce to say when I can and can''t have sex with her. But I also have the same right. And I''m not going to give her anything either. But I''ll say one thing. This shower is amazing. It''s got pressure, heat, magical enchantments, and every reason to take a long shower instead of a short one. "Do you mind telling me why?" I''m not surprised this came up... And I feel like this is a trap of some kind. One that has no good ending for me, and I''m not about to walk into it. But I will flip it on her. There are things I want to know too. "That depends if you want to tell me." What I''m referring to is her alluding that during her past, she contemted suicide. It''s not something I''d ever say someone should do. But I understand where people get their thoughts and feelings from. It''s hard to get out of a ce like that. I want her to talk to me about that part of her life. It''s gruesome. I know that. That doesn''t stop me from wanting to know more about why she did. Her life was hell, and she wanted it to end. But I want more than just what I can surmise. Her opening up to me about this can go a long way for our rtionship... On that thought... I should hold myself to that same standard. I''m not doing a good job of that as I am now. "There is a reason I don''t talk about things like that, Cera... It''s hard for me to talk about it... I was so weak, and I thought it was my only way out..." It fucking hurts to hear all this, but I need to hear it. Someone that I love more than life has been through a dark time. And I know Sally''s life has been the hardest I''ve ever seen. That doesn''t mean I shouldn''t and won''t know the deepest and darkest parts of those times. She''s got 80 years on me, and I want to know what happened in those 80 years. The only ones I know about are the ones in the middle right before and after she escaped her life as a ve. "I''m not saying you have to, Sally... I want to know that about you. I''ve shared my deepest and more treasures secrets with you. At some point, don''t you think I should get the same from you? There are so many moreyers to your life besides being a ve, Sally... I want to know them..." I''m sounding like some shit romantic book that doesn''t actually know anything about romance. But damn it, this is the best I can do with the knowledge I have about love. As the soap runs off my body, I pull away from the stream of the shower. I open my eyes and see Sally covering her mouth and holding back her tears. Instantly, I feel like an absolute piece of shit. I''m about to start apologizing and trying to find a way to get her to stop crying when she throws her arms around me and locks me in a hug. I resist that biological urge since Sally needs me. And I do a damn good job too. "Thank you for thinking that, Cera... I''m afraid... I''m so scared that you''ll leave me after hearing how damaged I really am... I love and adore you for treating me the way you do... Barring some issues..." She''ll never let me live it down. "But there is always going to be that fear... You''ve proven so many times that you love me for me... That doesn''t mean all my issues are gone... All my trauma..." She slowly says all this to me as the shower water hits both of us. Leaning into my shoulder as her pointy elf ear gently rubs into my neck. If we weren''t covered in water, my shoulder would be covered in tears right now. There are a lot of things I could say at this moment. Help ease her pain, help her get over her fear, maybe... But I don''t think it''s about what Sally wants to hear... It''s about what she needs to hear. And I don''t think it''s something she''ll ever expect from me. But she needs to. "Sally... I can''t conquer your fears for you... I can''t ovee your trauma... I wouldn''t dare try to... But there wille a point where you''ll have to talk to me about the things that have happened in your life... If you can''t do that, then there is no future where you and I are together..." She hugs me tighter as those words leave my mouth, and it''s something that I should''ve said a long time ago. I was afraid of hurting her, and I was a hypocrite. "I''ve been a hypocrite about a lot of things in my life, Sally... Been times when I''ve proven to be the most immature person alive... Even recently... But that doesn''t give me the right to tell you I''m not afraid of hurting you..." She pulls away and stares me in the eyes. And her chin quivers. Before I can say anything else, her lips take mine, and we spend time telling each other how we feel through our lips... After a second, we pull apart and take a breath. "I''m not perfect... And I want you to know there isn''t anything you can say to me that''ll convince me I don''t love you and don''t want to be with you..." Sally knows this, but she needs to hear it again in this time of fear. ~~~(POV: Jaeemara)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:35 AM)~~~ I watch my two little girls run around the backyard enjoying their day off from school, and that''s when I feel a hand on the middle of my back. It''s familiar and one that I''ve felt many times. "How are they?" Pazemad, my lovely and brilliant husband, is either referring to our little ones. Or our guests. Who hasn''te out of their shower yet, and I can assume how it''s going in there... For a colorful exnation... They''re going at it like rabbits. The reason we''re outside is the bathroom they''re using is near the kids'' room, and I don''t want them identally hearing or seeing anything like that. "If you''re talking about our kids... They''re having a great time. The two guests using our bathroom... I''d rather not risk our Daughters being exposed to that part of life yet..." A smooth and perfect chucklees from his lips, and I find myselfpletely enraptured in his presence even though he''s not even touching me. It''s the little things like this. Where we can be parents and not have to worry about money, time, and love... We have all we need, and I couldn''t ask for more... "Believe me. You made the right call bringing them out here. But I''ll tell you. I''m gonna ask Zern for some advice. I know I''m no slouch, but I can''t call myself a grown man if I can''t make you sound like that... You can hear it through the walls..." I turn to him, and he''s got a confident look in his eyes, and I take his hands in mine. "I''ll be guiding them through Armezix. Probably be a couple of weeks, maybe a month. But having Angel Zern as a friend would be great for both of us... It''d certainly get my father off our back..." That''s the one issue we have in our lives... And that''s my family... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 555 Family And A Fathers Worry [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Jaeemara)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:40 AM)~~~ "I have no issues with you guiding them around Armezix, and if you think helping them will get your family off our backs, that''s okay too. But we know your Father, and even with Angel Zern. I doubt he''ll back off." More often than not, I''ve been disappearing for long periods of time these days. And Pazemad is taking care of the kids. It''s a good thing since he works from home, but I want to be here more. I miss my kids, and I wouldn''t be leaving again for a while if it were under different circumstances. Pazemad is a man whos one in a million and doesn''t me anyone for the things going on in their life. There is one problem. He brings up an important issue in regards to my Father and what he wants to do. We''re running out of time, and the only reason we''vested this long without interference from my Dad is because of our children. While my Dad is controlling and wrong about how he''s going about this. He still loves his grandchildren. Even if he doesn''t care for Pazemad. "You''re right about my Dad... He''s been staying away for the benefit of our kids... But now, since they''re getting closer to 10 years old. He''ll start interfering in our lives again." Pazemad wraps his arms around me in a gentle hug, and theughter of our two kids fills our ears. It''s moments like these that make me grateful for all the good things we''ve got. And how few problems we actually have. It''s unfortunate that our one and only problem is a huge one. And not easily solved. But with Angel Zern''s help, we can probably get my Dad to back off. Pazemads parents have no problems with us being together. But considering what family Ie from, I get it. "Well, it''s not like we''ve got many options left. When you''re traveling with Angel Zern, you should bring it up. Don''t leave it for a surprise when it does happen." That''s thest thing I want to do given who he is. Angel Zern seems like a nice man, and I''m d about that. Given Saliandra Orvello''s history, it shows how much he sees past people for the thing that happened to them in the past. The Elven Princess has quite the history, and it''s simr to my passed sister-inw. I sympathize with the girl. I wish that such terrible things didn''t exist. "Don''t worry. I''ll make sure that I broach the subject at the right time." We have many things to take care of in theing months, and having Angel Zern backing us will make our odds of sess skyrocket. We''ll actually be able to pull it off. Freedom from my Dad, and a life away from what he wants for me. He''s a kind man when he wants to be, but his stubbornness and pride suffocate the best parts of him. And I miss the man he used to be 300 years ago before I met Pazemad. "Your Dad mighte around at thest minute. But given how much he despises me, I get why he''s doing this. There isn''t much we can do about how he feels." He''s right about that. Once Dad has made up his mind about something, it''s impossible to change his mind. Not even Mom can''t do that. And she''s tried to help us with our situation. "Mommy! Daddy! Come y with us!" Le''s voice takes our attention, and we both turn to see our beautiful little girls calling us over. We make our way over to them with our hands together. "Now, what game are we ying then?" Pazemad leans down, and I follow suit. It''s time that we spend some quality time with our little ones. And do it as a family. I''ve been gone so long. It''s great that I get a chance to do this. I''m worried about Saliandra and Angel Zern, though. I don''t know how long they''re gonna be in that bathroom. And I don''t want to keep my kids outside for long. Let''s hope they''re wrapping whatever they''re going to each other up. ~~~(POV: Pazemad)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:12 PM)~~~ "Thanks again for letting us use one of your showers. It''s been so long since either of us had a chance to get clean." We''re sitting at the kitchen table and enjoying a meal that my wife cooked. What I find disturbing as a Father is the fact my two little girls are staring at Angel Zern. And I can''t help fearing the worse. But they know nothing of love like that... They might have that childhood crush, though... "That''s no problem at all. I''ll admit, I''m curious as to where you actually went besides an old Dungeon that made you smell like that. Min-..." My soon-to-be question is interrupted by the sound of Laura''s voice, and I''m not happy with her question. "Are you really an Angel?" As a man, and a Father, I don''t like it when any boy or man spends time with, thinks about, or looks at my Daughters cause I know what evil a man is capable of. I watch as Angel Zern smiles lightly and stands up from the table. He backs away slightly and gets to a more open part of the room. I watch with great wonder and fear as Golden Wings pop out of his back and spread open in their massive wingspread. The room is just barely big enough to amodate their length. "Yes, I am an Angel. My Father is Arch-Angel Michael. And my Grandfather is The Almighty Father." The true importance of Angel Zern dawns on me at this moment. I''ve been ignoring it in the back of my head... But hearing those words from him makes my hands shake just a bit. "Wow!! That''s awesome! Can you take me for a ride!!" Le jumps off her chair and rushes towards Angel Zern. "No! I want a ride first!!" Then my fear of them being is taken away as my little girls run to the man with open arms. The fear and worry as a Father outweigh the fear I have of the Angel in front of me. "Now hold on, you two, you have to make sure it''s okay with your parents before I take you for a ride." Jaeemara is smiling from next to me, and I''m sweating bullets. Angel Zern is stealing the attention and love of my little girls, and she''s just smiling. Only I''m allowed to be the man in their lives at the moment. "What do you say, honey? Do you think it''s okay for Angel Zern to give our little ones a ride?" The wordsing out of Jae''s mouth are aplete and utter betrayal that I never thought I''d hear. She sees my shocked expression and justughs. "Oh, c''mon... They have a little crush. Let them have some fun..." She whispers these words to me, but they echo and scream in my ears. "Absolutely not. Sorry you two, but Angel Zern isn''t someone that can just give a ride whenever a child asks for it." Both my little girls turn to me, and I can see the tears forming in their eyes and the cringing of their faces from the brutal rejection. And my heart slowly breaks, realizing how much I''ve hurt my little girls. "Well, I''m sorry. But it seems that you''re Dad isn''tfortable with it. Maybe when you''re a little older and bigger, he''ll be okay..." Older... Bigger... Images of my two beautiful little girls growing up sh before my eyes. And seeing them going for a ride on Angel Zern is even more dangerous than what''s happening now. This is a nightmare. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 556 Staying The Night [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:49 PM)~~~ "The little ones are asleep now, and I''m too tired to stay up any more than we already have. Being home is finally putting a drain on my body. Come, Pazemad. Let''s leave the two alone." Jaeemara takes her husband''s hand and lifts him off the couch. They retreat toward a staircase and eventually disappear from sight down a hall upstairs. My eyes and attention turn to Sally, and she''s leaning her head back against the soft couch. She looks as tired as I feel. "Should we also head to bed?" My question is simple, and it should be simply answered. But she tilts her head toward me and smiles lightly. "I''m sorry for how I''ve been acting... You didn''t deserve all that... Do you forgive me..." I''m a little taken aback. I didn''t think an apology would evere, and I was okay with that too. She''s entitled to feel anything she wants about what choices I make. But I appreciate she''s doing this. "Hmm... I never thought I needed an apology, my Princess..." I don''t try to control how people feel, and making them apologize to me for how they''re acting because of what they feel is weird. Sure, we fought and argued. But I don''t think that warrants an apology. She looks at me with slight confusion and raises a single eyebrow in a questioning manner. Her long Elven hair frames her perfectly proportioned face. Her eyes pierce into mine. "Well, that''s what couples do when they''re done fighting... They apologize and have make-up sex... We kinda did the order reversed, but that''s how it works." A soft and light chuckle escapes my lips as I process her words. She''s not wrong about that. I''ve heard about it, mostly from my sister. But I failed to see it the moment it was happening. That''s likely to be med on how I''ve seen this whole fight we''re in anyway. I didn''t look at it the same way she did. Or maybe my own arrogance is blinding me from something I''m not seeing here. She wants me to apologize too. That much is clear... But what does she want me to apologize for? The decision I made? I''ll never apologize for that. "I''m sorry that we had a fight, but I''m not sorry about my decision. If you''re looking for an apology there, it''s noting." She takes a breath and lets out a long and drawn-out sigh. Her fingers rise up and pinch the bridge of her nose. She''s frustrated, but not as much as before. "I''m giving up on that, Cera... I shouldn''t have acted the way I had in the first... If I try to get you to apologize or change that, then I''m changing you. I don''t want to change you. You have ws, and I love them as much as your perfections." Well... Sally''s surprised me, to be honest... I figured there wouldn''t be that much to say, but I didn''t realize she''s been thinking about it for so long. Maybe that''s the difference between men and women. Or maybe the difference between us. Questions that are beyond my ability to answer with any correction. My hand raises from my side, and I wrap an arm around her shoulders. Bringing her closer and snuggling up next to her. Moonlight ising through the huge window and shining down on us in the living room of Jaeemara and Pazemad''s house. "I''m d you''vee to a decision about that... And thanks for not trying to force me to change. I love you, Sally. I don''t say those three words enough, but I do. And I wouldn''t change a thing about you either." Many men, women, young, and old would im there are obvious things that I should want to change. Like her past, for example. But I don''t care about her past. All of that happen 80 YEARS before I was even born. That happened before my parents were born. I pick her up in my arms, and I carry her like a princess back to the guest room Jaeemara, and her family is letting us use while we''re here. p Sally lets me carry her with no fuss, and I ce her on the bed as we reach the room. We''re in a private setting now, and I quickly unequip my armor. She does the same as Iy down next to her, and we stare at each other before turning on our backs and looking at the ceiling. "You know, we''vee a long way together. I admit I didn''t think I''d ever find anyone to love. But after meeting you all those months ago, I can say I was wrong. And that''s not something I like to admit very often. Way to prove me wrong, Princess." There is a certain glow to her smile and eyes when I call her Princess. She likes it, whether she wants to admit it or not. Her arm rests across my chest as she shifts to her side to spoon me while Iy on my back. Feeling a connection with someone and having intimate moments like this are what many people spend years looking for. Others don''t even find it. "I never thought I''d have a life like this... If you hadn''t picked me up at that Inn, I would still be a waitress pping hands away from me. I wouldn''t have learned the truth about my family. I wouldn''t have gotten revenge. Most importantly, I wouldn''t have met you..." When she puts it like that, it feels like I''ve had a big impact on her life. Sure, I helped in some areas. But she''s the one that''s made herself into who she is now. A confident, powerful, and wise woman. I know that what her Father said devastated her for a while, but that''s something she also overcame on her own. I was there to talk to her, but she was in her own head building herself up. It takes a lot of willpower and strength to do that. Sometimes, if people just looked a little deeper with Sally. They''d see the most impressive personal growth you''d see from someone with a hard past like hers. "I''d like to say one thing, Sally... Even though I helped you in the beginning. You''re the reason for the person you''ve be. All I did was helpy a foundation. You''re the one who made the blueprint, found the materials, and built yourself." It''s true. I didn''t really do much for Sally other than be there for her after she got her Legacy ss, Winters Wrath. And after she got her revenge is when she cast aside that hurt and scared girl she once was. "You can think that if you want... But you have no idea how much it helps a person when there is always someone to lean on. And you don''t know this, but I leaned on you a lot. That support... It means everything to me... You''ll always have that from me too." I''m not going to say anything more about this topic. I think enough has been said. And I''m pretty tired now that we''re sleeping in an actual bed. One that''s soft and warm. "Goodnight." She lets out a small giggle and releases a pleased sigh. "G''night, my Angel." ~~~(POV: Pazemad)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:38 PM)~~~ "How are you so fine with letting Le and Laura do something so dangerous?" Our conversations tonight have finally led to this. It''s thest thing we have to talk about. And Jaeemara worries me more with her response. "They''ll keep growing, Pazzy... One day, they''ll have boyfriends, go on dates, and make love with the person of their dreams. And eventually, they''ll start families of their own." Every word she just said killed me a little more than before... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 557 Breakfast And Leaving [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:15 AM)~~~ My eyes easily open, and I stare at the ceiling. Sun is shining into the bedroom, causing the heat to rise. Leaning up proves to be a little difficult, given Sally is on me. But I gently slide her off and turn to sit on the edge of the bed. Today, we''re moving deeper into Armezix. There are so many ces to see and people to meet. I''ll have to thank Jaeemara and Pazemad again. My movement on the edge of the bed doesn''t go unnoticed, and Sally is starting to wake up too. "What time is it?" My HUD says it''s a little past 7:15 in the morning. This is one of the mornings we''ve woken upte for a change. "It''s almost 7:20... You could''ve checked your HUD instead of asking me, you know." She cracks a smile as her eyes are hardly open. After a couple of seconds, I stand up and equip my gear. I can smell food being cooked downstairs, and I''m starving. Thest decent meal we had was... Geez, I can''t even remember. I close the door behind me and make my way to the table where we''ll all eat. I see Jaeemara in the kitchen cooking pancakes, bacon, hashbrowns, and sausages. Pazemad is at the table, and just from a nce, it looks like he didn''t sleep a minutest night. "Morning, everyone. Sally will get out of bed soon." She won''t be that far behind, but she might take a quick shower since she has ess to one. I take a seat at the table, and Pazemads eyes bore into me. It''s the look you get from a worried parent, and I look at the two half-asleep little Dark Elves at the table. And as I do, the table moves with a thud. I look back at Pazemad, and I see the protective look my Father had whenever it came to Hailey and any boy she was with. I understand what''s happening now. Must''ve been an unpleasant conversationst night after they went to bed. "Don''t mind him. He''s had a rough night." Jaeemara brings a mess of food to the table and gives Pazemad a look. Causing him to straighten out. The aroma of the food makes its way to Le and Laura, and their eyes try to open. "Thanks, Mommy..." "Thanks, Mama..." Both the little ones give their thanks to their Mother, and I smile. I remember doing that all the time when I was a kid. Mom would put food on the table, and we''d all give her our thanks. The two little girls seem to notice me now, and wide smiles appear on their faces. Pazemad sees this, and I watch as he grinds his teeth. If he ground them any harder, sparks would fly. "Angel Zern... Do you have any ideas about what time you wish to leave..." I can respect a worried and caring Father. Which is why I''m not going to do anything to upset the man. Not that I would. "Probably after everyone''s had breakfast and awake. Sally and I don''t really have any ns. But I''ve been thinking that I should repay you guys for all the help you''ve given us. If you need anything, let me know." The moment I stop talking, both Jaeemara and Pazemad share a look. And I can tell they''ll be cashing in on that. I hope everything is alright, but I won''t bring it up in front of their Daughters. After a few minutes of casual eating, Sally makes her way toward the table, and I can see from her dry hair she''s decided to skip the shower. I bet it''s from the amazing smelling from the food on the table. She sits down next to me and starts to fill her te, and inhales the food faster than anyone at the table. Jaeemara looks at us with a smile and wears our happy expressions with pride. Her food is amazing. "We can talk before we leave. I can see there is a discussion that''s needed." That''s all I say in the presence of the two little kids. After about 25 minutes, the kids leave the table and head toward their bedrooms, and leave the adults at the table. Pazemad lets out a long sigh, and he seems to be in deep thought. "I''m sorry that we can''t help you without needing something in return... Believe me, if we could. We''d like that very much... But, life isn''t that simple..." That''s what someone says when arge problem is present in their lives. It''s a good thing that we''ve met them. Even if they didn''t help us, I still might''ve given how kind they both are. Sally leans back in her chair now that most of her food is gone, and she takes a drink of milk. Washing down the food and looking satisfied. It''s one way to ease the tension that''s soon toe, and I can see them appreciate it. "Tell me what you need help with and if it''s something we can handle. You''ve got it." There is a look of relief on the married couple, and I''m eager to learn what we''ll be helping with. "You see... Jaeemara here is from a wealthy and noble family... And they don''t approve of us... We need your help dealing with Jaeemaras Father and the ns he has. He won''t listen to us, but he might listen to someone as important as you." That''s definitely interesting. It''s not what I''d call a violent or dangerous situation. It has its own uniqueness to it. I knew just from looking at Jaeemara that she is probably nobility, and that''s not an insult. She has the looks and air about her, but shecks the terrible personality thates with nobles. "That doesn''t seem too difficult. We''ll help, but it feels weird. Dealing with something simple for a change." Sally couldn''t have exined the feeling better. We''ve been doingplicated things since we met, and this is the first one that''s actually simple. I don''t want to jinx it, but that''s what it feels like. "I take it you two have had quite a number of adventures from a statement like that." Jaeemara smiles as she talks, and it gives certain positive energy to the room. "Well, I killed a Fallen God less than 72 hours ago." They bothugh, thinking it''s a joke, but after a couple of seconds, they see that I''m not joking. And both of them swallow their building saliva. "Jaeemara will be taking us to her Father, and after we''re done dealing with your situation, you can take us deeper into Armezix." That should be enough talking ns for the morning. ~~~(POV: Pazemad)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:41 AM)~~~ Killed a Fallen God... Thinking about it now, getting Angel Zern''s help regarding our situation is overkill. But if there is one person that can get Jaeemaras Father off our back, it''s him. I just wish it didn''t feel like we''re cheating in some way. It''s like taking out a magical sword that kills everything it''s ever been used against versus someonepletely naked and never used a weapon before. That''s what it feels like. "Alright, we''ll be heading out in a few minutes. We''ll leave you two alone to talk. Sally and I are going to finish the leftovers for breakfast. It''s a waste to let that much food just sit there." Angel Zern and Saliandra leave Jaeemara and me alone to talk, and she turns her attention to me with a smile. "Don''t worry. I feel the same way." Looks like we''re thinking the same way with this. "But look on the bright side after we''re done. No one is going to think about separating us again." She''s not wrong... She''s hardly ever wrong. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 558 The Lair Of A Mastermind [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Jaeemara)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:13 AM)~~~ Saliandra and Angel Zern have been talking to each other since we left a few hours ago. Hearing their conversations makes me think of how Pazemad and I started dating. That eventually led to the life we have now. Only Saliandra and Angel Zern don''t have to worry about others interfering. They make a wonderful couple, and I can see there is a lot of love and trust between the two of them. I''d love to know their entire story together, but that''s overstepping. "You do know there are no restaurants owned by people from your world here, right? Lunch is going to be soon, and I''m more than hungry." There topic of conversation at the moment is one that some might find menial. But I know what she speaks of. yers are from another world called Earth. And Angel Zern is a yer too. Which means hees from that world. While I''ve never had the food, they''re speaking of. I''ve heard great things about it. And I wouldn''t mind trying some in the future. But that would mean leaving Armezix and The Jungles of Nae''mor. That''s taking a huge risk that I don''t need to be taking. "Look, you''ll just have to settle for the food of your world. I don''t have any control over that. It''s not like their food is bad." I try to drown them out as they''re behind me as we jump from building to building. Our destination is the home of my Father. Eldinemara. Many respect and fear him. My Father even has personal connections to the King of The Dark Elves. That''s the amount of influence and control my Father has. I wish there were another way to deal with him other than a confrontation, but I''ll have to do this his way. Upfront and personal. I''m looking forward to seeing Mom again, along with some of my brothers and sisters. Therge family waiting for me there is one I miss. But I have to stay away from them for the benefit of my children and husband. When this is all over, I''m hoping that our problems will be solved. My Father is a man that doesn''t let many things slip past him, but I know that bringing Angel Zern will throw him so far off we''ll have a definite advantage. But my Father is... Forck of a better word... A mastermind. So I''m feeling some pride at having this card up my sleeve, and he does not know about it. "How much further until we reach your Father''s house?" A question from behind takes me out of my thoughts, and I''m a little unprepared to answer. I figured they''d still be talking. But a few minutes passed, and that exins why a sudden change in subject happened. Hopefully, they didn''t spend too much time trying to get my attention. "See that giant building?" There is a metallic and marble pce in the distance, and that''s the home of my Father and the rest of the family. The size of it is embarrassing. I don''t like it when people know Ie from such... Extravagant tastes. "Are you serious? That''s bigger than all the Pces we''ve been to in our travels. How much do you think something like that costs?" Saliandra is the first to embarrass me with such a question. And I don''t know how to answer that. Talking about my Fathers money isn''t something I wish to discuss with anyone, including family and friends. It seems disgusting to be so concerned with material things. "Let''s just say that my Father is the wealthiest person in Armezix. Right behind the throne that rules The Dark Elves." That''s all I''m adding to the conversation. "No wonder your Father believed he could control you. Having that much power and influence will cause people to develop certain habits. What''s the saying? Absolute power corrupts absolutely?" Angel Zern isn''t pulling any punches with his words, and I appreciate that about him. No one would dare say that about my Father in public or private. As to if I agree with his statement or not, I''d say no. My Father has good qualities to go with his bad ones. But he does tend to throw around his power when he truly wants something. I believe it''s called a dicking contest. "Your particr choice of words isn''t what I''d use to describe him. But he does use his power for some of the wrong reasons as much as he would for the right reasons. He doesn''t break anyws, but he does hurt powerful people." Everything he''s done has been for the future of the family, and it''s something that''s hard to hate. He''s not easily stopped, and the only person that''s stood up to him and had their businesses survive is the thrones. I still remember the first time Dad held Le and Laura. It was the first time I had seen or spoken to him since Pazemad and I got married, and it was in the hospital. He held them, and I watched him smile. Genuine happiness. Those are the things I remember about my Father. Not all the things he''s done get in the way of Pazemad and me. Of course, I know them and acknowledge them, but I also choose to do the same for the otherside of him. The good side. "How many floors does your home have?" Saliandra is still on the subject of the home my family lives in. Even viewing it from this far is not doing it justice. "Last time I was there 12 years ago, there were around 80 floors. But I think it''s been extended in many areas. Magic is arge part of the home. It''s way bigger on the inside than the outside." That''s something I never thought I''d say about the home I grew up in. But it gets bigger on the inside. That''s embarrassing to say too. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:27 PM)~~~ Jaeemara walks up to the front gate and speaks with the guard. It''s way bigger up close. I have to bend my head back to see the top. After a couple of minutes, the gates open, and we''re led to the front door. It''s wider than the roads of Armezix. As the door finishes opening, a dignified man is sitting on a golden marble throne. And he looks toward us. More specifically, Jaeemara. "Hello, little Jae..." Seems even a powerful and high-status man like Eldinemara has a weak spot for his Daughter. She steps forward and has a soft smile on her face. She ces her hands on her hips and looks both confident and defiant. "I''m here to settle this once and for all, Dad. And when I leave here today, you''ll leave Pazemad and me alone." A deration of war was just given, and the weight in the room is getting heavier by the second. I know my role is to be the ace in the hole in case Jaeemara needs me. Which is likely. The man stands up from his throne and starts to descend. Locking eyes with his Daughter the whole way down. As he stops in front of her, there is a clear height difference. He even rivals me. "You deserve better than a lowborn man. I''ve already discussed this with you, and nothing can be done about the divorce going through." Ahh, so that''s how he''s ying it. He''s just yanking all control away from Jaeemara, and this is why she needed my help. "That''s not going to happen." I step forward and to the side of Jaeemara. The man looks me dead in the eyes, and I can see his contempt for my actions. And this is when I activate my Divine Title and toggle my Golden Wings on. In that split second, his expression changes from one of contempt to one of worry and confusion. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 559 A Family Saved [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:30 PM)~~~ Every living thing within 500 miles is notified of my existence as my Divine Title has that annoying effect. If I had a choice, that wouldn''t exist. But I can''t control that part of my Divine Title. Guards rush from all doors around the throne room. But they all stop seeing the Divine Title above my head. As the guards stop, other Dark Elves start entering the throne room too. But I can tell by their clothes and general attitude they''re Jaeemara''s siblings. My eyes lock with Eldinemara''s, and I can see out of everything that he could''ve expected. Jaeemara getting my help wasn''t on the list of possibilities. I gently fold my wings and start to circle Eldinemara. But that doesn''t keep him from turning with my movement. "I bet you''re wondering why someone like me is here... You see, Jaeemara has been a kind and generous friend since my girlfriend and I arrived in Armezix. She has a wonderful family at her home. Don''t you agree?" My casual tone has a menacing underline to it, and no one knows what to do. The guards are too scared to step forward, and the siblings of Jaeemara have varying expressions. "Imagine my surprise when I found out that Jaeemara has been threatened by her own Father... Personally, that bothers me... So much so that normally I''d kill you for it..." Those words cause even Jaeemara to start getting nervous. She''s about to speak up, but Sally holds her in support and nods her head. Showing that she should trust me. "Now tell me. For what reasons other than personal pride and preference would you try and tear apart the wonderful family that helped Saliandra and me? What gives you the power to control her life like this? Are you a God?" My slow pace around him eventuallyes to an end as I stand in front of Sally and Jaeemara. Eldinemara swallows hard and tries to rpose himself. Fixing his regal-looking clothes and clearing his throat. After a couple of seconds of silence, another person enters the throne room, and this person is almost a perfect copy of Jaeemara. That must be her Mother. Dae. "What''s going on in he-..." Her eyes slowly widen as she locks her sights on my Divine Title and my Golden Wings furled up behind my back. She slowly looks to see Jaeemara behind me, and she''s putting the pieces together in her head. "Oh, it''s so nice to meet you, Dae. Jaeemara spoke about you quite a bit. It''s nice to know someone in her family supported her choice to marry Pazemad." At this point, I''m the only one talking. Dae''s eyes shift to her husband, and there is almost a mental conversation going on between the two of them. She makes her way over and stands next to her husband, giving him her support. Something that I respect, but never the less won''t matter in the end. After I''m done here, Jaeemara and her family will be free from Eldinemara''s interference. I''m still looking at Eldinemara for an answer, and he takes a breath to do so. ,m "No, I''m not a God. But Jaeemara is my Daughter, and I have a right to be concerned with her well-being. If I think Pazemad isn''t the right man for her, then I''ll do something about it." Such arrogance. I love tearing down people from such high towers. "My, what a tall ivory tower you live on. Or should I say marble and gold? I don''t think you understand what''s going on here, Eldinemara. This isn''t a discussion. You''re going to leave Jaeemara alone. And her family." He takes a sharp inhale of breath. This is killing his pride, but what''s he going to do? Order my death? "I''m sorry, Angel Zern. But I can''t do that." Stubborn men are such trouble to deal with. "Are you prepared for the consequences? My grandfather will see that everything you have here will be turned to dirt in the wind. Your reputation, your wealth, your power. All of it will disappear in the blink of an eye. Is that something you are willing to risk?" It''s a slow and drawn-out exnation and one that has the desired effect. Fear is spreading in the man. And it''s doing so fast. Jaeemara steps forward from behind and stands in front of me. Looking at her Father. I can see the pain and betrayal in the man''s eyes. But this is something he brought on himself. There were other options. Peaceful support he could''ve given. Instead, he chose to believe he knew what was best for his Daughter. Look at where this has gotten him. "Daddy... I want you to know that I love you... But I''m prepared to let Angel Zern do whatever it is he deems necessary to free Pazemad and me from your ns... It hurts so much that it''se to this... But I need to protect my family..." Utter defeat spreads on the man''s face, and I can understand why. His Daughter just gave permission for his execution if I want to do it. Dae steps forward and wraps her Daughter in a hug. "I''m so proud of you, honey bee... I want you to know that I''ll always love you too... I''m sorry that I couldn''t bring Dad over to our side about this, but that doesn''t matter now... What happens next is his choice..." They both look at Eldinemara and wait for his decision. He looks at me, and I see a humbled man now. "Who do you mean by your grandfather... Is it..." Before he can continue, I nod my head a single time. "Jaeemara... I thought I had this won from the very beginning... But I never would''ve expected you to bring a literal God to fight for your side... There isn''t anything I can do anymore, is there... I''ve lost you to some low-born scum." Before Jaeemara cansh out in anger at the insult to Pazemad, I do so for her and grab the man by his neck and lift him off the ground. Straightening out my wings and bringing one to the edge of his throat. Barely drawing blood from the sharpness of the wings. Everyone in the room is frozen and waiting for what happens next. I bring the man''s face close to mine while keeping the tip of my wing against his neck. "You will not or ever speak that way of Pazemad ever again. He''s a great man and an even better Father. You couldn''tpare to him, given 100,000 years to do so." He''s choking to get words out, but I drop him, and he hits the ground, coughing for air. Sallyes up behind me and around my wing to stand next to me. cing her hand on my chest to stop me from doing anything else. Dae looks up at me with a look that says everything when people meet me. Disbelief. They expect a caring and benevolent Angel. But what they get is the fury of my human half. A fact everyone seems to overlook. My half-human side. The side that allows me to do all of this. If I were a full-blooded Angel, I wouldn''t be allowed to harm a soul. But that rule doesn''t exist for me. "Those wings shouldn''t belong to you... You''re not an Angel... Not when you act like this..." Her words have no effect on me, and that further disturbs her for some reason. Jaeemara helps her Father up along with her Mother. And they both look like they''ve lost something today. "I''ll take the resounding silenceing from you that you''ve agreed to leave Jaeemara and her family alone from now on." Eldinemara slowly nods his head and tries to regain some pride. "This is your only warning. If I hear Jaeemara is being bothered by you or anyone associated with you. I''lle back, and I''ll tear down everything you''ve built with my own two hands." The message is clear, and that solves Jaeemara''s problems. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 560 A Spark Of Hope [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:58 PM)~~~ Jaeemara has been talking to her parents for the past 15 minutes, and Sally is sitting next to me as we rx on one of the many sofas. We''re no longer in what can be considered a throne room. But a more private part of the massive structure. What I did to convince Eldinemara to let Jaeemara and Pazemad live their lives in peace could be considered unnecessary, but now they''re truly free. No longer do this have to be afraid of Eldinemara. I''ve fulfilled my favor to them. "You know, it''ll probably be a bit awkward traveling with her after this... Do you think she''ll be upset with you?" Sally has been thinking about Jaeemara with a question like that. I think everything will be fine. Jaeemara said she was prepared to let me do anything to free her family. Jaeemara has gotten everything she''s asked of me. If anything, she''d probably be thankful for it. But I''m not a mind reader. So I shouldn''t assume how she''ll feel about how I helped her. It was fun. I''ll admit that. Breaking down prideful people is a great feeling. Does that make me some sort of twisted prideful person? "No, I don''t think she''ll be upset about anything. She''s talking with her parents now. And from the looks of it, her siblings want a word with her too. It''s a nice sight. Seeing a familying together after being broken apart." It''s not something you see every day. A family trying to rebuild. After a couple of seconds, I feel Sally''s hand find its way into mine. I look at her, and she has her signature amazing smile. She doesn''t know how dangerous her beauty can be. She''s a princess of an entire Kingdom and people. While she''d renounce and deny it for the rest of her life. That''s what she is. A princess. And a beautiful one at that. "Where are we going anyway? Are we just heading deeper into Armezix for the fun of it, or is there something of value there? I''m fine with either." I can tell from that question she''s not used to the whole idea of doing things that are fun. Not required by quests. We''re here to go on adventures. That''s exactly what we''re doing. "In my mind, it''s for the fun of it. But I wouldn''t be surprised if we found ourselves having an adventure. The downside is Armezix probably knows Angel Zern is in town." Armezix is massive, and even a 500-mile-wide announcement about my Divine Title being activated wouldn''t reach everyone. But word of mouth or by system messaging has probably spread it all over Armezix by now. I don''t want to deal with anyone that knows who I am, but it might be unavoidable. "Can I ask you something that isn''t rted to anything we''re talking about?" Sally suddenly interrupts my thoughts and changes the subject. I look at her, a little confused. But I nod my head. She looks toward Jaeemara and her parents. Taking a slow breath to gather her thoughts and words. "Does it bother you... Someone saying you don''t deserve your power... Given what you''ve told me about your past, I can''t help thinking that what Dae said might get to you..." I didn''t react to it in the moment, and in truth. It doesn''t bother me. Blue Chaos was the original owner of my Divine ss. And I''ve taken that destiny for myself. You could argue I don''t deserve it but in my mind. It''s mine now, and that''s not changing. There aren''t many things I could say now that would ease Sally''s mind. She wouldn''t ask this if it wasn''t bothering her a little bit. "No, it doesn''t bother me. It''s mine, Sally. If people don''t think I should have it, that''s what they feel. It''s not my responsibility to ease that feeling. I did what I knew would work, and that scared Dae. Most people don''t have that conviction." Doing what needs to be done or would work isn''t something a lot of people can do. Cause most of the time, that solution isn''t one that can be considered just, humane, or a wide assortment of adjectives. "It bothered me when she said that... Is that bad..." Depends on how it bothered you. "That depends on how it bothered you, Sally. Did it make you feel like what she said was right? Or do you think what she said was wrong? Is it something else that bothered you about what she said?" There are a lot of answers she could give, and I can say that she knows her answer just by looking at her. But she''s afraid to tell me, which would mean that she agrees with Dae on some level. Does that bother me? No. What Sally feels about how I got my Divine ss isn''t something that bothers me. You''re allowed to feel any way about something in your partner''s life. That''s the beauty of being free. "I''m bothered that I understand why she said it... Seeing you throw around your power like that... It scares me... It makes me think that you''re truly capable of anything... No matter who it is... Doesn''t that scare you..." The power to do anything doesn''t exist. That''s an illusion for people who have been weak their entire lives. They dream of power like that. Falsely seeing it ced in others. "I''m not scared of my power, Sally. I''ll never be scared of my power. And there is no such thing as doing anything you want. No one has that kind of power. It''s a trap to think like that." My words seem to have prizing effects on her. She sees the truth in my words, and how they apply to me, but it doesn''t stop her fear. "If you ever start to abuse your power... Do you want me to tell you..." Abuse my power, huh... What would be the limits of abusing my power? Is it proof that I''m abusing that power if I have to ask that question? "What can even be considered abusing, Sally? I''ve taken life, forced oues with my choices, and influenced entire races. Is that abuse?" She''s quiet as I finish talking. And she doesn''t speak anymore after that. About an hour passes, and Jaeemara makes her way over to us. And she feels the weird tension between Sally and me. I stand up and look at the woman who will be our guide. Her handes toward me and waits for me to grab it. I do so, and we shake. "Thanks to you, my husband and children are free from my Father. And that means I''m free to be your guide." ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:49 PM)~~~ We''ve been following Jaeemara for almost an hour now, and I''ve kept my eyes locked on Cera. Mainly I''ve been thinking about what he''s said to me and how much I''ve learned about what goes on in Cera''s head. "Do you guys want to stop off for something to eat!? There are some pretty good restaurants up ahead!!" Jaeemara makes sure her voice is loud enough for both of us to hear. I think some food would do me some good. It''d get my mind off what Cera said. What he said isn''t what bothered me. It''s how he said it. He''s spent a lot of time rationalizing actions in his head. He''s contemted consequences for things that he can and could do. "I''m pretty hungry! Take us to wherever you think would be good!" Cera answers for both of us, and Jaeemara starts to slow down, and we follow suit. I clear my head of the thoughts filling it, and I decide that I can think about that stuff another time. I should enjoy the time I''m having. Not worrying about Cera. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 561 Talk Between Women ,m [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:04 PM)~~~ Cera is off talking with some guys at the billboard. He said he wanted to check out what kind of quests are actually posted, which is strange since we''re already a good distance into Armezix. I''m curious as to what''s on that board too, but I''m sitting here with Jaeemara instead. My attention is taken from Cera as I look toward Jaeemara, and she''s watching me with a smile. It''s a little weird being smiled at by someone I don''t know a lot about. But she''s a good person. "You have that look in your eyes." I have a lot of looks for a bunch of different ways I''m feeling. It''s not hard to tell when something is going through my head. But I shouldn''t be so pessimistic about it. She''s trying to start a conversation, and here I am, being mean with my thoughts. "What look do I have?" She''s a Mother and a Wife. I doubt I have as much experience in the department of love as she does. I want to be those things someday, but it''ll be after Cera and I are done with this life. At least, for a while. "The look someone has when they''re conflicted. Especially about someone they love. You''re worried about Angel Zern and what he did, right?" She''s nailed it on the head. I said that I wouldn''t think about it for a while, but I''ve found myself back in the same headspace as before. I don''t want to leave Cera. On the other hand, he worries me with some of the choices he makes. His preference for violence seems toe at the forefront of his choices. And I know why. It''s because he''s got dark tendencies. Not the type to make someone scream in horror, but to look at him in a light that shows another part of him. The part that could be considered a psychopath. There are many times when he''s shown no regard for life or consequences. That''s one of thergest qualities of a psychopath. But I know he''s not one. Because he''s capable of great love and affection. He can understand and connect with others when he wants to. I guess it''s better to call him a sociopath. But that isn''t a perfect fit, either. "Yeah, he''s been on my mind since before the threats to your Father. I''ve noticed he acts in certain ways in different situations. Ways that many would consider... Evil... I just wish he''d talk to me about what''s going on in his head..." That''s always one of the biggest hurdles in any rtionship. Cera has already opened up a great deal to me, and I can''tin. But I wish he''d tell me what''s going on in his head right now. The things that are bothering him in his life at this moment. "Pazemad is simr to Angel Zern in a lot of ways. He''s a warrior, protective, and he''s got a violent streak in him too. Those are qualities you should love in a man. For if a man isn''t capable of being a monster, he''ll always be a victim." Nothing truer has been said. If you''re not capable of cruelty, hatred, and violence. If it''s not a part of you. The people that do have it will victimize you for the rest of your life. I do love every part of Cera, and I know I shouldn''t dig where he doesn''t want me to. It''s just me wanting to be close to him. I can''t help it. "You have two beautiful children and a loving Husband at home. Was the only reason you agreed to help us in hopes that we solve your problem too?" Eldinemara is a real piece of work, but you can''t expect more or less from a powerful and wealthy man like Eldinemara. He''s used to getting his way, and there is nothing that can stop that from happening. "It was half the reason. The other half is this." Way to keep it vague, Jaeemara. She sees my slightly confused look and chuckles to herself. "To show Princess Saliandra Orvello and Angel Zern around Armezix. You can only do that once, and I''m the one who has the honor of doing it. Angel Zern is a legend and icon to many people. I couldn''t pass up that opportunity." She''s not wrong about that. He''s saved two entire races and has influenced the world in more ways than one. The Church is one of the most influential organizations in the world, and they don''t bother Angel Zern. You could say it has to do with faith, but there is fear and respect there. "Those are the things the public knows about him... They don''t know the things I know about him... If they did, they wouldn''t treat him the way they do, Jaeemara... Trust me..." That''s all I''m saying in regard to this. She nods her head in agreement and leans back in her chair, and looks over toward Cera, and I do the same. But she asks a question that makes me choke on my own air. "How is he in bed?" Never would I have thought I''d be asked that by another woman, but I suppose she''d be curious after hearing what we did. It''s embarrassing, but those are the consequences. "I don''t think I should talk about that..." I should give an effort to get out of this. Jaeemara rolls her eyes and stands up from her seat, and sits down even closer to me. Making sure that I''m able to whisper to her. "This is what girls talk about. We share things about our men and lives. Don''t you want to brag about your man?" Well... I do... But I''m not sure if Cera would want that... He already works hard to keep attention off him, and talking about our... Sex life... Isn''t the best way to respect that? "Don''t worry about him. What he doesn''t know won''t hurt him." That''s the worse excuse I''ve ever heard when rationalizing. "Okay, if you won''t go first, I''ll start. Pazemad does this really amazing thing with his fingers when he''s inside me, and I end up go-!" I ce my hand over her mouth before she continues any further. The blush on my face is enough to light up a dark room. I didn''t realize having a girl talk could be so embarrassing. I remove my hand, and she releases a small sigh. "Well, now it''s your turn. Just one detail." ~~~(POV Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:20 PM)~~~ There is chilling energy crawling up my spine. One that I''ve never felt before. It''s weird and foreign to me. Whatever the source of it is, I can''t lock it down. My eyesnd on Jaeemara and Sally, and they look to be having a conversation. Sally''s face is redder than a ruby, and Jaeemara has an amused smile on her face. "Are they talking about me..." You can''t help wondering that when you leave your girlfriend alone with another girl. I''ve heard about the conversations women have in private. They''re more than open to talking about personal details. I shake my head free of those thoughts and focus back on the board. The Magical Trantor has helped me read thenguages on the board''s pages. There isn''t anything of great interest, and there isn''t much to talk about in terms of reward. But there seems to be a lot of thievery going on in Armezix. Criminal organizations. Most of the posted quests are about finding and putting an end to these groups. That''s not interesting enough for me. But our food is almost done, so I should get back to the table. Sally might eat mine before I get there if I''mte. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 562 Another Side Of Armezix [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:50 AM)~~~ Thest couple of days haven''t been all that eventful while making our way through Armezix. Jaeemara has been giving us history lessons every time we enter a new part of the city. I''ve learned a lot from her about The Dark Elves. We''re currently resting inside an Inn at the moment. Sally is still asleep next to me, and Jaeemara has her own room. Sally looks like she could use some more sleep, but I''m getting up. I make my way to the bathroom and start up a shower. Now that I''ve got ess to one every day now, I''m making sure I use it. One of the worst things is going a long time without a shower. The water is warm and rxing. Having it magically enchanted to help clean and rx you is one of the things I wish Earth showers had. But magic didn''t exist on Earth. Only in our fantasies did we get to experience magic. But the survivors of Earth now live here. In a world teeming with magic. In the end, it was the best oue for us, but the following generations won''t know about Earth as we do. And that, too, is a good thing. How sad is that? Mom and Dad are probably having fun right now, and so are my two other siblings. It''s been a while since Ist talked to them. I should check in on them. It should be early evening on their part of Gaia. Being so far away means I''m in a different time zone now. I open my messages and click on Mom''s name first. I don''t know how I should open this conversation, so just getting to the point is probably best. [How are you guys doing?] My message is sent, and I continue cleaning myself as I wait for a response. It doesn''t take long for Mom to get back to me. Moms don''t take long to get back to their children. That''s one of the things about Moms. Their unconditional attention to their kids. [It''s so good to hear from you, sweetie! I was wondering if I''d ever hear from you again. Your Dad and I have been spending a lot of time together doing quests and having fun. It''s like we''re young again. It was hard without the kids at first. But I''m actually enjoying myself now.] My talk with Mom continues for another few minutes, and I eventually get through all the people in my family. Hailey is still where she was thest time I talked to her, and from the sounds of it, she''ll be there for a while. Marcus is actually aiding a Kingdom right now. He''s got two older princesses wrapped around his finger from the sound of it. I don''t know where he learned that, but I''m proud as an older brother. After a couple more minutes, I''m done with my shower, and I head back into the room. I see Sally still sleeping on the bed, and I take this chance to get breakfast. I''m not surprised that Jaeemara is down here already. Parents have to wake up earlier than their kids, and since Jaeemara is a Mother of two. She''s got plenty of practice at waking up during the early hours of the day. Once I reach her, she smiles and pulls out a chair for me to sit down with her. I give my order to the cook. Jaeemara is staring at me, and I can tell she''s wanting to ask me something. "What?" Jaeemara has be a friend over thest couple of days, and I enjoy herpany. She''s mature, understanding, and wise. Something that makes it easy to be around her. Our conversations are always good, and I enjoy listening to what she has to say. "I was just thinking about Sally and how she''s been doing. You''re aware of her concerns, correct?" That''s something I was hoping to avoid talking about. But I guess getting it over with now is the best solution. Sally has been trying to act like everything is normal, but she''s worried about me. I can tell from the way she looks at me. "Yes, and I''m sure she''ll get over it in due time. Lately, things have been rocky between us. Before we met you, we were in a pretty bad spot. And now we''re dealing with this. While not as bad, I can tell it''s going tost a little bit." Sally and I usually get along with no problems whatsoever. But I guess every rtionship has its up and downs. And times when it''s going steady. "Ahh, to be so young and naive... Sally absolutely adores you, and I can tell you do the same for her. And while not talking about something is a strategy, it''s not going to work in the long run. Pazemad and I have had our fights in the past too. Do you know how we got over them?" I can already tell where this is going. "You talked." Sheughs and looks me straight in the eyes. "No, we argued. Arguments are the best way to get out frustrations, grievances, and anger with your partner. While it''s not the answer people expect, disagreements and fights are just as important as getting along." I''ll admit, that wasn''t the answer I was expecting. But I guess it is a perspective that I hadn''t seen yet. But that doesn''t mean I''m just going to go upstairs and start an argument with her. Jaeemara and I stop talking as our food gets here, and a couple of minutester, I feel a hand on my back and see the beautiful girlfriend that I spend all my time with. She sits next to me and takes some of my food. "How long have you two been up?" She still sounds a little tired. "Cera and I haven''t been down here for very long. Order something, and when we''re done eating, we''ll get a move on." Jaeemara hase to learn of my real name, but that''s the limit of her knowledge regarding me. I couldn''t have her calling me Angel Zern all the time. That''d be inconvenient. So she knows my name instead. "That sounds perfect to me. I''m starving. Where are we heading next, anyway?" That''s a good question and one I haven''t asked Jaeemara yet. We''ve already been through various ces in Armezix. I''m curious as to what''s in store. "We''re heading through one of the worst parts of Armezix soon. Full of corruption, crime, and poverty. It''d be wise if we didn''t start any trouble or attract any attention." Now I''m really interested. There is nothing more fun than cracking the skulls of people who deserve it. "You make it sound like we''re supposed to keep our heads down and not look at anyone. If troublees our way, I''m dealing with it. Criminals are some of the best people to get rid of." While there is no such thing as an equal crime, there is such a thing as punishment for the worst of crimes. Like murder, rape, kidnapping, and very. Those people are the ones I take the most enjoyment out of hurting. "Look, it''ll make getting through the area easier if we avoid any trouble. But if you think that it''s something you want to do. I can''t stop you. Just know that it wastes time, and even if we did something. It wouldn''t make a dent into the problems going on." When she puts it like that, it''s better to do it her way. "You make a convincing point, Jaeemara. As much as I''d like to do something, you''re right about it not changing things in the end. Someone else will juste along." You win some, and you lose some. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 563 Even Beauty Has Flaws [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:15 AM)~~~ The buildings are pristine and maintained despite this part of Armezix being riddled with crime. When you look at the people walking the streets, you don''t see beggars in rags. They look like ordinary people. Jaeemara exined it to us. All thend that''s a part of Armezix is magically enchanted, so it doesn''t have to be cleaned by hand. Being made out of marble and gold, it gives Armezix a paradise feeling to it. Make no mistake, given what can be seen with the eyes. These people are still poor and live in within a crime-riddled part of Armezix. The reason the poor don''t look actually poor is from the city taking care of appearances. The Dark Elves firmly believe that everyone should be presentable and clean. Thus they help the lower sses hold that standard at the cost of the wealthy. It''s definitely interesting. On Earth, a practice like that would be politically and morally debatable. It''s a good thing this isn''t Earth. I won''t have to give it any thought. The Dark Elves are interesting in their way of handling things, but that doesn''t mean they''re wrong. It''s a fresh perspective. "Armezix is divided into different districts. Some districts arerger than others. Some districts have names, and others have numbers. It''s all up to the people within the district. You can think of each district as a town or city. Armezix is the size of a Kingdom." She finishes exining another interesting point of information. The concept of districts existed on Earth, but not in this fashion. "What''s the name or number of the district we''re in?" Sally beats me to the question before I can ask it. I''d like to know this. The Lore junkie in me wants that information. "It''s called district Blue Web. The Blue Web gang runs this district, and it''s one of therger districts of Armezix. The crown and military have tried to fix this ce, but it''s impossible. Look up there." Jaeemara points toward the top of a building, and they''re are some guys up there looking down on the people below. What they''re doing up there is unknown to me, but it''s probably a strategic advantage they don''t want to give up. "The Blue Web keeps people off rooftops since it''s the high ground. The most valuable ce in abat situation is the high ground. Inside a city, the highest ground you can find is the tops of buildings. Hence why we''re not up there." We don''t want to draw any attention to ourselves by traveling by rooftops. If we did, the people patrolling the rooftops would be attacking us or getting in our way. "What else do you know about the Blue Web gang?" This time, it''s me asking the question, and it''s one that I want to know the answer to. "I don''t know the intimate details of their gang, but I do know that they''re one of the 3 great gangs of Armezix. It''s rumored they''ve got their hands in about everything, but that''s all I know. Rumors. The military and crown would know more than me." Policing a city the size of a Kingdom is no easy feat. I''m surprised there aren''t more great gangs. Blue Web is one of the 3, but I wonder where it ranks on the scaling of power. That is, if the gangs have one that''s more than the top three. "How big is district Blue Web?" That was going to be my next question. Sally is thinking the same things I am if she''s asking the same questions I want to ask. Since districts are the size of towns and cities, I''m willing to bet Blue Web is big. Jaeemara said that it''s one of therger ones, but I want specifics. Even if I''ll never return here, I still want to know. Information is valuable, and I want that information. "It''s about 26 miles in diameter. Most of the people that live in Blue Web either work for the gang or pay it. It chokes the citizens living here, and it''s the reason why it''s one of the poorest areas. There isn''t any economic growth due to Blue Web gang." The gang is choking the life out of its own territory? How does it stay afloat if it''s taking all the revenue from its people? That seems like a counterintuitive n, in my opinion. But criminals aren''t the smartest people in the world. If they were anyone smart in a gang, they wouldn''t be in a gang. They''d do something else with their life. Discounting the sociopaths and psychopaths. Members of gangs are likely previous victims themselves. "We''re not spending any extra time in this area if we don''t have to. Blue Web may not be able to withstand your power, Cera. But it''s a ce we don''t want to get dragged into. Taking down their entire infrastructure could take weeks." Jaeemara already knows what''s going through my head, and Sally likely does too. I would''ve done something if it didn''t seem like some a consuming quest. Time, energy, and patients would be required. I''m fine using those, but all three at the same time is asking a lot out of a person. Something that no one can do for a long time. Let alone a few weeks. "I know, I was just entertaining the ideas that were popping into my head. No harm in doing that. Besides, it''s not like what you said before isn''t true. Blue Web is not worth the effort and time if we''ll likely not get it all in the end anyways." It''s not a stance I take often, but I''m not on a quest. It doesn''t have to be done for anything to progress. I can choose what I want to do. And taking on a powerful gang that likely won''t die isn''t something I want to do. That''s fine too. Sally understands and agrees with me. I can see it in her eyes. And Jaeemara is already anticipating my thoughts on this. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:27 PM)~~~ We''ve made it out of Blue Web, and now we''re on our way through another district. This one isn''t named but numbered instead. I''m not paying attention to what Jaeemara is saying at the moment. My thoughts are on The Dark Elves. Even though I didn''t know much about the sister race to my Elven line, I was hoping they''d be different than the Elves I know. I was hoping they''d be better. "Mind if we stop off somewhere and get something to eat?" I interrupt the conversation they''re having and ask one of my favorite questions. We haven''t eaten since this morning, and it''s almost 3:30. I''m starving, and I''m ready to have some hot food. "My, Sally. Out of all the people I know, you''re probably the one that''s always thinking about food. As to your question, yes, we can stop off somewhere and get something to eat." Jaeemara doesn''t know what it feels like to go days or weeks without food. There was a point in my life when that was normal. So my hunger is ravenous in its presence and influence on me. "We''reing up on some ces to eat soon." That''s all I needed to hear. My eyesnd on Cera and I walk up beside him and hold his hand as we walk. He turns his head with a pleasant and surprised smile. I haven''t been that affectionate in thest few days. So this is a change for him. I''ve given a lot of thought to Cera''s actions, and I''ve epted them. I know the real Cera. He''s loving, understanding, andpassionate. That''s the Cera I know and the one I see. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] ,m [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 564 Plans For The Capital [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Jaeemara)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:49 PM)~~~ Sally and Cera are in their own room at this time, and we''ve spent the whole day traveling. We''re not that close to the capital, but I do know that''s the general direction we''re heading. Both of them want to see it, and I haven''t been there in quite some time. We could take an Airship to the capital and enjoy the sights of the Kingdom-sized city, but they both insisted on walking. I can only guess what the reason behind it is, but I''m going to assume it''s because it''s better to see it up close than from high in the sky. My mind drifts to Pazemad and my two Daughters. There is a part of my mind that still worries about my Father and what he might do. But I have to remember that Cera has handled it. The people most important to me are free, and so am I. No longer am I dragged into my Fathers games and ns. I can enjoy my life for what it is, and I''ll have something that I never had before. A future without hindrance. I open my yer Interface and see Pazemads name in the friend section. I click on it, and I know just how to start this conversation. [I''m sad you couldn''t have been there to see the look on my Fathers face when Angel Zern confronted him. Once I''m done helping Princess Saliandra and Angel Zern. I''ming home, and we''re all going on a vacation.] The message is sent, and now all I need to do is wait for a reply. Thinking about that moment a few days ago still leaves a pit in my stomach. I wish it could''ve been different, but Dad only understands force. Mom saying that to Cera really messed up Sally. I don''t think the Princess would be thinking about the things she''s thinking about if it weren''t for what my Mom said. "But they''ll be fine... Madly in love will cause that..." There is no mistaking it. If those two don''t end up together, then I don''t know if love in the youngest generation exists anymore. After another couple of minutes, I get a response back from Pazemad. [Now I''m jealous! Perhaps when you''re back, you can tell me all about it. But right now, I want to talk to you about Le and Laura. I''m worried about them. They keep asking me about Angel Zern, and they''re spending their free time drawing him.] Pazemad is a great man and Father, but he''s overprotective of his little girls. They have a crush. Let them enjoy it while they can. It won''tst. I remember having a conversation like this before I left. The moment I send the message, I can''t help smiling at the thought of Pazemads reaction. It''s cute how much he wants to shelter them, but he''lle to ept they''re growing up sooner orter. It''s a beautiful thing to see your children grow up. It doesn''t take more than a minute before I get a response back. [I''m going to bed.] Way to end the conversation. He''s always in a mood when ites to our Daughters. But I guess that makes him a good Father. [Now, hold on there. I wasn''t done talking to you. I wanted to let you know they''ve decided I''m taking them as far as the capital. Once we make it there, I''ll show them around, and then I cane back. They won''t need me anymore. It''s probably around a week or more by foot left.] Giving a time frame of when I''ll be back will probably put him in a better mood. It''s the role of a Husband and Wife to help their partner in their times of need, and Pazemad needs some news that doesn''t break his heart. After about 2 minutes, I get another response. And it''s so typical of him when he''s upset. [That''s good. See you then.] He''s not upset with me or anyone in particr. Well, maybe Angel Zern, but that''s a given since our Daughters are crushing on him. He''s lost in his head, trying to figure out what to do, and I think leaving him to that is the best I can do now. I''ve given the effort, and it''s clear that he doesn''t want to talk even if I''m doing 95 percent of the work. You have to know when to hold them and fold them. The system disappears with a wave of my hand, and I look toward the ceiling. ,m "I wonder what will happen the day they bring home their first boyfriends..." An image of Pazemad biting his lips so hard they bleed fills my head. And his grip is so tight that his fingernails dig into his palm. While it''s not supposed to be funny, I can''t help being ovee byughter. I miss them... And I''m looking forward to seeing them again. No parent wants to be away from their family for long, and it''s not something that I''m willing topromise, even for Angel Zern. Sally and Cera both know that I''m done and heading back once we reach the capital. They''ve both be my really good friends. Sally and I really connect on an intellectual level. She''s smart and sensitive. I really admire that, given all the things she''s been through in her life. And Cera is a person that is prizing. You either hate him, or you love him. And I can say that I love him. As a friend, of course. But it''s hard not to see the attractive qualities in the man. Sally is a lucky woman, and I know great and long stories will be told of their adventures together. "I should talk to Sally about one more thing before we eventually part, and it''s something that only girls should talk about. Well, that''s not true. But it''s an easier talk between women for the first time." Guys aren''t really that great when ites to understanding the female body and how to treat it in its harder times. Sally and I will have a talk about this. Cause I''m certain there are things she doesn''t know about her own biology still. As weird as it sounds, I''m certain of it. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:13 PM)~~~ Sally wraps her body around mine as wey on the bed in our underwear, and she snuggles up to me. Skinship is one of my favorite things to do with Sally, which isn''t kissing or having sex. It helps both of us feel closer to one another. "Cera..." Her soft and gentle voicees out around my shoulder where her head is. My silence is an indication that I''m listening. That, and my reassuring rub on her lower back. "I''ve been acting like a real nagging bitch, huh..." That''se out of nowhere, and it''s so surprising that I start tough. Uncontrobly. She lifts her head slightly and looks at me, amused. Waiting for a response at the same time. "Well, that''s one of the bluntest ways I''ve ever heard you speak! That''s one way to describe it if you want to!" My voice is raised as I try and speak betweenughs. She leans up andys on my chest. Looking me in the eyes. "You haven''t been a peach yourself, bud. How about I stop all my nagging bitchness and you..." I look at her with a raised eyebrow teasingly since she can''t lock down what to say. "You stop being so violent!" She chokes it out in a rush, and her face gets red in embarrassment. Another storm ofughteres, but now it''s the both of us. "What happened about not nagging me!?" We both startughing even harder, and for the first time in a while. We''re purely happy in each other''s presence. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 565 Jaeemara Tells Us A Story [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:10 AM)~~~ Cera is up before me again like he usually is, and I like that about him. There isn''t anything to do this early other than eat breakfast. We''re already done with our showers, and it''s about time we start the day. Jaeemara is probably already waiting for us downstairs. I look over to my boyfriend and see him waiting for me by the door leading downstairs so we can get something to eat. Once we make it downstairs, we''re the only ones actually in this Inn. Jaeemara is sitting at the front counter talking to the Innkeeper. After saying our hellos, we order our food and start to eat. While it''s not food from Earth, it''s definitely good. "Where do you suppose you''ll first go in the capital?" The Capital of Armezix is called Armezix, and while it''s confusing, just like the Kingdoms from where Cera and I are from, it''s called that here because the whole Kingdom is a giant city, and a single city has a name. Despite it having named districts, it''s the majority name of the city. "We don''t know much about the capital, and it''s still a few days away at the rate we''re traveling. So it''s not like we''re in a hurry to answer that question." Cera answers quickly. We haven''t given much thought or discussion to what we''ll do once we reach the capital. Mainly because we don''t need to talk about it anymore. Now that we''re free from doing quests all the time, we can do what we want. "You know, if you want to know more about the capital, you can ask me. I''ve been to the capital many times with my Father before I met Pazemad. There is a rich and long history to The Dark Elves, and most of it begins in the capital." Jaeemara has been a fountain of information since we started traveling together, and Cera loves to listen to anything she has to say. Cera is certainly a student of history. He believes there is something to be learned from history. Which is true. It''s the truest thing you can say about having a subject to study. Nothing helps more with wisdom than learning history. "How many people outside of Dark Elves know this?" I''d like to know how many people outside their poption knows the history of The Dark Elves. Barely anyone outside Armezixs knows Dark Elves exist. We could be the first people who are outsiders getting to know such intimate details about a race many believe to be extinct. When does onee into knowledge like that? And the moment that thought finishes in my head, I look to the side and see Cera. Someone who knows more about Gaia and its history than any yer. So, this is probably something that''s normal to him. But as I see the smile on his face, he looks like he''s doing it for the first time ever. "As far as I know, you two will be the first to learn about us. But considering who you two are, I don''t think anyone would have any problems." That''s a really nice and somewhat egotistical thing to say about us, but it''s nice to be trusted so much. I hope she doesn''t get in trouble. I should ask to make sure. "You won''t get in trouble after sharing with us, right?" She''s our friend, and thest thing I want to do is get her in trouble because she told us something she shouldn''t have. "No, it''s not like someone will find out. I don''t know where you''re getting the idea they is someone that can read my mind and find out if I told." Well... How do they keep the secret from getting out in the first ce, then? The confused look doesn''t go unnoted by Jaeemara, and she takes a breath to exin more. "99 percent of Dark Elves don''t leave the protection of the invisible shield. If word ever got out, all the Kingdom would have to do is find the one with the loose tongue in that remaining 1 percent. Remember when we met outside the barrier." So she''s one of the few people that actually have the ability and right to leave the barrier? How is there no civil unrest for being confined like this? Maybe it''s just me thinking this... "Okay, can we get back to the history of The Dark Elves and the capital? We''ve deviated." Cera brings Jaeemara and me back into focus, and I stay silent as we both look at her. She takes a sip of her water and prepares to speak. "Armezix originally started out as a single city about the size of a normal one you''d find anywhere. Dark Elves built it after we moved from our ancestral home. I don''t know the name since it''s been lost to time for us, but Armezix was the ce where we kept track of history." Wow, that means Dark Elves are really old... And they''re our sister race. My elven race has migrated across The Sea of Relsarmoder. That''s something that I learned from the very little knowledge I had before meeting Cera. "If you could attach a number to how old Dark Elves are as a race, how old would it be?" They don''t predate the Cezlites and their empire, but we don''t know how old that empire is in itself. Cera would ask a question like that. He wants to fill in the gaps of time, and I''m with him in that. "That''s tough to say... Elven races aren''t affected by time like other races are... I''m over 350 years old, and I''ll live until my life is taken. But since I''m a yer now, too, that''ll be impossible. Same for Sally... But a number... I''d guess over 250,000 to 300,000 years." That would fit into a time before The Old Gods lost their power, and from what I would assume would be the War of Gods. "Why not expand the Kingdom beyond a giant city?" This is what I want to know. A city thisrge seems impractical. "For safety. The first time Dark Elves made themselves known, they were enved. After our envers suddenly disappeared in a war we couldn''t see, our ancestors made the decision to protect our people by doing things this way." ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:45 AM)~~~ "So you''re telling me the only other race you let within the barrier is the Nomadic Peaceful High Orcs? I thought your people didn''t allow any outsiders in." To learn this from Jaeemara is a bit of a shock. I never suspected an istionist race would actually let a select race visit from time to time. "Well, the Nomadic High Orcs were the first people we encountered after we gained our freedom, and we learned that they to were ves like us at one point. And made vows almost identical in terms of peace and prosperity. Only taking a nomadic approach to it." That makes a lot of sense, and it''s something that I didn''t think about. Mainly cause I never thought that an Orcish race could be ves or know peace. Orcs of any race or subspecies get a terrible rap, and that''s because of the brutal ones that everyone is exposed to. It really paints a different picture. I knew they''d be peaceful and likely nice, but I didn''t expect Dark Elves to be so open to them. "Is there a possibility you''d open up to the rest of the world?" Sally asks the question I was going to ask next. I don''t know if they would, but it''s definitely something to think about. "Not that I know of. That''d be up to the crown." It could be something we bring up when we make it to the capital. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 566 Final Approach To The Capital [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:12 PM)~~~ Thest two days of travel haven''t been what I''d call eventful or interesting. But the good news is we''re about 14 hours away on foot from the capital. That''s less than a day. As much as I''d love to travel through the night, Jaeemara and Sally have their hearts set on soft beds. I''m inclined to agree with them. I''m not physically sore, but going through so many different districts and learning so much is making me tired. Over the course of the past two days, I''ve only gotten abined six hours of sleep. My thoughts about everything I learned from Jaeemara run through my head in the deep hours of the night. It''s a bad habit of someone that''s got insomnia. "The capital is the most guarded part of Armezix. When we reach the perimeter, I''ll have to pull some of my Father''s clout to get us in." If Jaeemara can''t get us in, I can do the whole name-dropping thing. But I''d prefer it if I didn''t have to. I''ve noticed that the closer we''ve gotten to the capital, the richer the districts have be. As well as security. It makes sense, given the capital is the original city, and everything else was built after it. The cities are older when you make it this far in. It''s also one of the hardest to reach, I''ve found out. By foot, that is. We could''ve taken an Airship, or I could''ve flown them on my back. That would''ve gotten in the way of learning everything I learned. "How hard is it for ordinary Dark Elves to get into the capital? You make it sound like it''s a district that''s only open to the wealthy and noble. I''ve heard of areas inside certain cities around Gaia. Even experienced them, but an entire capital for the elite..." Sally would talk about this. There are minor grudges she holds when ites to nobility. I hold my own, but for different reasons. She doesn''t like them because they invest and run illegal businesses. I don''t like them because they''re asshats. "Sadly, that''s the best way to describe the capital. My Father and the rest of my family don''t live there because it''s filled with our enemies. The people he''s beaten in business and profits." Interesting... One of the most influential people in all of Armezix isn''t living with the people of his ss... Okay, that''s actually not interesting. I do find it humorous, though. Burning bridges turns out to have more effects if you''re that powerful. I didn''t think I''d see it in person. "Why haven''t I heard about any rebellions and factions opposing the current society of The Dark Elves? Most Kingdoms and races have people in them that want something different. And they''d fight for it, do such forces not exist here other than the gangs." Gangs are different than, say, a fanatical group of people wanting to break free from istion and join the rest of the world. Or perhaps a rogue militia following the orders of a Dark One to bring ruin to Armezix. "Because the crown does an amazing job policing and suppressing those factions and groups. They exist in Armezix, but they''ve taken to gueri warfare to get things done. They''d never aplish anything, but the most noticeable ones are the Dark Elves Of Pride Faction." I doubt that means what it would mean on Earth. The concept of Rainbow Pride doesn''t exist on Gaia. You''ll either be executed or emunicated if you''re caught doing that in this world. But this is another world, after all. Things are bound to be different. "Mind exining a little more in detail?" Dark Elves of Pride... I''m guessing it''s about superiority and, well, pride. "For short, it''s called DEP. They fight against the crown in hopes that Dark Elves join the greater world and rule it at the top. Not a lot of people agree with their ideals, but the ones that do will do anything for it." Sounds like a magical world terrorist group. "Where do you think they''re at now?" I''m so preupied with my thoughts I almost miss Sally''s question, but since it''s a good one, I tune back in and wait for Jaeemara to answer. "It''s hard to say. Only top officials in Dark Elf society know more than that about them. It''s hard to learn anything about the DEP. Given their tactics and fanaticism." Right, gueri warfare. It''s one of the best ways to wage a war. People did it on Earth before they had a name for it. Gaia wouldn''t be any different in advancement in the art of warfare. "There is something a little off-topic from this that I''d like to ask." It''s not about the DEP, but it''s about what they''re fighting against. The crown. Jaeemara has exined a lot about Dark Elf society. But she hasn''t spoken much about the rulers. "Ask away." I hope asking this isn''t crossing the line. In the 20th and 21st centuries of Earth, a country called the UK was ruled by a line of Kings and Queens. They treated their rulers with something akin to Godhood. Never speaking ill of them in public and giving them respect in every way possible. "The DEP, the nobles, and the wealthy. All of them are tied to the crown, but you haven''t spoken that much about the crown. Is it ruled by a family or a single individual? Line of session, or anointed by majority vote?" I don''t know if I''m overstepping any lines with these questions, but Jaeemara should know more than any ordinary person on the street, given who her family is. She''s probably met them in the past. "The crown is another name for the authority that governs Armezix. It''s ruled by a Queen. Her name is Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa. But most people call her Queen Elen or Queen Roa. She''s been ruling Armezix for thest 14,000 years." Wow. 14,000 years is a long time, and it''s not something you''d hear every day. If I do get a chance to speak with her, I''d love to ask her about what she knows. Her knowledge of Gaia is probably 3 times greater than mine. "She has a long line of descendants. More than I care to count and name. But the person that''s supposed to inherit if she''s ever to die is her son. Feldern Ail Lukeaerd Zae Teziel. Or Prince Zae, for short. Queen Roa has ruled on the throne longer than anyone else." Those are the two most powerful people in all of Armezix. It''s likely we''ll speak to them at some point when in the capital. "How receiving are they to other royalty? I don''t like to acknowledge or even talk about it, but I''m the Princess of their sister race. Does that hold any cause for concern?" That''s something I hadn''t thought of... I''m d Sally did. There could be unseen problems. "From what I know, the only royalty that''s evere to Armezix is the leaders of the Nomadic Orc Tribe when theye by. But I doubt anything hostile woulde your way. Not with Angel Zern with you, anyway." What she''s saying subtly is that she doesn''t know how the crown will react specifically to Sally. Since Jaeemara and Pazemad knew about our life together and our story so far, it''s safe to assume the crown does too. "I hope you''ve brought money. Getting through districts beyond the one we''re in will require a steep and heavy toll. It''s one of the ways the wealthy stay that way." Jaeemara suddenly changes the subject, and I don''t miss that she''s doing it cause she doesn''t want to talk about the crown anymore. This is something that''s actually interesting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 567 A Similar Discussion In Different Locations [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:29 PM)~~~ Light has disappeared with the sun''s setting, and we''re all sharing a room. The Inn we''re currently resting in only had one room avable. Meaning it''s a room that''s quite crowded at the moment. But sometimes, it happens. Jaeemara is resting near the window in a chair and looking outside and into the city. It''s a good view, given we''re on a little hill. Sally is lying next to me. Her eyes are already closed. "When was thest time you saw the capital?" My question is sudden and personal for Jaeemara. Given she''s over 300 years old, she''s seen more of Armezix than Sally, and I could hope to. I want to know more about the capital specifically since that''s where we''re heading. "I don''t really remember... It was before I met Pazemad and when I still lived with my Family. Maybe 160 years ago? A little more, maybe... It''s beautiful on the outside, but stay there long enough, and you''ll find the rot inside." That could be said for many Kingdoms and the seats of power that rule them. It''s not unfamiliar to me. Not unfamiliar to anyone in this room. "This may seem too personal, but have you ever thought about your life in a different way? What could''ve happened if you made different choices?" She gives a small smile without turning away from looking at the view. The reason I asked her this is clear. I was the one that thought about different choices. That was me. When I found an opportunity to undo the choices I made and make new ones. I took it. I''d like to hear from someone that hasn''t done that before. Everyone else has to live with their mistakes and choices. I was the one that got a chance to fix my life. That''s exactly what I did. "Everyone thinks about the choices they''ve made in life, Cera... Reflection unlocks the doors to one''s mind. My Husband and Children are the only things I don''t think about changing or doing differently." Reflection... I''ve been doing a lot of that recently. It''s caused specific changes to ur. Mostly in me, but it''s happened in others too. As much as anyone can hate it, your actions can affect others just as much as you. If not more. I know that all too well, and it''s not something that leaves my thoughts for long. I shake them free before they swarm my mind again. I''ve thought enough about it for a lifetime. "To many others, living over 300 years should grant wisdom, knowledge, and patience. We elves don''t learn much in that span of time. Our race has many qualities that make it hard to change personally over time. I''ve strived to change. Most won''t." Eternal life isn''t something I''ve given much thought to. But it''s something I have. Being half Angel does that. Sally being immortal to time is good, but my immortality is a bit different than hers. I''m a yer that''s also half Angel. I don''t know what that means in the end, where that couldnd me as I continue gaining more power. "Don''t you ever wonder where your life is taking you?" These are questions I''d be asking Sally. Her being asleep is stopping that. Jaeemara takes a small breath and looks away from the window and at me. A smile takes form on her features. "I couldn''t tell you, Cera... I''m not going to try something as reckless as predicting my future... What''s the famous saying?" This one, I know. It''s bitten me in the ass already. "Every time you look at the future, it changes." A soft chuckle escapes her lips, and her eyes look heavy. "The past, the present, and the future are all tied together. You''ll find out with an immortal life. The past and present seem to mix. Leaving the monster called the future. Only Gods can see the future. The strongest ones. Even that gift is limited to the highest of powers." Her head leans back a bit and she closes her eyes. Signaling she''s ready to sleep, ending the conversation. Sally snuggles a little closer, reminding me she''s here. Soft breathse from her as she rests too. The past and present seem to mix with an immortal life... That sticks out to me. Immortals perceive time differently. Given that I''m young into my immortality. The longer I live, the more I''ll understand Jaeemara. She''s lived over 300 years, and she''s not much different from other people. ~~~(POV: Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:19 PM)~~~ "Mother, Angel Zern ising here. I don''t know why, when, or how. There isn''t any other reason he''d be in Armezix. His purpose here eludes me. I''d like to triple the guard in the pce." My Son knows as much as I do... Angel Zern is here... In Armezix... I''ve lived a long life. Sometimes, I wondered when the Gods would send someone to finally take me away from this world. Immortality isn''t all it''s cracked up to be... Living this long... You see everyone you know and love die... Crime... Disease... War... Elves are immortal to time, but we''re as mortal as anyone else when ites to sickness and others wishing to kill us. "It''s not something you should be worried about, my Son... I''ve been waiting a long time for my time toe, and it''s on its way..." What other reason would Angel Zern be here other than to take my life? His purpose here wouldn''t be anything else. My boy walks up beside me and looks out onto the city. It''ll be his time to rule all this when I''m gone. I''ve done my best to prepare him, but I can''t say for certain he''s ready. I wasn''t when I took the crown; I was older than he is now. "Why aren''t you willing to fight for your life... Are you that sick of living..." Ahh, sickness... One of the only things that can take an elf''s life. Sickness cane in many forms. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and religiously... No one should be forced to live 14,000 years. "One day, you''ll understand... I promise... You''ll think back to moments like this and remember me... That''s when you''ll understand..." He grips the railing as his hair shadows over his eyes, but I see the stay tearsing down his face. It''s a wonderful thing to be loved so much another would cry over you. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:45 AM)~~~ The running of the shower wakes me up from a rare deep sleep, and I lift my head. Sunshine is barely starting to shine through the windows. Cera is next to me, and it''s one of the rare times I''m up before him. Jaeemara is the one in that shower. I fell asleep pretty earlyst night, and I know I missed out on some sort of talk. But it''s not the end of the world. "Hey, it''s time to wake up." I raise myself from the bed and gently shake Cera. His eyes flutter open, and he takes a breath. As our eyes meet, all the problems and tension we''ve had thest couple of weeks is gone. It''s nice to be the way we were. "Now, isn''t this a surprise... I wouldn''t have expected you to ever be up before me..." He lifts his head and looks toward the shower. A ping of jealousy runs through me, but deep down. I know there is absolutely no reason for that. "The bathroom''s taken, huh... I guess we''ll have to wait for our turn..." Our turn... I can get behind that idea... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 568 The Capital [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:23 PM)~~~ Thest two days have passed quickly, and the capital city is within view ahead as we walk through thest district before the capital. Sally is by my side as she always is. Jaeemara leads up by a couple of steps. There hasn''t been much talk over thest two days. Other than history lessons of each district. We''re actually ahead of schedule. Something that not many people can say when traveling by foot. That''s one of my points of pride. Getting ces early and staying on course. "As you both see, the capital city stands tall above any district we''ve passed yet." Being the oldest part of the Kingdom of Armezix. I can see the slight age in its regal details and design. It''s been built differently than any other district we''ve been through. "The wealthy and noble like extravagant tastes from what I''m seeing. I''m not saying I expected anything different, but that''s a lot of marble and gold." Those are my thoughts exactly. Sally lets Jaeemara''sughter fill the silence for a few seconds. The Dark Elves have built a metropolis in a sense. That''s what I see when I look toward the capital city in the distance. Using the technology and science left behind by the Cezlites. "To be fair, it was the only way we knew how to build. I don''t know the exact details, but the masters of the Dark Elves only had our people build like this. When the Armezix was first built, there was no other way. After a while, we learned of new ways but decided to stay with this." The Cezlite Empire and The Dark Elves are connected in the way how they choose to build. It''s another part of the puzzle. The Cezlites are likely the oldest empire in all of Gaia. "How much will it cost to gain ess to the capital? You said you''d use your Father''s clout. That doesn''t stop the entry fee, though. Right?" I interrupt the flow of the conversation with a question unrted to the topics at hand. As much as I''d like to continue discussing the history of The Dark Elves to gain more clues about the Cezlites, I have to ensure I know the price to enter the capital. They look at me with funny faces. "It''ll be about 5,000 Gold. But we can''t get in with that alone. That''s why I''m going to use my Father''s name to get us in. You can always use your name if you''re not up for that. I''m sure they''d let you in without problems." I wouldn''t doubt they would. But I''d prefer to keep my hood up and my head down. The fewer people who know I''ming, the better. I don''t like mobs forming. That happens too often, as it is when I go somewhere and reveal my identity. It''s a double-edged sword. People bring me their sick and dying, and then for several hours, I''m forced to heal people. I''m not cruel enough to say I hate it. But I''d rather be left alone when ites to big crowds. I''ve never turned down helping others. But it''s not something that I actively seek out. "That''s easy enough to cover. You''ll do most of the talking in the capital. When we''re done needing your help, I''m sure you''ll head home to your family." Jaeemara has already done Sally and me excellent service. I don''t want to keep her away from the ones she loves for longer than I have to. "Good, ''cause I don''t have that kind of money. You''ve been paying for everything, but getting into the capital is more expensive than anything else in Armezix." It''s only fair that I contribute somehow. Doing so with my Gold is an easy way. "How many people live in the capital city? It''s the biggest of the districts, and you haven''t given a specific number to the upancy of the ce." Sally asks a question that takes the conversation back to where it started. And I be silent as I know I won''t have to ask much. Sally has gained a simr taste for history as I have. At first, she didn''t care for lore and knowledge as much as I did. Now that she''s spent all this time with me and learned the actual value of knowledge. She''s gained something that I find attractive on every level. "I''d say around 15,000,000 people live in the capital. The total number of Dark Elves in Armezix is around 120,000,000. From what I''ve heard, new districts will be built soon to amodate the growing number of people." Dark Elves in that high a number. Not a single soul outside of Sally and me knows they exist. That''s something that I find fantastic. ~~~(POV: Prince Feldern Ail Lukeaerd Zae Teziel)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:17 PM)~~~ The guards that patrol the city have been on the lookout for anyone that''s suspicious, and I''ve gained a couple of hundred reports. But reading through them, nothing stands out. I hate this. I hate that I''m stuck in a position like this. I have no idea if Angel Zern is in the capital yet. He''s here to take my Mothers life, and I have no idea where he''s at. I''ll try everything to convince him not to take her, even if ites down to fighting him. I care not about what happens to me. Only that my Mother lives. She''s the hope and leader of our people. We''ve known peace and prosperity since she took over as ruler. "My Prince, the night will soon fall, and the guards won''t be able to search as effectively. Should I give the order to have them rest until tomorrow?" Wezarik tells me something I don''t want to hear. I''d have them search throughout the night. But I know that''s unreasonable and foolish. If we can''t find him during the day, what makes me think we can find him at night? "Give the order for the extra guards to retire for the night and begin shifts as normal. But when morninges, I want them back on the streets and establishments looking for them." My hand in Wezarik nods his head and leaves my study. The chair creaks lightly as I lean back and look at the ceiling. Even though I''m to inherit the throne, I''d rather give that up to see my Mother rule forever. If only Father were still alive... He''d know what to do... I see how much Mom misses him... That''s probably why she''s resigned herself to her fate... To see him once again. After a few minutes, a soft knock at the door wakes me from my stupor. I lift my head as it opens and see my little sister. She''s the one that would inherit after me if I were to die. She''s the second oldest of our family. Mother has given birth to many children. But after Father died, she stopped. My siblings and I are all worried about her... "Greetings, Aelora. What brings you here?" She gives a sad smile and makes her way over to my desk. Sitting down and looking at me from across the table. "I''m worried about you, brother. All of us are. You''re not acting like yourself. Are you that certain Angel Zern is here for Mother?" Why else would he be here? How would he know about Armezix, and how would he get here if not instructed by his Father or Grandfather? These are how I know Angel Zern is here for my Mother. There is no other way he could know about Armezix unless he was sent. "Is Mother still awake?" I ignore Aelora''s question and she squints her eyes in disapproval. She stands up and bows her head lightly before leaving. Seems I''ve upset her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 569 Royal Meetings And Respites [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Prince Feldern Ail Lukeaerd Zae Teziel)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:10 PM)~~~ The royal meeting room for any and all discussions slowly fill. I take the head of the table and wait for my brothers and sisters to sit down. It takes longer than I''d want it to. In the end, everyone is here and waiting for me to start this meeting. Aelora looks at me from the right. It''s clear she''s still upset with me for what happened earlier. Wezarik is standing next to me and starts to circle the table. Passing out papers as he does. In a short answer, they''re reports about the current state of Armezix. Mom doesn''t attend these meetings anymore. Believing her children should handle the state of affairs from now on. She has a lot of faith in us and me. "I take it that we''re here for more than just a mandatory report before we all start preparing for bed." One of my youngest siblings and a troublemaker calls out from the end of the table. His name is long and tedious to say, just like all our names are. Prince Rhael is a headache for me, but he''s excellent at his job, which is managing themercial finances of Armezix. "Rhael, everyone knows that. The real topic of discussion today is Mom. I''m with you, Teziel. I''m worried about her too." My youngest sister speaks up before I can reply to Rhael. Princess Na has always been on my side when ites to handling Mom. She''s as protective as me. "Silence, all of you." Aelora regains the silence at the table. My eyes lift from the paper, and I look at my many siblings. 7 down the right and 7 down the left. There are 14 siblings. 15 children, including me. Mom and Dad made sure there were enough of us. The paper in my hands finds its way back onto the table, and I take a breath. Releasing a long sigh in the process. "You''re right in assuming the meeting is about Mother. While the state of Armezix is important. This is what''s most important. She''s given up." As those words leave my mouth, all breathing in the room stops. My siblings ce their papers on the table, lean back in their chairs, or lean forward. They''re all aware of Mother and her struggles with her long life. But no one other than Aelora and I knew she had given up and resigned herself to fate. It''s believed Angel Zern is here to take our Mother and Queen away from Aremzix and us. The whole reason I called this meeting was to discuss it. "I want to make the objective of this council clear. We''re to protect Mother with everything we''ve got. No one in the royal family is a yer, which puts her and us at risk. I want everyone to pool their resources together. We''ll find Angel Zern before he confronts Mom." Many would im to defy the Gods themselves is warranting destruction. But anyone that has family they love knows you''d do crazy and stupid things for them. It''s family. It may mean something different to other people. But to us. It''s everything. "You''re an idiot." Rhael is as blunt as ever. Out of all of us, he''s probably the only one that''s not on the side of protecting Mother from threats. Aelora closes her eyes and lowers her head. While the rest of my siblings look at Rhael for a deeper exnation. He''s always been like that. I admire that part about my little brother and how he''s always looking for information pertaining to the problem. By calling me an idiot, he''s saying that I haven''t looked at everything yet. "Then, please. Exin why I''m being an idiot about this. You know that no one outside of Armezix knows about the Dark Elves. The only way Angel Zern knows where we are and how to find us is from being tasked toe here." From my perspective, my argument is sound and logical. It''s concluded based on the current evidence and where it''ll lead. "Because Angel Zern isn''t an executioner. Yes, he''s killed people of royalty before. But he''s never been deliberately sent to a Kingdom to kill an individual of high status. Do you believe the Gods so petty and small they''d deem a single person worthy of being targeted as you see it?" He makes a good argument, but he has holes in his view too. This is could the first case, and it''d be foolish not to proceed as it could be the first case. "It''s not about what I believe. I don''t know the thoughts and motives of the Gods. All I know is Angel Zern is here, and there is no exnation as to why other than being sent." An annoyingly long sigh escapes his lips, and for all my youngest brothers redeeming qualities. The way he talks to people is what ticks me off. "That''s assuming the worse at the start of a situation we don''t know. For all we know, this could be good. But you''re jumping straight to the bad." I find myself growing angry. "Have you ever thought you''re listening to Mom too much? How many of you at this table actually ept that she wants to die? I''vee to terms with it. My Mom doesn''t want to live anymore. She''s lived 14,000 years and wants to be with Dad. To her, if it is true, it''s hope." He stands up and makes his way to the exit, and there is a glowing rage in me. And it''s because he''s right. I hate it when my little brother is correct, but I admit it. This is hope for our Mom. "He annoys me. But he''s right. Mom wants Angel Zern to be here for her life so badly. Do you think she''d feel better to learn he''s not?" Aelora speaks words to me that resonate within my mind. Mom is already depressed. If Angel Zern isn''t here to take her, that will destroy her. "This meeting is adjourned. We''ll pick it back up at noon tomorrow." Everyone stands up and makes their way to an exit. I stay seated, and Wezarik makes his way to me. cing a hot cup of tea in front of me. "What are you going to do, My Prince?" That''s a question worth more to me than my life... ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:03 AM)~~~ The morning sun rises with the passing of time, and I lean up in the bed Sally, and I are sharing. After getting into the capitalst night, we immediately made our way to an Inn and settled in for the night. "It can''t be morning already... Why does it have to be morning..." Sally had a hard time sleepingst night. She kept having nightmares, and they didn''t go away until around 4 AM. I make my way out of bed, and Sally groans as I do. Obviously, letting me know she doesn''t want that. Ignoring her, I make my way to the bathroom and start the shower. Jaeemara will be showing us around the more important parts of the capital today. After she''s done with that, she''ll be heading back to her home using an Airship. I''ve offered to pay for it as a final thank you. It''s way more expensive here than it is anywhere else. "You''re not starting a shower without me, right?!" As I step into the stream of water, I hear the sudden thumping of footsteps and someone entering the bathroom. The curtain slides open, and she hops in. A long sigh escapes her lips as she takes her spot in front of me, and I move back so she can enjoy the hot water. Today is ourst day with Jaeemara. She''s be a good friend. I know Sally will miss her as much as I will. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 570 Being Followed [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:17 AM)~~~ Sally has finished her breakfast already. Jaeemara and I are taking our time to enjoy the food instead of inhaling it. The first ce we''re being taken to is The Hall of History. It''s a massive library full of information about The Dark Elves and the rest of the world. I''m interested in what''s been collected by The Dark Elves. Obviously, the Cezlite Empire were the masters of The Dark Elves, as well as the Nomadic High Orcs. I want to see if Dark Elves'' own collection of knowledge corroborates what I''ve learned. "The Hall of History has been around for about 36,000 years. It''s the greatest collection of knowledge in all of Gaia. Therge dome structure you saw when we paid to get in was its location. Magic is used to make the inside even bigger." That''s a significant amount of time. Thinking about living that long... That''s a disturbing thought. My drive to continually learn informationes at a price. I don''t know what that price is yet. But I know there is one. I''ve already been given consequences since using my knowledge of the future. Maybe I should stop this thirst. People''s lives have been taken and changed because of it. Who''s to say it won''t continue? "Finish eating, guys. I''m getting bored waiting." Maybe you shouldn''t eat your food so fast. "Sally, not everyone can eat the amount you can as fast. I''ve never met anyone that doesn''t chew their food before swallowing." Jaeemara takes a jab at Sally. As much as Sally resents it, a chuckle escapes my lips. "Oh, so you agree with her? You don''t think I chew my food?" How did I end up here? "I think you''ll end up choking one of these days." Her mouth hangs open in disbelief. Insinuating someone eats too much and too fast is an incredibly bold and stupid thing to do, especially when the person you''re doing it to is your girlfriend. "Yeah, well! You could go without farting in your sleep! All night long! When the nkets are opened, it can melt the paint off walls!" She''s taking the gloves off. The funny thing is, she farts in her sleep too. I''m as much to me for the melting of paint as she is. "I don''t know why you think you don''t fart in your sleep too, Sally. You contribute as much as I do when the paint melts." Red crimson starts spreading across her cheeks. Turns out it embarrasses her more than it does me. Jaeemara is the oneughing now, and it''s at the expense of both of us. "I''m going to miss you guys. I remember the days when Pazemad and I had times like this. I miss them. Thanks for helping me remember." As theughter stops from Jaeemara. I notice someone looking at us from the bar. It takes a second, but my staring at the person causes him to stand up and leave. Sally and I have our hoods up, but if someone were to look long enough, they''d see we don''t fit in. We''re missing the traditional Dark Elf features. I think we''re being watched. I don''t know why, other than security reasons for Armezix. They''d try and detain us, right? This is a new and interesting approach to dealing with intruders. However, they know I''m in Armezix. Which means they know it''s me. That exins why they''re not approaching me. We finish our breakfast, make our way out of the Inn, and start walking down the street to The Hall of History. I''m keeping my eyes out and noticing some people looking at us for longer than necessary. People are following us from far behind. It''s interesting, to say the least. They want to know what I''m doing in Armezix. Why not just approach me about it? That''s better than skulking about in the crowd. "The Hall of History is open to the public. Floors 8 and higher are off-limits to civilians. Not even my family has ess. Only the royal bloodline is allowed beyond that point. If you get permission from them, you''re allowed to pass the 8th floor." I''m willing to bet that information on the Cezlite Empire is beyond the 8th floor. They''d want to hide that from the majority of the public. ~~~(POV: Prince Feldern Ail Lukeaerd Zae Teziel)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:45 AM)~~~ "He''s in the capital?!" The report I''m reading tells me everything I''d ask. But I want to ensure I''m not reading something else from paranoia. Wezarik is the one that brought me this paper, and he''s informed about everything I''m told about. He takes a single breath and nods his head a single time. Confirming that I''m reading my worst fear. "Where is he heading?" It takes a second to calm down and take a breath. Angel Zern is in the capital, and he''s on the move. I want to know everything he''s doing at all times. "From the reports, The Hall of History. He''s being led by a Dark Elf... Someone of prominent nobility herself." A Traitor. "Give me the name of this betrayer, and I''ll have her drawn, hind, and quartered." He takes off his sses and cleans them. After a second, he ces them in his breast pocket. "Jaeemara." As those words leave his mouth, I realize this person is untouchable. We can''t survive without the support of Eldinemara, and that''s one of his Daughters. "I want you to figure out what they''re doing here. Yourself. You have my permission to leave the pce and approach them. Don''t let them know about anything. Be friendly and learn about them. For now, we''ll y this slow." He bows his head and leaves the room. I haveplete faith in Wezarick. He''s the best when ites to stuff like this. Now all I have to do is wait for more messages about his progress. The reports will be slow, but that''s a part of the game. Before I can stand up, Aelora walks into the office with an angry expression on her face. She reaches my desk and ms her hands on it. Causing it to crack and splinter. "Why didn''t you tell me!? I could help!!" It''s not her job to be on the lookout for Angel Zern. That''s my job. She''s already got responsibilities, and she needs to focus on them. Not this. "How you feel about this is none of my concern, Aelora. You''re already busy with something important. I''ll focus on this. If anything changes, I''ll tell you." She squints her eyes and growls. "But don''t wait on the edge of your seat. We''re ying a long game now. Since Angel Zern didn''t head directly here, there is more information to be learned." That''s the end of the conversation as I stand and exit. But the thrashing in my office tells me the maids will have a time cleaning up the mess she''s making. It''s not the first time her tantrums havee. They are few and far between. But when they happen, it''s because it''s serious. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:29 AM)~~~ Jaeemara stands next to me as we watch Cera take a bunch of books off the shelves. I love seeing him do something he''s passionate about. "Just so you know, we''ve been followed. Cera already noticed it. I wanted to let you know, so nothing surprises you in case there is a fight." I look at her with concern and a raised eyebrow. "Don''t worry. They''re keeping their distance. But I''m betting Cera and you were noticed. If people look long enough, they''ll see you''re not Dark Elves." Well, this just got interesting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 571 Meeting Wezarik [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:36 AM)~~~ The many books I''m reading is providing a good cover to subtly watch the others watching us. Jaeemara and Sally are on the other side of the table, reading some books too. They''re not anything of note. But they''re serving their purpose. It''s not the first time I''ve been followed. There are times in every powerful yers life when someone is stalking them. Why we''re being watched is obvious. Sally and I stick out. When we have our hoods up, it''s hard to get a good look at us. But that didn''t stop someone from seeing us. A report about outsiders must''ve gone through the government. Hence the current situation for being watched. The deeper meaning of why we''re being watched is because I''m Angel Zern. Giving it enough thought, the word must''ve spread about me being here. Reaching all the way to the capital. That causes whoever''s in charge to reach the conclusion that Angel Zern is here. I''m having a hard time figuring out their intentions now that they know I''m here. "None of them have moved from their spots. I doubt they''re intending to let us leave this ce. Not without a fight." Jaeemara and Sally are watching the ones behind me, and I''m watching the ones behind them. Sally''s update tells me we''ve got problemsing our way. I don''t want to put Jaeemara in any more danger than I have. If they''re acting this way, it''s likely her family and she herself would get into trouble. My mind immediately goes to treason. In most instances, treason is grounds for death. "I can say the same. They''re doing a good job at not looking. But they don''t turn the pages of their books. They need more lessons in blending in." When in a library, do as people with books do. Read. Others would disagree, but when you''re on a scout mission like this. It''s important. That''s something these watchers don''t know. Or at least have no experience in it yet. Sally and Jaeemara are both growing impatient at the waiting. As am I. Time may be a luxury for us, but that doesn''t mean I want to waste it. I want to see other ces in the capital before Jaeemara decides to leave. I ce my book down, and I''m about to stand up. But before I can, a Dark Elf male approaches the table dressed in butler clothes. He fixes his sses as his eyesy upon me. "It''s a pleasure to be one of Divinity in the flesh, Angel Zern. You''re probably growing tired from all the watching eyes." He lifts his hands and snaps his fingers. After he does, all the people watching us put down their books and leave us. Seems this man wants to speak with us alone. "You know my name, but I don''t seem to know yours." A small smile appears on the butler''s features. "I''m Wezarik. Personal Aid and confidant to Prince Feldern Ail Lukeaerd Zae Teziel. Heir to the throne and the one that''s been watching you over thest several hours." Jaeemara slowly stands up, and Sally follows suit. Since we''ve been made, and no one else is around, I take my hood off and look the man directly in the eyes. Sally does the same with her hood. Wezarik is patient as he waits for my response. "Wezarik. I''m not familiar with Dark Elf names. But it does sound foreign. Even here." He doesn''t acknowledge my observation. But regardless, it makes no difference to me. "I understand why you''d want to watch outsiders of my power. But I feel as though there is an underlined cause as to why. Fear is what I sense from the actions of your Prince and your spies. If you can call them that." That slight against the Prince causes the man to frown. But he doesn''t do anything other than that. I could use Inspect on him. But I know I''m stronger than he is. Just from looking at him, there is a vast difference in our powers. "I''d appreciate it if you didn''t insult the Prince or the royal family. They''ve done more good than you could imagine for the people of Armezix. However, we''re getting off-topic. The reason I''m here is to ask you a series of questions." Interesting. That''s not something that happens to me every day. It has to do with why they''re so afraid. It''s the only exnation. "Yes, yes. I won''t insult your Prince. I have manners when it''s time to use them. Answering questions, on the other hand. I don''t see where you get the authority or power to presume you can ask me anything." For the faintest of moments, I see a slight crack in the man''s regal nature. A subtle gulp of saliva building in his mouth. He''s nervous. It''s because I make a better point than he could argue against. In truth, this is all just fun for me. I don''t really care about being asked questions by such a man. But the principle remains the same. "The royal family is worried that your presence here is for violence. I was sent to ensure that nothing will happen to the royal family or any of its members." That''s a perfectly reasonable concern. I''ve killed Kings in the past. Killed people of royal blood. I respect they''re trying to ascertain a threat. Any great ruling family and its subordinates should try to protect their people and their family. However, I''m not going to make this easy for them. This is fun, and I want it to continue. "How about one of your royal family memberses to ask me? To send a messenger is cowardly. Even for people wanting to protect their lives and power against someone like me. I''m an Angel, after all." I''m starting to wear down the man, and more cracks are starting to show. I don''t wish to break him. Only make this more interesting than it already is. Sally and I are here to have fun. Be free to do whatever we want. If messing with some powerful people in a non-life-threatening way is how we do it. Then so be it. "I don''t have the power to say whether someone from the royal family will meet you or not. But I''ll take your request back to The Prince. Is there perhaps something else you wish for me to tell him?" He''s recovered fast, and I can see why a Prince would want this man at their side. Confident, calm, and quick with his recoveries. "Tell Prince Feldern Ail Lukeaerd Zae Teziel that I''d like to ess the library above the 8th floor and higher. I''m sure there is more information in there that I''d like to see than what''s avable to the public." He simply bows his head and swiftly leaves the area of the library we''re in. Jaeemara walks up next to me and smacks the back of my head in a joking way. But it doesn''t make me budge. "You know, there were way better ways to handle that." All I can do is smile. I can''t help it. I''m having fun. "Tell me, Jaeemara. When was thest time you saw royalty prostrate themselves in front of another person?" Sally rolls her eyes from behind Jaeemara. "I can''t say that I have. But I don''t think I''d enjoy it, either." Trust me. It''s a fun thing to witness. Seeing people who''ve lived with limitless wealth and power act lower in front of someone like me. "Don''t worry. I have no doubt you''ll find it as enjoyable as I do." She scoffs and starts walking toward the path that leads out of the library. Sally stands beside me with a smile. She likes doing the same things as me. We follow behind Jaeemara. I''m looking forward to wherever she''s taking us next. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 572 A Trial In The Capital [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:40 AM)~~~ Jaeemara has taken us somewhere I didn''t expect. A park. It''s not what I thought to find in the capital. The metropolis around us wouldn''t indicate a park of this size, but the capital isrger than I gave it credit for. The path we''re walking is empty. Apparently, it''s a historical park. One that holds monuments to many different historical figures in Dark Elf society. We''ve already passed a few of them, and Jaeemara has told me their stories. None of them were interesting enough to make a note of. Several 10s of thousands of years before I was born. From what she did tell, they''ve been long forgotten to time as is since most people don''t visit this historical park anymore. "We''re heading to the most important part of the park. A monument to one of the most important people to The Dark Elves is there." I''m not doubting that. The size of one''s monument certainly shows how important they are. Sarcasm. I''ve found that to be a simple lie. After all, the winners are the ones that write history. Who wins more than the one with the most power and money? Sally has been very quiet since we left the library. Something is on her mind. I don''t know what it is. It doesn''t have anything to do with me. I know that much. She''s distracted by something. "Do you actually believe that any of these people deserve a monument?" It''s a legitimate question. I have a cynical streak in me. That much is obvious about the way I speak and talk. Jaeemara, on the other hand, lets out a couple of chuckles. It''s fun having an intelligent conversation with someone who knows about the topic you''re discussing. I have them with Sally, but it''s a fresh feeling having a talk with someone else. "I wouldn''t know, Cera. I wasn''t alive during the time of their supposed achievements that earned them monuments in this ce. All I know is history says they''re great, but that doesn''t mean I believe it." That''s a good answer. Never trust something or someone unless you can confirm it yourself. While it''s not always possible, it''s good practice to have when you''re doing something important. "There it is." Jaeemara points to a statue ahead, and it''s bigger than the others we''vee across. It''s the one at the end of the path. As we approach it, I make out the defining features of the Dark Elf. It''s a man wearing powerful-looking armor. As I approach to get a closer look, a familiar notification from the system pops up. [This Monument is the location of a Trial anyone may partake in. If you pass the trial, you''ll receive the rewards.] [No yer or NPC has ever cleared The Trial of Feledormir.] [Do you wish to take the trial? Y/N] I read the simple notification, and I think of the memories of when I took on Monrells trials for The Legendary Sword, The Witness. "As you can see from the notifications on your yer screens, this ce is old, The Trial of Feledormir. The first King of Armezix. He ruled for 6,000 years, and a golden age followed. Many ims he was the one that freed the Dark Elves." That''s a lie. The Dark Elves were only freed once The Cezlite empire fell in The War of the Gods. When The Olds Gods fell, so did the Cezlites. Feledormir had nothing to do with it. A perfect example of maniption, lies, and cunning. An entire civilization and people have risen based on the falsehoods of a predecessor they never met. I wonder how many times that''s happened in the history of Gaia. I wonder how many times it''s happened in the history of Earth. "Other than being the first King of the Dark Elves, what did Feledormir actually do? Wars, aplishments, victories, and losses. There has to be a record of something somewhere." Jaeemara shrugs her shoulders as she touches the monument. "I don''t know. Many view Feledormir as a hero and savior. I''ll admit that I do too. Being taught about him since a young age has left many people biased. But as I''ve grown older, I''vee to realize not everything is as it seems." If anyone I''ve met could make a good ruler, it''d be Jaeemara. There is a lot of wisdom in her words. She''s drawn a lot from her short life as an elf. Being over 300 in elf age doesn''t equate to a long time. "I heard monuments and trials like this existed in The Elven Kingdom. But we never got to visit them or see them when we were there. Any Kingdom or Empire has something like this." Sally is correct in her statement. Kingdoms and Empires have trials like these in monuments dedicated to their greatest heroes and leaders. Leaving their items as a reward should someone clear them. Trials are still one of the most challenging things out there. The Trial of Monrell has given me something that I''m still using to this day. The Witness will never lose its worth in my eyes. It grows along with me. "I hear that when Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa will have a monument even greater than Feledormir when her time to passes. She''s led our people longest out of any ruler." That''s one way of looking at a reason to put up a monument. But what do I know? I''m just a time traveler with dozens of lifetimes'' worth of knowledge. ~~~(POV: Prince Feldern Ail Lukeaerd Zae Teziel)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:19 PM)~~~ Wezarik stands next to me on the balcony as I process the information he''s given me about Angel Zern. Angel Zern will only speak about why he''s here with someone in the royal family. He''s been slighted. That''s why he''s doing this. He sees sending a servant to speak with him instead of someone with importance as an insult. I anticipated a situation like this. I wanted to see how Angel Zern would react. But from the way Wezarik exined it, it''s more than just a y to show dominance and respect. He wishes to be in a position to strike a powerful figure in case something goes wrong in whatever talks we''re to have. It''s quite the ploy. "Where is he now, Wezarik?" We need to keep our eyes on him at all times. It''s the only way to protect Mom. Before he can answer, the door to my personal balcony swings open, and Aelora storms toward me. A look of seriousness on her face. "I''m sick of being out of the loop. Wezarik, where is Angel Zern. I''ll go to him myself and figure out why he''s here." All that leaves my lips is a sigh. She''s letting her emotions get the best of her. ~~~(POV: Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:38 PM)~~~ Rhael sits next to me as we look out toward the city from the window. My youngest Son is who I spend the most time with. He''s also the one who tells me what his siblings are up to. "Mom, do you really think it''s a good idea to let him handle this? He''s going about it wrong." My youngest Son is right about his brother. I''d never admit this to anyone else. But I believe Rhael to be the one to lead Armezix after I pass. He''d be a better ruler than my oldest Son. But I haven''te to a final decision about that. I know it could spark a war between the two, and that''s thest thing I want for my family or the Kingdom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 573 Conflict In Blood [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa)~~~ ? ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:45 PM)~~~ Rhael is talking to me about the reports he''s gotten today. Hees to me for advice. It''s really just an excuse to see me. I''m not really listening to the report. Drowning out the sound until he talks to me about something unrted to the Kingdom. My thoughts drift to the early days of my reign. How contested it was. When Father named me heir over my Brother, there was almost war. I would''ve given up the throne if it meant my family stayed together. In the end, it didn''t matter. My Brother was killed inbat. Fighting a man my Father selected to defend my im. A piece of me died that day. A piece of Dad died... He didn''t live long after that... All the doctors and healers said he died from a broken heart. Living with the fact he had my Brother, and his Son killed so I could ascend the throne. They haunt me every day. My Father was convinced I was the one to lead Armezix. Prophecies and futures he dreamed up while asleep. That''s what I fear I''ll start if I choose to name Rhael as my heir instead of leaving it to Teziel. I see a great leader and ruler in Rhael. Tezielcks what a leader needs. A sound mind. There is paranoia and fear in my oldest Son. He hides it, but he''s being consumed by it. The right choice is naming Rhael my heir. But doing so would cause history to repeat itself. Blood of my blood will spill. "Mom, are you even listening?" His voice sounds amused and happy. It''s not the first time he''s called me out when I''m not paying attention. "No, I''m not interested in Commerical Finances. You''ve been handling it without my help for a long time, Rhael. We spoke about your Brother when you first sat down. Would you like to know my answer?" I never answered his question. He epted my silence as an answer. I don''t respond immediately when my children ask about their siblings. It''s a habit a parent shouldn''t have. "I was wondering if we''de back to that." He leans back in his chair and sets the reports on the table next to him. "What do you think about the throne, Rhael?" This catches him off guard. I''m not surprised. I''ve never asked him about the throne. I want to hear what he thinks about the power of ruling over an entire people. He takes a sip of water before he speaks. "When I was younger and didn''t know any better, I''d say something stupid. It''d be along the lines of a waste of time or not my concern." He''s definitely grown out of that perspective. It''s easy to see. "But now, I see it as the best way to protect Armezix. Our family has been ruling since the formation of Armezix. We''ve protected our people." That''s the answer I wanted to hear from Teziel. But he gave a different answer. "Are you asking this because you''re worried about Brother as King after you''re gone?" Teziel fears what''s in store for our family and the Kingdom after I''m gone. He''s hanging on to me for far longer than he should. Rhael is the only one of my children that''s epted my wish to die. It''s because he''s not afraid of what will happen after I''m gone. He has the foresight and strength to lead our people. A quality my oldest Son doesn''t have. "Teziel doesn''t have what the people of Armezix need... Do you know why I''m considered such a great Queen, Rhael..." I don''t like asking this question, but this is the most important conversation I''ll ever have with my youngest Son. "You always put the people above what you wanted, what you believed to be in your best interests. Teziel doesn''t know how to do that. He only sees threats and enemies where there are none." That''s all the proof I need that Rhael should be the heir. Only onest question to ask him. "How do you think your Brother and siblings would react if I named you my heir instead of Teziel?" My eyes turn from the window and look at him. There is a look of slight surprise. I never indicated that I''d ask this of him. I never indicated I''d name a different heir. It''s a nice feeling to surprise Rhael for once. He''s always been good at seeing things before theye. But the moment of surprise passes, and I see him enter a time of thought. Contemting. I don''t me him. One that loves their family never considers such a thing. Rhael loves his Brother. He''d not give taking the throne a lot of thought. Only how to support it the best he can. "Brother would be furious. Along with most of my siblings. I''m certain he''d think this a sinister plot. A way to destroy his im and force you to step in. He doesn''t want to see a time without you, but he also wants you on his side at all times." Coming up with such a good answer in a short time shows Rhael has more of me in him than any of my other children. "Do you think there would be war?" I don''t want my children to fight amongst one another. To shed blood in pursuit of ims and seats. But I must put the good of the people before everyone else. And Teziel isn''t good for the people. Rhael is the one that I want ruling after I''m gone, whenever that may be. My youngest Son takes a solemn look, and I don''t me him. It''s not an easy thought to have. Not at all. "Yes, there would be war. Teziel wouldn''t stand idly by. Many see him as the future of Armezix. But many don''t know his deepest ws..." When the timees, I''ll name Rhael my heir. But not now. Not yet. "I want you to know, Rhael. And only you. When my timees, I''ll publically name you my heir. You will take the throne over your Brother. Tell no one. This stays between us." The reaction is one fitting a ruler that the people deserve. He takes it in stride and doesn''t look to enjoy it or hate it. Only ept it. This is how a ruler should act. "I promise I won''t tell a soul, Mom. I''ll be ready when the timees. I know you wouldn''t make this decision unless you saw it as the best for the people we''re protecting." This is a sad and happy moment. The future of Armezix is secure in Rhaels hands. It''s sad because war will follow this decision. But out of that war, there will be a ruler befitting the people after me. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:14 PM)~~~ We''re on our way out of the park, and we''re going somewhere to get some food. It''s been an interesting history lesson. I''ve learned a lot of lies the Dark Elves have told one another. The truths the nobles and royalty have kept from them. Knowing what I do about The Cezlite Empire adds light to ces that I need so I can see the truth. "What should we eat once we''re out of this ce?" Jaeemara is the one to ask this question, even though it''s something Sally would usually ask instead. "I''d like something spicy for a change. It''s been a while since I had something that makes my mouth feel on fire." Sally is fast to answer, and Jaeemara just nods her head in agreement. My mind is on when someone from the royal family wille and talk to us. I doubt it''ll be much longer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 574 Meeting Princess Aelora [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:47 PM)~~~ Jaeemara and Sally are having a conversation I''m not interested in. My thoughts are on the people watching us. We''re in the middle of a restaurant. There are people around us keeping watch. Sally and I have our hoods up. The only people that would be looking at us are guards. That''s who they are. Thest time this happened, a butler named Wezarik made his first impression on behalf of Prince Teziel. I told him if he wants to know why I''m here, I''ll only talk to someone from the royal family. In truth, I''m doing this to entertain myself. It''s fun making nobles and royalty jump through hoops. It humbles them. An action I think nobles and royals don''t get enough of. The eyes watching us haven''t shown any signs of leaving. Soon, Sally and Jaeemara will wish to leave. They don''t know we''re being watched right now. In the library, it''s easy to see prying eyes. In a restaurant full of people, it''s not easy. Since being here, I''ve been keeping watch for anyone that could be following us. Watching us. I wouldn''t put it past Jaeemara knowing. But she doesn''t look like it. As the minute''s pass, something about the atmosphere in the restaurant changes. The entrance to the ce of business suddenly swarms with guards. "Everyone out! Orders of the royal family!" Jaeemara and Sally immediately stop their conversation. Serious looks stered on their faces. We all know this is only for the other people in here. We are to stay seated. Thest of the patrons leave the restaurant. The guards at the door funnel in with their weapons and stand guard as metal footsteps press on the wood. A Dark Elf in old powerful armor makes her way in. She''s tall and pretty. Her eyes are locked on our table. She slowly approaches, and two more guards that are different from the rest follow behind her. They''re here with their weapons and armor in case a fightes. A battle from me. I respect that. "It''s been a long time, Princess Aelora." Jaeemara greets the Princess with familiarity. Given how old Jaeemara is, it doesn''t surprise me they know one another. Jaeemara''s family is almost in equal power with the crown. "It has been long indeed, Jae. It was surprising to learn you''re helping Angel Zern himself. How did you evere across him..." Her voice slows as she finishes talking, her eyes going from Jaeemara to me. There is caution, fear, respect, and intrigue within her eyes. It''s not the first time I''ve seen that look. It won''t be thest time I see it, either. "Luck. What''s the saying? The most interesting things happen from luck." It must be a Dark Elf saying. "I''m here for a simple reason. I wish to know your intentions here, Angel Zern. I''m sorry for speaking candidly, but I don''t want to waste any of your time." This Princess knows her way with words. Jaeemara is a little mad now since the conversation died instantly with Aelora. But she lets it go. "Waste my time, huh..." The air shifts to a heavy pressure as I say that. Fear and instinct almost overtake the guards. The shifts in their armor are heard from moving. Some even reach for their weapons, only to resist enough to stop before drawing them. "Wezarik wished to know the same thing as you... Do you know what I said to him?" Her eyes squint the slightest bit with frustration. It''s amusing to see. Sally and Jaeemara aren''t enjoying it as much as I am. But they do have small smiles on their features. "One of the royal family stands in front of you. Just as you requested. I don''t see how we could''ve done anything wrong with that simple order." She''s not in the mood for games. I suppose I should cut to the chase. "No, you did nothing wrong. I just wanted to see how you''d react. Nobles and royals tend to hold their noses high until Ie around. Something about being The Son of Arch-Angel Michael gives this idea I''m going to kill them." Which says a lot about rulers who think this. What sins they mustmit... "That''s what we want to know... If you''re here to kill anyone in the royal family. More specifically, Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa. My Mother." Kill the Queen... I had a feeling someone was watching me from fear of death. But from all the good things I''ve heard about the Queen, I didn''t think it''d be her. I look to Jaeemara, and she''s confused as to why the Queen is concerned about this. My suspicions aren''t unfounded if this is how Jaeemara is reacting. "Is it the Queen who''s concerned, or is it her children?" The sarcasm in my voice is subtle and one that insults the Princess more than I thought it would. She''s keeping a good lid on it, but her eyes betray her. "Yeah, I''d like to know that too. Queen Roa wouldn''t watch anyone so closely from fear of death. Regardless of whether that person is an outsider or not. She''s too powerful and too proud to think like that." Princess Aelora isn''t happy about Jaeemara''s statement. Not one bit. The roaring fury in her eyes as they look at my friend is evidence of that. The guards in the room have a simr feeling to them too. Especially the ones behind Aelora. Her escorts. "Shut your mouth, Jae. Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you''re in because of this? Helping an outsider the crown hasn''t approved of is grounds for execution on the crime of treason." That''s no way to talk to an old friend. The sparks in their eyes sh, and I can tell that once upon a time, these two were friends. Now they seem not to be. Time does lots of things. Making people drift apart is one of them. "I''d talk more kindly to her, Princess. I''m sure the importance of her family is far more critical to the Kingdom than what I''d do if you talked to me like that." Threatening people because they helped me isn''t a way to get anywhere with me. "Are you here to kill my Mother or not?!" She snaps at me. Having had enough of these games. The look on her face doesn''t indicate any regret from talking to me like this. I find it funny, if anything. But I want to see how far I can push her. So I stand up and toggle my wings on. All the guards in the room draw their swords and go to protect the Princess. My wings have the same hypnotizing golden glow to them as they always do. People find it intimidating. "Now, how about you try that again without the anger." The emotionsing from her don''t tell me anything positive. She''s convinced I''m here to kill someone. The Queen, if anyone. How paranoid is the royal family? ~~~(POV: Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:04 PM)~~~ Rhael calmly knocks on the door to my room, and in my silence, he takes that as an invitation. The mirror I''m looking into gives a view of the door. I''m brushing my hair and thinking of the old days. "Mom, I bring news." His tone tells me it''s grim. "Teziel has confronted Angel Zern against my orders, hasn''t he..." I don''t know what I''m going to do with him once I announce Rhael as my heir. "He''s sent Aelora on behalf of the royal family. From the reports I''m getting, it''s not going well. Aelora shares a simr temperament to Teziel, and it''s starting to affect the conversation." I expected as much, to be honest. In reality, this was a final test to see if Teziel could even listen to my instructions. Now, he''s put everyone at risk. It''s time that I teach Rhael what to do in this situation, given he''s to be King after my passing. How better than to ask a question to teach him? "What do you think I should do now?" Rhael has a great mind. His insights are what I want all my children to give me. But sadly, that''s not possible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 575 A Unscheduled Visitor [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:06 PM)~~~ Rhael is silent as I wait for his answer to my question. I resume brushing my hair since he''s taking his time to find an answer. It won''t take him long. It usually never does. Teziel has failed in almost every fashion. Rhael doesn''t have any of his Brothers qualities. "I think you should talk to Angel Zern yourself. I know that in your heart, you wish to move on from this life. I''m the only one of your children that''s epted that. But I''m not convinced he''s here to kill you. He would''vee straight here if it were. yers and their quests are predictable." That is a perfect answer. Something Teziel wouldn''t think of. He''d jump to the worst-case scenario and focus on that. In his efforts to prevent it, he ends up bringing it to fruition. The logic behind Rhael''s thoughts is based on the origin of what Angel Zern is. A yer. Someone that''s been driven by EXP and levels sinceing to our world. A yer wouldn''t waste time looking around a location where their quest is based. They''d simply chase the quest and ignore everything else. I had hoped that Angel Zern was here to end my life, but that was it. Only hope. After his first night and day in the capital, it was clear he wasn''t here for me. I''d already be dead. I didn''t tell Teziel. I wanted to test him. To see if he was fit to rule. I had seen the signs slowly building. This was a perfect opportunity to see just how far he''s gone off the deep end. My oldest Son has some sort of mental condition or paranoia. No parent ever wants to see that in their child. As Queen, I am responsible for protecting the people and serving their interests. That means testing as my children. Teziel was thest that I tested. He failed the worst out of everyone. "Talking to Angel Zern myself would resolve the problem. But, for the sake of all sides considered. Why wouldn''t I do that, Rhael?" Handling it myself would make the mess Teziel made go away. If he had shown a little patience, all of this could''ve been avoided. I don''t expect Rhael to know this answer. It''s not something I would''ve known at his age. Ites with ruling a Kingdom. Raising children. Trying to do the right thing all the time. It''s hard. A burden no one should have thrust upon them. "You wouldn''t do that because it would reaffirm everything Teziel believes in. All the fears and threats he sees that aren''t there. You''d tell him he''s right." My eyes slowly widen as I look in the mirror... They drift to the reflection of Rhael, and I see him looking down with a broken look. He knew... That''s why I wouldn''t do it. Teziel would see I recognized this supposed threat. Telling him he''s right. I spin around in my chair and look up at Rhael. This is one of the only times in my life that I''ve been surprised. "Yeah... You''re right, Rhael... How did you know?" I can''t help wondering why he knows this already. He figured it out on his own, but where did he get the wisdom to know that... "It''s something that Dad told me once... It''s hard to put into his exact words... You know him, always so good at speaking..." I remember... It was one of the many things I loved about the man... "He wasughing when he told it to me... We just watched uncle edaer get yelled at by his Wife and Daughter..." That''s a good story... One that I missed since I was busy with my job as Queen. Iughed too, when he told it to me all those years ago... "After we were doneughing, he told me that my uncle was yelled at for the exact same reason why you''d not want to handle Angel Zern. It''d send his Daughter the wrong message. A lesson she should never learn. Just like what would happen with Teziel..." I stand up and hug my Son. I don''t usually hug any of my children. Not since they were young. But this is something I need. "I want you to talk with Angel Zern... Tell him you''ll be heir if you must, but I want you to learn this since you''ll be King one day." A simple nod is all he gives. I remember when I could hold him in my arms, but now I don''t even reach his chin when we''re standing. After our hug, he leaves, and I sit back in front of the mirror. Taking up the brush and begin brushing my hair again. "The Kingdom is in better hands than I could''ve hoped for..." I hope for the best for my people and their future King. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:14 PM)~~~ Jaeemara and Sally were able to get everyone to calm down. Princess Aelora is sitting across from us. The same unpleasant scowl on his face. Before long, someone walks through the restaurant door, and the Princess turns her head. Judging from her reaction, it''s an unscheduled visitor. "What are you doing here, Rhael?!" The anger in her voice is clear as she stands up and ms her armored fist on the table. The boy ignores her and takes a seat next to where she''s sitting. She takes the shunning in stride and sits back down. He takes a breath and ces his hands on the table. "I''m sorry about my family, Angel Zern. Teziel has himself, and others convinced you''re here to kill our Mother. But if anyone looked, they''d clearly see that''s not the case. Forgive us for the inconvenience we''ve caused you." I take it this guy is the only one that''s sensible in the entire family... "On orders of her majesty Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa, all guards are to report to their normal stations. No one is to bother or harm Angel Zern and his friends any longer." The announcementes fast as he stands up. His sister stands up quickly, too, likely to refute. But the hard gaze he gives her silences her. She''s actually shocked he could give such a look. "As for you, sister. Return to Teziel. Mom will be summoning both of you soon." The sister looks down in shame, and once the guards are gone. She makes an exit too. Fuming once her shame is gone. Emotional people shouldn''t be in positions of power. Itpromises their judgment. "You must be Prince Rhael. Jaeemara spoke a little about you, but she never said that you''d be the only one in your family that could see we''re not here to cause anyone any harm." His expression rxes, and a sigh escapes his lips. "You tter me, Angel Zern. Again, I''m sorry. You won''t have any more trouble with us. Your intentions were clear when you didn''t immediately decide to kill the Queen. You would''ve handled it first when you got here. Not walk around and enjoy the capital." He''s right. And I''m d someone on their end was smart enough to see it. If I had any intention of killing Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa, I would''ve done so as soon as I got here. "I feel sorry for you and your people if Teziel is to be your next King. Whenever that may happen, he doesn''t seem like the leader and ruler your people need." I have a suspicion. He was sent by his Mom specifically. He holds favor with her. I wouldn''t doubt these two have nned something. Involving their family and the Kingdom. What it is, I don''t know. All I get in response from him is a calm smile as he bows his head before leaving. I look forward to hearing more about what''s going on in the next few days. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 576 Seeing Jaeemara Off [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:30 PM)~~~ We''re at the Airship dock as the evening sets upon us soon. Sally is speaking with Jaeemara as the Airship she''s taking is starting to dock. It''ll be taking her back to her home and her kids. I know she misses them a great deal. I''ve taken up enough of her time. I don''t know what they''re talking about. They''re just out of earshot. Their smiles andughter tell me it''s a good conversation. My mind has been filled with the royal family since Aelora and Rhael interrupted our lunch earlier today. The Princess was what you''d expect a secondborn to be. She had a lot to prove and a massive chip on her shoulder. That''s ironic since I''m the second born in my family. Things are different when you have money and power. I don''t know what to do with the information I''vee to learn in the time Sally and I have been in Armezix. My request to get ess to the library''s higher levels has been denied on direct orders from Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa. I respect her reasoning. No matter how important or powerful they are, outsiders shouldn''t have ess to everything. She''s clearly a great ruler. If only more were like her. I already know enough to say the Dark Elves have lied about their history to each other. It''s not really like I have a responsibility, to tell the truth. Having that lie exist doesn''t harm anything. Not in my eyes, at least. I don''t know what that says about me, but that''s not up to me to decide. Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa is someone I''d like to meet, but I don''t think going to her after everything that''s happened is good. I enjoy creating chaos in a royal and noble family. But I don''t take pleasure in destroying them unless it''s necessary or warranted. "Cera! C''mon! I want to talk with you too before I have to leave!" The joy and happiness in Jaeemara''s voice is apparent as she calls me over. I make it to them, and Sally is tearing up with a smile on her face. The famed tears of joy. I''ve seen and experienced them with both my own family and Sally. Before I can say anything, Jaeemara wraps me in a hug. She holds onto me until I hug her back. She''s be a good friend, and I don''t see anything wrong with a hug at this moment. "What do you n to do once you''re home? Now that your Dad is off your back, you''re free to do anything you want. Maybe your kids and Pazemad can have a rtionship with Eldinemara." It''s a long shot, in my opinion, but she''s got a lot to look forward to once she gets home. I''ve solved her problem, and now she''s free from that control of her Dad. I don''t know if she knows how good her life is really going to get. The smile on her face beams with light now that we''re apart. I haven''t seen that bright smile since I first met her family after she brought us there to meet them. "I''ve been talking to Pazemad on our trip here. Coming up with ideas now that we can do things we couldn''t before. The first thing we''re doing is going on vacation and taking the girls somewhere they''ve never been before." That''s as good a n as any I''ve heard. The Airship she''s taking is almost docked, which means our time with her is ending. There is something I wish to do before she''s gone for the foreseeable future. "Here, make sure you ept this." I open my yer Interface, and I send her a friend request. She gets the notification, and I see the disbelief in her eyes. I guess she still thinks we''re not more than a tourist and guide. She''ll learn what it means to be one of my friends. She looks at Sally first, fresh tears forming in her eyes. They hug, and I feel a little awkward. I''m the one that should be getting the hug. They pull apart, and she wraps me in a hug again. The second time in less than a minute that I''m getting hugged by someone other than Sally or my family. It''s strange, not something I''m used to. Hugs aren''t my thing, but hey. Sometimes people need a hug. She obviously needs one. "Thank you so much, Cera... I don''t know what I would''ve done without you..." I roll my eyes with a smile on my face. "Hey, you''ve proven to be a good friend to me. I trust you. You even know my real name. Everyone refers to me as Angel Zern or yer Zern. When you learn my real name, that means you have my trust." She pulls away as I finish talking, and I turn to Sally. A nod is what I get from her. "Don''t be a stranger, Jaeemara. I like talking to people on my friend''s list." She chuckles, knowing the reason. Someone like me would prefer to talk when I don''t have to deal with the actual person. While I like talking with people, I don''t like dealing with people. There is a distinct difference. Marcus and Dad are the same way. Hailey and Mom are the social butterflies in the family. But someone''s gotta do it. Not everyone in the family can be silent scarecrows sitting around the house. But that was a different time and a different Adamo Family. "Do you want me to walk you on board?" Sally makes her way over to us, and Jaeemara nods. Before turning back to me with a truly happy smile. "Jae. Call me Jae. That''s what my close friends and family call me. Can I ask you one more favor before I go?" I don''t see why not. I nod my head, and she holds up a screen in front of me. "What''s this?" She''s not exining anything. "Read it, you goof." Sally is the one to tell me this. Seems she''s in on this in some way. That''s what they were probably talking about when I was off thinking about the royal family. Regardless, I look at the screen and start reading. [Jaeemara and Pazemad have officially requested that yer Zern be the Godfather of Le and Laura. If you ept, the system and Gaia will recognize you as the Godfather of Le and Laura.] [Do you ept? Y/N] "Are you sure about this? I have enemies, and they could be a target to get to me. I don''t want to put them at risk if I don''t have to." I really like the gesture. Le and Laura are amazing kids who''ll grow to be amazing women just like their Mother. I don''t envy Pazemad when he''ll have to fend off boys with a stick. But thates with the territory. "We''ve talked about it for a while, and Sally has already be their Godmother. All that''s left is you." Wow... I didn''t realize that they saw me as Godfather material... That''s an important symbolic role... "I''d be honored to Godfather Le and Laura. It''s not something you get asked every day. This is going to be the only time I do this." I hit ept, and a new screen pops up. One that surprises Jae, but not me. [Due to Le and Laura being the Godchildren of The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, they''ve received Divine protection and now have ess to Legendary sses once they be yers.] Jae looks at me like I''ve just done the most meaningful thing in the world. Sally just smiles and hugs her from behind. "Yeah, I sorta have a Passive Perk that gives blessings to those that are close to me or help me. It makes sense this happened. But I didn''t expect Legendary sses." Those two little girls will be some of the most powerful people in Armezix. Even Gaia. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 577 Armezixs Future [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:37 PM)~~~ I walk beside Jae as we ascend the ramp into the Airship. Cera is staying behind on the dock. In his head, he''s already said his goodbye. I''m not done with Jae, though. She''s be my best friend, and I want to spend every moment I have left with her. We reach the inside of the ship, and I look out at the people already here. I take my attention off them and turn toward Jae as we stand by the window. "I''m really sad to see you leave, Jae... You''ve be someone special to me. Tell Le and Laura about us. I n to stop by with Cera sometime in the future." Being a Godmother, I want to have a rtionship with Le and Laura. I don''t know them right now, but I like that to change. "The kids back home will be happy to hear that. I''m d to have met you, Sally... There aren''t many people in the world that are as strong as you." She brings me into a final hug and lets me go. I make my way off the Airship and stand next to Cera. The ramp slides back into the Airship, and we watch it leave. I don''t have friends. Not like Jae. Hailey has left a very sour taste in my mouth to this day. I still haven''t forgiven her as much as she''d want that. "Now, what do you think we should do now? We''ve seen the capital. The Kingdom of the Dark Elves. There is still a lot that we have yet to see in this part of the world." It''s about time we left Armezix and did it with nowhere new in mind. We''ll eventually run into the Nomadic Orc Tribes, but I''ve grown tired of this ce, and I wish to leave for something less crowded. "I don''t know, but I want to leave today. There are so many ces we can go see. We were going to check out the nearby Kingdoms, but do you still want to do that, given how much time we''ve spent here?" Cera doesn''t like spending too much time doing the same thing all the time. It''s understandable. "I think we''re over-do for some silence. As interesting as visiting a Kingdom would be." The sarcasm in his voice is almost humorous. "I''d like to do something interesting for a change. I''d like to find some Dungeons and Raids. Take them on, and learn more about this part of Gaia." I''m in the mood for some battle too. It''s been a good couple of weeks since we took on that one Dungeon. "Well, what are you waiting for?" The eagerness in my voice ignites a fire in Cera. He takes me by the waist and his wings spread out. In the next second, we''re flying through the sky and above the Kingdom of Armezix. The jungle isn''t visible in the distance yet but after a few hours of traveling at max speed. We''ll be out of Armezix and on our way to do something interesting for a change. I shift toy on Cera''s back, and I enjoy the freedom thates with flying. I know that it''s not me who''s flying, but it''s still something that I never get tired of. "Just so you know, we''ll have to visit Le and Laura sometime in the future. What kind of Godparents would we be if we didn''t know our Godchildren." Many would say that it''s not an important role in a kid''s life. But that doesn''t have to be the reason we don''t see them. I''d like to get to know the sweet little kids. Pazemad and Jae did a wonderful job of raising them. "I get where you''reing from, Sally, but we''ll likely not be seeing them for a while. While getting back wouldn''t be hard, we have our lives to live too." Cera has an Active Skill called Aspect of Transportation. He can teleport to any named location he''s been to before. It''s convenient, but we haven''t used it yet. But it''s there if we need it to get back to somewhere that we haven''t been to before. "I know, just don''t forget about them. We''ve made many friends in our travels, and we haven''t visited any of them. I don''t want to miss out on something like this." It''s important to me that I keep my friendships alive. I haven''t had them for the majority of my life. I don''t want to lose them now. "We won''t miss out. I doubt that Le and Laura will even care that we visit them often. I''m not against stopping by everyone once in a while. But it''s not going to be a regr thing. That''s too inconvenient." I don''t like it, but I agree with him. We can''t be there as often as I''d like. "Mmm... I won''t think about it..." I lean my head and body against his back and take a deep breath. Rxing as I do. It''s really not that big a deal. Le and Laura will grow up fine without us. "That''s the way. Pazemad and Jae have no need of us. That''s the great thing about being a Godparent. You''re not needed, only wanted." That''s a good way of looking at it. ~~~(POV: Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:33 PM)~~~ "It seems that Angel Zern was seen flying away from the capital." Rhael informs me of the developments that have urred in thest few hours. Right now, my mind is on Teziel. He''s on his way here. The Throne room. All the children are on their way here. It''s time that I inform everyone of the change. Rhael is to be my heir. As much as it hurts to do this, I must do what is best for Armezix. Teziel isn''t what''s best for Armezix. Rhael has proven to be the only one of my children with everything to rule. "That''s good. It''ll make what''s about to happen easier." That''s a sentiment that I''m not sure is good in truth. Teziel has convinced himself of things that aren''t real. Enemies, spies, and traitors. Impossibilities that exist in Armezix. I''ve made sure in my time of ruling the Kingdom. "Are you as nervous as I am?" He''s right to feel nervous about this. He''s not the only one. It''s the right response in the situation we''re in. "I''m what I need to be, Rhael. When you take the throne, you''ll learn that too." He nods his head as he stands next to me. A few minutester, the room slowly starts to fill with my children, and thest to arrive is Teziel. Hees in with the same look he always does, like he knows everything that''s happening. They all kneel and raise their heads at mymand. "Do you know why you''ve all been summoned here today?" No one speaks up except for Teziel. "You''ve recognized the danger to your life, and you''re here to give us orders." He sounds so confident in that thinking. News hasn''t spread to him and his people, it seems. "No, Teziel. Angel Zern has left the capital and is on his way out of Armezix." He gains a confused and worried look on his face, and before he can speak. I hold up my hand to silence him. He obeys and lowers his head. "Rhael is now heir to the throne." Everyone in the room has varying reactions. Some look betrayed, others look surprised, and Teziel himself isn''t looking at me. "Look at me, Teziel." He bites his lip as he raises his head. "You have failed in proving you can rule. This is the result of your paranoia at things that don''t exist. A King can''t rule when he only sees foes where he looks." A sad day... But necessary... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 578 Teziel Cracks [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:41 PM)~~~ My oldest Son slowly stands up and keeps his eyes locked on Rhael. Many will see my new heir as manipting me. Working his way into my mind. But it''s been the opposite. I''m the one that''s changed his mind. The one that''s orchestrated all of this. His siblings have a simr reaction to staring at Rhael. Not in the same way as Teziel, but they have thoughts about what''s really going on. "Mom... Why are you doing this? You''ve never been one for jokes." Aelora has been her brother''s biggest supporter. It doesn''t surprise me she''s asking this. How she''s doing it is insulting to say anything. I''ve never been one to make jokes. In private or otherwise. I think it is beneath a ruler to make such quips. Every ruler must never waste a moment of their time thinking about jokes. "Rhael is to inherit all my titles andnds. He''ll be King. You''ll all swear loyalty to him when I announce this to the public in theing days. As for you, Aelora. You should know better than to assume I''m making a joke." She lowers her head and stares at the ground. "This is to be celebrated, my children. The future of Armezix is secure, and I see prosperous times ahead of Rhaels rule." Each of my children makes their way out of the room as I put an air of finality to the announcement. The only ones left in the room are Rhael, Teziel, Aelora, and myself. Teziel hasn''t stopped looking at Rhael like he''s an enemy. This is what I was fearing. A war. It''lle after my life ends, whenever that may be. But as long as I''m alive, there is no war. War is unavoidable. But I have no doubts Rhael wille out of it the victor. It''s something that every Kingdom goes through. As it''s Queen, I should try to prevent it. But I also know there is no undoing what''s toe. For if I leave Teziel as heir, there is no future for Armezix. This is the only way to secure the future of our people. "Congrattions, little brother. You''ve got everything you''ve ever wanted. What was mine." He''s speaking as if I''m not in the room. I stand up from my throne and stare at the two in front of me. Teziel and Aelora have believed for a long time they''re going to be the most powerful people in the Kingdom. That all of this would be theirs. Teziel would marry some noble girl, and Aelora would marry a nobleman. But they''d still keep the control and power to themselves. Aelora is the only person Teziel trusts anymore. After this, he''ll believe even his own family are enemies. "You will not speak to him like that, Teziel." There is only one solution at this point, for the safety of Rhael. "From this moment forward, you''re banished from the capital. You''ll live at the vi at the paradise royal family home. If you prove to be more than a paranoid boy, I''ll see that you return. But this is the end as far as heir." This hurts me. More than I ever want to feel again. But this is my duty. The only way to ensure the people and the future of my family. "Figures you''d toss me to the wayside. I never thought my own Mother would be someone trying to end me. Now I know why Dad decided to die the way he did. To get away from you." In a burst of anger and pain, the room is engulfed in ice, and Aelora, along with Teziel, is thrown against the wall. I slowly descend the stairs and walk over to their hunched-over forms. "There are many things I will tolerate from my children, Teziel. But I''ll never have one of them speak to me in such a manner. Especially when ites to my Husband." There have been rare moments in our family where I''ve shown my power. I''m not one to throw it around to get what I need to be done. But when it''s time to discipline a child, I''m afraid that''s when I throw the principle of using my power out the window. Aelora looks like she doesn''t know whose side to stand on, and Teziel has the same convinced expression on his face. Even when pinned against the wall. "What are you nning to do about it, Queen Roa? At this point, my life has no meaning. It''d be a mercy if you killed me. Surely you have enough love left for me to grant that..." His words... They''re devastating to me... It''s not what anyone wants to hear from someone they love. Teziel wants this to hurt as much for me as it is for him. I failed as a Mother. That I know, but I can''t be a good Queen and a good Mother. It''s impossible. How Teziel turned out is my fault. Rhael turned out the way he did because of his Father. I wasn''t around to screw him up like Teziel. What hurts the most is how he''s not calling me Mom... I doubt he''ll ever call me that again. Aelora gets free from the ice and makes her way to the exit. I don''t stop her. Teziel isn''t even trying to get free. "What are you waiting for? Do it." He''s really sure that I''m going to end his life because he asked me to. He''s past the point of return. So sure of enemies and traitors that his own family will kill him. "I''d never kill you, Teziel. But your action in the past month has proven you can''t be in the capital. You can''t hold power in Armezix. You will leave the capital." This is a hard day, one that I know will have momentous consequences. ~~~(POV: Prince Rhael)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:15 AM)~~~ It''s a depressing morning after what happenedst night. Teziel has been escorted out of the capital, and everything seems to be over. But I know this day will be with much of the family for the foreseeable future. I''m currently on my way to the dining hall. Everyone should be there soon if they''re not already. Teziel is up to something. He''s not taking this lying down. No one in our family would. Aelora hasn''t spoken to anyone since it happened. I tried to talk to her, but she acted like I didn''t even exist. In the eyes of many, I betrayed them. Mother jumped over all of them for consideration. Naming me the heir to the throne. I see the entrance to the dining room up ahead, and I make my way inside. Almost everyone is here. There are only a few of my siblings that aren''t yet. I sit down and look at the many faces staring at me. Mom isn''t here yet, and it''s just us. "What did you do to convince her to make you the heir?" The voicees from one of my older sisters, Wa. We never got along growing up. "I don''t like your tone, sister. I didn''t do anything to convince her. She decided it herself. Maybe if you spend some time trying to learn, she might''ve chosen someone else." I need to speak this way with them. I can''t be joking around and making light of things. Not anymore. I did it cause it made their lives easier. But I have a bigger responsibility. "You may be the hair, Rhael. But you''re not King yet. I''m still your older sister. I can pick on you as much as I want." At least some things never change. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.236][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 579 Random Direction [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: In Tent, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:10 AM)~~~ We''ve been traveling east for thest three days, and we''re still in the jungles. But they''re not The Jungles of Nae''mor. We''vee across some dungeons and taken them on. I''ve gained a level, and Sally has gained a few. It''s been pretty nice just doing things at our leisure. She''s currently asleep, but I''m starting to wake up. The jungle we''re in has a name that I don''t want to bother trying to say. It''s not named by the Dark Elves, that''s for sure. If it were, it''d be easier to read and say. But the yer Map gives so much already. I really shouldn''tin as much as I do. I lean up from my spot next to Sally, and I roll my neck. We had some fun in the sheetsst night, and it''s back to regr life between us. We had a rough patch for a while, but we''ve gotten through it. Not everything goes perfectly in a rtionship. As I leave the tent, the fresh air of the jungle fills my lungs. A nice breeze rushes across my bare body as the humidity of the jungle goes away for a slight moment. That''s one thing we''re both tired of in the jungle. The heat. It''s super humid, and it never ceases. However, the nights we have fun make for a sweaty mess, which is pretty hot in the moment, but quite odorous afterward. It''s one of the reasons I''m standing out here without any clothes on. It''s too damn hot. It''s better to be in the nude when you''re in this kind of humid hell. I make my way over to the stream of water we''ve set up our tent next to. It''s deep enough to dive into, and the flow of water isn''t overpowering. It''s the best ce to swim. I dive into the water and make it to the bottom of the stream. Instead of resurfacing, I stay below and rx under the water. The flow of the stream isn''t as powerful the deeper you go. It''s almost unmoving down here. I''m enjoying the cool and refreshing temperature down here. I can hold my breath for an incredibly long amount of time. My eyes are open, and while it''s a little blurry, it''s still visible down here. The water of the jungle is unbelievably clear. Before thest of humanity was brought to The Ancients World, I used to read about ces that had existed before my time. ces of unparalleled beauty. ces like this. I''ve had my fill of time down here, and I quickly resurface. Making a ssh as I do. Ind on the bank, and I turn to see Sally getting out of the tent. She stretches out her own nude body. It''s a sight I never get tired of seeing. "I would''ve loved a morning dip with you. Next time, wake me up too. That tent smells bad fromst night." Thankfully, when items, armor, and anything else is in a yer''s Inventory long enough, it gets cleaned. That tent would have to be thrown out from all the things we''ve done it in. "You can always jump right on in. I wouldn''t mind seeing you ssh around in there. I''ll tell you what, it helps the humidity." That''s enough to convince her to start a run and jump over me. Giving me a passing view of everything up close. As I said, I never get tired of seeing her naked. Her body dives into the water and resurfaces a secondter. She looks at me the way any guy hopes to be looked at. It''s enough to encourage me to jump back into the water. Sheughs as I resurface and ssh her. She reciprocates, and we find ourselves in a water fight not too long after getting in the water. This water fight soon turns into a hold-each-other and make-out session. It''s one we''ve bothe to gain quite a bit of experience in. Our lips pull apart, and we stare into each other''s eyes. "You know... We haven''t had any particr ce in mind since we''ve left Armezix. Are we just heading in random directions until we find something interesting? Dungeons are fun, but we haven''t gotten any valuable information from them like you wanted." She''s not wrong. The Dungeons we have cleared haven''t given out anything regarding lore, maps, and historical content about this part of Gaia. Both of us being foreigners, I was hoping we could get something. But so far, we''ve got nothing. "It hasn''t been forplete waste. You''ve leveled up a few times, and I''ve gained a level too. My question to you is do you have any better ideas than heading in a random direction?" Her eyes mockingly go to the corner of her eye. To show that she''s thinking. "No. But I never said I had an issue with what we''re doing. I was only curious as to how long we''re going to keep it up." It won''t be that long. I just want to enjoy some time with my girlfriend, which doesn''t require us to do anything other than having fun. It was a pain in the ass dealing with Armezix and everything going on there. I know that our stopping by for a visit has broughtrge consequences to that Kingdom. What they really are, I have no clue. "That''s good. For the first time, I''m fresh out of ideas. I''ll keep brainstorming things we can do. In the meantime, let''s just enjoy this." I bring my lips forward and lock them with her. We sink back into what we were doing before this conversation. In an effort to spice things up, I slowly bring us underwater. Sally can hold her breath and go without breathing for a long time too. It doesn''t take us long to lose each other to passion underwater. It''s a first for both of us, and it''s exciting, to say the least. I''m d my parents don''t know I do these kinds of things. Well, they know. But not specifically what I do. I''m young, and I''m exploring things I never had before. Sally is a fruit that I''ve yet to taste everything of. To experience everything of. ~~~(POV: Queen Romana Zil Lukaerd Elen Roa)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Jungles of Nae''mor, The City of Armezix, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:45 AM)~~~ I''m sitting in my office, and I''m watching the capital outside my window. I''ve found myself doing this a lot in thest few days. Teziel is gone from the capital and out of power. That much is certain. But I know him, and he''s not going to take this. He believes the throne is his. Whether I say anything or not. There are nobles that are inclined to agree with him. They see Teziel as easily manipted and weak. If only they knew that if they gave the slightest inkling of betrayal, he''d kill them all himself. "Mom, I wanted to talk to you about something." My oldest Daughter, Aelora,es into my office and takes a seat across the table behind me. She''s here to find out why I''ve done the things I''ve done thesest couple of days. I suppose she has the right as my Daughter to ask, but I hold no obligation to answer. "Speak, my Daughter." Aelora is someone that had some potential in her at one time. But Teziel made sure that no one saw anyone as worthy other than him. "Why make Rhael the heir over every one of your other children? Over me? He''s thest in the line of session, and now you''re just going to send him to the front. How is that fair to the rest of us?" She''s about to learn an important lesson. One that Rhael already knows. "Because Rhael is the only one that''s proven he''s fit to rule. None of you have shown me that you have what it takes. Life is unfair, Daughter. You should get used to it." I don''t like speaking this way with my children, but it''s required as of now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 580 Talks With The Family [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Flying, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:47 AM)~~~ The jungle below is a wonderful sight, but the edge of the jungle is visible in the distance. Beyond it, another desert. I wonder what we''ll find out there? There are so many things to find on Alforza. It''s arge continent, after all. Sally is happily spreading her arms out and pretending she''s flying while she''s on my back. This is the first time I''ve seen her do this before. After getting dressed and packing our things, we left around 9 AM. Since then, we''ve been up here in the clouds. My mind is on my family. More specifically, where they''re at and what they''re doing. I haven''t spoken to any of them in a while, and I think getting in contact with them would be nice. I open my yer Interface, and the first name I click on is Marcus. My little brother. Thest I heard of him, he was helping a Kingdom with a problem they had. He was also bragging about how he''s got the Princesses of the Kingdom he''s in right now obsessed with him. That was funny the first time I read it. It''s time to see how he''s doing now since a reasonable amount of time has passed. [Staying out of trouble? Cause if you are staying out of trouble, that''d be a problem. Last I heard from you. There was something about a couple of Princesses. I don''t want your expectations dropping.] Marcus might take some time to get back to me since he''s in a different part of the world. It''s around 10 PM where we came from. The Sea of Relsarmoder is a great distance. But to my surprise, he gets back to me rtively quickly. [I don''t think Mom and Dad would appreciate that you prefer me getting in trouble as opposed to staying out of it. But hey, they''re not around to say what I can and can''t do. As to the Princesses, I had to let them down easily. I can''t get tied down. I''m still young.] I doubt that''s how they saw it. On the other hand, people with Legacy Grade sses and higher can do whatever they please. Marcus has a powerful Legendary ss, and thates with a lot of authority and power. Even Princesses aren''t seen as suitors. yers having this kind of power has caused problems, but nothing that''s not happened before in my past life. I''m just d Marcus is having fun. Sad it has toe at the slight expense of others. They''ll get over it. [What are you up to now that you''re done with that Kingdom? I''m assuming you''re done?] I don''t know the specific Kingdom he''s helping. But they must''ve been truly desperate to approach a Legendary ss holder. It''s considered disrespectful and nearly unforgivable if you waste the time of such powerful people. I should know. There have been people that suffered from wasting my time, not by my choice, but by the world of Gaia and its inhabitants. Sometimes even The Almighty Father stepped in. [Yeah, I''m done helping them. I''m currently on my way to meet up with Hailey. I thought hanging out with my older sister might be fun since we didn''t spend that much time together anyway. I don''t really know her as I should, and this is a great chance.] That''s surprising. Hailey doesn''t seem like the type to hang out with Marcus. As mean as that sounds. Hailey has changed a lot of things about herself. Most of them are for the best. Some of her poorer qualities remain, but those are how you look at them. [I''m about to talk to her after I''m done talking to you. It''s good news to hear you want to hang out with Hailey. Fair warning, she can be... Emotional. But only if given a legit reason too. Like bringing up favorites in the family and stuff.] Hailey might resent me for giving Marcus some clues on how to make her upset. That''s how it goes with siblings, though. Form alliances when you can, and break them when it benefits you the most. We talk for a little bit longer before saying our goodbyes. Next is Hailey. She was pretty vague about what she was doing in the Southern yer Continent. Also known as Cebora. Only that she''d be spending a lot of time there. [How''s my least favorite siblings doing?] Hailey and I have a unique rtionship. One that doesn''t need exining from our past interactions and stories. I know just how to press her buttons, and that''s something she still hasn''t quite locked down with me. [Just busy kicking ass and taking names. Something that you probably haven''t done in a long time. What are you doing anyway? You make it to Alforza?] I love my sister. I love my family. But sometimes, they''re just the most embarrassing people I know. Who the hell says that anymore? That saying died out over 120 years ago. [Yes, Sally and I made it to Alforza. We''re currently flying over a desert and looking for the next exciting thing we''re doing. We''ve taken on Dungeons, visited Kingdoms, and other cool things. What have you been doing other than lying around beingzy?] Hailey used to be incrediblyzy growing up, and that''s something she got tons of k from Mom. Dad always let it slide. Mom and Hailey were at war with each other for a long time. I remember. It was rough since they dragged the rest of the family into it. She doesn''t take long to respond. I''m surprised that both my siblings are up at this time. To Sally and me, it''s the middle of the day. For them, it''ste at night. [I''ve actually been busy taking on mercenary contracts. I''ve even decided to team up with a guild for the time being. There is a series of new and big Raidsing. Things I can''t do alone. They agreed to split that winnings 50/50 with me.] That sounds too good to be true, but if it is. That''s a lesson she has to learn. The Continent of Cebora has a lot of Raids, from what I remember. All of them have great weapons, armor, and item drops. [Merc contracts, huh... Never pegged you for a merc. I wonder what Mom and Dad would say about that.] Let''s just say that Mom and Dad think certain ways about jobs. Be it on Earth or on Gaia. [Oh, shut up. I swear if you tell them anything. I''ll be sure to open my Cera folder. I have plenty of dirt on you from before we all got stuck here on Gaia. In The Ancients World.] That''s a bald-faced lie if I''ve ever heard one. [I might actually be scared if I thought you had anything on me. We both know that you got nothing. But I can be persuaded to not tell them. Send me 5,000 Gold, and I''ll forget about it.] There is silence for a few minutes. I can only imagine how she''s reacting at the moment. Time passes, and I get another message. This one is from the system. [yer Hailey Adamo has sent you 5,000 Gold via The Auction House.] A small smile appears on my face, and I get ast message from Hailey. [You can bet your ass I''m not forgetting this.] "I miss you too, sis..." I do miss Hailey a great deal. She''s my big sister, and even though our sibling dynamic is prettypetitive and sometimes violent. That''s how it goes with us. It''s our way of showing each other love. "Who are you talking to?" Sally''s head appears on my shoulder, and I can hear the curiosity and slight worry in her voice. She and Hailey aren''t on the best of terms after all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 581 Night Terrors [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: In Tent, Desert, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:33 PM)~~~ Sally fell asleep a couple of hours ago, and I''m getting there too. Nothing is more annoying than being on the edge of sleep but not being able to sleep. My mind has been going through all the conversations I had today. There is still one that I haven''t had. That''s with Amelia. She should be up about now, and I want to check in on her too. I open my yer Interface, and I click on her name. Preparing to send a message. However, I find myself at ack of words. Amelia and I have a weird rtionship. But that shouldn''t stop me from getting ahold of her. She''s a great woman and someone who cares about me. [Hey, it''s me. I don''t really know what to talk about. I just wanted to check in on you and see how you were doing.] It''s not the most elegant message. After about a minute, I get a message back from her. [It''s good to hear from you. I was hoping you''d get into contact with me soon. Looks like my wish came true. I''m doing just fine. Zenith has been busy, and thends we acquired in the war are almost developed. All my responsibilities will be ending soon when it''splete.] That''s good news for a change. I know how much she didn''t like being in charge of the newnds they got from Bellvia. Or was it some other Kingdom? I can''t remember anymore. So much has been going on, and details like that slip through the cracks. I don''t have a perfect memory. It''s it wasn''t Bellvia, then I don''t remember. [I''m d to hear you''re almost done with all that. I know how much you didn''t like running an entirely new territory. How are Jackson and Tessa doing? I haven''t spoken to them in a long time. A few months at this point.] The two rulers are friends of mine, and I''m curious about what they''re doing. They''re not yers from what I know, and I can''t get into contact with them as yers can. They''re still NPCs. Being a yer isn''t for everyone. The trial to be one is different for everyone. The system bases it on the hardest and cruelest moments in your life where you failed. That''s how NPCs turn into yers. [Tessa and Jackson are doing fine. They found out they''re having a baby a little after you left thest time I saw you. They''ll have their first heir soon. It''s great. Well, they made the announcement when you left. I don''t know if they knew before that.] Jackson really ismitting to the whole King thing. I always thought a piece of him would want to go back to being a small noble. But after everything he''s aplished, it''d be hard not to stay. He''s built Zenith back from the brink of destruction after their former King was killed. I don''t remember his name either. Henry? God, since when has my memory been so shit? I still remember things from years ago like it was yesterday, but I don''t remember other things. Guess it depends on the important things. [That''s enough about what''s going on here. How are you doing? Are Sally and you having fun?] I spend the next hour talking with Amelia, getting her caught up on everything we''ve done. Telling her about the dungeons, the ces we''ve visited, and the Dark Elves. I trust her to keep this to herself. She knows that. After a final talk about what we''re doing now, which is nothing, she tells me that she''s got some things to handle and should be going. It was nice talking to her. A lot of good things are happening on her end. It doesn''t take me long to fall asleep. As I sink into the depth of darkness when one enters sleep. Something begins to happen. "There isn''t much time left, Raduerial. I''ll being to talk to you. Once Gabriel is done doing her part, I''ll start mine." The voice is familiar. It''sing from an old friend. Fenrir. Before I can respond to him, the darkness takes the form of a field, and I look around it. At first, I can''t make anything out. But as I do, I''m surrounded by bodies. They''re not random bodies. They''re the dead bodies of the people I love. Mom, Dad, Hailey, Marcus, Amelia, and Sally... Sallyys dead at my feet. I fall to my knees and shake her. I try to yell and speak, but no soundes out. She turns to dust, and I''m in a new ce. One void of any light or life. Endless darkness. I don''t know how much time has passed, or where I''m at. But something breaks through the darkness. It''s a sound. I can''t make it out. "..." It''s getting closer and louder. But it''s just mixed noise to me. "..." An overpowering cold prates my body. Something I''ve never felt since I started my life over and had so many things change about me. "Raduerial..." The faint name calls from the darkness, but I have no idea whose name that is. I''ve never heard it before, and for some reason, hearing it bothers me. ,m All of a sudden, the darkness breaks, and I see Sally looking at me from above. But it''s not Sally. It''s her, but not her. I don''t know how to exin it. "Why didn''t you save me... You''re supposed to love me... You abandoned me..." The wordsing out of her mouth hurt me way more than I ever expected words to hurt. She morphs, and the disgusting cracking of bones fills my ears. This time she''s Hailey. "No one loves you. You''re nothing but a waste of space. All you''re good for is taking air from others." I try to shake off whatever''s happening to me. But Hailey explodes in a gore mess, and I throw up seeing how my sister just died. I feel like the weak man I was before I came back with my wish. The same man that let his Mother get shot in front of him and did not do anything about it. The same man that let his sister be consumed by drugs and her dealer boyfriend. The man that killed my Mother was Hailey''s boyfriend... Just remembering his face causes rage to build in me. That rage devours the weakness. Just like before. "I''LL FUCKING KILL YOU, EDWIN!!!" I scream out at the top of my lungs as my eyes peel open, and I jump up with my wings on. The tent we''re in is torn apart by the action. My eyes are darting around. Looking for the son of bitch that killed her. The buzzing in my ears drowns out the world. I hear a faint mumbling. My body is numb, and my heart rate is steady. All I feel at this moment is a hollow rage. Consuming from the inside. "..." The faint mumblinges back. And as I continue to look around, all I see is endless sand, and as the numbness around my body fades, I feel a hand on my wrist. On instinct, I use my wing to start an attack, but I stop at the neck of the person holding onto me. It''s Sally... She''s scared... In an instant, the hollow rage disappears. Sound returns to the world and feeling to my body. Before I can even apologize, I pull my wing away and keel over. Vomiting all over the sand. As I fall to my hand''s and knees, I feel a hand on my back. Slowly rubbing up and down as I heave my guts out. "I''m sorry..." I manage to get out the words between the dry heaves. There is nothinging from Sally in response. I''m kinda scared to look at her. The fear I caused... Fuck. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 582 Im Worried [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:24 AM)~~~ Cera has been through many things in front of me. But feeling and seeing him almost kill me was not what I ever expected. But when I looked into his eyes, it wasn''t Cera. In that split second, I saw someone else. After seeing me, Cera came back. Now he''s dry heaving into the sand. Spit is the only thinging out. His wings are resting at his sides, and I''m rubbing his back. I don''t know what happened to Cera, but I''m worried. I''ve never seen him like that before. He screamed something when he woke me up. I was dead asleep when all this craziness happened. The person he had his rage focused on was Edwin. I don''t know who that is. It''s someone from Earth. That I can guess. This Edwin has done something. Cera told me that he manipted time. I don''t know if that has anything to do with Edwin. It could. I''ll have to wait until he''s ready to talk. I''m not mad at Cera. I''m certainly not scared of him. The person that nearly killed me wasn''t Cera. Whoever or whatever was using Cera''s body looked at me. I don''t know how to help Cera given what''s happened. "Hey... Are you okay..." He''s not dry heaving anymore. His eyes are boring into the sand, and I see something I''ve never seen with Cera. I can''t exin his look. Not urately. It''s like a distance hollowness. Like some of his life has been sucked out of him. My voice gets through to him as he gets off his hands and knees. Taking a seat in the sand instead. Falling on his back a secondter and staring up at the ocean of stars above the desert. "No." His response is what I''d expect from Cera. That''s good. That means I''m talking to the man I love. I crawl over andy on him. Snuggling up to his side and wrapping my arms around him. "What happened..." My voicees out as a whisperced with the worry I have for him. My ear is on his chest. Listening to his heart. It''s beating fast but slowly going back to the average rate I''ve fallen asleep to. He''s taking longer to answer me than I''d like him to. His chest rises with a deep breath, and I hear him slowly exhale. As he does, his heart rate levels out. He''s calming himself down. "I don''t really know... It was a nightmare, I think... But it felt so real... It was like I was living it..." I''ve had those before... Ites with past trauma and emotional events that haven''t been dealt with. I still have them from time to time. It''s never been like Cera''s, where I''d turn into someone else... That I''ve never experienced before. "You were yelling when you woke up... You were saying how you''d kill someone named Edwin..." His body goes stiff, and I hear his heart start beating faster in his chest. I hold him tighter to try andfort him. It''s not doing much. "Edwin, huh... That was the man who got Hailey addicted to drugs and shot my Mother... I watched it happen... Too weak to do anything about it... That was the whole reason I made the wish toe back in time... To save my family..." Oh... That''s... "Do you need me to do anything for you..." My concern and questione out with no control from me. "..." All I get in return is silence. "I hate him, Sally. More than anything you could think of. I hate Edwin so much. I''d turn back time to fuck over his life. Which is exactly what I did. I know he''s out there somewhere. If I ever find him, I''ll bring pain to him he''s never felt or will ever feel again." Cera''s brutal and violent streak is rearing its head for me to see. I know only certain things will bring it out. His family, the people he cares about, and me. Now I''ve learned of another that causes the part of Cera toe out. "I''ll hate him too..." That seems like the only thing I can say. "Is that all that bothered you?" I wait for him to answer me. "..." Again, the only thing I''m met with is silence. Sometimes, I wonder if there are controls for his mouth so he''ll talk. "A name. I heard a name." Way to make it obvious. "What name did you hear?" He takes more time than any moment previously in this conversation. So in my time of waiting, I look up at the stars. Hoping to divine some answers there than my tight-lipped boyfriend. "Raduerial. I heard the name Raduerial." That name doesn''t hold any meaning to me. It''s not human or elvish. I know Cera, and the next chance he gets, he''ll be looking for answers inside a Dungeon or Raid. If those don''t work, he''ll move to the libraries and search through books and texts. "Does that mean anything to you?" Since I don''t know anything, maybe he might. "No. But I feel like I''ve heard it before. Fenrir was there. He called me Raduerial. But my name isn''t Raduerial. He knows that." Raduerial is his name? This is all confusing. "So you have, what, 4 names now? Angel Zern, yer Zern, Cera Adamo, and now Raduerial... This is getting out of hand..." I make it sound like it''s a joke, and he lets out a single chuckle, which is something. Now that Edwin isn''t the topic of the talk, he''s doing better. I don''t want to know who Edwin is, but he sounds like a terrible guy, from what Cera has told me. "When you put it like that, it''s getting annoying. You''ll always call me Cera. But I suppose different people will call me by what they think is correct. Fenrir seems to think it''s Raduerial." They say great legends and figures of history have multiple names. Ones are made by their allies, others are made by their enemies, and some are made by their loved ones. "Don''t worry. I''ll always be calling you Cera. That is your name." I wonder where Fenrir is these days. Cera might know, but it''s uncertain. "Sorry, I ruined the tent. We''ll pick up a new one when we pass by a town or city. Until then, we''ll be sleeping on the sand." That doesn''t soundfortable. I''m already getting sand in ces I don''t want it. If I have to deal with this for multiple nights, I''m not sure I can easily forgive him. This is a joke, of course. "I''m not sure I can ept your apology. I''m already getting sand in parts of my body where it doesn''t belong." The light and fluttery tone I have clearly indicates that I''m trying to get him to engage with me in some sort of physical activity. I''m not looking for sex right now, but I could go for some long kisses. "If you want, you cany on one of my wings. It''ll be morefortable than sand." He reciprocates the tone but not the goal. "You''re a goof. I''m wanting some kisses." I lift my head off his chest and see him raise up slowly with a cocked eyebrow. "Way toy on the subtly." I can''t tell if that''s sarcasm or not. "Come here." I wrap my hand around the back of his head, and I start kissing him. I think he really needs some kisses. I know there are times I need them, and Cera gives them to me. It helps me rx and clear my mind. After a couple of seconds, I pull away, and he''s looking more rxed now. A new smile is on his face. "How about that..." He leans forward again after talking a little, and we lock lips again. Maybe we both need this after what happened. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 583 A Modest Town [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:42 AM)~~~ We''ve been flying since 7:00 AM, and we''reing up on a new town. It''s notrge. Not many buildings that are higher than 3 floors from up here. I dive down without warning and at great speed. "You jackass!" Sally lets out a joyful scream as we descend to the ground at full speed, only to level out over the streets of the town. People below watch us pass. There is an opening for a nice town square ahead. I spread my wings out as I break and gentlynd. People all around us stare as Sally gets off my back. There are young and old slowly making their way over. Not believing what they''re seeing. I can tell by the looks of some that they''re sick, weak, some looking for help. "Things might get a little crowded." The whisper leaves my lips and reaches Sally. She stands close while looking around. Out hoods are off for a change. This town probably has a poption of about 10,000. No more than that. I doubt any yers are here. But it''spletely possible. My wings are still spread out. On the other side, it''d look powerful. That''s probably why people are moving slowly. We won''t be staying here long, so I might as well get this moving. "Does anyone know where I can buy a tent for two?" The sudden question directed to everyone takes more than most by surprise. They all stop in their footsteps, and the crowd slowly parts. What I see is an olderdy walking with a cane. She slowly makes her approach and stops in front of me. Looking me up and down. Some are nervous at the sight of both of us. It''s certainly strange. I can only guess why they have such looks. I''m not going to go through them now. No point. "I find it hard to believe you''vee all the way to our little town for a tent, Angel Zern. However, if that is why you''re here, I''ll be sure to take you to where they''re sold." She lifts her right hand, and you can see the age as she takes her time and shakes at the simple action. The twirling of her finger is a sign for everyone here to disperse. The crowd is gone in no time, and it''s just Sally, the olddy, and me. "That''s a weird first thing to say to someone. Regardless of who they are. I take it you''re people, as well as you, are worried that I''m here for something more sinister." Which would mean they''ve done something to warrant it. "We''re a weird town. I assure you, we don''t mean any disrespect. But we''re often the victims of powerful individuals and bandit groups. They raid the town regrly. Most people see outsiders here as a potential threat, Angel or not." That''s hard to believe, but there is nothing I can do to prove that. What happens here shouldn''t be my concern. But all of this is rubbing me the wrong way. "Are you the leader of this town?" Sally asks the question I was going to ask. Sending an elderly woman instead of someone else is even more strange. She obviously has some power here since she sent away the gathering crowd with no issues. "Something like that." She turns and starts to walk. Motioning for us to follow. We''re moving at a very slow pace, and we decide to walk next to the old woman. "What is this ce?" I''d like to know that very much. Having a name for the ce would be nice. "You walking the fair towns of Modest. Not much goes on here. We''re far out from any of the big cities. And most merchants don''t use the trade routes around here anymore." Modest for a name, huh... I suppose it works as well as any. It could use something to follow it up. "I''ve never been in a town or city that''s named so... Normal. Who came up with it?" At this point, asking questions about the town is the only way to pass the time as we walk slowly. What''s strange is there is no one on the roads anymore. I''m looking at the buildings, and most people are looking out their windows. "The founding of the town. A bunch of refugees from thest war built this ce. Most who came here wanted a modest life. So they named it that." This all sounds so reasonable. So perfect. I don''t like it. It''s setting off rms in my brain. "When will we reach where the tents are sold? I''m in a hurry." I don''t want the problems of this ce bing mine. The sooner we''re out of here, the better. "Ahh, for someone who can travel faster than anyone else. You seem to be out of time. The young don''t have any patience for everyday things." That''s a low blow. Making me seem like a little kid wanting to do something while disregarding everything else. "Worry not, Angel Zern. The shop you''re looking for is right ahead. They''ll help you with everything you need." She reaches out and points at a shop that''s at the end of the current road. We eventually reach it, and Sally enters first. I stand for a second and stare at the old woman. "Why not enter the shop as well, Angel Zern? You have seemed on edge since we started talking." She knows what she''s doing. "I don''t trust you or this ce. A town in the absolute middle of nowhere and no source of water whatsoever. Not to mention no guards." That''s what''s been most strange. If they''re having a bandit problem, why not have guards? But from what I''ve seen, there are no guards. "Everyone doesn''t trust this ce when they firste here. Most people think this ce is too out of the way for anything to be something ordinary." She''s had this conversation a lot, and I can see that they''re not telling me everything. Some trouble will appear. This much I know. I turn away from her now that I''ve gotten everything I can out of her. Some are too stubborn to let anything else go. I''m one of those people. I enter the shop and see Sally looking at the avable tents. "These ones seem pretty good, don''t they?" She points at two different ones. I see the benefit of having extra tents. I wish I thought of that sooner thanter. We wouldn''t be in this situation if I did. "Yeah, get them if you want." I''ll be honest. My mind isn''t here. It''s been thinking about everything happening in this town called Modest. "You feel and see it too, huh..." Sally pulls me from my thoughts as I feel her hand on my arm. I look at her, and she''s waiting for a response. "Yeah, I don''t like this ce. It''s not normal." The reactions to the people here when I arrived aren''t something I''m used to. Most swarm me hoping that I''ll help them with their sick. In this town, that didn''t happen. It''s another reason to call it an outliner. "Let''s get out of here, then." We get the tents and pay for them. I ce them in my inventory. As we leave the shop. I look up to the sky and spread my wings open. Sally gets on my back, and Iunch off the ground. Soon, the little town called Modest is behind us. I''m d to be out of there. It''s not something I feel a lot, but that ce was strange. Powerful, even. I think it''s better that we didn''t stick around. One more thing I noticed about the ce has me concerned. Every vige, town, city, or capital. No matter how big or small. It has a yer Cathedral. So yers can respawn nearby. But that ce didn''t have one. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 584 Modest Town... Again... [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:12 PM)~~~ We''ve been flying in the same direction since we left Modest. The heat has risen considerably, and I''m d I have the armor made for this type of environment. Sally is in her regr spot and sleeping for a change. It''s rare for her to sleep when we''re flying. My eyes focus on something in the distance. The image is familiar. I knew the instinct in the back of my head wasn''t wrong. The town known as Modest isn''t what it appears to be. "Wake up." Sally raises her head at my voice, and she''s about to speak from the breath she takes. But it''s stopped by what I assume is her looking at what I''m seeing. "Did you go in a circle?" That''s a stupid question. But I won''t say that. "No, I''ve only gone forward." I descend with great speed and level out over the desert,ing to a stop. Modest is about 500 feet away. It doesn''t look that much different. I notice some very subtle changes. I''ve never heard of something like this happening before. "What should we do?" That''s the million-dor question... What are we going to do... I have a feeling that no matter what direction we go, I''ll end up bringing us back here. "My instincts are telling me that there is something really special about this ce. Be it magical or otherwise. My best guess is a curse." Curses aren''t rare, but powerful ones like this are. That''s assuming it is a curse. "My hair is standing up." She''s not the only one. It''s your body''s way of telling you a dangerous foe is nearby. One that can hurt you. Possibly already hunting you. "The only thing left to do is move forward." Instead of flying into town likest time, We walk the 500 feet between Modest and us. Once we make it, people don''t notice us. We''re outsiders, and it''d make sense. I see a kid running toward me, and Sally stops me from moving out of the way. But instead of colliding with me, the kid passes right through me. Like I''m a ghost or something. "Whoa." That''s one way to put it. I couldn''t have said it better myself, actually. "I''ve never seen anything like this. It''s like we''re in a ce showing a story or something. We''re the viewers walking around in it, and everyone else is just... An echo." I give my thoughts about what I think it is. It''s like a spiritual recording. But it wasn''t like this when we were here earlier. People could see us. Hear us. We even talked to them. Now we''re ghosts that can''t be heard or seen. "What do you think''s the cause of this?" My mind is still on a curse, but I couldn''t be sure. "I think it''s some sort of curse. Maybe an enchantment left by some great wizard. Those are the top picks. But I honestly have no clue. I''ve never experienced something like this before. Not in all my life." That''s really saying something considering what I know about The Ancients World. But I''ve never been here before. On the Alforza Continent. I''ve only heard and read stories on the old forum posts from my life before this. My limited knowledge about this ce won''t help. My general knowledge of The Ancients World doesn''t help at all, either. "If it''s a curse, that means it can be broken, right?" Any curse can be broken. That''s the cliches about curses. No matter how powerful or howplex, they can all be undone. It''s how I freed The Dryads. Their curse was one of the strongest ever seen or known. But this is unique. "All curses can be broken, but we don''t even know if this is a curse. All we know is we''re in some sort of y. Watching as it goes along." Eventually, we reach the center of the town, and there seems to be a great meeting. The crowd silences, and we''re off to the side watching. Listening. Trying to find out anything. "We don''t have much time left! How are we going to solve this without the help of another Kingdom or powerful ss holder!?" A man yells from the crowd toward another man on the makeshift stage. I''m assuming it''s the mayor of the town that''s being yelled too. "Everyone needs to calm down. We can''t afford the help of some great Kingdom. The Empire of Yelized won''t be helping us despite being a part of their territory. The best thing we can do is migrate to another location." That causes shouts of anger and disagreement toe from everyone. Sally looks just as interested in what''s happening as I am. "How old do you think this is?" Her question has been in the back of my mind since I heard of The Empire of Yelized. All I know from the old forum posts is it''s an ancient civilization that predates any others. The Cezlites weren''t known at the time of the post. So that could''ve changed. How many Empires existed before the Great War... "I don''t know, Sally... All I know is this ce is older than anything we''ve been to. Maybe even the Dungeon where we learned about the Cezlites." It''s almost like a Dungeon or Raid set in some sort of open area. Different Dungeons have different functions. They don''t all act alike. This could be one of the rare ones that just go off the normal variants you can find. "C''mon! You know that migrating isn''t possible!! Not with the Great Sandworms out there!! We need to stay where we have water!! Which is here!!" A feminine voice breaks from the crowd that''s bringing new light to what Sally and I know about this ce. Great Sandworms. I''ve never heard of them before. Maybe they''re an extinct species that once existed in the great deserts of Alforza''s Continent. "It''s either we move, or we die. I''m taking my family across the desert. Anyone who wishes toe is wee. Anyone who wants to stay is wee. But this ce has be a failure. The Settlement of Kelizei hase to an end." Kelizei... That''s different than Modest... This ce isn''t the same as the town known as Modest. Or perhaps it is, and it''s going by another name at this time. Soon, the crowds start roaring at the mayor or leader that just spoke. All screaming about how he failed them, or he''s a terrible man and leader. After some time, people start pulling out their weapons and attacking each other. The bloodshed is brutal. "What the fuck..." That''s how I''d put it too. One moment, they''re all arguing and shouting. Now they''re all killing one another. The corpses are littering the streets of the town. The images speed up and slow down again. Showing the town set aze. Men in armor are running around. Armor that I don''t know of. Wearing sigils that are unfamiliar to me. "Cera... What''s going on here..." I don''t know. I just don''t know. "It''s like the location''s history is ying itself to us. First, the settlement was known as Kelizei, a part of the Empire of Yelized. Now, I don''t know. We don''t know how much time has passed since thest recording." That''s the best way to describe what we''re watching. A recording. "I''m not asking any more questions. Neither of us has any answers." ? That''s a good stance to take. We should just watch and try to learn as much as we can. After a couple of minutes, there is a tremendous roar from the sky. A dragon bigger than any I''ve seen or heard about on the old forumses rushing down from the sky above. Drenching the town in fire. The screams of great creatures are heard. We look toward the direction a loud crashing sound ising from. Out from the sand in the distance is a Great Sandworm. Looking to take a piece of the massive dragoning back for another attack on the town. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 585 More About Yelized [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:20 PM)~~~ The Great Sandworm is like a pir reaching into the sky. Its body is a leathery brown, and the head of the creature is pointed like a dagger. Its eyes glow red, and the teeth are as white as pearls. The monstrosity reaches the massive dragon andtches on to it. "What the..." It pulls the biggest dragon I''ve ever seen out of the sky and dives into the desert with it still alive. Thrashing to get free. After a couple of seconds, the Great Sandworm and the dragon are nowhere to be found. The recording of the soldiers around us has stopped to see the moment that Sally and I just witnessed. There are few creatures that could be considered a higher life rating than dragons. Angels are at the very top. Arch-Angels are equal to most Gods. Great Sandworms seem to fit in an area between dragons and angels. They''re definitely stronger than a dragon, but I can''t say if they''re stronger than your average angel or not. I''m about to say something to Sally, but the ground begins to rumble, and out of nowhere, the Great Sandworm is diving out of the sand. Its destination isnding right in the town we''re in. I grab ahold of Sally on instinct and spread my wings out. Leaving the city and flying above it. We watch as the Great Sandworm decimates everything that we were once inside. "How in the hell does something like that go extinct?" I don''t know. Maybe they''re not extinct. The Deserts of Alforza aren''t all charted. They could still be here, just in a different part. "If it''s strong enough to kill a dragon that size with rtive ease, I''d say it''s somewhere between a dragon and angel in life rating." Her head turns to look at me since she''s in my arms. There was no time for her to get on my back. "Does that mean the Great Sandworms have a high life rating than even you?" Being The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, I''m betting I have a life rating simr to that of Arch-Angels. If not equal. But I couldn''t say for sure. "I don''t know. Maybe, but from what we''ve seen. It''s definitely stronger than a dragon. One thatrge would''ve been around a long time. It also seemed to be helping the soldiers in the town. It seems overkill for such a small ce..." Honestly, what causes such a reaction? The Great Sandworms themselves or perhaps something else? "Should we go down and check out what''s happened?" She need not ask anymore. I dive down andnd pretty close to where we were before the Great Sandworm attacked. Not it''s an empty ghost town half submerged in sand. The time here fast-forwards around us, and the same soldiers are back. This time, they''re digging up the town. After a couple of minutes, time slows back down, and it''s normal again. A highly decorated man is approaching us, but he''s really looking through us. He stops and starts to look around. "Someone report on what happened to the settlement of Kelizei! I also want to know the dispatched of soldiers we sent to help! What the hell happened to them!?" He seems to be a general, and we walk toward him to listen in on the conversation he''s having with some of his officers. "The Yelized Rangers toon has seemed topletely vanish along with everyone else in the town. If it were a Great Sandworm, the bones would''ve been found by now. Something else is going on here, General." So these are troops of The Empire of Yelized. "If the Great Sandworm wasn''t responsible for the empty town, then who was?" Sally said we shouldn''t be asking any more questions, but it looks like she couldn''t resist. This ce is a mystery I''ve never experienced before. Something that''spletely unique to this specific town. How? I don''t know. "Your guess is as good as mine. I''m betting The Cezlite Empire is older than The Yelized Empire. I don''t know how much older." My answer has nothing to do with her question, which seems okay with her. If anything, it''s me thinking aloud. "Commander! I want a set of seismic devices ced in the sand. We need to know if a Great Sandworm ising or not. In the meantime, everyone doubles the workload until we have this entire ce unburied from the sand!" The general doesn''t seem to be the type to mess around. "Yes, Sir!" Shoutse from the officers, and they all go in different directions. Leaving the general alone. He pulls out some cylindrical device. He presses a button on it, and a man pops up in holographic form. The Empire of Yelized had great technologies during its time. "My Emperor. I have a report." Sally steps forward to get a better look at the man in the hologram. He''s wearing opulent robes and carries a certain look about him. It''s clear who this man is since the general said who he was. "General Geledes, I was wondering if I''d get a report from you soon. I was starting to worry if you and your army ran into some trouble on the way to Kelizei." The name of the general is Geledes. I''ve never heard of it. "We had some trouble navigating the sandstorms, Emperor. It dyed us by a few days." Sandstorms? Sally and I have been in this desert for weeks since we crossed The Sea of Relsarmoder. "Enough pleasantries, General. Update me." We might learn some valuable information here. "Yes, Emperor. We''ve arrived at Kelizei, and the town is almostpletely buried in the sand. There are no signs of Great Sandworm kills, no bones to show for it. Something else happened here." Sally and I both know that''s not true. We watched a Great Sandworm attack this ce. Killed a dragon in the process. "The whole reason you''re there is to find out what happened to Far. He''s one of our Empire''s greatest dragons. I was neverfortable sending him with the Rangers, but he insisted. Now, we have no idea where he''s at. He should''ve been back by now." So that''s why they''re here. To find out what happened to the dragon. His name is Far, by the sounds of it. The Empire of Yelized also appears to have had tamed dragons on their side. Multiple by the sounds of it. While it''s not as impossible as people believe it. Tamed dragons have been recorded in history before. There are going to be a few yers who hatch dragon eggs. "Emperor, even Far wouldn''t be able to stop a Great Sandworm. Maybe if it was still juvenile, but fully grown is too strong for any creature that Gaia can produce." That''s enough to tell me Great Sandworms are at the top of the food chain. But I''m not entirely sure the species is still alive. They might be, but I can''t know for certain. "General, once the town is uncovered and you haven''t found anything. Come back. Far is lost to us. That much, I know. But I''d like to know what''s going on there. We''ve had disturbing reports of Kelizei." So that''s why they came. From what happened with the people killing each other. Why not send help before that? They had to of known something was up. "Yes, Emperor. Will we be back in time for the memorial of Far?" Far, the dragon, seems to have been an important figure in The Yelized Empire. "Yes, General. The public must be informed of this heavy loss before anything can move forward. You''ll be back for the memorial." After a couple of seconds, time begins to speed up again. And something new is being shown to us. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 586 A Once Great Empire I [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:42 PM)~~~ As time slows down again, we''re shown a new scene. One where there is a great army on the dunes toward the sunrise. The town has been uncovered. We''re standing in its streets now. Sally jumps on top of one of the buildings to get a better look. I follow her, and we pick the tallest building in town. Having a better look at the army, I see they''re wearing the sigils of The Yelized Empire. Meaning at this current point in history, this ce is still Kelizei. Why they''ve brought an army thisrge is a mystery to me. "Why do you think they''re here? From the conversation between Geledes and the Emperor, they''ve given up on this ce." That''s what we were led to believe. Those were the decisions made at the time. I''m betting they found out something important. That''s why they''re back with an army I''ve never seen before. "Something must''ve happened. Far seems important to them, and I''d have kept looking into the disappearance of an important figure if I were the leader of an Empire." My eyes rest on the dunes filling up. I''ve never witnessed so many soldiers, mages, and any otherbatants gathered in one ce before. Arge golden carriage floating with magic stops at the center of the visible army on the horizon, and the doors open. The Emperor of the Yelized Empire steps out and walks down the steps. I want to hear what they''re talking about. I don''t give any warning before I grab Sally and make it to them. We literally walk through a few soldiers and stop at a group of highly decorated people. All are waiting for the Emperor to start talking to them personally. "Isn''t this awesome..." Sally whispers, thinking they might hear us. It''s a habit, given how sneaky we are when ites to certain missions. "Yeah, I''m on the edge of my seat here." It''s true. I''m excited about what''s going on. I have no clue as to why we''re being shown this or how we''re even here. She isn''t able to talk again as the Emperor starts to speak. "General Geledes. I want you to lead a scout team into the town. Take no more than 300 men. Sweep the buildings one by one." I wish they were more specific about why they''re here. All I can find out from what''s been said is they''ve discovered something about this ce. I don''t know how long it''s been since they werest here. It could''ve been a few weeks or a few years. "Yes, Emperor." The General that Sally and I are already familiar with lowers his head and starts walking to a different part of the army. Gathering soldiers from a specific spot, he makes his way across a couple of miles. While he''s doing that, a conversation starts between the Emperor and the other generals. "You''ve all read the reports and tests we''ve umted about this ce over thest 4 years. At first, we believed it to be a town with some misfortune." Looks like we don''t have to find out what''s wrong with this ce. It''s being talked about in front of us. 4 years since thest recording was shown to us, ording to him. That means they''ve been looking into this ce for a while. "General Geledes knows the risks he''s taking bringing his men across the sand and into that town. Let''s hope it doesn''t wake. The Great Sandworm is the guardian of the real monster beneath the sands. That town is built right on top of it." Wow, so an Apex Predator is acting as a guardian for something even stronger under the town? That seems like something impossible. Yet it''s happening. "Emperor, may I speak freely?" A general we don''t know the name of decides to be the first to actually talk. Some of the generals look at him disapprovingly. Others don''t seem to care. "Yes, you always have an angle others don''t think of, General Ulizere." Another new name has been given to us. I can assume what the name of the Emperor is. Yelized. Empires are named after their founders, and descending family members are given a forename to go with the ssic surname of Yelized. That much I know about the man. I think that''s all I really need to know. "We''re aware that the creature beneath the town is stronger than any Great Sandworm. General Geledes knows the guardian Great Sandworm coulde at any time. But are we even considering the possibility the creature beneath the town is asleep?" There is a silence across the men gathered in front of Sally and me. "Guardian creatures only act when something isn''t able to defend itself. The Great Sandworm would''ve shown up by now unless it was told not to, right?" That''s a good point. I know from personal experience not all guardians work the same as others. Since this ce is so unique, I wouldn''t doubt it works differently in reference to the guardian. But I can''t be certain. The Emperor looks at the generals. His look growing more concerned, and realization befalls all of them. That realization being everything General Ulizere has said hasplete and total merit. "HAVE NONE OF YOU DISCUSSED THIS POSSIBILITY!??" There is clear anger and rageing from the Emperor. Before anyone can get on their knees and start apologizing to the man, he pulls out the same cylindrical device that we saw General Geledes use to speak with him when he was in the town 4 years ago. The hologram pops up, and Geledes is on the other side. "Yes, Emperor?" It doesn''t seem like anything is out of the ordinary on their end. If anything, this is a warning call. Given the new train of thought provided by General Ulizere, it''s necessary for them to warn him. "General, I wanted to inform you that there is a chance whatever is under the town is actually awake and aware of everything happening. This wasn''t talked about at any point up until now. I''ll be having words with your fellow generals for this. Be careful in there." The holographic man gives a nod, and the device is turned off. The Emperor''s eyes rest on the many men that are around him. There are 7 generals in total. The ones I know of are General Ulizere, who is here. And General Geledes, who''s in the town by now. "If any of the men that havee here today die because not all avenues of possibility were explored, you''ll have to face the consequences. General Ulizere, from this moment forward, you''re in charge of this operation." There is a tone of finality in the man''s voice, and all the generals lower their heads in respect. All except for General Ulizere are looking worried. It''s hard for a general to do their job if they can''t sacrifice their lives. That''s how battles are won, after all. The Emperor just told them that they''re not allowed to do such a thing. "Ever since we lost Far, we''ve been having trouble keeping the other families in line. He was the greatest deterrent for the Empire. Now that he''s gone, more problems than ever before are rising. We can''t afford to lose a single soul in these sands." His preservation of the lives of the soldierses second to me. What I picked up on was him talking about other families making problems. I have no idea what that means, and it''s driving me crazy. I have to know more about this Empire. "I take it you heard that little piece of information too." Sally leans in closer and whispers in my ear. She''s been listening as closely to all of this as I have. It''s something that''s been more interesting than anything we''ve been up to in recent times. This could lead to some new adventures. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 587 A Once Great Empire II [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:50 PM)~~~ The Emperor turns on his heels and walks back into the magical floating carriage. The generals take a sigh of relief and are d to be alive. Ipetence doesn''t seem to be tolerated in The Yelized Empire. I wouldn''t either if I were an Emperor. It''s a good thing I''m not. That kind of responsibility isn''t something any sane person would willingly ept. You have to be a little crazy to rule over an entire Empire of people. Sally tugs on my armor and brings my attention back to the generals. There is a tense silence between them. Each one is at the pinnacle of their career. The power each one individually wields is mighty enough to lead armies. "Why do you think they''ve stopped talking since the Emperor is gone?" I don''t know the politics and military of Yelized. Sally and I won''t know the answer to the question she asked without being here to ask ourselves. But this is just a recording. "My best guess is they''re each lost in their heads, thinking about what could happen. Being ordered to bring every man here back alive is an impossibility. The lives they''ve built hang in the bnce. Failure means they''ll have nothing." That will weigh on anyone. That''s why it''s better to build your power on your own. No one can revoke any authority that you''ve gained. Before Sally can respond to my theory about why they''re not talking, General Ulizere takes a deep breath. "Generals... If what we believe to be under that town is true, there isn''t a soul leaving this desert alive." A strong and heavy silence rests upon the men at the words given by Ulizere. One of the oldest generals, by the looks of it, turns his head from the town General Geledes is in and looks at Ulizere. "You stepped out of line. Speaking to the Emperor as if you''re an equal is grounds for death. You''re lucky he considers you a friend and your opinions worthwhile. If it were up to me, you''d be headless right now." The voice is gruff, and from the sounds, you can tell this man has seen many battles. Victories, defeats, sess, and failure. Most people would see this as an invitation to a fight. Others wouldn''t respond at all. Very few respond with a smile. That''s exactly what Ulizere does. "It''s a good thing you''re not in charge of my fate, General Rufeal." The chuckle at the end of the statement causes others to smile. Even General Rufeal himself cracks a corner smile. There is a lot of respect among these men. Even when they do things they don''t agree with. "Instead of focusing on how Ulizere speaks with the Emperor. Perhaps we should consider our options for theing battle. I know that I''m not the only one feeling it. There is something under that town. Beyond any power, we''ve encountered." A nameless general brings the group back to the important topic. I want to learn all of their names, but I don''t think that''s happening. As to what he said about feeling something. I''m afraid that I don''t sense anything. It''s a recording. That''s all. I wouldn''t be able to feel what they''re feeling. Whatever the feeling is, it''s making the men here on edge. The soldiers around are starting to shake from the supposed feeling. "I think that''s a wonderful idea. Now, if we do end up drawing out what''s under that sand, how are we going to handle it? Personally, I still believe retreating and abandoning this ce forever is the best option. If something guarding this ce can kill Far, we don''t stand a chance to what''s down there for real." Another nameless general decides to put his idea forth. None react the way you''d expect to such a suggestion. They remain calm and have their eyes locked on Kelizei. I''m betting they''re all considering the words for what they are. The truth. The Emperor never said anything about not retreating. Only ensuring the lives of the soldiers here. If that means retreating, then they will. The Emperor did not give them an impossible task. "It''s not a bad idea. In fact, it should be our first option. If what''s down there is truly stronger than a Great Sandworm, we need to leave immediately. It''s our order to ensure all the lives here." All these talks outside the town have me curious as to what''s happening inside Kelizei. General Geledes is still down there. Looking around. I spread my wings out, and Sally looks at me, slightly confused. "Stay here and continue listening to them. I want to see what Geledes is up to. He''s in that town, and he could be saying something important." She nods her head, and I take off. Reaching the town in a couple of seconds. Landing and making my way to Geledes. He''s talking to some of hismanders as the soldiers continue searching nearby buildings. As I''m now able to hear them, their conversation is interesting too. "Commander Ilsia, why haven''t we found any signs of the dead anywhere? Reports said the people here ughtered each other. Bodies should''ve been everywhere. No bones, no sign, and no evidence anyone actually died here." They were searching for remains thest time they were here. I don''t know why they''d expect something different. It''s almost out of ce. A man like Geledes wouldn''t let something like that slip by. The woman known as Commander Ilsia pulls out different kinds of documents. Handing them over to Geledes. I don''t know what they say, but the growing concern on Geledes''s face tells me it''s not good. "I found those records in the mayor''s personal safe. It was hidden in the house. That''s why we missed itst time." I make my way over and stand next to Geledes. I''m a good 5 inches taller than he is. I start reading the document over his shoulder. [Day 598][Mayor Hezil] [The people are growing more paranoid and erratic. Even I''m starting to notice unnatural shifts in my own behavior. Something akin to lost time and doing things that I don''t remember doing. Whatever''s happening, it''s been going on slowly for the past year.] This is interesting. It''s the mayor''s logs. I don''t know if it''s the same that I saw earlier, but it''s likely. [Day 599][Mayor Hezil] [The madness is spreading at a rapid rate. 599 days ago, it only started with one person. It stayed with one person. After a set amount of days, one person became two. The time between the number of people losing their minds slowly decreased. Now it''s only a few hours.] The reports stop at Day 599. I look at Geledes, and I can see him rereading it to make sure his eyes are deceiving him. It sounds suspiciously like a curse, but something is alive under the sand. Under the town. Perhaps its presence induces madness after prolonged exposure. "This exins why some of the soldiers we came back with after digging this ce up lost their minds. It didn''t spread because the source is here..." He hands the papers back to Ilsia, and I''m thinking about this just as much as Geledes is. It''s a mystery that I rarely get a chance to witness. Let alone try and solve it. "Sir, I rmend that we spend as little time as possible here. I worry that whatever killed the people here might start affecting us." Ilsia has the right idea. The paper said that it starts slowly. With only one in the beginning. After a period of prolonged time, it esctes at an incremental rate. It''s actually rather devious. But why this ce? What''s so special about Kelizei? Why is this happening here? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 588 Fall Of A Once Great Empire I [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:56 PM)~~~ Whatever Cera is learning, it can''t be anything good. The generals are bing more worried as time passes. They haven''t spoken much, but the few times have been about General Geledes and how a shift in the air has urred. Since this isn''t reality for Cera and me, we wouldn''t feel this shift in the air. All we''re doing is watching history. Not taking part in it. General Ulizere is actually showing signs of impatience. Pacing back and forth and creating a small divet in the sand from his nervousness. The generals aren''t giving him grief over it. Each of them are showing their own unique ticks of unease. Taping their fingers on their arms, rolling their necks. Stuff like that. "It''s been a few minutes, and the energy of this ce has already shifted. I sense a fight on the horizon." General Rufeal speaks his mind about what''s happening. My eyes shift toward the town where Cera is currently located. Looking for clues and answers on his own. There isn''t much time left. Something is going to happen. We''re being shown this for a reason. Whatever that reason is, I have no idea what it could possibly be. Perhaps some great battle? Maybe an event that marks the end of the Empire of Yelized. Cera is more curious about all this than I am. That''s not to say I''m not, but his thirst for knowledge and information has always been and will always be greater than my own. It''s who he is. "Shall we contact General Geledes and have hime back? We should all be here when we make the call to retreat." They''re convinced the only action at this point in time is to retreat ifbat should ur. All of a sudden, I see Cera fly into the sky in the distance and make his way to me. Hends and rushes over. There is a look of concern and excitement on his features. He holds my shoulders and looks into my eyes. "Something is about to happen. The soldiers in the town are being heavily affected by whatever is beneath the sand." As he finishes talking, the sand slowly starts to shift under the feet of everyone here. Everyone except Cera and myself. Some soldiers stumble and fall, and others struggle to stay standing. "Hold fast, men! Prepare to retreat on my orders!" General Ulizere makes sure everyone can hear him, and the magical carriage that''s housing the Emperor slowly floats up and turns to leave at the sign of theing conflict. Before anything else can be done, the town known as Kelizei is destroyed by a beam of light. It doesn''t make sense, but that''s what happens. Once everyone is done shielding their eyes, a new shifting in the sands urs. From where the town once resided, a great creature rises from it. Its neck is long and jagged like a dragon. It stretches into the sky. It''s the size of a mountain range. It''s blue in coloring, and long tendrils wave in nonexistent air. "Oh my God..." The words that leave Cera''s lips are what I''m feeling right now too. I''ve never seen such a great monster. I honestly don''t know what it is, and I''m about to use Inspect on it to get the information. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:02 PM)~~~ I had no idea such a creature existed in The Ancients World. This has to be a world boss of some kind. Given this is only a recording, we won''t be able to fight it. But that doesn''t mean I can''t learn about it from an Inspection. [Rahab Lvl. ???][The Last of The Leviathans][Tier-???] [Health: ???/???] [Description: Rahab, The Last of The Leviathans and the creature who ended The Yelized Empire. Long forgotten to time and history, many don''t even know he existed at one point. Let alone still alive. Rahab resides in The Great Deserts of Alforza. Which was once a great ocean.] [Additional Description: It''s said that there was no creature outside of the Divine Gods that could stand against The Leviathans. In The Great War of the Gods, The Leviathans sided with The Old Gods. All except for Rahab.] [Additional Description: All Laviathans perished in The Great War of the Gods. Rahab is thest of his kind. The Yelized Empire was destroyed in a war with Rahab. All of their tamed dragons were destroyed in the process. The knowledge of taming dragons was lost with them.] As I read the plethora of information, I can''t help feeling a little light-headed. An actual Leviathan. Rahab. I heard rumors about a Leviathan in some of the old posts back on Earth, but nothing that actually confirmed the existence of one. "We''re all going to die..." My attention is taken by the wordsing from General Ulizere. I don''t me him for such a reaction. I couldn''t beat this creature. Not as I am. It''s far more powerful than I. In the final moments of the recording, Rahab lunges into the air and at the army. Right before the mountain range-sized beastnds is when the recording ends. Sally and I are brought back to the real world. Standing inside the empty town of Modest. However, there is arge shadow cast on us from behind. I slowly turn, and Rahab looks down at us. He lowers his head andes closer. "Ancient Blood flows in your veins... Not as old as mine, but the scent of Divinity is pouring from you... Who are you?" The voice is old and slow. So deep and powerful, he shakes the sand and my body with every word. Sally moves closer to me and wraps an arm around me. "I''m Angel Zern. Son of Arch-Angel Michael." The giant eyes squint ever so slightly. "Raduerial... That is the name of Michael''s Son... If you are truly his Son, you should know this..." That name again... I don''t know what significance it holds... But my name has only ever been Cera Adamo. That''s my name. "No, Raduerial is a name I don''t know." A long breathes from the nose of Rahab, and it''s cold like winter. His head raises to the sky, showing off its intimidating size. I feel small. Like I could be crushed with a single step. That a single attack from Rahab could end me. "You lie, child... Your thoughts aren''t hidden from me..." Mind reading powers? It''d make sense for such a strong creature. The name is something I''ve heard in my dreams recently. They''re frequent, but if that was my name, I''d know. ,m "What is there to lie about? Yes, I''ve heard the name in my dreams, but that''s not my name. If it were, I''d know." A part of me knows it''s possible it''s another name for me. One that represents something else here on Gaia. The strongest beings have multiple names. "What do you know of your history, child..." My history? "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I''m a yer from Earth." Rahab is unreadable from his appearance. I can''t know what he was thinking even if I wanted to. He has the advantage of knowing what I''m thinking. I don''t like it, but there is nothing I can do about it. "So, they haven''t told you yet... Well, let''s just say there is something else that you must see on this day..." Before I can say anything in response, Sally and I are thrown back into another recording. This time, We''re on a forested hill looking at a grand capital in the distance. A capital fitting an Empire. "Cera... I''m starting to get worried..." She''s not the only one. I wasn''t expecting to run into a Leviathan from a forgotten time. No one expects that. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 589 Fall Of A Once Great Empire II [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Watching A Recording, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:14 PM)~~~ I don''t know what to think specifically about. The capital of the Yelized is in the distance, and my mind is on that. The other subject on my mind is Rahab himself. But I need to get priorities straight. Learning from this recording is something he wanted. "Are we supposed to go to the capital?" Sally pulls me from her thoughts as she tugs on my arm and asks a question. Nothing else is happening, and I''d assume Rahab would want us to head into the capital from here. There likely isn''t much time before whatever is supposed to happen does, in fact, happen. From the description I read about Rahab when I Inspected him, it''s said that he destroyed The Yelized Empire. Meaning he also destroys this ce. "Yeah, I''m guessing the ce we need to be in the royal pce. That''s where the leaders and militarymand are gathering. We don''t know who all died at Kelizei, but it''s safe to assume a lot did. In fact, I''d say everyone. Including the Emperor." That''s my train of thought with this. I grab Sally andunch off the ground and fly into the air. Heading toward the massive pce in the center of the capital city. Wend and make our way inside. No one notices or sees us, of course. We even walk through some people. And after a little bit of searching, we find arge conference room filled with people of noble status and military leaders. At the head of the table is a young man with who I assume is his mother next to him. Likely the next Emperor since his Father died. "Rahab haspletely destroyed all other cities, towns, and settlements!! We need to evacuate the capital! It''s the only hope for our people! The Empire is falling, and there is nothing we can do to stop it!" Everyone quiets down as a nameless high-ranking military official yells his concerns across the room. The new Emperor takes a seat, and some do the same. Others take longer than they should. My eyes are focused on therge hologram floating above the table. It''s showing the ruins of cities. All of them were destroyed by Rahab. He''s been systematically taking out all of the Empire. The fate of The Yelized Empire is known to me. "We know our fate... Rahab won''t stop until everyst Yelizedite is dead. Sending the women and children away is our best bet. The men, we''ll stay here. In the capital. Make a final stand and buy enough time." The child Emperor beings to speak as the hologram continues showing the devastation Rahab is unleashing. The Yelized Empire has the might of dragons behind them, but not even those mighty beasts can stop Rahab. Being The Last Leviathan is a testament to his strength and intelligence. His history, from the description I read, proves that. "We''re all in agreement, it seems." One of the older men at this meeting stands and makes his way for the exit. Most are slumped in their chairs and looking defeated. In the span of a couple of seconds, we''re brought to a new ce. One that''s unfamiliar. The only thing that we recognize here is Rahab. It''s a giant grassy in, and blue skies dotted with clouds. "What the hell..." Sally points toward who Rahab is talking with. My blood runs cold as I see who it is. It''s me. There are slight differences. Like white hair and arge silver-gold floating halo over the person''s head. Over my head. ,m "Michael, are you certain destroying all of Yelized is the right course of action? As fun as it is, I don''t see the end game." The Angel that Rahab is talking to is Michael. The Father of my ss... But I look exactly like him... You could mistake us for each other. My mind is racing in a million different ways, and I can''t lock down what to think about. "This is necessary for the future, Rahab. My Son will eventuallye to Alforza, and much of my own history is tied to Yelized. There are things he must not know, and getting rid of Yelized is the only way." We can clearly hear both of them speaking even though they''re an incredible distance from us. Sally holds onto me tightly. Worried about me, and unsure of how to proceed. She''s not the only one. People would always say I looked like my Mom. But now, seeing Michael for the first time, they''re wrong... I look exactly like him... "What does this mean..." The question escapes from me with no particr destination. I feel like I need to get that question out of my lungs before I burn up from the inside. We know The Ancients World is an actual world. One with Gods, monsters, and Dungeons. Humanity believed it to be just a game, but that was proven wrong. Everything here is as real as us. Meaning, Michael is in that same boat. Before anything else can happen, the scene changes back to the view we had of the capital from before, only this time. Rahab is attacking it. Letting out powerful sts of power, and leveling thendscape with stray shots. "Cera... What do we do..." I don''t know... I honestly don''t know what to do... "I''m lost here, Sally... I''ve just seen something I wasn''t ready for... Does this mean I''m from Gaia and not Earth?" It''s been on my mind since Iid my eyes on Michael. If I''m somehow originally from here, and my entire life with the Adamos is fake, then I don''t know what to think. They were baby pictures of me, for God''s sake... My Mom told me stories of raising me, and I remember growing up with Hailey and Marcus... Wait... The Lore for the Divine ss in my possession stated that I was taken from my Moms possession at birth... Was I given to the Adamos? Were they''re memories faked? That''s also impossible... There were even pictures of me at the hospital when I was firstborn. Where my Mom held me for the first time. "I''m sorry..." That''s all I get from Sally... I get it... It''s all anyone can really say, given what I just learned. It''s not something that you witness every day. This means another thing. "Does this mean my real name is Raduerial?" I''m wondering about this now... This is almost proof that I''m connected to The Ancients World. That I''m apart of this from the beginning. When it wasn''t a game. I don''t know. It''s all so much to go through. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Watching A Recording, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:31 PM)~~~ Cera is standing silently next to me, and I''m not sure if there is anything I can do to help him. My eyes shift to the destruction Rahab is creating in the distance. I can only imagine how many people he''s killed. I''m still a little shocked. Arch-Angel Michael looked exactly like Cera. It''s uncanny... Maybe I should be saying Raduerial... That''s his name. At least, I think that''s his name. He has so many now that I don''t know what else to think. I can''t imagine what his parents and family will think when he tells them... If he tells them... "Is this something we''re only going to keep between us?" The implications of my question are obvious enough for him to understand. I get that some secrets should stay just that. A secret. I''ve met his Mom, his Earth Mom. And she''s kinda overprotective and a little obsessive when ites to Cera. "Let''s not talk about that right now..." He doesn''t sound like his usual self... He actually sounds sad... There have been so many times he''s helped me... I should be able to help him... But I just can''t, I don''t know how... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 590 Unresponsive [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:40 PM)~~~ Cera hasn''t spoken since we were done watching the recording. After we were out, the town known as Modest was gone, and so was Rahab. Now we''re flying in the same direction as before, only this time, we shouldn''t get trapped in a weird loop. I''m not trying to get Cera to talk to me. I think not bothering him at the moment is best. Let him work through stuff in his own head. If he wanted to talk about it, then we would. That''s enough reason for me to think about it too. We''ve been in simr situations when ites to our identities. When I found out I was the princess and heir to the Elven throne. It made me feel like nothing made sense for a while. Cera never forced me to talk about it. All he ever did was stand by my side and support me. He waited until I was ready to talk. Learning huge secrets like that can take a toll on someone. Cera found out he might actually be from Gaia. There are a lot of questions we both have. His are probably along the lines of how this is even possible. We both saw Arch-Angel Michael. Cera is aplete copy of him. I don''t think about it often, but this reinforces the fact Cera is a Divine being. Directly rted to The Almighty Father and Arch-Angel Michael. He doesn''t like being treated as such, but now that this has been revealed. I can''t help thinking this all ys a major role somehow. What role that is and in what setting is unknown to me. Arch-Angel Michael went through a lot of trouble to ensure that Cera went through everything he went through. It feels like a trial of sorts. That''s the best description I can ce on it. The hours pass as I''m lost in my thoughts. The nightes soon, and we''ve set up camp. We''re sitting around a campfire. I''m resting my head on Cera''s shoulder. "Can I get some food?" I''m not hoping the conversation goes anywhere. I''m genuinely hungry. Cera opens his inventory and gives me some of the food we''ve got saved. All doing so without uttering a sound. I dig in and stare into the fire. I have a decent knowledge foundation when ites to Overworld and the many Gods that reside there. I know a lot about The Dark Ones and the church that worships them. Cera fits into this somehow. He''s not reached his full potential. There are plenty of ideas going through my head of what Cera would look like at full power. At the peak of his power. Would he be a God? Many consider him to already be one. My eyes drift away from the fire, and I see Cera munching on some food. At least he has an appetite. "Why are you staring at me?" He doesn''t sound upset, angry, or standoffish. More just tired. Cera doesn''t get physically tired, but he doesn''t get mentally tired. Something like what happened today would probably take a lot out of him. "I''m just watching you... Can''t fault a girl for worrying about the man she loves, right?" I try to lighten the mood a little, but it doesn''t seem to work. Cera keeps staring forward into the fire. "When you''re ready to talk about it, I''ll be here..." He should know that I''m not forcing him to talk, but I''m here for when he''s ready. "Don''t you just wish there were somethings you could forget about..." All the time... ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:22 PM)~~~ Sally has gone inside the tent. I''m staying out here a little longer. The stars are taking my mind off everything that''s happened today. It''s been a long and unexpected day. First, met The Last Leviathan Rahab. After that, I learned that I''m probably not from Earth but from here. Deep down, it makes sense. I''ve always felt morefortable when I was ying The Ancients World. When I was here on Gaia. I always thought of it as my true home. I don''t even know what I''m going to do with my family. If what we saw was true... My Mom will react in ways that could be considered hysterical and unnecessary. She''s the one I''m worried about. She''s got the memories of birthing me and raising me. If she''s told, those aren''t real... That I''m not her Son... It could do damage that''s unrepairable... She loves all of us, but I know I''m her favorite. "Are youing to bed, or do you want to stay out there by yourself for a while?" Sally''s concerned voicees from the tent, and I almost get up and join her. But I decide that some time for myself is best. "I''ll join you when I''m ready to sleep... I just need some space..." I don''t want to be around anyone at the moment. "Alright, I''m going to bed. I''m wiped." That''s thest thing Sally says to me for the night. I just sit on my back and look at the cloudless desert sky and see the stars. No pollution means you can see everything. If I ever do get a chance to speak with Michael, I have plenty of questions to ask. Rahab was gone when we left the recording. I was going to ask him questions. But Modest was gone, and so was the Leviathan that made it look natural. Rahab has some strange abilities. I can only guess what they are. Reality warping. Illusion magic, perhaps... No way to know. If all of this is true, then I really am blood-rted to Arch-Angel Michael and The Almighty Father. Direct Son and Grandson. "What does this mean for my future..." If I exist, it has a purpose. I don''t know what it is, but from the way, things have been going. I can only assume I have a role to y in the uing war. The Old Gods have returned, and they''ll be fighting the Gods of this age and time. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:18 AM)~~~ I turn in my sleep, and I find Cera lying next to me. The temperature is already rising. The morning is here, but I want to keep sleeping. I open my eyes, and I look to see Cera is asleep. I don''t know what time he came inst night, but he''s here. Doing the right thing and the thing I want to do are two different things. What I wanted to do was have Cera be here and talk to me. Anyone wants that when someone they love is going through a hard time. But the right thing was giving Cera his space. That''s what he needed. Cera is the type of man to need silence and solitude when they learn information that changes their life. "Hey, you awake..." The whisper is barely loud enough to hear, but Cera stirs, and his eyes open from my question. "I am now." He sounds rested and has more energy now. "It''s early, but the heat is already rising. Do you think we should start packing up?" I don''t want to bombard him with questions, but this is a rare moment when I''m the first one up. Normally, Cera would already be out of the tent getting ready. Since he''s not now, it''s my responsibility to do that. "Yeah, let''s get going." He leans up and yawns. Making his way to the exit of the tent and leaving me inside. I quickly equip all my armor. I leave the tent too, and I see the humorous sight of Cera pissing into a now-dead campfire. That''s not something I''ve seen him do, but when you gotta go, you gotta go. I''ve had moments like that... At the worst of times when flying on Cera... I don''t like those memories crossing the Relsarmoder. But I can''t get rid of them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 591 A New Kingdom [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:11 AM)~~~ We''ve been flying for about two days across the deserts of Alforza. It''s been quiet. Something that I needed. I''vee to the conclusion there is nothing I can do about what I learned. No point in dwelling on it longer than I have. There will be something that happens to me. I have that gut feeling. This has been a n long in the making, and there isn''t anything I can do to see the bigger picture, only that I''m a part of it. Sally and I should be making it to a new Kingdom soon, and one that will serve as a good distraction. It''s not mapped, but that doesn''t mean we can''t get a map of the Kingdom and itsnds. I''m ready to get back to being a yer. "Look at that!" Sally gets me out of my head, and I look to where she''s pointing. The desert is ending, and grasnds with trees are starting to appear. It''s like the African Safari that existed on Earth over 200 years ago before it was destroyed by pollution. I slow down after about 10 miles into the new environment, and Ind. Sally jumps off my back and starts to check out some of the areas. It''s pretty beautiful. "I wonder what kind of animals exist here?" Her question barely reaches me as I see a herd of animals in the distance. I don''t remember what they''re called. It starts with the letter B. They went extinct in Africa like many other animals. I wonder how many animals from Earth have a counterpart here? I''m not entirely sure of all the animals that used to live in Africa. I only know some of the big ones since they were taught to us in school. Lions, Hippos, Giraffes, and Elephants. There are other big cats, but I''m not naming all of them. "They seem to be slight variations of what used to exist on Earth. A long time ago, there was a ce called Africa on my world. It was teeming with life. But during my life, it had long since been dead." She asked what kind of animals are here. But thinking about it, that wouldn''t exin anything in detail. This is proven by the confused look she''s giving me. It''s understandable. I should''ve seen thating. "Let''s just say there are simrities between what''s here and what used to exist on my world. They''re notplete copies, but there are some simrities." She rolls her eyes and goes back to check out the birds. They''re calm around her. They''re even letting her touch them. It''s probably because Sally doesn''t release a single ounce of malice. It''s almost like that really old story about that princess and the dwarves. Its name escapes me, it was made over 250 years ago on Earth. Thepany that made it was dissolved around the 21st century. Long before I was born. "What do you think''s out here? We''re in a Kingdom, that''s for sure. But wouldn''trge cities stick out in a ce like this? We should''ve seen something from that high in the sky." She''s right about seeing something. When you fly that high in the sky, you see for great distances. We didn''t see anything, only the open grasnds and some of the bigger animals within it. We are in a Kingdom that much I know. But if we can''t find some sort of settlement or town. Then we might as well be lost. "I don''t know what''s out there. We should get moving. The sooner we find a ce to get what we need, the better for us." She leaves the birds to their bird business and makes her way back to me. Weunch off into the sky and start heading deeper into the new ce we''ve found ourselves in. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Tavern, Capital Of Geldios)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:15 PM)~~~ I''m watching the door with a sense of excitement and worry. Marcus should be here any minute, and this will be the first time I spend quality time with my youngest brother. Marcus came up with the idea we should work together for a while. A way that we could grow closer and stronger. I like the idea. Two Legendary ss holders traveling and doing missions together. Both of us are together, and no one will think to impede us. Anyone with measurable intelligence, anyway. I know spending time with Marcus is going to be something new to me. It''s not like spending time with Cera. It''s not apetition with Marcus. "Hey, you''re one pretty woman. Mind telling me your name?" A drunk mercenary decides to make himself a nuisance to me. My eyes barely look at him, and the brief acknowledgment gives him confidence. But my turning away seems to make him upset. "Don''t Ignore me! Do you know who I am!?" People with bad personalities shouldn''t drink. It makes this worse. Before I can answer, something incredible happens. "That''s no way to talk to my sister." I look at where the voice ising from, and I see Marcus. He''s gotten taller since thest I saw him. He''s not as tall as me yet, but in a year or so, he''ll pass me. I brush past the mercenary and grab my little brother in a hug. The drunk man falls to the floor with no bnce. Marcus hugs me back, and we leave the tavern before anything else can happen. "I was wondering how long you''d take to get here. How was your trip?" Most of it would be flying via Airship, but given Marcus having a Legendary ss, he''ll receive special treatment. I think that''s a good thing too. Special treatment when ites to menial things is the best. No waiting in lines is my favorite. He lets a long sigh escape as we walk down the streets. Most NPCs are getting off work by now, and the roads are starting to fill up slowly. "I wish The Adventurers Guild didn''t have a monopoly on Teleportation. It''d make things so much easier. But I wasn''t willing to pay the price for all the teleports to get here." Yeah, neither was I. The Adventurers Guild has be a pir of hate in the yermunity. Most yers aren''t a part of The Adventurers Guild, but the ones that make it unfair since they''ve got the strongest sses. I''ve been sought out by The Adventurers Guild before, and I have no doubt Marcus would be, too, if his identity were as popr as mine. Given he''s so young, he doesn''t stand out as much when ites to the most powerful organizations. They underestimate them "You''re not the only one with that wish. In fact, I heard that in theing Month, the new Pope will do something about it. Now that it''s a yer, they''ll be making big changes to the powerful independent organizations like The Adventurers Guild." It''s been spreading like wildfire. The Pope of The Church of Light is a yer. The old Pope retired, and now a new one has taken his ce. We eventually make it to the royal pce of the Capital City, Geldios. I''ve arranged a meeting with the royalty here. They''ve got some important quests that need to be done, and it''ll be an excellent start for Marcus and me. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safari Lands, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:22 PM)~~~ We''ve been flying all day and still haven''te across any form of civilization. We might have to spend another night in the tent. I was looking forward to sleeping in a bed for a change. "I see something." Perhaps I spoke too soon. In the distance, Cera points to a small vige. It''s probably got no more than 200 people, but that''s a start. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 592 Small Village, Big Hearts [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safari Lands, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:30 PM)~~~ I dive down from our high altitude, and we level out before reaching the vige. I spread my wings out ande to aplete stop. We''re right outside the vige, and I notice the most prominent building here is a yer Cathedral. This is a good sign. However, we haven''t gone unnoticed. A few kids have seen usnd, and they quickly rush back into the vige. The distinctive dark skin of the children shows how long the people indigenous to this area have been living under the sun. "You see it too?" A simple nod from me is all Sally needs. We eventually make it into the town, and people are staring as we walk by. I doubt this ce has any shops since it''s so small. That doesn''t mean there isn''t anyone who has the answers we seek. After a few minutes of walking slowly, we make it to the center of the vige. We''re not alone as we get here. There are men and women dressed in armor. They''re ready for a fight. In the center is a tall and buff man, likely the leader of the vige. He draws his sword and points it in our direction. They don''t know who I am, which I can use to my benefit. This ce is cut off from the rest of the world. At least, the Kingdom it''s a part of. Instead of reacting in an equivalent manner, I slowly raise my arms to the side of my head. Showing that I surrender. Sally follows suit, and some of the people across from us rx a little. But the leader still has his de drawn. I''m not going to hurt these people. They don''t know any better. They''re as innocent as they can be. "We''re not here to hurt anyone. We just want information. The name of the Kingdom we''re in, and the vige we''re in would be a great help." All the warriors remain stoic as I slowly talk. In truth, they might not know anything. But the yer Cathedral in the vige tells me another story. They know we''re yers. That much is certain. We look nothing like them, so it makes sense. They''re not responding to my announcement of no hostility. There is a chance they don''t understand me. If that''s the case, this is gonna be much harder than I''d want it too. "Can you understand us?" Sally asks the question before I can. They don''t react at first. But after a couple of seconds, a woman with a crazy-looking headdresses from the crowd. She''s almost naked and covered in tattoos. She slowly steps forward and is in the middle between us, the group of warriors. "We understand. Far from where you belong, white ones. Thesends are not suited for the people of great civilizations. The fact you''ve survived this long is a testament to your strength." From the sounds of it, the kids that saw us haven''t told anyone that I can fly. There are many ways I could y this. I could lie to them and get the answers that I need, or I can be honest. It''ll take longer to do it the honest way. However, I don''t know how they''d react if they found out we lied. I don''t want to end up killing anyone here. That''s not why I came. ,m "That''s good. I''m d that we canmunicate. In truth, traveling in thesends isn''t that difficult for us. We''re just a little lost. If you can point us in the direction of the nearest city, we''d leave you alone." I step forward slightly as I talk, and more weaponse out as I do. But the tattooeddy raises her hand. Signaling the people shouldn''t move. "There is something very different about you. I see it when I look at you. The air... The ground... They sing and weep in your presence. Who are you? No mortal man has an effect on such elements." These people are more in tune with the world around them. I don''t know what she means by the air and ground singing and weeping. I also don''t know if she''s the only one that can see this. It''s safe to bet she is. No one else has given any proof they can. "It''s safer for all of you if you remain unaware of who I really am." This tiny vige can''t protect itself from the monsters and people that are in the shadows watching me. It''s better if they remain in the dark about me. "We''ll be the judge of whether or not we should know. Speak." That''s counter-intuitive. But I don''t see any other way out of this while avoiding bloodshed. They''re ready to defend and die for the safety of their vige. They perceive me as a threat to that. "Fine, but don''t say I didn''t warn you." I toggle my wings back on, and theye out of my back. They have the same golden look and glow. The same intimidating aura. Some of the vigers step back and try to brace themselves for a fight. Most people fully draw their weapons. Thedy that''s been speaking on behalf of the vige starts to walk toward me. After a second, she starts to walk around me. Inspecting my wings for the most part. I''m d Sally isn''t making a thing out of this. Given how naked thisdy is. "You''re not a mortal, but one of Divine blood. We''ve heard your name on the wind and in the water. Raduerial." Again, the truth that''s unknown to mees back to bite me in the ass. They all see how unhappy I am at being addressed in such a way. Not using my real name, or perhaps they are using my real name. But I don''t want to think about that. "You dislike being called Raduerial. You''ve gone by many names, but in thends where all life started. You''re known by the name you were given at birth." Sally moves closer to me as I flex my wings and reach for The Witness. Prepared for battle. I do not want to hurt anyone here, but when I hear that name, I get angry. "Stop calling me that." The edge and anger in my voice make it clear I''m not messing around. Thedy takes a few steps back but with confidence. She smiles and spreads out her arms. "This is a cause for celebration. Thest time our home was blessed by a Divine one was time uncounted before." Sally and I both look around, confused, as everyone does a 180 in their attitudes. Everyone puts their weapons away. Cheering and dancing with each other. Thedy has her eyes locked on the two of us, and I feel she knows more than she''s letting on. The fact she knows about Raduerial is already a red g, but to say that a Divine one has been here before is rms going off in my head. "What do you think we should do?" She leans in and starts to whisper. "We y along, they''re the only ce miles around that have information that could help us. But if things start getting weird, we''ll make a quick exit." Thest thing I want to do is find myself in a trap. While it''s unlikely, I''m getting a weird feeling from this. "Come, we''ll head to the spicene." Thedy walks forward and holds out both her hands for Sally and me to take. I don''t know what this spicene is, or what we''ll do once we''re there. I''ve never even heard of spice. I don''t know what they''re nning to do. People this remote and small have strange customs. I wouldn''t doubt spice is some kind of drug or hallucinogen. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 593 Spice Lane (R-18) [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Small Vige, Spice Lane, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:41 PM)~~~ We''ve entered a hut with the woman whom we''ve spoken to before. There are celebrations going on outside. Cera is sitting next to me, looking at the strange contraption in front of us. The woman is at the baskets in the corner. She''s pulling out bowls of something that''s been pre-prepared. I don''t like that 90 percent of her body is visible. Even now, she''s showing off her backside for all to see. Which are Cera and me. Normally, I''d try to do something about it. Stop Cera from looking or stop her from showing off so much. But I''m trying to change my behavior. The jealousy I have when ites to other women isn''t healthy. So, I''m working on it. Besides, it helps that Cera is more interested in the device than the nakeddy. He''s ying with the hoses and looking them over. "I''ve seen something like this before. Back on Earth. They weren''t used during my time, but they were popr among the Indians." I don''t know what he''s talking about. After a couple more seconds, thedyes back and sits across from us. She ces the bowls down and looks back at us. "Do you know what this is?" Her question is directed at Cera, and he squints his eyes slightly. Inspecting the yellow and red powder substance in the bowls. "I''m assuming it''s the Spice you alluded to earlier." She nods her head and starts preparing the Spice on the device in front of us. After a minute or so, she hands us each a hose and turns on the device. She takes a breath from the hose and exhales the Spice. Indicating for us to do the same. Cera lookspletely uninterested in doing it. However, I don''t think rejecting this is the best idea. So I grab one of the hoses and take a deep breath. The smoke fills my lungs, and my mind slows down. My body ispletely rxed. I turn toward Cera, and he''s looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Before I know it, I''m in his arms. I think I almost fell over. "The girl seems to be extra sensitive to Spice. That is good. The desert favors her." The words thate out of the woman''s mouth are slow and long to me. "How long will she be like this, Xilo?" I almost forgot we know her name... This stuff is powerful... Xilo... What kind of name is that... "Until the Spice in her wears off. You must try some too. Spice determines how strong someone is." Cera looks at the hose he''s been handed with skepticism. I grab ahold of his hand, but the only thing thates out of my mouth are moans. Sounds I''d only make during our intimate moments together. I''ve lost control over my mouth. He looks down at me. After a couple of seconds, he takes a deep breath from the hose. Releasing the air from his lungs. There doesn''t seem to be any change for him. "What''s supposed to happen cause I don''t feel anything." His resistance and power probably counteract any effects the Spice may have. "Keep going until you are. Don''t worry. Spice has an effect on everyone." Xilo takes another deep breath, and I see from where I''m leaning against Cera she''s starting to get affected by the Spice. Cera does as he''s told and continues taking deep breaths and releasing them. It takes much longer for Cera to reach the point Xilo and I are at, but he eventually reaches it. He falls on his back, and I cuddle up next to him. However, much to my dismay and contempt. Xilo makes her way over. She hangs over Cera, looking down at him. She runs her hand along his face. I reach over and weakly grab her wrist. She looks at me, a smile forming. "You won''t be left out. But here in the desert, we share." This isn''t good. Seeing how much I don''t want her to, she pulls me over and kisses me. Bringing me down to Cera and all of our lips meet. His eyes are closed. Cera likely isn''t aware of what''s going on. He''s taken way more than either of us. At first, I try to resist. However, the Spice has more control over me than I have over myself. I watch as Xilo takes off Cera''s clothes. Her hand strokes the area reserved for me. Before I can try to do something. She grabs the back of my head and forces me down there. Making me wrap my lips around his member. "Fuck..." The single word thates out of Cera is enough to make me lose my inhibitions. As my mouth goes up and down on him, I watch Xilo make out with Cera. I never want to share Cera, but I don''t think I''ve got a choice at the moment. Before long, his member grows in my mouth. And my cheeks fill with his hot seed. It takes a second to swallow all of it. "The long-eared one has experience with the Divine one. You know what he likes. Let''s see if I can outdo you." She lifts me up and forces me to ce my lower half on Cera''s mouth. I feel his tongue start dancing around down there. I try to hold in the cries of pleasure, but I can''t. What happens next causes my heart to sink. Xilo takes his long rod and lines it up at her entrance. Sinking her hips down, and taking what was supposed to only belong to me. I try to lean forward and push her off. But the pleasure from the Spice and Cera makes me weak. Instead, I just end up hugging her. She''s bouncing up and down on Cera. All the while kissing me. Stray tears start to fall from my eyes. But she wipes them away and continues to ride Cera. "The pleasures of one''s flesh shouldn''t be hoarded..." After a while, she throws her head back and lets out a cry of pleasure. I look down, and a pit in my stomach forms. Cera released inside her. She lifts her hips off him and lifts me along with her. We trade ces. She takes Cera''s head, and I take his rod. As I sink my hips down, all the pain from seeing that disappears. Cera doesn''t know what''s going on right now. I wish that I could stop, but I can''t. Xilo is across from me, and she''s rolling her hips on his face. Enjoying the feeling of Cera''s tongue. He must think it''s me. His body is probably confused about how he can be inside me and lick me. "Stop this... He''s mine..." I manage to get the words out. She lowers her head and looks me in the eyes. Her body is as naked as the rest of us. She grabs the back of my head and brings me to her. Our lips are centimeters from touching. "He is yours... He''ll be yours after tonight too... Don''t get caught up about right and wrong... Let the Spice heal those fears and old pains..." Her voice is hypnotizing and smooth. She''s not trying to take Cera away from me. All she''s doing is letting the Spice control her. Should that mean I need to care so much? It''s not like all of this will be a constant thing... This is a one-off... The one time I share Cera with another woman... A woman who doesn''t want to take him from me... Only share all of us together... Coming from a ce that holds no malice... My mind is taken from me as I feel Cera grow and release deep in me... An echoing cry of pleasure fills the hut we''re in... This is wonderful... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 594 Dont Like Spice [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Small Vige, Spice Lane, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:28 AM)~~~ The skull-splitting headache isn''t something I''ve experienced in a long time. I don''t remember what happenedst night. All I remember is taking so many inhales of the Spice. Xilo said it was the only way to affect someone with my resistance. As I try to raise my body from the cluster of sheets and nkets, I feel two distinct weights. Not the one I''m used to. I look down to my left and find Sally, but my eyes drift to the right, and I see Xilo. Just as naked as Sally and me. "What the fuck happened..." My head throbs as I speak, and I can''t help bringing my hand up and holding the temple for a second. Whatever Spice is, I don''t think it''s any ordinary drug. That was the first time I''ve had anything like a drug. And I never want to do it again. I don''t remember shit, and if the two girls by my side are anything to go by. I''ve cheated on Sally... No matter how you spin it, I still had sex with another girl. Even if Sally was involved, that doesn''t mean I wasn''t with Xilo. Never did I think I''d be a cheater. I reach over and gently shake Sally awake. Her eyes flutter open, and she looks up at me. Her cheeks immediately redden, and she covers her face with the nket. "I''m sorry, Sally... I didn''t know where I was or what I was doing..." She lowers the nket to poke her head out. Her eyes lock onto me, and she doesn''t look as mad or upset as I thought she''d be. ,m After a few seconds, she lowers the nket and leans up. "Well, it''s not like either of us were in control of anything... A three-way while on Spice is something I never want to do again. I remember most of it. I guess I''m supposed to be mad, but I really can''t..." On my right, I feel Xilo rise from the sheets and nkets. Sally and I both look at her for an exnation, but all she does is stand up in the nude and walk out of the small hut. Leaving the two of us alone. I wish I could rememberst night. I don''t want to ask Sally cause that''d be insensitive and rude. Never in my life has something been a fog to me, and I don''t like it. Not being able to remember is one of the worst things you can go through. It''s your time. Your memories, and you can''t even bring them forth from your mind. "Your head hurting as much as mine?" She nods her head and scoots closer. Wrapping her arms around me and reaching up to kiss the side of my head. She''s definitely going through something in her head. I want to talk about it now and see if we can get past it. "What I did... I consider it cheating, Sally... I''m sorry... I''m not going to make any excuses..." I could, but that''s not who I am. I''m supposed to always be in control. Nothing is supposed to be outside of my expectations. This is one of those moments and look at the kind of shit that''s happened. I don''t know how Hailey liked this kind of life... She leans closer and locks my lips with hers. "Hey... I know that if you were in control, you would''ve never let anything happen. I wasn''t in control, either. All I could do was join Xilo in taking your body... You had your eyes closed. You looked unconscious... If anything... We raped you..." She fills in the time that I missed. While I still can''t remember it, I appreciate that she''s not that upset about it. I don''t even think she''s specifically upset with me. Only that the situation happened. I know that she doesn''t want to share me, and I don''t want to be shared. This is something that was pulled out of nowhere. I can confidently say that I didn''t expect to be drugged and have a three-way without my knowledge. Her words about Xilo and her... Raping me... I don''t know how to feel about that... I''m not happy with Xilo, but I can''t be mad at Sally. She wasn''t in control either. The only one who knew any of this would happen was Xilo. That means it was predetermined, which makes my skin crawl. Sally and I didn''t consent. "What should we do about Xilo? If I''m being honest, I want to do something violent. But we''re not staying here any longer after they tell us where the closest city is. Should we just forget about this?" My question doesn''t take long for Sally toe up with an answer. "As much as I hate what she did, that seems to be the culture here. There traditions. It''s what they''re all used to." That''s a wise answer. Xilo will get away alive from this, but I don''t n on forgiving her. I''ve never been raped before, and I didn''t think I would be. Turns out, no one expects to get raped. It just happens. That''s something I learned today. You''d think you''d know it, but people don''t ever think they''ll be raped until it happens. "When should we get out of this hut?" She breaks me from my thoughts, and we make our way out of the tent. Fully clothed and looking to forget what happened. I know Sally won''t ever forget it. But I''m d I do not hurt her. She''s be more understanding about things out of our control. That shows she''s grown a lot in our time together. Plus, I think I''m the victim here. What a fucked up thought. I''ve never been a victim of sexual assault or rape. But now, I guess that can get crossed off. "By the way, never tell my parents about what happened in that hut. Especially my Mom. She''ll freak the fuck out." That''s a conversation I never want to have. She nods her head, and we make our way down Spice Lane. Looking for Xilo. We eventually find her talking to the leader of the vige. She turns around and sees our displeased looks. She''s in the same attire as yesterday when we met her. She must''ve gotten dressed when we were in the hut. "Ahh, you''re both now Des''merta. We can now share what we know since you''ve partaken in my flesh, and I''ve partaken in yours." What she did was a ritual of making us one of them. The customs and culture of these people are something I don''t want to learn more about. And that''s saying something. Sally steps forward, and she gets closer than someone should who is not about to fight. "That''s not an excuse for what you did. You''re lucky we don''t kill you. You drugged Angel Zern and raped him. I couldn''t do anything about it from the Spice." She lowers her head and sps her hands together. "Forgive me if I''ve done something to offend you. But this was the only way for us to help you. We only help our own." Well, at least she apologized. It doesn''t make what she did any less bad. But to her, it''s not something bad. This is what these people do. I''ll just have to live with what happened. "Okay, since we''re one of you now. Will you tell us where the nearest city is?" While we''re in the Safarinds of Alforza, they still consider it the desert. That''s probably some symbolism in their culture. But I need to stop. I''ve already said I don''t want to learn more. "Yes, we''re heading to one of the cities after we pack up the caravan and put the huts in storage. You''re wee to join us. We''re not allowed to show you on your maps. It is forbidden." Great, that means we''re stuck with these people. Well, they''re not all bad. My resentment for Xilo shouldn''t extend toward all of them. They are who they are. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 595 Desmerta [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Small Vige, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:20 AM)~~~ Sally and I watch in fascination as they disassemble the huts. Storing them in their inventories and preparing to leave. All of them are NPCs Turned yers, which shouldn''t be possible without partaking in the yer trials. You have to head to the capital of whatever Kingdom or Empire you''re in to do it. Meaning the Des''merta is unique in the fact they don''t. The most impressive part of all this is the yer Cathedral has disappeared now that most of the huts are gone. "Why do you think the system has done things differently for the Des''merta?" My girlfriend seems as curious about the Des''merta as I''m trying not to be. As much as I don''t want to learn more about these people. I don''t think I''ve got a choice. The system has always done things in a specific way. Or should I say Angelus since she''s the one in charge of everything. I don''t know why she''d make an exception for the Des''merta. Not unless she was instructed to by The Almighty Father. "I don''t know. Angelus has always been very strict when ites to yers and NPCs. She wouldn''t bend the rules unless given a good reason or instructed to. That begs the question about why the Des''merta is so important to do this for..." Before our conversation can continue, Xilo makes her way over to us. She has the same smile she had yesterday when we entered the hut. It''s going to take some time to get over what happened. But in the end, Xilo did it to help us. Sally is on edge around her. Xilo isn''t unaware of this. In fact, she makes her way to Sally specifically, changing course altogether. Instead of saying anything. She reaches down and grabs both of Sally''s hands. Looking into her eyes with a sorrowful expression. "You may hate me now, and that''s fine. But what I did was the only way to make you Des''merta. I saw your attachment to Raduerial. I knew if I told you, neither of you would ept. There are no great and open cities in thends of Des''merta." That would''ve been nice to know beforehand. However, it exins why they''re taking us with them. "You''re right that I wouldn''t have let anything happen. Neither would Angel Zern. I''m not forgiving you for what you did. But I understand it." Sally lightly pulls her hands away from Xilo. She gives a slight nod and leans over to kiss the forehead of Sally. She doesn''t like it, but she epts it. Xilo turns her attention to me and takes a step in my direction. In the end, she''s trying to help us. She did it the way her people only knew how. I suppose she made the best she could out of what she had on hand. I won''t be forgiving her anytime soon, but I understand it as well. "Raduerial. The night the three of us shared will never be forgotten. Sally and you share a powerful bond. I assure you, I didn''te between that. No love has been lost between you too. Trust hasn''t gone away either." She does the same with me as she did with Sally. Since I''m taller, she has to stand on her tippy toes. After kissing my forehead, she makes her way to the vige leader. Leaving Sally and me to watch as they have a brief conversation. After a couple of minutes, they both make their way back over. The tall man from before stands across from us. A much less serious expression on his face. "We''ll be crossing the Safari soon. It''s an 8-day trip from here, and the journey won''t be easy. You''ll have to travel on foot with us if you wish to find a ce simr to what you''d call a city for the Des''merta. Since you''re one of us now, you''ll be under our protection." I should know the name of who I''m talking to. Since he''s the leader of this ce, I''ll be spending a lot of time talking and traveling with this guy. "What''s your name? We already know hers, but we don''t know yours." He cracks a smile and unfolds his arms. Bringing his right fist into his left palm. Only to take them apart again and beat his chest once. "I''m Relio, leader of this caravan. You''ve already met Xilo, she is our spiritual leader and guide. I''ve sought her council many times. She''s never been wrong with her visions." I look at Xilo, and she''s as calm as can be. She''s a seer. Someone who can see events before they can happen. She might''ve seen our arrival here. "Does your caravan have a specific name, or do all groups of people out here refer to themselves as Des''merta?" I might as well learn the correct way to address them since we''ll be with them for a while. This is what Sally and I wanted. An adventure out of nowhere. "We refer to ourselves as Des''merta. The caravan has no name." We spend a couple more minutes talking, but after a while. They leave Sally and me alone. There is much we''ll be doing in theing week. I don''t like the idea of crossing a hot and dry climate on foot. Even if we''re not in the desert anymore. A Safari is dangerous in many ways other than heat. I don''t know what we''ll find out here. The dark-skinned people of Des''merta are a unique bunch. While I don''t approve of some of their methods. They''re a kind people. Sally walks beside me as we start moving with the caravan. Her hand is held in mine, and she''s wearing a smile. "What''s got you so happy?" I thought she''d be angry for a while. But I guess she''s not dwelling on what happened for very long. "It''s been a while since we got to walk side-by-side like this. Where there is no rush to get anywhere. It''s been a long time since I got to hold your hand like this. Usually, I''m riding on your back as we fly. This is a nice change of pace." I''ll be honest. Holding hands is something we don''t do a lot of and something that I actually like to do. But before I can say anything in response, a familiar voice interrupts us. "Would I be weed to walk with you?" Xilo pops up next to Sally, and she''s wearing a hopeful expression. She''s apologized and is looking to make amends. Even if her culture says that she did nothing wrong, she recognizes how much we didn''t like what she did. Sally looks like she could either say yes or no. I''ll leave the decision up to her since she''s my girlfriend. "I''m not ready to have you around us. But that might change in the future. Give some space, and we''ll seeter." That''s a very mature response and one that I admireing from Sally. Her emotional growth is apparent. I know that she''s done it on her own, cause I''m not good at growing emotionally. I haven''t changed too much. The ces that I have changed have been big ones. But Sally''s have been small incremental changes that have built up. Xilo epts the chance for a better rtionship with us and walks ahead with a smile. Joining the leaders. There are about 200 people apart of the caravan. We''re near the front. "That was very big of you, Sally..." We can say a lot of things about Xilo. But one thing is for sure. She bore no ill will whenst night happened. "Yeah, while I don''t like what she did. She''s not a bad person. Our lives and cultures are way too different for something not to conflict. This happened to be one of those times when the difference was too big." Yeah, giving us a powerful drug and having a three-way isn''t something we do on the regr. It seems to bemon among the Des''merta. I hope there isn''t too much of this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 596 Half Way With Company [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Crossing Safari, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:23 PM)~~~ We''ve been traveling for 4-days straight. However, tonight is the night we set up a temporary camp for a 3-day rest. Then we''ll be back on the lonely road to wherever we''re heading. That is when tonightes. It''s still midday, after all. Sally and I are actually in the back of one of the carts. It''s open and lets the air through it. The person sitting across from us has been bothering us for thest 4 days. Xilo has been trying to worm her way into our good graces again. There is something sincere about how she''s doing it. She''s not actively speaking, only staying in our general orbit. This is actually the closest she''s been since Sally told her to give us space. She''s not a bad person. Just one that''s part of a far more different culture than ours. Their customs would be foreign or wrong in our eyes. The three-way induced with drugs being one of them. That wasn''t something we''d do. But it''s regr for the Des''merta. "How big are the Safarinds of Alforza? We''ve seen some of the desert, but we know it''s much bigger. Is all of Alforza considered a part of the desert we were in, or are only some parts considered part of the desert?" The person asking these questions isn''t Sally or myself. It''s actually another yer we''vee across on the road. The Des''merta has allowed the man toe along. He''s aware of who I am, but he wasn''t all that surprised or starstruck. It was nice for once. Xilo has been kind enough to answer any questions he has that don''t reveal any of the Des''merta secrets that she has been sworn to protect. His name is Giovanni Lepore. We talked a little and he''s from France back on Earth. It''s nice to talk to another yer for a change. I haven''t talked to many yers. It was never necessary, but this has been a nice change. "You''re a long way from anywhere you''d consider familiar. Alforza is thergest known Continent of Gaia. It has vast jungles and huge deserts. Almost all environments for life can be found on Alforza." Giovanni looks at me with an amused look. While I''m somewhatcking in specific knowledge, I know some general knowledge about Alforza now. I''ve learned a good deal in the time we''ve spent here. But not enough to say I know a lot about it. "I was asking Preistess Xilo. I respect your knowledge about where you''re from, Angel Zern. I know that you don''t know nearly as much about this ce as she does." My fellow yer is quick to redirect the controller of the topic back to himself. He looks at Xilo and waits for her to speak. "There isn''t much I can tell you. You''ll have to be Des''merta to answer any more questions I haven''t already answered. You haven''t proven yourself worthy. You were almost dead when we found you. You would''ve died." While he would''ve respawned back at thest yer Cathedral he was at, to the Des''merta. That still counts as death and failure to survive the desert. The man asking all these questions doesn''t look all that pleased, but he epts the rejection of the question. There really is much that I want to ask Xilo now that things are starting to slowly smooth over. But I don''t want to ask them in front of Giovanni. He''s a Lore Junky like I am. If there is something to be learned, he''ll want to know it. I can respect that part about him. But we share one of the bad characteristics thate with that drive. We let it control us sometimes. I''ve been working on it, but he''s fully consumed like I once was. "Fine, I respect your ways andws. No matter how inconvenient they actually are." His eyes shift from Xilo to Sally, and I can see that he''s only interested in what she knows. It''s something that I''m happy to see. Most men who look at Sally see her as a piece of meat. Something to possess and use. Giovanni has the look of someone ready for information. Completely unaware of how feminine Sally actually is. It''s curious to see, but it''s a breath of fresh air. "Miss Orvello. Surely you know information about The Elven Kingdom that no one else knows. No yer outside of Angel Zern and his group of friends have ever set foot in the ce." The legends of my exploits with my family have circled around the world. The public sees them as my friends when they''re actually my family. It''s a nice misdirection. There are only a couple of yers that know the truth, and that''s because they found out on their own. Sally looks at the yer with annoyance. It''s funny cause, at one point, I was just as thirsty for knowledge as he is now. While I didn''t speak that way to people, it''s the same principle. He''s more polite about asking for information. His french ent helps. "There isn''t much to tell. I wasn''t in The Elven Kingdom. I grew up outside of its borders. While I''m the Princess and heir, I gave that up. Those aren''t my people." It''smon knowledge that the girl who travels with Angel Zern is the Elven Princess. She''s pretty popr in some parts. I''m just guessing, of course. But who wouldn''t like Sally after getting to know her? After seeing how much she''s grown. "That''s unfortunate. Looks like I''m back to talking with you, Angel Zern. Tell me, have you ever been to the mysterious Overworld?" That''s not a question I was expecting. It''s not a ce I think about a lot, but I suppose that I have the right to go there. I only need to know how to reach the ce. Even in the future, there was no known way to enter Overworld. "There isn''t much I know about Overworld. Only the Gods of The Ancients World reside there. The way to get to that in is also unknown to me." I see no reason to lie to Giovanni. It''s not like this information is dangerous. "Tell me, Gio. What''s Edaero like?" That''s the name of the Continent all European yers spawn for the first time. Most remain in their spawned Continent. But The Collision changed that. Eventually, everyone got back to where they originally started, but some yers have ventured out. yers like Giovanni and me. My family are some people who are leaving their original Continents. "The Continent of Edaero is a beautiful ce. I would''ve never left if not for my curiosity. Gaia is a big ce, and I don''t want to stay stuck in a single location. I want to see everything this world has to offer. No matter how long it takes. Us yers have all the time in the world, after all." Edaero has always been a ce that interests me. While it''s simr to my own Continent, it has distinct differences in its power structure and pecking order in Gaia. It''s one of the strongest Continents in all of Gaia. "It''s too bad a huge rebellion against the Nobles has tossed the ce into war. It was one of the reasons I left. I don''t rmend going there any time soon. At least not until the war is over." Another war has sparked in a different part of the world. "Would you tell me where you''re from?" Xilo looks at me as she asks this. "You''ll have to be more specific. I''m from a lot of ces." I''m sorta giving her the run around right now, but I feel like if I start talking to her like nothing is wrong, she''ll think everything is okay. Sally and I aren''t ready to forgive her. But it''s not like it''s impossible. If Xilo weren''t who she was, we wouldn''t. But she''s a good person and someone who did what their cultures and customs required. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 597 Sitting Around The Campfire [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safari, Temporary Camp, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:48 PM)~~~ Therge campfire burns hotly, and almost the entire caravan is circled around it. Some are drinking alcohol I''ve never seen before. Dancing with each other. It''s really a party if anything else. I''m keeping my guard up. Thest time a celebration happened, Sally and I were led to something neither of us wanted. Speaking of my girlfriend. She''s as on edge about this as I am. Her hand is interlocked with mine as we''re sitting on the ground and rxing with the heat from the fire. Giovanni is dancing with some of the Des''merta. Enjoying the customs and way of life they carry. I''m sure he wouldn''t mind bing a Des''merta. However, our situations are different. "They''re all having a lot of fun. I don''t see Xilo anywhere. Where do you think she went?" My partner gently whispers into my ear as she leans her head over. It''s a way to keep ears of others from hearing our conversation. We''ve been doing this a lottely. As great as the Des''merta are, we don''t fully trust them yet. Not after what Xilo did to me. That''s neither here nor there in the end. "I don''t know, and I don''t really care. It''s not like anyone would hurt her. There are no enemies out here. Giovanni is too busy getting drunk to be a threat, and we''re right here." Instead of saying anything in response, she leans her head against my shoulder and moves closer. Wrapping her arms around mine. It''s really nice to be here with her. I enjoy Sally''spany more than I used to. Which is a mean thing to say. But there were times when I wished she''d give me space. Those were the times when she was at her weakest and most insecure. I remained the rock she needed. Now, it''s paid off. She''s a totally different person now. "Well, when we do reach wherever we''re heading with the Des''merta. What do you think we''ll do next? We''re trying to find out where we are, and after that. You haven''t really talked about anything else." There''s a good reason for that. I don''t know what we''re doing after I find out where we''re specifically at. The yer Map isn''t helping. "Don''t get all smart about it, Saliandra. We''re going into this blind, remember?" She''s not amused in the slightest I''ve used her elven name instead of her nickname. It''s funny since, in a typical rtionship. Women try to yfully hurt their partners on such an asion. Sally isn''t capable of hurting me. yfully or otherwise. She''s forced to sit there in content silence. Or not so content. "Don''t use my name. I''m Sally to you." Ah, the good old-fashioned demand and heel-digging. Figuratively, of course. "Then what am I supposed to use when you get in the mood of being a smartass, huh? Ms. Orvello sounds like a good way. Makes you sound like your age. You''re over 1-!" Her hand finds its way over my mouth, covering it with a re in her eyes. It''s not one that scares me, but I know that she''s telling me there are consequences if I don''t stop. I didn''t know that our age gap bothered Sally that much. Or it''s as Dad always said. You never talk about a women''s age under any circumstance. This is all yful fun. I enjoy times when I can get a little under her skin from time to time. The atmosphere as people are happy and having a good time around us makes me want to enjoy the subtle things about our rtionship. After a few seconds, she removes her hand from my mouth and takes her rxed spot against me again. "What is the rest of your family up to? You haven''t talked about them since you told me you were checking in on them a while back." I know Hailey and Marcus are on their adventure together. I don''t know what Mom and Dad are up to at the moment. I''m not getting in touch with any of them until more time passes. It''s unlikely they''ll miss anything from me. Well, I know Marcus and Hailey won''t miss anything from me. I can''t say the same for Mom. Dad and I have an understanding. A Father and Son know when there are times to talk and times not to. Plus, I don''t want to think about them right now. The possibility that they''re not my family is still present on my mind. After seeing Arch-Angel Michael in that recording, everything has been shaken up for me. We''re pretty much Father and Son. The simrities are uncanny. "I don''t know what they''re up to, and I''m not going to bother them for a while. Not until I feel like it''ll be a good time too. There is much I''m keeping from them already. The only one that knows what you know is Hailey." My sister was the first one to know about my story. How I traveled back in time to change the fate of my family. In the end, that could''ve all been a maniption by whatever the hell is going on in the background of my life here. Sally lets out a small sigh and I can tell there is something behind it. "I should get a hold of Hailey and tell her I forgive her. These past few months have really changed me, and I don''t think holding a grudge like this is good. Especially to the sister of the man I love. After what happened 5 days ago, this is small inparison." That''s one way to look at it. That three-way did have some benefits in the end. Sally and Hailey will make amends. I look as she pulls up her yer Interface, and I can''t help looking a little funny at the side of her head. She''s looking at her Friend''s List at the moment, so she doesn''t see my funny look. I didn''t think she''d do it at this exact moment. I watch as she types away on the holographic keyboard. She''s picked up the way ofmunication quickly. Most people take a while to get good with a keyboard. But she''s got a great handle on it. Before she''s able to finish, Giovanni makes his way over, and he''spletely drunk. He actually falls on his face before he can make it to us. His face lifts out of the dirt, and the flushed redness of his features causes us both tough. "You guys... Never in my life..." *Hup* "Have I drank something so delightful..." I stand up and make my way to him. Helping him to his feet. He stands straight for a few seconds. Then he falls backward and on his back this time. t as a nk as he does it. "Seems our Spice Wine has had quite an effect on you, Giovanni." The leader of the caravan, Relio, makes his way over to us and looks down at Giovanni. The French yer looks up at the tall and buff man. A dazed look in his eyes. I''m d Sally and I didn''t partake in the wine. We came to the smart decision to not drink, smoke, or eat anything that has Spice in it. Sadly, Giovanni didn''t get the message. "He''s not as strong as the rest. He''s only had a couple of cups. Most in the caravan can handle more than a pint. I bet you could handle far more than that, Raduerial." Relio turns his attention to me. "I''m not having anything with Spice in it again. It''s better that I''m always in control of myself at all times. I don''t want anything bad happening, as you can understand." The tone in my voice sends the message across. He picks up Giovanni with no issues and takes off. I turn back to Sally and see her focus on her yer Interface. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 598 The Second Day (R-18) [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safari, Temporary Camp, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:22 AM)~~~ The rising sun warms the tent Cera, and I are sharing. It''s just the two of us in here. No Xilo here to bother us. Today is the second day of rest for the caravan. After tomorrow, we''ll continue on our way to wherever we''re being taken. The Des''merta has proven to be interesting. The yer from Earth named Giovanni has been a good source of information and entertainment. He''s not a good drunk, though. I lean up in the tent and notice that Cera is still asleep next to me. I''ve been getting up before himtely. I''m not sure why he''s been sleeping in more oftentely. He could be more rxed now since we''re doing our own thing in Alforza. He''d want me to wake him up, but I want some snuggles. It takes only a second to wrap my body around his, and even while asleep, he holds me closer and shifts his body, so we''re morefortable. I wouldn''t mind falling back asleep. "Hmm... That''s the warm body of my lover, is it not?" Sadly, I''ve seemed to awoken my boyfriend, and he holds me tighter as he moves his body. I''m lying on top of him now. My head above his. Looking down and seeing his smile does make my heart beat faster. "Sorry that I woke you... I was hoping to keep you asleep while I kept close." His hand runs from my butt and up my back. His touch sends shivers across my body. His hand stops on the back of my head and brings me down for a kiss. A warm and exciting feeling spreads through me as our lips connect. The same feeling I always encounter when Cera kisses me. I''m d what happened with Xilo, and The Spice hasn''te between us. She was right in saying that it wouldn''t affect our rtionship. Our lips move together. His hand leaves the back of my head, and I find my hands resting on his neck and keeping him close. I feel both of his hands start at my shoulders and make their way down my back this time. The tips of his fingers tracing my bare skin. I crush my breasts against his body and fully press my body against his. "This is escting..." We part for a second to catch some air, but I sink my lips back down and capture his mouth with mine after my words. His hands are on my lower back now. Our bodies are starting to heat up, and I''m bing turned on more as the moment''s pass. The feeling of his hands eventually making it to my full butt cause a miniature explosion of pleasure. But as his hands squeeze, that bes even better. I feel his long and thick member resting between my cheeks as he ys with and squeezes them. Neither of us nned this, but I don''t think it''s a bad thing. Spontaneous times of sex are some of the best. I know that I enjoy Cera whenever we indulge one another. "If we keep going, I don''t know if I''ll be able to stop... Everyone will be waking up soon, if not already..." The mood hasn''t changed even though Cera is trying to give me a way out. I look down at him with a smile. My blond hair cascades on all sides of my head to surround his. "I don''t care... I want you all to myself..." I need this. To have Cera all to myself. After the drug-induced three-way with Xilo and Cera, I want to make sure he understands that he''s only mine. The beautiful priestess has no ce in our rtionship. His hand leaves my butt, and I feel his tip line up at my entrance. Instead of inserting it as I want, he circles my entrance with his tip. He''s teasing me, and as much as I want him in me. I''m enjoying the forey as much as the anticipation of pration. "Please... Stop teasing me..." The whisperes out weak and pathetic. Even I''m embarrassed by the way I sounded. Enfeebled by the simple actions of my lover. "What was that?" The voice that reaches me is smooth and light. Breathless like mine. He''s gaining pleasure from this as much as I am. "Don''t make me wait any longer..." My head falls, and it rests on the nape of his neck. My body is fully against his again. Heeding my words, his hands rest on my hips as he slowly pushes me deeper onto his member. The ecstasy of insertion sends me over the edge, and I''m already riding a high as my body shakes a little. He pushes my hips all the way down until he''s as deep as I''m allowing him to grow. He''s doing all the work, but I don''t care. I need this right now. He raises my hips for me and sinks me back down. "Oh, God..." The wordse out with no control, and Cera sinks deeper than before. I''m adjusting to his size like always. "Just rx and enjoy it... I think we both need this..." I obey hismand and give him all control. The pace increases as the ps between our bodies be louder. My cries of pleasure are bing harder and harder to suppress. Cera is on top at this point, and I''ve got my face buried in a pillow as my hips are in the air. The monster he hides between his legs is going in and out of me. My moans and calls are being drowned out thanks to the pillow. My knuckles are turning white as I grip the nkets. I''m barely able to keep my eyes from rolling back. He told me to rx, and so I do. Letting the pleasurepletely take me over. My eyes see darkness as they roll into the back of my head, and I close them. "You''re so fucking wet and tight..." That causes me to have a huge wave of pleasure as I squeeze him tighter and release another orgasm. My legs shake a little, only to stop as he spins me on my back, and I''m in missionary now. My legs are spread only for him. "I won''t be able to stay quiet like this..." The words leave my lips as a begging than anything else. I''m a woman right now. Not a warrior and fighter. Not a survivor or ve. I''m a woman being made love to by the man that I love. "Then don''t hold back... I don''t care if they hear you..." Before I can respond, he lines up and shoves himself inside. "Fuaaaahh!!" The sound of pleasure and ecstasy leaves me with nothing to stop others from outside the tent from hearing. He presses his body against mine as he enters and exits with incredible speed. My ankles are at his shoulders, shaking as he has me pressed. I''m getting hit with orgasm after orgasm. His long and thick rod is hitting the deepest and most sensitive parts of me. I feel him growing thicker in me. And that''s the sign I''vee to recognize he''s close. I feel a little selfish in this moment of slight rity. This will be his first release after I''ve already had several. "I can''t hold it in any longer..." I wrap my arms and legs around him. Locking him in ce as his final thrusts are heavier and slower than before. But more pleasurable as I feel his shotsing. My heart races as an intense heat builds from his rod. "Oh my God!!" The scream leaves my mouth as I feel him explode deep in me. My nails drag down his back as I feel him fill me. I don''t know how much I orgasm in this moment, but I know Cera is filling me to the brim. "Fuck me..." A mixture of a growl and moan leaves Cera as the words from him reach me. I''m holding onto him like my life depends on it. Our deep breathing slowly calms down. That was fucking great. I needed that. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 599 Talking With Giovanni [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safari, Temporary Camp, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:45 AM)~~~ I raise my hips and pull away from Sally. Taking my member out of her in the process. Her chest is going up and down as she sucks in air. We both needed that. I turn my head to the entrance of our tent, and I know there are some people that heard us. No point in dwelling. I''m the one that told her I don''t care who hears her. It probably wasn''t the best thing to say. But I was in the moment. I don''t regret it, mainly because it was hot. I love it when Sally is like that with me. I know she loves it when I''m this way with her. Before I can open my Inventory and start equipping anything. Sally leans up and wraps her arms around me. Holding me from behind and kissing the side of my head. "That was awesome." A chuckle leaves my mouth at her simple yet effective description. There aren''t many times when we have sex. It''s not like we do it every day. We only have it when we''re both in the mood and have energy. We suffer from the same habit of being mentally exhausted. "You can say that again. I''d say we should go for a few more rounds, but I want to get out of this tent. I''m pretty hungry, and the Des''merta food is always good. It''s one of the things they don''t put Spice in." She lets out a groan at the prospect of having Spice. As I''ve said before, we''re not fond of it. Not after what happened. But it''s a way of life for the Des''merta. "I mean... We can always keep going..." Her hands run down my chest and abs from behind. The sensation is more than enticing. But we''ll have more time to indulge in each other on this trip. "As much as I''d like that, we''ll be pushing it. People are starting to get up. I promise we can resumeter tonight when everyone is asleep." That''s the best I can do. A small and epting sighes from Sally, and she pulls away. I focus on my Inventory and equip all my gear. I make my way out of the tent, and Sally is right behind me. We head toward the area everyone is starting to gather for breakfast. Giovanni is holding his head as he sits close to the morning fire. He''s probably hungover like he''s never been before. Another reason not to do Spice. "He''s not looking so good..." The whisperes from the side where Sally is walking beside me. "I want to go check on him." I''m not usually the type to care about anyone other than people I know well. However, Giovanni might''ve been what Sally and I went through. I can''t be sure, but I''d want him to know that he''s not alone in the aspect. We make our way over, and the shadows we cast on him cause a sigh of relief. He''s not a fan of the sun. Being a yer, there are some things he''ll struggle with. He''s not as strong and resilient as Sally and me. "What the fuck happenedst night..." His entes through with a little bit of an issue, thanks to his headache. I bet his head is pounding with a thunder he''s never heard before. And all this noise probably isn''t helping. Everyone is getting up and making their way here. The Des''merta work in amunity, and that means they eat, travel, sleep, and do everything else together. "I take it the Spice is taking its toll on you. That''s why Sally and I didn''t partake. I would say I told you so, but I feel like you''ve got enough on your te." He makes a mocking face and smiles, and a split second after that, he grabs his head and lets out a long groan. "He didn''t take to the Spice as Des''merta. He didn''t pass the first trial." The familiar voice of Xilo makes herself known as she approaches us from behind. "I would''ve performed the ceremony of turning him into Des''merta as I did with the both of you. But he proved too weak for the Spice." She crouches next to the man and makes him look her in the eyes. "It''ll be a while before you feel better. You need to rest for the day. If not, your symptoms could worsen." Sally and I try to blow past the whole ceremony thing. We know what she was going to do with Giovanni if he proved himself worthy. Luckily for him, he failed. But I guess it''s perspective. He probably would''ve enjoyed a night with Xilo. Giovanni isn''t the slightest bit amused that we''re even talking to him. I don''t think he really gives a shit about what''s going on. "Look, if you don''t have anything..." He grips his head in pain and closes one eye as he winces. The pain is stopping the man from talking. The customs of the Des''merta say he''s not worthy of being one of them. Since he''s handling the Spice like this. Or the hangover. "If you don''t have anything to help, then leave me alone." This time he''s able to finish his sentence, and I can''t help but chuckle a little. It''s funny if you take away the customs and cultures of the Des''merta. "The only thing that helps Spice Sickness is more Spice. However, since you''re not able to handle our Spice Wine, I doubt it would help you." The news from Xilo doesn''t make Giovanni any happier. The obsession and fascination of Spice by the Des''merta concerns me. It''s like an entire race of people is addicted to a drug. That''s what Spice is. It''s a psychedelic and hallucinogen. I don''t know it''s other effects, but it seems there could be more with long-term exposure. That''s not something I''m interested in. The two Sally and I already experienced is enough tost a lifetime. "Then leave me alone. I''m going to find a shady spot to crawl in and die." He slowly stands up and stumbles away. I''m half tempted to help the guy. But right now, the growling of my stomach takes my attention. Xilo looks at me with a cocked eyebrow and smiles. "Don''t worry. Breakfast will be served soon. I''ll be getting Giovanni. He''ll need food to keep up his strength." She walks away and starts to catch up with Giovanni. Sally turns to me and looks down at my stomach. It growls in response. This is a first. And it''s embarrassing. "Wow. You must be starving." I really am. We make our way to the ce their cooking food. It''s an assortment of meats and grains. Xilo said it''s be much easier to travel across the desert and safari since they have Inventories now. A yer Inventory preserves the food within permanently. And since all Des''merta is yers, it means their able to carry more food for longer periods of time. I couldn''t imagine how hard it was before they were turned into yers. I can''t help thinking that Angelus and the Des''merta have a rtionship somehow. It''s the only way she''d make a special exception for an entire people. That, or she was ordered to do this by The Almighty Father. Either way, it''s something I want to look into. We take a seat as we''re handed some food and the smell is wonderful. I look toward one of the people that brought the food, and he sees I have a question. "There is no Spice in here, right?" I have to make sure. We were told they don''t put it in their food, but I want to double-check. "No, my friend. The morning breakfast is sacred for us. No Spice. Spice is reserved for asions where it''s for celebration or rxation. Breakfast is for energy for the day." I can appreciate that. The te of food is something that makes my stomach growl again. I look over and see Sally looking at me with a mouth full of food already. She smiles. It''s cute. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heavens light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 600 Back On The Road Again [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Safari, Temporary Camp, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:15 AM)~~~ My eyes flutter open, and I see the familiar interior of our tent. Yesterday passed quickly, and now it''s time for the caravan to move again. The next 4-days of straight travel will prove interesting. I''m excited to see what the ce we''re heading actually looks like. The moment I lean up, Sally starts to wake up too. Breakfast will be served in an hour, and people will start getting up in about 15 minutes. "Isn''t it a little early to be getting up? We''ve finally been sleeping intely..." The beautiful elf announces in a roundabout way she''s not ready to get up. All I do is crack a smile and make my way out of the tent. She''s not making an effort to get up, so she''ll probably sleep in. That means I''m on my own for the next hour. I make my way to the center of the camp and see Giovanni is already up. His head turns in my direction. Getting a look at him, he''s doing better since his hangover after the Spice. "What are you doing up so early?" I''m a little insulted that he''s assuming that I don''t get up this early. I''ll admit, I''ve beenx thest few weeks. Not having to stick to a tight schedule and routine will do that for you. "Sometimes I get up early, and other times I sleep in. But it''s rare that I sleep past 9 AM. I could ask you the same thing. Out of all the days we''ve been traveling together. I haven''t seen or heard about you being up this early." He takes a look out toward the view we have ess to. While we''re not on a mountain or cliff, we''re on a good-sized hill with a great view of the safari ins ahead. Giovanni is a yer from Earth like I am. I know he spends a lot of time looking out into these beautifulndscapes and ces. They rarely existed on Earth anymore. It means a lot to see ces like this and know that Earth was once like it. "I want to watch the rising of the sun. It''s something I never get tired of seeing. Most of France back on Earth was lit by artificial light. Only a few hours of the day did we have sunlight..." Some parts of Earth were more damaged by pollution than others were. France had many issues with it. The main one being the air purity. Some days, people couldn''t leave their homes without protective suits. "Yeah..." That''s all I really need to say to him. The United States had its problems, but the Eastern Hemisphere was rotten. The life expectancy was halved by the time I was born. It''s better in America, but not what it once was. "Do you still think it''s there? Our home..." Earth... He brings up something that pulls at any yers heart. While it was dying, and it was our fault. We still loved it, and we were trying our damnedest to save it. But the problems our forebearers left for us to solve were too great. We were the cancer that took Earth''s life. If it is there, I hope that it''s getting better without us. Now that its cancer is gone, it should start recovering. Life will flourish where destruction doesn''t reach. "I don''t know, Gio... I miss it sometimes... It was doomed, yes... But it was home... Maybe one day we''ll find a way back, but I think it''s best we remain on Gaia. In The Ancients World. Earth doesn''t need us. It''s better off without us." It''s a hard feeling to describe. Imagine the home you grew up in burning to the ground. But instead, it''s slow. Unstoppable and slow. Ever creeping. All you can do is watch helplessly as the destruction of your home is stretched out before your eyes. Now bring that to aary scale. That''s the closest description I coulde up with. Yeah, calling us cancer for Earth is another good way. But that''s... Depressing... No one wants to be called cancer... "I remember my grandmother telling me stories about how her mother and her would take walks on the beach before they became riddled with radioactive isotopes. I wonder what that was like..." Giovanni knows how to tell a sob story. France had it bad. You could still walk on about 60 percent of the beaches in the US. In some parts of the world, the ocean was on fire. Burning oil spread out for thousands of miles. Oil rigs were desperate for anything. Willing to do anything for the precious resource. "Billions have died... The ones who couldn''t be yers... Sometimes, I think about them..." He''s not the only one that thinks about them. "Did any of your family make it?" My question is insensitive, but it''s not gonna be asked any other way. "No." He doesn''t need to say anything else. Most people who had characters before The Collision started were males. Since most people who y games are men. While the governments of the world working together to get pods out helped. I''m sure there is still a disproportionate amount of yers between males and females. "What about you?" I was one of the lucky ones. I convinced my family to start ying after I made that obscene amount of money from selling an in-game item. It changed our lives. Then The Collision happened shortly after. But in the end, it doesn''t matter. I''ll trade half a billion dors for my family at any time in my life. "They made it." Some may consider the conversation dull or brief. But they haven''t been in this situation. We''re two people that know the same thing. The same terrible thing. "You''re one of the lucky ones... Divine ss... Family Alive... Everything seems to go your way, huh..." There is bitterness in his voice. It''s understandable. When someone looks at me, they see the best situation for a yer. Everything you could ever want or need. Some yers wouldn''t even dream of a life like mine. He suddenly turns and walks away. I continue looking out at the view, and after a couple of seconds, I take a deep breath. Letting it out a secondter. "Were it so true..." The consequences of my good life are still rippling through the world. I don''t know when they''ll alle for me, but I know I''ll have to pay the piper eventually. After a little while, everyone starts getting up and heading to where Breakfast is served. I see Sally making her way to me, and we eat our food together. It doesn''t take long after that to start the caravan. Before you know it, 9 AM is in the rearview mirror, and we''re moving in one of the carriages. It''s the same one from before. Open aired and easy to rx in. The heat is already starting to rise at this point. Xilo is across from us, meditating. She''s a priestess, and I know that some religions require their leaders to mediate. Looks like the Des''merta requires it too. "What do you think she''s doing?" The whisper from next to me is filled with curiosity. Sally knows she''s meditating. The question is about why she''s meditating. Is she speaking with a God? Perhaps something else? "I don''t know. Religious leaders meditate for many reasons, each depending on the religion. I could only guess with the Des''merta." That''s enough to satisfy her for now. I look toward Gio, and he''s staring into the sky. His mind is probably on the conversation we had. yers get mncholy when thinking about things from our old lives on Earth. We can''t help it. It''s like looking at an old photo album of your family. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 601 Into The Desert Again [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:31 AM)~~~ It''s been 2 days since we departed. We exited the safari earlier this morning. The temperature has risen significantly on the sands. The dunes are high and rough on the horses pulling the carts and carriages. However, they have nock of cool water. Something that the Des''merta has an abundance of. The scorching sun is already high in the sky. Its rays of light and heat are beating down on us. The carriage is open-aired. Xilo has taken the situation to dress down to nothing. Saying it''s the best way to stay cool in the heat. She''s sitting across from Sally and me naked. Asfortable as she can be. It''s a little awkward. Sally isn''t a fan of what she''s doing. I''m afraid there isn''t anything we can really do about it. It''s fucking hot. I''m not going to tell Xilo to put clothes on in this heat. While it''s not affecting me, it''s annoying as hell. "Do you have to do that?" I knew it wouldn''t take long before Sally said something. I''m hoping things go easier than thest time a naked situation between all of us urred. Xilo opens her eyes and stops basking in the sunlight. Turning her attention to Sally, she has the same calm energy about her. I don''t know if Xilo is capable of anger or hate. I don''t get that vibe from her. I can''t be certain, though. Their eyes are locked on each other. Sally is starting to sweat. While she''s resilient to most weather, that doesn''t mean she''s like me. "Why don''t you join me, Sally? You''re obviously growing more ufortable as the sun gets higher. Taking off that armor could help. Even if it was created for the desert, we''re going through a part where temperatures reach unbelievable highs." That''s a way of saying our armor won''t be that effective at keeping desert heat out. Which they''re designed to do. It makes sense that certain parts of deserts are hotter than others. The blond-haired elf hardens her gaze. There is some tension growing here. "There is no way I''m ever getting naked in front of you or anyone. That''s reserved for Cera." An edge of anger in her voice is enough to convince regr people of what she''s trying to get across. Xilo isn''t regr. None of the Des''merta are. Giovanni is currently in another carriage with some pretty Des''merta women that invited him to ride with him. He didn''t refuse the offer. I''m betting he''s naked with them at this very moment. I shake the thought away since it disturbs me. "I was hoping you''d have forgiven me by now, Sally. I''m not going to ignore the ways of my people to satisfy you. The Des''merta strip down when crossing Death Valley. It''s a stretch of desert reaching almost 150 degrees Fahrenheit." That''s the part of the desert we''re heading to. That''s a temperature I can handle without any issues, but that''s bing too much even for Sally. Her limit is around 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Xilo brings up a good point too. It''s something Sally and I discussed at length. This is her people''s way, and we must ept that. Even if we disagree with the more strange and unnatural customs of the people. We were made Des''merta that night in Xilo''s ceremony. It goes to show that they have their culture and customs. Sally looks at me for some backup. But I shake my head at her. Not in a way that shows disapproval. Only that she''s lost this particr fight. ,m "Do you like seeing her naked?" The sudden question from my girlfriend takes me for a loop. I straighten up and look at her with raised eyebrows and worry. She hasn''t been like this for a long time. Not since our talk back in the jungle. The jealousy is rearing its ugly head. But I know I''d do the same if the roles were reversed. While not in such an insecure way, I''d still ask her not to look. "Sorry... That was uncalled for..." The apology is quick toe, and I ept it with no issues. I turn my attention to Xilo, and her eyes lock with mine. "Look, it''s weird for us. Surely, that much is understandable." I try to get Xilo to at least put a rag over her private areas. However, she''s having none of it. It''s not like Sally, and I can fly off. We both want to see the Des''merta and learn more about Arch-Angel Michael. The Des''merta holds information about my own history. That is, if I really do originate from The Ancients World. Or Gaia, as it should be called. They have to take us there. We''re not able to be told where it is and go there ourselves. "It''s my way." That''s a perfectly fair answer too. A sigh escapes my lips, and I lean back. Looking back up at the sky. No clouds in sight. Only the rolling heating off the sand and rising up. "Sally, may you tell me why you''re so ufortable with the naked body? It''s the purest form of life. It''s how wee into the world." I''m not going to get in the middle of this anymore. If Xilo wants to press her luck and talk with Sally about such sensitive subjects, then so be it. I don''t hear any response from Sally, and I doubt she''ll talk about it with Xilo. There is no reason to. Sally''s history is tragic andplicated. Something that she''s taken a long time to get over and ept that happened. She''s doing her best to move past it, and she''s made tremendous progress in my eyes. "That''s not something I talk about with people I don''t trust or like, Xilo." I wasn''t expecting such a brutal and straightforward response from Sally. To be honest, I figured she''d ignore her. "You were a ve, yes?" Sally''s history as the Elven Princess is known to the public, but not many know about her life before finding me. Around 80 years before I was born. It''s safe to say no one knows that since everyone that does is either dead or is me and my family. It means Xilo can tell by looking at her. Perhaps she has a special skill, or she can pick out people''s past. I couldn''t say. "That''s none of your damn business." I almost sit up with that. However, I decide to let things y out and continue looking at the empty desert sky. "Many Des''merta were once ves too. Including me." Now that causes me to raise my head and look at Xilo. I quickly look at Sally, and for the briefest of moments, I see a spark of concern and confusion. But it''s reced with the familiar anger and loathing since it''s Xilo. "You were a ve?" This time, it''s me asking the question. "Yes, many of the Kingdoms in the desert that the Des''merta people are at war with have legalized very. I was liberated when I was a little girl, but by that time. I was already tainted, so to speak." That''s something that''s all too familiar for Sally. "However, in the eyes of the Des''merta. I wasn''t. No one is tainted in our culture." I find it interesting that in all the time that''s passed. She hasn''t brought up this war at all. This is the first time we''re hearing about it. It''s probably another secret that Giovanni wasn''t allowed to hear since he''s not one of us. "It''s easy for me to see anyone that''s suffered at the hands of vers. Men or women. You, Sally, have been abused, used, and controlled. Perhaps we can be closer after this. I share the same past." This conversation took a turn that I wasn''t expecting. I turn my head away from Xilo, and I look at Sally. Instead of her anger, she''s looking down at her hands. Avoiding eye contact with Xilo. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 602 Some History Of The Desmerta [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:21 AM)~~~ There has been an awkward silence for the past 45 minutes. Xilo revealing she was once a ve, took the wind out of Sally''s sails. It goes to show that you never really know someone. That''s not what my mind is currently on. Sally is bing increasingly affected by the heat. Eventually, she''ll either pass out from heat exhaustion or she''ll need to unequip her armor. The third option is continuing to make ice from her ss. It''s what she''s doing right now. It''s actually working too. This way, she does not have to get naked like Xilo, and I''m currently enjoying the ice she''s creating too. Xilo herself is only watching us as we enjoy the cold from Sally''s ss skills. Winters Wrath is Legacy in Grade, but it''s chock-full of exceptional Skills. "Would you mind sharing some of the histories between the Des''merta and this Kingdom you''re at war with? It''s not something I knew about until you brought it up just a little bit ago. I''m curious as to what it is." While I said, I wouldn''t be learning anything new about the Des''merta. I don''t see any way to pass the time faster. A history lesson is an excellent way to keep the boredom at bay. It never hurts to learn more about where you''re at anyway. The dark-skinned priestess smiles at me with what I can only describe as a mixture of calm happiness. This doesn''t go unnoticed by Sally. "There is much history between the Des''merta and the Kingdom known as Regeliance. Should I start from the beginning?" Regeliance... I''ve never heard of this Kingdom before. That''s to be expected since I''m in a part of Gaia I''ve never been to before. Legalized very, huh... Sounds archaic and vile. Sally doesn''t like very since she was one at one point. A sex ve at that. That part of her life was 80 years ago, and she''s done a great job getting past the pain and suffering. But all this shit we''re casually strolling into might dig up wounds that are still healing. My stomach churns at the sound of that. Legalized very. Ugh. "Start where you think would best suit my education." Leaving the lesson up to her seems the wisest decision. You don''t need to know everything from start to finish. While that''s fun, it''s not needed here. "I supposed I should start 417 years ago. My 10th birthday." Umm... What? Sally and I both look at Xilo, confused. Genuinely shocked, to say the least. She''s 427 years old. That''s unbelievable. She''s human, so how is she able to live so long and still look like she''s in the process of going into herte twenties? I scratch the back of my head as I try to find the right words. It''s not the first time I''ve met an old immortal. It won''t be thest, either. I just didn''t expect Xilo to be one. She doesn''t act like someone who is nearly 430 years old. People that old usually behave differently, and it''s easy to see when it''s happening. "You''re confused as to how a human can be as old as me and still look this young." I can make deductions. She''s a priestess, and that could mean the God she''s serving has granted her immortality. Perhaps she''s been cursed by a power that only exists in Alforza. The possibilities are numerous. "Yeah, that''s one way of putting it." It''s Sally that answers her. A little condescendingly in the process. Sally is being unlike her usual self; given the longer she''s exposed to Xilo. The frustration, anger, and likely hate run deep in her. More than I thought it did. At first, I thought she was getting over what happened. I know I''m over it, but it got to Sally a lot more than it did me. If the roles were reversed, I''d never get over it. So in that sense, I understand. "You''re aware that I was once a ve now. It was when I was ten when I was freed." God, that means she was... I can''t even finish thinking about that. She''s had the same life as Sally... "When I was brought to the Des''merta city. The Spice Mother chose me. She''s the head priestess of our culture. The Spice Mother gave me a drink, and the gift I received was visions and immortality." That''s a very simplified exnation. "Every priestess that drinks from the Spice Cup is given unique boons all to themselves. Some are given great magical power, and others are given strength. I was given two boons." So there are multiple priestesses. I had assumed so, but this confirms it. I couldn''t be 100 percent sure. "That means you''re one of the longest-living priestesses for your culture. Are there any other priestesses that share your unique boons?" I''d guess none do, but at least if one didn''t. I don''t see how Xilo couldn''t have be the head of the culture. The Spice Mother is still in charge from the signs of it. "Perceptive, Raduerial. The only other priestess that shares immortality is The Spice Mother herself. She''s almost as old as the desert itself." I''m bing more interested in the history of the Des''merta than I originally was. There is so much to learn. I don''t know if Sally will mind me asking more questions, but she''ll have to deal with it. "What about the Kingdom, Regeliance? How long has that been around?" I don''t see how two opposing people and civilizations could exist in the same ce unless one was unaware of the other for the longest time. The desert is a big ce, and it was a terrible environment to live in before the Des''merta were yers. "Our people were aware of them for a long time. They hadn''t known we existed for several centuries. But after they started to practice very. The Spice Mother gave every Des''merta to save the ves of their own volition and have them join the Des''merta." The Des''merta is an adoptive people by nature. They take in anyone that proves themselves worthy enough to be Des''merta. Once you do, you''re one of them, and they''ll take care of you. "How long has this war been happening between the Des''merta and The Regeliance Kingdom?" Sally surprises me as it''s her asking the question this time. I figured she''d stay out of this, but that''s not the case. Wars canst a long time. Earth has its own history of war, somesting vast amounts of time in our history. It''s part of the evolution of a people, whether anyone wants it or not. "Since very was legalized in Regeliance. They abduct and raid othernds and kingdoms. If you''re foreigners, you''re worth more on the ve market. They have enemies, but they''re the strongest Kingdom on the continent. No one challenges them openly." Wow, while it''s not a specific number, it''s definitely something to give an idea. That means it''s been a war that''ssted since before Xilo was born. "Howe the surrounding Kingdoms andnds haven''t banded together to face thement threat? A united front can ovee any one power." That''s not an opinion I share with Sally. Some things are too big to beat. Even when you have help. I couldn''t say it''s impossible, but since it hasn''t happened yet. It won''t be happening any time soon. "The armies, weapons, and technology of Regeliance are far beyond any Kingdoms ornds that surround it. Having freeborers allows for science, prosperity, and the economy to grow. They''ve been in a golden age since they legalized very." It''s a vile perspective, and one I don''t like looking at or entertaining. However, all the greatest empires and civilizations built on Earth and Gaia were built on the backs of ves. I''m getting sucked into the lore now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 603 Other Issues [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:48 PM)~~~ Night has fallen on the desert, and we''re continuing as we did before. It''s 4 straight days of travel. Xilo has put her clothes back on since the sun has set and the temperature has lowered significantly. The extremes of the desert aren''t fun. Sally and I spent a long time talking with Xilo about the history of The Regeliance Kingdom and the Des''merta. We learned just how much more advanced they arepared to everyone else. While the technology isn''t at the level of Earth during my lifetime. It''s impressive, nheless. I guess that doesn''t really say much since we destroyed our world''s environment. That''s neither here nor there at the moment. Right now, I''m looking up at the stars. I''ve seen beautiful views of the skies above in The Ancients World. Some nights, the light from the sky would ovee the surroundings. Bathing it in starlight. Seeing the world from the starlight is different than anything you''d ever think. It''s sad to think that Earth was like that at one point. But again, I''m getting off track. What''s surprising is Sally and Xilo have been talking. The elf that I spend all my time with has started to get along better with Xilo. It might have something to do with the fact that Sally and her share a very simr past. I couldn''t be certain, but that''s the best guess. "What made you stay with the Des''merta when you first were freed? Did they give you a choice to stay or go?" I''m still looking at the stars as this conversation is happening. It''s something that many would consider a dramatic shift in such a short amount of time. But Sally is trying to change that part of herself, and I really admire that. She''s not holding a grudge. At least she''s doing a good job of hiding it. I doubt they''ll be friends at any point, but Sally might consider Xilo an acquaintance at some point. "They did give me a choice. After reaching where we''re heading now, they said that I could stay with them. Or they could take me to a neighboring Kingdom on one of the caravans. I chose to stay. I knew it was the ce I belonged." The Continent of Alforza has a lot of history. The Des''merta and The Regeliance Kingdom is just a small part of that history. There are still a lot of ces that we haven''t been to, and I want to visit everywhere that exists. "Hey, I''m heading out for a second." Before Sally can say anything to me. I stand up in the carriage and spread my wings out. I burst into the sky and rush for the stars. Reaching out my hand. I continue to soar higher and higher. I eventually reach the vacuum of space and start taking massive passive damage. In the millions. But I have enough health to enjoy this for a minute or so. The silence up here is amazing, and the moons of Gaia are bigger from here. I look below me, and everything seems so small from up here. A massive desert is below me, and I look a the spherical shape of Gaia, and it seems endless. It''s a magical world. One that expands indefinitely. There are civilizations out there that don''t know we exist. ces on Gaia that have never been explored by yers. It makes me wonder if there are parts of Gaia that have NPCs that don''t have ess to the system. ? It makes sense. The damage I''ve been taking has added up, and instead of diving down. I fall, with my back to Gaia. I watch the moons and stars pull away. I spin around and spread my wings out. "I should take a couple of minutes to myself. Get away from all the noise andpany of others. Everyone needs that break." Instead of heading back down to the caravan, I fly high above it. Keeping with its slow speed. It doesn''t move fast, and that''s to be expected. It''s a caravan, after all. "What does it all mean..." My mind and question are on this Raduerial situation. There are so many things I want to know, but I have nothing to give me the answers. Amelia might know the answers. She could give me some. I have no way of getting ahold of Arch-Angel Michael. If I''m really an entity that''se from Gaia, then I don''t know why all of this has happened in the first ce. Was the n of The Almighty Father to join Earth and Gaia together from the very start? Why was I sent away from my home and ced on Earth? But that''s nearly impossible, too. There were literally baby pictures of me. Pictures of me in the hospital when my mom gave birth to me. "I don''t know how I''m going to find any of the answers..." I spend about an hour up here, and I eventually get a message from Sally. [Hey, you doing okay? You left too fast for me to ask what''s wrong.] I don''t answer her immediately. I leave her on read and I know that she won''t take kindly to that. I close the yer Interface and turn off notifications for the time being. This is a moment that I rarely get to myself, and I think I need it. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:13 PM)~~~ Cera has been gone for a long time. I''ve lost him in the sky. There are too many stars, and he''s flying too high for me to make out his golden wings glowing in the sky. He hasn''t responded to any of my messages either, and I''m starting to get worried that he''s in trouble. But that''s pointless since I doubt anything in the desert can hurt him or reach him up there. Xilo and I have been talking since he left, but it''s gone quiet. She''s just watching me as I look at my yer Messages every few minutes and look toward the sky for a sign of Cera. "There are times when a man needs space and time to think. No one else has to be around for those moments. I have no doubts he''s in that mindset at the moment." Xilo and I are doing a little better, and while I''ll talk to her. I won''t take any advice from her. But it makes sense. Cera is a guy, and I know that he does a lot out of his own character for me. He''s not a social guy, but he tries for me. He''s done that for me. "He hasn''t sent me any messages back. This is the first time he''s done this before. I can''t help worrying about him. Is there anyone special in your life, Xilo?" I change the subject to something that''s been on my mind for a long time. Xilo hasn''t spoken about a man in her life, and I don''t know if her culture allows for her to be with a man. In the sense of a rtionship or marriage. She''s able to have sex to make people Des''merta. But that''s all I know about her. There is a solemn look on her face and one that shows she was once in love. But since she''s immortal, I think that person she cared for passed long ago. In retrospect, it was a stupid question. "There was a man a long time ago. He made me feel something I had never felt before. And I haven''t felt it since. He made me feel special and loved." I want to ask more, but I''ve been such a bitch to her that I feel kind of bad. On the other hand, she did drug Cera and me and had a three-way with us. "Are you allowed to have someone special?" The question hits her deeply. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 604 Not So Perfect [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:21 PM)~~~ The question I just asked is causing a look of pain and sorrow on Xilo. From her reaction, I don''t think she''s allowed to have a partner she''d called a boyfriend or husband. The culture of Des''merta is a mystery to me. While we''ve learned something, most of it remains unknown. Cera might want to be here for this. Taking off as he did was uncharacteristic, but I won''t bother him since he needs his space. In truth, I think it''s good that he did this. I need to get better at getting along with Xilo when we''re alone. There will be times in the future Cera might do this again, and not having a foundation to talk on with Xilo would be bad. I''m still waiting for her response. "That''s a question I had not realized would hurt me so much. Being a priestess for the Des''merta has its many advantages. That doesn''t mean it''s perfect." I''ll be honest. It''s nice to hear the Des''merta culture has something even Xilo doesn''t agree with. That''s a petty thing to think. I can''t help it, though. I won''t insult her to her face, but I''ll do it in my mind. It does make this easier. I don''t think I hate her anymore. But that doesn''t mean we''re friends by any means. Xilo is someone we have to get used to hanging around with. We still have plenty of ground to cover until we reach wherever they''re taking us. We haven''t even learned the name of where we''re going. Only that it''s a city underground. Appartently, there are more than one that holds countless Des''merta. "What''s not perfect about the Des''merta culture? Y''know, minus the drugging and rape of Cera." That''s what it is in the end. Xilo did it because her culture demanded it. It''s something she agrees with and epts. I''d love to know about something she doesn''t agree with. Something she actually thinks is wrong with her culture. Given how she was a ve in her young life, I don''t know how she could be okay with doing what she did to Cera and me. However, that was around 430 years ago for her. That''s a long time. She''s obviously gotten over it. A long inhalees from the dark-skinned beauty across from me. I do feel like I have topete with Xilo. Just a little. She''s as beautiful as I am, if not more. "You may enjoy it too much when I say this. There are many things I don''t agree with in the Des''merta culture. You resent me for what I did, and I get that. It''s my responsibility to Cera and you. It was the only way to make you Des''merta." She''s picked up on the vibe I''m giving off. I take a breath and get it under control. I''m not that rash, emotional, and overreacting person anymore. I''ve changed that part of me. For the benefit of myself and Cera. Our rtionship has improved dramatically ever since I stopped being jealous, insecure, and intimidated by other women and the interactions he has with them. "I won''t argue with you, Xilo. It''s a part of the culture you''re in. I''m allowed to feel ufortable around you. But I don''t hate you. Not like I did yesterday. After getting to know more about you, I understand you better." It''s a step in a direction that could lead to something other than what I''m feeling right now. I don''t hate her, but I can''t say I don''t resent her. There is a difference between the two of them. "Enough of this subject. Tell me about why you can''t be with a man or woman other than making him or her a Des''merta?" It''s clear to me there is some rule that says she can''t. She hasn''t outright confirmed it, but you don''t have that look on her face unless there is something you don''t like and can''t change it. Changing the subject so fast has its benefits too. For me as well as for her. I don''t have to keep thinking about it. And she doesn''t have to keep defending herself. "I was hoping not to talk about it. It''s something that I don''t share with people. But I know that there is a bridge that will never be repaired between us. Perhaps some of my suffering might satisfy you." I''m about to counter that I''m not that type of person. But I see the funny smirk on her face, and that''s when I realized she made fun of me a little right there. Thanks for making me feel and look like a sadist. But now that I think about it, I like inflicting pain and watching pain against those I believe deserve it. I don''t know if that''s a pure sadist, but it''s someone that does enjoy the suffering of others. "Just get on with it." I''m tired of going in circles here. She still hasn''t told me the things she disagrees with in her own culture. "You wanted to know why I''m not able to have a boyfriend, husband, or partner. The simple answer is I''m infertile. And infertile women of the Des''merta aren''t allowed to marry or partner with anyone. It''s also forbidden for me to interfere in other''s marriages." From the sounds of it, the Des''merta have an open rtionship policy in their culture. "Does that mean married couples sleep with each other and whoever they want at the same time?" I''m curious cause that''s not something that existed where Cera, and Ie from. The vows andws of marriage and partnering are important. Infidelity and adultery are looked down upon. "I''m guessing that where youe from, people don''t live that way. The Des''merta don''t restrict themselves to one partner. However, if both parties agree. They can have a rtionship where it''s just the two of them. It''s not umon for that to happen." I would think fights and arguments would break out in such a society. But I don''t know what it''s like to be a real Des''merta. To be raised in their ways. Growing up being taught this is different than not. I''m about to ask something that will hurt Xilo, and while I know, I shouldn''t enjoy it. I can''t help but think she deserves it a bit. "Was the reason you couldn''t be with the man you loved from your infertility? Or was it because he had a mortal life, and yours was endless?" A sigh escapes the woman across from me. She didn''t expect to talk about this today, and I can see it''s having an effect on her. She even looks like she''s holding in the pain, holding just a little bit of tears in. I''m even feeling a little bad because of that. Cera did say that I''m too nice sometimes. "Yes, he said that he didn''t care that I was infertile or that I was immortal. He still wanted to be with me. It broke my heart to send him away, and it broke it more watching him grow old with another woman. Time not affecting you can be a curse as much as a blessing." Thinking about it like that, I actually feel bad now. Cera is immortal due to his Angelic heritage. I''m immortal due to my Elven heritage. If one of us were mortal and could die... That''s not a thought I like... Not one bit... And Xilo actually went through something like that... Watching it happen... "I''m sorry." The wordse out of my lips with no control. Deep down, I''m sorry about what happened to her during her life. And I''m sorry I brought up long-buried wounds. "It''s okay. You don''t need to apologize. What I did to you two was wrong in your eyes, and I deserve suffering from your point of view. This is that payment. We won''t ever be even, but this might help a rtionship between us. I hope you''ll call me friend one day." It''s something to think about... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 605 Night Flying [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:44 AM)~~~ A few hours have passed, and I''m still flying above the caravan. My mind has been on a lot of things. Going between memories, goals, and problems. Sally has stopped trying to get ahold of me using messages. There isn''t anything for me to do until we reach wherever we''re being taken. Giovanniplicated things since he started traveling with us. There were lots of subjects we weren''t able to talk about in front of him. It''s nice having a fellow yer around. Someone that I can get along with. He''s a pretty cool guy with a level head. There is someone that I want to talk to. My sister. Hailey was the first person to learn about my secrets. If there is anyone in the world other than Sally that I could talk to this about, it''s Hailey. I open my yer interface and see her name in my Friends List. Where she''s at on Gaia, it''s around 12:00 PM, and that means she''s up. [Mind if I talk to you about something?] I could dance around and sound like a caring brother. But I''m not in the mood to do that right now. A conversation needs to be about me and me alone. I''ve got a lot of issues going on. I wait a couple of minutes, and I still haven''t gotten a response. Hailey might be trying to get me angry or frustrated by ignoring me. She could be in the middle of something important too. I couldn''t know. However, the message I sent says she''s read it. I dismiss the screen and turn my thoughts to The Regeliance Kingdom. Hailey will get back to me when she gets back to me. In the meantime, I can distract myself with some postting. All of a sudden, I have a brilliant idea. While Xilo has been incredibly helpful in terms of information about where we''re at and what happens in thesends. She doesn''t know everything. That doesn''t mean I can''t buy a Lore Scroll or Lore Book from the Auction House Tab in the yer Interface. Plenty of yers are from all over the world, and the Auction House sells pretty much everything. The chances are good it has something that I''d want. Once again, I open my yer Interface and head to the Auction House Tab. Immediately, I see the top things being sold. It''s pretty impressive, to say the least. While no one would give up something really good, they would if it no longer had any use to them. There are great pieces of armor, weapons, and magic books being sold at Epic Grade quality. It''s incredibly rare for something Legacy Grade and higher to be sold on the Auction House Tab. The things I''m seeing right now are all for levels far lower than mine. It''s basically people clearing out their old gear they don''t need anymore and selling it to the yers and NPCs Turned yers that are weaker than them for a nice profit of Gold. After typing in what I''m looking for in the search bar. I''m given a healthy list of a bunch of Lore Scrolls and Lore Books about The Regeliance Kingdom. All of them are varying in price, but I know what I''m looking for. Lore Scrolls and Lore Books are valuable, but the best of them go for the highest prices. The best yers know that Lore is your best friend when searching for answers. That means when they don''t have a use for a Lore Scroll or Lore Book anymore. They''ll be getting rid of it. It''s not umon for Lore Scroll and Lore Books to have hidden requirements to actually unlock and read them. When yerse across those, that''s when they toss the Lore Scroll or Lore Book. It''s impossible to know what it takes to unlock a Lore Scroll or Lore Book. Before I can buy anything, I get a message back from my sister. [Depends on what you want to talk about. Sally and I have been chatting thest few days, and I''m guessing I already know what you want to talk about. Look, it''s not your fault. You were drugged.] She thinks I''m talking about what happened between Sally, Xilo, and me. [That''s not what I want to talk about. It''s about how I''ve manipted things... Remember?] I still remember when I told her about how I''ve changed the future by going back in time. She knew something was up before I even said anything to her. I still remember when I told her about how she got consumed by drugs and ended up getting Mom killed. I haven''t gotten a response back yet. She''s with Marcus right now, and she''s probably making sure that what we''re about to talk about isn''t seen by him. [Yeah, that''s not something I''d forget. Is there anything new you want to tell me? I know I don''t have the whole story yet.] I don''t know how she''ll react if I tell her that I''m probably from The Ancients World and I''m not really her brother. There is so much conflicting information, and it''s something that I''m still trying to figure out. Hailey could help me do that. [What do you remember about my birth?] She was there in the hospital when I was born. She was old enough to remember too. I know there are photos of me and proof that I was born to the Adamo couple. [What''s this all about, Cera?] It''s definitely a strange question to ask out of nowhere. But I''m not sure I should bring her in on the truth yet. [What do you remember, Hailey.] This time, I don''t make it a question. It''s a demand. I don''t get an immediate response. I don''t know what she could be thinking about. Whatever it is, I have no doubt it confirms that I''m the Son of Violet and Chris Adamo. As I''m waiting for a response, I look down, and the caravan is still there. Going at the same slow speed it''s been going. After another few minutes, I get a message back from Hailey. [I don''t really remember all that much, Cera... I was very young, and it''s been a long time since then. That might be something you want to ask Mom and Dad about. They''ll remember better than anyone. But since this is about... That... I can understand why you wouldn''t.] I don''t know what I expected. Hailey was still incredibly young during that time. It makes sense she can''t remember it. I don''t want to get my parents involved in this. [Why are you trying to learn any of this, Cera?] I get another message from her, and this time it''s pressing me for information. Since she doesn''t have anything valuable to offer, I think it''s best to leave her out of it. It''ll make things easier for me with the less that people know. As much help as Hailey could bring to the table. It''s not the permanent solution to the problems I''m having here. [Don''t worry about it, sis. Tell Marcus I said hi.] I shut off the Friends List and turn off notifications from Hailey. She''s going to try to get ahold of me, but that''s all I''m going to talk to her about. But her suggestion to ask Mom and Dad about it isn''t a bad idea. I could just hide the reason why I''m asking this. But Mom would surely want to know the real reason. She knows me, and it''s hard to get things past her. And if they do have something to hide, I''ll be tipping them off in the process by asking them. It''s best not to ask them. "Back to square fucking one..." It is frustrating. Not knowing something so important about yourself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 606 Developments Elsewhere [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:22 PM)~~~ No matter what I try, I''m not able to get ahold of Cera. After the talk we had yesterday, I can''t help but think about what he brought up. Why would he suddenly ask about his birth... That''s so out of character for him... Even when he''s trying not to annoy me, he''s annoying me. All the messages I''ve sent are unread, and that tells me he''s turned off notifications from me. Sally hasn''t helped me get in contact with him either. All she said is Cera, and I have to deal with it ourselves. "What''s got you so bothered?" Marcus hasn''t got a clue about what''s going on. I know that Cera wouldn''t want me bringing Marcus in on any of this. That doesn''t mean he can''t see the change in my mood. We''re currently having lunch in a private restaurant. We''ve headed further south from The Southern Continent. The inds we''ve found have been a great source of entertainment and adventure. The Laasir Kingdom rules over the chain of inds we''re visiting. The Inds of Haestar have an extensive history that I''m still learning. Marcus has been enjoying the time he''s spent with me. I''m d I get to hang out with my youngest brother. He''s not nearly as annoying as Cera. But many would argue that Cera isn''t inherently annoying. They don''t know him as I do, and if they did. They''d agree with me. "Nothing important." My short answer doesn''t do anything to convince Marcus nothing is going on. He sets his food on his te and takes a drink of water. "That''s a load of shit, sis. But if you don''t want to talk about it, that''s fine. Must be your time of the month, huh." Scratch the part where I said Marcus isn''t as annoying as Cera. He''s worse. "You''re lucky Mom and Dad aren''t here to smack you around for that." I point at his nose from the other side of the table, and all he does is smile before going back to his food. I do like that part about Marcus. I only have to tell him once that I don''t want to talk, and he doesn''t bother me about it any more than that. He''s started to pick up a habit of cussing, even at his younger age. He''s not a child anymore, but Mom and Dad wouldn''t be happy knowing I let him cuss like this. But I''m not his Mom and Dad. I want Marcus to befortable around me, and that means I can basically let him do whatever he wants. Besides, if his worst habit is cussing, then I think that''s a deal. He could be a perverted freak or a jackass. Instead, all he does is cuss every once in a while and make a jab at me. In my book, he''s the better brother. "Well, once we''re done helping clear out The Ruins Of Tasdir. What should we do next?" That''s the current quest we''re on. It''s a Legendary Graded Quest, and we''re helping The Laasir Kingdom explore and map out The Ruins Of Tasdir. The City Of Jaerey is where we''re meeting a General by the name of Daenal Roane. There are other yers that are supposed to meet up for the quest too. It''s one that was posted all over the Inds and Kingdom. Any yer that thinks themselves strong enough is wee to tryout for the quest. Marcus and I are both Legendary ss Holders and are known around Gaia. When General Daenal Roane finds out we''re here to help. I''m willing to bet other yers will be forced to drop out. There is a limit to how many people can help with The Ruins Of Tasdir. We''re a lock at this point, which means others will have to prove their worth in the interviews. Thousands of yers and NPCs Turned yers havee here for the tryouts. "You''re speaking as if we''ve already got a spot locked for the quest." I''m just pulling my brother''s leg here. We both know we''re getting in, and while it is arrogant to think the quest is already finished before we even start. It''s not like our strength is amon find. There are only a handful of people in all of Gaia with Legendary sses. There is only one Divine ss, and that belongs to Cera. "Fine, that''s a boring conversation to have anyway. Do you think we''ll meet any strong yers or NPCs Turned yers for the tryouts? I''d actually like somepetition for a change." That''s definitely more interesting than what we were talking about. I can''t say who we''ll run into or how strong the people showing up will be. What we do know is General Daenal Roane is a Legacy ss Wielder himself. He''s a supposed legend in terms of his fighting and power. He''s been leading the armies of Laasir since he was a young man. "I sure hope so. As fun as the quests we''ve been getting have been. I''m way more interested in The Ruins Of Tasdir. A Legendary Quest doesn''te around often." There is a good chance that more people that aren''t from this part of the world are on their way down here. Word travels among yers, and the tryouts are still a couple of days from now. That''s enough time for lots more to show up. The capacity of The City Of Jaerey is around 2.5 Million people. There will probably be double that when the tryouts for the Legendary Quest start. Big Guilds with a lot of power should be showing up, and that means we''ll be seeing faces that could be familiar. "Cera would love it if he were here right now." I''ve told Marcus about how much Cera loves Lore in The Ancients World. Or Gaia, as everyone has shifted to calling it. "Yeah, I learned a lot of good things from Cera. And you''ve learned from me too. You''re not the only one that misses him..." I don''t like to or want to admit it. But I''m missing Cera way more than I thought I would. After parting ways with him, it''s been hard. We grew close during our adventures together. Now, we''re in different parts of Gaia. Separated by thousands of miles, the only way to talk to each other is through the system. "I''d talk to him more often, but I feel like he''s already got a lot on his hands. Thest time we spoke, he was in the middle of something important." Marcus isn''t the only one to experience that. Mom has been trying to get ahold of Cera through me. My brother has a bad habit of keeping notifications off for his family. He''s always been a quiet one. But it gets in the way sometimes. "That''s Cera for you. I have no doubt we''ll see him again one day. But by then, you''ll probably be a young man. I''m so fucking d yers don''t age or die." This is the dream of any woman. To never grow older and stay in one''s prime. Marcus will continue to grow until he''s 24 or 25 and stop. That''s more than 10 years away. But it might be that long before we see Cera again. It''s impossible to tell. "How are Mom and Dad doing since we''re talking about family? I haven''t talked to Mom in a few weeks." Mom is the chattiest of all of us. But that''s understandable since we''re her children. Dad talks to us once in a while, but he usually leaves it for Mom to deal with. "Mom and Dad are somewhere very far West. Across an Ocean themselves. I know they''re enjoying themselves. Our family sure is spread out." It''s funny. Our family is closer now than when on Earth, and yet we''re thousands of miles apart from each other. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 607 The Arena Of Jaerey [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:45 PM)~~~ The Arena Of Jaerey is where yers and NPCs Turned yers will be trying out for the Legendary Quest. The tryouts start in a few days, but people have already started showing up and taking this time to practice. After our lunch earlier today, Marcus and I agreed that watching PVPbat for a change could be entertaining. General Daenal Roane is in a viewing box, watching the current fight. My brother is distracted from the fight by the food in his hand. A chili-cheese hotdog with a side of chips. He''s willing to share the chips but not the main course. My eyes shift back to the Arena, and I see the current fight is about to end. "Do you think this will be the average fighting power of all the people that try out?" Marcus brings up a valid question. If the people trying out for The Ruins Of Tasdir are this weak, I doubt many will make it past General Daenal Roane''s scrutiny. You have to be powerful and a well-versed fighter. You can''tck one or the other. There is a tournament that''s going to be held after initial tryouts are over. All people who passed the tryouts will be taking on The Ruins Of Tasdir, but the tournament will be sorting through the strongest of the people who tried out. Another way to put it is that the better you do in the tournament, the better rewards you''ll have an opportunity to get during the quest. Nothing is guaranteed, but it''s still an advantage. "If this is the average fighting power of the people we''re fighting, then it''s a wash, little brother. I''m almost tempted to speak to General Daenal Roane himself to see if we can skip this crap." We talked about trying to skip out on the tryouts and tournaments. But Marcus brought up a great point. Neither of us has fought other yers in a PVP situation before. It could be fun. "Should we go down there and practice with some people? I''ve never been in a PVP fight before, and it could help to know how it actually works." It''s not a bad idea. Cera and I never had to do anything that required PVP battles during our time together. So I don''t know how they work just as much as Marcus doesn''t know. Getting a couple of practice battles in could be a good help. But then we''d be giving away advantages we might have by revealing how strong we are. That''s not something I want to give up. "No, I don''t think we should. However, we can still ask yers how PVP battles work. I remember some of the tutorials when I first spawned in The Ancients World, but that was so long ago. I need a refresh of the mechanics of how PVP battles work." There are many things I learned from Cera, and giving away information about yourself is one of the worst things you can do. Not only does it stack the odds against you, information about you spreads. It''s better if people didn''t know we were here until thest second. Marcus and I make our way to one of the entrances to the Arena. yers are lining up and getting ready for their match-up. Asking someone how PVP battles work out right will paint us in a light that we have no idea what we''re doing. That''s not an image that I like, and word could get back to General Daenal Roane that Legendary ss Wielders don''t know how PVP battles work. "That doesn''t mean Marcus can''t ask..." This is perfect. Marcus is still really young and not even a teenager yet. People wouldn''t question him about why he doesn''t know how PVP battles work. I pull my little brother aside, and he looks at me with confusion. "Hey, you''re the one that''ll be asking all the questions. It''s better if someone young like you asks the questions." He rolls his eyes in annoyance and sighs. "Why can''t you do it? You''re the adult. I think it''s stupid that I''m the one that has to ask questions." I have to resist the urge to smack the back of his head. Taking lip from your youngest brother is more annoying than taking lip from Cera. I have my pride, and it''ll not be damaged or yed with by Marcus. As egotistical as that is, I''m still the elder here. "Don''t question it, you rat. All you need to do is gather information from the yers over there. It shouldn''t take you long. Just walk over and start asking." Reluctantly, he makes his way over and starts to ask all the questions we need to be answered about PVP battles. I lean against the wall and wait while he gathers information. In the meantime, I''m interrupted by another yer. "Hello." The voice sounds meek and young. I turn my head and see a girl around 15 standing next to me. She''s got delicate features and a developed body. I''ll admit, I''m jealous. I''m not a pushover, but she''s packing way more than I am. "Hey." I''m not the talking type when ites toplete strangers. I''m hoping that she''ll leave, but she just stares at me with a smile. I want to be careful here. Some people pretend to be weak and helpless. But they really aren''t. "What do you want." I don''t waste any time getting to the reason she''s here. "I was wondering if you could exin to me how PVP battles work..." Ahh... Looks like Marcus and I aren''t alone. I''m not eliminating the possibility she''s working for a big Guild that recognized me. Sent here to gain my trust or something. Cera taught me that Guilds are really smart about getting powerful yers. Using Infiltration tactics is one of the ways they get close to yers they''re interested in. "Sorry, but you''ll find answers over there." I point toward my little brother talking to a group of people. He''s got them wrapped around his finger. Being young like that makes people trust you more. "I hear that kid is asking the same questions you are. You can listen while he asks." She gives a big smile and quickly runs off, so she doesn''t miss out on anything else. If she isn''t an agent for a Guild, then she''s in for a tough time. Marcus and I have power and skill. All we''recking is knowledge of how PVP battles work. After a little while, Marcus makes his way back and crosses his arms. His face tells me there is both good news and bad news. "We should go somewhere to talk about what I learned in private. The less that people hear us, the better." I agree. But before we can get far, a familiar voice calls after us. "Wait up!!" We turn around, and I see the same girl I talked to. She stops in front of us and looks between us. "Do you guys mind if I tag along with you? You don''t know much about PVP battles either, right? We could work together." She''s smarter than I thought she was. After seeing Marcus and I working together. She put the pieces together that I''m alsocking knowledge about PVP battles. Seeing as how she asked me. Her having this ability to deduce has increased her threat level. Marcus looks at me, knowing that I''m the one that makes decisions like this. "That depends." She gains a hopeful look. "You don''t work for any Guilds, right?" Asking her outright like this is one of the best ways toy a foundation. The foundation that I''ll be watching her. Observing her. She''ll know that I''ll be looking for anything. ? "I was a part of a Guild, but I got kicked out for being too weak..." Umm... Okay... "Wow, you''re an honest person." He took the words right out of my mouth... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 608 A Private Conversation [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:34 PM)~~~ All three of us have entered another ce that serves food, and we find a suitable booth that''s out of the way and will allow us to speak freely without anyone overhearing. My eyesnd on the 15-year-old across from me, and Marcus is watching her too. "I guess we should start with names, right?" She sounds nervous but not outright afraid. I could use Inspect on her to get some basic information. But it''s an unwritten rule not to use Inspect on your fellow yers. "That would probably be a good idea. Since you''re the outsider here, you go first." Before I can respond, Marcus is the one to answer her. The girl across from us straightens out her back and takes a calming breath. I don''t think she''s great at introductions if this is how long it takes her to get ready for one. "My name is Rianna Morday. I''m from Idaho, and I hope that all of us will work well together." She actually gave the ce she''s from on Earth and not Gaia. It''s safe to assume we''re all from the same Continent farther North. Marcus can''t hold hisughter back, and Rianna can''t help but blush. The innocent routine works for her. I''m calling it a routine cause I''m not sure if it''s genuine or not. Time will tell with Rianna. There are many opportunities for her to mess up in theing days and reveal any secrets she might have. "Well, it''s nice to meet you, Rianna. My name is Marcus Adamo, and I''m from California. Since you introduced where we''re from on Earth, it''s only fair we do the same." Way to agree to something without even talking to me about it. Marcus is more like Cera than I want him to be. At this rate, I''ll be looking to get away from my little brother just as I used to want to get away from Cera back on Earth. Marcus and Rianna look at me since I''m the only one that hasn''t introduced themselves yet. My extended time to do so causes Marcus to elbow me gently in the ribs. "My name is Hailey Adamo. I''m Marcus''s older sister, and I''m from California too." Now that introductions are finished. It''s time we get down to business. And that''s finding out if we really need to help Rianna or not. In truth, Marcus and I can do this on our own. He''s learned everything we need to know about PVP battles. "It''s really nice to meet both of you. I know my asking to join you guys is out of nowhere. But I don''t have any friends or family that wanted toe down here with me to try out for the Legendary Quest." So she''s one of the lucky few that could convince her family toe along with her. Most yers weren''t able to convince their parents to join them. Hence, why most are alone here. Cera was able to get all of us to join, and that saved all our lives. He didn''t know The Collision would happen, but I''m still d he made us. We''d all be dust now, and my life wouldn''t be this good. His knowledge of the future and The Ancients World has set our family as the strongest one in all of Gaia. Most people don''t know we''re family, but the few that do were able to deduce it themselves. "Not everyone is cut out for a Legendary Quest. And that makes me wonder if you know who we are?" My question is abrupt and possibly rude, but I''m not letting any threats go unchecked. Rianna doesn''t react as if she knows who we are. She even looks a little sorry. "Umm... If you are people who are well-known or important, I''m sorry. I''m really bad at remembering the names of famous people... You guys are famous, right? You wouldn''t ask me that unless you were." It''s too soon to say she''s acting all of this. I''m not letting my guard down. Marcus looks at me in confusion since I''m the one that asked the question. My attention turns back to Rianna, and she''s waiting for an exnation. I don''t know how an innocent-looking and acting girl has gotten so far. And that''s evidence to support she''s not innocent, and she''s acting. But I''ll continue to reserve a final judgment until I have enough evidence. "Marcus and I are Legendary ss Wielders. He''s the wielder of the Legendary Fire Mage ss Phoenix. I''m the wielder of Battlemind. A duelist Legendary ss. Most people across Gaia know who we are since Legendary ss Wielders are one in a few billion." Her eyes slowly widen, and her face reddens in embarrassment. Most people don''t need an exnation about who we are. It''s actually nice to inform someone about a change. "I''m so sorry! Forgive my disrespect!" She closes her eyes and sps her hands together as if she''s begging. Marcus lets out a small chuckle, and all I do is sigh. "Wait, does that mean two Legendary ss Wielders don''t know how PVP battles work?" I find it both funny, and concerning that her mind jumps straight to that after learning who we are. Marcus leans forward on the table and smiles. Preparing to speak. "Yeah, while we have extensive experience in regards to PVE and Quests. Neither of us has experience in PVP battles. It''s not something yers spend a lot of time on since it doesn''t help your level as much as PVE does." Marcus does a great job exining why most yers don''t waste time on PVP battles. It''s not something that has long-term gains for a yer. All it really gives you is bragging rights and a reputation if you''re famous enough. "Speaking of PVP battles, if we''re going to be working together. You''ll need to share what you''ve learned, Marcus. Don''t forget, Rianna here doesn''t know about them either." I point out the fact she doesn''t have any working knowledge about PVP battles either. As I look back to Marcus, he gives a serious expression and folds his arms. "I''ll get straight to the point. It''s not good news for us. PVP battles have different modes ofbat. There is leveled-outbat or true powerbat." This sounds like it''s going to be a pain. "Tell us about leveled-outbat first. If that''s what I think it is, we''ll be at a disadvantage." Marcus nods his head a single time as if confirming my concerns before he even starts speaking. "Leveled-outbat means both yers lose their level, health, mana, and tier advantages. Only the yer''s personal skill at the game is used to fight." That''s not good. yers that spend a lot of time ying PVP battles will want to use that as an advantage. That means no matter how strong someone is. They can fight on even ground. "I''m guessing that true powerbat is the opposite." Rianna is right in assuming that. It''s the only other option left. "Yeah, in true powerbat. yers fight at their full strength, and there are no mechanics to even out the odds." That leaves onest question to ask. "Do we know what will be used for the tryouts and tournament?" In the end, I think it''s up to the people who are fighting each other on what they want to use. However, since it''s General Daenal Roane that organized this. He might be the one deciding. "All that I know from what I learned is General Daenal Roane will be deciding the mode for both the tryouts and the tournament." That means it could be one of each. "This sounds like I''m not going to get far..." Marcus and I both look at the girl, and she''s looking down at the table in disappointment. She''s weak from what her old Guild had to say. We''ll find out if she really is when tryoutse. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 609 Sibling Stratagem [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:48 PM)~~~ Marcus and I are sharing an Inn room at the most expensive ce in Jaerey. Since Rianna couldn''t afford a room here, I spotted her the money. She said she''d pay me back, but I doubt that''ll happen at any point in the near future. My little brother is currently fiddling around in his yer Interface. He said that he was going to look into more information about Jaerey and The Laasir Kingdom. I taught him that he can use The Auction House tab to find Lore Scrolls and Lore Books about the Kingdom we''re in. As well as the chain of inds we''re currently a part of. There is something that I want to talk to Marcus about, and it''s about the uing tryouts in a few days. Now that we know how PVP battles work, we''ll need to work out a n in case we''re forced to fight someone using the leveled-outbat rules. I''m hoping General Daenal Roane doesn''t make yers fight like that during the tryouts or the tournament. If he''s looking to see how much help someone will be for the quest, true powerbat is the only option he has. But not necessarily in this case. Since tryouts can be used to see if people arepetent fighters, that can be the leveled-outbat for all the yers. Then, when the tournament starts. He will likely make it true powerbat to see who will be most effective during the quest. The Ruins Of Tasdir are the ce everyone is going that passes the tryouts. We''ll figure out the exact details of the tryouts in a few days. All we know right now is it''ll require at least 1 victory to join the yers going on the quest. Meaning there will be multiple fights for individual yers. This is different from a tournament cause there is no structure. In the tournament, you''ll advance after a win. In the tryouts, you''ll be matched up with someone at random. "What do you think we can learn with a Book on The Laasir Kingdom? It''s worth about 25 gold." Marcus interrupts my thoughts and brings my attention back to what he''s doing. It''s not like what I''m thinking about is important or anything. I''ll have to talk to him about a n after we''re done learning more about where we''re at and how we can use that information to our advantage. The bed I''m on gently moves as I lean up and look toward Marcus, who is on the other bed. He''s waiting for my response. I wouldn''t know much about Lore Scrolls or Lore Books. Cera would know more. I kinda just want to go off the price. Cera would be up at this time where he''s at. It''ll be early morning for him. "Hold on, and let me ask Cera. If there is anyone that knows Lore, it''s him." Before I can open my yer Interface and head to my Friend''s List. Marcus reminds me of a frustrating fact. "Cera won''t answer you. He''s got you on silent, remember?" Another one of the downsides that I have to deal with when I''m dealing with Cera. Whenever it''s time to talk, it''s always on his terms and no one else''s. I suppose the benefits of having him as my brother outweigh the downsides, but it gets very annoying. Some would argue I''m the annoying one. However, it''s all about perspective. You can hate all you want, but that doesn''t change the fact I exist. "Well, what do you suggest we do?" Since Marcus is in the mood to shoot down ideas, maybe he''lle up with better ones. I watch him as my little brother takes on a thinking expression, and then closes the yer Interface. "That''s something we can deal with at ater time. For now, I think we should n out our next move in regard to the tryouts and tournament." That''s what I was going to bring up. Way to take my leading idea right out of my mouth, you little shit. "Okay, I''m thinking the tryouts are going to be leveled-outbat. And the tournament is going to be true powerbat. It''s the only logical way I can see General Daenal Roane doing this. Other than making both true powerbat." Instead of bitching and moaning about what just happened, I gloss over it and get straight down to business. "I''m in agreement with you on that. But what if it''s a group tryout and group tournament? What if it''s a mixture of singles and groups? I''m not willing tomit to a n for the entire thing without all the information." He''s being extra difficult, just like Cera would be. But he''s not wrong. We can''t assume anything. General Daenal Roane hasn''t announced anything about the tryouts or tournaments. It would be idiotic to assume anything for certain. "So what are we supposed to n for?" Shooting down possible paths to take is easy. I want him to identify one for a change. "We need to prepare for the chance we get put against each other." Oh. That''s something I hadn''t even thought about. "Do we fight each other seriously? Does one of us forfeit? What if one of us gets matched up against Rianna?" That''s right. It''s not like we can''t be matched against each other. And out of the two of us, I don''t know who would win. We''re both the same tier and close in level. But he''s got tremendous ranged attacks against me. A Duelist ss doesn''t match well against a Mage ss. He takes my silence as eptance that this is the real problem at hand. I have a simple solution for this conundrum. "That''s easy. You give up." I''m not going to forfeit against my little brother. No way in hell am I doing that. I wouldn''t do it with Cera, and I''m sure as shit not doing it with Marcus. I have my pride. He sighs and leans back against the wall of his bed. "Why did I know you were going to say that? Hmm... Maybe if that does happen, we could convince General Daenal Roane not to let us fight." He''s a bigger person than me for letting what I just did slide. That, or his youth, is allowing him to let go of things easier. I know that when he''s older, he''s going to take that as Cera or I would. "Should we talk with General Daenal Roane tomorrow?" My question is a simple one. It''s something that we considered before but dropped at the notion we''d be giving up an advantage. However, given recent discussions, it''s probably better if we try to avoid these bad situations altogether. "There is the problem about General Daenal Roane being a hardass and a prideful man. He''ll probably want us to prove our worth regardless of the rarity of our ss Grades." His counterpoints always ruin any ideas that I have. But that''s not the case in this situation. The worse that can happen is he''ll say no, and we have to be in the tryouts and participate in the tournament anyways. "Okay, we''re at an impasse... Should we flip a coin for it or something?" It''s not the most intelligent way to solve a split like this. But it''s one of the oldest ways of doing so. Marcus pulls out a gold coin from his Inventory and shows both sides. Gold automatically transforms in your Inventory to match the Mint of the Kingdom or Empire you''re in. It''s incredibly convenient and one of the quality-of-life things I''vee to like. "Call it." Before I know it, he''s flipping the coin. "Tails." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 610 Heads And Other Heads [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:12 PM)~~~ "Heads." I call out the side the gold coinnds on, and I look over to my sister, and I can tell she''s annoyed that I''m the winner. It''s not because my n to stay away from General Daenal Roane is what we''ll go by. It''s just the typical siblingpetition. "C''mon, you''re really going to get all anal about this too?" I know she won''t, but I don''t see the harm in rubbing salt in the wound. She squints her eyes and holds back what she''s going to say in response. Taking a single short breath and letting it go. She''s much different than how she was on Earth. The gold coin finds its way back into my inventory, and I look toward the door of our room. Rianna said she''ll being around 10:00 PM, but it''s almost 10:15 PM. I''m starting to get a bad feeling. Before I go down that rabbit hole, I''ll give her a little more time before I go and check on her. Rianna is a nice girl that others will see as weak and exploitable. I turn my attention back to my sister, and she''s rxing in her bed. "That means we won''t be talking to General Daenal Roane. Since we''ve already talked about a lot in this short time, should we stop for the night?" In truth, I don''t want to keep talking about all this. It''s not going anywhere without more information, which we''recking at the moment. The best thing to do now is to wait until we know more about the tryouts and tournament. There is something else I would like to talk about. Something that isn''t rted to the tryouts or tournament. Not directly rted. That''s the presence of Big Guilds. From what I can see out the window next to my bed, the streets are filling up with yers and NPCs Turned yers. The first massive wave has arrived at the end of the day, and only more will continueing. It''s a danger, to be sure. There are bound to be people that recognize Hailey. She''s far more famous than me. I''ve done a good job of keeping a low profile. However, many times more people know about Hailey than they do me. But that''s all meaningless right now. Big Guilds always know who has Legacy Grade sses and higher. And since I''m a Legendary ss Wielder, that means they know me just as much as they know Hailey. Since a lot of them are here, it''s an easy conclusion to make, after all. "No, we''re done talking about the tryouts and tournament for today. There are times you should let your mind rest." I''m about to burst that bubble and bring up the topic I was just thinking about. "That''s all well and good, sis. But I do want to talk about what we''re going to do about the Big Guilds showing up. Some are already here." I tilt my head out the window, and she stands up. Taking a peek outside and seeing the streets packed with people who are here for the same reason we are. "God, if it''s not one thing, it''s another." She plops down on my bed and continues to look out the window. I do the same, and some of the more geared yers are getting rooms here. It''s the best Inn Jaerey has to offer. Makes sense the people who are strong and wealthy decide to stay here. In retrospect, it would''ve been a better idea to stay somewhere that''s way more low profile. People will undoubtedly recognize Hailey if she starts walking around the halls or in the street. Using a hood helps, but it doesn''t stop everyone. "This is where Rianna coulde in handy. If she doesn''t actually work for a Big Guild, she could be our eyes and ears while we avoid the crowds and people." That''s if Rianna shows up tonight. "Speaking of the perky girl, wasn''t she supposed to have been here by now?" Ahh, finally noticed, have you? For someone who thinks Rianna is such a threat, she sure left my sister''s mind early. "I was about to go out and check on her. She was supposed to be here by now, and if she''s easily seen as weak. I wouldn''t be surprised if she got into trouble nearby." A long sigh escapes from Hailey''s mouth, and I can sympathize. Taking care of someone weaker than you is a real drag. This is a time in our adventure when we shouldn''t have to, but Rianna somehow found a way to bing our ally. "Do you want to go look, or should I?" A Duelist ss is far more subtle if fighting breaks out than my Fire Mage Phoenix ss. On the chance Rianna does need saving, it''s better for all of us if Hailey is the one to do it. "You go. It''ll be easier for everyone." She rolls her eyes and makes her way toward the door, and leaves. I''m on my own now, and it''s a good chance to look at those Lore Books and Lore Scrolls about where we''re at. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:28 PM)~~~ My knuckles bounce off the door to Rianna''s room, and I get no answer. Good chance she''s not here. My hood is up, and night has fallen. Odds are low that people will find out who I am. I make my way out of the Inn and start looking at the closest establishments. It doesn''t take me long to find a scene developing outside a bar, and to no surprise at all. Rianna is in the middle of it. She''s a pretty girl, and she''s being drooled over by some horny guys. Instead of doing this like a normal person, I draw my de and dash forward. Everything slows to a halt at this point. I relieve the men''s heads from their shoulders. Their yers, so they''ll respawn. But due to updates recently by the system. Combat has be much more gruesome and bloody. The world returns to normal speed, and Rianna falls to the ground as she bumps into me. I turn and see her on the ground, tears in her eyes and refusing to look around. "I''m sorry. Please, let me go." I can guess what the dirtbags were going to try. I know at one point in my life, I looked as weak as her. But that was before The Ancients World. She''s not even 16 yet, so it makes sense. "Get up." She chokes on her breath a little as she forces her eyes open, and she looks at me. A hooded feminine figure standing above her. I hold out my hand, and she takes it. "Let''s get out of here." I can see that she now recognizes it''s me by my voice. No one gives us any grief about getting away from the scene. Best to be away before the City Guards get there. It takes a few minutes, but we make it back to the room Marcus and I are sharing. My little brother looks up from the book he''s reading as we enter the room. His eyes focus on Rianna, and it''s clear she''s been crying. He stands up and makes his way over to us as we''re standing by the door. His hand gently grabs Rianna''s and guides her over to the table. "I take it from your puffy eyes and red nose that you ran into trouble outside the Inn?" She slowly nods her head and starts to lose control. "I''m about to ask you something ufortable, but answer honestly." The look she gives tells me she doesn''t want to talk. Before Marcus can continue, I ce my hand on his shoulder, and he looks at me. "Give her some space, kid. Thest thing she wants to do is talk to a guy." It takes a second, but he realizes what I mean. "Oh... Sorry." Yeah, I''ll take it from here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 611 A Delay In Travel [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:13 AM)~~~ Hailey and Marcus are likely getting ready for bed on the part of Gaia they''re on at the moment. My attention is on the people across from me. In the time that I was flying for several hours, Sally and Xilo are actually sitting next to each other. I don''t think it''llst long since the sun is starting to rise, and Xilo unequips her clothes when the heat rises. Sally won''t want to sit next to that. From what I''ve gathered, they''ve been talking about their pasts as ves. It''s not a conversation I can contribute or rte to. While I canprehend and understand it, it''ll be disrespectful for me to speak about something I''ve never experienced and is this serious. "What about you, Raduerial? Do you know what it''s like to be the subject of another?" Scratch that part about staying out of it. The dark-skinned priestess has other ideas. I get she''s curious, but she must be able to see that I''ve never been through such trials. Sally looks at me with curiosity as well. I''ve never talked about stuff like this since I thought it''d make her ufortable. I neverpare life experiences, and that''s what it feels like I''d be doing if I were to talk about stuff in this manner. "No, I''ve never been the subject of another. Not as a ve is a subject to someone else. Or is an object the right word to use..." My open-ended answer doesn''t leave much interpretation. Sure, in the past, I was bullied. But that was because I was weak. I was forced to do things I didn''t want to do, but that''s not the same as being a ve. It''s much deeper and heavier to be a ve. I''d rather suffer my old life thousands of times over than be the ve of another person. In many ways, that''s a fate worse than death. "You''ve been through much yourself, haven''t you..." Xilo sounds genuinely concerned about me. I don''t see why she wouldn''t be given who she is. Sure, there are differences between our ways of life, but that doesn''t mean she''s a cruel or uncaring person. In fact, I think she''s the opposite of that. She''s waiting for me to reply to that, but I don''t. Seeing as there really isn''t anything to talk about. Again, I''m notparing my life with another. It''s not who I am. For a long time, I dwelled in the past, and I still do sometimes. But I''m giving up that part of my life and making myself a better outlook. Sally has been doing the same thing with her life, and I''m doing it too. Growth takes a long time. It doesn''t happen overnight. "He''s not someone that talks about his life with people he doesn''t really know. He''s shared a great deal with me since we''ve been together, and it''s been something that''s brought us closer." She sums up everything pretty well. Before the conversation can continue, the entire caravan stops. That''s not happened since we started moving. I stand up from our spot in the open-aired carriage, and there is trouble brewing ahead. There seems to be arge group of mening toward the caravan. Trouble is on the horizon, and I know this will dy us for a couple of hours at the most. The priestess stands up to and sees toward the horizon. She''s silent, and I can see on her face that she''s a little worried. "What is it?" Sally asks what''s on my mind since she''s watching too. I can take guesses all the living long day, but I can''t be sure. "Amon urrence in the desert. It''s a rival caravan. While we are all on the same side against The Regeliance Kingdom, we havepetitions between groups. It''s the way of life for us. Since you''re Des''merta, you''re wee to participate." So caravans of other Des''merta fight one another... That''s something I can see happening in the culture. But that would be counter-productive to beating The Regeliance Kingdom. At least, it would''ve been if they weren''t yers. However, they are now, and no Des''merta dies. That''s something that can be used against The Regaliance Kingdom. "So, in the middle of a hot desert, a battle will ur?" My elvenpanion is asking the right question. However, it could''ve been asked differently. "No, the only times where arge conflict will ur is when the sun has fallen. At this point in the day, either side will choose a fighter to represent them. Normally, the leaders of the caravans are the ones that do this." That means whatever fight is about to happen will only be between two people. The leaders of each caravan. Relio will be fighting on behalf of our caravan. "What happens if the leader of this caravan loses?" There has to be some penalty and one that isn''t minor. There would be no point in fighting unless something of value was at stake. Considering this is a desert, I can take some guesses. Des''merta being yers, puts holes in those guesses. I watch as Xilo takes on a sorrowful expression and one that doesn''t bode well for the people of this caravan. "It depends on the winner. If Relio wins, he''ll likely demand tribute in Spice and water. But the leader of that caravan..." Looks like whoever is on the otherside has a reputation. "His name is Leezir, and he''s someone that prefers women over Spice and water. He''ll probably demand to take a woman from our caravan to his. Anyone is up for grabs if that happens. Be it me or you, Sally." Like that''s going to happen. I spread my wings and fly to the front of the caravan without saying anything else. Ind in front of Relio, and he looks at me. The man across from us is tall and ripped to the bone in muscles. He points his sword toward us and takes a single step forward. "Who is this winged freak, Relio? Your lover thates to save you from the humiliation of losing to me?" I can already tell that I''m not going to like this guy. I slowly draw The Witness, and as I do. The Legendary Sword channels an aura that reflects my mental state. It''s making the man across from Relio sweat profusely, and I step back and put up his guard. I spread my wings further and prepare for battle. But before I can move for the first strike, I feel a hand on my shoulder, and Relio steps up next to me. "You are not the leader of this caravan, Raduerial. I am. It''s my responsibility to fight Leezir, and no matter what you say or do can stop that." That''s where he''s wrong. "I''m not letting the risk of you losing exist. Step aside, or die alongside him." Relio doesn''t look intimidated or thrown off at all. Most people shit themselves when I make such threats. "This is the way of our people. If you interfere, we won''t be allowed inside where we are going." What a conundrum to be stuck in. Yeah, right. "Don''t stop him, Relio. It''s not our ce to get in the way of Raduerial. Even our ways must bend in change for him." The familiar voice of Xilo breaks the tension from behind us. I turn and see Sally standing next to the woman. I can already feel the gaze of Leezir on Sally. If not my elven girlfriend, then his eyes are on Xilo. "Then it''s settled." As the words leave my mouth, I turn my attention back to the man across from us. He''s visibly more nervous now. He knows now what''s in store for him. While he will respawn as all yers do, he''ll feel the pain of an excruciating death. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 612 A 1V1 Duel [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:31 AM)~~~ Leezir looks like he doesn''t want to move forward. Hearing that my name is Raduerial must''ve opened his eyes to who I am. In the Des''merta culture, Raduerial is a name that means a lot to them. It makes sense that he''d be afraid now that he knows who I am. As I take a step forward, there is a slight breeze that blows past the area. It kicks up the sand, and it takes away the heat for a split second. My wings flex and take a position that''s ready for battle. "Since you''re the one that''s challenged this caravan, does that mean I''m the one that gets to decide how this battle goes?" I don''t know the rules for a 1V1 Duel in the Des''merta culture. If we''re using the system to do it, then it''d be a PVP battle. Meaning it''s either leveled-outbat or true powerbat. Either way, I''m not losing. Xilo slowly walks up from behind me and stands between us. But not directly. It''s more to the side, and it''s like she''s taking up an officiating role. She looks at me, and I can see she''s not nervous about this fight in the slightest. There are few people that walk around Gaia that can actually pose a challenge for me. Let alone fight me to the point of defeating me. I doubt there is anyone that can do that. "In the Des''merta Culture, when a battle between caravans urs, the people fighting must do so without the system. This is how it was before the system came, and that''s how it''ll remain." Leezir picked a bad day to pick a fight with this caravan. I''m sure the guy is powerful on his own, but there are some people you should never fight. You don''t stand a chance. I''m the person that everyone should never try and fight. There are only a few select existences that pose a threat to me. Mortal ones don''t. "Then, shall we get this fight on the road?" The man I''m about to fight gets into a stance befitting aing death. I get into my own, and I prepare to dart forward. I look toward Xilo, and I see her raise her hand. After a few seconds, she throws her hand down. Signaling the beginning of the fight. "RAAAAHHH!!" Leezir lunges at me from his spot. It matter not. The world slows down as my perception makes it. When you''re as strong and fast as me, you can see the world move at different speeds. He''s frozen in ce, and I can see a quick way to end this battle. It''d take only one swipe from The Witness to cut this guy in half. So, it might do go for people in the Des''merta culture to see how fruitless it is to fight the caravan I''m in. They all have systems and can talk. Meaning they have ess to messaging too. I have no doubt word will spread. Actually, there is reason to have doubt. It''s not like the Des''merta have already spread the word that I''m moving with a caravan. Nothing will change after this. Meaning there could be more fights on the horizon. The world speeds back up, and I move my wings in front of me. The de of his sword shes with my wings, and it''s like metal against metal. My wings have the ability to harden and soften. The sun beating down on them makes the golden glow look better. Only Legendary weapons and better can even scratch my Angel Wings. Leezir''s sword does nothing to me. I shove him away with force, and as hends on his feet. I hear a sickening crack. I shouldn''t have hit him that hard. I move my wings away, and I see the guy has a broken arm and he''s bleeding from multiple wounds. Seems the hardened feathers on my wings cut him open. "You''re far weaker than I thought you''d be..." I honestly thought the guy would be a little tougher. In the end, I guess it doesn''t really matter. He''s breathing heavily, and I can see that he''s not wanting to fight anymore. There are times that I think people are too stupid for their own good. "This isn''t a fair fight!!" He suddenly yells at Xilo from where he''s standing. I haven''t moved from my spot since the fight started. Xilo herself doesn''t look amused by the exmation made by Leezir. "There are been many times you''ve fought against caravans that weren''t as strong as yours. You''ve fought against leaders who couldn''tpete with your weapons. Now, this is your reckoning. Take it with honor and dignity, Leezir. Or prove what everyone believes about you." The beautiful priestessys down thew against the man. He''s not pleased in the slightest, but I see no reason to prolong the fight. I move forward and quickly cut off his sword arm before he can do anything. He doesn''t even realize what''s happened until he looks at me. Unknown to how I got in front of him. The pain that he didn''t know was there quickly takes over. "FUUUCK!" He falls to both knees and uses his free hand to hold the stub of where I cut off his entire arm at the shoulder. It''s pouring out blood, and The Witness''s DOT effects are activating. He''s already starting to dpose. Everyone from his caravan watches in abject fear and terror. They watch their leader dpose right in front of them. It''s a nasty sight indeed. I sheath The Witness, and I rx my wings now that the fight is over. I make my way over to Xilo, and I lean forward to whisper to her. "While I''m traveling with your caravan, I''ll be taking care of any problems like this." I pull away and make my way back to Sally as Xilo gives a single nod of acknowledgment. As I approach my girlfriend, she smiles lightly and wraps her arms around me. There isn''t a bone in my body that doubts whether or not Sally would''ve fought that man if I hadn''t. She would''ve been here before anyone else had I not flown off. "You know, you made thatst longer than you had too." It''s true. I could''ve ended the fight the second it started. But this would''ve been a good showing of strength. Maybe, just maybe. Any other caravans will stay away this time. Before I can respond to Sally, Giovanni makes his way over. I can see the cute girl following him. It seems he''s found someone among the Des''merta who will give the Frenchman attention even if he''s not Des''merta. "That''s probably the fastest I''ve ever seen someone move before. Would you mind if I asked you about your weapon?" I''m not surprised he''d ask about The Witness. "We can talk about it in our carriage." It doesn''t take us long to get moving again. Now there are five people in our carriage instead of three. Giovanni is waiting for the moment I start talking about The Witness. I unstrap the sheath and pull it off my waist. Slowly drawing the de as I do. I watch the guy shiver in his spot. "This is The Witness. It''s a Legendary Sword that I won from The Trial of Sword Saint Monrell. It''s been bonded to me since it''s a weapon made for an Angel. Made for me, in a way." He looks closely at the de and is about to touch the edge. But I pull it away. "That would be unwise, Gio. A single cut will inflict its DOT effects, and you''ll die the same way Leezir did." His face goes a little white and then green at the notion of dying like that. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 613 Jaerey Overcapacity [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:41 AM)~~~ My eyes slowly open, and I look up toward the ceiling as I think aboutst night. I don''t know what Hailey and Rianna were talking about. I can''t help being a little curious. In the end, I''ll keep out of it. It''s not my ce to dig when I''m not wanted to. I turn my head, and Hailey is sleeping on the other bed. After their talkst night, Rianna went back to her room. We didn''t have a chance to talk about a n with Rianna. At this point, that might not happen untilter today. Regardless, there are some things I want to handle around Jaerey alone. No sister, and no Rianna. It''s easier for me to get information and talk to people without her around. That way, they only focus on me. People have a hard time around Hailey. She''s a beautiful girl that''s powerful. Many would consider her intimidating. While they don''t know who she is, they can feel the vibe off her. She''s unaware of it, and that''s something getting in the way a little. So I stand up and slowly sneak out of the room as my older sister sleeps soundly on her bed. After making it outside, there are countless people already walking around. It''s going to be difficult to get anywhere I want to go. Right now, I want to see the Arena again. That ce has so much information still left to give. Hailey won''t care that I took off on my own, and that''s something I appreciate. I''d never be able to do this if I were still with Mom and Dad. But that''s not where I am anymore. I''m free to do what I want, and that''s precisely what I''m going to do. And what I want to do right now is watch some PVP practice fights in the Arena. With so many big guilds in town, it makes sense they''d be there most of the time. "Did you hear that Jaerey is at overcapacity now? Apparently, any new arrivals after this point have to pay an extreme fee and royalties to stay in the city." I pick up on a conversation that''s happening nearby the Arena as I''m almost there now. I don''t know what decisions the leader of leaders of this city makes and why. I have no experience, but that does seem like a good way to make money. On the other hand, it''s almost like they''re saying they don''t want poor and weak yersing to the tryouts for The Ruins Of Tasdir. "Yeah, I heard that Big Guilds from up North have to pay even more than solo yers too." Now isn''t that interesting... I think something more is going on here than just a Legendary Quest. But again, I don''t know the rules for a city that''s in overcapacity. This could be standard procedure. Instead of eavesdropping any more than I have, I continue into the Arena. I make my way high into the stands since there aren''t any seats left up close. There are probably over 700,000 yers watching the current practice battle. "What''s a little guy like you doing out here all by himself?" Oh, God. I know what''s about to happen. Some overly motherly woman will try to figure out why a preteen is sitting here alone and minding his own business. Dad warned me that the looks that run in our family make it hard for people to stay away from us. Hailey is proof of that, and Cera attracting Sally goes to show that the men in our family do just as good as the women. Now, why might this rte to what''s going on? That''s because, deep down, all the girls that do show attention to me at such a young age is because I fill a criteria of a guy they''re looking for. Most women don''t care about age gaps between men and women. At least, that''s what I''vee to see. Maybe I''m wrong, but I can only go based on what I''ve learned. "Look,dy. I''m perfectly fine on my own. So could you please leave me al-!" I turn my head to look at the voice, and I see one of the prettiest girls I''ve ever seen in my entire life. She looks at me with amusement, and I can''t help feeling just a bit flustered. She''s waiting for me to finish speaking and all I can do is stare into her silvery eyes. I don''t know if she''s a yer or NPC Turned yer, but I do know that I wish I were a few years older. Then, I might have a shot at her. I don''t spend time thinking about girls unless they really stop me in my tracks, but this one right here. She''s trouble for everyone she walks past. Men and women wouldn''t be able to resist her. "Well, aren''t you just a little firecracker?" Okay, she''s not that pretty anymore. "That sounds like something a grandmother would say." The sheer bluntness of my words and observation cause the woman to smile and bend down slightly to pinch my cheek. "Well, I''m an 80-year-old from Earth. I was surprised to regain my youth aftering to this ce." All of a sudden, I''m starting to think I don''t know shit about shit all. I blink my eyes a few times and try to find somewhere to begin. Okay, she was 80 years old when she started ying? Or is she one of the several billion that were given a gaming pod by the government and made a character at the government''s behest? Forget all that for a second. I take a better look at her, and I can''t seem to get over how beautiful this woman is. "So you''re telling me that you looked like this when you were in your mid-20s?" That''s what happened to all the yers that came to The Ancients World after The Collision. They reverted to the primes of their youth, and this is what she looked like during that time. "You''re not the first to say that after learning my real age. I knew I was a beautiful girl, but I''ll be the first to say that I aged like milk. But now, it''s nice to be able to look into the mirror again and not think about what was." This is one of the most random and strange conversations I''ve ever had in my entire life. I don''t even know why this is happening right now. I look toward the Arena, and a group battle is about to begin. "I''m sorry, ma''am. But I''m perfectly fine on my own. Now, if you''d kindly leave me alone, I''d appreciate it." She nods her head and gives some sort of strange bow. Before going up a few more rows and sitting with other really beautiful women. Each one of them sees me watching, and they blow kisses my way. I''m wishing that I brought Hailey with me now. My attention turns back to the Arena, and as the fight below rages. My eyes drift toward the viewing box. General Daenal Roane is still up there, watching what''s going on. "Why watch now when it has no meaning..." The question in the back of my head starts to bubble to the surface. Before I can continue this line of thinking, I get a message from Hailey. [I''m going to do a few things with Rianna. Don''t get into any trouble that could ruin things for us here. Other than that, good luck with what you''re doing. We''ll talkter when we meet up.] My sister''s short and concise message tells me that she and Rianna are doing their own research. At least we''re making ground in areas apart from each other. Since we can''t get anything done together, this might be better. [Yeah, I''ll say the same to you.] No need to send her anything more than that. My eyes drift back to the fight, and I notice the yers fighting are a part of different guilds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 614 Our Own Objectives [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:11 AM)~~~ Marcus and I finish our brief conversation over messages, and I turn my focus back to where it should be. That''s the massive building ahead of us down the street. It''s a local Live Branch of The Auction House. Most of the time, people do their business through the yer Interface. The Auction House Tab is used by pretty much everyone. However, there are real locations around Gaia where you can walk around and talk to other yers and NPCs Turned yers. It''s a valuable ce in Jaerey since so many Big Guilds are in town. We can learn about many potential enemies in that ce by just standing around. "Okay, I get why we''re going to The Live Branch of The Auction. That doesn''t exin how we''re getting the information about Big Guilds. Are we going to buy it or just listen in on people talking?" Rianna is walking next to me, and she''s on the right track. There are various strategies that we can employ while gathering information. She''s just not aware of what they are. She''s inexperienced when ites to this kind of thing. She''s lucky to have a teacher like me. I learned from Cera, the best I''ve ever seen when ites to anything regarding the world we''re in. And I''m going to share that knowledge with Rianna. Well, not all of it. Only some of it. I''m keeping my skepticism alive when ites to her, but I can see that she''s telling the truth about some of the things she''s already said so far. "Look, there are things you''re going to learn that you didn''t know about. When ites to an event like the one we''re in, information is worth more than almost anything." She nods along as I talk. I can see from the look in her eyes she''s genuinely interested in what I have to teach her. I will admit it''s gratifying to be teaching someone. As fun as it is with Marcus, it''s better with someone who won''t challenge me most of the time. "First, we''re going to walk around and identify heavy hitters that havee to Jaerey. The biggest names will be easy to find. After that, we''ll find out where they''re staying and how many yers they''ve brought." These are the questions I want answered. There are too many Big Guilds that have shown up to get a handle on them all from just walking around and asking. So, the better option is to head to where you know information flows. "I can listen to people talking, spy on them if you want. But when ites to talking, people have a bad habit of using my low-level and petite stature against me. As you''ve already seen." Rianna isn''t what I''d call afraid of trouble. I''d say she''s more cautious about it. Last night was something that happens to many pretty women when they''re being cautious or not. I don''t think Rianna is an idiot. I do know that she''s uncertain of herself. Her weakness in levels and experience has led to a habit of inferiority within her. It''s not my responsibility to fix that, but I will give her the tools to do it herself. "That''s a nice offer, but I have a n. There are certain types of people you can find and talk to within Live Branches of The Auction Houses. Information brokers, you could call it." This isn''t my first time going to a ce like this, and it won''t be thest. I''ve learned a few tricks of my own that I haven''t learned from Cera. After a few minutes of walking, we make it inside the building, and you can see activity everywhere you look. Rianna takes a step forward and looks at the digital boards. Seeing the things being sold and added to The Auction House. "Sorry if I''m a little starstruck. Thest time I was in a ce like this, it wasn''t nearly this big or developed." That''s another mechanic of The Live Branches of The Auctions Houses. They can be built by any city, but to upgrade it. It costs a lot of money. Some even have ces to rent out and sleep. Restaurants and other such amenities. This seems to be a ce on the higher-medium end. There are only a few ces in the world that could be called first ss. This is a few leagues below that. I''ve never been to one of the best, but I''ve heard stories. This ce is the current best I''ve seen before. "You don''t need to apologize. It is a wonderful creation. It''s a part of Earth that''se with us. You can see it in the architecture and technology in this ce." yers feel at home in ces like this. Rianna and I bothe from America and know what it''s like to have ess to such things. After a while in The Ancients World... In Gaia... You get used to not seeing things like this. "Where should we go first?" She asks a good question, and one I''m going to answer. We both have our hoods up, and that''s just a safety precaution I''ve gotten used to doing. "Information Brokers can be found in various areas within a Live Branch of The Auctions House this size. You''d think they''d be in obvious and public ces. But they only cater to customers looking for them. Which means they go to an area less conspicuous." We walk side by side as I exin what we''re doing. Essentially, we''re going to a ce where you can find an Information Broker. But that doesn''t mean one will actually be there. We''ll have to search and after a while. We''ll get one. It doesn''t take us long to find a rtively unused bar. Considering how much traffic ising through this ce, it''s a little strange it doesn''t have any customers. Once we''re inside, I take a look around, and there are a few patrons around the bar. My eyesnd on a singr individual sitting in a booth, taking a drink of beer. She''s a yer. I make my way over, and Rianna is right behind me. The woman looks up from her book and sees we''re standing there. Waiting for her to speak. She sees that we''re hiding our identities, and that''s a sign in itself that we''re here for information. "Go ahead, take a seat." She offers us the spots across from her in the booth, and we both sit down. She closes her book and pushes her drink aside. "Don''t take too long. I have other ces to be." She''s the type of person we''re looking for. You don''t ask for a price until after you learn what they know. It''s the unwritten rules of dealing with Information Brokers. It''s also a sign of respect among themunity that runs that part of the yers. "I want to know the big names of the people in town. It''s obvious powerful yers have arrived, but there are too many for me to figure out on my own. Anything you''ve got will help." She takes a moment to think about something, and after a couple of seconds. She opens her yer Inventory and pulls out a paper. "Right here is a list of names for all the major yers in town. Some you''d know, others. Not so much." After a single moment, I know that she''s waiting for an offer. This is a dangerous situation. Not because she''s dangerous, but I could be wasting gold on a piece of paper with random names on it. A way to see if it''s genuine is to ask for a name I already know. "Is Wilted Rose on that list?" The woman nods her head a single time, and that''s confirmation. "I''ll pay 800 gold." An entire list of all the top yers here in Jaerey at the moment isn''t something I can pass up. "Deal." That''s one of the objectives for the day finished. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 615 Now, For The Second Objective [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:23 AM)~~~ Rianna and I walk out of the bar. The Live Branch of The Auction House is getting busier since lunch ising. It''s one of the high points in the market, and something many yers stop to observe if anything good is being sold. That''s not what we''re going to do. Now that I have a list of names for the big yers in Jaerey, it''s time that we see just how strong these yers are. I have no doubt I''m stronger than all of them, but that doesn''t mean I shouldn''t know what I''m up against. Marcus and I are the strongest people in Jaerey, and there is no changing that. But if we end up fighting a powerful yer in leveled-outbat, it could actually mean problems are ahead. Recon is required at this moment, and there is no better way to get started with that recon than going where the highest yer poption will be outside The Live Branch of The Auction House. Marcus is already there and knowing him. He''s been watching for a while now. "Where are we heading next?" The girl traveling with me at the moment still has a lot to learn if she hasn''t put it together yet. We''re walking next to each other and making sure not to stand out. "There are a lot of possibilities, but I want you to think about it. Once you think you might know, tell me. If I told you everything that''s going to happen, you won''t learn anything. Part of being a great yer is knowing how to y." It''s a rather rudimentary saying, but I firmly believe in it. You can''t thrive in this world unless you know how it works and how to use its functions to your advantage. She''s silent now, and I know she''s thinking about what it could be. My mind is on Marcus and what he''s learned so far. I''d like to message him, but talking to him in person is better. Now that we have a list of who is in town, it won''t be hard to figure out who we need to watch out for. The entire reason we''re doing this is because of leveled-outbat and the threat it poses to us. Even on the chance the tryouts and tournament are true powerbat, I''d rather be prepared than caught with my clothes off. Another habit I picked up from Cera. Prepare for the worst-case scenario. It''s going to happen more often than you want it to. "We''re heading to the Arena, right?" She''s got it. I lightly tap on my nose in an indication she''s right, and there is a swell of pride in Rianna. I don''t know if we''ll be friends after all of this. But she''s proving to be a good student. It takes us a bit of time, but we eventually make it to the Arena, and it''s more packed now than it was yesterday. I doubt there are any actual seats left. I open my yer Interface and click on my Friends Tab. I need to know where Marcus is at. [Hey, where are you in the Arena? Rianna and I are on our way in, and I don''t want to fuck around and look for you.] That''s enough for an exnation. After a minute or so, I get a message back from him telling me where he is, and we head there. There are only a couple of seats left, and that''s when we all meet up again for the day. Marcus and I will be talking moreter tonight, but this change of ns is working out in our favor. He turns to look at me as we''re resting in some seats. "Did you find out anything interesting?" Instead of saying anything, I pull out the paper and hand it to him. He takes some time to look at it, and I can see the gears turning in his head. My eyes drift to the private viewing boxes. That''s where the wealthiest yers will be. And wealth within The Ancients World equates to power, and vice-versa. While I can''t make out any distinctive faces, I see the familiar sigils of Hollowed Willow Tree and The Steel Legion. There are also some other Big Guilds here. Like ming Edge and Demon Crew. These are all top 10 Guilds. Hollowed Willow Tree and The Steel Legion are in the top 3. The benefits of being in a guild are heavily outweighing Solo yers. However, that''s only weak Solo yers. "Wow, there are some pretty well know people on this list. I know Wilted Rose has a Legacy ss, and there is another person on here that has a Legendary ss that isn''t one of us. Plutonium. He''s here as well." I turn my head, take the paper away from him, and look at the same name he just saw. Plutonium is here. Another Legendary ss Wielder. Three in one ce. What are the odds of that? I guess it''d be pretty good, and that''s saying something. My eyes slowly drift down the list some more, and I''m relieved to see that our names aren''t on here. But that leaves a problem in itself. If our names aren''t on here, there is a good chance that more powerful yers aren''t on this list. It''s helpful, but I wish it had everything I needed. In the end, you can''t have the names of everyone in town. A list this big is already impressive since there are a few million over the capacity of the city. And that''s a lot of yers to go through. "You know, what do you think our odds are of winning now that we know there are so many powerful people here?" Rianna asks the question that''s going through my head at the moment. I know Marcus is thinking something simr too. If it''s leveled-outbat, I think our odds got a little lower. Plutonium is a well-known yer for PVP. If we were to fight, I don''t know if I could win. His ss is a sword-oriented one. It''s called Light Strider. I have an advantage over him since my ss is a Duelist Specialty, but that doesn''t mean I have the win in the bag at this point. "Well, it really depends on who we get matched against in the tryouts. We already know that there is going to be more than one fight, and you have to win at least one to qualify for the quest. That means there will be literal thousands that lose twice." Marcus is right. The tryouts are our main goal. That''s the only way to get in on The Ruins Of Tasdir Legendary Quest. However, the tournament is important too. The higher you ce in it, the better chance you''ll have at getting higher-grade loot. "This seems like it''s hopeless for me... Knowing my luck, I''ll get matched against someone who will squash me..." Rianna has a Rare Grade ss called Focus Adept. It''s decent, but there are bound to be others here with Very Rare and Epic Grade sses above her. I don''t want to sound negative, but her odds have shrunken more than Marcus and mine. "Hmm... Should we practice? I mean, if we need experience with PVPbat. We can always leave the city and train with leveled-outbat. It''s what we''re worried about, right?" Marcus has a good idea and one that I can get behind. We can get out of the city and head deeper into the ind. Stay out there for a couple of days ande back the day before the tryouts. We can get practice in with leveled-outbat. "But doesn''t that mean we''ll miss out on seeing who''s good at fighting and who isn''t? I mean, so many people are doing practice fights in the Arena, right? What''s to say a powerful yer from a Guilds won''t do it." That''s a good point by Rianna, too. We''ve got options now, and we need to make a decision. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 616 Final Stretch Of The Desert [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:44 AM)~~~ Sally and Xilo are talking by themselves now, and I''m talking with Giovanni in his carriage with the people he''s traveling with to where we''re going. Since we''re in our final stretch of the trip, the time we have to talk is bing less. Gio is a rare find in terms of temperament and perspective. He doesn''t try to treat me like I''m some exalted figure, and that''s something I can appreciate. It gets annoying when everyone does. "What do you n on doing once we reach the underground city we''re heading to? You''re not Des''merta, and that means you aren''t allowed in with us." This has been on my mind for a little while. Giovanni still hasn''t be a Des''merta, and that means he''ll be locked out of where we''re going. I''m not allowed to share with Giovanni. Xilo told me the name of where we''re heading. The Underground City Of Maero. It''s one of thergest settlements for the Des''merta. I''ve asked for more history about the ce, but Xilo said that''s a topic I can learn more about once we reach where we''re going. "I don''t know. Probably move with the caravan until we get close enough to an actual city I can be in. I know that I''ll have to cross some desert to get to it, but nothing is easy forever." I think that''s the best option he''s got. I''m sure as shit not giving him a lift. I don''t want to sound sexist or something, but I only give close family, and beautiful woman rides through the sky. No men allowed. I have standards for that. My thoughts have been drifting to Hailey after I blocked her notifications. I turned them back on yesterday, but I haven''t gotten any messages yet. If I had to guess, I think Marcus and her are having a better time than I am. Nothing fun about traveling between ces. Especially when I''m not allowed to fly to the destination. The whole reason we''re heading to The Underground City Of Maero is to find answers. There are questions about this Radueriel identity. If I can''t find any answers in Maero, then I''ll leave with Sally and head somewhere that will have answers. "I could ask you the same question. Any ns for when we reach wherever we''re going?" He''s a little bitter about not being allowed to know about it. If he passed the tests to be a Des''merta, then he wouldn''t have anything toin about. That''s only something he can me himself for. On the other hand, I don''t hold it against him for not wanting to try. The Spice the Des''merta use for almost everything isn''t something I''m a fan of. It''s a powerful drug and puts you in situations you''d never be in. "Yeah, but that''s my business. All I''ll say is there are questions I need answered, and maybe they can be. When you leave, where do you n on going from The Continent Of Alforza?" I wouldn''t doubt Gio gets off this hot Continent after everything he''s been through. Then again, The Continent Of Alforza supports every type of environment. Maybe he''ll go to one of those areas. Sally and I still have ces we want to see, and that''s not changed. This detour to Maero is only temporary, and it''s not going to be long before I get answers or not. It''ll be something I''ll always be on the lookout for, but it''s notpletely dominating my attention. I''m done letting that happen. "I might. It really depends on where I end up after this trip with the Des''merta. Alforza is huge, and I haven''t seen all of it, but I am starting to get annoyed by it. It''s not something I want to subject myself to. Not everyone is as resistant as you or your girlfriend." That''s true. The average yer wouldn''tst a day in the desert. They''d die of dehydration before they made it 20 miles. It''s reallyte at night, and my eyes find their way to the star-filled sky again. Gio understands what it''s like to look up and see such beauty. It wasn''t something that we had on Earth during our time. It''s a privilege to look up and not see green, ck, or brown clouds. "Do you think there is life out there? On Earth, scientists theorized that the universe held some sort of alien life. But at this point, I don''t know if we''re in a different universe from our own. Or if we''re just on another within our original one." Deep thoughts with Giovanniing up in 5! All joking aside, it''s something that''s crossed my mind from time to time. We were led to believe The Ancients World was a game, but that turned out to be a lie, and now we''ve found the half or so of humanity that made it here. But if you think about it, we''ve already found aliens. Us. yers are aliens in a sense. Wee from a different world, and if that''s not an alien. Then I don''t know the definition of an alien. Joking again. Of course, I know what an alien is. "If there is life out there, I doubt it''ll be anytime soon that we''ll find it. But if you''re looking for aliens right now, just look at yourself. In this world, we are aliens." I don''t take my eyes off the stars above, and it doesn''t take long before I hearughtering from Gio. It''s funny if you let it be. "I never thought about it like that..." Yeah, it''s a concept we don''t think about. Humans are aliens, too, if we find other life and head to their. We''re subject to the same fearful standards we had on Earth to another race out in the stars. It''ll be a long time before any evidence of alien life is found in this world. "What role do you y in all this, yer Zern... Radueriel... Cera..." He''s overheard the many names I''ve been called since we met each other a few days ago. Gio is a smart man, and he can see there is something more going on. Seeing it connect to me shows he''s more than smart, and I respect that about him. I don''t think I''ll answer that question. Mostly, because I don''t have the answer. But even if I did, I wouldn''t say anything to him. Some things are better-left secrets. "There is no role I y. I''m a yer like you. Got lucky with finding my ss." A lie, but it''s the only thing I can say to the man. "Fair enough. Mind if I ask something you''d probably find offensive?" I guess there is no avoiding talks like that. I''d not want to have them with someone I don''t really know, but it''s a rare moment when it''s okay. "You can try." There is silence as the answer leaves my lips, and there isn''t much I can say. In the end, it''s my choice if I talk or not. "Do you think you deserve your power?" That''s a question I never thought I''d be asked by another yer. But Gio seems to have the gift of seeing behind the masks and armor people wear. A part of me wonders what would''ve happened if I didn''t make the choices I made, but in the end. It''s about saving my life and my family. That''s what I did. Other people be damned. "Depends on what you quantify as a deserving person. In my mind, I''m the most deserving person of my ss. But someone else wouldn''t think so. Likely you, from your question." The subtly isn''t lost on me. Gio is wondering why someone like me got the strongest ss in The Ancients World. It''s not something that you ask someone if you hadn''t thought about it yourself. "Yeah, a little." That''s all that needs to be said. Today, we''ll be reaching Maero. Around 7:00 AM, and I''m looking forward to this trip being over. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 617 The Underground City Of Maero I [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:44 AM)~~~ Sally and I are standing in our carriage as arge mountain range ising into view. Xilo and her have been having long conversations in my absence. I don''t particrly feel any way about it. We won''t be staying with the Des''merta for very long. The mountains we''re making our way toward are brown and rocky. Covered in dust and dirt. The wind of the high elevation has eroded the tops of the mountains into stubs. It''s clear this ce has been here a long time, and while I''m curious to learn more. My first priority is learning more about the Radueriel Identity. Anything morees after that. Once we''re done with that, Sally and I are leaving to do what we set out to do. "You''re telling me an entire city that can hold millions of Des''merta is under that mountain range? It seems a little unbelievable. But we''ve been to underground cities before." Sally and I had some fun in that underground city. I can''t remember its name, but it was an important part of our developing rtionship. Xilo stands up, too, and looks at the mountain range with a sense of longing. The Des''merta spend a great deal of time traveling the desert. I would be happy to see a ce where I can rest. The life these people lead is a testament to their wills. "The City Of Maero is almost as old as the Des''merta people. It was the first city built by our people. There is an ancient river that runs through the mountain, and our ancestors dug into the mountain to get to the river. After that, it was a settlement." From the sounds of it, this was before Spice was discovered. The Des''merta value Spice more than they value water. Back then, it was probably different. Digging into a mountain to get water is what desperate people would do. Building a city under that mountain are what a satisfied and driven people do. Which is weird since satisfied and driven are opposites of each other. "Where do I go to find answers about Radueriel and his story?" A small sighes from Xilo, and she takes a seat. It''ll be about 20 minutes or so before we reach The City Of Maero. So she can exin some general directions to me. I know I''m being impatient. Sometimes, you need to rush things along. In my mind, learning more about this Radueriel character is important. It''ll suck if I can''t find anything out, but I''m prepared to let the pieces fall and learn about it in my other journeys. Someone as important as Radueriel is being made out to be will be found in other ces. The Last Of The Leviathans, Rahab, said that Michael and him talked about The Fall Of The Empire Yelized. The Des''merta might be connected to all of it, but there is no way for me to be certain. Nothing was said about the Des''merta from Rahab. "There are many ces you can visit in Maero if you''re looking for answers. If you can''t find any in the library, head to the temple. We''ll help you. Perhaps some of the knowledge in our collection has answers you seek." Xilo doesn''t want to talk about this anymore, from the sounds of it. I get it, though. She''s looking forward to being home, and giving a tour isn''t something that she''s wanting to do. I lean back in my spot and take a breath. Closing my eyes and clearing my mind. Time passes, and eventually, there is an entrance that we''re going through. Giovanni''s carriage has to stay outside since he''s not Des''merta. This will probably be thest time I see Gio, and I can say we''re parting as good acquaintances. As we are led through the tunnel, a significant number of lights fill my vision, and we enter a magnificent city. The light being produced is from various colored orbs near the top of the dug out mountain. It gives the city a bioluminescent glow. The stones used to construct the city are glowing too. It''s not a sight I''ve ever seen before. "Wow... It''s so beautiful in here... Gio is missing out..." Sally stands up in the carriage again and starts looking around. I''m not able to help myself, and I stand up too. People stare as we pass them on the street in our carriage. "Where are we going first?" All my questions are starting to annoy Xilo. I can see it on her features. She''s been very level-headed and calm the entire trip. Perhaps the nervousness ofing home has consumed her rather mellow side. She''s far more on edge. "That stables. The caravan will be stored there until it''s time to move out again. But that''ll be at least 3 years from now. The caravans only move when the desert permits it. Most of the time, the Des''merta are in their underground cities." Another little piece of Des''merta history that I didn''t know. Once we make it to the stables, I hop out of the carriage, and Sally follows with me. Xilo doesn''t even say anything before heading off in the direction of a giant temple in the center of the city. It looks to be a 25 to 30-minute walk from here. Sally holds my hand and grabs my attention. Her finger points toward arge building in the opposite direction. "10 gold says that''s the library Xilo said we should visit." I''ll not bet against that. We start walking through the city, and the darker-skinned people of the Des''merta are looking at us funnily. We are outsiders. However, they know we wouldn''t have been allowed in if we weren''t Des''merta. "What do you think the city is made of..." Her adoring voice of the glowing city isn''t lost on me. I admire it greatly too. I don''t know the stone, and I don''t know how they''re able to make it glow. My best guess is some magic, but I can''t be sure. It could be something she looks into. "I don''t know. Magic, the natural state of the stone, something else, maybe. I bet you can find answers at the library just as I want to." ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:38 AM)~~~ We''re walking next to the river, and it''s glowing like the rest of the city. I dip my hand into the water, and as my hand leaves the water. The glowing water in my hand stops. It''s like it''s transforming into actual water. Xilo didn''t mention any of this. Cera is waiting at the top of the bank for me. I wish he''de down here and check it out. But his mind is somewhere else. Not that I me him, either. He''s got a lot of questions he wants answered. Mostly about Michael and the possibility that Cera is actually Radueriel. Personally, I think it''s likely he is Radueriel. "Sally. When do you think you''ll be done?" I can''t help looking at the glowing water with a solemn look. I feel for my boyfriend. He''s unsure of everything he''s been led to believe his entire life. He thought he was from Earth. His home. His parents. Then it might all be a lie... That would get into anyone''s head. No matter how resilient their mind actually is. "Come down here and check it out, Cera. You''re missing out." I want him to loosen up just a bit. A short sighes from him, and I hear him walking down the bank behind me. A smile graces my lips as he squats next to me. Looking into the water too. "It really is beautiful..." His hand glides through the water, and as it does. A new path of gold streams down the rivers starting from his hand. I look at him with concern, but he looks like he doesn''t even care. I wish I knew what was going on in his head... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 618 The Underground City Of Maero II [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:19 AM)~~~ Sally and I stand up from the river, and that''s when I realize we''ve already been hanging out here for more than 30 minutes. It''s something that I didn''t think I''d get lost in, but it did take my mind off what was important for the moment. I feel her hand run up my arm as we stand and look at the river. She leans her head on my shoulder, and her body warms my own as theye together. The affection isn''t lost on me, and I wrap one arm around my girlfriend and I take a deep breath. This entire situation about Raduerielpletely sucks, and it''s been taking more of my mind since I learned of it. I wish to be rid of the constant thoughts about where I''m from, what, and who I really am. If I''m really the actual blood and birthed Son of Arch-Angel Michael, then my entire life on Earth was a lie. My parents, my sister, and my brother. All of them are my real family, "You know... There are times I think about what could be the truth and what could be lies... That really had an effect on me after meeting my birth father..." I remember, the man destroyed Sally with his cruel words. All the things he said to her, it was not what a girl of Sally''s character deserves. The man is either lost in his own crusade and agenda, or he came to his senses, and he''s searching for Sally. Either way, he''ll never see her again. She''s let that part of her life go. It does help a little to know she''s thought about things in her past like I am now. In fact, we rte in a lot of ways. She was led to believe she was a child born of rape. But she was actually a true-born Princess of The Elven Kingdom. The first in line to inherit the throne. She rtes to me more than I want to give credit for. I lean over and nt a kiss on the side of her head. Sometimes, I know that I don''t deserve Sally. She could be an entirely different person, but she chose to be the way she is. It speaks to her character and conviction, and I should take a few lessons from her. I can''t helpughing a little. Sally looks at me for an exnation. I know she''s not going to like it, but I have to point it out. "An old woman such as yourself has a lot of wisdom to give. It''d be wise of me if I took some." The pleasant smile on her face falls, and her eyes be dark. This is the first time I''ve actually called Sally old, and in truth, she is to someone like me. She''s over 100 years old. 80 or so more than me. While her beauty and youth are preserved forever due to her Pure Elven Blood, time still matters to her. "That''s not funny. Calling your girlfriend an old woman is a one-way ticket to a month without what you know and love to do with me." Stepped across the line with that joke. But nevertheless, I''m d she''s here with me. My life would be so dull without her. Imagine, me running around alone and doing this without someone by my side. "Depends on how you look at it, Sally. I''m not sure it''s all serious. Time is just a number for us. We''ll live forever. At least, I hope that''s the case." She gives me a light smack, but after a few seconds, she smiles and starts tough a bit herself. We make our way to the library eventually, and as we''re climbing up the steps toward the entrance, we''re stopped by 4 guards. The men look us up and down, and it''s more like they look up. I''m a few inches taller than all of them, and I can tell they''re a little intimidated by me. They can probably sense my power. "Even if you''re Des''merta, you haven''t proven worthy of the knowledge that lies within the walls of The Gleem Library. You must prove yourself first." The Gleem Library is a name that''s both unique and fitting for this glowing city. I''m not happy that there are more trials to be had, and I''m going to pull the card that gets me out of this annoying situation. My wings pop out my back, and it startles the men to the point of drawing their weapons. I understand the reaction, and it''s not something that I can say is out of the ordinary. "Look. You 4 seem like nice guys doing their job. But I''ve had it up to here with Des''merta trials, customs, and cultures. So, this is how this will go. You''re going to let us in, and then I won''t have a reason to be mad." I''m channeling some of the frustration I''ve had for thest few weeks into this one conversation. While it''s not healthy in some opinions, this seems like the perfect chance to let out some of that aggression that''s been building up. Sally grabs my arms with a slightly nervous look, and she takes a small breath before getting a little closer. "You''re not really gonna hurt these guys, right? They haven''t done anything wrong." There is no need for me to answer as they part to allow us inside. We walk into The Gleem Library, and it''s the biggest library I''ve ever been inside in my entire time ying The Ancients World. They''re using magic to increase the size on the inside inparison to the outside. When I look up, I can''t even see an ending to the floor. There are endless books here. I don''t know how they umted such a vast wealth of knowledge. "Wow... Have you ever seen a ce like this before..." She takes the words right out of my mouth. "No, I''ve never been to such an amazing ce. If we can''t find answers here, then I don''t know where." ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:41 AM)~~~ Cera and I are being led to a floor by a librarian named Taaro Keelzi. She''s already been a big help with navigating this ce. Cera hasn''t stopped asking her questions about the library since we met her. "How many books are in this ce?" That''s a question I''d find myself asking. Funny how Cera is actually interested in the number of books here. But it''s not out of character for him. "I don''t know myself. The librarians that run this ce lost count a long time ago. While the books are magically preserved, the higher floors haven''t seen visitors in years." We enter on a new floor, and I head toward the railing and look over. We''re so high, that the bottom floor looks like a speck. And I look up, and there is still no end in sight for the floors of books. Cera stands next to me and takes the view in too. "However, there is a reason why the higher floors remain as they are. The sentinels that protect them have gone rogue, and we can''t control them. There is a Dungeon about 40 floors higher. After that, it''s a fight on every floor." There is an actual dungeon in this ce? That''s so cool!! Cera spins around and looks at Taaro in amazement. "What difficulty is the Dungeon?" If it''s a high difficulty, that means there is something more than just books up there that we can get. We both watch the smile on Taaro''s face grow. "From what I remember being told, it''s Legendary Grade. But that information is based on ounts from 120 years ago. We don''t know how urate they are. The people that went to inspect it weren''t the librarians, so it could''ve been exaggerated." Wow... Coming to this ce has turned out to be something worthwhile. We''ll get to do another Dungeon together! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 619 The Gleem Library I [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:00 AM)~~~ Taaro walks over and stands next to us as we''re checking out an older collection of books. I used Inspect on them, and they''re all Epic in Grade. In fact, all the books I''ve seen this high up are Epic or higher. Legacy is starting to pop up more frequently now as well. The ones I''ve cracked open and read tell stories that I didn''t even think were real. One of them was actually about Rahab. Telling the in-depth story of his younger years before the Great War. Sally is sitting in a chair and ready a book about the elven people. Her people. This library contains knowledge not only about Alforza but all of Gaia and its people. Meaning this is the greatest collection of knowledge and wealth known to me. "I take it that you guys wish to stop on this floor for a while and read. That''s fine. Just ring this bell when you''re ready for me to continue taking you higher." Taaro pulls a little hand-held bell out of her Inventory and ces it on the table Sally''s using. She takes off before either of us can respond. I look over at mypanion, and she''s engrossed in her book the moment Taaro leaves. I turn back to mine, and there is a Legacy Grade book in my hands. It''s one that doesn''t hold the answers I''m looking for. However, it does have knowledge about the Overworld. That''s the home of the Gods and Angels. If I''m really from this world, that means Overworld was a ce that I was once at. Either as an infant or Amelia went there while she was pregnant with me. I crack open the cover, and I read the first line. [This is an ount of The Overworld from a traveler between worlds. Written by Realm Walker Ulzimir.] Ulzimir... I feel like I''ve read that name somewhere else before. I don''t know where, but I know that it''s a name that''s connected to a lot of stories about the deities. I do know about Realm Walkers. They''re not a ss, but a race. Once around 350,000 years ago, ording to what I know, there once existed a race of people called Realm Walkers. Each one had the ability to travel between worlds. The Overworld and The Underworld. Those were the ces they most visited. I remember reading stories on the forums back on Earth about how Realm Walkers didn''t only visit Overworld and the Underworld, but also other nes of existence that existed. ces connected to The Ancients World. I never believed they were real since they weren''t proven. Along with the several worlds, they supposedly visited. But seeing this... It''s adding credibility to the ims. I turn the page again, and the first thing I see is a sketch of some highly advanced-looking city. Floating on the clouds. There are Angels flying around the picture. My eyes are lured to the text that sits below the picture, and it reads something interesting. [The image of Overworld has been burned into my mind ever since I saw it. Seeing it every time I close my eyes. The Gods that reside in this world have great power, but the functions they hold to our reality differ from what I was led to believe.] It''s the words of someone who was alive a long time ago. There are so many questions forming in my head about Overworld. Given my Angel powers, I should be allowed in. I just don''t know how to ess the world. That, or someone is preventing me from going. Which is the most likely, given everything I''ve learned. "Did you know that The Dark Elves and The Elves from our Continent once had a conflict? There was a great war that split them apart, and The Dark Elves won. They exiled the rebellion to our Continent." Suddenly, Sally speaks up about what she''s reading at the moment. We were told the Dark Elves, and White Elves once existed together. But we weren''t told anything about a war. It is unbelievable what I hear. Not what Sally is telling me, but this whole situation. On a random floor within The Gleem Library, we''re finding this amazing information. I can''t imagine what else is out there. Gaia and the world it''s connected to have been around and recording history for thousands of times longer than humanity has been thriving. Its stagnancy in technology is probably a desire for the powers that be. If a race like humans isn''t kept in check, it''ll continue to grow. Either to the point of being gods themselves, or destroying their people to extinction in the process. "That''s really amazing. But I''m learning something that''s better than yours." We''ve somehow turned this into a littlepetition between us. Sally ces her book down and looks at me with a smile and a challenging crook to her eyebrow. "Well, do tell." I make my way over to her and take a seat next to her. cing the book between us and pointing at the picture. "This book was written by a person called Ulzimir. He was a member of the Realm Walker race. A race of people that could freely travel between worlds connected to Gaia. ces we don''t even know exist yet. This is the first picture of Overworld." She looks at the page in confusion, and I start to get confused by her confusion. "What picture? It''s just an empty book with some weirdnguage at the bottom. I don''t understand a single word that''s written down. In fact, I''m getting a headache just looking at it." She pushes the book away from her and in front of me. I look back down at the book, and I scratch the back of my head in confusion. If she can''t read it, that means it''s in anguage only I can understand. But that''s the samenguage as her. This doesn''t make any sense... Unless... It was written in thenguage of the Realm Walkers... It''s that, or it''s written in thenguage of Overworld. It makes sense if it''s written in thenguage of Overworld. Written in thenguage of Angels or Gods... I don''t know which... If I can inherently understand it, that means Divine Blood is in my veins... "Here, check this out." She ces her book in front of me, and there is an illustration of a battle between The Dark Elves and The White Elves. Wars aremon in many cultures, and they usually result in one part of the people splitting off into another part of the world. The battle depicted in the illustration is one of violence and brutality. A battle with less developed weapons and powers. This was a long time ago, and both Elven races have grown a great amount in that time. "What else do you think we''ll find in this ce?" Sally pulls me from my thoughts as she stands up and makes her way to the edge where the railing is. I take a moment to think and look at the bell Taaro left for us. I want to spend a couple more hours reading before we call her. I stand up and make my way to Sally. "I don''t know what we''ll find. But there is a Dungeon higher up. It could hold answers to what we''re here for... What I''m here for... We can spend some more time reading here but after that. We''re continuing up for that Dungeon." She turns her head and smiles at me. There are many things we could end up finding up there, and I''m looking forward to what''s waiting for us. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 620 The Gleem Library II [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:44 AM)~~~ We''re done reading the books that have gained our interest in this little small section of the floor we''re on in this seemingly endless library. Sally picks up the bell Taaro gave us for when we''re done and ready to continue higher into the library. She''ll continue to be our guide until we reach the Dungeon that''s on the higher floors. She said it was 40 floors up, and that''s a good walk from this point. The ringing of the bell echoes through the entire library, and as it does. A sh of light appears from a few feet away, and Taaro steps out of the light. She''s wearing the same smile she had when she left us. We didn''t spend a lot of time up here. "I take it you''re both ready to continue upward?" A simple nod from me is enough confirmation. She waves us over, and we start following her. We''re back on the old staircase. "Why can''t we use your teleportation power to get to higher floors." The elven beauty behind me is asking a good question. I have no doubts it''s something to do with magic and how only certain people can use it. "Unfortunately, only those selected by the library can use the power. I proved myself worthy of the ability a few years ago. It makes it easier for me to get around, but I''m not allowed to use the power with anyone else." The library gave the power to her? That''s suggesting The Gleem Library itself is conscious. It''s not like stranger things haven''t happened before. But this is the first time I heard of a library thinking. However, there is arge number of magical books in this ce. Grades from Common to Legendary. Perhaps a collection of that much knowledge has manifested itself into something more than just words strewn about on paper. "That''s awfully convenient for you. I have a Legendary Skill called Aspect Of Transportation. It has teleportation qualities. But I can only go back and forth between ces that I''ve visited and are named. I haven''t had to use it yet, but it''s avable." Pure teleportation powers are Legendary in Grade. All I know is the Mage yer that found the book never disclosed where it was he found it. There are many times I wish I knew where I could find such a valuable tool. Our dark-skinned guide hums as we climb the steps and slowly make our way through the floors. Getting higher and higher. I''m noticing a slight drop in temperature every couple of floors. "The reason why it''s getting colder is from the presence of magic being far stronger on the upper floor. Specifically, a Legendary Grade Ice Magic Book. Any ss that''s capable of learning magic is allowed to try and read it." I sense a buting along. "However." Close enough. "The book chooses whether or not someone is worthy of learning its magic or not. No one has evere along and read even one page. It''s powerful and old magic. Be wary if you decide to test yourself." I don''t find Ice Magic all my style, and even though I''m capable of magic. It''s in a very limited capacity. Healing spells that are only avable when I activate my Divine Title. Other than that, I''m a physical that utilizes Divine power. My eyes drift to Sally, and I can see there are some thoughts about this going through her head. Her Legacy ss, Winters Wrath, is Ice Magic and Physicalbat. She has a high capacity for Ice Magic. I''d like for her to try. "You thinking about trying your luck with the book?" I don''t know if she is or not. It''d actually be smarter to learn more about the book. But I know that Sally wouldn''t mind more power. Getting more Ice Magic from a Legendary Grade Ice Mage book could really give her that extra power. "I don''t know, Cera... Tarro, what''s the name of the book? What do I have to do to try and learn from it?" She answers me first before turning her attention to Tarro. The guide stays quiet as we stop on a much colder floor than any of the ones getting up here were. "The book is two floors up, and this is where I normally stop people. It''s incredibly hard for me to withstand the cold. I''m not as strong as other yers. The cold up there is deadly. I''ll meet you 5 floors higher than the one 2 floors up." She disappears in a sh of light, and we''re left alone again. The cold must be affecting floors that are close to it in either direction. Meaning a few floors higher, she can wait for us. Sally slowly turns her head to me, and I can see she''s a little nervous. This is the time I tell her there is nothing to be nervous about. But I''d be lying. A Legendary Mage Book can have strange and deadly properties. Things that hurt you or depower you forever. "She never told us the name of the book..." There is probably a reason for that. People won''t even try against Legendary Mage Books if they know there is a chance they''ll lose everything. "I think she did that for a reason... There are books out there that have gained a nasty reputation. This could be one. We don''t know all the customs and cultures of the Des''merta. Perhaps her not telling us is also a reason." Right now, it''s just a waste of time to stand here. I turn toward the staircase and start moving up, and Sally is right behind me. As we get to a floor lower than the book, I get a notification from the system. One that''s rare in any case. [The cold you''re experiencing is magical and extremely powerful. Your Divine Angelic Blood is protecting you from passive Ice Damage. You have 9:58 before passive damage bes too high and resistances fail.] Wow, this is the first time I''vee across something that can get past my defense that is also causing an environmental change. I look at Sally, and she looks at me in confusion. But not because she got a notification but because I suddenly stopped and stared at her. "What? Something wrong?" She''s not being affected. Her ss provides massive resistance against Ice, Frost, and Cold Damage. But if it can get past my defenses, given time, there is no chance she''d be able to handle it. Not unless something special is going on. Maybe the book knows someone ising that could be worthy. I can''t say for sure, but that''s what the evidence is pointing at. "I won''t be able to stay with you for more than 10 minutes on the floor above us. I''ll be taking passive Ice Damage soon. I don''t want to find out how big it''ll be." Good chances it''ll scale to my level, health, and regeneration stats. I''m not looking to have my first yer death in a library of all ces. "Okay, so I''ll be taking on the book myself? I''m starting to think this is a bad idea." She''s not the only one. It''s isting her from me. It wants to test her. If anything, that''s what I think is going on. We make it to the floor, and it''s freezing. I''m almost shivering. I stand next to Sally and wrap my arms around her. "Don''t worry. I know that everything will be fine. Just give it your full effort. Nothing you''ve ever done has failed when you''ve given it your all." All I can do is give her a quick kiss and make my way to the stairs. I''m not standing in that unbelievable cold. Even the bookshelves and books themselves were covered in a sheet of Ice. The entire floor is. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 621 Tryouts Inching Closer [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:30 PM)~~~ After getting some training outside the city finished and away from prying eyes, Marcus and I are back in our Inn room. Rianna is a few floors down. She''s absolutely beat from the amount of training we put in. I''ve got a good handle on true powerbat. However, Marcus destroyed me every time we trained with leveled-outbat mode. PVP is an entirely different experiencepared with PVE. That''s not to say they''repletely different. They''re very simr in the fact that certain PVE activities make the enemies you''re fighting deal damage to you corresponding to your level. It''s certainly more fun to y PVE, but I''m starting to enjoy PVP the more I practice. The tryouts are starting two days from this point, and the tournament will be held right after that. Marcus is already on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. He''ll soon be reading the Lore Books he bought from the Auction House Tab. It''d be around noon, where Cera is located. Sally and I have been in contact recently, and she''s forgiven me for the prank that backfired. "Do you think it''s possible to take on The Ruins Of Tasdir by ourselves? I''d like to find out if arge group like General Daenal Roane is looking for is actually needed." Marcus can specte all he wants. But by process of elimination, it''s simply not the way he''s hoping it is. Greed is why I know it''s not the way he describes it. A yer''sst instinct is bringing help to a Dungeon, Raid, or something else. They''ll want the entire reward for themselves. Asking others for help means you have to share the reward. Hence, why it''s ast resort. "Don''t waste your time or mine." That''s all I say in response to my brother, and that''s when he lifts his head and looks at me challengingly. My tone indicates I''m in a bad mood, which I am. Getting beaten in anything isn''t something I like. Being beaten by my youngest brother in a PVP battle makes my blood boil even now. He sits on the edge of his bed, and the growing smile causes me to sit up too. The smugness in his features tells me he knows exactly what he''s doing, and he''s not going to stop until there is no reason to keep going. "What''s the matter, sis? Your ego so fragile you can''t take one loss from time to time?" It wouldn''t be so damn bad if it were just one loss. But no, he beat me 5 times in a row. I was only able to get a win in because of my speed. His fire is devastating in leveled-outbat. No matter how fast I go, I can''t move through a wall of fire around him. I stand up from my bed and walk over to smack him across the back of the head. He looks up at me with a joking smirk and releases a sigh. "Regardless of who won more, I''m d we got that practice in. Now we know what we''re dealing with in a better way. Sadly, I don''t think Rianna has a chance. Even when we were fighting in leveled-outbat she wasn''t strong enough to damage either of us." I''m inclined to agree with my shitty little brother. Rianna is going to need a lot more practice. After we get up tomorrow morning, we''ll be heading back out there. I''ll be practicing with Rianna one on one. She needs that attention to bring he closer in skill to the people here. "Yeah, I''ll be practicing with Rianna one on one. If you want to stay in town, you can. There won''t be any time for us to practice anymore. Not that I''d want to, either." In a show of affection, I tussle Marcus''s hair to let him know that I''m not actually mad as I respond to his point made about Rianna. I think Marcus will spend some time in Jaerey. The more he knows, the better off we all are. "I''ll be heading to the Arena then. Getting more ideas about what we''re up against is a good ce to end this preparation we''ve made. The Big Guilds are here, and they''re getting into The Ruins Of Tasdir whether or not we want them to." Seems he''s made up his mind. Instead of staying in the room with Marcus, I take my leave and head down to Rianna''s room. As I knock on the door, a smalle is given from the other side of the door. As I enter, I see Rianna by the window. She''s looking out into the city, and I make my way toward her. She turns her head to look at me and gives a half-hearted smile. She''s really depressed about all this. Recognizing how weak you are is the first step to strength. God, that was so corny. I''ll leave the quotes to Cera and stick with what I know. "Hey..." That''s the most depressed and deted hey I''ve ever heard from another person. I stand by the big window with her, and even now, yers are passing by below. Jaerey is making a fortune off this. "I can''t say there isn''t a lot you need to learn. But I will say this. When we''re done training the next two days, you''ll be able to qualify for The Ruins Of Tasdir." No sense in making promises of great strength and dominance. But I can bring her to a level where she can win one fight. All she needs to do is win one fight, and she''s in on The Ruins Of Tasdir. "I appreciate that you''re willing to go so far for me... Despite only knowing me for a couple of days too... But I''m thinking I should bow out while I''ve still got a chance. I don''t want to be humiliated in front of an entire Arena of people..." She''s got a self-confidence problem. It makes sense. Not only is she weak. But she''s a 15 to a 16-year-old teenage girl. That''s a really rough time for women, I remember. I drove everyone in the house to the edge of insanity. Especially Cera. He was the outlet for all the shit I was going through. Both good and bad. There were times I got a reaction from him. But never the ones that I wanted. Now, I feel like he''s older than me. Which he technically is. Considering he''s from the future. But this entire train of thought has no relevance to this. Other than the doubt that I had when I was younger. "I''m not your mother. I''m not your sister. I''m not going to tell you to do something. If you want to quit, that''s your choice. But the worse that can happen is you fail. Which you''re already prepared for. Have you thought about what it would feel like if you actually won?" It''s a little maniptive what I''m doing. But sometimes, you need that to get people to do things they need to get done. "Howe you''re not scared? What if it''s leveled-outbat, and you get destroyed in front of a whole Arena of people? All expecting you to be great since you''re who you are." I''ve already failed too much at life to be scared of some onlookers. It took me a long time to realize I wasn''t cut out for certain things. Acting, modeling, and show business in general. That''s more humiliating to admit than anything. Admitting you''re no good at what you want to do with your life. "A lot of reasons, Rianna. More than I have time to talk about. But I will say this. You''re going to keep failing if you don''t even try to improve. It''s a process, and it doesn''t happen overnight." That''s something our Father taught from a young age. Working at a factory every day since you were a young man would do that to you. That''s why Father is my favorite out of Mom and Dad. He tried to be the best of both worlds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 622 A Slight Inconvenience [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:05 AM)~~~ I leave Rianna''s room and make my way down to the Innkeeper. Ordering a beer in the process. There are a decent number of people here, but not to the point it''s unbearable to be here. My eyes glide around the Inn''s pub, and I''m not surprised to see these types of yers. Powerful. Only the strongest and wealthiest can afford to stay at this Inn specifically. I''ve made sure my hood is up, and no one is paying any attention to me. Best case scenario, no one knows Marcus and I are here. It''s looking like that''s the case. I want to keep it that way. It''s an advantage I don''t want us to lose any time soon. My eyes drift toward arge table that''s being upied on the other side of the Inn. Taking a closer look at it, it''s got two Big Guilds sitting at it. They''re about to have a discussion. Looking at the emblems, the guilds are wearing. They''re top Guilds. Hollowed Willow Tree and The Steel Legion. Two Big Guilds in the top three. Here in the same ce. It''s not surprising. My sightnds on the leader of The Steel Legion. I''ve seen him before, only briefly, though. After taking some time to look at The Steel Legion, I look at Hollowed Willow Tree. They''ve got some serious power. There isn''t a gulf between the two Big Guilds. However, The Steel Legion has a far better gear on their side. I heard they have a Legendary cksmith and a Legendary Scout of some kind. Hollowed Willow Tree has several Legacy ss yers, and that bnces out the two Legendary ss yers in The Steel Legion. Plus, the two Legendary ss yers in The Steel Legion aren''t greatbatants. I stand up and subtly make a closer approach. Moving through the groups of yers actually partying. After getting to a nice spot where I can listen, that is when a conversation starts. "I don''t suppose you''re willing toe to apromise?" I have no doubts they''ve been talking for some time at this point. I wish I had been here earlier to listen to the whole discussion. But this entire situation is strange. Two powerful guilds like this wouldn''t speak to each other in public like this. Not unless they have some ulterior motive. What that is, I have no idea. But I''m sure there is a specific reason the talks they''re having are in a public setting like this. "No, Sir Erikson. You know as much as I do that The Ruins Of Tasdir are important for the future strength of either of our guilds. Splitting the profits between each other would negate that purpose. That''s why we won''t do that." They seem to be talking about a sort of alliance. It''s not a bad idea. With so many powerful guilds in town. It doesn''t hurt to have some agreements in ce before The Ruins Of Tasdir start. This is a ring reason why being in a guild is better than being a Solo yer. But that''s only if you''re weak. If you''re a powerful ss Wielder like Marcus and me, you can write your own ticket. There is no need to join a guild. "How about this, Wilted Rose? If we''re not teaming up for the tryouts and tournament, then let''s agree to stay out of each other''s way until the tournament begins." In my opinion, this conversation is yielding some useful information, but nothing that gives Marcus and me a distinct advantage. And again, having a discussion about teaming up in public seems like a ruse altogether. I''m willing to bet they''ve already agreed to help each other and are only making this public disy to through other yers off. That''s what I''d do, and it''s a great move. If weaker andmonly found Solo yers hear about a meeting like this. It''ll do two things. The first was a smart move to bring more people toward the guilds. Possibly bringing in new yers. The second is sending the people who don''t want to join a guild packing. "There is nothing to gain, Sir Erikson. Let me be frank. I''d rather lose my guild than team up with you." All of a sudden, Wilted Rose stands up from her table and makes her way toward the staircase with the strongest yers in her guild on her tail. She''s done with the conversation, and it''s funny how this entire thing pretty much ended the moment I sat down a bit closer so I could hear. I''m starting to get the feeling that the Big Guilds know I''m here. If they do, then the advantage is gone. Against them, that is. After a few seconds of waiting, a person decides to sit down at my booth. It''s a man, and he''s wearing an emblem from Hollowed Willow Tree. They definitely know I''m here, and they''re going to open a line ofmunication. Instead of saying anything, the man opens his Inventory and takes out a piece of paper. Sliding it across the table and standing up to leave. Before I can even reach out and take the paper, another man sits down at the booth. This time, the emblem of The Steel Legion is sitting across from me. He does the same as thest guy, and slides a paper across the table, and leaves me. "Just when I thought things would go smooth leading up to the tryouts." ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:32 AM)~~~ As I''m reading my Lore Book, the door to the room opens, and in walks my sister. She''s got an annoyed expression on her face, and that''s when I see the papers in her hands. She didn''t leave with them, which means something happened while she was away. She sees me looking at her and gives a sigh. Making her way to her bed and plopping down. Rubbing her temple in the process. "I take it something bad happened while you were out." All she does is nod her head in confirmation, and a sigh escapes my lips. I sit up and hold out my hand. I want to read the papers too. She hands them over, and I see they each have the emblems of different guilds on the front of them. I open The Steel Legion''s letter first, and I start to read. [Ms. Adamo, I wanted to inform you that all the Big Guilds in Jaerey are fully aware of your existence. Along with your little brother, Marcus. We''d like to have a private talk with the two of you. Please,e to room 506 around 1:00 PM today.] I raise my head and look at my sister in confusion. I was convinced no one knew we were here, but I guess that''s not happening. "I take it the letter from Hollowed Willow Tree is simr?" Her eyes lock on mine in a way that tells me the answer. I ce the letters down, and I run a hand through my hair. "Do you think we should talk to the guilds? Maybe we can get an easy way into The Ruins Of Tasdir by entering an alliance with one of them." My idea doesn''t go across well with my sister. She stands up, takes the letters, and rips them to pieces. Throwing them into the air like confetti. "We aren''t going to help or be helped by a Big Guild. We are already getting into the tournament after the tryouts. There is no way either of us is losing. True powerbat or leveled-outbat. Nothing is stopping us." A new fire has been lit under my sister. And I can only pray this is a good thing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 623 Sallys Trial [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:45 AM)~~~ Sally still hasn''te up from the floor with the Legendary Ice Magic book on it. It''s been a couple of hours too. I''d get a notification if she died since she''s on my Friend''s List and is nearby. A number of possibilities are running through my head. My attentionnds on Taaro since she''s the only one here that would have answers. She sees the way I''m looking at her, and she gives a solemn expression. "You''re wondering why it''s taking so long..." Duh. That''s the main thing on my mind. I know how long it takes toplete anything of Legendary difficulty. Be it a quest, a Dungeon, or a Raid. Trials and Ruins as well. There is a time limit, whether people are aware of it or not. I''m worried that Sally may be close to reaching her allotted time. It''s impossible to say for sure that she does have a time limit, but I know that it''s likely. A Legendary Trial can range from a few hours to an entire day. And since a few hours have already passed, it''s time to start paying attention to the clock. Figuratively, of course. Sally is strong, and I think, given enough time, she willplete the Trial the book is giving her. "That''s the main thing on my mind. I''d like a general time for the other people who have tried and failed at this. That way, I know what time to expect Sally to have." I am worried about her. There are huge penalties thate with failing Legendary Grade Trials. Legendary Grade, anything really. The game makes sure that if you want something powerful, you''ll have to suffer if you fail to get that power. Taaro''s silence isn''t doing anything to help me. I can tell she''s waiting for something, perhaps confirmation to give me that answer. She might be in telepathicmunication with someone, or something. The Gleem Library is alive, after all. Maybe she''s talking to the library, but I''m not a mind reader. She takes a seat on one of the couches on this floor and releases a sigh. Taking off her shoes and letting her feet free. This isn''t a good sign. This behavior indicates a great deal of time will pass before Sally or I can move to any of the higher floors. It means... That Sally is going to be in her Trial for a long time. I''m starting to get frustrated at theck of answers from her. "The time people have with the Legendary Ice Magic book depends on the person. The book has a consciousness and will determine how much time someone gets. It''s based on a number of factors, ording to the reports. So nothing is certain." Go figure, not a big help at all. I make my way over to a chair and sit down. Running my hands through my hair and look at the ceiling of the floor we''re on. She could be down there for far longer than a typical day for other Legendary Graded Activities. Which means I''m stuck waiting. If I''m here for more than 24 hours, I''ll be heading up higher and taking on the Dungeon that''s up there. I care about Sally, don''t get me wrong. And, of course, I want to be here when she gets out of her Trial. But that doesn''t mean I''m not allowed to do things while I''m waiting. "If you want, I can get you something to eat while we wait. It could be a long time before she gets out. Or it could be a minute from now. You never know." At this point, some food actually sounds really good. I tell Taaro what I''d like, and she disappears. Off to get us a meal. Now that I''m alone, my mind drifts to other things. Mainly, the time of night it is. This is when Sally and I would be asleep. This library has changed that, to be sure, and that''s perfectly fine. Every now and then, it''s okay to stay up reallyte. But I do think going for more than a day without sleeping is bad for you. Even if you technically don''t need sleep. As an Angel, I don''t need to close my eyes to sleep. But I want to. I get mentally exhausted, and that''s when I want to sleep. Not that I have to. "I hope you finish up whatever you''re doing soon, Sally. A lot of things can go wrong the longer you take to finish the Trial..." I''m speaking from experience. Back before I turned back time and redid everything, I failed at some Epic Grade quests and Trials. The penalties for doing so were extraordinary. I can''t imagine how bad they''d be on a Legacy Grade and higher. That would be devastating to any yer. Regardless of how much supposed talent and skill they have. "She wanted this..." I''d never try to convince Sally not to do something she did want to do. That''s not what you do with someone you love. Not even if it ends up hurting them in the end. But then again, that could be twisted into evil things. I suppose it depends on the person, and Sally isn''t the type to do evil and hurtful things with what she wants to do. Some time passes, and Taaro eventually returns with some food. And it''s hot and fresh. She ces the te in front of me, and I immediately dig in. Sally would be halfway done by now. That''s a joke, but she eats faster than anyone I''ve ever met. That''s what happens when you grow up starving. Which is what happened to Sally. "You know, there are rooms to sleep in on every floor of the library. They were around 300 years ago, for the schrs to spend a vast amount of time up here. You''re wee to use one of the old rooms. They''re not used this high up because of the dangers." This ce has built-in bedrooms too? This library is a knowledge seeker''s wet dream. Another name is Lore Junkie. Which I am. I''d spend a lot of time in this ce, but that would be irresponsible in a way. "Well, the Des''merta sure know what they''re doing..." I''m confident in saying if they weren''t a desert-dwelling people, they''d be the strongest race on all of Gaia. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:00 AM)~~~ I don''t know how long I''ve been in here. It feels like a couple of days at this point. Traveling by foot across a frozen wastnd hasn''t been fun. But I haven''t gone hungry, and the cold still doesn''t affect me. My current destination is a temple I was pointed to in thest town. The Trial has proven to be interesting since I started. I''m guessing I''m in some period of time where Gaia was covered with mostly snow. Either that or I''m in a remote part of Gaia. It doesn''t help that my map doesn''t work. But it makes sense, given this is a Trial. My thoughts are halted as I see arge Ice Castle reaching into the sky in the distance. It''s definitely not a temple, but I guess some people might call it that. It''s a castle to me. "Cera is probably really worried at this point... But I do remember him telling me time moves differently in Trials. I can only hope that''s the case." I''m not able to contact him while I''m in here, either. Whatever is happening, I''m to do it alone without any help whatsoever. That''s fine. I like a challenge. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 624 Trials Arent Easy [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:08 AM)~~~ The castle in the distance is actually quite beautiful the longer I look at it. It reminds me of some stories I read after I escaped from very. When I had my freedom, I filled my time with fantasy books and stories. Something to take my mind off my life at that point. Frozen wastes as far as the eye can see. The only life I could find in this Trial was in that town a ways back. Cera told me Trials could harbor many different things. Have functions that are unique to them. I remember him saying that everything toplete a Trial is provided. Information I got from the locals a while back has sent me in this direction. I''m willing to bet there aren''t many things left out here in these wastes. This makes me question how those people could survive in such an environment. I focus on making my way to the castle, and I start running to cover the distance faster. Inparison, I''m not nearly as fast as Cera or Hailey. That doesn''t mean I''m slow. It takes only a few minutes to reach the ce, moving at full speed. I stop in front of the massive doors that lead into the castle and now that I''m standing here. It''s way bigger now that I''m close to it. The types of things I''ll face in this ce must be powerful. There is a certain aura leaking from this ce. Malice that is subtle, but it''s definitely there and waiting for someone or anyone. This ce is where the real Trial begins. I ce my hand on the door and step inside as it opens. The temperature in this ce is far colder than outside, and that''s saying something. While I''m not affected by the cold, that doesn''t mean I can''t tell the differences between temperatures. [You''ve entered The Castle Of The Beofrost. Watch yourself in such a dangerous ce.] As I read the notification from the system, I nearly die from therge wed hand that I narrowly dodge. I take a few leaps deeper inside, creating some distance between me and whatever attacked me just now. I get a better look at what it is. There is a wolf-like creature. I''d describe it closer to a werewolf. It has a white coat of fur and glowing blue eyes. It turns around and looks at me. I can see it''s intelligent. There isn''t enough time for me to use Inspect on it before it''s attacking again. I draw my de and start using some of my skills. The monster is tough. It''s tanking some of my attacks like they''re nothing. Makes sense. It''s a creature based on ice and frost. It''ll have resistances that make my attacks less effective, but that doesn''t mean I''m not making any progress. I sh at it with my sword, hoping that it''ll be more effective than my Ice attacks. But that''s proving to be just as ineffective as I thought it would be. "What the hell are you made of!?" It''s a rhetorical question. I''m not expecting an answer, but my voice causes the creature to pause and look at me. Giving me enough time to use Inspect on it and get some information on it. And what I learn proves this Trial is out to kill me. [Beowolf Lvl. 225][Tier- 3][Boss Creature] [Health: 114,000,000/120,000,000] [Description: The Beowolf is the eternal guardian of Castle Beofrost. It''s a representation of the power thates with frost and ice. Beowolf is in charge of guarding the front door and turning those unworthy away.] [Hint: If you can beat Beowolf, your odds of clearing this Trial increase severalfold.] It''s fascinating, really. I unleashed some of my strongest attacks; all I could do was 6 million damage. And if I''m meant to beat this guy, I don''t see how I can do it. Beowolf knows that I just Inspected it, and it''s not happy. It gets in an attack position and makes its way toward me with incredible speed and power. I''m barely able to get out of the way and deal very minor damage. There is no way in hell I''m beating this guy without some sort of advantage to even the ying field. A weakness has to exist. Somewhere. I look closer at the Boss Creature. Hoping to see something I can take advantage of. And that''s when I see something that gives me a glimmer of hope. On his right knee, there is an old and bad-looking injury. It doesn''t look like it healed properly. Not wasting this golden opportunity, I use Ice Spear on the old injury and get a massive critical in damage. [Beowolf Lvl. 225][Tier- 3][Boss Creature] [Health: 84,000,000/120,000,000] A clean 30 million damage is dealt, and arge chunk of the Boss Creatures'' health is taken from him. The beast flies into the wall in its off-bnced state, and arge amount of snow copses and fills the entire entrance hall. This is usually when a Boss enters an enraged state and starts to be ridiculously strong. It''s moments like this when I wish I trained more. Out of the snowy cloudes The Beowolf. It''s limping, and I look at the leg I attacked. It''s in a weirdly bent direction with blooding from it. The blue glow in the eyes of The Beowolf turns to red, and I know what''sing next. [The Beowolf has entered Insanity!] [Run for your life!] "Insanity? What the hell is Ins-!" The next thing I know, I''m getting hit by sharp ws and thrown into a wall. Taking half of my health in a single attack. I''m barely able to pull myself out of the wall and move before the beast is already attacking where I was. Tearing a path through the wall in the process. [Warning: The Beowolf is taking passive damage from losing its mind!] [Warning: Use this opportunity to get away!] These warnings contradict what I was told early about defeating The Beowolf and things getting easier for me. However, it didn''t say defeating the thing was critical to my chances. Not in those specific words, anyway. I turn on my heels and make my way to the nearest staircase as it''s busy trying to get out of the hole in the wall it created. As I''m ascending the stairs, I can hear the monster screaming from below as it tears a path higher through the staircase, trying to reach me. In a moment of instinct, I have a somewhat good idea. Instead of running. I exit onto the floor and destroy the staircase from where I''m at and below with a swing of my sword. The Beowolf is caught in the trap, and he falls floor after floor. And as he hits the ground, I get a notification. [Beowolf Lvl. 225][Tier- 3][Boss Creature] [Health: 120,000/120,000,000] The Beowolf loses 83,999,880 health from the tremendous fall. And as the debris above himnds on him, the rest of the damage is dealt, and he dies. I gain EXP, and I get a new notification. [Congrattions!] [You''ve defeated one of the key bosses of Castle Beofrost! You''re odds of clearing The Trial have risen by more than 40 percent!] Way to be numerical about it, system... I sit on my butt and take some deep breaths. Taking this moment to really gain some of my energy back. I burned a lot of Mana using my strong skills, and I don''t have enough to finish this Trial. That much, I know. So I''ll need to improvise. "Why couldn''t Cera help me with this..." It sounds pathetic, but I realize he''s a tremendous help in these situations. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 625 The Castle Of Beofrost I [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:41 AM)~~~ I stand up after taking a short break. I''m not sure where I''m supposed to go from here. I jumped off on a random floor. I''m d the Beowolf is dealt with, but this Trial makes me doubt if I can beat it alone. The path ahead has some doors. The doors I pass are locked, and I keep getting notifications that I need a key to enter them. Which means there are things behind these doors. After wasting enough time on the doors, Ie to a left and right turn that leads in different directions within the castle. There isn''t much choice here. If one path doesn''t work out, then I''ll have toe back for the other one. Deciding on the left path, I turn and make my way down. There is an eerie quietness that fills this ce. Not even an ambient noise. It makes me nervous. My heartbeat is steady in my chest, but I can feel it bing heavier. "Someone or something is watching me..." That''s what I''m feeling now. There are eyes on me. I don''t know where from or who, but I''m not alone in this ce. The hallway ising to an end, and I make it to the singr door. I ce my hand on it, and I get a notification. [This door is unlocked.] An unlocked door after passing a bunch of locked ones earlier. That means something has eithere through here recently, or it''s been left unlocked for me. It''s out of ce. "I got a bad feeling about this..." The door slowly creaks open, and the room that I enter has three more doors. All on a different wall. All are leading in different directions. This is making me wonder what was in the other direction. I''m curious. But if none of this pans out, then I have an option. Out of the three doors here, I choose the one that keeps going forward. As I open it and walk through it. I notice something. I''m in the hallway with all the locked doors from before. Before I can turn around and get through, it closes on me. Meaning I''m back at the turn where I started. If all these locked doors are dummy magic doors from another ce in this castle, I''m going to be stuck here for a long time. "There has to be a better way than trial and error..." There is. When I open a door, I don''t walk through it. It should be easy enough to tell that I''m looking at this hallway again. I make my way back to the room with three doors, and this time I pick the one on the left. As I open it, I notice a familiar look wall. I''m not walking through this one. I spin around and head for thest door left. As I open it, there is something brand new. It''s a room made out of logs. After walking through, a noticeable temperature change urs. It bes much warmer, and the scenery is different. The door I walked through closes behind me, and I spin around to check if it''s still unlocked. [This door locked.] This is good to know. Once through a door that leads somewhere else other than the hallway, the door locks behind you. It makes me think you''re on a forced path. "This is going to take forever." I already know that the longer I''m in here, the more worried Cera will get. But I''ve alreadye this far, and I''m not giving up now. No chance in hell. I''ll eitherplete the Trial, or I''ll fail and suffer whatever punishment is deemed necessary. The castle proves to be a pain to navigate in the following days. I spend hours searching hallways and doors and fighting enemies. Seemingly ending up on different floors than the one I started this shit show on. I don''t know how much time has passed for Cera, but it''s been about a week for me. My mind is so focused on this Trial that I''m starting to lose track of time in here. Cera warned me that Trials have time limits, and I''m approaching the limit. If I''m kicked out of the Trial, maybe I can get Cera''s help. After a week of searching through everything, you kind of lose faith in yourself. "There has to be some sort of clue or cheat to help me with this shit!!!" I''m genuinely getting mad, and that''s rare for me. I''m not a mad person, but getting stuck and lost in such a shitty fucking castle is enough to piss anyone off. My yer Interface pops up without my permission, and that''s when I read a strange message. [What do you think this ce is, Saliandra?] The person talking to me through the system is unknown to me, and I''m not entirely sure what I''m supposed to do here. "Can you hear me?" It''s kind of idiotic when I ask nothing if it can hear me. But to my surprise, I get a response back. [You''ve been giving the Trial your all. But as you can see, you''re not cut out for puzzles. If you want, I can give you a hint. But it''s going to cost you.] Uh-oh. I don''t know what to expect here. But at this point, I''m desperate. "What is it I have to give you?" If it''s reasonable, then I''ll give it up. But it can kiss my ass if it wants to take something valuable from me. [The price is different for the people that try. I usually take something that means a lot to them. Swords, armor, skills. Those sorts of things. However, you value something far more than any of those things.] This is starting to sound like a deal where you give up your soul or something. [Your memories with the yer named Cera. Also goes by yer Zern, Radueriel, and some others where I''m from. If you give me your memories of the first time you two had sex, I''ll tell you what you need to know.] This entire castle and its puzzle have been a trap to wear me down and find a way to get this from me. I know it. Cera would say this. It''s been a maniption. Oh, of course, I''m pissed. But now I know what''s going on here. "There is no way I''m ever giving up anything that important to me. Kiss my ass, ghost-face." It''s the best line I coulde up with, given the short time I have. [Very well, good luck finding what you''re looking for. That is, if you even know what it is you''re looking for.] The message from the system makes me mad even more. But it''s not from the system. It''s from something else. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:38 AM)~~~ Another few hours have passed since Iid down on the couch after having some food. Sally still has many hours left. At least, I think she does. She''s been in that Trial for about 5 and a half hours at this point. "It''s getting realte. Are you sure you don''t wish to get some sleep? If she''s not out by now, I highly doubt she will be in the next couple of minutes." Taaro has been keeping mepany. I appreciate it, but I don''t need someone telling me what I should and shouldn''t do. Not right at the moment. "How about you get us some more food? I''m getting hungry again." The dark-skinned woman rolls her eyes and stands up. Disappearing in a sh of light to get more food for us. "I hope you''re doing alright in there, Sally..." I''m wondering how much time has passed in the Trial at this point. It''s probably been a while on her end. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 626 The Castle Of Beofrost II [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:28 AM)~~~ I''ve been in this Trial for months now, and I''ve finally seeded in finding out where the Trial Boss room is. I''m outside the door to the boss room now, and I''m excited to get out of this ce. I''m tired, and I''m missing Cera. More than I thought I ever would. To him, it''s probably only been a few hours since I''ve been in this ce. But for me, it''s been two and a half months. My hand presses against the door, and I slowly open the doorway. As I do, a single individual is sitting on a throne made of ice. Stepping into the room causes a chill to go up my spine. I''ve gained several levels while in this ce, and I''ve gotten stronger. But taking on a Trial Boss alone might be too difficult for me. The head lifts on the figure d in armor. It''s impossible to tell if it''s male or female. But in the end, I guess that doesn''t matter. The figure stands up, and it''s probably seven and a half feet tall. It unsheaths two swords, and that''s when I realize this is going to be a problem. Dual-wielding enemies deal massive amounts of damage, and it''s probably able to one-shot me. In this moment before battle, I use Inspect on the Trial Boss. Hoping to gain information and possibly an advantage. That''s all that''s left before the fight starts. The text for the Trial Boss fills my screen, and it has a ton of Lore. Cera would love this. [The Wraith Of Gelu][Trial Boss][Tier-4] [Health: 540,000,000/540,000,000] [Description: The Wraith Of Gelu is a manifestation of the tragedy that urred in thesends. Long ago, thends that you dwell in were named ik. They were ruled by wise and benevolent leaders. But a Crown Prince took to dark rituals and deals with The Dark Ones.] [Additional Information: The Crown Prince of the ik people sacrificed his family and Kingdom for absolute control and power over the Ice, Frost, and Cold. Bing an incarnation of the forces themselves. However, when word spread across Gaia. Resistance followed.] [Additional Information: After the defeat of The Crown Prince. The heroes that neighboring Kingdoms sent returned home. But the pain and suffering caused by The Crown Prince were so great, it left a Wraith in its absence. This is how The Wraith Of Gelu came to be.] "You''ve got quite a storied history, don''t you? Makes me wonder what other secrets you might hold. I can''t help wondering if you''re some remnant of The Crown Prince himself, and this Wraith stuff is all lies." The Wraith Of Gelu slowly starts to descend the stairs leading up to the throne it was sitting on. I slowly draw my sword and prepare for a fight. As it reaches the final step, it enters a stance for battle, and I can''t even react as it''s in front of me. I take a full attack and lose almost 80 percent of my health. I''m sent into the back wall. To my surprise, The Wraith doesn''t continue attacking. Instead, it ces its swords into the ground and waits for me. I struggle to get out of the wall, and I take several deep breaths. Trying to regainposure. "How am I supposed to beat this guy..." I''ve explored the castle, and I''ve found some useful items. But I don''t think any of them are going to really help me kill this thing. It continues to wait as I take a knee and think. It''s acting arrogant, and my pride is a smidge hurt. I open my Inventory and start to search through the items I found. Nothing really stands out. Except for one thing. It''s my open hope. I pull it out of my Inventory, and as I do. The Wraith has an attitude change. It''s ready to fight and is about to attack. But I use the item, and it freezes in ce. I look at the item for a split second and read the information really fast. [Bane Of The Cold] [Description: This ancient and powerful artifact allows you to freeze any creature, monster, person, or Boss that has at least one Ice, Frost, Or Cold ability. The effect willst for one minute, and has a cooldown of two minutes.] [Grade: Legacy] "Looks like you can''t move so fast now, huh." I make my way toward the Trial Boss, and I start dealing as much damage as I can. Attacking anything that looks like a weak point. Getting as much damage in as I can. There are about 5 seconds left, and I''ve only done 100 million damage. [The Wraith Of Gelu][Trial Boss][Tier-4] [Health: 440,000,000/540,000,000] This isn''t good. I get out of the immediate area and create some distance as the effects of the item wear off. The Wraith immediately turns in my direction and disappears from view. Out of instinct, I duck, and I barely dodge another strike. All I can think to do is kick The Wraith away, and it actually works. The Trial Boss goes flying into the wall. Giving me a few seconds to collect my thoughts. "C''mon... What would Cera do..." It''s not the best question, but I''ve never seen him lose a fight in all the time I''ve known him. A lightbulb goes off in my head. I create Ice dummies that look exactly like me. Several of them. And I mix us up. The Wraith starts attacking them, and I start making more. The Trial Boss can''t hurt me as long as it doesn''t know which one is real. So far, it''s working. I can see it growing a little frustrated. This continues until the two-minute cooldown for the item is up. I use it, and this time I have the help of the remaining Ice dummies attack with me. They don''t deal nearly as much damage as I do. But every little bit helps. As there are only 7 seconds until the effects end again. I see the amount of damage I''ve dealt this time. [The Wraith Of Gelu][Trial Boss][Tier-4] [Health: 140,000,000/540,000,000] With the help of the Ice dummies, I was able to knock off another 300 million health. I just need to survive until I can use the item again. But as the effects end, The Wraith starts using new moves. In a brilliant disy of lights, it starts to use magic. I can feel the hair on my skin sticking up. The power being generated there means death. I have all the Ice Dummies form a wall between me and the attack. The moment The Wraith uses the attack, all my Ice Dummies die. And I''m near death. I fall to the ground in a critical state and feel like I''ve already lost. But in a glimmer of hope. The Wraith falls to its knees, and that''s when I get a notification. [The Wraith Of Gelu has overused its Mana!] [It has entered a state of Mana Poisoning!] [It''s been stunned for 45 Seconds!] This ising down to the wire. I slowly stand up and use my sword to help me walk. The time is crawling down, and I make it to The Wraith with 15 seconds left. There are 13 left until I can use the item again. I start to weakly attack The Wraith, and I''m doing pathetic damage. With the two seconds given between the stun and the cooldown for the item. I prepare to use it, and I do it just in the nick of time. "JUST DIE ALREADY!!!" I fuel my body with the will to win and see the end of this fucking Trial. I''ve been in this ce for months, and I want to leave!! [The Wraith Of Gelu][Trial Boss][Tier-4] [Health: 0/540,000,000] [Congrattions!] [You''ve cleared The Trial Of The Legendary Ice Magic User Xeelia!] "Finally..." This is when I lose consciousness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 627 Results Of The Trial [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:45 AM)~~~ There is a warmth wrapped around me... My eyes are heavy from exhaustion, and I almost want to keep sleeping. Now that I''ve cleared the Trial, I''d rather know what I''ve gained from such a challenge. It takes a moment to open my eyes. After I get them open, and my vision clears up. I see an old dusty ceiling. I''m wrapped in a nket that''s keeping me warm andfortable. I slowly lean up and rub my head. "Look who''s finally awake. I was starting to wonder if you''d sleep the entire morning away. But I wouldn''t me you. Clearing a Trial Legendary in Grade is an incredibly difficult undertaking. I''m proud of you, Sally." The voice of Cera fills my ears, and I see him sitting at a desk in the room we''re in. It''s a very old and unkept room. There are cracks and rotten wood on every wall. I watch him stand up and make his way to me. Holding out his hand to help me up. It''s been months since I''ve seen Cera, let alone touch him. I don''t waste a second, and I lean into his chest and wrap my arms around him. Taking a deep breath of his scent, and releasing. His arms wrap around me in response. I don''t know how much time has passed while I was in the Trial. "How much time has passed on this side? It''s been almost 3 months for me. I feel like my internal clock is all screwed up..." He pulls away from me and looks at me with a smile. It''s a smile that has multiple meanings behind it. I don''t know what he''s about to tell me about the time, but I have a small feeling that I might not like it. It''s in my gut, y''know... "Almost 9 hours have passed since you were in the Trial. Looks like the time dtion within the Trial was far greater than any Trial I''ve heard of or experienced. I don''t know if that makes you happy or not, but that''s the time." 9 hours... That''s all the time that''s passed... I''m both happy and mad. Happy that I wasn''t apart from Cera for months in the real world, and mad that I spent almost 3 months in the Trial while only 9 hours passed out here. It feels like I''ve been short-changed. I take a seat back on the bed and run a hand through my hair. Cera takes a seat next to me. His calm energy and presence is something I''ve missed so much. All my worries and stresses disappear as I lean over against him. His arm wraps around me again, and I melt into his form. "If you don''t mind sharing, what''d you win from the Trial? I''m excited to find out. I was tempted to wake you up, but I figured you could use a couple of hours to sleep." Ahh, that''s right. I almost forgot about the rewards from the Trial. I open the yers Interface, and I''m shown a screen. This one is made visible so Cera can see it too. His eyes are already on it and reading. I think I should catch up. [Congrattions!] [You''ve cleared The Trial Of The Legendary Ice Magic User Xeelia!] [Rewards: Legendary Ice Magic from The Book Of Xeelia!] [The Book Of Xeelia has now been added to your Inventory and can be read and viewed at any time!] [You''ve gained 15 Levels from clearing a Legendary Grade Trial all by yourself!] [Your ss, Winters Wrath, has gone up an entire Grade due to new magics!] [Your ss Grade is now Legendary!] [All Stats, Active Skills, and Passive Skills have increased in power by 2500 percent!] "Wow..." All I can do is react the way that''s appropriate. There is so much I''ve gained from that Trial. But most importantly. I did it on my own. Without the help of anyone else. Yes, I wanted Cera''s help. But I still did it alone. "Well, that''s another yer with a Legendary ss. Congrattions really are in order, Sally." Before I can respond to hispliment, there is a Worldwide Announcement. And I can''t help but cringe a bit after hearing it. [Worldwide Announcement: The yer known as Saliandra Orvello has upgraded her ss from Legacy to Legendary! She''s the first yer to ever do this! Massive reputation boost for all Kingdoms and Empires are rewarded!] [Worldwide Announcement: The Old Faction Of Nobles within The Kingdom Of Elves has issued a bounty of two Legendary Weapons and a piece of Legendary armor for the return of Saliandra Orvello!] [Worldwide Announcement: The biological Father of Saliandra Orvello is offering a 50 million Gold prize to the person who brings him his Daughter. If they can do it within the next two months, he''ll Give them two Legendary Weapons.] These are some of the most insane announcements I''ve ever seen in my entire life. They almost make no sense. I look at Cera, and he has a cocked eyebrow. "Looks like you''ll have peopleing after you, Sally. But don''t worry, nothing is going to happen to you. I won''t let it, and you''re more than powerful enough to protect yourself." I am very strong now... But it''s nice to be cared for and pampered from time to time. I''m still a woman, and I love it when Cera treats me like I''m his precious someone. "What do you think we should do now?" The idiocy of my question dawns on me the moment it leaves my lips. I remember that we were heading to the higher floors of The Gleem Library for the Dungeon up there. But it''s been so long since I was here, I kinda forgot. But instead of Cera reminding me. He leans over and locks his lips with mine. Not overthinking things. I do the same and sink into the kiss. It''s been so fucking long since I felt this... He pulls away, but I identally follow his lips in desperation before pulling back in self-control. He smiles at my reaction, and I can''t help feeling a little embarrassed. "Since it''s been so long for you, I figured we could share this bed before we did anything." He doesn''t need to say anything else. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:39 AM)~~~ Sally is resting on top of me, and I''m stroking her hair. We just went at it for more than two hours. While the room isn''t a ce where it''s nice to do such things. Thanks to how enthusiastic she was, I don''t think either of us had a problem. "You know, it''s almost noon, and I told Taaro I''d have you up by then. She''s supposed to bring us food before we continue going up." She raises her head, and a nice smile is what greets me. Her hands rest on my cheeks as she leans down and kiss me. "I''m pretty hungry after all this physical activity... Let''s get out of this room." We take a few minutes getting up and out of the room. After sitting on the couches near the railing, Taaro shows up a few minutester. She looks at Sally and makes her way toward her. "I want to congratte you on gaining The Book Of Xeelia. It''s a Legendary Grade Magic Book filled with spells for you to learn. As well as Xeelia''s story. But we don''t know any more about the book than that." It''s interesting. I''m curious about what''s in the book, but that belongs to Sally. I''ll bring it up at some point, but not anytime soon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 628 Final Preparations [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:45 PM)~~~ The tryouts start tomorrow, and every yer in Jaerey willpete to get into The Ruins Of Tasdir with General Daenal Roane. Hailey is lying in her bed on the other side of the room, and I''m in mine. She''s been spending a lot of time with Riannately. Trying to get her strong enough to get into The Ruins Of Tasdir. The Legendary location is home to many things, and all of them will be challenged by everyone who qualifies during the tryouts. The tournament being held after the tryouts is an entirely different story in itself. The tryouts are meant to sort out the weak and the strong. The tournament is to determine the very best among the people here. The higher you ce in the tournament, the better rewards you''ll have a chance of getting in The Ruins Of Tasdir. It''s not a guarantee, but it''s something that everyone will want a shot at. The biggest threat to Hailey and me is Plutonium. He''s a Legendary ss Wielder too. All we can do is hope we don''t match up against him at any point in the tournament before the finals. Tryouts is also a ce we''ll want to avoid the guy. He''s known for being a great PVP yer and someone who a lot of people expect to win. The top guilds know Hailey, and I are in Jaerey, and we''re intending topete too. "Do you think Rianna is ready for this?" My thoughts are halted as a random questiones from the other side of the room. I don''t know why Hailey is asking me this. She''d know better since she''s the one that''s been training Rianna. Then again, if she''s asking me this in the first ce, it must be a sign that she''s doubting whether or not Rianna can. I''d say Rianna has made great progress. As long as she''s not pitted against a beast in the tryouts, she''ll qualify for The Ruins Of Tasdir. "You''d know better than me, sis. But I''ll tell you one thing. You''ve done great in training her thest couple of days. She''s improved greatly, and I''m sure if it''s an even fight, she''lle out on top. As long as she doesn''t get matched against someone who will destroy her." I give my honest take, but it doesn''t seem to satisfy Hailey. I''m not going to try any harder than that. Hailey is going through something I don''t understand. I''m too young. I know that. She''s a teacher, and that''s something special. From what I hear, at least. There are only a few things that I know for certain about everything that''ll start happening tomorrow. The first being the likely hood of us getting to the top of the tournament is low. The second being a lot more people here are more experienced in PVP. Thest and most important being, we still don''t know if the tryouts and tournament will be leveled-outbat. Or true powerbat. It''s nice to know that no one else knows either. In a sense, we''re all equally in the dark. But that''s not true considering yers like Plutonium, who know PVP in and out and have overwhelming power in either situation. "Rianna has gotten better, a lot better. But I sense a doubt in her. Something that''s buried in deep. She''s not telling us something, and I think it''s going to affect her performance tomorrow." This is something my brother would know how to help Hailey with. I don''t see why she''s not contacting him now that she knows he''ll see his messages now. But I guess I''d ignore her too if I were Cera. Hailey and Cera have a unique rtionship that''s equal parts love and annoying. When one gets on the nerves of another, it''ll be a while before the two talks again. Makes me grateful I''m the youngest. "What''s stopped you from confronting her?" I''m curious cause Hailey is a straightforward person and usually addresses such things. Maybe it''s because Rianna has be Hailey''s friend? But it''s hard to say. Hailey doesn''t keep anyone around other than me. "That''s something I''ll deal with, Marcus." Enough said. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:15 AM)~~~ My eyes shoot open, and I slowly lean up in bed. Looking at the clock on my yer Interface and seeing what time it is. The tryouts will start at 10 AM, and they''ll go on for the next two days. If a third one is necessary, they''ll have one. I get out of bed and head for the bathroom. Turning on the shower and unequipping my armor. The warm water hits my body, and I can''t help sighing just a little. Ever since I talked to the Big Guilds, I''ve been wondering how they found out I was here. Not even the Information Broker I spoke to and bought the list from had my name on it. Meaning, someone told the Big Guilds about me. The only person that can be is Rianna. She''s a poor and weak yer. I''m willing to bet she made a lot of money for telling the Big Guilds that I''m in town with my brother. "Hailey! I''m going downstairs for some food!" My brother is already taking off, and that leaves me alone with my thoughts. What I should do with Rianna. I''ve kept training her despite my suspicions, and that''s because I can see she''s not a bad person. Just someone that''s trying her best to survive. You can''t really get mad at that. After getting out of the shower and getting ready. I make my way downstairs and sit at the table my brother has gotten for us. The food doesn''t take long to get to us, and after a few minutes. Rianna joins us. She''s wearing a smile, but I can see slight cracks in her mask. My brother bumps me with his elbow, and I look at him with a raised eyebrow. He rolls his eyes at me, not understanding what he wants me to do. "Talk to her." No sense in putting it off. But I might as well get some things done today while I''m at it. After we''re done eating. It''s around 7:00 AM, and Marcus takes off to take care of something. "Rianna, you''reing with me. We''ve got some stuff to pick up at a shop that sells potions." She nods her head, and she follows me around Jaerey until we reach the shop that we need. I enter, and she''s right on my tail. The inside of the store is muchrger than the outside, and we make our way to a section of the store with potions that are important for Rianna. They''re attack-boosting and defense-boosting potions. They''ll help her in the tryouts. She can take them at the beginning of the fight to get an advantage. "We''re going to talk about something important before I buy you this stuff." I turn around and face her. She''s starting to look nervous, and after a few more minutes of staring, she looks down at the ground. Messing with her hands and feet. She''s guilty. Now, it just depends on what I want to do with her. "Were you the one that told the Big Guilds Marcus and I were in Jaerey?" She doesn''t answer at first, and before I can say anything else. Tears start welling up in the corner of her eyes, and she''s struggling to hold them back. "Yes... I needed the money... Everything in Jaerey is so expensive... I was able to get 5 million gold for the information..." Well, at least she''s telling me now. But there is still a decision to be made, and one where there isn''t much trust left. But I can see giving her one chance. I remember when my family and I were poor. We didn''t sell the people we loved and cared about out. But we weren''t alone like Rianna is. So, I can see us getting past this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 629 Desperate People... [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:04 AM)~~~ Now that Rianna has told me what she''s been hiding, I don''t think there is any reason to be suspicious of her now. Yeah, she betrayed the trust I put in her, but she''s a yer who doesn''t have the same luxuries as me. If selling information that Marcus and I are in Jaerey made her life easier, I don''t see why she wouldn''t. I know I would''ve done just about anything for more money on Earth when we were poor. Rianna is waiting for my response to her admittance of betrayal. We''re still standing next to the potions that she''ll for the tryouts if she wants better odds of winning. I''ve already decided to give her onest chance. "I get it, Rianna. I really do. Back on Earth, my family was as poor as dirt. Crippling debt nearly ruined my family. If it weren''t for my other brother, we would have had nothing. It''s hard not to take an opportunity to make your life a little easier." The girl I''vee to call my friend starts to shed tears, and I''m not sure what to do. I''ve never been great when ites to the whole dealing with people who cry thing. Cera has helped me in the past. But his version of helping is different from everyone else''s. He knows that I respond best to anger and provocation. So, that''s what he did to get my mind and will from being crushed. The teenager in front of me won''t respond the same way I will. Sensitivity is supposed to be something women are good at. But I find myselfcking in that area. "I''m really... Really... Sorry. I wish there was something I could do to make it up to you..." She talks between her sobs and gasps for air. I reach out my hand and ce it on her shoulder. Before she can do or say anything, I bring her into a one-armed hug. Mom would do this to me when I was having a hard time. Dad would just give me money. Which was bad on both our ends. I don''t like to talk about or admit it, but I was a financial crutch. "Listen. Don''t do it again. Secrets are worth a lot to yers. You know this now, thanks to getting 5 million gold for telling Big Guilds Marcus and I are here. Now, dry your tears and toughen up." She cries a little harder after I basically forgive her. This is out of character for me, but I''d only do this to people who aren''t as experienced in life as me. She''s 15 to 16 years old, and that means she''s not got a lot of life experience. While it''s not an excuse, there is a reason why young men and women are forgiven for their mistakes more than adults are. It''s because they don''t know as much. I''m an adultpared to Rianna. Yeah, I was immature for a long time, but I''m not the same woman I was when all this started. "Okay..." We pull apart from each other, and Rianna has red eyes. I ce my hand on the top of her head, and she wipes thest of the tears building in her eyes away. I turn away from her and start looking for the potions she''ll need. They''ll need to be attack-boosting and defense-boosting. And they''re not cheap. We eventually find them, and I pay for them and give them to Rianna. Now that we''re done with this, we make our way to the yer Arena and eventually find Marcus. He''s got better seats this time. I take a seat next to my youngest brother, and he''s got his eyes on the center of the Arena. General Daenal Roane is in the Arena with his top officers. They''re definitely discussing something pertaining to the tryouts and tournament. They have a silencing barrier erected around them, and they''re covering their mouths. Making sure no one can read their lips. The tryouts still don''t start until 10:00 AM, and that''s a few hours from now. "Do you have any idea what they''re talking about down there?" Marcus has been here longer than me, and I''m hoping he''s picked up something that worthwhile. He looks at me and shakes his head. "They got down there and started talking. A few minutes before you arrived. There was no chance to learn anything. They''re being really tight with information." A few more minutes pass, and the barrier around them falls. One of the officers next to General Daenal Roane takes a step out of the ground and heads to a podium. He takes a deep breath and seems to cast a spell. "Test. Test." We''re able to hear his voice all around the Arena, and everyone is leaning forward in their seats. We''re about to be told something important. I don''t know what it is, and no sense in specting about it now. "This is an announcement pertaining to the tryouts that will begin at 10:00 AM today." This is the moment of truth. We might even be learning if it''s leveled-outbat or true powerbat. "The tryouts will be one match of a 1V1, and if you win that match. You''ll qualify for The Ruins Of Tasdir. However, there will also be a 2V2 battle to determine your starting ce in the tournament." There are mixed reactions from the yers all over the Arena. It''s really not something that changes anything for the strongest. Now, herees the most important announcement next. ? "All battles in the tryouts will be leveled-outbat. We''re looking for people who can really fight and not rely on overwhelming power." I can''t help leaning back in my chair, a little disappointed. This means there is a good chance the tournament is a true powerbat match. "When you win you''re 1V1, it''s up to you to find a teammate for the 2V2. We''ll only be assigning opponents, not making the teams. Good luck, everyone." The man steps away from the podium and leaves the Arena with Daenal Roane and the other officers. Some of the yers around us look devastated, and others look more motivated than ever. This was the information everyone was waiting for. Since they didn''t talk about the tournament, that means they''ll make another announcement the day it starts. "It''s a good thing we prepared by practicing. We''ve got a chance." Marcus is right about that. It''s a good thing that we''ve prepared just in case it did happen. I look over at Rianna, and she''s looking at the ground. But I don''t see disappointment or sadness. If I could describe it, it''d be a look of contemtion. Like she''s weighing if this is the best situation for her in the end. I think this benefits her greatly. This way, she won''t be matched up against someone who out-levels her and out Tiers her and gets crushed. They''ll fight on an even ying field. For the most part, that is. "Marcus, I won''t be teaming up with you when the 1V1es along. You''ll have to find another partner." My brother looks at me funny, and realization dawns on him. I want to help Rianna if she''s able to beat her match-up. If I can get her a better position in the tournament, her odds of getting better loot in The Ruins Of Tasdir gets higher. "I understand." Marcus is a good brother. Today is when the realpetition starts, and I''m excited. It''ll be interesting to see how effective I am in a 1V1. That''s what my Duelist ss is meant for. I''m fantastic at taking on opponents when it''s just the two of us. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 630 Players Begin To Prepare [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:32 AM)~~~ The tournament is starting in less than 30 minutes, and many yers are getting ready. Talking to each other, preparing their best gear. It''s going to take a long time to get through millions of yers, but it won''t be that long. Hailey and Rianna are in another part of the Arena at the moment, and they''re doing something to help increase Rianna''s odds. I''m more worried about Hailey and me. While I agree with her that it''ll be hard for anyone to beat either of us in leveled-outbat or true powerbat. That doesn''t mean we can''t lose. Plutonium is here, and we''ll run into him in either the tournament or in the tryouts if we''re really unlucky. There is no guarantee that we won''t be matched up against each other, either. If Hailey and I were to be put against one another, she said she''d want me to lose. But I never said that I''d make it easy. My attention is on the Arena, and there are already some yers in there. Getting used to the ce where they''ll do battle. I don''t notice anyone standing out. All the strong yers are hanging back, and the average yers are down there. Perhaps ying up their own egos. I couldn''t be sure. Many of the average yers are going to thrive since it''s a tryout consisting of leveled-outbat. Their odds are just as good as anyone else''s. And that''s giving them extra motivation. Half of the few million yers will not pass the tryouts. Lots of people will be leaving back to where they came from aftering this far. Sure, the teleportation gates are useful, but they''re he expensive. That tells me yers spent a lot of money getting here. Especially the Big Guilds. I can''t imagine how much gold they spend moving their strongest yers from wherever they were to here. "Marcus Adamo?" Suddenly, there is a voice from behind me. I''m sitting in a pretty inconspicuous area. I slowly turn and see a beautiful dark-haired woman wearing extravagant armor. Along with the emblem for Hollowed Willow Tree. Whoever this chick is, she''s from one of the Big Guilds. Hailey said that Rianna sold our information to the Big Guilds. And by selling our information, I mean she told them we were here. I don''t really care, in the end. I don''t see how it''d make a difference. But that''s just me. Hailey and Cera know things about strategy that I don''t know yet. It''lle with time, but for now, I''ve gotta deal with this. "Who''s asking?" My response isn''t hostile or belligerent. If anything, there is a sense of curiosity in my voice. I am wondering how she found me in this sea of yers. She leaves her seat and takes the one next to me. Forcing the person that was sitting there to find somewhere else to sit. She''s just a little taller than me while sitting down. Her arm finds its way behind my back and on my backrest. "My name is Wilted Rose, and I''m the leader of Hollowed Willow Tree." A leader to one of the top 3 Big Guilds. I''m impressed. You''d think they''d send someone that''s better at recruiting, but they might think I find it insulting. "I''ve been waiting a long time to meet and speak with you. You''re quite a popr target amongst the Big Guilds, along with your sister." Seems they know more than just our presence here. Nothing can be done about it now. It makes me wonder if they know anything about Cera. He''s always been really good at keeping his identity hidden. He''s got several aliases. One thing I don''t like is being referred to as a target. Whether it''s meant to be good or bad, that doesn''t sit well with me. "Sadly, as you know, you can do anything about Worldwide Announcements. If it were up to my sister and me, we''d have never revealed such information. Now, why have you sought me out? Not just to try and recruit me, right?" Powerful yers are rare, but powerful Solo yers are what some might call a treasure many never find. Hailey and I are that amazing treasure Big Guilds are always searching for. Wilted Rose smiles and leans back in her seat. Looking out into the Arena to see yers just as I had. I don''t like the silence, but I don''t want to speak and give up any information or advantage I might have and not know. I''m still a kid to many, and yes, I''m very intelligent. But experience and time usually trump talent and intelligence. For a time, at the very least. "You''re right about wanting to talk about more than just joining my guild. I''ve spoken with your sister before, and she said that while you guys won''t stand in our way. You won''t help us, either. I was wondering if there is anything that would change your mind, Marcus." The ploy to divide my sister and me is obvious. Here I thought Wilted Rose was considered one of the better leaders of the Big Guilds. Someone who wouldn''t result to such tactics. I''m in agreement with whatever my sister decides. And that''s because we discuss what we''ll do before either of us does it. That way, people''s schemes don''t get in the way. People like Wilted Rose. "If you truly knew anything about my sister and me, then you''d know such tactics won''t work. There is such a thing as a line, and you don''t seem to have any problems crossing it." As my answer leaves my mouth, I see the confusion on her face. Like genuine confusion. I don''t know if she''s trying to fool me right now or what. "I''m sorry, I think you''re misunderstanding me, Marcus. I don''t want to try to get in the way of you and your sister. I was hoping that you would actually target a specific yer if you happened to match up against them. I''m willing to way." How is this any different from the conversation she had with Hailey a couple of days ago? Politics is so not worth the time to me. Maybe when I''m older I''ll enjoy it, but getting dragged into it now. That''s just bullshit. Before I can respond, I feel an aura over my shoulder that I''ve only felt a couple of times in my life. I look, and I see Hailey standing there with Rianna. She''s ring at Wilted Rose and said woman sees this. Immediately standing, and taking a step forward with her hand extended. My sister takes the hand and starts to crush it, and I see the wince on Wilted Rose''s face. She''s trying to stay strong. "Don''t ever approach my little brother. If you want to talk, youe to me. Leave him out of your guild politics." Hailey shoves Wilted Rose away, and she makes a somewhat graceful exit. As graceful as one can get after such an incident. She turns her attention to me and immediately sits down in the open seat. Looking at me with concern. But not the type I''d see from Mom or Dad, the type only Hailey can give. "Did she try anything?" Sometimes, Hailey is a good sister. Sometimes. "No, all she wanted was to talk about attacking a specific yer for her. Someone we might get matched against. I didn''t get a chance to finish the conversion since you showed up. But I guess that''s for the best. She was getting annoying." She can''t help but smile just a little at my reaction. There are only 10 minutes left before the tryouts officially start, and everyone is making final preparations. Which doesn''t make sense since most won''t be fighting today anyway... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 631 The Tryouts Begin [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:03 AM)~~~ The first match is about to start, and two yers from different guilds step forward. One of the yers is from The Steel Legion, and the other is from ming Skull. Hailey and Rianna are on either side of me, and they''re both engrossed in the uing fight. I''m not as excited as they are, but I''m still looking forward to the fight. We''ve learned that the system will send us a message two matches before our own that we must prepare before our own matches. Apparently, General Daenal Roane has organized a System Event. System Events are a special way for arge number of yers topete or participate in activities. The system handles the entire event making it go as fast as possible. That way, there won''t be any logistical errors. What''s making this fun for everyone watching is not just the fights we get to watch, but we can also bet on winners, time it takes for the match to end, and other things through the system. "C''MON!! I''VE GOT 4,000 GOLD ON YOU, STEEL LEGION!!" "WOOOOO!! LET''S GOOOO!! FLAMING SKULL IS GOING TO MAKE ME A SHIT TON OF GOLD!!!" "DON''T MAKE THE MATCH LAST LONGER THAN 2 MINUTES!! I''VE GOT 2,000 GOLD RIDING ON THIS!!!" There are rabid yers and gambling addicts shouting from every part of the Arena. Either trying to support the yer they just bet on or discourage the yer they''re betting against. I can''t help rolling my eyes a little. It could be that I''m just young and don''t see the fun in betting, but I don''t think it''s something that''s worth time and money unless you''re good at it. Hoping on luck when you''re betting is a sure way to lose everything. Dad has told me so many sad stories about his factory buddies... They''d take their paychecks straight to the casinos and lose it all... They were hoping to win big and get out of poverty, but that''s making my point. Luckily, Dad never did things like that. Sure, we struggled with money. So bad that we almost lost everything, but Dad did his best to provide for us. You can''t ask more from a man. "Who do you think is going to win?" Rianna is asking this question to my sister. I''m stuck between them, which means I''ll be forced to listen to whatever they decide to talk about. "The Steel Legion is winning most of its match-ups. Their gear is some of the best you can get grafted. They have a Legendary Smith and a Legendary Scout in their guild. That allows them to craft some of the best things you can think of." Yes, The Steel Legion has a definite Armor, weapons, and gear advantage over everyone. But I hear their yers aren''t good at PVP at all, and that''s going to cost them. After all, this is a leveled-outbat PVP tryout. That means any advantages you get from levels, tiers, and mana aura are disabled. All that leaves is skills and personal talent. While Hailey and I have yet to get our Mana Aura''s, that doesn''t mean we''re not strong without them. In fact, many yers don''t have their Mana Aura yet. Less than 1 percent of yers do, and none of them are here. I know Cera has a Mana Aura, but he''s the only one I know. "I hope the average match length doesn''t take longer than 5 minutes, or these tryouts will take longer than 3 days..." Rianna didn''t read the system notification closely enough. The system is ensuring the matches don''t go longer than 5 minutes. It''ll determine the winner by that time by who has dealt the most damage to their opponent. "It''s about to start." Hailey shushes Rianna, and everyone watches as the countdown to the first match slowly goes down from 10. 9... 8... There is a shift in the air within the Arena, and yers everywhere start to quiet down. Everyone''s focus is on the yers about to do battle. I can see their names shown below the timer, but I''m not going to bother saying such stupid names. 7... 6... 5... Each yer in the Arena has a visible change in their mood and stance. Slowly drawing their weapons in preparation for the first sh. 4... 3... 2... Neither of them is looking nervous or worried. I look more closely at their yer information, and they both have Epic Grade sses. Meaning this fight is going to be a close one. The levels, tiers, and mana aura are disabled. Leveled-outbat is definitely the fairest way to fight another yer, and I guess that''s why General Daenal Roane decided to do this for the tryouts. 1... 0... As the timer hits 0, both yers lunge at each other with great speed and power. shing their weapons together. The Steel Legion member goes for a quick finish with a Skill. But The ming Skull member is proving to be more than capable of dodging. I''m convinced that most of the matches will go on for about 3 to 4 minutes if yers are going to be fighting each other like this. After the first minute, each yer has done some decent damage to the other. No yer has a distinct advantage yet. It''s going toe down to who''s better in the end. I can see The ming Skull yer has just a bit more experience and skill in terms of PVP fighting, but not by much. "This fight is ending soon." Hailey surprises me with her observation. I don''t see what she sees. I think this match is close. A few seconds after I think that, I watch The ming Skull member leap forward and, after a couple of steps, blows up. "YEAAAAAH!!! THAT''S WHAT I''M TALKING ABOUT!! GIVE ME MY MONEY!!" "NOOOOO!! STUPID FUCKING STEEL LEGION!!! FUCKING CHEATERS WITH ALL THAT GREAT GEAR!!!" "I''VE JUST DOUBLED MY LIFETIME GOLD COUNT!!" There are cheers all around the Arena, and I''m confused. I thought the match would be closer than that. "What happened?" Hailey smiles as she turns to me. "When they were moving around the Arena during their fight, The Steel Legion member was cing magical traps around the ce. They''re pretty hard to spot, but if you use Inspect, you can see them." Before I can check, the PVP ends, and all traps or damage to the Arena is repaired and removed. I sigh and start thinking about The Steel Legion. If that''s a ss Skill, then I suppose there is nothing you can do. But if that''s something their gear and armor is capable of doing, a lot of The Steel Legion will be making it into The Ruins Of Tasdir. "Do you think this is what Wilted Rose wanted to talk to you about? Ganging up on The Steel Legion?" Rianna brings up a great point. If this is what Wilted Rose wanted to talk to Hailey and me about, it would''ve been wiser to agree to something. Since it''s leveled-outbat, that means those types of traps will be devastating. The good news for me is I''ll only be fighting other magic sses. It''s the way the system is handling the event. Magic castors against magic castors, and physical yers against physical yers. If your ss can do both, then you know what that means. You''re only going to face yers that can do both. This works; while it''s not perfectly bnced, it''s how the system is handling it. "I''m betting Wilted Rose has already made a deal with other Guilds to gang up on The Steel Legion, and The Steel Legion isn''t our biggest concern." Now I''m confused again. Yeah, I''m smart. But that doesn''t mean I know and see everything. Time to ask more questions. As much as it''ll annoy my sister. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 632 Approaching The Dungeon [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:48 PM)~~~ Sally and I are still being led up the floor of The Gleem Library by Taaro. ording to her, we''re almost to the floor where the Dungeon starts. The higher we go in the library, the more questions I seem to have. The floors be weirder and no longer just about books. Some of the floors we passed wepletely empty, and dust was all that remained. I asked Taaro what it was that led to such a state, and she didn''t answer. Perhaps a trade secret of the people who work in the library, but I can''t be certain. "How many floors do we have left to climb? I''m getting so tired of walking upstairs. Being in the Trial for so long has caused me to be ready to fight at any moment." My elvenpanion seems impatient in regard to action. She was gone for a few months in her time, but only a couple of hours for us. Makes sense that she''s eager to fight, given how used to it she''s gotten. I like this change in Sally. Being able to fight at a moment''s notice is a great advantage that many don''t have. Well, used to have. Most yers are ready to fight at a moment''s notice. "There are only a few floors left. I must warn you. The Dungeon up here is one you''ll never find somewhere else. Many great and powerful warriors of the Des''merta have tried to clear the Dungeon. You might have better odds, but that''s not a promise." Our guide only seems to fuel the fire of an actual challenge in me. Sure, I''m a great fighter, and I''m powerful. But I also haven''t been challenged really hard yet, not to the point where I think I''m actually going to die. Having knowledge of the future prevented that from happening to me. After all this time, there are certain things that are boring for me. Thankfully, the system made Dungeons scale to the yers, that way. I can at least be hurt now. "How old is the Dungeon we''re heading to?" Sometimes, you can discern how powerful something is by its age within The Ancients World. It''s not a surefire method, but it certainly helps. We make it to another floor before Taaro can answer my answer, and she leads us to a staircase that continues to lead higher. I''m still waiting for an answer, and I''m beginning to think I won''t get one even if I want one from her. "It''s as old as the library. We don''t know a lot about the Dungeon. Only that it''s Legendary in Grade, and some item, book, or scroll is causing the Dungeon to exist." I''ve heard of such things before, and a perfect example is the Book of Xeelia that Sally has now. The Legendary Ice Magic Book caused an environmental change. Something has to be extremely powerful to create a Dungeon of Legendary Grade. There will be incredibly powerful enemies within it. Thankfully, Sally has upgraded her ss to Legendary afterpleting the Trial. "That''s not much of an answer..." Sally is dissatisfied with her answer to my question as much as I am. We don''t have an exact number on the age of The Gleem Library. Only that''s it''s more than 300 years old. I can only assume it''s around that age. Perhaps older. A Dungeon that''s been around for 300 years, and no Des''merta have been able to beat it. From some of the books I''ve read in the library, there have been figures in Des''merta history that had Legendary sses. And they still couldn''t beat the Dungeon we''re heading to. "Does the Dungeon at least have a name?" I''d like a name for the ce that''s going to prove as a challenge for me. I''m looking forward to the fights. Taaro slows down as we make it to the next floor, and she leads us to the staircase that leads higher. However, she stops at the bottom step and turns to us. "This is where I leave you two. I can''t go beyond this point in the library. The Dungeon prevents it. If you wish to go higher, you take on the Dungeon. We don''t know how many floors are attached to the Dungeon, only that it''s a lot." She still hasn''t told us the name of the Dungeon yet. She sees my unhappy expression and slowly pulls out a piece of paper from her robe. Handing it to me. [The Dungeon Of The Key] "Are you able to read that, Radueriel?" I lift my eyes from the paper. Giving her a look as if she''s questioning my intellect. "Yeah, it says The Dungeon Of The Key." A smile slowly graces her lips, and I can''t help thinking something more is going on here. Before I can ask for a deeper exnation, she already starts to exin, and what I hear puts me on alert. "The name of the Dungeon is written in the Divine Angelic Language. No one, until this point, has been able to trante it. Makes sense now, given how only someone with Divine Blood could understand the writing." The Language of the Angels and Gods is what the name of the Dungeon is written in... If that''s not a red g, I don''t know what is. This could be connected to the entire Radueriel identity, and maybe I can get some answers as I came here to get them. Sally''s hand finds its way to my wrist, and she looks at me with worry. The Dungeon we''re about to take on is very powerful, and if it''s connected to me, that means the odds of something going wrong are high. I turn my attention back to Taaro and step forward. "Thank you for all the help, Taaro. I know we''ve been an inconvenience to you. I''ll try to find out what''s inside the Dungeon. If there is anything the Des''merta should be concerned about, I''ll be sure to inform you once we''re done." She bows her head in a showing of respect and disappears in a sh of light. Now it''s just Sally and me. "What do you think we''ll find in there?" That''s a good question, and one I have every intention of finding an answer to. We''ve been up all day, and it''s almost midnight at this point. I think it''d be best if we got some sleep before we continued. After all, I don''t know how long we''ll be in there. ~~~(POV: Taaro)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:39 PM)~~~ I wish Radueriel the best in his journey into the Dungeon. I can only assume it''s been left there for him by the people we call Gods and Angels. The Des''merta and Radueriel are connected, and this could be one of the big pieces. Right now, I''m looking across the meeting room. All the leaders over the Des''merta are here. And I can tell this meeting is going to be an important one. The Gleem Library is the best ce for these meetings. "Our war with The Regeliance Kingdom. It''d help us greatly if we could have Radueriels help. Taaro, when do you think he''ll be finished with what he''s doing?" Xilo is sitting next to the woman who''s speaking... The Priestess Mother... They''ve been nning something for a long time when Xilo found Radueriel in the desert. They''ve been saying a prophecy is in the course of being finished. Telling us we''re in the final stretch. I don''t know what it is, but I know that the priestess are hardly wrong. I can''t help worrying for my people. The Regeliance Kingdom is extraordinarily powerful. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 633 The Dungeon Of The Key I [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:09 AM)~~~ My eyes slowly open, and I take a moment to get the sleep out of my eyes before leaning up in the bed. Every floor of the Gleem library has rooms to sleep in, and that''s what Sally and I are using. They''re not the best looking due to their age. Sally is still asleep, but she''ll be getting up soon when she feels I''m not in bed with her. I sit on the edge of the bed and run my hands through my hair. We''re taking on The Dungeon Of The Key today, and I don''t know how long we''ll be in there. I stand up and head for the bathroom connected to our room and relieve myself. The creaking of the bed tells me Sally is getting up too, and she''s soon in the bathroom too. Looking into the old mirror and fixing her bedhead. I finish up and leave her to finish her morning routine. Taaro probably isn''ting back up here without us ringing the bell she gave us. I''m hoping to have a nice breakfast before we head in. But I''m too eager to wait for that. After leaving the room, I head to the edge of the floor and lean onto the hold railing. It''ll hold, but that doesn''t mean it''s not creaky. "Way to head out without me." My girlfriend walks up from behind me and wraps one of her arms around my waist. We talked about how we''ll handle the Dungeonst night before we went to bed. It''s a basic strategy of attacking in a pattern. I''ll destroy defensive advantages they have in the Dungeon, and she''ll deal finishing blows. It won''t take us long to get through the beginning of the Dungeon. Then again, we don''t know the true size of the Dungeon we''re about to challenge. "Just taking a breath before we get into the thick of it, you know..." If this Dungeon is connected to me, that means there will be powerful enemies in there that will be able to severely hurt Sally and me. Possibly kill us and make us respawn. I haven''t died in this game yet, and I don''t want to start now. She leans her head on my shoulder and looks over the edge of the railing with me. We can barely see the bottom of the library from up here. I couldn''t put an exact number on how far we''re up, but it''s a few miles at this point. "When are we going for it..." Her question is one that I''ve been thinking about. We can do so soon, but there is something I want to discuss with Sally before we start heading in. I turn and push her off me gently. She looks at me with a raised eyebrow but gains a serious expression seeing that I''m wanting to talk about something. I don''t know if she''ll like what I''m about to say, but that happens. "When we run into bosses and elite-graded enemies, I want you to listen to mymands. I don''t want either of us dying in the Dungeon. It could have consequences we''re not ready for, considering how special it is. I''m not going to risk you." I was right about her not being happy about it. She takes on a defensive stance and folds her arms. I know she''s got a Legendary Graded ss now, but that doesn''t mean she''s safe where we''re going. She''s waiting for me to continue talking, which I appreciate. Usually, she gets mad and starts arguing with me. She hasn''t done that in a long time, actually. She''s worked on that part of herself. I''m grateful for that. More than she knows. "I know you''re upset about this, but this Dungeon is likely connected to me. If it is, that means we''re going to be fighting enemies that are capable of killing us. I want to lower that risk as much as possible." We''ll still be fighting our enemies with the pattern we discussed, but that doesn''t mean we''re fighting all enemies that way. She can still help with the bosses and elite-graded enemies, but I''m not having her that involved in it. She takes a moment to think about it. Her eyes are staring into mine. Looking for any possible doubt in my words. She doesn''t find any, and she sighs. Resigning that she must do this for me. "Fine, I''ll do it your way. But I want it on the record that this is so unfair. You help me with so much, and when it''s time for me to help, you don''t even consider it." This is starting to lead into an argument, and before it does. Let''s get this show on the road. I start walking toward the staircase leading higher, and she''s right behind me. As we slowly climb the stairs, there is a shift in the air around us. You can feel the danger. We''re not in the Dungeon yet, and there are already signs of incredibly powerful enemies ahead. As we see the door leading to the next floor, I''m given a notification as I touch it. Telling me what you normally see from a Dungeon. [The Dungeon Of The Key] [Description: An ancient Dungeon that''s been present in The Gleem Library ever since The Key was stored away on its higher floors. The Dungeon Of The Key can only be cleared once; it''s not repeatable. And the only way to clear the Dungeon is to get The Key.] [Rewards: Unknown] [Grade: Lengendary] [Hint: This Dungeon is connected to you, Radueriel. Be careful.] As I finish reading the information, I turn around and look at Sally. She''s reading the notification that''s appeared for her too. "What do you think The Key is?" I don''t know, and I intend to find out. I push on the door, and it slowly opens. We cross the threshold leading into the Dungeon, and the door ms close behind us. The floor we''re on is empty, but that''s probably not going tost long. There are books on the shelves, and as I use Inspect on them. All I get are errors, which is something I''ve never seen before. Whatever is happening in this ce, it''s affecting the system. Sally stays behind me as we walk deeper into the floor and away from the door, and that''s when we''re attacked by our first enemy. [Corrupted Divinity Sentinal Lvl. 225 Tier 4 (Elite)] [Health: 18,000,000,000/18,000,000,000] [Mana Aura Control: 70/100%] [Description: Divinity Sentinals are ancient machines fueled by Divine power. They are only guarding ces that hold Divine items. If left without an Administrator of Angelic or Godly level, they''ll slowly be corrupt and lose their minds.] I block its attack and knock it away with my wing. After reading the description, I can tell this is going to be my most challenging Dungeon yet. Sally is standing next to me, ready to fight. But she''s not helping me with this one. It''s an elite-graded enemy. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:31 AM)~~~ Cera defeats the Corrupted Divinity Sentinal, and I''m a little upset since I''m getting put on the back burner here. But I know when I need to listen to Cera. He turns around and looks at me, and gives a smile. "C''mon, this ce isn''t going to explore itself." Suddenly, my mood improves as I make my way to Cera, and I follow behind him. He''s remaining guarded since the Corrupted Divinity Sentinal came out of nowhere. It could happen again, and he wants to be ready. "Look out!!" All of a sudden, he''s pushing me out of the way. And redirecting the de of the Corrupted Divinity Sentinal in another direction with his wings. Ensuring the de misses me in the process. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 634 The Dungeon Of The Key II [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:43 AM)~~~ I''ve already saved Sally twice from sneak attacks, and from what I can see. The Corrupted Divinity Sentinals are going after the weaker of the two of us. They have some form of intellect left of their ability to discern which of us is stronger. Not that I''m happy about it, but I''ve already lost 430,000,000 health points from their attacks. The Corrupted Divinity Sentinals are powerful and more than capable of killing me if given time. If Sally were to be attacked by one, she''d not suffer the same damage as me. Given how enemies in the Dungeons and non-yers have their damage dealt to yers scaled to their level. But that''s not to say Sally can''t be one shot. Speaking of my lovely woman, she''s following close behind with her sword drawn and ready for anything. She''s been a help against the two Corrupted Divinity Sentinals we''ve already faced. My concernsy with how long we''ll be in this Dungeon. "Look, I don''t want to spend days in this ce. So, I''m thinking about this key. It''s on the highest floor of the Dungeon. Wherever that may be. I want you to try and keep up with my speed. I''ll keep it at a limit you can handle." I haven''t turned around yet, and I can already feel the questions that Sally wants to ask. There is probably a great deal of treasure in this ce, but that''s not why we''re here. We''re looking to get answers for what Radueriel is. Who he is. "I''m not going to argue with you about that. This Dungeon is something you want to do. But just remember, I''ll be there for you no matter what we find." It''s nice to have someone like this in my life. Even though I know I can survive without her. Sally makes things better for me. Less boring. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:08 PM)~~~ The tryouts have ended for the day, and I''m absolutely certain that the tryouts will be over after tomorrow. Marcus and I didn''t have any matches today, and neither did Rianna. Odds are good we''ll have them tomorrow. Several million yers have already done their tryouts today, and I''m shocked we got through them so fast. The system runs it, so I guess that means it''ll run efficiently. Marcus and I are back in our room, and Rianna is in her room. I can tell she''s grown more nervous as the day went on. She has seen some of the skills the yers had in the tryout. Makes sense she''d be intimidated given her limited experience. Iy down on my bed and let out a sigh of tiredness. Watching all those fights today sure made things boring. I''m looking forward to the chance to duel someone too. The 2v2 battles will start after the 1v1 tryouts are done tomorrow. Given the rate at which the system is organizing everything, it shouldn''t take more than a few hours. I''ve spoken to the AI behind the system before. She''s the one that told me I''d be the one to guide Cera when the time came. That''s probably going to be a long time from now, given that he''s on another Continent from me. Angelus didn''t answer many questions I had at the time, and most of what she said is still a mystery to me. "When do you suppose Rianna will crack?" The sudden and strange question from Marcus catches me off guard. I lean up in my bed and look across the room to see him looking at the ceiling. I don''t know what''s brought on his thoughts about this, but I''m starting to see something in my brother. Not love or care for Rianna. If anything, he''s neutral about her. But I see him watching her, and I know that he''s spent time thinking about her. "What''s brought this on? You''re not one to usually think or talk about others outside the family. Even with Rianna, given the time she''s spent with us." My other brother Cera would probably stay quiet after my question. Luckily, Marcus isn''t quite like Cera yet. He leans up in bed too, and looks at me with a soft but tired expression. He''s changed a lot since we''ve been traveling together. Before we met up, he was helping a Kingdom. The Princesses of the Kingdom were said to be in love with him, but he didn''t care. It was mostly innocent, given how young they all are. The only reason I''m talking about this is cause Marcus is able to provide and defend himself. He doesn''t need to ask or talk about other people. "She''s got her head in the gutters, and I''m starting to wonder if she was evenmitted to fighting in the tryouts and tournament in the first ce. She''s too weak mentally. She needs some sort of shock to her system to wake up her internal strength." I agree with Marcus on that front. Even after Rianna showed improvement and drive for the tryouts after training her, I can still see the scared teenage girl who thinks she''s all alone. "Should I go and talk to her?" His input could be valuable. He''s a smart kid, and this is a good moment to see how he is regarding other people and their problems. Right now, he''s showing problems. I don''t regard avoiding people as a bad thing, but you need to know how to deal with others. That''s a basic function of every human being, and blending in is key. "No, she''s held your hand long enough. It''s sink or swim at this point." Hisck of empathy is a trait that runs in the Adamo family. It may not seem like it, but my parents are simr to Marcus, Cera, and me. People don''t usually see it cause they love us. But when with strangers, they''ll also show little disregard. But it''s not a cruel kind. "Alright, that seems like a fine idea to me." I also believe it''s time that I stop helping Rianna. She needs to learn to be strong on her own, and the tryouts tomorrow could be the perfect chance. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:48 PM)~~~ Cera is still leading the way, and we''ve already been in the Dungeon for about 6 hours at this point. I can tell he''s starting to get frustrated at theck of progress. I went through something simr in the Trial. The Book of Xeelia ended up being worth it in the end. I''ve upgraded my ss and gained a Book that will teach me more about Ice Magic. I wouldn''t be surprised if there were something simr in this Dungeon regarding Cera. The Radueriel identity has been eating away at him. We continue traveling fast and attacking anything wee across for the next couple hours. But when we enter a new floor, I see a visible shift in Cera. Like something just happened. "Do you hear that?" Something has changed if he''s asking me that. I don''t hear a thing. He turns to look at me, and I can see he''s waiting for an answer from me. "Sorry, I don''t hear anything, Cera... What is it?" He turns away from me and shakes his head. As if trying to get whatever sound he''s hearing to leave him alone. I''m actually starting to get worried about him now, and I ce my hand on his back. "What is it." I repeat myself again, but this time it''s not a question. But a demand from him. "It sounds like singing..." This is starting to get weird. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 635 The Dungeon Of The Key III [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:15 PM)~~~ The new floor we''ve entered is different from the rest we''ve already passed. The energy, the look, and the unique fact I''m hearing a singing voice in the ambient nature of the floor. I can''t pinpoint the singing. If anything, it feels like it''s in my head. Sally has be concerned about me. And while I''m not scared, I''m unsure of what any of this means or why it''s happening. I feel like I''ve heard the song before, but I can''t remember where. "Let''s keep moving. I feel like we''re on the right floor now. I don''t see any more stairs leading higher into the library. We''ve probably reached the top floor now." We start walking deeper into the floor we''re on, and strangely, there are no Corrupted Divinity Sentinals that are opposing us. It''s like this floor ispletely empty of anything other than old rotten books and the ambient singing in my head. "Are you able to find out where it''sing from? Maybe it''s a clue about where we''re supposed to go." It''s not a bad idea, but it''s not getting any louder or quieter no matter where we go on this floor. For something to enter my mind and only sing to me. It''s strange. It''s connected to Radueriel, that much I can be certain of. Since I''m Radueriel, it makes sense it''d affect me. The Des''merta people sure have a lot of secrets in terms of connection to the Divine in The Ancients World. "No, it''s like a subtle ambiance in the back of my head. A gentle tone. It''s not getting any louder or quieter. But we''re not able to get any higher since there are no more stairs that go up. Meaning the thing we''re searching for has to be on this floor." The logic is sound, but you can never be sure with a Dungeon. Especially one that''s Legendary in Grade. We circle the floor, and after a couple of minutes. There is a slight shift in the volume I''m hearing the singing in my head. I turn my body and look down the path of bookshelves. As my eyesnd on the wall at the end of the path, the singing gets just a bit louder. Walking down it causes the singing to creep up in volume and tone. And as I''m standing in front of the wall, the singing has increased so much that I can''t hear Sally talking to me. I reach my hand out and ce it on the wall. The second I do, the wall crumbles to dust. Revealing a hidden passageway. The singing in my head immediately stops, and there is nothing but silence. "Cera!?" My head spins as I look at Sally, and he hand rests on my shoulder as she searches my eyes for some sign that I''m alright since I''m not speaking. "The singing has stopped. Be ready for anything. I don''t know where this thing leads. There could be even more powerful enemies this time around." She looks at me like I''m crazy. To annoy her more, I roll my eyes and step forward. Starting my way down the path. I can feel Sally''s frustration with me from behind, but she''s not going to say anything about it. Now isn''t the time for any sort of talk. No matter how little or big it might be. "What do you think this Key is? The Dungeon is named after it, and we''ve been fighting Corrupted Divinity Sentinals all day. Not to mention you''ve only got 300,000,000 health left. That''s barely enough to take an attack from a Corrupted Divinity Sentinal." It''s true. The Corrupted Divinity Sentinals have been kicking my ass all day. They''ve worn my health down to the point it''s at now. You may think something like that would be impossible, but with the changes the system has made tobat. It evens out the odds in a Dungeon like this. Or any Dungeon. "I don''t know if there really is a Key or not. All I know is we''re here to find some answers about the Radueriel identity. It''s connected to me. Actually, it''s safe to say it''s me at this point. But we''ve found our way here for a reason." I don''t like it, but the greater forces of Gaia and The Ancients World have manipted what I do in The Ancients World before. This could be a situation where I''ve been led here and not even know it. The powers of Gods aren''t something I can fullyprehend. No one can. Who knows what kinds of things they''ve done to lead me here. All I can do now is work the odds in my favor. Cause there is risk in everything that I do, regardless of how powerful I am. "Are you sure we should continue doing this? I''m starting to believe you''re being manipted, Cera. I don''t want something happening to you that neither of us can fix." Her concerns are warranted and weed, but no great progress has ever been made without the risks thate along with it. "We''vee this far. I''m not turning back now, but it''s probably a good idea for you to use the emergency exit in the yer Interface. I don''t want you to be a part of whatever ising up." That''s enough to make her grab my arm and stop our progress down the passageway I''ve discovered. I knew she wouldn''t like me suggesting her leave and let me handle it, but she''s done all she can at this point. But to my surprise, as I look at her. I don''t see anger, frustration, or sadness. I just see her wanting some answers. "Listen, if you want to do this alone from this point. I''ll back off and get out of this ce. But I want you to know that you could probably use all the help you can get. You''re critically low on your health, and I don''t think you''llst much longer in this ce alone." She brings up a good point herself. But to make her worries disappear, I activate my Divine Title. Which gives me ess to powerful healing spells. I can only use them when my Divine Title is active. And I see her roll her eyes as I start healing myself. While I''ll not have full health any time soon. It does mean it''ll be harder to kill me. "Don''t worry about me. Just get out of here. I''ll let you know when I''m finished in this ce." She frowns just a bit but obeys my wishes. She opens her yer Interface using the emergency exit feature. I left the Dungeon in a sh of light, leaving me all to my lonesome. My attention turns back to what''s ahead. As I continue down the passageway, I''m noticing there is a familiar feeling from up ahead. I can''t put my finger on it, but I know it from somewhere. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:42 PM)~~~ Cera will likely be fine on his own, and since there is nothing left to do in the library, I should start making my way down. It''s safe to travel since I''m out of the Dungeon now. Taaro isn''t able to teleport us with her, or else that would''ve made travel a lot easier. My mind drifts to what could happen to Cera in that Dungeon. I wish I knew more about all this than I do, but Cera and I are in the dark about everything regarding Radueriel. "I''ll be waiting down in the lobby for you..." I''m taking a shot in the dark here, but I think Cera is going to be in that Dungeon for a while. A lot longer than he wants to be. Especially if there are secret passageways. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 636 The Dungeon Of The Key IV [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:41 PM)~~~ The passageway ising to an end, and there is arge opening leading into another room ahead. I''ve been moving as fast as I possibly can through the passageway. Going speeds that will cut the time I spend in this ce down. A feeling inside me is being stirred by whatever''s in the room. Entering it, I notice that it''s mostly empty except for a pedestal in the center of the massive chamber. I slowly climb the stairs leading up to it, and as I reach it. The feeling inside me bes much stronger. The objectying on the pedestal isn''t familiar to me and looks extremely strange. Something you wouldn''t see anywhere else. Not wasting any time, I use Inspect on it. But that does nothing to help answer any questions about what this is. [Unknown Object] [Description: ?] [Grade: ?] A part of me knows that I''m not smart by wanting to know more about this. If the system doesn''t have any information to give to me about it. Then that means whatever this is, was kept from the systems knowledge base. That''s my best guess anyway, and I''m willing to put money on that''s what''s happened here. As I''m about to reach out and touch it, I''m stopped by a right light to my left. A portal opens up, and a familiar white hair beautiful woman walks through the portal. It''s the AI behind the system. Angelus. We''ve met before, and that was a long time ago. If she''s here, that means it''s important. Our eyes lock, and she slowly smiles as she walks closer. The portal closes behind her, and she stops next to me. Standing at my side. "It''s been a long time, Cera. Or should I say Radueriel. I''ve been waiting a long time to talk to you again. But imagine my surprise when I get a message from The Almighty Father telling me toe and get you." Come and get me? Why stop me? This object has something to do with whatever is supposed to happen. Either with me or the world that I''m in. She''s waiting for a response, and I''ll be honest. I''ve got nothing to give. At my silence, she turns her head and starts to stare at the object with incredible focus. I think she''s trying to learn about it too. "What is it." It''s not a question I''m asking. If she knows, she should tell me. I''vee all this way for this thing, and I''m not leaving it behind because it''s not something I should have. That''splete bullshit and something that would irk anyone. "What makes you think I know anything about it? As you can see for yourself, the system I run couldn''t provide you with any information after Inspecting it. Sure, I want to know what this is. But I''m not able to get anything. He''s blocking me from doing so." She must be referring to The Almighty Father. That''s one of the few beings I can think being strong enough to stop Angelus from doing something she wants to do. My mind is still on the fact she was sent here to stop me from figuring this out. Instead of doing that. I quickly move and pick up the object. But the moment I do, I feel something inside me. A hot burning sensation. It causes me to fall to my knees, and I grip the object harder. It starts to glow in a golden light. Angelus just looks at me from her spot with slight annoyance at my defiance. "I really wish you didn''t do that. I don''t know what''s going to happen to you now. You''re on your own in terms of consequences." That''s fine with me. She snaps her fingers, and a seat appears behind her. She sits down. "Enjoying the show, Sadist..." The pain from the heat is heard through my gritted teeth. She doesn''t initially react, but a smug smile does appear after a couple of seconds. "I wouldn''t say that I''m enjoying it. But it''s nice to actually see you get punished for not listening for a change. You have a lot of penance to catch up on, and this could be how that happens." What the hell is she talking about? "Quit the sarcastic cryptguage. Tell me straight up what''s happening." My frustration is overwhelmed by the pain as I fall on my back and start taking deep breaths. The object in my hand is starting to burn, and it''s glowing brighter. "As I said before. I don''t know what that is, and what it''ll do to you. You should''ve listened. But no, you had to be the stubborn Cera." This is a pointless conversation. I need to figure out a way to get this to stop before it reaches a point where I''ll actually start to yell from the pain. It''s been such a long time since that happened. That was before my second life, and this pain is something I''ve never experienced before. It feels like there are red hot coals pressed against my internal organs. Burning me from the inside. "Don''t expect me to beg..." The weakness in my voice makes me sound pathetic, and that makes Angelus smile. But I can see that she''s wanting to help me. But I''m willing to bet she''s being prevented from doing so. Angelus has said in the past she was tasked to pay extra attention to me. I wonder how long she''s been watching me. Maybe, it''s better if I don''t know the answer to that. The heat and pain have reached a point where I think passing out is thest thing on the list. I try to let go of the object, but it''s like my hand it starting to fuse with it. It''s a sort of metal now, and it''s a silvery metal with a light gold glow. It''s a clump in the palm of my hand, and it starts to crawl up my arm under my skin. Leaving a path of red heat behind it. Running across the bones in my arm. "What''s happening to me..." All I receive from Angelus is silence, and the metal ball continues up my arm. After a minute of this torture, it reaches the shoulder. And I''m losing health at an rming rate. I don''t know if I''ll survive this or not. I''m almost at zero. But before I can reach the point of death, but health is suddenly refilled. I look over at Angelus, and she had just snapped her finger. Before I can say anything. The molten metal under my skin near my shoulder starts making it''s way up my neck. "RHAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!" The pain is the most excruciating it''s ever been for me. And as my health is about to reach zero again, I hear Angelus snap her finger, and my health is filled again. The side of my neck the molten ball is on starts to move up again. Going onto the side of my skull. I can''t even scream from how back the pain is. I''m at a loss for words, and I don''t know if I''ll be awake in the next few seconds. When I''m about to lose consciousness, I hear the snapping of Angelus''s fingers once again. And I''m wide awake with the pain freshly amplified. The molten metal ball moves up the side of my skull and makes its way to the top of my head. Before it starts to spread out over the top. The feeling of melted metal on my skull under my skin is a pain that I can''t describe. I wish I had listened to Angelus and not grabbed the fucking object. "If only you would''ve listened to me. Now you have to suffer the process the hard way." Process... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 637 Not A Key [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:03 PM)~~~ The pain at the top of my skull is indescribable. It''s like a hot ring of molten metal crowning my skull under my skin. I can''t scream or yell from the pain. It''s taking my breath away. Angelus is constantly healing me from the damage I''m taking. My eyes drift to the AI that''s running the system. The same one that I''ve met before. All I see is a smile on her face, and another reason to try and stick through this. She doesn''t think I''m strong enough to handle this. I''m not going to beg. I was tempted before, but now seeing her look at me like that. Hell no. I''d rather live with this pain than beg for some help or mercy from her. There is one thing I''m d about, and that''s Sally not being here. I don''t want her to ever see me like this. Weak. "How much longer..." Sadly, the voice that leaves my lips is feeble and pathetic. I don''t like sounding like this, and I thought I''d never sound this way again. But at this point, it seems unavoidable. Given the pain I''m in. She doesn''t answer. Angelus is a cruel person. Or God. Whatever she is now. She stands up from her chair and makes her way to me. Getting down on her knees and gently cing her fingers on my head. However, it only causes pain. "Sadly, this process isn''t close to being done yet. In fact, you''ve got a long way to go. So you might as well keep that attitude you''ve got. You''re going to need it." This is the worst. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:25 AM)~~~ I''m about to go out into the Arena to face my first opponent for the tryouts. Marcus is right after me, and after him is Rianna. The system is taking care of everything, so I find it both funny and strange we''re all fighting so close together. I''ll admit, I''m nervous about fighting in front of so many people. It''s not something I''ve ever done before. People will recognize my name in the Betting Tab for the tryouts. It''d be funny if I lost on purpose to screw over everyone cing bets I''d win. But that''s not why I''m here. I''m here to qualify for The Ruins Of Tasdir. After I''m done with my 1v1, I''ll have to prepare with Rianna for the 2v2 tryouts. Marcus is on his own to find a partner, but I don''t think he''ll have a hard time finding one, given his strength. As the fight before minees to an end, I start making my way out. And I can already hear the people yelling out. "LEEEEEEET''S GOOOOOOO!!!" "C''MON, YOU''RE ABOUT TO MAKE ME A SHIT TONE OF GOLD!!" "LET''S GO, HAILEY!!!!" "BEAT HER ASS!!! MAKE ME SOME MONEY!!!" These are the loudest cheers and boos I''ve heard all day. Even when Plutonium came out here and won his match. I look across from me, and I start to reach the information of my opponent. It''s a woman, and she''s a wielder of an Epic ss for The ming Skull Guild. I draw my de and prepare for the fight as the timer slowly counts down, and she does the same. As the timer reaches zero and the match starts. I dart forward and start to attack heavily. I''ve already got her on her back heel, and she''s gritting her teeth in a struggle. That doesn''t mean she''s weak. She''s able to knock me back and create some space. She takes this brief moment to catch her breath, but Iunch forward to keep the pressure on. Even though this is leveled-outbat, I''ve got a distinct advantage. She uses a Skill exclusive to her ss andunches multiple beams of light from her sword at me. Causing me to create a great deal of space between us since the beams of light are following me. They have tracking capabilities. "Don''t run away!" The familiar voice of Marcus somehow breaks through the crowd, and that''s when I remember he has a bunch of useful Magic Skills. I want to end this fight fast, use one of my more powerful Skills, and dash forward. Throwing a stream of lightning from my de right at my opponent. It connects since she''s not fast enough, and her health immediately hits zero. Making me the winner of the match. "THAT''S WHAT I''M TALKING ABOUT!!!" "FUCKING BITCH JUST COST ME EVERYTHING!!!" "I''M RICH NOW!! I''LL NEVER HAVE TO WORK AGAIN!!" I''m d that it''s over. But I can feel the hate from many yers that bet on the opponent. I make my way out of the Arena and see Marcus waiting for his match. I don''t know how he got down here so fast, but I won''t question. "Good luck, little brother." He''s fighting another Mage ss, and I''m looking forward to seeing Marcus mop the floor with the guy. He''s just too powerful. Leveled-outbat or true powerbat. He''s not losing too many. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:45 PM)~~~ The pain has only gotten worst as the hour has passed. I''m at a mental breaking point here. I don''t know how much longer I canst before I''m going to pass out. That''s if Angelus even lets me. The pain is already great enough for me to pass out, but I''m not able to. "I''ll admit, I''m starting to think that you''ll actually pull through this. There is still time to go, but if you''vested this long. You might as well stick through it." She''s speaking as if I''ve had a choice up to this point. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:45 AM)~~~ I walk out into the Arena and look around to see millions of yers watching. I don''t know how some people do this with a smile on their faces. But that''s not me. I look across at my opponent, and I can see the man is nervous. He''s not from any guild, and that means he''s a Solo yer. Unlucky, he got matched up against me. There are cheers and boos, just as there were for Hailey. Rianna is up after me, and I don''t think she''ll even have the courage to walk out here. The clock reaches zero, and the match starts. I immediately start using some of my strong attacks looking to end this, and I send a huge wave of fire toward my opponent. It washes over him and hits the barrier protecting the crowd. All his health almost disappears at that moment, and everyone can see it. The match isn''t over yet, but it might as well be. "I CAN''T BELIEVE I WAS STUPID ENOUGH TO BET AGAINST SOMEONE WITH A LEGENDARY CLASS!!" "CAN YOU BELIEVE A KID HAS THAT KIND OF POWER!!?" There are shouts and screams like this all over the Arena. My eyes lock on the opponent as my fire disappears, and I find myself on the defensive from a wave of water. I jump back and get into a defensive position as I erect a Fire Shield. Stopping the water from doing any damage to me. As the water clears, I look across the Arena to see a very serious-looking yer now, and he''s got full health. He''s using potions. Apletely fair strategy, but that doesn''t mean I like it, especially when it''s used against me. "THIS ISN''T OVER YET, YOU SONS OF BITCHES!!!" The man across from me shouts into the air, and everyone is a little shocked. This guy has a strange personality, that''s for sure. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.237][Tier-4] [Exp: 72/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 440] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Aspect of Transportation (Legendary)] Chapter 638 But A Crown [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:51 PM)~~~ I honestly don''t know how much time has passed since I''ve been suffering on the ground. The pain is driving me to the edge of insanity. My eyes barely open, and Angelus is still sitting on her chair. Watching with some amusement. She''s got sadist qualities. Something she''s picked up from thest time I saw her. My thoughts are ripped away from me as new and excruciating pain takes over. "It''s almost over. Just a little longer, Cera. I''m impressed you''ve handled this. I knew your will was great, but when truly tested, I didn''t think you''d be able to hold up." Whatever. My attention is on the new feeling as if the top of my head is being ripped open. And that''s when I feel the blood start running down the sides of my head. I lean up with all my strength, and I run a hand across my face. Blood is starting to fall here too. RIIIIIIIPPPP!!! The tearing of the skin, on the top of my head, fills therge room. I nearly lose consciousness from the pain. But I''m suddenly healed, and there is no more pain. The system appears before me with a message. I don''t know why Angelus wouldn''t just tell me since she''s here. But what I read does make me lose focus on Angelus. [You have reimed your Angelic Halo.] [A passive invisible Mana Barrier will be in permanent effect. Negating damage by 90 percent.] [You can''t disable or hide your Angelic Halo.] I slowly stand up and blink my eyes a few times now that I''m free from the pain. My mind isn''t cloudy anymore. The words on the screen in front of me register. I reach up and feel a metallic circr object floating above my head. The single snap from Angelus makes a mirror appear in front of me, and what I see is a beautiful white-gold halo. Made out of metal with a white glowing light circling the middle of the halo. "What does it mean I''ve reimed my Angelic Halo... I never had one, to begin with..." I''m a bit confused by the text. Considering the information I learned about Radueriel, this actually makes some sense. But not a lot, and certainly not enough to say with any certainty I had this at some point before. Even if I''m from The Ancients World. I think I would''ve remembered the pain of losing an Angelic Halo. If the process was this painful to regain, I couldn''t imagine how much it hurt to lose it. And I would''ve just been a baby. Right? "There are a lot of things we need to talk about, Cera. This isn''t the ce to do it. You''ve cleared the Dungeon, after all. It''s time that you get back to your elf. I''ll contact you again in three days, and we can talk more then." She snaps her fingers, and I blink my eyes. But instead of being in the Dungeon, I''m outside of it on the bottom floor of the library. I''m hit with multiple notifications. All of them are about how I''ve gained EXP and leveled up a few times. But the most notable is I''ve now gained a new skill. One that I''d consider being the ultimate travel skill. Even more than the Aspect of Transportation. Actually, my new skill has reced the Aspect of Transportation. [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] [Description: Using your Angelic powers, you can use your halo to open a portal to any part of Gaia, Overworld, and Underworld.] [Warning: The beings in Underworld will attack you on sight due to your bloodline.] Wow, this is an unbelievable skill. I''m able to teleport to any part of Gaia. No matter how far or how difficult it is to reach. My halo is still floating above my head, and this is the point that no matter where I am, people will be able to see who I am. Wearing a hood to hide my face or not. My Angelic Halo will always be there. I want to test out the new Mana Barrier, but that''s something I can do another time. I''m betting Sally is waiting for me somewhere out there. I open my yer Interface and click on my Friend''s List. Going straight to Sally''s name, and getting to the point. [I''ve cleared the Dungeon, where are you?] Looking at the time, there is a good chance she''s asleep. But that theory is ruined as I get a message back from her within the next 10 seconds. [I''m at an Inn outside the library. It''s called Miners Passtime. It''s a fantastic ce. I''ve got us a room.] No sense in keeping her waiting. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:19 AM)~~~ After Rianna won her match, I had never seen her so happy before. I''m shocked she went out into the middle of the Arena and put on such a show. She really did well out there. The potions she had helped, but that''s a part of the game. I''m currently sitting with Hailey and Rianna. Thest few matches for the 1v1 tryouts areing to an end. The twodies I''m traveling with are teaming up for the 2v2 for a better spot in the tournament. I''ve yet to find a partner. "Do you think we''ll win in our 2v2 match?" Rianna is having a typical conversation with my sister. My attention is focused on the list in front of me that''s been provided by the system. There are yers here that are looking for a partner for the 2v2. They''re only mages. After all, mages can only fight other mages in the tryouts. The tournament will be different, no doubt about that. There are some familiar names on here from yesterday and today. None are ones that I''d want to pair up with. Some are from Big Guilds, and others are Solo yers. I''m looking to team up with a Solo yer, but if I''m only left with a yer from a guild, so be it. "Don''t worry, Rianna. You''ve got nothing to worry about now. You''ve gotten into The Ruins Of Tasdir with us. Now, all we''re going to try and do is strive higher." They seem to be doing just fine on their own. I stand up and leave them to their talk, and I start looking for a partner for the 2v2 that I can actually work with. I''m not looking to carry someone to victory. A 2v1 in a leveled-outbat PvP match isn''t something I want. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:42 AM)~~~ Marcus has been gone for a good amount of time, and the 2v2 matches are about to start. He''s not up for a while, and neither is Rianna and me. But I''d still like him here to see how these fights differ from 1v1s. We never practiced them before the tryouts. We didn''t have enough yers. "Where do you think your brother has gone off to?" Rianna has been asking and talking about my brother a lottely. I don''t think she has a crush on him. She''s got a few years on him, but I can see she''s seeking his approval for some reason. "He''s looking for a teammate. Before we took you in, we would''ve teamed up, but that''s not happening since I''m helping you." She looks down at the ground in disappointment. Sure, I could''ve phrased it better, but we''re only in this position because she''s weak. Hearing this could help her, but I won''t say she''s weak outright. After all, she''s alreadye a long way. No need to shit on her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 639 Progress In Jaerey [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:32 AM)~~~ My eyes are locked on the breathtakingly beautiful white-gold halo above Cera''s head. Ever since he got to the Inn, I haven''t been able to take my eyes off it. I want to reach out and touch it, so much so that I''m ignoring what he''s talking about. "Are you even listening to me, or do you just want to stare at my new addition until the dead start walking around?" His question barely registers, and I have to shake the lock his halo has on me. His eyes bore into mine as I meet his gaze, and I see amusement in him. "Sorry... It''s just so... Unbelievably pleasant to look at... I don''t know what it is, but I just want to stare at it all day. Is there some sort of effect it''s having on me or something? Cause it feels like I''m being affected by it." A chuckle leaves Cera as he leans back on the bed. The halo is perfectly floating above his head. It''s the signal to everyone who looks at him that he''s a Divine being. I''m worried that this will cause problems when we go to a public area or something. I''m not entirely sure people will give him space if we were to go to a public location. A soft breath leaves his lips as he rxes and closes his eyes. "When we get up tomorrow, there are some things I want to show that''s really cool. I gained an awesome new Skill thanks to this halo. My halo." He hasn''t answered my question if it''s having an effect on me. But he''s probably really tired and could use some sleep. I know I could use some. So, I snuggle up next to him and wrap my body around him. He''s always so warm and cozy. The gentle rising and falling of his chest is putting me at ease, and I wouldn''t be surprised if he''s asleep already. I tuned him out when he was talking about the Dungeon. I couldn''t help it. I''ll have to ask for another recap tomorrow, in the meantime. I''ll just let him sleep. Right now, I need to focus on what Taaro talked to me about. While Cera was in the Dungeon, she came and talked to me. Said something important needed to be discussed. After settling in for a long talk, she exined the Des''merta are nning arge-scale attack against The Regaliance Kingdom, and they want our help in doing so. I''ll have to convince Cera. Knowing him, he might be interested. He''s not a fan of very, just like me. And The Regaliance Kingdom are vers. But he''s still searching for answers regarding Radueriel. It''s hard to say if he''s not consumed by that goal. It''s funny how we said we''ll being to this farawaynd to get away from quests, goals, and other such things. But we end up doing them anyway. Who knew that crossing The Sea of Resalmoder would lead to all this. I''m betting Hailey and Marcus are having a ton of fun with their activities in Jaerey. I''ve been talking to Hailey almost every day since I''ve forgiven her. "Hey..." Cera''s sudden voice pulls me from my thoughts. I figured he was asleep, but I guess not. Cause he''s awake. "Yeah..." Now he knows I''m awake too. "I want you to know that no matter what happens, I''ll always protect you. I have a feeling that now I''ve got this halo, everything will start to change. More danger and threats. If that''s the case, just know that I''ll be there, always." I lift my head and see he''s still got his eyes closed. Good chance for a surprise. I quickly crawl up his body and lock my lips with his. We both sink into the familiar and addictive pleasure. It''s not like people are around, and we have to hold off. Besides, I''m always in the mood for some loving. He knows my body better than I do. His hand soon finds its way up my back. And I''m getting more in the mood as the seconds pass. We pull apart as a soft wet smack is heard at the parting of our lips. "How about we take off these clothes, and get down to what we both really want." What I say is incredibly forward in my mind, but since I''m with Cera, I know I can say anything. A smile graces his lips, and we soon find ourselves without our clothes on. This time, I''m on top. And I''m going to be taking my man for a ride. As I''m about to start, I get a random idea. I throw my hands forward and grab onto his halo. Using it as a point of leverage for my body. But the longer my hands are on it, the more extreme pleasure I feel. His halo is gradually getting brighter the longer I hold on to it. He''s not even inside me; I''m about to explode from whatever this halo is doing to me. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:23 AM)~~~ "I''m so d that you decided on me as your partner." This woman is such the talkative one. "I want you to know that I''m a massive fan of you and your sister. And I won''t let you down. You can count on me as a reliable partner." Very, VERY, talkative. Said woman is named Kelly Michells. And she''s someone that fits the requirements I have in terms of a partner. She''s a Magic castor, Solo yer, and powerful enough to not rely on me. One downside is how much she talks. I don''t know how or why I thought I could get a partner for the 2v2 portion of the tryouts that was perfect, but I''ll have to settle with who I''ve got. Hailey and Rianna won''t be fighting their opponents for at least another 45 minutes. Possibly hour. "Listen, Kelly. I''ll be t-out honest with you. Talking as much as you do is probably why you''re a Solo yer. People don''t want to hang around a person that clucks as much as a chicken. I''ve got my ws too, but my God, woman. You''re driving me nuts." Instead of being insulted by my orders and brutally direct approach, she just sheepishly smiles and rubs the back of her head. "Yeah, I do have the tendency to drone on. Sorry about that. Mom said that I get it from her, and dad said that he''d..." She continues talking, and I do my best to tune her out. Goes to show that there really is no stopping someone like that from talking. Kelly Michells is the partner that will kill you by talking too much. Maybe, on a chance of luck, our opponents with a forfeit to get away from her talking. Wouldn''t that be nice. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:48 PM)~~~ It''s almost 1:00 PM, and it''s not looking like Rianna, and I are fighting any time soon. There is still plenty of matches left in the day. But I''m not sure if these 2v2 matches will go by as fast as the 1v1s. The ones we have watched havested, on average, about 8 minutes. You''re given 10 minutes to defeat your opponents. This part of the tryouts is what will take the longest. "And that''s when my sister decided to flush all my favorite celebrity cards down the toilet." Marcus appears next to me, and a woman a few inches taller than him is next to him. Talking his ear off. It looks like it''s driving him insane. Said woman is someone I recognize from an earlier match. She was very good. She''s a Mage like Marcus. When our eyes meet, I see hers light up like a Christmas tree... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 640 Fans And Time [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:50 PM)~~~ "Oh my GOD!!! Ms. Adamo!! I''m such a huge fan of yours! I never thought I''d get the honor to meet you in person! Marcus didn''t say he was taking me to meet his sister!" Her head darts in Marcus''s direction, and I can see she''s a little upset at theck of a warning. I look nervously at the fan, and I can''t help thinking this is a bit weird. No one else has done this to me, and everyone in the Arena knows who I am. There is an unwritten rule when ites to talking to people with a ss Grade of Legacy and higher. Basically, you don''t bother them unless they go out of their way to talk to you first. However, it appears that... Kelly Michells... Doesn''t know this rule or doesn''t care about it. My eyesnd on Marcus for an exnation of what''s going on. But he''s just leaned back in his chair and watching the current match. I know this is his partner for the 2v2 that he''ll eventually have, but that doesn''t exin the woman herself. She''s a bit older than Rianna, but maybe only by a year. "Umm... It''s always nice to meet a fan?" This is the first time I''ve dealt with this situation, and my confusion about it is obvious to anyone that would look this way. But the dense girl doesn''t seem to be fazed by my confusion and suspicion of her. It''s almost like she doesn''t see that part of people. Which is dangerous for her. "And please, if you''re partnering up with my little brother. At least, refer to me as Hailey. Ms. Adamo makes me sound older than the dirt in the Arena. If you''d be so kind as to back up a little, that would be appreciated." She''s beginning to enter my personal space. My words seem to fall on deaf ears. All that I''m met with at this moment is an awestruck person. Some people shut down when they meet their favorite celebrity. But I''m not on that level. Sure, I wanted to be an actress at one point. I would''ve loved fame and fortune. Now that I''m experiencing something that I dreamed of having, I don''t like it. Goes to show that you never really know what you want or don''t want until you''ve got it. To my surprise, Rianna stands up and gently grabs the elbow of the girl. Leading her to an open seat next to her. All Kelly does is giggle as she day dreams about something. "Just take a seat next to me." I''m d Rianna is helping with this. She''s proving to be more useful the longer I invest in her. People''s potential can really shock you if you give it a chance to blossom. My focus shifts to Marcus, and he sees me looking at him for an exnation. There is an annoyance in his features. After all, he did have to deal with that chatterbox all the way here. I don''t know if they''ll be friends in the process of all this. But it seems that Kelly is a reliable girl. One that wears her heart on her sleeve. You can always trust those kinds of people. Well, not always. Most of the time, you can. There are the exceptions, like psychopaths and sociopaths. Who have learned to blend in. I highly doubt Kelly is one of those. However, her power seems to suggest something else. She''s definitely strong. There is no doubt about that. Which makes me wonder why she acts the way she does. I''ll hold reservations on the whole psychopath and sociopath thing. I know what it''s like to live with a sociopath. Given that some members of my family are, in fact, sociopaths. Cera is the biggest one. It''s given me the ability to spot them when talking to them. Kelly isn''t setting off any rms. That doesn''t mean it still can''t happen. "Where did you find that one?" The sarcasm and teasing in my voice do nothing to make Marcus smile. I think he''s just dreading the fact he''s stuck with her until the timees for his 2v2. At this point, it could be until tomorrow or the next day after that. There is no saying. "I found her sitting alone in an Inn during my search for a partner. Little did I know at the time, the reason she''s alone is cause she never shuts up." I look over to Kelly to see if she minds being talked about like this. All I see is the same starstruck smile I''ve already seen from her. She''s used to the abuse of others. I shouldn''t pile onto that. I raise my hand and smack the back of Marcus''s head. He looks at me with a cocked eyebrow. "What the hell was that for?" He''s not angry. Mostly confused. Usually, I''d let him say and do anything he wants. I''m not Mom and Dad. But I think I should make sure he''s not talking badly about people right in front of them. "Listen, how you talk about others behind their backs is your business. Still, have the decency not to do it in front of their faces." He rolls his eyes, and I do have another urge to smack him. But I can see on his face he gets the point. I have a feeling this is going to be a long couple of days until the 2v2 portion of the tryouts is finished. Marcus is the one that has to deal with Kelly for the majority of that time. So, I feel worse for him than anyone else. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:48 PM)~~~ The 2v2 matches for the day have ended, and we''ll be resuming them again tomorrow at 8 AM. This is bad news for me since I''m stuck with Kelly. She hasn''t shut up since we left the presence of my sister. Hailey this, and Hailey that. She''s following behind me right now. Talking about how my sister has inspired her to be a strong Solo yer and stand up on her own. I''m doing my best to tune her out. There is one thing I like about Kelly, and it''s her voice. It''s smooth and silky. Easy to listen to. Even when she talks too much. "I can''t believe you have such an amazing sister! I''m so jealous! I wish any of my siblings were as cool as that!" It''s a good thing she doesn''t know that yer Zern, The Divine ss Wielder, is my brother. She''d probably flip out. We''re the strongest family in all of Gaia. In all of The Ancients World. "She may be amazing to you, but she''s just my sister to me. You may not realize this, but I''m stronger than she is. I''m able to kill more enemies, deal more damage, and have more versatility in a fight." Maybe if I break the image she has of my sister, she''ll stop talking about her. One can hope, right? "That doesn''t matter. Hailey is so popr cause she was the first female yer to have a Legendary Grade ss. There are so few Legendary ss Wielders, and all of them are male except for her and Saliandra Orvello. The girlfriend of yer Zern." When she puts it like that, I can see how young and easily influenced women can be inspired, or obsessed with her. My brother already has a hard enough time with The Church Of Light and NPCs swarming him when he reveals himself in a city. This is going to be a long few days. And I''m not looking forward to dealing with this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 641 Meeting With The Leaders Of Maero [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Gleem Library, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:49 AM)~~~ There is no sun in an underground city. That doesn''t mean there isn''t a series of light sources, though. The lights that Sally and I first encountered when we arrived in Maero are starting to shine through the windows of our Inn room. I lean up in bed and look around the room. There is a slight mess. Mostly from how energetic Sally and I were. Seems that my halo has an effect when someone touches it. It put Sally into a tailspin. Of Pleasure. We ended up having a bit of fun around every part of the room. The only reason we stopped is from Sally bing too exhausted. I lift my hand up and feel my halo still floating there. It''s weird having a halo now. I never thought I''d be one that was worthy of a halo. I''ve still got a lot of questions regarding Radueriel. Everything connected to that identity seems to be me. There are things there I know that I''ll never learn, but I still want to know as much as I can. After a minute, I make my way out of bed. I look toward the bathroom and make my way to it. Relieving myself in the process. Now is usually the time Sally would get up. Not having me in bed with her is what does it. I poke my head out of the bathroom, and I see her starting to stir awake. In her half-asleep state, she''s searching the bed for me with her arm. Feeling that I''m not there, her eyes open, and she looks around. Landing on my head, poking around the corner. She smiles as she spots me. Quickly getting up herself and making her way toward me. Enter the bathroom too. "I need to go pee too." Talk about timing. I finish my business almost the same time she says that. She takes a seat on the toilet as I make my exit from the bathroom. I open my yer Inventory and equip my armor and gear. Sally said something about talking to Taaro today. Apparently, we''re supposed to meet some people in charge of Maero. Xilo is supposed to be there. While it might be strange to hear, I''m looking forward to seeing how she''s been since we got back. "We have a meeting with the leaders of Maero at 10:00 AM. That gives us enough time to wake up and get something to eat if you''re interested." She makes her way out of the bathroom and toward me. Wrapping her arms around me. I see no reason for us not to get something to eat before we meet with the leaders of Maero. Sally finishes getting ready, and we make our way downstairs to get something to eat. We''re in an Inn, after all, and that usually means really good food is served. Sadly, pretty much everything has Spice in it. While it won''t affect us in low doses, it''s still a sour memory for either of us. "What do you think they want to talk to us about?" Sally knows more about this than I do. She spoke with Maero for a good amount of time while I was in the Dungeon. It makes sense she might know more about what they want to talk about. But all I get from Sally is a shrug, and a dismissal as her food is ced in front of her. She immediately starts to dig in, and pretty much inhales the food. However, I can see she''s about to say something as she finishes chewing and swallowing her current bite of food. "All I know is Taaro said something important. If I had to guess, it''s probably something to do with one of the Des''mertas enemies. Mainly being The Regaliance Kingdom. I know they want to end very in theirnds." That''s as good a guess as you''ll get regarding any of this. Still, I get a feeling that most of what''s going to be discussed mainly focuses on the Des''merta. I''ve been wrong before. I just hope that whatever they ask of me, it''s nothing too serious. "Now, tell me something else. How did it feelst night?" I''m changing the subject tost night because I''m interested in what Sally really went through. All I really know is she was basically incredibly aroused after grabbing onto my halo. But that''s just the start of it. You don''t sound and look like that from basic arousal. She lifts her eyes from the te of food and looks at me with some amusement at my question. It''s not something I ask. I know I''m a terrific lover, and I''m confident when ites to sex. But that doesn''t mean I shouldn''t stop learning new things. "It''s hard to describe... It felt like everything inside me was enhanced, and every movement. No matter how big or small, it was enhanced with pleasure. Do you know why that happened?" I have no clue why that would happen when she grabs my halo. But it''s definitely something that we can experiment with. Keeping a healthy and fresh sex life is important for any rtionship. "I don''t know why my halo would do that. Maybe it does the same to anyone else that touches it. Should we have another person put a hand on it?" That''s not something Sally seems all that excited about. Which is understandable since I''d basically be making another person horny with my halo. Never thought I''d say that. "I don''t know. I''d rather we not do that. What if something weird and strange happens? That''s not something I want to have to go through." What she means by weird and strange is another woman getting horny around or on me. Hey, if it were flipped. I wouldn''t like it either. It''s perfectly reasonable to find something else to test it out. In the meantime, we''ve got a meeting to catch. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temple, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:50 AM)~~~ I''m following behind Cera as we enter a massive temple. Taaro said this is where the meeting with the leaders of Maero would ur. As soon as we enter, we''re being led to another part of the temple by some guards. We''re traveling down a hallway, and I see Taaro at the end of it, waiting near a door. As she turns to look at us, her eyes are transfixed on Cera. Many men and women on the way here suffered the same thing. I don''t like the fact women are staring so intently at Cera, but now men are too. Something about that damn halo attracts everyone that looks at it. It''s starting to get on my nerves. "Hello again, Taaro. It''s good to see you outside the library for a change." Cera''s words barely register as the usually superposed Taaro is going red in the face the longer she stares at the crown. I raise my hand and snap my fingers in front of her eyes. It seems to have stopped her little daze, and she embarrassingly fixes her hair and clothes. "Sorry... Umm... Yeah, it''s good to see the both of you outside the library too. Shall we head inside?" I can already tell this is going to be a long meeting and one where I''m going to have to snap my fingers a lot. As we enter the room. I can see some familiar faces. Xilo being one of them. Her eyes are immediately locked on the halo. Along with every other man and woman in the room. "This is starting to get annoying..." I''m d Cera agrees with me. It''s getting really annoying. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 642 Discussion About The Regaliance Kingdom [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temple, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:04 AM)~~~ Sally and I take our seats, and everyone is starting to take their eyes off my halo. It seems that people with greater self-control aren''t that affected by whatever effect my halo is having on them. I''m unsure how all this works, but I''ll be doing further tests. My eyes turn to the head of the table, and the person I see is something that Xilo has described to us before. They call her The Preist Mother. The religious leader of the Des''merta. If she''s here, then the meeting is serious. The silence in the room is palpable. Heavy, even. They''re nervous about us being here. I can''t only assume that they''re afraid to ask for my help. It''s in enough to see that''s why we''re here. Why would so many powerful people gather like this? It''s not to have a simple conversation. Big ns are in motion, and they want me to be part of it. If it has something to do with The Regaliance Kingdom. I can see my working with them. There are a lot of ves in Regaliance, and all of them could be liberated by us. "I''m thankful everyone has decided toe today. The topic of this meeting is simple. To discuss a massive attack against Regaliance. That''s why I''ve had Radueriel invited here today. Hopefully, you''re interested in this too." The Preist Mother finishes speaking. The same heavy silence from earlier returns, and I look around the room to gauge reactions. I can see warriors, magic users, and leaders. Everyone is here. They''re really dedicated to freeing the ves trapped within Regaliance. Willing to risk so much to take down a mighty enemy. I can''t help but feel a little sympathetic. There are very few ideas left in the world that everyone can get behind. Destroying very is one of those things thates close. While it''s not quite there. After all, people are still practicing very. "I think we need to openmunications with the other cities as soon as possible. An attack, while we''re strong, is important, and we shouldn''t waste this golden opportunity since we have Radueriel''s help." My eyes drift to the man speaking, and he''s on the younger sidepared to the other people in this room. It''s funny how he''s assuming that I''ve already given my help. I haven''t, not verbally. The more experienced people in the room are giving him dirty looks. He looks a little confused, and someone close to him leans in and whispers in his ear. His eyes slowly widen, and his head spins in my direction. He stands up and immediately bows his head. "Forgive my foolish assumption, Radueriel. I shouldn''t have assumed that you were already helping us with this. My actions don''t befall everyone here. Please, don''t let my blunder of words and notions influence your decision." A very long-winded apology if I''ve ever heard one. People''s eyes fall on me one by one as I''ve yet to give a response. I lean back in my chair and take on a rxed position. I''m not against helping them. But I don''t want to do all the heavy lifting. I think if they have an actual n, and do not expect me to do everything. Then I can see myself helping. That''s perfectly reasonable in my mind, and it should be in theirs. "I''m not against helping with this... Endeavor. If I''m to help, it needs to be where I''m not doing all the work. Too many times have people relied on me to do everything. What''s the point in helping you if you can''t hold the victory once you have it." There is a saying that goes with a situation like this. It''s along the lines of... Easy to take the crown but hard to keep it. That''s how I see his ying out. If I do all the work and hand them Regaliance afterward. They''ll lose it since they don''t have the capabilities to defend what they''ve taken. Regaliance will rise from the ashes. They need the power to stop that. And that power can''t be mine. "We are strong enough to hold Regaliance once we have it. There is no need to worry about that. We''d be attacking them even without your help. With you helping us, our odds of winning go up." Now that all Des''merta are yers, they don''t have to worry about casualties. I''m surprised they haven''t started something akin to gueri warfare. Basically, limitless soldiers attacking and retreating after delivering blows to Regaliance. If one were to die, they''d just respawn. I can see the benefit of aplete win more than a gueri war. Hence why they''re taking this option over the other one I mentioned. Sally straightens out in her chair and takes a breath. I know that she wants to help the ves in Regaliance. Once being one herself makes her sensitive. Not as much as she once was, but she hasn''t lost her soft spot for them. "You said that Regaliance has numbers, technology, and magical advantages over the Des''merta. How the hell do you n to make any sort of victory without heavily relying on us?" Sally clearly remember what Xilo said on our way to Maero. I had the same question running through my mind as well. I''m proud that Sally stepped up and asked the question. Even though I was going to anyway. It shows she''s not afraid of confrontation. The people around the room look at each other. As if trying toe up with an answer to Sally''s question. Then there is a devious smile that appears on Xilo''s face. "I''m sure you''re familiar with The Last Levithan. Rahab will be helping us. He just doesn''t know it. we''ve created a magical device that will draw him in. We''re taking it to the capital of The Regaliance Kingdom." That''s actually not a bad n, but one that can''t be stopped rtively easily. They''re also running the risk of being destroyed by Rahab after he learns he was manipted by a magical device. I know I''d be pretty ticked off if I learned such a thing happened. But I''m sure they''ve ounted for these risks, and are prepared for any eventual consequence. "It seems like you''ve got some good ideas. Keep talking, and if it sounds promising. I''ll help with your ns." My words seem to give a newfound confidence to the people in the room. Time to listen to the ideas of people preparing to wage arge-scale war. Even with Rahab, there will still be great battles. Destroying a capital city doesn''t mean victory. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Temple, The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:45 AM)~~~ I follow Cera out of the meeting room, and we walk toward the exit of the temple. The Des''merta have some pretty good ns and are ready for this war. I''m happy that Cera agreed to help. I didn''t want to say it in there. But I would''ve helped them even if Cera didn''t want to. I''ve learned that it''s okay that I do things that Cera doesn''t want to do. It doesn''t change our rtionship. "How do you think this war will go?" My question may sound simple. But war never is. Cera remains silent, and I see the thinking expression he has on his features. I''m concerned that he''ll sink into this as he has with the Radueriel identity. "There will always be destruction, death, and sadness in war. That''s something that''ll never change. What I''m worried about is Rahab. When he finds out he was manipted, I can only imagine his wrath. The Des''merta might be destroyed." Cera is under the impression that certain beings can stop a yer from respawning. Divine entities. He''s worried that Rahab might have the same power. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 643 The Tournament Starts Today [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:15 AM)~~~ It''s a little past midnight, and all of us have won our matches. Rianna and I beat our match-ups in the 2v2 portion of the tryouts, and so did Marcus and Kelly. I can tell that Marcus is annoyed that he''s still having to deal with Kelly. But they''ve seemed to be friends over the course of their time together. Sure, Kelly is about 6 years older than my little brother. That doesn''t mean they can''t be friends. All I hope for is I don''t have to cover for him if he does anything stupid. Mom would have my head if she found out Marcus was fooling around with a girl so much older than him. Not that I care. Marcus is smart enough to make his own choices, and if they start doing stuff, then it''s on him. "Why are you so quiet over there? You''d be talking about the tournament that would be startingter today if something wasn''t on your mind." Marcus and I are in our Inn room and trying to get some sleep. But we''ve never been that great when ites to falling asleep at a reasonable hour. "Just thinking about what you n to do with Kelly and how I can avoid Mom getting mad at me for it." I turn my head to see his reaction to my blunt observation. He''s staring at me like I''ve got a zit on the center of my face. I can see it when two people havee chemistry. Sure, Kelly is older than Marcus. But that''s not stopped people before. I know that I had sex with guys 8 to 10 years older than me when I was 15. Marcus is a little younger than that. And Kelly is around 17. "That''s... Ridiculous." Too bad he doesn''t know how great it can be. "Hey, don''t knock it till you try it, kid. Kelly is older than you. Which means she''s got experience. She''s a pretty girl and has probably had a couple of boyfriends. You could learn a lot from her and have fun at the same time." I''m a terrible sister for trying to encourage bad behavior in my brother. It''s not like he''ll have forever to do something. Kelly is giving hints that she wants to do stuff, whether that be some physical experimentation or full-on sex. My little brother widens his eyes at the way I''m approaching this whole thing. He''s not used to it. Cera wouldn''t care enough to say anything, and Mom and Dad would just tell him no like they always do. It''s their favorite word. He leans up in his bed and hangs his feet off the side. His hand runs through the back of his hair and ends on the back of his neck. He looks like he wants to ask me something, but he''s too nervous too. I lean up, so he knows that I''m waiting. "Umm... I don''t know... Sure, Kelly is hot... But aren''t I a little young to do something like that? I''m barely over 12..." Age is just a number, and both of them are under 18. And it''s not like thews of Earth apply here in Gaia. If they did, this world would be much different than it is now. He''s waiting for a response, and I think I''ve got the perfect one. "So what? Mom and Dad aren''t here. You can do whatever you want. I''m not your boss." Marcus needs to learn that I will not be an authority figure. Sometimes, I can see that he''s always worried I''ll say something to prevent him from doing something. "Okay. I guess I have somewhere to be." He suddenly stands up and makes his way to the door. I can''t help being both impressed and having some pride. My little brother has got game, and a pretty older girl is waiting for him. Cera never did things like this growing up. Sometimes, I wish he did. That way, I could share what I knew with him. I would''ve loved to help Cera learn how to talk to women and seduce them. But he was always so... Cera. That''s the only way I can put it. I can only imagine what they''ll be up to in a short amount of time. But it does make me realize how alone I am. If my little brother has someone to knock uglies with, and he''s 12, then I should have someone too. I''m 21, for god sake, and I''ve got nothing! "Where did everything go wrong?" A sarcastic and long sighes out as I say that. Both my brothers have people they can do it anytime they want with, and my parents have each other. I''m the only one that''s alone. This sucks! ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:35 AM)~~~ The warm and soft body of Kelly is wrapped around me as the morning light is just starting to creep into the windows. I never thought I''d be the type of person to lose his virginity to a girl 6 years older than him when he himself is 12. But they say the best things in life are never nned. Actually, no one says that. I''m just trying to rationalize what happenedst night. Kelly was quick to let me into her room, and she was even quicker with the whole sex idea. Seems it''s been bouncing around in her head a lot longer than mine. Mom and Dad would kill Hailey, Kelly, and me if they found out about this. But I''m not a little boy anymore. I can think, provide, and defend myself. If I can do that, I have the right to have sex with whomever I want. "Mmm..." Kelly rubs her naked body against mine under the silk sheets. She''s still asleep, but that didn''t mean it didn''t feel good. I run my hand up and down her back. Trying to see if that''s something she''ll like. Again, I''m really new to this. As I do this, she squeezes me and wraps every limb around me, and snuggles her head into the nook of my neck. It''s starting to get hot in here. "That was amazing... You have really good gics if that''s how big you are at your age..." She gently whispers in my ears, and I feel heat rising. It''s true, the male gics are strong in my family. Dad and Cera both know what I''m taking about and what Kelly is taking about. We''re all blessed. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:37 AM)~~~ I''m sitting at a table eating my breakfast as I look around the Inns bar. It''s pretty clear that a lot of the yers here at the ones that qualified for The Ruins Of Tasdir, and a few for the tournament in the next two days. Sitting across from me is Rianna as she yawns. I''vee to find out she''s not really a morning person. But then again, who is? I''m really proud of her. She''se a long way, and after we''re done in Jaerey and The Ruins Of Tasdir. She''ll be able to go her own way and be strong doing it. "Where are Marcus and Kelly?" Her sudden question makes me remember the conversation I hadst night with my brother. He''s been with Kelly all night, and I''m pretty sure there still in her room. Before I can say anything to Rianna, both Kelly and Marcus are on their way over to the table. I can see a radiant and satisfied energy from Kelly and a mixed energy from Marcus. Not bad mixed, but not good either. I think he''s just in his head. I''ll have to ask him how it waster. You never forget your first. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 644 The Tournament Starts [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:45 AM)~~~ We''re making our way toward the Arena, and there is something that''s on my mind. Mainly being how far I''ll get through the tournament. It''s been confirmed the tournament will be held using the true powerbat for the 1v1s. This is where it''s every man and woman for himself, and everyone I''m with right now knows that. I''m guessing the winners of the tournament get to be the first to take on specific areas of The Ruins Of Tasdir. That''s the whole reason we''re having the tournament. So the strongest out of the people who won their tryouts can rise even higher. I have no doubt I''ll make it to the final four. There are 3 people in Jaerey with Legendary Grade sses. Marcus and I are the keepers of 2. The third belongs to Plutonium. That means that the fourth spot is up for grabs. But that''s only one dynamic. If Marcus and I match up before the finals, then one of us has to go. Same with Plutonium. It''s not guaranteed we''ll get to the final four together. Anything can happen. But that would be a nice thing to go through. To fight my brother in the finals. To see who really is the strongest when going all out against each other. We make it to the Arena and find some really good seats. The same people who announced before the tryouts started are back in the center of the Arena. After sitting down, I lean back and rx. They start talking, but I drown everything out and sink back into my mind. The tournament isn''t on my mind right now. It''s actually The Ruins Of Tasdir themselves. I''ve been looking into them. Marcus isn''t the only one that like Lore and Books. I''vee to see their benefits. In a world without advanced technology, it''s necessary to read. I don''t have a device that instantly tells me the answers when I use a search engine. What I''ve learned about The Ruins Of Tasdir has me thinking this event will be far more difficult than anyone knows. I''ve recently found out that Ruins are in an entire category of their own. There are Dungeons, Raids, and now I''ve learned about Ruins. They''re supposed to be even harder than Raids. The Ruins Of Tasdir are Legendary Grade. I don''t even think Cera would have a good shot on his own. That''s the difference between Ruins and the other things yers do on the regr. Speaking of my other brother, I haven''t spoken to him in a few days. He''s probably asleep at the moment. That, or he''s busy with Sally. Cera might have some useful information about The Ruins Of Tasdir. Something I can get an advantage on. If anyone would know something, it''s him. He has memories of the future, and I don''t see the harm in seeking answers from him. I open my yer Interface and head to my Friend''s List. Clicking on my brother''s name and opening our messages. The men are still talking and announcing things in the middle of the Arena. Nothing significant enough for me to listen. [I know you''re probably asleep, but I wanted to see if you knew anything about The Ruins Of Tasdir that other yers wouldn''t know. Since you have memories of the future, I thought you might have some useful information.] The message is sent, and I''m hoping to get a reply back before the tournament actually starts. A few minutes pass by, and I get a message back from Cera. [I know some things that aren''t known to the rest of the yers. For example, there are three Legendary sses that can be found within The Ruins Of Tasdir. I know how to reach two of them, but the third remains a mystery to me.] My eyes slowly widen as I read his response. There are three Legendary sses in The Ruins Of Tasdir... That''s a lot of power sitting in one ce. Well, the ce is a Legendary Grade Ruins, so it makes sense great power is there. But I had no idea that such treasures could be found in the ce. I''m unsure of what to say. I want to ask him how to find them. It could be a great addition for Rianna. And if Kelly wants one, she can have a shot at one too. [Would you mind telling me where I can find them in The Ruins Of Tasdir?] I know I''m asking a lot here, but that doesn''t mean I''ll get a no from him. It takes a few minutes, but he gets back to me. What I read really surprises me. [If you want, Sally and I can meet you guys at The Ruins Of Tasdir. I''ve gained a new Skill that allows me to teleport to any part of Gaia. We can help you with what you''re doing and be back here after we''re done.] It would be nice to see Cera after a reasonable amount of time apart. I''m jealous that he''s got such a convenient new Skill. I can''t even believe how useful teleportation anywhere around Gaia would actually be. [That would be great. Let me know when you''re about to teleport. That way, Marcus and I can be ready to exin things going on here to you.] As I send the message, my attention falls back on the Arena. The men down there make their way for the exits, and General Daenal Roane is waiting in his viewing box already. "The tournament is starting." Kelly voices her observation as a system notification pops up for everyone here. The system is handling it the same way it did for the tryouts. However, there is a bracket people can view this time. The people who won in the 2v2s are already up an entire level. Waiting for the winners of the first matches. That means we''ll be waiting here for a long time, possibly until even tomorrow. But that also gives us a chance to see yer''s true power. After all, we''ve been fighting in leveled-outbat since the tryouts. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:15 PM)~~~ Sally and I are enjoying our dinner, and I can see that she''s thinking about something. We already talked about helping out Hailey and Marcus, so I doubt it''s about that. The only thing it could be is The Regaliance Kingdom. "What''s on your mind." The sound of my voice doesn''t leave room for any doubts if it''s a question or not. It''s really a demand. I know how Sally gets when very is involved, and I just want to make sure she''s okay. She''s much stronger than she was when we met, and she''s be even better since traveling with me. But I know there are some things that haunt her. Just a little. "I was just thinking about how the attack on The Regaliance Kingdom will go. The Des''merta have a great n, but I can''t help thinking that it''s going to backfire. Using Rahab to destroy the capital of The Regaliance Kingdom will have dire consequences." It''s nice to know that she''s also been thinking about The Last Levithan. The mighty beast has been on my mind, and even with all my power. I doubt I could defeat the creature. "You''re thinking about the right things. There are certain lines you don''t want to cross, and using a Divine level creature to destroy your enemies can have ripples in your people thatst for centuries. It''s a sad thing that the Des''merta are so desperate." This wouldn''t be happening if the Des''merta had some real power on their side. Sure, I could probably do it myself. But as I said in the meeting, that would only make things worse. Getting away from this situation for a while seems like a good idea. Visiting Hailey and Marcus to help them seems like the best thing for that. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 645 Meeting Of Siblings [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:21 AM)~~~ Sally and I appear in a sh of light outside the City Of Jaerey. This was the first time we got to use my new Skill, and I already know it''s going to be one of my favorites. However, the time difference between Maero and Jaerey is about 11 to 12 hours. Meaning we''re around 12 hours back on the clock, and right now is when we''d be getting to bed. Instead, it''s morning here in Jaerey. Meaning we''re stuck staying awake. Before I can think or say anything, my ears are filled with the sound of Sally throwing up the dinner we ate earlier. I turn around to see her on the ground, green in the face. I feel fine, but maybe teleportation is different for people that aren''t me. After all, the Skill is called Angelic Teleportation. Perhaps when other people who aren''t Angels are affected by the Skill, they''ll be physically hurt. For example, heaving your guts out. "BLAAAAARGG!!" She''s not stopping anytime soon, and she looks like she could really use a hand. I join her on the ground and ce my hand on her back. Gently rubbing it. After a couple of minutes of dry heaving, she looks at me with red eyes. "If that''s what''ll happen every time you use your teleportation Skill, I''ll have to make sure I don''t eat beforehand. That was the sickest I''ve ever felt in my life... My head was spinning, and my stomach wanted nothing more than to be empty..." We eventually make it to the front gates of Jaerey, and I can see the stunned expressions of everyone looking at me. They''re all staring at my halo, and I''m getting multiple notifications that yers are using Inspect on me. Sally follows closely behind as we approach the main guard. He''s at a loss for words as I stand in front of him. It''s impossible for me to hide my identity anymore due to this halo, but that''s okay. "Mypanion and I were hoping to gain entry into Jaerey." The man gulps as I speak. He steps aside and motions for me to walk through, and there are someints from yers from the line that are still waiting to get in. As the guards handle them, Sally and I take our first look at the city. Hailey didn''t do it much justice in the looks department. I know a lot about The Ruins Of Tasdir, which are near here, but I''ve never learned much about Jaerey or The Inds Of Haestar. They''re part of The Laasir Kingdom. Since it''s so far south from my original spawning continent, I didn''t take the time to learn much about this ce. Never thought I''d being this way in this life, either. Hailey and Marcus have ensured that I find my way here, though. "My siblings will be at the Arena where the tournament is being held. It''ll be impossible to find them unless we meet at a location we all know." I don''t want to spend a bunch of energy and time trying to find my siblings in the Arena stands. So I think it''s more fitting to just wait for them at a ce where we can find each other. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:04 AM)~~~ I get messages from my brother that he''ll be waiting for Marcus and me at an Inn called Hawks Talon. I know where the ce is, and I''m looking forward to seeing my brother. However, I''m not able to leave yet. We''re still gathering information about our potential opponents. We''re getting a good look at true powerbat. Something we didn''t practice before the tryouts since we were so focused on getting our leveled-outbat better. "Do you think it''ll be a good idea to bring Kelly and Rianna to meet up with Cera?" My brother asks me a question I''ve been thinking about already. Said girls in question have left to get a better view of the fights going on. Leaving Marcus and me alone. Despite the events between Marcus and Kelly, I can be sure that he still finds her constant chatter annoying. It''s a good thing the girl has a wonderful voice, or he''d have left her in the dust as soon as their match was over. "Probably not. They''re big fans of Cera, and they''ll probably just get in the way. But we can''t keep them away from him forever. They''ll find out he''s here sooner orter, if not already. Word is spreading that a guy with a halo is staying at an Inn here." That''s the simple exnation. In reality, people know that Cera is in town. I can only guess when our twopanions will find out where he is. It''s tempting to leave now and avoid the chaos that my brother''s presence will bring. Many Guilds leaders will want to meet him and talk. While they know it''s impossible to recruit him to their guilds, that doesn''t mean they can''t have a rtionship with Cera. They''ve tried to do the same thing with Marcus and me. It''s an annoying thing to happen, but I know a lot of powerful yers that could help me in the future, so it''s not all bad. "Are you thinking what I''m thinking?" He doesn''t need to say anymore. We both stand up and make our way for the exit. Leaving Kelly and Rianna to watch the tournament for however long they will before news reaches them too. It doesn''t take us long to reach The Hawks Talon. It''s a cozy little Inn and one that gets some decent business in all the chaos with so many yers in town. I''m surprised they have any rooms left. We walk up to the front counter, and the Innkeeper looks at us. "We''re here to see yer Zern and Saliandra Orvello. They know we''re here." The man raises an eyebrow. Seeing the confidence in our im makes it convincing. He presses a button on the bar, and a magical circle appears. "Angel Zern, I have two people here iming they''vee to see you. Do you know who they are?" There is silence on the other end of the magic circle, and the man''s scrutiny only rises with the silence. "Let me guess. One is an okay-looking girl with blue eyes. And a 12 to 13-year-old boy with her?" I can''t help feeling a wave of anger and frustration. Cera knows the perfect times to take blows at me. Knowing now isn''t a time I can retaliate with someeback. I''m a beautiful woman, and I know it. "Yep, average-looking and young boy. Shall I send them up?" That anger is turning into hate, and fast. "Go ahead, I know them. But don''t trust the girl. She''s got an issue with taking things that don''t belong to her." Okay, that''s it!! "It was one time, you jackass!! I was 16, and I didn''t have the money for the makeup I wanted!!" He''s talking about the time I was caught shoplifting. The Innkeeper looks at me with extra diligence, knowing I was caught for theft. I can''t help going a little red in the face from embarrassment. I have my standards, and I don''t like my worst moments being brought to light. He turns off the magical device and looks at me. "He''s on the second floor, room 13." Marcus and I make our way for the stairs. "I''ll be watching you, miss. Don''t think about getting sticky fingers around here." Oh, God. Marcus and I make it to our brother''s room, and I don''t even knock on the door. I swing it open and make a straight path to my brother. His arrogant and victorious smirk just gets on my nerves. "You''ve gotta be kidding me!? Average looking!!? That''s the dumbest thing you''ve ever said!!" Cera and I are always like this. I love it and hate it at the same time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 646 Catching Up [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:22 AM)~~~ My sister looks at me with the same frustration I''m used to seeing when I start pushing her buttons. But after a couple of seconds in silence, I stand up with a smile. She loses her expression and smiles too. I make my way over, and we wrap each other in a hug. Hailey and I have always been close. Closer than anyone else in the family. "It''s good to see you again, sister." Thest time we saw each other was a good bit ago, and it was a long stretch of time I didn''t know what Hailey or Marcus were doing. "It''s great to see you too, bro. I can''t say I''ve missed the games between us, but I can''t say I haven''t missed them, either. It''s always more fun when we''re together." We pull out of our hug, and Hailey heads for Sally. My attention turns to Marcus, and I can see a smug grin on his face. It''s the type of grin that you only get doing one specific thing. I''m sure Mom and Dad wouldn''t approve or agree. But it''s his life, and if he wants to start doing that with girls. That''s his decision. I make my way over, and I can see he''s already grown. "Well, little brother. All I can say is I hope you don''t regret it." He just rolls his eyes at the stupidity of my remark. Yeah, no guy regrets doing it. Not when they canprehend what sex is, and what it entails. It''s something that you won''t regret when you have it. And it seems that Marcus is happy with the girl he''s done it with. I can''t tell if he ns to make itst between them. Maybe it''s something they both agreed to do, and not have anything else. I''d be impressed if Marcus could get that kind of thing out of a woman. They have a tendency to catch feelings and seek more. I can only hope for my little brother that he doesn''t suffer from the same issues with the girl he''s with. "Yeah, no way in hell I''m regretting that any time soon. Just don''t tell Mom and Dad. They will never know. They won''t be able to ept the fact that I''m barely past 12, and I''ve already had sex." Nothing in the universe can make me intentionally open that can of worms. Mom would... Well, I don''t know exactly what she''d do. All I know is it wouldn''t be anything short of nuclear. We make our way to the table in our room and join Sally and Hailey. I''m d my girlfriend and sister are getting along again. It took a while, but Sally forgave Hailey. It''s made things easier for me, that''s for sure. I don''t have to pick sides now. "So, tell me all about this tournament going on?" This didn''t happen in the time I came from. Back when The Ruins Of Tasdir were explored, it was just a group of random yers than banded together. After information got out on what they found, guilds made their way here. There was no event like this to determine who would go and not. It''s certainly strange. I don''t understand why yers aren''t allowed to enter The Ruins Of Tasdir. Nothing should be stopping them, but funnily enough. The system is stopping yers from taking it on at the moment. It must be due to some function exclusive to The Ruins Of Tasdir. "It''s thest step to determine who gets better chances a great rewards from The Ruins Of Tasdir. We''ve already qualified. At this point, it''s just to see where we stack in terms of power." Yeah, I heard that Plutonium is in Jaerey. He was a famous Legendary ss yer during the old future. It''s nice to see that he''s still found a way to get the ss despite all the changes that urred due to my decisions. Hailey seems to have a pretty good grip on what''s going on here based on the answer she just gave. All I can really assume at this point is she wants some of what I know about The Ruins Of Tasdir. Which I can give. "You guys seem to be doing just fine without me, and I''m d to hear that everything is going so well. It''ll be some time before Sally and I are needed back in Maero. It should be around a week. Think we can get everything handled here by then?" I asked Taaro what the time frame would look like before any final decisions were made about The Regaliance Kingdom. The earlier is a week. So, I''ve got time to help Marcus and Hailey. Not to mention, whoever they''ve got with them. I''m sure if Marcus has someone with him. Hailey has a friend too. It''s been a long time since I''ve seen Hailey with a boy. I''m hoping that she''s got someone. I know it''s not my business, and it''s weird for me to say this. But she needs to getid. She''s always taking her frustration out on me when I''m around. Yelling, pranking, and getting my attention. She needs a boyfriend so she can do that with him. I''m tired of it. "Hailey and I have been able to handle any problems here on our own. What we really need help with is information on The Ruins Of Tasdir. Sis said that you knew things about it that other yers didn''t. She shared with me what you told her about The Ruins." Marcus is the one to respond this time. I''m d that Hailey has been kind enough to keep the truth about me from him. I know that I can always trust my sister, no matter what. "I know plenty about The Ruins Of Tasdir. She''s already shared with you about the three Legendary sses that can be found in the location. However, there are other things you all must know." They lean forward, ready to absorb the information. "However, before we get into that. I want to meet the people my siblings are traveling with. Ain''t no way in hell am I letting such a chance to embarrass either of you slip by." The eagerness to learn the information disappears with the first word. It then grows to anger as I finish speaking. I stand up without letting them protest, and I make my way toward the door. Sally is close behind. We both turn to look at Hailey and Marcus. They have major looks of doubt and worry. Which means they have reason to be embarrassed about who they''re traveling with. This is perfect. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:46 AM)~~~ Traveling through the streets of Jaerey is much more difficult due to the halo floating about Cera''s head. Marcus and Hailey weren''t all that curious or affected by it. Which is strange, considering everyone else it. There is still time I''m drawn to it. "You weren''t wrong about there being a lot of people in town. The yer poption has only seemed to rise the closer we''ve gotten to the Arena, which makes sense." Hailey and Marcus are walking on either side of Cera. I''ve taken up the back at this point. Cera and I have never seen this many yers in one location before. It didn''t take long for word to spread he was in town. "Yeah, just wait. I promise that you''re going to be hassled by the Big Guilds. They always want to talk to powerful yers like us." Marcus isn''t wrong. That''s one thing Cera doesn''t like dealing with. But, now it''s something that we''ll have to deal with regrly thanks to the halo above his head. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 647 The Tournament Continues [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:21 PM)~~~ We''ve made it to the Arena at this point. Many yers are staring at me from all directions. The halo above my head makes it impossible to blend in anymore. Which is something that I really enjoyed. It was only a matter of time until I couldn''t anymore. "Why are they staring so hard? It''s like they''ve never seen a famous yer before." Marcus doesn''t understand there is a difference between other famous yers and me. I was the first person in a Worldwide Announcement. The only one to have a Divine Grade ss. That''s arge and heavy reputation I''m carrying. Hailey starts to exin to Marcus in my stead. My eyes are locked on the battle below. It''s a fight between two powerful yers. One of them is Plutonium himself. The other is the vice guild leader of Hollowed Willow Tree. Matador. He''s a Legacy ss holder, and he gains quite a reputation in the future. At this point, he''s still got a lot to learn. Matador has a good following of fans, and it''s said that Wilted Rose and he are childhood friends. Growing up on the same block. However, those are just rumors. The Hollowed Willow Tree Guilds have gained tremendous power since Ist saw them. However, The Steel Legion is still on top from what I''ve heard. "This fight will be a long one." My observation doesn''t go unnoticed by the people here. But I watch Marcus and Hailey''s faces fall as two women approach the row we''re sitting in. Their eyes lock on me. Judging from Hailey and Marcus''s reactions, they know these two. I stand up and hold out my hand for a handshake. They seem frozen like statues. Perhaps doing this in the seats of an Arena isn''t the best introduction. Hailey and Marcus grab their hand and take them toward an exit. Sally and I follow right behind them. We enter an empty room inside the Arena. A storage closet, if anything. I fold my arms and wait for an exnation. Mainly, I just want to know which one Marcus is with. They''re both beautiful girls, but that doesn''t exin anything, really. Marcus rubs the back of his neck nervously as he''s trying to find the words to exin. Hailey is doing the same, but not as obviously. "Umm... Kelly. Rianna. This is our brother. Everyone knows him as yer Zern, but his name is actually Cera Adamo. He''s my older brother and Hailey''s younger brother." My little brother shouldn''t use my real name, but it doesn''t make a difference at this point. The girls in question take deep breaths and look at Marcus and Hailey nervously. Kelly is starting rather hard at Marcus. I''m guessing that''s the girl Marcus is with. Rianna is looking at Hailey for a better exnation. Not the boy I was hoping for her to have, but as long as Rianna distracts Hailey. I''m okay with it. "Hey, are you gay?" I elbow my sister, and she looks at me with a raised eyebrow and an insulted look. Hey, I might as well ask before I assume. I don''t know if my sister''s tastes have changed or not. I''d rather know and understand what''s going on. She rolls her eyes and steps toward Rianna. "I know it''s hard to ept. But our entire family is full of powerful people. Cera is the strongest of us. And Saliandra is his girlfriend. She goes by Sally. She just recently got a Legendary ss." There is probably going to be a lot of exining, and I don''t want to hang around for that. So I grab Sally''s hand and leave the storage closet. We make our way to a private viewing booth, so we don''t have to deal with staring at us in a bunch of different directions. Hailey and Marcus will be busy for a while dealing with the fallout of the revtion. But it gives me a break from having to hang around so many people. All of a sudden, I feel Sally''s hand in mine, and I turn to look at her. "Do you think everything is going okay in Maero? They know we''ll be here until we need them, but I feel like we should be there. I know you want to help Marcus and Hailey, but I think they''ll be fine without us." Looks like my girlfriend is thinking the same thing I am. I''m not worried about Maero like she is, but I do think that I''ve shared everything that''s valuable to Hailey and Marcus. I''ve given them instructions on how to get the Legendary sses too. I''m willing to bet they''ll be giving them to their travelingpanions since the girls in question are weak. But what do I know? A Legendary ss goes for a lot of money on the Auction House Tab. "I''ll tell you what, we''ll have a talk with Hailey and Marcus. Exining that we don''t really want to stay since we''ve already helped with everything. I''d like to get back to Maero too." It''s not just about getting back to Maero, but also getting back to the schedule we''re used to. Sally and I are both dead tired mentally, and I''m looking to take a nap in this booth before anything interesting happens. Sure, the fight below is good. But my eyes are heavy, and I''m ready for some shut-eye for a change. "That sounds perfect. I can''t wait to get back into afortable bed and get some sleep. The sooner we''re done here, the better." It was nice to see Hailey and Marcus for this very short amount of time. But now, Sally and I don''t want to stay for a week. We want to get back to where we were and do the things we were doing. My brother and sister are still busy with their friends, and I can only guess how long they''ll be. But there is a short problem. The system is showing the next people that are fighting after Plutonium and Matador. Marcus is facing off against someone from ming Skull, and right after his match, Hailey is fighting someone from The Steel Legion. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ? ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:37 PM)~~~ Marcus and I both see the notification from the system that our matches with our opponents areing up soon. However, we''ve been preupied with Rianna and Kelly. Mainly, getting them to calm down. "OH MY GOD!! I CAN''T BELIEVE I GOT TO MEET SLAYER ZERN!! I CAN''T BELIEVE I GOT TO LEARN HIS REAL NAME!!! I SLEPT WITH HIS LITTLE BROTHER!!!" Kelly is a far bigger fan of Cera than Rianna is. But that''s not stopping Rianna from freaking out simr to Kelly. I can''t help pinching my nose and subtly grabbing my brother''s wrist. I drag him out of the storage closet, and we make our way to the Arena. He looks at me for an exnation as to why we''re leaving those two behind for the time being. It''s simple; I don''t have the time or patience to sit there and try to reign them in. I might as well let them vent and do it alone. "You can''t tell me listening to them didn''t annoy you too." He takes on a very brief thinking expression and then nods his head in agreement. We eventually get to the ce to prepare for an uing match, and Plutonium has won his match. Meaning Marcus is up next against his opponent from ming Skull. "I feel things are going to get interesting when we make it to The Runis Of Tasdir." Sally and Cera won''t be sticking around long. I can tell. They want to get back to what they were doing, but Cera has already shared everything he knows about The Ruins Of Tasdir, and given us instructions. It''s going to be fun. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 648 Marcus Vs. Bluestone, Vice-Guild Leader Of Flaming Skull [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:40 PM)~~~ The match before mine ends, and I make my way out into the Arena. I look around the crowd watching, and there are simr reactionspared to earlier. People are cheering for me and against me. My eyes drift toward the booth where Cera and Sally are. Hailey is in the area where yers prepare beforeing out into the Arena. The person I''m facing isn''t a magic user. He goes by Bluestone, and he''s the Vice-Guild Leader of ming Skull. I can hear and see his guildmates cheering him on in the seats. Some are even so rabid, they''re cursing me out. They know they have no chance of getting me to join, so they''re taking this chance to try to get in my head. "LITTLE SHIT DOESN''T STAND A CHANCE!!!" "THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL SOMEONE LIKE YOU IS REACHING THE FINALS!!" "LET''S GO, BLUESTONE!!!" There is a slight look of embarrassment at his guildmate''s antics present on Bluestone''s face. He''s probably around 19, but I can''t be sure. He''s the holder of an Epic Grade ss called White Frost Carrier. I don''t know much about it, but it sounds interesting. The timer for the match slowly starts to descend from 10, and he gets in a position ready for a fight. Taking out his sword and having a moment to take a deep breath. I stand the way I''ve been standing. I far outss him in power. I''m also a Tier higher than he is, and I''m a higher level. Statistically speaking, there is no reason for me to lose this match. But despite only having an Epic Grade ss, he''s managed to be Vice-Guild Leader. Risen to the position of power on his own and through hard work. It''s likely he''s a very talented fighter and one that doesn''t mistake others and their capabilities. That''s a fault I have. "My bad habit of underestimating won''t be happening this match, Bluestone. Let this be a fight where the truly better yeres out on top." As I speak, the timer hits zero, and the match starts. A subtle smile creeps on the man''s face, and heunches in my direction. I immediately put up a wall of fire. That causes him to change direction, and try to nk me from the left. I propel myself into the sky with fire, and I decide to use one of my stronger Skills to try and end this match fast since I''ve got this advantage. "Blighting Fire!" Large and wide wings of fire sprout from my back, and they turn dark. Everyone in the Arena is silent and watching. The entire area begins to heat up, and some people outside the protective barrier around the Arena start to sweat. ck jets of fire burst forth from my wings of ck fire, and they have a direct hit on the area where Bluestone was standing. His health lowers a bit, but he was able to escape most of the damage. Still, I was able to take about 15 percent of his health. That''s a start, but he''ll be ready for more attacks like that. My fire wings disappear, and Ind on the ground softly. I look across the Arena and see a heavy-breathing Bluestone. "That was probably the most dangerous attack I''ve ever had sent against me, kid... The power of a Legendary ss is really no joke. But don''t count me out yet. I haven''t risen to the point I''m at now for no reason at all." This time, he''s the one using a skill. Suddenly, the entire Arena starts to drop in temperature, and his de is covered in Ice. Before I know it, I''m barely dodging a spike of Iceing from below me. The ground is slowly turning into an Icy field, and I''ll be at a disadvantage soon. Before I can use a Skill to stop this change. He''s already a few feet away from me,ing down with a shing attack. In a desperate attempt to avoid as much damage as possible, I p my hands together and use another Skill. "Combustion st!" He''s sent the other direction, taking about 8 percent of his health with him. But I didn''te out unscathed from his attack. I''ve had 19 percent of my health taken from me. That was an incredible about of damage he dealt considering the difference between our Tiers and Levels. It''s bing very clear that he''s risen to his spot of power in ming Skull from his technical talent. "Congrats on being the first yer in this event to actually hurt me. But, I think it''s time I start taking this seriously." He raises an eyebrow at the prospect that I haven''t been trying. In truth, I haven''t been using my strongest Skill. The ones that will end this fight without any issues. I spread out my arms, and twopressed balls of fire and sma start forming in my hands, and I slowly bring them together. As I''m about to say the name of my Skill for dramatic effect, a system notification is sent to everyone. [WARNING: The Barrier around the Arena will not contain the attack and damage! Anyone in direct line of the spell will perish!] The eyes of my opponent slowly widen. "Destion Of Materiality!" The Spells power is unleashed, and it''s as the system said. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:44 PM)~~~ Arge beam of white-hot energy destroys Bluestone and sts through the protective barrier. Sally and I aren''t in a direct line, but we watch it cut a path through the Arena seat and out into the city. yers have definitely died from that. The system is notifying everyone of what''s happened in terms of casualties, and a good number of people couldn''t get out of the way. "Wow... Marcus is the strongest yer I''ve met besides you. I''m confident in saying Hailey can''tpete with that." My brother has taken to using The Phoenix Fire Mage ss very well. I knew a creative mind like he would have a wonderful time with such a ss. [Dy In Progress: Due to damage dealt to the Arena, there will be a 10-minute dy while the system repairs the damages.] A new system notification appears, and I can''t help smiling a little. Marcus has bought Hailey an extra 10 minutes to prepare for her fight. She''s going against Zaraverd. The Guild Leader of ming Skull and a Legacy ss Holder. Zaraverd is a powerful woman and a role model to many. Just as Hailey is. I heard she''s packing a serious punch in terms of offensive power. Marcus makes his way out of the Arena, and yers are celebrating and cursing at him. He''s done more than cause a lot of yers to lose money. "Marcus is the strongest Fire Mage walking around Gaia. As he gets older, he''ll only get stronger and more popr. I hope he''s ready for that." Cause what happened here today will only spread like wildfire. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:45 PM)~~~ Marcus makes his way to me and has a smug smile on his face. I can''t help rolling my eyes but smiling a little too. "Good luck with Zaraverd. If Bluestone was that good, I can''t imagine how good the Guild Leader is." Many would say that Bluestone didn''t do that good against Marcus. But that''s unfair to say. Doing the amount of damage he did, considering the power gap. ming Skull should be proud of what''s happened today. I know I''d be proud. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 649 Hailey Vs. Zaraverd, The Guild Leader Of Flaming Skull [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:55 PM)~~~ The 10-minute dy due to Marcus''s attack is almost over, and I''m clearing my mind for the uing fight. Zaraverd is known to be a terrific fighter who can beat just about anyone close to her in power. Luckily for me, I''m a Tier above her and Levels higher than her. That didn''t stop Bluestone from getting a good shot in at Marcus. I should expect the same skill level or greater from the Guild Leader of ming Skull. I''m not really sure what to expect other than a tough fight, but one thing is for sure. I don''t see this being a cakewalk, either. In fact, I''d be disappointed if it were. The winner of this match will face off against Plutonium in the next round of the tournament. This means this match is one of the most important of the day. I watch the timer eventually reach zero, and I get the notification to head out to the Arena. As I do, I look toward the ce Marcus used his attack. The damage has beenpletely fixed, and it doesn''t look like anything even happened. The only evidence is the angry faces of the yers. He killed a lot of them with that move. I look across from me, and a woman in high-grade armor is also making her way into the Arena. She''s got powerful gear and weapons to go along with her Legacy ss. Shouldn''t expect anything different from a top-10 Guild. "I must say. I''m a big fan. I didn''t think I''d ever get a chance to fight against someone of Hailey Adamo''s reputation. You have to understand that I''ll win no matter what. Showing my Guild that ss power, Tier levels, and yer Levels don''t matter is important to me." She''s striking up a conversation as the timer for the match is going down. There are 20 seconds left, and I''m convinced she''s going to be the toughest opponent I''ve ever faced. A thinking yer with a lot of power is far more dangerous than any NPC. I can see she''s looking for a response to her deration. I''m unsure whether or not I should say anything. Thest thing I was to do is pour fuel on the fire. "Zaraverd... I look forward to seeing how strong you arepared to the rumors about you. But you can believe me. Anything said about me, has been watered down." I can''t help but let thepetitive edge in me leak out. There is something about fighting someone else who is strong enough to test you. That''s awesome to me. I''m hoping that Zaraverd has the ability to do that. The timer reaches zero, and I slowly pull out my weapon. My armor isn''t as good as hers, but that''s just someone to bnce out this fight in the end. In the blink of an eye, I move at speeds that slow down everything around me. As I make my approach, I can see she''s barely moving in response. Looks like I outss her by far in the speed department. With a single move, I thrust my de forward. The tip shes with the center of her armor, and I''m not able to pierce it. Instead, she''s sent hurtling back into the wall, and the world speeds back up. However, after that attack. All she lost was 1 percent of her health. Meaning, she''s an absolute tank when ites to taking damage. She pulls herself out of the wall she''s lodged in, and she dusts herself off. As if it didn''t even phase her. "You really are fast. I couldn''t even see you move. However, I''ve prepared for such a disadvantage." She pulls out a few potions, and I can tell they''re an extremely high grade just from looking at them. Probably around Epic. I watch her take multiple swigs of the potions, and she drops the empty bottles once she gets them. Before I know it, she''s in front of me and shing downward from an upward angle. The world slows down, and I move out of the way. But in this almost frozen world, I watch her move her head and look at me. "Potions to close the gap in speed between us. You must''ve counted on the fact we would''ve faced each other eventually. I''m impressed with ming Skull. I''m surprised you''re not a top-5 Guild at this point." A smirk appears on her face, and she''s soon right on my tail. I have to dodge, parry, and block her strikes. But some of her attacks are getting through. At this rate, she''ll win. I''ve already lost about 20 percent of my health from her strategy. So it''s about time I even the ying field. I jump away and create a bit of distance. Then I get into a thrust attack stance. The world further slows down for me, and she''s now barely moving even with her potions. "Diamond Piercing Thrust." The simple words leave my mouth, and in a sh of light, I move forward and thrust my de into her chest te again. She''s sent back into the wall, and a new part of it is damaged. The cracks spread to the seats, and the world speeds back up. This time, when I look at her health. She''s lost 45 percent of it. She''s almost at 50 percent health remaining. A struggling coughes out of her, and she falls out of the crater within the wall. Looking up at me with a strained look. "That was incredible! Never in my life did I think you''d carry such speed with you! How fast can you actually go!?" Weak excitement leaves her voice as she stands and supports herself on her sword. Before I can speak, her armor breaks and falls to pieces on the ground. There are cheers, boos, and other such thingsing from the crowd. She seems to be waiting for an answer. "My speed is even greater than that of yer Zern. I''m the fastest being alive." No sense in outing my brother''s identity. Not if he doesn''t want it. Many Guild Leaders have put together that we''re family but not themon yer base. And that''s who''s watching right now. A knowing squint appears in her eyes, and I can see she knows who I''m talking about. "Then, I can be happy knowing that I made you use speeds you''d have to use against yer Zern." I look at her confused, and her eyes widen just a little. "I have to go much faster to fight yer Zern, and even then. It''s only to a point I can dodge and avoid his attacks. He''s still able to perceive and move at a simr speed." I can see her pride is hurt at knowing that I wasn''t going full power. But she''s still managed to take 20 percent of my health. She and her Guild should be proud of that fact. Not many yers are capable of that. Still, I might as well end this. Now that her fantastic armor is gone, Iunch forward and thrust my de into her body. Ending the fight and locking in my next match with Plutonium. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:44 PM)~~~ "Do you think she stands a chance against Plutonium?" Sally is asking the right question. That''s the main obstacle for my sister and brother on this day. All I can say for certain is if one of them doesn''t beat Plutonium, they''re not getting far in the tournament. However, the same logic can be applied to Plutonium. He''s not looking to get out of this early, either. "Yeah, I do. But she''ll have to go all out from the very beginning." That''s a fighting up after this round is done. There are still a few thousand matches that need to be decided. But that shouldn''t take long since the system is handling everything. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 650 Bombardment Of Questions [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:12 PM)~~~ Hailey and Marcus have joined Sally and me in the private viewing booth. The match going on below is between two Vice Guild Leaders. One is from Fallen Bastion, and the other is from Limit Breakers. It''s interesting, but I can tell something I don''t want to deal with is about to happen. My sister hasn''t stopped staring at the halo floating above my head. She seems to be mesmerized by it and doesn''t want to look away. Marcus reacts simrly, but his face doesn''t look like Hailey''s. I can''t quite describe it urately. "How long are you going to ogle the floating metal ring above my head? I know that it''s interesting, but you shouldn''t be staring at it. Your focus should be on the match below. After your fight with Plutonium is over, we''re leaving." That fight isn''t for a few hours, so Hailey should be gathering information on potential opponents that she could end up facing. Sadly, the lock the metal halo above my head has on her is stopping that from happening. My words go in one ear and out of the other. Not registering I even spoke to her. "I''m getting really annoyed with this thing..." The halo is something I''ll have to live with for the rest of my life. There is no way to hide it or stop its effects on people. Whatever those effects might be. I still don''t know what it does to others. Only that it draws all their attention. Sally ces her hand on my wrist and looks at me with an amused smile. Ever since the night we shared after I got this halo, she hasn''t been distracted by it. Not like Hailey and Marcus are. Again, their reactions are different. A loud smack is heard as I look back to my siblings, and I see that Marcus has smacked the back of Hailey''s head. Snapping her out of it. The hold my halo had on Marcus didn''t seem as strong as it had on Hailey. It doesn''t affect men the same way it did women. I swear if this fucking halo starts attracting women, I''ll find a way to get rid of it. Thest thing I want to deal with is a horde of females. It turns my stomach, knowing it could be happening to Hailey. My sister looks at Marcus with frustration and returns the smack to the back of the head in kind. Hailey and I used to have simr fights when we were younger. Before Marcus was born. "What was that for, you dick!?" I sigh as their argument starts, and I turn my attention back to the Arena. My mind wonders about Alforza and what Taaro and the others are doing. They''ll be getting ready to attack The Regaliance Kingdom soon. At the end of the week at the soonest, we''ll be heading back to Maero in a few hours. Sally doesn''t like the feeling of Teleportation, but it''s a Skill I have now. And I''ll be using it frequently. "Hey." My sister tugs on my arm and gains my attention. "What''s the deal with the halo anyway? I''d like to know why the thing is messing with me." She''ll be disappointed to hear that I don''t know much about the halo itself. However, if I tell her what I''ve learned over thest month, things will getplicated. Radueriel is still an identity I''m trying to figure out. Bringing Hailey in couldplicate things. The folded arms over her chest give her a false look of authority and I can''t help cracking a little bit of a smile. In the end, I''ll have to start lying to her again. Which is thest thing she''d want. I don''t know how she''d feel if I turned out not to be her brother. Somehow. It''s a tough pill to swallow, and one that I don''t want to force on my sister. So the best thing to do is keep it from her, and the kindest thing to do is to never bring her in on it. "I don''t know much about what the halo does to others. It seems to affect women more than men. It gives me a passive defense that negates most iing damage and allows me to Teleport anywhere in Gaia, Overworld, and Underworld." My exnation does little to satisfy the curiosity of my sister. We''re simr in ways just as we''re different. One of the ways we''re simr is we can be stubborn. "There is something else you''re not telling me... I don''t know what it is, but I know you and how you usually act around me... Whatever it is, you can tell me. We''ve always had each other''s backs in this world, and I don''t want that changing now." It''s a tempting offer, but certain secrets are better left known to the person holding them. Sally is the only one I want knowing these things at this point. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 1:29 PM)~~~ My brother has always been a great liar when it came to secrets. I know that I shouldn''t dig for it if he doesn''t want me to know something. But I feel like something is really wrong with him. Call it the intuition of a sister. I know Cera, and I know some things are cumbersome and deep swimming around in his head. My confrontational usation from a moment ago is making my brother think. "Sorry, sis. But sometimes your instincts are wrong. There is nothing going on." Cera may be a great liar, but Sally isn''t. My attention turns toward her, and there is a visible worry on her face as she stares at Cera. She''s an open book when ites to emotionspared to my brother. "Sally, if there is something that Cera is taking on that he needs help with. Tell me. I can''t force him, but just hold that promise for me. I can''t be by his side all the time." Her eyes turn from Cera and look at me. A single nod is all I need from her to know something big is going on. But I''ll leave it at that. I turn to look at Marcus, and he rolls his eyes at me. It''s something with guys and not wanting to talk. "You two need to focus on the Arena. These people will be your future opponents, and it''s important you know what you''re dealing with." My brother forces us back on track, and I can''t help resenting him just a little. He''s supposed to trust me and confide in me when ites to problems. But he still doesn''t have that same trust in me as I have in him. To be fair, I still haven''t told him about the things I''m dealing with. Things I''ve been told about Cera. But that''s because it''s confusing and I don''t really know what I know... Y''know... "Fine, I''ll leave it alone. But when you''re ready to talk, I''ll be ready." All I can do now is leave him with that thought. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 2:21 PM)~~~ The silence in the booth hasn''t gotten less awkward since the talking stopped. Marcus is leaning against the railing and getting a better look at the Arena. My eyes go back and forth between Cera and Hailey. Her staring hasn''t stopped, and she''s trying to wear down Cera. But it won''t work. Tactics like that don''t work with Cera. "Does it have something to do with us?" Hailey knows her brother way better than I gave her credit for... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 651 Some Time Passes [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 3:45 PM)~~~ Hailey and Sally are speaking alone at the moment. Marcus is still in the booth watching the fight. I''m on my own. Jaerey is filled with things that I wanted to see. From what I know about the city in my old life, there are some really good shops in this ce. Walking down the streets of Jaerey has be difficult now that I can''t hide who I am anymore. This halo makes me stick out like a sore thumb. After a while, I make it to a busy shop. One that''s carrying just about everything. Entering the store is easy, but getting around without peopleing up and wanting to talk isn''t. It takes me a good 10 minutes just to get to the part of the store I want. The equipment section. I''m not looking for new armor, but I''d like to get something for Sally. Like a ne or a bracelet. Jewelry on a basic level. Something that she''ll like as a woman. I wouldn''t be surprised if Sally didn''t care. She''s never been one to care about diamonds and how much something costs. However, if it''s me getting her something. It''s a good chance she''ll want it. Knowing that I should try and get her something that''s nice, but not overly showy. Sally is a subtle girl when ites to showing off. She doesn''t like drawing attention, and that''s a personality trait that I like about her. It makes both our lives easier. "What is it you''re looking for?" An elderly voice fills my ears, and I look to the side it came from. There stands an old man holding a cane. You can tell who the yers are these days. If you run into someone at an advanced age, they''re not connected to the system. If they were, they''d be a young adult again. I slowly stand up and look the old man up and down. What''s strange is the people watching me from either end of the aisle aren''t there anymore. He''s either sent them away, or something weird is happening here. I don''t recognize who this person is. And I don''t see any information from the system that would suggest he''s powerful. But that''s something that can be manipted if powerful enough. "I''m looking for a nice ne or bracelet for my girlfriend. One that''s pretty, but subtle at the same time." The older man gives a smile and turns around. Starting to walk the other way. He stops for a second and motions for me to follow him. I do, and I''m led to a part of the shop that I hadn''t seen yet. I do notice some yers, but not nearly as much as before. We approach a door, and he taps his cane in front of it. It slowly opens, and he enters. As I follow him in, the lights turn on. Rows and rows of equipment are bathed in light as I start walking. He stops in front of another door and ces his hand on it. After a few seconds, the door opens, and he steps aside. Motioning that I should enter. Once I enter, I''m nearly blinded by the glittering from the showpieces of jewelry. "This is my personal and private collection. Many of the pieces here have belonged to Kings and Queens of differentnds. Most have powerful enchantments. But you said you wanted something pretty, but subtle. I know just the thing." Leading the way, he takes me to the far end of the room. Getting down on one knee and pulling out a small box from under a counter. After cing it on the counter, he lifts the lid, and I see something that fits my specifications perfectly. A wonderful-looking bracelet that is pretty. It doesn''t show off itself in extravagance and looks. I can see why he wouldn''t give this the same treatment as the other pieces in here. "Why are you doing this." The words leave my mouth as a demand rather than a question. When someone does something for you, they usually expect something in return. And if they say they don''t expect anything in return, then that''s a red g. A small smile takes form on the old man''s face. He must want something in return for fulfilling this request. When ites to yer Zern, everyone wants something from you. And when ites to Radueriel, you don''t get any answers. "Most would try to ingratiate themselves with you by giving this to you for free. But I won''t do such a thing. I need something in return. It''s simple, but many in the Church Of Light would call for my head if I asked this of you." That''s definitely an interesting opener. But I don''t know what The Church of Light is up to when ites to me. I try to avoid them the best I can, but they''re in every city. Including this one. I wouldn''t be surprised if I ran into them at some point. I slowly stand up with my eyes still on the bracelet. It''s what I want for Sally, so I''m inclined to listen to the man. My eyes turn toward him. "If it''s something I can do, I''ll do it." There is a look of relief on the old man''s face. He leans against the table and takes a small breath. As if preparing to exin something. "It''s my daughter... She''s the only family I have left after her mother passed a year ago... She''s really sick, and none of the healers I''ve sent for have been able to cure her... I''ve heard about your healing abilities, and I was hoping you could help her." Not as selfish a request as I was expecting. Not everyone is so rotten. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:50 PM)~~~ "C''mon, Sally... We both know that Cera won''t share his problems with me, and I want to help him. You know what''s going on with him, and you''re still not saying anything." Hailey has been trying extra hard to get me to spill the beans since Cera took off on his own for a while. I don''t know where he''s going or what he''s doing. But I''m d he''s taking some more time for himself. Whether that be a short amount of time or not. My eyes slowly roll in annoyance, and I look at Hailey. One day, she''ll be my sister too. While we''re friends again now, I don''t think Cera would appreciate it if I told her what''s going on with him. "Hailey... I''ve already told you that I''m not saying anything. If Cera wants to keep it private, then that''s his decision." I can tell our constant talking and conversations are annoying Marcus. He''s trying to watch the matches going on. "How am I supposed to help him if no one tells me what''s going on?!" Hailey''s own frustration is building, and I''m beginning to think getting some time away from her is a good idea too. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:03 PM)~~~ Sally has taken off and Hailey with her. Leaving me alone in the booth. Peace and quiet atst. I was beginning to think that nothing was going to get them to leave. But Hailey''s own annoying persistence worked out. As the match finishes, I hear someone walk up behind me. I turn around and see that it''s Kelly. The questioning look she''s got in her eyes isn''t necessarily about me. But it''s got something to do with my connection to Cera. "Why didn''t you tell me you knew who yer Zern was?" Uh-oh... I can tell this isn''t going to be good. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 652 A Talk About The Ruins Of Tasdir [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:51 PM)~~~ The door slowly creaks open as I press my hand against it and turn the knob. My eyes and ears are distracted by the loudughing and sounds of funing from the room. Marcus and Hailey are here with Kelly and Rianna. Sally is taking part in the fun, but not as much. Everyone''s attention turns toward me, and Hailey quickly picks up whatever is on the table and throws it at me. This is a moment where I''m supposed to catch it and show off my speed. A part of me is telling me to let it happen. SPLAT! There is an oozy and sticky jelly-like substance attached to my face. My hand is slow to reach up, and as I touch it. It gathers itself into a ball and leaves my face unblemished and clean. "HAHAHAAH!! OH, MY GOD! I CAN''T BELIEVE THAT WORKED!!" My dear sister is on the ground busting a gut as I look at the green ball made out of the strange substance in my hand. I don''t know what it is, but a good guess is some sort of toy. Sally stands up with a smile on her face and makes her way to me. Reaching out her hand for the green ball and has it in her hands soon enough. Before I can say anything to anyone, Sally throws it back at Hailey. Which works since her eyes are closed, and she''s distracted. The same sound asst time rings throughout the room, and everyone''sughter roars more as Hailey unhappily peels the green substance from her face. "Oh, you think this is funny, do ya? Well, we''ll see how much everyone''sughing when it''s their turn!" Hailey''s first target is Marcus, and my little brother is too busy trying to dry the tears out of his eyes to notice it hurling at his face. My attention falls on Hailey as I see her reach into a box on the table, pulling out several more. Launching them at everyone around the room. Getting us all involved. I suppose a bit of fun wouldn''t hurt before my important talk with them about The Ruins Of Tasdir. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:43 PM)~~~ Everyone has calmed down from the goo-ball fight. There are smiles and looks of happiness around the room. It was a smart idea toe back to the room. There is plenty here for all of us to hang out and have fun. Cera and I''s ns haven''t changed. We''re going to leave before the tournament is over, and Hailey and Marcus know this. But, Cera does want to talk about The Ruins Of Tasdir in more depth for them. An exact way to beat The Ruins and get every one of value from the ce. I plop down on the bed next to Cera and look to the side, so our eyes meet. He''s got a grin on him that I rarely see. And before I can ask what''s up, he opens his inventory and pulls out a lightly jeweled bracelet with a sentence engraved on it. [To My Angel] As I hold it in my hands, I can''t help tearing up a little... This is the first time in my life someone has bought me a gift like this. One that many would dream of getting more than once in their lives. "Is this what you were doing out by yourself..." My wordse out as a whisper so as not to interrupt the ongoing conversation with everyone else. None of them have even noticed what''s going on. "Yeah... I wanted to get you something that was nice, but subtle at the same time. I know you don''t have a taste for the extravagant, but you are still a woman. And this is probably something you''d want to see from me. I''m sorry I hadn''t done it sooner..." There is no need to apologize for anything. "Oh, Cera... Sometimes, you''re an idiot when ites to women. But then you go and do something like this... I love you." I''d jump him here and now if not for the group of people in the room. It''s not long before attention is on us as our vibes are switching up. The sexual tension is enough to quiet the whole room. Cera sees this and sits up. Clearing his throat and preparing to speak. "Sally and I will be leaving tomorrow morning. I wanted to make sure I gave you all my knowledge about The Ruins Of Tasdir before we left. That way, you won''t misunderstand anything once you start the event." Kelly and Rianna are paying way closer attention to Cera than Marcus and Hailey. But that''s understandable, given how big of fans they are of my boyfriend. I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t worried, but they haven''t tried anything. That''s a good enough reason not to make anything of it. "If you continue to do well and ce high in the tournament, odds are good; you''ll get to see and take what I''m about to tell all of you." Cera knows a lot about The Ruins Of Tasdir, so we might be here for a couple of hours while he exins everything. That''s if no one interrupts him, after all. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:38 PM)~~~ "That''s when you''d want to use the ruined book to unlock the door, and after that, you''ll find a hidden boss. Once defeated, it''ll drop a Legendary ss. But be warned; it''s one of the strongest bosses I''ve ever heard about. It''ll take a whole team to beat it." My brother astounds me with how much he knows about The Ancients World. I''m trying to be more like him in regard to knowledge, but sadly. There isn''t much I can do to close the gap between us. Hailey has been paying closer attention since he started talking about the specific instructions to get to the first hidden boss. "But that''s only the beginning. When that boss is defeated, anyone that was involved in taking it out gains a special effect to ess restricted or blocked parts of The Ruins Of Tasdir. It''s incredibly important that you''re the first ones to get it." Cause once it''s gone, there is no getting it back. He''s made sure we know of this too. These special bosses he''s teaching us about are one-time only. Meaning once we kill them, they''re not respawning after a set amount of time. "And you said there are 2 more Legendary sses that we can find in The Ruins Of Tasdir?" Kelly is having a bit of a hard time following all this. She''s by no means an idiot, but I notice she struggles with directions and instructions on how to do something. She''s more of a see-it, learn-it type of person. We''ll have to help her a bit more remembering this stuff. "Yes, and each boss has a unique way of doing battle. And the stronger the party attacking it is, the stronger they''ll be. It won''t be easy for any of you, so stay close andmunicate." Hailey and I wouldn''t have a problem doing this, but now we''ve got Kelly and Rianna. And since I''ve got something going on with Kelly, I don''t want to leave her behind and do it all on my own. She doesn''t like the idea of someone else doing all the work. She''s a hard worker and wants to prove she belongs with us. It wasn''t that way with Rianna at first, but she''s been slowly turning that way. Things have gotten moreplicated with more people... But I love having sex with Kelly... Not a tough choice in the end. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 653 Final Night And Goodbyes [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:06 PM)~~~ Sally and I make our way back to our room and enjoy the soft bed as we''re mentally exhausted from staying awake for two days straight. Coming from Alforza to here fucks up the sleeping schedule. When we wake up tomorrow morning and leave. It''ll be the middle of the night in Alforza. Now that I have the ability to teleport anywhere I want, it doesn''t make travel hard. That''s one of the major hindrances Sally and I have encountered. The amount of time it''s taken to get from one ce to another. Regardless of flying or not. There is no way you can make an argument flying is superior to teleportation. Sure it looks better, but teleportation is the best way to move. "What do you think Taaro and the others are up to right now in Maero? I''m not sure if they''re ready for a war with The Regaliance Kingdom, but I do know they have the heart and souls of people who want change... Do you think that''s enough..." Sally has been thinking a lot about our future involvement in the uing war. I told The Des''merta I''d help them, but I wouldn''t win their war for them. Personally, I think they''ll win. But their use of Rahab is going to cause trouble. When The Last Levithian finds out it was manipted by The Des''merta, it''ll want retribution. And there is no way it''ll be something small. He''ll want lives in exchange. "It''s not The Des''merta I''m worried about... It''s their use of Rahab... If they use The Last Levithan to destroy the capital city of The Regaliance Kingdom, they''ll definitely win the war... Rahab will want payment for such a trick..." The tiredness is clear in our voices, and she''s quick to run a hand down my back. Our armor and clothes are unequipped. One of my favorite things is when she gently runs her nails down my back. I also really like it when they go down my back roughly, but that''s only reserved for a special time. The Des''merta are good people but are underpowered and old-fashioned. That''s a losingbo against an enemy like they''re after. Rahab will probably want an exnation from me since I know about what''s going on. Maybe he''ll even want something from me for allowing this to happen. But I''m not a God or a King. I can''t force or stop something from happening because I don''t like it. That''ll be the height of hypocrisy for me. I''m always telling people to do what they want, and be who they want. To survive and thrive. If I try to stop The Des''merta from using Rahab, it''ll be like saying I have a say or authority over their decisions. In some sick sense, maybe I do have power like that. But it''s not something I want to use. They''re responsible for their own actions. "There was a time when we''d never do something like that... Remember... Always on our own, only helping the few... Not the many... My only recollection of something like this is The Dryad Kingdom..." That reminds me of a simpler time... When everything wasn''t soplicated and distorted... Hard to follow... Sometimes, I think I''ve devolved from that time... What does that say about me? "I know... From what I heardst, The Dryads are looking for a new ce to conquer since The Fall Of Bellvia. Now that their enemy has perished, the search for a new home is underway." When I heard The Dryads will be starting wars in hopes of newnds to call their own, I couldn''t help chuckling a little to myself. They seemed ready to ept something different. A lesser path if I could describe it. Bellvia was responsible for their fall, and now that Bellvia has fallen itself. It stands to reason they''re looking for a new purpose of sorts. "I''m sure you''ve heard the stories of The Fairy Kingdom and their history with me. Most of this was before we met, but I remember when I revived The Holy Willow Tree with some of my own Divine Power... It changed a lot of lives that day..." A burst of lightughter leaves her lips, and I''m a bit confused as to why she finds this funny. She sees my confusion and ys with my chin. "For all the exploits you already aplished at the time, I never believed I''d meet you. Let alone know you... I thought you''d be like any other powerful man. Abusive, arrogant, and wrathful. But you''re not. Well, not abusive and wrathful." I do tend to be arrogant from time to time. But that''s what happens when you gain a lot of power in a short amount of time. It''s not long before the silence between us makes us even more tired mentally, and I''m soon asleep. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:49 AM)~~~ My eyes slowly open, and I look at the window which the sun is shining through. A sigh escapes my lips as I lean up. I look over, and Marcus isn''t in his bed. I''m betting he stayed in Kelly''s roomst night. Not that I me him. The girl is a looker. Today is the day Cera heads back to the ce known as Alforza. It was nice seeing my brother again. I stand up from my bed and head for the bathroom. Hoping in the shower and cleaning up my own body. I''m the only one left out of my siblings without a partner. Way to make the oldest feel inferior, guys... "They always find a way to annoy me... Even when they''re not here... How the hell do they do that..." It''s a trick I''ve been wanting to master for a long time, but I''ve never gotten a handle on it. Cera is purposeful when he does it. Marcus is doing it on ident and doesn''t know he''s annoying me. Which is worse in some cases. I finish up in the shower and make my way out of the room. Heading downstairs for breakfast time, and I see Cera and Sally just sitting down at a booth. I make my way over and take a seat next to my brother. "This is the earliest I''ve ever seen you get up, sis." That''s a joke in poor taste. I''ve gotten up way earlier on several asions. Especially when I was chasing my dream of being an actress. Which, y''know. Failed. "Be quick to order. With more and more yers waking up, the food down where will run out." Yeah, yeah. I know that. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:34 AM)~~~ We''re all outside now, and Marcus is rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Kelly is next to him, more attached than she should be, considering their age difference. But I know what they''re up to, and I guess it doesn''t matter at this point. Sally stands next to me, and I look at my sister Hailey. I can see she wants to say something, and I have to resist the urge to make this a brother-sister rivalry thing. "The eldest sister Hailey... Just know that if you ever need anything from me, don''t be afraid to reach out. I can easilye and go now..." Instead of saying anything in response to me, she rushes over and wraps me in a hug. I didn''t think Hailey missed me this much. But I guess our rtionship has gotten much better over thisst year. We''re closer now than ever before. I hug her back, and she lets go soon enough. I use my Angelic Teleportation, and we''re back in Alforza in a sh of light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 654 Back In The Underground City Of Maero [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:15 PM)~~~ Sally takes a step away from me and stretches out her arms. Taking a deep breath and releasing. Right before throwing up all the food we had just a little bit ago. She''s on her hands and knees as she lets everything out. I can''t help rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment. Everyone around us at the moment is staring at her and me. I''m easily recognizable due to the halo above my head. "BLAAAAAARGH!!" My thoughts are halted as a new onught picks up for Sally. I make my way over to her and help her to her feet. Making our way to a private spot near the glowing river. Since Maero is underground, the artificial lighting is required. I remember when we first saw this ce it''s one of the most beauti-... "RAAAAAAGHH!" And it''s ruined. My lovely girlfriend unleashes more of what she packed away for breakfast this morning into the river. Making it change color in the process. I don''t even know how she did that, but I''m not going to give it much thought. To be honest, Ipletely forgot that Sally gets sick when I use my Angelic Teleportation, and I can only assume it has something to do with Divinity. "I forgot..." "BLAAAA!" "It makes me sick..." All I can do is rub the back of my girlfriend and try to be here for her. There really isn''t a problem to solve here, and that just means I''ve gotta wait here. She probably won''t want to eat for a while, and that''s understandable. My thoughts turn toward my mom. Or I should say, my two moms. Amelia and Violet will prove to be problems for me. Keeping each of them unaware of the other is working for now, but eventually, they''ll find out about each other. I don''t know how they''ll handle it. Dad is someone I can trust to keep a cool head, but both of my moms are really... Overprotective and overbearing. If only there were a way to do this easily. "GRAAAAHH!" Again, my thoughts are ruined as my attention is brought back to Sally. She''s having a worse reactionpared tost time, but this is probably because she ate something before we made our way here. A light chuckle escapes my lips as this continues. However, that proves to be a poor choice since she looks at me with anger and genuine hurt. I''m sorta at a loss for words. "You''re the reason I''m like this..." "HRAAAGH!!" "And you''reughing about it..." There is nothing in the world that can stop a smile from appearing on my face. I try to hold in myughter as best I can. Ites out a cough, and I struggle to keep it contained. But there is only so much someone can do when ites to containing augh. I let loose, and it only further infuriates Sally. She''s about to reprimand me, but she''s too busy leaning over the once pretty river turning green. "Oh, Sally..." I wipe some stray tears from my eyes. "I love you." This is one of those moments where you''re d you have another to share them with. They''re not bad when it''s like this. Imagine if she were here alone, but instead, I''m here. Laughing at the actual suffering. Cause it''s not every day a girl like Sally lets her control slip. It''s a wonderful thing to see, and one I know I''ll never get used to. Which makes it even better. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:12 AM)~~~ It''s nighttime where they''re at, and I can only guess what they''ll be up to. Cera doesn''t really talk about the things he''s doing, and I guess I get that. I just wish he''d open up to me more. I can tell something was really bothering him. But I never got the chance to ask. Sally did a good job distracting me from getting a chance to ask, but that''s neither here nor there. Right now, we''re at the Arena and enjoying the tournament. It''s only a matter of time before we''re up again. Today should be thest day, which means I''ll be facing Plutonium soon enough. Even if I beat him, I''m probably still gonna have to face Marcus. It''s not looking all that hot for old Hailey. But whoever said being strong was easy. It makes things easier, but it''s not easy. There is a distinct difference. "What''s on your mind? You haven''t said a thing since Cera left. In fact, I think you have a weird rtionship with him." I''m pulled out of my thoughts by the girl next to me. Rianna meets my eyes as I turn my head to see who said that. I don''t know what she''s talking about, and she looks confused at my confusion. She fidgets in her seat and moves her head to the side slightly. "You mean... You don''t know..." This is getting ridiculous. If she''s got something to say, just say it. "Spit it out, Rianna. I''m not gonna sit here and y 20 questions with you." She takes a moment and clears her throat. Trying to find the right words. But before she can, Marcus does instead. And what he says truly disturbs me. It makes my skin crawl, and it makes me want to puke. To say such a thing to me. "You were undressing him with your eyes, sis. I know you''re messed up and all, but having a crush on our brother is unhealthy. I''d tell mom and dad, but I can''t really do that since. Well, you know." That''s the most outrageous and stupid thing I''ve ever heard. I don''t have a... Ugh. Crush. On my brother. That''s disgusting. I care about the jackass, but no way in hell do I have any feelings for him beyond sibling. "You two are disgusting. There isn''t anything or anyone in the world that would make me feel any way about Cera other than Cera. And the fact you two think so says more about you two than ever before." That''s the worst thing I''ve heard in my entire life. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:20 AM)~~~ Okay, from that reaction, I probably do have it wrong. But there are times I see the way Hailey looks at Cera. I don''t know what to call it other than... Desire? I wouldn''t know. Cera and Hailey have always been closer than them and I. I''ve been the odd man out, and I''m grateful for that. I wasn''t caught in any of their rivalries and fights. "No need to get so mad. From that response, it''s safe to say we''re wrong." That''s all I''m gonna say for now. No need to say anything else. It''d be adding fuel to the fire. I can see I''ve thoroughly ruined my sister''s mood. It''ll be at least an hour or so before either of us fights in the next round of the tournament. So, it''ll just be awkward silence from here on out. "I can''t believe you thought that!!" Maybe not so silent. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:41 PM)~~~ The terrible nausea is finally gone, and I''m able to see straight again. Cera and I are walking through a rather romantic part of town. He''s holding me close as we do. Taaro knows we''re back in town, and she''lle by when they''ve made a decision. "Was it really that funny?" I can''t help feeling just a little bitter about what happened. But all he does is smile at me and boop my nose. "I can''t help it. Wouldn''t it be funny if I was in that situation? Just imagine it for a second." I do, and I can''t help chuckling a little, either. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 655 The Tournament Continues [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:45 PM)~~~ We''re entering the final stages of the tournament, and only the strongest yers remain anymore. After the next two matches, it''s Plutonium versus me. The system made some changes earlier, and the tournament has been passing fast. It''s caused only the strongest to make it this far. Sadly, Rianna was knocked out earlier by Marcus himself. And Kelly was defeated by a yer with a Legacy ss. That leaves only Marcus and me with a chance to reach the finals. The tournament has been constructed to the point where Marcus and I could meet in the finals. That would actually be something I have fun with. While I know Marcus has more firepower than me and has better odds of beating me. I still want to see if I can beat him. The gap between us isn''t that big, I excel in ces he doesn''t. And that could be what tips the bnce in my favor. Kelly and Rianna are hanging out on their own in another part of the Jaerey. Leaving Marcus and me to stay at the Arena. "How much longer do you think it''ll be until you face Plutonium? These next two matches could take a while. The system adjusting the match length has made the final stretch of the tournament longer." He''s right about that... That''s one change I didn''t like. The system rearranged the order of fights but in exchange. It''s extended the match''s time limit. I think it''ll be around 45 minutes before my long-awaited match with Plutonium begins. It''ll be the first time I fight someone that''s a Legendary ss holder other than Marcus. Even if I lose, I''ll still learn a lot about fighting and dealing with a powerful opponent. "It''s going to be 45 minutes at the least. But the tournament has passed way faster, even with the longer matches. It''s thesest few matches that are taking a long time." My eyes drift to the viewing box, and I see General Daenal Roane sitting up there, waiting for the match to end. There is an interest in his eyes. I can see him from our own viewing box. Courtesy of my brother, Cera. Speaking of Cera, what everyone said earlier has been eating at me. I can''t believe they thought I had something for my brother. That''s the weirdest and most disgusting thing I''ve ever heard. But looking in from their perspective, I guess someone coulde to that conclusion. He''s seen me naked too. On ident, of course. "Can I ask you something, Marcus? And no matter what that question is, you can''t ask me about what I asked it." That''s a mouthful, but I don''t want any more of this being talked about. There is something I wish to know, and that''s the specific reason why they thought I had something for my brother. That way, I can avoid doing that in the future. Marcus rolls his eyes as he looks at me, and I can see he already knows what I''m about to ask. He nods his head a single time and gives me permission to ask the question. "What specifically was it that made people think I had feelings for my brother? That''s not something I ever thought or expected toe up, and I''m thoroughly disturbed." He''s rxing in his seat, and calmly looking out into the Arena as the battle down below continues. There is a squint in his eyes that I can''t describe. Marcus is way more mature at his age than I was at his age. A single breath before he speaks is all I need to prepare for what he''s about to say. "There is a tension you have with him. After thinking about it for a while, I don''t think you''re in love with Cera. But I do think you''re in love with the idea of him. The best way I can put it is maybe you''ll try to find someone who fills the same role as Cera does in your life." That''s the mostplicated and convoluted thing I''ve heard in a long time; I remember the first time mom and dad had an argument about money problems. I''m not a psychologist or psychiatrist. And neither is Marcus, so I''m not putting much stock in what he says. My attention falls back to the Arena, and my mind tries to find other things to think about. But it turns out Marcus isn''t done talking about this. "I mean, every partner you''ve had is either the exact opposite of Cera. You''repensating for something, and there is no denying it. It''s clearly seen." I''m growing sick of this conversation, and I''m not going to participate in it anymore. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:20 PM)~~~ Hailey is on her way down to the Arena to start her match with Plutonium. I''m betting she''ll win. After watching Plutonium''s matches all this time, there is a distinct difference between Hailey and Plutonium. My thoughts are interrupted as Rianna and Kelly walk into the room. They make their way over to the free seats and plop down. Kelly moves hers closer and makes sure we''re having some physical contact. "We''re just in time! Who do you think is going to win?!" Kelly''s infectious energy spreads to Rianna as she asks that question. "I don''t know, but I''m looking forward to it." I don''t respond. They''re talking enough for three people. As they continue to cluck, my mind drifts to the conversation I had with Hailey earlier. I genuinely don''t think she''s in love with Cera, but she subconsciously seeks men who fill the parts in her life Cera does. And when Cera and Hailey are going through a rough patch, she seeks men who are the opposite of Cera. I remember learning in school that sometimes people seek members of the opposite sex based on their parental figures. Or, in some cases, the siblings. I think that''s what''s going on with Hailey. Being a smart student has its benefits, after all. "After this match. Yours is up next, right, Marcus?" I''m taken from my thoughts by a question from Kelly. My match is after Plutonium and Hailey''s. I''m going against someone who has a Legacy Grade Ice Mage ss. My victory is in the bag. "It''s not me I''m worried about. While I''m confident Hailey will win her match, you never know what Plutonium has hidden from everyone in anticipation for this match." That''s what I''d do. Hide the best I''ve got for what I face someone who can beat me. And Hailey''s done the same. They''re both physical sses. Bearing ded weapons. Hailey has the advantage there, but Plutonium has a fantastic defense. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:25 AM)~~~ Marcus has just sent me a message that Hailey''s match is about to start. Sally and I are enjoying thefort of a silky bed. After getting back to our room, we spend some time letting out built-up stress. We reached a point where we could go to sleep. So our schedule is fixed, and we don''t have to fix itter. As for my sister, I think she''ll win. I''d put money on it if I were there right now. But right now, I''m enjoying the soft and warm body of my sleeping girlfriend. She''s doing betterpared to yesterday. The poor girl didn''t stop puking until we made it back to our room. It took a while to get rxed, and I used some of my healing abilities. Having to activate my Divine Title to use them sucks, but it was a small price to pay. We''re meeting up with Taaro today, and I''m looking forward to conversation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 656 Fight Between Hailey And Plutonium [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:30 PM)~~~ Plutonium stands across from me, and I can see he''s been looking forward to this match-up. The counter ising down from 30, and the match will start when it hits zero. He takes a breath and closes his eyes. After a couple of seconds, he opens them again. "I''ve been looking forward to this for a while now, Hailey. When I heard Marcus, and you were in town, I figured I could finally have a challenge. And seeing you fight so far, you''ve been holding back. Just like me." He''s right about that. I haven''t pulled out all the stops in this tournament. This is the match I know I''ll have to go all out with. Even if I win this, I''ll still have to face my brother in the final. The counter is at 15 seconds now, and the crowd is screaming and cheering. A bunch of different things. Bets, encouragements, and put-downs. My eyes turn back to Plutonium, and he''s confident but not cocky. He''sposed. Controlled. "Whoever wins this fight goes on to face my little brother. On the chances you beat me, you''ll find him a worthy challenge too." The timer is in the final 5 seconds, and there is a moment of silence as the timer reaches zero. Giving Plutonium no time to react or n, I immediately start using my fastest speed. Pulling my sword out as I rush at him. There is a look of panic and surprise at my speed. The world is slowed down for Plutonium and me. He''s barely able to get out of the way from a sh to his neck. Wasting no time, I turn my body and point the tip of my sword at him. "Brint Divide." The simple saying causes the Skill to be used, and a vertical light 10 feet tall and a millimeter wide leaves my sword. Carving through the ground and making a path at the unprepared Plutonium. He takes a direct hit from the powerful attack, and the world speeds back up. I look across the Arena where he''s at and see he''s lost about 30 percent of his health. It''s the first time he''s taken damage this entire tournament. "Holy shit... Even when I activated my emergency defense Skill, you still took a third of my health... Duelist sses are no joke..." He stands up and dusts himself off. I get in a stance prepared for a fight, and that''s exactly what happens. He darts forward quickly, and the world slows down for us both. I can easily dodge his attack, but his unnerving grin tells me he''s got something nned. Just as that thought goes through my mind, he pulls something out of his inventory and tosses it into the sky. It explodes and covers the Arena floor in the dust. Some of itnds on me, and I get a notification from the system. One that significantly angers me. [Speed Debuffed Afflicted.] [You can only move at 70 percent full speed for 5 minutes.] My eyes turn toward Plutonium and a grin forms on his face. This is the first time I''ve been this angry at a stranger before. But really, I''m mad at myself I didn''t prepare for such a tactic. I made sure Rianna had everything she needed. I should''ve done the same, but no. I let my ego and arrogance get the better of me. "You have no idea how expensive that potion was. To slow down a Legendary ss, such as yourself, takes a lot. But I''ve got 2 more ready in case 5 minutes isn''t enough time to beat you. I knew your speed would kill me, so I had to slow you down." I hate fighting intelligent people. Before I can say anything in response, he''s already making his way over at incredible speeds. I''m not able to easily dodge anymore. I''m having to parry and block. Taking damage in the process. "Decay!" He shouts his attack as he brings his sword for another hit, and following my instincts, I get on the ground and roll out of the way. He wasn''t expecting that to the point it throws him a little off bnce. Using this moment, I get into a thrusting position with my de. "Eternal Devasation." With a simple movement, I push my sword forward hard in his direction. And a beam of white light escapes the tip of my de. It''s 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Completely engulfing him in the attack. As the dust settles and the damage to the Arena is seen, I look and see Plutonium has lost another 40 percent of his health. He''s only got 30 percent remaining. But I''m in a simr rough shape. The attacks he got through ate away at my health. I''ve only got 35 percent of my health remaining. And there is still a few minutes remaining on the debuff. "My God, woman... Where and when the fuck did you find such a powerful ss. You made me use one of my Legendary Skills to negate 90 Percent of iing damage, and I still almost died." He stands up, and I can see he''s already forming more ns in his head, wasting no time. I dart forward and use the speed I have left. I activate a few of my Legendary Skills and boost my speed. Taking him by surprise. He''s barely able to get out of the way and tries tond an attack. But I take this moment to use my trump card. "Deadly Reflection." As his attacknds when I finish using the Skill, the damage from the attack is reflected back at Plutonium, and as it does. The damage is enough to bring his health to zero. Ending the match in the process. There is utter silence from all over the Arena. And as I stand up straight, I look toward the viewing box my brother is using. Suddenly, there are roars from the crowds, and the whole ce shakes from the reaction. Before I leave, I turn around and see Plutonium. He''s sitting on the ground with a smile on his face. I make my way over and offer a hand. He looks up and, after a second, takes it. "Where did you learn to fight like that?" All I do is grin before I leave, and I make my way to the exit of the Arena grounds. ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:39 PM)~~~ My sister won the long-awaited and anticipated match in just minutes and some change. Kelly and Rianna are looking into the Arena, starstruck at the battle. This is funny, considering most people wouldn''t be able to keep up with it. After all, I was only able to see glimpses of the speeds they were using. I see yers below with the yer Interfaces, and they''re reviewing the match in slow motion so they can see. It''s not long before Hailey makes her way into the viewing booth. "That was amazing, Hailey!! That was the first time I got to see such amazing moves!!" Rianna is the first to greet my sister at the door. But instead of doing the same, I stand up and pass her. She knows she did good, and my match against my opponent is next. It''ll be quick, and the final stretch begins after a few more matches after mine. It''s something I''m looking forward to. Going all out against my sister for the first time. I want to see which one of us is stronger. She''s got speed on me and perhaps direct power in terms of attacks. But she needs a weapon to deal that damage. I n on using range and DPS to beat her. If that doesn''t work, it''ll be time to pull some of my trump cards out too. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 657 The Tournament Is Almost Over [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Marcus Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:45 PM)~~~ I look across the Arena at my opponent and see they''re already defeated. It''s only been two minutes into the match. The crowd has varying reactions, and there isn''t much to do other than leave. The screams of disappointment and the cheers of happiness echo behind me. With my match over, that only leaves two more matches with other people for Hailey and me. Then, we''ll be going on to the finals together. I''m looking forward to beating my sister. There aren''t many chances I get to prove I''m better at something when ites to my siblings. THe only thing I have on them is being the youngest, and that''s not something to really brag about in the end. Only if you''re the tallest or richest, and I''m neither of those things. As I''m walking through the lower tunnels of the Arena, someone up ahead is waiting for me. They''re wearing the guild emblem for Willow Tree. It''s the guild leader of Willow Tree. I wonder what she''s doing down here... Well, to talk to me. But more specifically. My siblings made it clear we want to be left alone, and that''s precisely what we expect from these people. I''vee to be annoyed by guilds too. I also understand why they''re so persistent, though. There are only a handful of Legendary ss users, and three of them are in Jaerey right now. And three of them will be participating in The Ruins Of Tasdir. This is the closest they''ll get for who knows how long. They''re not wasting this opportunity. "You and your sister have enough power to destroy guilds the size of mine on your own. Tell me, why won''t either of you even consider bing an honorary member of a guild? Seems like a waste of a powerful ally, should you ever need one." I believe her name is Wilted Rose. She''s one of the best guild leaders around. I fold my arms and look at the woman. She''s waiting for an answer, and she''s going to be disappointed. There isn''t any point or reasoning as to why we''re not in one. We just don''t want to be in a guild, and that should be enough of a reason. I know Cera would agree with me. Having free will means you can use that will however you want. "If we don''t want to do something, we don''t have to. That''s the difference between people with ordinary sses and extraordinary sses. People who are weak have no choice when ites to guilds." I walk past her before she can start talking again, and I soon make it back to the viewing booth. As I walk in, there isn''t the same reaction Hailey got when she won. In fact, no one even looks at me. Figures. To be fair, it''s not like I was the one that defeated Plutonium. That was Hailey, and it makes sense why she''d get a reaction like that. I make my way over and take a seat next to her. A smile on her lips. Now that I''m back from my match, we can talk. "Looks like we''re going to the finals, little brother. Do you think you can win against me with all that magic?" Very funny. "Yeah, I know I can win against you. The advantages I have over you make it impossible for you to win." I''m going the arrogant route to see if I can unbnce her. But her games with Cera have left a lot of ground to cover. She actually startsughing at my response. Reaching over and cing a hand on my shoulder before wiping a tear from her eye. "Oh, Marcus. Don''t try to be Cera. He''s the only person in the world that knows how to get under my skin with a single sentence, and that''s not a skill you can pick up from just being around him or me." I''m d she finds it so funny, considering it''s something I genuinely mean in the end. It''ll be a hard fight, but I''m confident in my win. That''s not changing. I have Skills that will slow her down that she doesn''t know about, and it''s staying that way until the fight. There is one thing I need to make sure doesn''t happen, and I want to extend the same courtesy to Hailey. "Hey, you better not let me win. Cause I''m not letting you win. No way in hell is that happening." The simple rolling of her eyes tells me everything I need to know about her stance on the letting-win situation. And if either of us loses, it''s not going to be something we pull out of our asses to look better in the end. Our eyes remain on the matches, and time slowly passes. We each go down when it''s our turn and finish our matches quickly. Soon an hour passes, and it''s the final match. It''s our turn to fight. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:48 AM)~~~ Sally and I are in the dining hall as we stuff our breakfast in our mouths. Taaro will be meeting us soon, and maybe she''ll evene to us while we''re eating. It''s not like we''re in a rush, and I don''t mind letting people wait and get impatient. I know it''s a cruel and immature thing to do sometimes, but hey. That''s how it works when you''re dealing with people who want to use your power. You always have to be proving that you''re above them, or they''ll use and abuse your power in the name of friendship and allies to no end. "When do you think Taaro will get here? Not that I''mining, the longer it takes her. The more food I can eat. Now that my stomach isn''t turning from yesterday, I can now feel the pain of an empty stomach." A short chuckle escapes my lips as I see Sally is warming to the idea of my tactics. It''s not long after she said that Taaro walks into the Inn and makes her way over to our table. She doesn''t look visibly upset, but I know the people above her would be. After all, today, they''re going to tell us their ns for taking on The Regaliance Kingdom. They''remitted to using Rahab, and I''ve told them it''s a bad idea. But they''re not interested in anything that''s going to make the war longer. I just hope they''ll be ready to pay the piper when the timees. Rahab will want something in return for using him against his will. "It seems you two are getting along fine with the food they serve here. Mind if I join you? It''s been a long time since I had a decent meal. The library doesn''t have any really good cooks." A little surprised at the request, I nod my head, and she pulls up a chair. Sitting slightly closer to Sally, but nothing to really make anything out of it. It''s not like she''s a threat anyway. All of a sudden, I get a message from Hailey. [Marcus and I are about to start the final for the tournament. I was wondering if you had anyst-minute advice for me.] Funnily enough, I get a simr message from Marcus. [Hey, Cera. Hailey and I are about to start our fight, and I''m hoping you have any tricks I can use to beat her.] This is a golden opportunity to mess with both of them, and I can''t wait to find out how much I threw a wrench into their ns. My response is quick for both of them. And all I can do is hope they''ll try what I suggest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 658 Brother Vs Sister [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:50 PM)~~~ My little brother stands across from me with a confident grin on his face. The message I got from Cera is a clever little trick. On his part, that is. A prank at a time like this is rather cruel on his end. He told me he was giving Marcus bad information. Giving me an advantage. But from the look on Marcus, it''s clearly seen something is different. I don''t know what Cera is telling him, but I know Marcus is getting duped. The counter is slowly going down from 30 seconds, and as the numbers crawl. I feel a weight slowly press on my shoulders. I''m nervous about fighting my little brother. Marcus that is. Cera is someone I wouldn''t mind beating and embarrassing. Marcus and I don''t have the same rtionship Cera, and I have. I actually have a normal sibling rtionship with Marcus. With Cera, it''s always a fight and always a game. In fact... Knowing him... He''s pulling something on the both of us... He is. That''s what Cera would do. Now, I''m in the middle of a dilemma. Should I tell Marcus we''re being fooled, or should I use that to my advantage... No reason for me not to use that to my advantage. I''ll let Cera fool Marcus is the prank he''s trying to pull on both of us. "I hope you''re ready for this, sis. Cause I''m not holding back as I have been." A smile appears on my face as the timer is almost at zero. We''re in the final 5 seconds now, and I slowly draw my weapon. The timer reaches zero, and the match starts. The world slows down as it does, and I start moving at full speed right off the bat. Before I can get too far, Marcus is already using a spell to change the environment. I knew he had Spells and Skills that are different from just fire based. But I didn''t think he''d have one or several that could slow me down. Marcus sends a wave of fire in my direction as my speed is now debuffed. I''m still fast enough to get out of this way. But that attack wasn''t meant to kill me; it was meant to test my speed. And now he knows I''m still fast enough to dodge attacks. He starts to use another Spell as Ind on the ground, but I close the distance between us and use one of my own skills. "Radiant Space." He''s not the only one that has abilities that change the way a fight could go. As the words leave my mouth, the entire area is enveloped in light. As the light disappears, it looks like we''re in space. With no one around. Marcus takes a moment to look around, which proves to be a mistake. I dart forward and unleash enough damage to take out 70 percent of his health. That proves to make him angry. He spreads out his arms and takes a breath. I know an attack ising and create some distance between the two of us. "Firestorm!!" All I can describe it as is getting it by a hurricane made of fire. 80 percent of my health is taken away, and he burns away the change I made. As I stand up and look at my brother. I can see a smirk. A smirk knowing something. I think he''s put together that Cera was messing with us. Or trying to. I know my brother, but Marcus still hasn''t experienced Cera and his version of pranks. "You know, you could''ve told me." He takes some bnce, gathering, breaths as he speaks. From that statement, he''s definitely onto Cera. I take a stance, ready for battle, and he starts up another spell. Not wanting to give him any time, I pull out one of my strongest trump cards. "Temporal Teleport." I disappear in a blink of light, and I appear behind him. As I do, I throw the tip of my de forward and pierce it through his back. Dealing thest 30 percent of damage I need to win this fight. As I do, the crowd goes absolutely wild. People are screaming about their winnings and losses from how this fight went. My eyes are on Marcus as he stares up at the sky. But there isn''t a look of sadness or defeat on him, only a fun determination. "That was the first time you fell for a prank by Cera. It won''t be thest." His eyes turn to me as I hold out my hand. It takes a moment, but he smiles and grabs it. I help him up and dust him off. Before we can leave the Arena floor. General Daenal Roane suddenly appears a little off to our right. He makes his way over and gives out his hand to me. I take it and shake his hand. He does the same for Marcus. It''s hard to read the man''s expression, but there is amusement in it. "What was an excellent fight, you two. I''m looking forward to working with the both of you in The Ruins Of Tasdir. Hailey, since you''re the winner. You''ll be the first to step into The Ruins of Tasdir. You can take up to 6 people with you. But it''s not required." That''s awesome; it''ll give us time to reach the ce Cera told us about. No one will follow us or go there. This is the best thing that could''ve happened. "You''ll have a 10-minute head start, and I suggest you use it wisely. The Ruins Of Tasdir are massive and haven''t been fully explored." Marcus and I leave the Arena floor as General Daenal Roane finishes making his ending speech. Kelly and Rianna are the first to greet us at the bottom tunnels. This win was thanks to Cera in part. If I hadn''t caught onto the prank he was pulling, Marcus and I would still be fighting out there. Getting nowhere and nothing done. I''ll have a chat with my brother the next time I have some time to send a message. For now, we must prepare for The Ruins Of Tasdir. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:07 AM)~~~ The messages I''m getting from Marcus aren''t too kind at the moment, but that''s not my priority for the time being. Right now, I''m standing across from the council Sally, and I talked to before we went to Jaerey to help Hailey and Marcus. This is the meeting Sally, and I were waiting for. It''se a lot faster than we thought it would, and I think that''s because everyone agrees with the way they''ll take this war. It''s a noble cause to stop The Regaliance Kingdom. But there are ws in every n. "The device to draw Rahab into the capital city of The Regaliance Kingdom isplete, and all we need to do is smuggle it in now." Theirmitment to using Rahab will only end in disaster. The Last Leviathan isn''t someone to trifle with. The mighty creature can and will kill. Nothing is stopping that. Everyone''s eyes shift toward me and are waiting for me to speak. There isn''t much for me to say in the end, but I suppose they''re looking for some disapproval with the n. I don''t know why they''re doing so, but I guess I can give them what they want. "You''ll regret using Rahab, but I can''t stop you. Sally and I will head for The Regaliance Kingdom and prepare for the war. But as I said earlier, we''re not doing the heavy lifting. I''m not fighting your war for you." Another war is about to start, and I''ll be a part of it. Makes me wonder if I''m the reason it''s starting in the first ce. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 659 Leaving For Jeelora, The Capital City Of The Regaliance Kingdom I [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:50 AM)~~~ It''s been over an hour since Sally, and I finished our meeting with the council leading this war against The Regaliance Kingdom. Jeelora is our destination, and one ce I know will be interesting to see. I''ve never been to a ve city before. Not really looking forward to it, but information and knowledge shouldn''t be rejected just because it''s terrible. I''d rather know what something is like than not know. Sally, on the other hand, is the one that''s least looking forward to this. Given she was a Sex ve 80 some odd years ago, it goes without saying she''ll be ufortable with the whole idea of going to an entire Kingdom that practices very. Makes me grateful I lived in a time on Earth when that wasn''t a legal practice. There are plenty of ces on Gaia that don''t practice very, but there are ces that do. Regaliance, for example. Sally moves a little closer to me as we''re walking the path back to our Inn. She leans her shoulder on my head and closes her eyes. I get the feeling. It''s almost 10 AM, and I''m already getting really tired. It''s mentally exhausting preparing for war. Sally and I will be in Jeelora before anyone else, and we''ll be there to help smuggle in the device. We''re not taking it with us, we''ll only be waiting there to help get it in the city. Apparently, it''s rather conspicuous, but it''s not impossible to get in. "Do you think the Des''merta care about making Rahab mad? Cause it seems like it''s at the bottom of the priority list. Is freeing the ves in The Regaliance Kingdom that important to them... They''d risk their entire people..." The sudden onught of questions takes me from my rxed state. Sally is asking the right things, and I don''t have the answers. Everyone reacts or acts differently in any given situation. To the Des''merta, it''s worth dying for. That''s amitment that many don''t have, and if they do have it. It''s because it''s ingrained in their souls and not something they just woke up and decided to do. "It''s worth it to them... I admire that part of them... Willing to sacrifice so much in exchange for freedom... While the Des''merta themselves aren''t ves, a lot of their people are captured. I can see the motivation." It''s been building and festering for centuries, ording to the history of the Des''merta. If you oppress people long enough, they''ll eventually rise up to kill you. Or, you can change for the better. It''s what America and Britain did. That was so long ago, though. Over 200 years. It''s something that you don''t think about until it''s pointed out to you, and it''s alive and real in The Ancients World. A sad reality that many disagree with. Me being one of them. "I''m really d we''re helping them. It''s not every day so much good can be done for so many people, y''know..." I can''t help hugging Sally as she says that. Sure, her life 80 years ago was before I was born and before my grandmother was born. But that doesn''t mean it''s any less painful now. At least, I hope it''s less painful. Sometimes, it does seem that way. But others, I can see she''s reminded of what was done to her. She had her revenge, and not many can say that. But the Des''merta can and will. No matter the price they have to pay. And that''s something I admire. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:41 AM)~~~ Cera and I are back in our room, and he''s heading right for the bathroom. We had a nice long talk on the way back. One that I needed, but didn''t know at the time. When ites to any very, I always get invested. Dangerously so. I want to help the people being used and abused... Cause I know what it''s like... Cera loves that part about me... Says it''s one of the purest things he''s seen... We had a lot of sexst night, and it''s not even noon yet. But I''m in the mood after all the support and love he showed and gave me. It''s hard not to want a person when they are there for you like that. It''s rare to find in someone, but when you do. Hold onto it. I''m quick to unequip all my armor and clothes. Spreading out on the bed in surprise from Cera, he''s still in the bathroom. I never thought I''d find someone that loves me after knowing I was a Sex ve... But Cera proved that wrong... He said what happened before his grandmother was born doesn''t bother him, and I see that it doesn''t. But it bothers me. Sometimes, a part of me wished that I wasn''t. So when I met Cera, it would mean I gave him my first time... But that was stolen from me long before... His grandmother was born... He''s good at making me feel old without even trying... I''m d we''ll both never die from old age... It''s something to look forward to... "So I was thinking we coul- Woah..." He walks back out into the room. Stopping in the middle of his sentence to react. A smile on his face, and excitement start to build on him. Seeing him react this way to me makes me feel like a person who didn''t go through so much shit to get to this point. The speed he gets everything off is almostical. As he''s put it. I asked him what that meant one time, and said it was a saying from his world. I wonder what that ce is like... It sounds like a nice ce to live... Minus the world-ending pollution disaster they faced. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:58 PM)~~~ It''s almost midnight, and I''m sitting at the bar all alone. Marcus went upstairs with Kelly. I already know what they''re nning to do, and Rianna is off practicing. She''s be much more motivated to be stronger. Two days from now, The Ruins Of Tasdir will be sieged by everyone who qualified during the tryouts. But my friends and I are going in before everyone else. Won that right in the tournament after the tryouts. "Well, I didn''t think I''d find such a beautiful ass-kicker here all alone on a night to celebrate." As I turn to see the person the voice belongs to, I recognize the person as Plutonium. He takes a seat next to me and quickly orders something to drink too. "If that''s a pickup line, I''d say you need some more work." There have been many times in my life here on Gaia where I''ve been hit on, harassed, and annoyed by guys who thought they were the shit. Sadly, Plutonium has the ss and ego to back up his feelings. It''s not every day someone almost beats me. But I guess from his perspective, I''m smoking hot since I''m the one who whooped his ass. Guys like Plutonium like getting beaten by girls. They''re strong all the time and hardly lose. But when a girles along and does it. They can''t help feeling like they finally found someone that can keep up with them. The same can be said in the other direction. Powerful women like powerful men, and vice versa. "Well, I''m out of practice. The only time I talk to a woman is my mom or someone like you. A person who can humble my arrogant ass." At least the guy is honest, for the most part. I''m not one of those girls that think every guy is bad and the same. But I do know many of them think alike. As do women. I can only guess he wants to hook up... And it''s been a while for me... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 660 Leaving For Jeelora, The Capital City Of The Regaliance Kingdom II ? [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The Underground City Of Maero, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:32 AM)~~~ It''s the next day, and the internal clock I''ve developed in my time on Gaia starts to wake me. My eyes flutter open, and I look toward the clock in the corner of the room. It''s a little past 9:30 in the morning. Sally and I had funst night. Speaking of the beautiful elf, her soft and supple body clings to mine as I lift myself out of bed. Today is the day we''re leaving for Jeelora. We''ll be getting the device from the leaders of the Des''merta people. "Mmmm... Please, Cera... Just ten more minutes... I''m sore fromst night and don''t want to move..." That''s a massive boost to any guy''s ego. The smile on my smug face disappears as I stand up and head for the bathroom. Given the time difference between our locations, Hailey and Marcus are likely in bed themselves. "You''re wee to join me in the shower." The quick patter of bare feeting to the bathroom take my attention, and the quick opening of the shower curtain shows the form of mypanion hopping into the shower too. Hot water is soon soaking both our skin, and there are extra dripsing from my metallic halo flowing above my head. It makes me stand out all the time. "How do you think Hailey and Marcus are doing since the tournament is over now? They''ll be heading into The Ruins Of Tasdir in a couple of days." My siblings will have their hands full getting a hold of the Legendary sses for their friends. I''m hoping there aren''t any problems they run into. I exined everything to her and Marcus, but you never know what you could run into when you''re taking on a Ruin. Ruins are the hardest content in The Ancients World when it was still a game. It went to Dungeons, Trials, and Raids. After the Raids, the very few who were lucky enough to find them discovered another difficulty higher than a Raid. That was the Ruin''s difficulty. There are few and far that are known at this time, and the few that I know of that haven''t been discovered by everyone else don''t make the list very big. Ruins are mysterious and ancient locations that hide incredible power. Usually, the sites of civilizations that are old and dead. "My two siblings will be fine when ites down to it. In the end, I don''t think there is anything short of Gods that can''t beat the two of thembined. The Ruins Of Tasdir are in for a 14-round fight." Sally looks at me with confusion, and that''s when I realize she doesn''t know what boxing is. In the 22nd century on Earth. Robots took over most sports. Boxing is one of them. Pretty much all sports ended before I was born, so all money could go to fixing pollution. However, it didn''t matter in the end. The money for sports when to other things. Like DDVRMMORPG''s. It was the straw that broke the camel''s back in terms of hope. Still, people tried till the bitter end. I wonder if Earth will ever see human life again. Perhaps it''ll heal once we''re gone for a long time. We''re the cancer that spread to every part of Earth. It''s sad to see it that way or say it that way, but it''s the truth. We were too wasteful. Now, we''ve started over on Gaia. No phones, no inte, and no pollution from our creations. It''s actually nice once people get past the panic. Which many still haven''t done these days. "It''s an old saying from Earth. I''ll exin it to you another time. Another way to describe it is Tasdir will have a big fight with my brother and sister." She rolls her eyes at the antics I''m getting up to, and I can''t help chuckling a little too. But my mind gets distracted. Her body is here and ready for anything. Just because we''re in the shower doesn''t mean we can''t enjoy some more time together. My hands find their way across her body with soapy ease. She releases multiple moans and presses her back into my chest. My rod raises and rests between her thighs as we stand. "I''m still sore..." Ahh, yes... But perhaps we can do something that isn''t so... Demanding. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:45 PM)~~~ I close the door behind me as I leave Plutonium''s room. It was a fun time, and I got a lot of stress out. Sadly, the guy is a quick shot when I get serious. He made up for it in other ways, though. I don''t want to hear it from Marcus when I get back. Considering he''s doing something simr with a girl that''s far older than him. At least when I found someone toy, he was my age. At least, I think he was. After all, everyone reverted back to their primes if they were older than it. Maybe Plutonium is some old guy that regained his youth and is enjoying it now. As I walk down the street and head back to the Inn where Marcus and I are staying, the night sky takes my attention. Now that the tournament is over, many people are leaving tomorrow. Half are staying in Jaerey. That still brings plenty of life and ie to the city. "You weren''t going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?" The voice I''vee to know so well since noon today takes me by surprise. That''s when I remember Plutonium is also a Legendary ss yer. Meaning he can move fast and silently too. I stop in my tracks and slowly approach him. My hand runs across his bigger chest, and he smiles at the touch. I do so as well. I''ll admit, I''d like to see more of Plutonium. But my schedule isplete for the next few days with The Ruins Of Tasdir. "I figured it would be nicer than having this conversation... I can''t see you regrly, and I don''t want to. What we had was fun, but I don''t know anything about you. And I have a lot of things to do in the next few days. Not to mention afterward." Instead of acting like a total guy about it. He crosses his arms with a big smile. "Of course, I understand. If we ever meet again, what do you say we go on a proper date, huh?" It''s nice to meet and talk to a guy that''s actually confident. Not someone needy, immature, and demanding. It''s rxing for a change. If you think about it, he''s got things inmon with Cera... What Marcus said about me having feelings for Cera still bothers me... Instead of saying anything in response, I open my yer Interface and send him a friend request. He quickly epts and gently grabs the back of my head. Bringing me in and kissing me on the forehead. Not the lips, but the forehead... That was... Strange... But nice. "I''ll see you around, Hailey. Shoot me a message whenever, and I''ll always answer. Maybe not fast, but I don''t think you''ll have a problem with that." He takes off in the darkness with those final words from my afternoon stand. Leaving me alone and thinking about how everything has gone today. "I really needed that." A girl has needs too. I spin on my heels and start making my way down the road again. Marcus is probably asleep with Kelly in his bed. I''ll be quiet when I enter. He''s been nicer than Cera most of the time. Mainly because I didn''t torture him like I did Cera when he was young. That''s proven to be a mistake. Cera caught on quickly and has since rallied up the score between us. It''s something that I also think about. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 661 Jeelora ? [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Jeelora, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 4:41 PM)~~~ In a sh of light, Sally and I are teleported from Maero to Jeelora using my Angelic Teleportation. As I look at the massive city from outside its walls, the sound of Sally throwing up breaks my immersion. Instead of doing nothing, I gently ce my hand on her back and crouch down with her. Helping to ease her. Angelic Teleportation messes with people that don''t have Angelic blood. "I hate..." BLAAAAAAGHH!!! "That..." The poor girl is not happy about having to travel that way. But it was the quickest way to get here. And The Des''merta want to free the people trapped in The Regaliance Kingdom and stop their sick practices. My attempts to convince them using Rahab was a bad idea have been fruitless. They''re convinced of the opposite. I thought they were intelligent people, but it seems that I was wrong. "I know that Angelic Teleportation isn''t on your list of things you want to do, but it''s not like time is on our side here. It was the fastest way. I promise to make it up to you." My lovely girlfriend looks at me with a crooked look, and I can see the deviant ideas behind her eyes. She''s thinking about bedroom antics. I was talking about food. But here, who am I to stop her from jumping my bones when she wants to? "Let''s just get this over with. You''ll stick out once we''re in the city. That halo above your head makes it impossible to do anything stealthy anymore. They wanted us to take it to the center of Jeelora, right?" Sally stands up and dusts off her clothes. Speaking about the objective as to why we''re here. We''ve even got a quest to proc. Sally has started to really get used to being a yer. She''s enjoying the perks thate with it. The first is the quest menu. One of the best parts about the system and having ess to it. She looks at me with renewed confidence. "C''mon, what''re you waiting for?" It''s not long before we''re in at the front of the gate. Everyone is staring at my halo. Word has likely already spread toward the leaders of this ce that I''m here. But I''m not here to speak to anyone. We get through the security checkpoint with no problems and start walking down the main road that leads through Jeelora. Eyes are locked on us, and that''s understandable, given what they''re looking at. Sally has be just as popr as me. Since people know her for traveling with me. We make it to the center of the city, and there is arge castle that awaits us. The guards at the front are being shouted at as we approach. Amanding officer barking orders. "You idiots!! That''s not the proper formation!!! You''re really going to embarrass me in front of Angel Zern himself!!!? I should have all you ves lynched!!!" That''s when things take a turn for the worse. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Jeelora, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 5:11 PM)~~~ "I''m terribly sorry for the disy at the front gate. If we knew someone of your status wasing to our city, we would''ve been prepared." My eyes burn holes through the King as he sits on his throne. He''s speaking slowly to Cera, and he''s red in the face. Mostly from his obese form. The King is severely fat, and beautiful ve women surround him. It''s taking all my willpower not to kill this man where he sits his fat ass. I hate men like this. Wealthy vers turn people into their ythings. This is why I''m doing this. "Thank you for letting us in your castle. But we''re not here for any pleasantries, I''m afraid. But before I get into why we''re here, would you mind telling me why Regaliance is the way it is? Who made it this way?" Cera has many qualities I love about him. His constant pursuit of knowledge and information is one of them. But there are times to suppress that. This isn''t a ce and people I want to learn about. The King takes on a thoughtful expression before pping his fat and meaty fingers. Several men and women in ve corse out. However, they''re also wearing robes of schrly design. Like they''re students or something. "These are The Keepers of Knowledge for Jeelora and Regaliance. The questions you''re seeking answers to aren''t known to me." Figures. The King is ruling over a Kingdom and knows not its history, only what it can offer him. We need to get this ughter on the road. Now. I don''t know why Cera hasn''t taken the device out yet and used it. Rahab will be here within a day of its activation, and he''ll go on a rampage here. It needs to happen. "What are you waiting for?" The whispered questiones out more aggressively than I wanted it to. Only Cera can hear me. Since everyone else is busy discussing how they''ll answer his questions. "I want to know who''s responsible for creating such a Kingdom. They have advanced technology and magic. Yet, they carry out intense very? That''s an archaic form of government for such a powerful people." That damned curiosity of his!! ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Capital City Jeelora, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:14 PM)~~~ "And that''s when Tesheldo, The Great, formed The Regaliance Kingdom. After enving the resident Des''merta, it was decreed that for the people of Regaliance to continue to grow, that ves were needed." That''s a brutal tale, indeed. However, I''ve entertained the knowledge of this ce for long enough. Sally is on edge and is about to blow. She''s usually more calm than this, but seeing this many ves in one ce has a very negative effect on her. "That''s quite a lot of history, and that''s only to the point of your Kingdom forming. That was a long time ago, as well. However, I believe I''ve heard enough." That''s when I pull the device out of my yer Inventory. It''s a cylindrical object with a button. It looks small now, but once I press the button. It''ll transform into a massive beacon. "Would you like to do the honors?" I figure Sally should have this moment, considering I''ve made her stand there and listen to the past hour and change. She snatches the device from my hand with no hesitation. Pressing the button and throwing it toward the King. He catches it and looks at it strangely. Before it begins to glow. "What th-!" "HAAAA-!! SPAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! A sinking sound of flesh exploding fills the throne room. Therge beacon sprouts upward from where the King and his throne once sat. Guards begin swarming the room, and that''s when I notice that they''re wearing ve cors too. How many people are actually ves in this city? A brilliantly bright beam of energy fills the sky, and it releases a subtle hum. Rahab himself is on his way here. The Last Levithan. The Des''merta will feel his wrath when this is over but to them. It''s worth it. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:10 AM)~~~ "We''re two days out from the attack of The Ruins Of Tasdir. I think we should start talking about a general game n. We''ll have a head start, and no one will be able to follow where we''re going. But that doesn''t mean we should just sit here and n nothing." Marcus breaks everyone from their breakfast, and that''s when I can''t help but mentally sigh. Rianna and Kelly hardly stop eating to listen to his words. He''s got a lot left to learn about women. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 662 Rahab Attacks ? [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: Watching Capital City Jeelora, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:24 PM)~~~ Sally is rxing on the cliff''s edge as her feet dangle off the edge. I''ve set up the camp, and now we''re just waiting for Rahab to arrive. My arm wraps around her, and a solemn expression forms on her features. Knowing her, she probably thinks about all the people who will die. The ves that will get caught in the crossfire between Rahab and the beacon. It''s on my mind as much as hers. Casualties are the unavoidable side effects of war. That''s what the Des''merta are in now. A war that will have people, innocent and guilty, dying. I''m not someone who can snap his fingers and save everyone. As much as people would like that. She leans her head into my shoulder and releases a deep sigh. My arm that''s around her gently squeezes her, and I kiss the side of her head. Sally has a lot of weight to bare on her shoulders. "Why do we always find ourselves in situations where lots of people have to either die or suffer? Due to our power, the system ys a role, but it just seems too frequent..." The question she asks isn''t one I''ve entertained. Mainly from myck of enthusiasm at the idea I''m the cause of a lot of suffering. Earth is one thing, but I don''t want my very presence inciting such events on Gaia. "Trouble often finds those of power. The majority of people are weak, which makes those who are weak seek out the strong to help them. Given our strength, the weak naturally find us." It''s a slightly cynical viewpoint if I get down to it, but it''s the truth. It''s how every intelligent society operates. Most of the time, in nature, you''re either strong or you perish. An intelligent society negates that simple mechanic of life. Much to the detriment of the people living it. Not everyone can be strong or wealthy. If it were that easy, there wouldn''t be any need for strong people. "There are times that I wish you weren''t right..." She''s not alone in that sentiment. I''ve been wrong before, but it''s usually led to even worse oues. "It shouldn''t be long before Rahab is here. It''s been a good few hours, and The Last Levithan won''t waste any time getting here. Probably using its most powerful traveling skills." Rahab is already responsible for the downfall of an entire people and several Kingdoms, and that''s just from what I know. I wouldn''t be surprised if The Regaliance Kingdom and the Des''merta are gone after Rahab is finished. Many would argue I should''ve done something different. Save the ves and Des''merta. If I did save everyone and everything when they needed it, no lessons would be learned. To most, that''s a rtively petty stance to take. Those who argue that point haven''t been taught the proper lessons to see that it''s right. The people of Earth are a great example of that. We''ve been taught a lesson. One that could''ve been taught sooner. Instead, we lost our world. Goes to show that when everyone thinks the same thing. That doesn''t make it right. "When we''re done helping the Des''merta, what will we do? Are we returning to your family, or are we continuing in Alforza?" The sound of her voice tells me how tired she is of dealing with Alforza and the things we''ve encountered here. There are things I still wish to learn about Arch-Angel Michael. His connection to Alforza. But I''m getting sick of this ce too. I want to go back to familiarnds and familiar faces. It''s something that I really miss. I haven''t seen or talked to my parents in a long time, and that''s something on my mind a lot now. Mom and dad are probably having a lot of adventures together, but I feel bad for not knowing what it is they''re doing. "When we''re done with this, I want to go back. We''re not done with Alforza, but I need a break from this ce. There is so much going on, and I want a break from it." She leans into my form even more. A way of telling me she''s in agreement. A few more minutes pass, and a slight rumbling begins to vibrate through the cliff we''re sitting on. It''s about time he got here. Off to the West, the same incrediblyrge and powerfully divine creature known as Rahab is seen. His eyes are red and full of bloodlust. The beacon the Des''merta has created seems to have the desired effect. "How many do you think will die..." It''s hard to say... But the number won''t be a pretty one... ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: Watching Capital City Jeelora, Desert, The Continent Of Alforza)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:44 PM)~~~ Cera and I see the absolute destruction Rahab has unleashed. The entire city of Jeelora has been ttened and carved apart by his attacks. The beacon is now destroyed and the red glow in the eyes of The Last Levithan disappears. One of the mightiest capital cities I''ve ever seen is now gone, along with most of the people in it. I don''t think this is the result the Des''merta people sought. The Last Levithan looks in our direction, and that''s when I realize Rahab can sense Divine power. Cera remains calm despite my growing fear of the approaching monster. It''s hard to think there used to be an entire race of these things. Rahab makes it to the cliff we''re on and is still towering over us. He looks down, and Cera stands up. "Are you the one responsible for that ursed machine?" There is genuine anger in Rahab''s voice. "I was the one tasked with bringing it here. The Des''merta people were the ones who built it." The eyes of the great Levithan narrow, and I can tell it''s thinking about how to handle all this. "Why did you agree to help them? You knew what this would do to me." This is where we''ll find out if we''ll be fighting this guy or if he''ll move on to Maero, where all this started. "They weren''t strong enough to fight The Regaliance Kingdom, and I wouldn''t fight their wars for them. That''s when they told me about their weapon. One that could bring you somewhere and destroy the ce." There is a brief moment of silence before Cera starts speaking again. "I warned them you''ll want revenge for being manipted, but they didn''t listen. As to why I agreed to help them... It was the right thing. They want the freedom of their captured and enved people. They are willing to pay the price you''ll want." That''s the truth to all of this. Rahab can me us just as much as he wants. But he''s got to see why this was necessary in the eyes of the Des''merta. Rahab turns around without any words and starts heading East. In the same direction as Maero and where most of the Des''merta people are located. The desert where they were born. And are likely to die. "The Des''merta are in for a ughter they''ve never seen before, and the people that are left alive are expected to fight against The Regaliance Kingdom. The capital city is gone, but that''s just one city. I feel as though they didn''t think it through." His perspective isn''t a wrong one, but I think the Des''merta know precisely what they''re doing. I doubt any cities or locations that house Des''merta are active. I''m betting they''re moving everyone somewhere safe. A ce where they can stage their war. "They knew the risks from the very beginning. You think they didn''t n for Rahabing for them?" As I ask him this, Cera runs a hand through his hair, and a breath enters his lungs. "Whatever it is they nned, I hope it''s smart enough to avoid their extinction. Rahab might destroy all of them. No way to know for sure. But I think you''re closer to the end scenario than I am. I think they''ve nned this for a long time." He turns to look at me with a smile as he finishes talking. His attention turns to the tent, and a familiar urge enters me. We''ve got some time to spare before we have to do anything. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 663 Done With Alforza ? [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:18 AM)~~~ In a sh of light, Sally and I appear outside Jaerey. She''s already on her hands and knees as she throws up into the nearest bush. It''s been a little over a day since Rahab destroyed Jeelora. Meaning we''re done with Alforza for now. We''ve decided to return to Jaerey and hang out with my siblings. Tomorrow is when they''ll be entering The Ruins Of Tasdir. The sound of Sally''s struggles takes me from my thoughts. I bend down and help her to her feet. She leans onto me for support as we approach the closest area for shade under a tree. The tree offers her support as she slowly sits and rests against it. It''s humid and warm in The Inds Of Haestar. "Get ahold of them. It''ll be a while before I can walk around much." This is much worse than the other times. I''m worried about her. The effects are getting worse and worse the more we use Angelic Teleportation. We might have to do it the old-fashioned way for a while. Taking her orders to heart, I open my yer Interface and enter my Friend''s Tab. It only takes me a moment to inform Hailey that we''re outside Jaerey. [We''ll meet you in about an hour. We''re having ate breakfast and making a game n for tomorrow. I''d like you involved, but I don''t think Kelly and Rianna can be in the same ce as you without freaking out.] As, yes. I almost forgot about the people my siblings are traveling with. It''s nice they have their own growing group of friends and allies they can trust. It''s hard toe by things like that. Now that I''ve got an answer, I sit beside Sally and wrap my arm around her shoulders. Gently parting her sweaty hair from her eyes. Her head leans into my chest, and she snuggles closer. She might be better when they arrive, but I couldn''t be sure. I don''t want to enter the city because people would quickly know it''s me. The metallic halo floating above my head makes picking me out of a public ce easy. "I''m sorry that my teleportation skill makes you feel this way. I think we''ll be flying around in the days of old instead of using what makes you this way." There is no immediate response from Sally, but after a few seconds, she slowly nods her head with her eyes still closed. She''s done with teleportation for a while. I get that. I kiss the side of her head and bring her closer. Setting her in myp and wrapping my arms around her from behind. The way she sinks into my forms tells me that she''s getting a bit morefortable. "I''m d we''re done with Alforza... But we''ll need to change our clothes again since we''re not in a desert anymore..." After a couple of minutes, she''s starting to talk again. Sally knows what would slip my mind, and that did slip my mind. Now that we''re not in a desert environment, we''ll need to get different armor. I can''t help chuckling a little. I don''t know why I find it funny, but I do. I''m great at remembering other things, but when ites to little things like the armor I''m wearing. It slips my mind, and I never think about it unless someone makes me. "We''ll do just that. When you''re able to walk, that is." A light gigglees from her too. Around an hour ande change goes by, and I get another message from Hailey. She''s asking where I''m at; I exin it the best I can. She''s only bringing Marcus since Kelly and Rianna will make a thing about it. Another 45 minutes go by, and a familiar pair of people are walking up the hill in our direction. We''re under a big tree just before the treeline into the forest. "Well, look who the cat dragged in!!!" Hailey''s loud voice makes the headache Sally has throb. My girlfriend is sitting up on her own and is doing much better. But she exined the pain she feels now, simr to that of a hangover. "Not so loud... I''m not feeling that good..." All my sister does is roll her eyes and sit down in the shade of the tree. Marcus does the same. It''s a nice time of day to do something like this. "So, what are you actually doing here?" My brother is the one to ask this all-important question. But in all seriousness, Sally and I are just done with Alforza. We want a change of pace and to do something that''s new and better. A desert environment isn''t something I want to entertain anymore. "We''re tired and done with Alforza, so we figured we travel with you guys until we found something new to do. It''ll be nice to go on actually adventures with my brother and sister." It''s something we''ve never done before, and I''m looking forward to it. I love my family, and I''d do anything for them. "Well, if we''re going the family pack route. Should we invite mom and dad? They''d probably want to get in on this. Well, at least mom would." Hailey asks a question I hadn''t considered. I wanted to find out what mom and dad were doing on their own. I don''t want to interrupt their time together without us. "That''s a bad idea... Y''know, Kelly." Thatpletely skipped my mind too. I must be going senile in my old age or something. Mom and dad would throw a fit if they found out what Marcus was doing with a girl around six years older than him. They''d definitely me Hailey and me. Not that it''s not our fault. It''s not really anyone''s fault. Marcus is strong enough to take care of himself. That means he has the rights and privileges as any other adult. At least, in my eyes, he does. "Tell us, what''s happened since west saw you guys?" Looks like it''s storytime. Hailey does like to know what we''ve been doing, and it''s not hard to guess what they''ve been up to. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 12:10 PM)~~~ "That''s when Rahab attacked the city, and when the destruction was over, and the machine destroyed, he turned his attention to us." Wow, they''ve only been gone a short while and already done this much. "The Des''merta know what they''re doing. I''m betting they''ve been preparing for something like this for a long time. They''re at war with The Regaliance Kingdom, and nothing will stand in the way of their freedom. Not even The Last Levithan." I couldn''t imagine the size and power of such a being in The Ancients World. Based on the stats of Rahab that Cera shared, it''s on par with certain God-level entities. "That''s enough about us. I take it you guys are prepared for tomorrow? The Ruins Of Tasdir are no joke, even with the information I''ve given you. It''s not like it''ll be easy." We''ve been practicing and running group attacks since the tournament concluded. Our team coordination has gone up considerably, but it''s something that could still prove to be our downfall in there. Kelly and Rianna simply aren''t at our levels of power, and that could be detrimental in an area like this. We all know how thebat works, and they''ll only fight enemies based on their level. But that doesn''t mean they''ll stand a chance. Level doesn''t equate to difficulty. That''s something I''ve learned quickly. "Kelly and Rianna are nervous. They''re scared that they''ll bring the team down. But they need those Legendary sses. Kelly and I have been talking a lot actually, and I want to run an idea by you, brother." Marcus answers before I can, but this is the first I''m hearing about the discussion between Kelly and my brother. Whatever it may be. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 664 Family Shenanigans ? [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:39 AM)~~~ Where does he get the nerve!? Just when I think everything is safe and I don''t have to worry about anything. He pulls shit like this!! As I look into the bathroom mirror of my room, that''s where I see my once beautiful dark hair now bright pink. I had bought magical shampoo yesterday after catching up with Cera and Hailey. I don''t know how he did it or why he did it. But I''m gonna get him back for this. No matter what. Never in my life have I dyed my hair, and now it''s fucking pink!!! "CEEEERRRAAAAAA!!!!" The scream of anger leaves my lips against my will. I can''t hold it in. Of course, my brother isn''t here. Only Marcus is, and he''s not up yet. However, the sudden thump and rushing of feet tell me he''s on his way here. He pulls the handle to the bathroom door open, and looks in my direction. A look of worry on his face. "What''s wron-..." He''s immediately silent and staring at my head. Looking at my reflection in the mirror. I''m d I''ve got a towel on, or I''d be more angry. It''s not long before he smiles and holds backughter. I spin to hit him, but he ms the door shut before I can. I hear hisughter from the other side of the door, and my embarrassment only grows. "That''s the best thing I''ve ever seen in my life!!" The redness in my face only continues to get worse. "HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Cera caught me off guard. I didn''t think he''d pull shit the same day that I saw him again. Only his prank is taking effect now. Marcus moves away from the door and eventually leaves the room. Probably heading to Kelly''s room. He''s going to tell everyone before they get to see for themselves. It''s not like I can change it back to normal. I''ll have to either cut it all off or dye it back to its original color. Which I don''t even know how to do. How did he even do this!!? Where the hell did he get hair dye, and how did he get it into my shampoo bottle!!? It was in my inventory except for... Wow!!! Now I''m pissed!! Never did I think his asking to use my room''s bathroom would result in this. He waited until I had already put the shampoo in the shower for this morning too. "AAAAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!" Another frustrated screech leaves my lips, and I m my fist into the mirror. Breaking it into pieces and rushing out of the bathroom. Quickly drying off and equipping my armor. I know where Sally and him are staying, and that''s where I''m going. There are certain things you never mess with. One of those things is the hair of women. Cera has crossed... I mean... This is just... "I HATE YOU!!" Some people and yers look at me weirdly as I randomly scream an insult as I walk. All I can do is try to control my embarrassment. But everyone in Jaerey knows who I am, and theyugh at me as I walk by. The great Hailey Adamo has her hair dyed pink, and everyone is making fun of me. Cera doesn''t know the hell he''s unleashed. This is a new low, even for him. I''m going to stick a sword all the way up his ass!!! ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:18 AM)~~~ Sally charges at me with her full speed and weapon drawn. I dodge the attack and kick her away, but she quickly recovers. Coming at me with another burst of speed. I Parry her attack and send her de flying. Pointing the tip of my de at her throat, and thus ending the spar we''re in. She smiles and goes to retrieve her sword. "You''ve improved a lot since you''ve be a yer. It''s safe to say there aren''t many people that can stand against you anymore." It''s nice to see she''s grown so much. She waves me over to sit next to her, and that''s what I do. She leans her head on my shoulder, and we look in the distance to see Jaerey. We''re outside the city walls. We needed a break from all the people. We''re some of the most recognizable faces on Gaia. A breath enters her, and I can tell she''s about to give me a hard time about what I did. "You know, she''s gonna find you eventually. Dyeing a girl''s hair is something many would never consider something to do as a prank. Even if you''re getting back for what she did to me." In truth, the reason I put pink hair dye in my sister''s shampoo was to get back at her for pranking Sally the way she did all that time ago. "You can''t tell me you''re not looking forward to it? My dark-haired and dark-armored sister with a sudden case of bad pink hair?" There is silenceing from my girlfriend, but it doesn''tst long as she fails to hold in her giggles and snickers. Eventually, entering a full-blownugh at the image of my sister with pink hair. I''m soon joined in herughs, and that''s when we both feel a chill go up our backs. Ourughing stops as I see a visibly dark aura in the distance. "CEEEEEEEEERRRAAAAAA!!! YOU''RE DYING ON THIS DAY!!!" Looks like she''s found us. The world slows down as I gently push Sally away, and I pull out my sword. The next thing I know, I''m blocking a strike from my sister. Her pink hair flying in all directions. She goes for another strike, but my wingse out of my back, and I knock her away. As she regains her footing, I look at her. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I can''t believe it!! You look even dumber than I thought you would!!" The red blush on her cheeks increases several folds, and she grinds her teeth like an animal. "You think this is funny!?! How the hell do I fix this!!? You fucking bitch!!!" This is a perfect opportunity to mess with her some more. "It''s permanent, you idiot. The only way to get rid of it is to shave your head. It''ll undo the magic. Until then, it''se out the roots pink." Her eyes widen in horror before darkening. That''s a lie, but she doesn''t know that. She can get it out after a shower with some magic cleansing water. She bends forward and shoots at me at her highest speed. Something I can''t keep up with. So, I wrap myself in my wings and take the hit. My wings take the brunt of the damage, and she does damage them. She''s got a Legendary Grade weapon, after all. "I''M GONNA STICK THIS SWORD UP YOUR ASS!!!" This is the maddest I''ve ever seen her. More than the time she bit my nose a while back when we had an argument. "What''d you expect after what you did to Sally? No retribution at all for what you did to my girlfriend!?" That''s when she stops in her tracks and looks at me. The anger dissipates quickly, and the world speeds up for both of us since we''re no longer moving at high speeds. "Ah!" Sally lets out a little yelp as she falls off the log we were sitting on. Standing up a few secondster, dusting herself off and looking between us. "Looks like the two of you are finished." My eyes are locked on Hailey, and she''s looking to the side in shame. "Hailey. It''s time." She looks at me, and redness spreads across her cheeks. She''s being humiliated, humbled, and shut up all at once. It''s not easy to take from someone with such a big ego. "Sally." My sister gets my girlfriend''s attention. "I''m sorry for what I did to you. The prank that I pulled. We''ve already talked about it through messages, but I haven''t done it in person yet. And I''m sorry for that too." That''s more like it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 665 Fangirls Suck ? [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:41 AM)~~~ Hailey and Sally are taking some time to talk alone. Hailey said she wanted to so she could show that it''s a genuine apology. Something she feels terrible about. Sally has already forgiven her, but I''m d she''s putting in the extra effort. Leaving me alone as I look out at the beautifulndscape. There is a beach in the distance, and the ocean is connected to it. The Inds Of Haestar are known to be wonderful. Some of the best vacation and retirement spots in all of Gaia. I''ve never been here in my past life. It wasn''t a ce that was important during the time of my escapades. The Ruins Of Tasdir are what made this area famous. There is so much power hidden away in The Ruins Of Tasdir, and the knowledge I gave Hailey and Marcus is what I know. I''m sure there was more discovered in the past, but that information stayed hidden. They want to get their travelpanions sses that don''t suck. Well, suck inparison to the people they''re hanging out with. It seems that all the people I know and talk to have sses Legacy Grade or higher. Yet, most of the yers and NPCs don''t have a ss Grade higher than Rare. "Mom and Dad will be the next people we get... It''ll be nice to have the whole family together again. I''m excited to learn what they''ve been up to..." Talking to myself is a habit I have during my time of istion, and that''s unavoidable. Conversations with yourself can reveal insights when you''ve been alone for most of your life. Most of my life is an exaggeration, but the times I was alone were the roughest I''ve ever been through. In the past, after Mom died, that was when things hit the fan. Hailey''s dealer is the one that killed her. I''m sure that man is alive out there somewhere. If I ever find him or see him. He''ll be in store for an endlessly painful undeath. My attention is taken from theughtering from another direction. I turn my attention and see Marcus walking up the hill we''re on with Kelly and Rianna. I''ve been told they''re big fans of mine. I believe I met them briefly. That was before Sally and I left after visiting them here. They''re heading in the direction of Hailey and Sally. The thought of joining them crosses my mind, but I''m enjoying this view... That''s just an excuse not to deal with fangirls. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 10:57 AM)~~~ "I can''t believe that''s how you two met!! That''s so not as romantic as I thought it would be..." Kelly sounds disappointed as I regain the two new girls with my story of how Cera and I met. True, it''s boring and a little out of ce, but that''s how we met. "What can I say? He saw something in me that day. I don''t know what, but I''m d that I got over my fears and joined him. It was hard initially, but I fell in love with him." Very quickly, if I might say. They don''t need to know that, though. I watch as both of them stare off in the direction Cera''s in. He''s looking at the beach in the distance. Taking a moment to himself. Men need time alone. Away from people. I feel as though I don''t give Cera enough space sometimes. We''re always together, and I don''t want him to get tired of me. "He''s even prettier than thest time I saw him..." Rianna''s words strike a nerve in me. Many women have looked at Cera with a look of lust and desire. The Spice we had in the desert caused something that I never want to do again. Cera and I were drugged into a threeway with a Des''merta Priestess. Xaro... Xero... I don''t even remember her name anymore... You''d think I would, but I haven''t thought about her until now. "Yeah, I can see that good looks run in the family." They know that Marcus, Hailey, and Cera are family members. Siblings as raised in the same house and under the same roof. "By the way, what happened to your hair?" The sudden change of topic by Kelly is a weed one. Cera deserves some time to himself and time when he''s not being talked about. Though I doubt that rarely happens in the world anymore. There are so many people that look up to and support Cera. He shouldn''t have the people closest to him acting like the strangers he doesn''t know. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:25 AM)~~~ Rianna and Kelly haven''t stopped staring at Cera since they got here. It''s really starting to bug the crap out of me. Sally must''ve gotten used to it cause she''s acting very cool about everything at the moment. However, girls that don''t respect the fact a guy already has someone isn''t people I want to associate with. Plus, that''s my brother, and these two are my friends. I didn''t think I''d call them that when I first met them. They''re that now, though. "Ladies." The edge and anger in my voice is present. The two of them look at me, and I can see the concern growing in their eyes. "Stop staring at my brother like that. Kelly, you''ve already gotten my youngest one. Rianna, he''s a taken man." Both of them blush slightly, but after a second, Kelly turns her attention to Marcus. Throwing her arms around his shorter body. "How could I prefer any other guy over my sugar bear!!" Oh, brother... At least she''s being honest. I can see that Marcus is a little annoyed, but he''s also happy. I''m not looking forward to when Mom finds out. The fact her youngest son isn''t a virgin and the girl who took it is almost an adult. It''ll be interesting, for sure. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 11:52 AM)~~~ Sally walks up from behind me and wraps her arms around me. The rest are heading back to the city and leaving us to ourselves. My sister is likely getting her hair fixed as soon as possible. "How long will we be staying? I know you want to reunite your parents with us." That''s a good question and a subject I''ve been pondering for a while now. I''ve yet to send a message to Mom and Dad. I''m thinking after my siblings and their friends are done with The Ruins Of Tasdir, I''ll contact them. I want to see how well they do with the information I gave them. Hailey and Sally are the only two people in the world at I personally know who have knowledge of the truth regarding me. The fact that I''ve gone back in time and have changed the future. They''re the only ones. Sally knows more about me than anyone. Secrets that not even Hailey knows. "We''ll be staying with them until we can''t anymore. After they''re done with The Ruins Of Tasdir, I''m sure they''ll want toe with us to get Mom and Dad." I''ve been apart from my family for a long time. The few visits and get-togethers we have everyone once in a while is nice. But I have a feeling with everything going the way it is. It''d be safer if all of us stayed together. "Then that''s what we''ll do. We''re not in any rush to get anything done anymore. That''s why we went to Alfoza in the first ce." She''s right about that. There is no rush. This is where a saying of archaic meaninges into ce. It was pretty popr in the early 21st century. Let the good time roll. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 666 Tomorrow, The Ruins Of Tasdir ? [I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:41 PM)~~~ Everyone that''s entering The Ruins Of Tasdir is heading for bed. It''s supposed to be a multi-day event. My siblings and theirpanions have an early entrypared to everyone else. Hailey won the tournament, which has allowed this. Sally is in the bathroom, enjoying a hot bath with some magical water to help massage and rx. I''ve thought about joining, but I''m not in the mood for a bath. Mom and Dad haven''t gotten back to me. I''ve sent them a couple of messages. It''s starting to worry me a little. I''d think Dad would take some time before getting back to me, but Mom is always quick. It''s been a few hours now. It''s out of character for her to miss any messages from her kids. I''ll talk to Hailey about it after she finishes The Ruins Of Tasdir. It''ll take them a couple of days inside the ce, even with Hailey and Marcus carrying most of the work. That leaves Sally and I to our own devices. There is something I''d like to do with her while my siblings are busy. The real question is if she''s up for it. It''s nothing dangerous outside Jaerey. It has something to do with the local Auction House. I''ll want to visit it and check out its new feature. Sally might find it fun too. "Are you joining me in here or not?" Speaking of Sally, her voicees from the direction of the bathroom. I make my way over and enter. Seeing her in therge tub already. She smiles as I sit on the tub''s edge and look at her. The bubbles cover most of her. "I''m not a bath guy unless it''s the only option we''ve got. Besides, you look like you need a bath." The slight mock at the end of my answer makes her roll her eyes. She sshes me with some water in retaliation. It''s nothing big. A sigh of content leaves my lips, and I roll my neck. Multiple pops echo through the bathroom. "Are you sure you don''t want to join me?" Now that I''m thinking about it, I could use something to ease the tension in my body too. It only takes a second to get all my gear unequipped. I enter the tub and sit next to her. She leans her head on my shoulder. What we''re doing tomorrow is important, and I''d like to talk with it about her. "I was thinking while everyone is busy with The Ruins Of Tasdir, we can head to the Auction House." She lifts her head slightly and waits for a better exnation. "We can get the armor that we need from there. We''ll have to stop by the bank first to withdraw some gold. Anything worth its price is gonna cost a lot." Sally is different from other girls in the strange fact she doesn''t like shopping. It''s something she''s not excited, entertained, or attracted to. I can sum it up to her past, but that''s how it is for her. "Is that the only reason we''re going..." There is a hopeful energy to her reason. Yes, there is another reason for going there. A new function to the Auction House. "Yeah, but I want to keep it a surprise. It''s something that a lot of yers loved after it was added into The Ancients World in the past." A smile of excitement spreads across her lips, and she moves onto myp. Wrapping her arms around my neck and locking her lips with mine. "Well, then. Tomorrow can''t get here fast enough, can it..." Let''s enjoy the night we''ve got. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 8:06 PM)~~~ Marcus is in Kelly''s room, and that leaves me all alone. I thought about bothering Rianna and doing something, but she was already asleep in her room. She wasn''t happy when I identally woke her up. Cera and Sally won''t answer any of my messages at the moment, and I can guess what they''re doing. Not like I wouldn''t either if I had someone to do it with. My thoughts drift to tomorrow and how everything will go. Cera''s information is always helpful, and he''s given us everything we need to seed. I just don''t know if Kelly and Rianna have it in them to go all the way. It''ll be the hardest challenge they''ve ever undertaken, and it''s not like there are a lot of ways to do this outside the guidelines Cera has given me. Rianna has grown a lot in strength, confidence, and pride. I''m d to see she''s so willing to do it no matter what. But when energy levels get low, it starts looking good to quit. "If I could, I''d have Cera help us in the actual activity..." The words leave my lips with no one to hear them. Cera can''t join us in our assault on The Ruins Of Tasdir. Since he didn''t participate in the tryouts or tournament, that makes it impossible to join us. The system has made it clear that no one outside those parameters can participate. Angelus is the AI that has turned into a God of this world. I''ve been thinking a lot about what she said to me a long time ago. How I''d be the one to guide Cera on his journey. I still don''t know what that really means. It''s hard toprehend the ns and plots of those that are Gods in this world. They know the future from everything I understand. In the world, Cera is the grandson of The Almighty Father. Meaning his ce in the power structure is very high, which is why there is a lot I want to talk with him alone about. I want to know what he ns for theing dangers. ~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 9:14 PM)~~~ My body is shivering from the pleasure... We moved our fun from the bath to the bed. Cera lies next to me and looks at the ceiling. His own release and pleasure were in tandem with mine. We do this more and more often these days. I scoot across the bed and cuddle as close as I can. His arm snakes around my back, and his hand grabs a handful of my butt. An echo of pleasure follows the feeling. "That was great... And I''m drained... Adjusting to the time difference between Alforza and here has me wiped out..." The words leave my lips with satisfaction and rxation. It''s nice to be in the arms of the man you love with no worries in the world. "Let''s get some sleep. After tonight, we should be adjusted back to the time in this area of Gaia. Besides, we''ll want to get up early to see our friends off before they head into The Ruins Of Tasdir." He''s right about that. "I want to talk to you about something before we go to bed." It''s something I''ve been thinking about for a long time, and I know that it could change things between us. But I can''t keep waiting. "Ask away." My heart begins to race, and my palms get sweaty. "Will we get married at some point in the future?" Instead of bing stiff or awkward, heughs a little. I don''t know if that''s a good thing or a bad thing. "We''ve got our entire lives ahead of us, Sally... But I get where you''reing from. I''ll tell you what, once I find out the truth about me. What my destiny in this world is. We can get married. Until then, it might be premature." Cause he could die... Messing with the powers of Gods and entities of that level could result in permanent death for a being of immortality like Cera. "Okay." It''s not the answer I was wanting. But it''s one I''ll ept. I know where he''sing from too. He doesn''t want to marry me and then die in whatever''s in store for him. I don''t know what I''d do if he died... Forever... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] Chapter 667 Assault On The Ruins Of Tasdir I

Chapter 667 Assault On The Ruins Of Tasdir I

[I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://.p-a-t-r-e-o-n/easyread. Remove the dashes. Webnovel censors the word.] ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 6:33 AM)~~~ My eyes slowly open as the morning sunes through the window of our room. My siblings and their friends take on The Ruins Of Tasdir today. Thousands of yers will be attacking it too, but they''ll be doing something else in The Ruins. Sally is soundly sleeping next to me. As I start to move in the bed, she begins waking up too. Last night was fun, and I''m fresh for today. We''ll be busy at the Auction House today. Of course, we''ll be seeing Sally and Marcus off at The Ruins Of Tasdir. Just because we can''t enter doesn''t mean we can''t be outside watching them enter first. They''ll have a head start; that''ll be enough time to get where they need to go. No one will see them or follow them. Which should help them get their hands on those Legendary sses. I''m looking forward to when theye out of this. I heard it''s one of the hardest activities the game can produce. "Can''t we sleep in for another thirty minutes, please... I don''t want to get up yet..." Instead of listening to her, I pick her up in my arms and carry her to the bathroom. She''s quickly awake with a smile at my actions. I turn on the shower for us, and we get in. The warm and magical water runs down our bodies. Getting the smell of sweat and sex off us from how long and hard we went at it. "Everyone entering The Ruins Of Tasdir will be there for multiple days. Including our friends. We''ve got ns for today, but is there anything you want to do tomorrow and the day after that?" I''d like her input in doing activities. Sure, we''ll be busy pretty much all day in the Auction House. But that''s something I want and need to do. There are things we have to get now that we''re not in Alforza anymore. Everything we do shouldn''t be about what we want to do; most of the time, it is. Sally doesn''t mind that it''s like that, from what I can tell, at least. But I want to do things she wants to do. "Well, I saw something pretty interesting near the entrance to Jaerey. It was built by yers. What''s an indoor carnival? When I read the information, it said it''s something from your world." Wow, it''s been a long time since I''ve been to an indoor carnival. Thest time I went to one was my 7th birthday. A little after that, money got really tight, and fun pass times weren''t a luxury anymore. The buildings we passed by were all normal-sized, so it''s being modified by magic on the inside. It''s not umon, but it is expensive. Large guilds own all the ones set up in permanent locations. "A carnival is a concept I can''t exin, but when tomorrow rolls around, we''ll head there. I promise we''ll have a st. Thest time I went to one was when I was seven years old." The reason indoor carnivals are so familiar and popr now is because that''s how they were on Earth. Pollution reached the point in some ces where you couldn''t have an outdoor carnival. It was impossible, and that''s something I don''t miss about Earth. I hope it''s getting better without us there killing it. One day, I''d like to return and see how it''s doing. If that''s at all possible, but I doubt it. The yer Continent proved to have takenrge portions of Earth. We get out of the shower and make our way to the door now that we''re dressed. Sally walks ahead of me as we make our way downstairs. Hailey is already at one of the tables. Reading from a paper. Everyone is getting up to start eating. Preparing for The Ruins Of Tasdir. I wouldn''t be surprised if all the shops, stalls, and stores are out of product. The stern look I get from Hailey tells me she''s not forgotten about the pink hair. Not that I did a day after it happened. "It''s nice to see two people that I''m traveling with up early. Sad that it''s not anyone I''m entering The Ruins Of Tasdir with. Should we get something to eat or wait for everyone else?" Hailey''s got an attitude today. Not that I didn''t expect it. Her nerves are probably pretty high; considering what''s ahead, it''s understandable. "I wouldn''t think they''d be much longer; we should wait." Sally is the kind one out of the three of us sitting at the table. Hailey and I would''ve both started eating without everyone here. "The actual assault starts at 8:00 AM. I was hoping to go over the game n one more time with them. I''m bringing them down if they''re not down here in fifteen minutes." The annoyance and anger in my sister''s voice isn''t hidden. She''s be the group''s mother, and she resents the role. It''s a little hard for me to see her like this... She''s changed so much from the Hailey I knew. And hated for a time. "Don''t worry; the noise from outside will do that for you." The walls may be suppressed, but not the noiseing from an open window. It''s already getting loud outside, and everyone that''s still in bed is likely getting up about now. More and more yers areing down the stairs for breakfast. ~~~(POV: Hailey Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:12 AM)~~~ Marcus stuffs his face with food and has no regard for manners at the moment. He must''ve worked up an appetite with whatever he did with Kelly. She''s also in a really good mood. In fact, the only one that seems to be miserable right now is me. Sally and Cera are gonna see us off at the entrance to The Ruins Of Tasdir. Once we''re inside, they''ll be heading to the Auction House. "How about you chew your food before you swallow, you animal." The joking tone in Cera''s voice causes a small chuckle from everyone, including me. All Marcus does is finish his current bite and stick out his tongue. The next three to four days are gonna be hard for me. I''m pretty much taking care of everyone except for Marcus, and that''s only at specific times. When we''re not butting heads, for example. I don''t think he''ll give me a hard time since we''ve agreed on what we''re doing for most encounters. Rianna, Kelly, and I will be running point. Dishing out damage and taking aggro. He''ll be in the back hammering our enemies with magic. "I want to say something before we all leave this table." My voice catches everyone''s attention, and Marcus looks up from his multiple tes of food. "If we fail at this, we''re not getting a second shot. yers will eventually find out where we went. They''ll look for clues and signs. Trackers will be hunting us." It''s a ce where we can''t make any errors. ~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~ ~~~(Location: The City Of Jaerey, The Kingdom Of Laasir, The Inds Of Haestar)~~~ ~~~(Time: 7:55 AM)~~~ We''re standing outside the custom-built teleporter, and my eyesnd on the infamous walls that surround The Ruins Of Tasdir. Thousands of yers are around us, and more are pouring in through other custom-built teleporters. It''s a ce I never went through and never want to. I''ll leave this for my siblings and all the other yers here. "Well, it''s starting in a few minutes, and we need to get to the front. I''ll send you a message if I have any questions. Please, answer as quickly as you can. And no pranks. This is serious." I give a mock salute to my sister, and she rolls her eyes as she turns around. "Good luck, big sis." She jolts just a little bit as I say that. She used to love it when I called her that as kids. Thought she could use it now. "Yeah..." Ackluster response... Here''s to their sess. They really do only have one shot at this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: Below this line, I''ll be keeping Cera''s yer information. That way, I won''t have to ce it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up. [yer (Zern) Lvl.240][Tier-4] [Exp: 45/100%] [Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)] [Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660] [Mana aura control: 6/100%] [Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000] [Stat Points: 470] [Armor rating: 500] [Inventory] [Dice of Wand (Divine)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir''s Whistle (Divine)] [Camping gear] [Fishing poles 2x] [Festival Garbs 2x] [4x EXP Boosts] [Princess Saliandra''s Panties (ck Lace)] [Desert Warrior Nomad Set (Rare)] [Passive Perks] [Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [yer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever] [Active Skills] [Heaven''s light Lvl.74 325/7400] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.74 225/7400] [sh Lvl.92 4600/21000] [Parry Lvl.68 85/6800] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingyer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controlled Fun] [Angelic Teleportation (Divine)] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!