Author's note: Whew, as always, please don't hesitate to give me constructive criticism on things like the flow of the story, writing style, overuse of certain words, etc etc.
Chapter 13: The Sage
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"Whew," Gunter wiped imaginary sweat off his brow, "we're finally here."
Kirhi averted her face and said, "Could you stop acting like you just climbed Mt. Everest or something? It's really embarrassing."
"If this were in real life, walking for almost three weeks straight would be totally an accomplishment, though?"
"And just whose fault is it that we spent so many days trekking through this forsaken wasteland?"
Gunter took a step back, seemingly hurt by the accusation. "It's not my fault! How could I know there would be a Death Knight there?"
Indeed, when they'd reached Gunter's chosen point, a cave, of which there seemed to be many in the frozen north, contained a non-aggressive Death Knight. They'd observed it for some time, but it made no move to engage them, so it was probable that it only attacked those who entered the cave to try and loot whatever treasures lay within. Death Knights surpassed level 200 on average, so they gave up and moved on. It wasn't likely that an undead like that would be guarding the lost entrance to the land of magic anyway. They decided to mark the spot and come back later, perhaps near the end of the quest.
While there, they saw some other players from a ways off, looking to enter the forest, but being chased off by a storm of arrows. From a safe distance, those players watched with envy as their party disappeared over the hills. They probably weren't players who had taken up Helmstad's quest, since that quest had failed two weeks ago with the onset of winter. Even if they were determined to continue, it wouldn't be easy for newer players to get past the hardened guard of the snow elves whose levels were above 100. Worse, now that winter had begun, the temperature was falling even lower and inclement weather obscured visibility. There was no one crazy enough to keep going with all these factors lined up one after another.
From there, they made a beeline back to the snow elf village to restock their supplies and repair their winter equipment. It was Veritas's turn to choose this time, and he picked a spot near the north-western edge of snow elf territory. The route was longer than their trip to the southern border, but he had a feeling they'd find something there, close to the unforgiving edge of the undead-infested frozen wastelands.
Kirhi muttered muted threats as she perused the merchants' wares, her mutinous words including such terms as "fucking unbelievable" or "that son of a bitch." Gunter apologized for her harsh language, but Veritas knew that they were all tired. They'd trekked for three weeks, and were looking at two more weeks, four if they made a round trip. During any other season, they might have been able to make these trips in half the time or less, but constant snowfall would leave the snow pack light and hamper their movement.
The need to stop at regular intervals to build a heat source was also a huge time sink. Every time, Gunter would sit as close to the fire as possible, chattering his teeth and complaining about the temperature, all the while Kirhi's temper would grow dangerously thin after each complaint.
With their warm clothing now repaired to full, courtesy of a proficient elven blacksmith, they wouldn't have to worry so much about the harsh weather degrading the durability. He would have done the repairs himself, but even after tending to occasional repairs in the village and while outside, his Repair skill was still only level 5, and so could only make partial repairs. Veritas was grateful that, unlike the Ahrah elves, the snow elves had a blacksmith to tend to their equipment. He hadn't noticed it earlier, much to his shame, but every snow elf hunter carried a short or longsword with them.
He asked once why they wore the swords, but he hadn't seen them use them, but he always got strange looks without a reply, which kind of put him out.
It kind of reminded him of his infantile period… He liked that part of his life the least! Or hated it the most, whatever.
They replenished their supply of food, flint and tinder, healing items, and a regional herb the snow elves used to keep monsters away for a short time. The last was suggested to them by Rem, who'd said, "I don't really care, but you are helping the village out, so think of this as an advanced payment."
Prepared, they set out. The first few days were uneventful. A monster here, a monster there, they were still close to the village so their levels hovered around 100, making them easy prey. On their way, the party happened to see another party comprised of wood elves heading for the village. They looked miserable, having dressed in summer clothing and shivering in their boots. Veritas wondered how they'd gotten here without dying, when there was only snow for vast kilometers around them. Gunter in particular seemed to perk up a bit after seeing others experiencing the same suffering he felt, as cruel as the thought may be.
Veritas missed having chakra to heat his insides; the game developers really went all-in on simulating sensation. It was really sort of a shock every time he logged out of the freezing temperatures into the lukewarm air of the apartment. Almost like phantom pain, he'd still be shivering for a minute or two afterward. Next thing he knew, he'd probably be at ground zero in a post-apocalyptic world! Like that would ever happen, right?
The striking realization that he'd been neglecting his training, missing the fact that the snow elves carried blades for example, influenced more repeated returns to the Kangha dojo. Chung-hee was ecstatic, though it seemed the disciples didn't share their master's enthusiasm. Probably because they were the ones that got their asses beaten whenever he showed up. There was only one caveat to his training at the dojo: to not spar with the trainees, who had not dedicated themselves to the sword in the same way the disciples had. The nine disciples were fast learners though, and every so often, Naruto found that they were able to counter one of his moves. Their victories were always short-lived, and any hopes they had for beating him were crushed every time he transferred his momentum into another sweeping attack.
Granted, that was while he used taijutsu. Chung-hee allowed this so that his students could get a dose of what it was like to fight a martial arts expert, but the second part of training was sword training. That was when the disciples would sport dark, cruel grins as they brandished their weapons, eager to pay back all of their pain and humiliation.
Naruto broke out in a cold sweat. "Uh oh..."
Forbidden from switching to taijutsu, Naruto defended himself the best he could. His footwork was simple, but his movements were swift and agile. Ha-eun, one of two females out of the nine disciples, took small steps forward, utilizing the classic swordsman's shuffle of inching the non-dominant, then dominant feet forward, closing the distance slowly without lowering one's guard or compromising the stance. For every step she took, he took one backwards, careful not to become unbalanced. He was at a disadvantage in a sword-only fight, and she and everyone here knew this. Naruto wished that he had the Sharingan right now, if only to copy everything they were showing him. Dojos were the only place he could learn swordsmanship, it wasn't something he could master with just books and clones.
However, the one area he did excel in compared to the disciples was actual combat experience. Naruto feigned a misstep, which prompted Ha-eun to attack with an immediate overhead slash. She was fast, but he was faster. And clumsier. He steadied himself and raised his sword at an angle, letting her blade clash and slide off his to reduce the transfer of force and weaken the blow, but he'd positioned his sword too far left, her strike hitting near his hilt, counteracting the effect he was aiming for.
[A feint, huh,] Ji-hoon said from the sidelines, nodding his head. [An effective move if he had the skills to follow it up.]
[Mm, but to me it was quite obvious,] said Chung-hee, stroking his goatee. [One as experienced in the martial arts as he would never lose his footing in a friendly spar.]
[Then, in a battle for his life?] asked another disciple.
[More likely, Mun-Jae. He looks to have considerable experience fighting, but anything can happen in a battle to the death, where even a single hairbreadth is the difference between victory.] The master adjusted his glasses. [Ha-eun is being too reckless though in her pursuit of retribution. Make sure to always control your own emotions, because strong emotions are a double-edged sword.]
[Yes, master,] the disciples said in unison.
Ha-eun advanced again with an overhead slash. Changing tack, Naruto raised his sword to block, supporting what would be the dull edge of a real sword with his left hand. Just before imminent impact, he thrust his sword upwards, deflecting her strike to create an opening for a counterattack. Releasing his left, he swung his right around to perform a top-down diagonal strike. Ha-eun dodged to his left and used the corner made by her blade and hilt to catch his sword. Before he could think of what to do next, she whirled her sword about in an elaborate disarming maneuver, sending his practice sword flying.
With her wooden sword pointing at his throat, Naruto slowly raised his hands in the universal sign of defeat.
[This is your victory, Ha-eun, but make sure not to get cocky,] Chun-hee warned, turning from her to face the other disciples, [the moment you let your guard down is when you will experience defeat. As you can see from your spars, he is learning quickly, and his technique, timing, and judgment are all improving. Do not let down our Kangha style.]
[Yes master!] they cried.
By the time the sun began to set, the dojo let out and he returned home. Naruto groaned as he sat down gingerly, body aching from the strikes he took across all of today's spars. He had a somewhat high tolerance for pain, but the Kangha style's practitioners always aimed for vital points when taking advantage of an opening. While he left a pot of water to boil on the portable stove, he checked his e-mails. Around now would be the time that the auction he'd set ended. Among newsletters and spam mails were two mails that caught his eye. One was from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informing him that his visa application was now being processed, months after he'd sent the application! Naruto clicked his tongue, disappointed at how slow getting past the red tape was in this country.
Ever since the COSEAN war ended, Korea had modified its visa laws to allow expatriates and/or exiles to apply for a visa, even though their home country would not issue one themselves. There were several restrictions in place for such people, such as not being able to start a business, among other things. After that, they could apply for a permanent residence visa separate from the one reserved for specialists given good behavior, payment of taxes on time, and a clearly display potential future worth for the country. He figured the whole process would take a year at the very least.
The second mail was from the auction site, declaring that his item, Claws of the Spider Queen, had sold for 4,172,000 won. His eyes bulged out of his sockets in comical fashion as he checked and re-checked the number. This was an amount almost half of what he'd spent on the VR machine itself! For one item?!
Ho, that is quite the sum, Kurama said, impressed.
Y-you see now, Kurama? I wasn't wrong! In his mind's eye, his nose extended several inches as he smirked, arms crossed.
Hah! Kurama snorted loudly in derision, get back to me when you can keep the earnings coming in at a steady pace, then maybe I'll acknowledge you were right.
"Cheapskate..." Naruto pouted.
How had the item sold for that much, anyway? The only thing he could think of was that. That thing. The straight 15% multiplier to attack speed. That sort of thing must hold extreme value to someone who had the money to spend so as to level faster than other players. Though the item was held back by mere 'just above average' stats, if the other items on the trading site were true to their descriptions, that boost to attack speed, especially to rogues who emphasized speed, brought the value above and beyond what it would sell without that attribute.
Naruto made a note to keep an eye out for those kind of attributes in the future. He sent a PM to the user, taking his time to struggle with typing Korean, explaining that he was busy at the moment with a difficult quest, and might not be able to meet up with the auction winner immediately.
"And, send." Boop. He clicked the button, satisfied, before turning to the now boiling pot of water.
"Time for ramen, thank you very much, mister stove."
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"So, this is it?" asked Kirhi, eyes darting every which way, comparing the landmarks on the map to their surroundings.
Before them stood a hut, a place of human, or other, residence. Given the amount of ice and dirt caked on the outside, you could also call it a hovel. Whatever the case, small evidence of wear and tear were visible everywhere, from cracked and dusty panes of glass to rusted tools sitting next to the sturdy-looking wooden door. The tiniest gaps of the hut's structure were filled with straw and other insulatory materials, and the smoke of a fire puffed away from the chimney with unseen diligence.
"Looks right to me," Gunter said, chin on Kirhi's shoulder as he, too, studied the map and hut with squinted eyes. "I never expected someone to be living all the way out here, though. This is awfully close to the most dangerous areas of the tundra, isn't it?"
Veritas raised his arm up and pumped it. "Well, let's go then!"
Gunter and Kirhi shared tired looks with each other at his exclamation before following him to the entrance. Veritas rapped on the door with a fair amount of force, stopping just short of hitting it outright. Though steely-eyed and resolute on the outside, he nevertheless kept a hand near the sheath of his sword, just in case. Noticing, the others followed suit. Beyond the doorway, a faint, muffled stepping could be heard. It cracked open, a drooping eye peering out to examine the unexpected guests. When their race became known to the inhabitant, the door opened fully.
"Humans? Ah, welcome, welcome. I do so rarely get visitors among these parts, humans even more rarely." He was an old man, stooped back supported by a gnarled cane and sporting a long beard down to his stomach. His weathered skin looked dry and cracked, even without closer examination, and an amazing number of loose skin and wrinkles adorned it. "Please, do come in and warm yourselves up by the fire, it must surely be freezing outside. Come, come."
They entered into the warmth of the hut at his invitation, the fire casting a warm, red glow onto every wall. Though clutter lay about everywhere, it did not seem inordinate in messiness. Rather, it provided the interior with a cozy, lived-in feel. Gunter was the first to sit by the fire, smiling in relief as the heat washed over his chilled form. Kirhi looked at him with disapproval at so quickly showing weakness, but she too sat by him, though she kept a safe distance away from the wizened elder for some reason.
Veritas stayed by the door out of habit, in case an escape route needed to be secured posthaste. An NPC probably wouldn't turn into some sort of last boss, but if things turned south, it might be a good thing to be near the door, was his rationalization. An excuse, really, he just didn't want to admit that he couldn't break the habit.
"So, what brings you travelers here?" the old man asked, sitting by the fire as well and rubbing his shoulders to ward away the chill from opening the door. "It's been many, many years since I've met anyone that isn't a snow elf, so am I right in hypothesizing that it is for a special reason you have come?"
The man was sharp beyond what his appearance suggested. Veritas's eyes narrowed a touch, and he chose his next words with care. "We're here on behalf of the snow elves, looking for an oasis."
"Hm, hm… an oasis you say?" The hermit stroked his beard, something bearded old men seemed to like doing, since that act brought up memories of Kim Chung-hee at the dojo. "I may have stumbled across it many years ago. Was it perhaps situated below ground?"
"Yeah, that's the one!" Kirhi exclaimed, perking up in a flash, sitting forward at the edge of her seat. "Could you tell us where it is?"
The old hermit closed his eyes and rested his chin on his hand in an expression of thought. "Mmm, I'm afraid this old man's memory isn't so good these days," He cracked open a sly eye, sharp and narrow, "though if you accepted my request, my memory might improve..."
"Wha-!?" Bolting up, Kirhi shouted, "This is extortion!"
"Dead men tell no tales, so they say," he said, all his features curving perversely as he looked her up and down. "This old man might kick the bucket any day at this age."
Though winter clothing covered every inch of her body except her head, Kirhi still recoiled and used her hands to cover herself up. "T-This creep…!"
It was true, though, that he might die at any time. That was they way Royal Road worked; NPCs aged. They could mature, be struck ill, killed, or just die of old age, even more so in the case of characters who were made old from the beginning. A game priding itself on its unparalleled player freedom and living world wouldn't allow NPCs, and by extension, the world, to remain static. There were still certain restrictions, such as that NPCs could never force the player to do something they didn't want to do, the player had to agree to the terms first. Even then, R18 actions were not allowed by either NPCs or players to maintain a friendly atmosphere.
"Well, adventurers?" He began spinning in his stool while whistling, giving the impression that he might not be all there.
~ttiring~
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Hermit's Request
A seemingly senile hermit lives in the barren wastes of the north, alone and far from any vestige of civilization. Though he desires the help of adventurers, none dare to travel so far north, and within elven lands.
Quest Difficulty: D
Rewards: ?
Quest Restrictions: No vital NPC must lose their lives, or the quest will fail.
This quest cannot be canceled.
Do you want to accept this quest?
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Veritas turned to face his teammates, who also looked to him. Kirhi shrugged and raised a thumbs up, while Gunter made no motions for several seconds, before nodding his head. They were all on the same page; this was their best shot at finishing the snow elves' quest. The D rank difficulty of this new quest and being unable to back out of the quest was a definite problem. They could only have a certain number of active quests before they weren't allowed to receive any more, but it was also a fact that chain quests had significant rewards and that they were no longer stuck at a dead end, a frustrating situation.
"Yes, I accept," he declared, leaving the safety of the doorway's shadows and stepping into the firelight.
~ttiring~
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You have accepted the quest!
Sage's Request
Sixty years ago, the Sage of Light once served the Keurion Kingdom as its mage-commander, securing for his nation the title of Versaille's Mightiest Magicians. With success came recognition, and new-found love. He married his then-wife, Ayla, and had three children, before he was once again called in service of the nation to lead an expeditionary force against the raiding parties of Kallamore Kingdom's knights.
On his return nearly a year later, he found his home destroyed, and family nowhere to be found, the work of Ledernian assassins not one month after he'd left. Through the testimony of the knights guarding his home, he discovered that the assassins had been routed after a lengthy battle, but the captain in charge of his family's defense had gone deep into hiding with them, fearing further reprisal, and hadn't been seen since.
He resigned his post and took to the roads, searching far and wide for his missing family, but luck was not with him. Finally, his search led him to an abandoned hut in the northern wastelands, but the trail was too cold, his family hadn't lived there in many years. Still, they might one day return, so the sage settled down to wait, hoping for the day they might meet again.
Find word of the sage's family and of what has become of them today, and return to the sage.
Quest Difficulty: D
Rewards: Sage's Staff
Quest Restrictions: Quest must be completed before the sage passes away.
This quest cannot be canceled.
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The sage bowed his head, saying, "Thank you, adventurers, if you can complete my request, I would be forever in your debt. As for the oasis you seek, during my travels I once stumbled upon that ancient land. It happened as I searched these wastes, wandering to and fro... I sheltered there for some time, before leaving and eventually discovering this place."
Gunter leaned forward. "Sir sage, could you tell us where it was?" he asked, now that they'd accepted his quest.
He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't give you an exact location." The sage's shoulders sagged as he continued, "In my youthful arrogance, and in my hurry to find my family, I failed to mark the spot. I since looked for that oasis again, but never managed to stumble upon it again."
Veritas came forward, withdrawing his copy of the map from his inventory. "Could you point out the area you found it?"
"Yes, yes of course." The sage received the map and looked it over, squinting as he dredged up old memories to place in relation to the map's markings. The several minutes it took seemed like forever, but he looked up at last to point at the map. As the party drew close, he made a circle with his finger. "It was around this general area, to the north. It should be within snow elven territory, if this memory of mine is remembering correctly."
The party stared at each other, at a loss. The old man had drawn quite a circle, encompassing at least four points of interest. Another problem was starting to gnaw away at Veritas, which was the matter of the oasis' underground nature. It was possible that the map only pointed out the direct location of a point of interest, and that the entrance to the oasis might, in fact, be located nowhere near any of the POI markings. Veritas looked at Gunter, who studied the map while biting his lip. It would seem like Gunter might have come up with the same hypothesis as well. If so, that meant they might have to comb the entire area, leaving not a single stone unturned, or the saying went.
The sage looked up. "The sun is setting, might you adventurers stay for the night?"
"Yes, gladly!" Gunter exclaimed, smiling.
"How did he know that the sun's going down?" Veritas muttered to Kirhi, turning his head towards her and covering the side of his face.
"Who knows? Might be an NPC function, or because he's not called the Sage of Light for nothing." Kirhi turned about face, letting the fire's warmth wash over her front. "Anyways, are you sure about staying overnight, Gunter? We're kind of operating on a timetable..."
"One night should be fine, right guys?" Gunter's eyes widened, pupils dilated, and a huge pout appeared on his face. He turned these puppy dog eyes on Kirhi, who groaned when she saw it.
"Dae-ho, stop," she said, eyebrows coming together. "No, come on, stop that Dae-ho, you're not a freaking child." Her lips pursed together as he continued, showing no signs of stopping. "Dae-ho. Dae-ho!" Kirhi groaned again, closing her eyes and facepalming. "… I can't believe you. Stop that right now! I'm not gonna fall for that bullshit!" Crossing her arms, she looked away determinedly. This went on for about an entire minute, before she breathed out a heavy "...Fuck!" followed by a "Do whatever the hell you want!"
As she turned her back on him, Gunter turned to Veritas, raising a double v whilst grinning. He leaned forward so that she wouldn't hear; "That's my trump card, it always works. Always." He winked, and Veritas would later swear that he saw a star twinkle out as he did.
They all relaxed as the embers cast long shadows against the wall. This was fine, they'd just set out at daybreak. Night was much colder anyway, and more dangerous enemies appeared during the night. Here in this bleak land, the already strong monsters would become overpoweringly strong, another factor as to why it sometimes took weeks to travel to the border, having to trudge around those fell beasts.
Sometimes, it was just nice to do something like this once in a while…
But… was he forgetting something?
Oh, now you remember? a voice said, its tinniness reverberating in his ear canal.
Oh, right. That. He'd been tuning it out for… wow, almost a month now. It was easy once he started treating the disembodied voice like he did Kurama.
You uncultured hoodlum! Ignoring the great me for this long, I have never been so insulted! Never! The spirit assumed corporeality in the form of a floating orb of light, hopping up and down in front of him with a furious rhythm.
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Familiarity with the Major Spirit decreased by 20.
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"Ah..." he uttered, mistake coming to light. "… I forgot…!" Veritas fell on all fours, unable to move. If this kept up, all he'd be left with was that permanent debuff and that alone! Virtual sweat dripped down his face in emulation of his active emotion, the sudden actions drawing the others' attention.
"What's wrong?" Gunter asked, kneeling next to him.
The sage stroked his beard. "Bad relations with a spirit, if I'm not mistaken." It seemed that the old man could hear the spirit and the mini-tantrum it was having.
"Ah..." Gunter pat Veritas on the back, a gentle smile on his face. "It's alright Veritas-nim. If it's you, I'm sure you'll be able to gain the trust of that major spirit eventually!"
Eventually. That kind of word wasn't comforting at all.
Maybe if you weren't so selfish I'd have a better opinion of you, but you wrought what you sowed human. Changing to a humanoid form, the spirit crossed its arm with its usual haughtiness. The great I-
Thus, they spent the night at the hut warming themselves by the fire. Veritas listened to the ramblings of the spirit while idly repairing anything he could find within reach, musing that at least with Kurama, he could use force to shut him out of his mind for a time, instead of being at the mercy of this spirit's telepathy for the known future…
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It was like a centaur; Four long legs, a horse-like body and a humanoid torso. Yet, it was unlike one as well, huge, full-armored, and wielding a terrifyingly large halberd. Its height an impressive three meters, towering over even the largest available player races, with two pairs of eyes glowing a brilliant aquamarine under its helmet, it was the very image of intimidation. More than anything, its killing aura induced fear to all who looked upon it, inflicting a full range of debuffs.
It should have been simple, initiate Plan Hayasugi to scout out its capabilities, then fall back if it looked too difficult to beat.
It should have been simple...
"Then how did it turn out like this…?" he said, his voice a powerless whisper.
Veritas, sweat forming on his brow, spared a glance to his left and right at the bodies of Gunter and Kirhi on his flanks. It wasn't supposed to be like this…! It advanced towards him, its earth-trembling steps almost leisurely in its gait, and then it was behind him. His eyes widened as pain shot throughout his body. He fell backwards, the sky filling his sight. "Oh, pretty..." That monstrous beast walked over him, back towards where it stood at first. Veritas lifted his upper body up to follow its movement, and came to know why he'd fallen. His lower half crumpled to the ground several feet away, as his vision became swallowed up by the blackness.
"Fast…!" His dying groan echoed through the necrotic air, which hadn't been disturbed in centuries. Unbelievably fast… he'd registered the movement, an experienced shinobi such as he had no trouble doing so, but lacked the speed to respond, pure and simple. He'd forgotten the crucial fact that he was restricted by his stats, unable to move as he truly wished. A deadly mistake that just cost him his life.
The last things he saw were the silent vigil of the armored enemy and the words he had hoped he'd never have to see again.
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You have died.
Died from loss of health.
Cannot log in for 24 hours.
Skills and levels will decrease as a result of player's death.
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