Ethan and Nathan stepped onto golden-brown sands, the air so dry and hot that it made Nathan need to sit down for a moment as he gathered his bearings. Ethan looked back, hopeful that the portal they had taken would still be open, and he could change his mind. The space behind them was just more sand, with no exit in sight.
[You have entered a Rift]
[Entering Pharaoh’s Eternal Sands]
[This is an Instanced Campaign type Rift]
[The only way to exit is by completing the main quest]
[Rift Quest: Choose a side] (Optional) The Order of The Fallen Obelisk wars with Reinhardt Research Academy, both giving the other no quarter or opportunity to delve into the pyramids. Choose a side and help one group overtake the other so that you may explore the pyramids at your leisure.
[Rift Quest: Explore the Tomb of Pharaoh Heka] Great power and mystery surround the history of Pharaoh Heka and her tomb. Explore the Tomb and discover the resting place of Heka The Wise.
[Rift Quest: Conquer the Lesser Pyramids] (Optional) There are nine lesser pyramids surrounding the Tomb of Pharaoh Heka. Explore these tombs for additional treasures.
Ethan could see a faint pillar of glowy energy coming from a pyramid’s peak, just barely visible with the sun in his eyes. His gut told him that was his destination. He pulled out his motorcycle again, this time noticing a thing that reminded him of his father's gun rack, but only for one gun. With some inspection, he realized he could put his lance on the rack thing so he could access it easier. His innate understanding of Lances and Motorcycles met, and he used the knowledge to place his lance in the appropriate spot, rousing Nathan, who looked terrible in the heat. He got him into the motorcycle’s passenger seat. Both were met by a cool breeze as the temperature lowered inside the open-air cockpit.
“Wow, does this have A/C or something?” Ethan nodded his head in confirmation.
“Magical air conditioning,” Ethan replied, as if he knew it existed before a moment ago.
“Man, that's so cool.”
“I know. Let's go find some treasure, dude.” Like before, he took off with [Infernal Acceleration] and a wheelie, but unlike last time, he was in a wide open space and didn’t have to destroy any cars to adjust his position. The two quickly forgot the man they had defeated and the hot heat as they went back to hooting and hollering in joy. But Ethan slowed down a bit when he realized neither were used to going places unaccompanied by one of the nice ladies. After a quick chat, they figured that they could accompany each other with what the Nice Ladies called ‘The Buddy System.’ When they both agreed to partake in the ‘Buddy System’ with each other since they had no Nice Ladies, a prompt appeared.
[Would you like to start a party?]
Ethan agreed as did Nathan, and they could now evenly distribute essence, whatever that was for. Ethan could also see a little bar indicating Nathan’s health; the buddy system had somehow merged with ‘The System,’ and now they could be each other's chaperone. Picking back up speed with [Infernal Acceleration], Ethan had a feeling that he was running low on spooky-mansion energy and probably wouldn’t be able to [Bamboozle] someone without waiting if he used it again. He loved the gut feelings he got and would try to remember to add even more Wisdom to his attributes template. It was like knowing things without having to know them. A giant scorpion rose from the ground, attempting to intercept their path to the pyramid, but was too slow pulling itself up and just got run over by Ethan’s demon motorcycle.
[Scorpion Destroyer Lvl.5 has been slain]
The laughter continued as Ethan began intentionally swerving into the giant scorpions with his motorcycle. Nathan falling somewhere between anxiety and excitement at the new game Ethan had invented.
[Scorpion Destroyer Lvl.3 has been slain]
[Scorpion Destroyer Lvl.3 has been slain]
[Scorpion Destroyer Lvl.4 has been slain]
[Scorpion Destroyer Lvl.6 has been slain]
[Scorpion Destroyer Lvl.5 has been slain]
[Scorpion Destroyer Lvl.3 has been slain]
[Riding: Two Wheeled Vehicles has leveled up to level 2]
[Scorpion Destroyer Lvl.5 has been slain]
[Scorpion Destroyer Lvl.6 has been slain]
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
…
[Riding: Two Wheeled Vehicles has leveled up to level 3]
Ethan wasn’t particularly fond of bugs, though he wasn’t as scared of them as Jason. So the joy of destroying the scorpions was doubled as they were extremely icky, even by bug standards. Ethan noticed that some of the bigger ones didn’t just outright die when hit by his motorcycle, so he left them in a cloud of sand as he continued towards his destination of the center pyramid. After an hour of this, according to his watch, he had leveled up his skill to level 5 and received a new pop-up.
[Now Entering the territory of The Order of The Fallen Obelisk] Faction Rank: Unknown Leader: Unknown Relationship: 0 (Cautious)
Tents encircled by a palisade stretching nearly a mile came into view as the pair climbed a particularly tall mound of sand. The colors of black and gold adorned most tents, and all flags and banners that Ethan could see. People could be seen outside the palisade walls, either guarding, patrolling, or in one man's case, being lashed with a whip as he pushed a cart into the open gate. Ethan thought the man whipping the other was a bad sign, but he and Nathan forgot to bring water with them, and even in the bastion of A/C, it was time for a cool drink. They approached the guards cautiously, Ethan ready to rip an [Infernal Acceleration] at a moment's notice. The guard whipping the man had retreated into the palisade gate that was now closing as the pair approached.
“Halt, names and affiliations.” It was Nathan who spoke up first.
“I’m Nathan, this is Ethan, but most residents call him a Sneaky Biscuit.”
“Affiliation?” A bit peeved at Nathan using that nickname, it was Ethan who replied this time, his gut feeling telling him that this man wanted to know where he came from and lived when he asked that word.
“Reed Assisted Living Home.” The man looked confused.
“And does Reed Assisted Living Home have any association with Reinhardt Research Academy?” Both of them shook their heads, Ethan a bit more sure.
“No. It’s where we live.”
“Well then, as per customs of the desert, please come in and relieve yourselves of this heat. Stay out of the military ward, that’s essentially every tent to the east of this gate,” he said pointing in the area not to go. “Everything else is fine for civilians, but keep your nose clean and don’t break any rules. If you’re looking for work, see Miranda Thornheart at the big tent in the center of camp. You can’t miss it; it’s the only one in bright yellow.” With a nod, the guard looked past them as if waiting for the next ones in line, though there was no one behind their motorcycle.
“Got it, dude.” Ethan said, moving his motorcycle as slow as a person walked while entering the now open gates. People stood by large smooth pedestals engraved in blue arcane light, every once in a while resting an empty cup atop it. The cups filled themselves with water coming from seemingly nowhere before being snagged and off-handedly consumed while the drinkers chatted with others. Ethan helped Nathan out of the crevice of a seat that he occupied, realizing that the magic stone was creating A/C as well for the people around it. They both stood by it, even cooler than the motorcycle made them. A Nice Lady, not one of the ones that worked at Reed but Nice nonetheless, let them borrow her cup. Both drank water until it hurt their tummies and wished the lady farewell, handing her cup back to her. Looking back at his quest screen, Nathan recognized The Order of The Fallen Obelisk’s name.
“Let’s join them, dude.” If there were more Nice Ladies like the one that let them use the cup, then this was the perfect place for a couple of fellas like Ethan and Nathan. If they could confirm this place was full of Nice Ladies, then they wouldn’t need to worry about using the buddy system.
“Okay,” Ethan said, having no opinion one way or another.
To their surprise, Miranda Thornheart was not just the Nice Lady they needed to see about joining The Order of The Fallen Obelisk, but the very same Nice Lady who let them use her cup to drink. After asking them a few questions about themselves, she rambled into an explanation of the situation around the pyramids.
“The Order wishes to exhume the pyramids for their treasures and secrets, while the Reinhardt Research Institution wants to squander the opportunity and just study the things. We believe that those dead for so many years have no claim to the treasures of the pyramid, while the Reinhardt Research Institution wishes to preserve the pyramid. Although their logic is flawed, it's understandable, if a bit touchy-feely for us in The Order. As long as you don’t have any qualms about us extracting everything we can from every one of these pyramids, then you are in the right place.”
Ethan nodded along; she was saying a whole lot and not slowing down because he was special, which he appreciated. But it was also a lot to take in all at once.
“Do we get some treasure if we help?”
“Oh, of course, we have a fair buyout system where you keep anything you find but must exclusively sell it to us if you plan on selling it. We also reserve the right to study anything you find for up to one week. There is a clause for purchasing anything directly from Heka’s tomb, enforced as a ‘Fair Offer’ by system standards. Pretty much anything out of the main tomb of the main pyramid we reserve the right to forcefully buy from you should we so choose to, but the price being set by the system. Does that sound good to you?”
“Deal.” Ethan was sold when she said he could keep anything he found; the rest was just extra words to him. She shook hands with both Nathan and Ethan, giving them both a head pop-up from The System.
[You have completed the Quest: Pick a Side]
Reward: 500 Nexus Coins, 500 Essence.
Ethan got free money for picking a side, as did Nathan, who until now had never had any Nexus Coins. Both of them looked elated. Free money was always the best money. The Nice Lady warned them that there was intense fighting at the main pyramid, and they should avoid that unless they were strong. She also offered them quests to attack and kill the members of Reinhardt Research Academy in a night raid, but neither Ethan nor Nathan wanted to kill any humans. So they planned to explore the nearest of the nine ‘small’ pyramids, though when Ethan saw it, it was anything but small. Sure, it didn’t break through to the clouds like the central pyramid did, but they were still larger than Reed Assisted Living Home by a large margin. After making Nathan promise he wouldn’t use his coins for a motorcycle, as Ethan was actively working towards being different than Nathan, no longer wanting to get mixed up with him by the other residents, they bumped knuckles before flooring it towards their destination, resolving themselves to find treasure and strike it rich.