Andross groaned stretched his limbs. He felt around his body and realized that he had woken up on a bed that felt a lot fluffier than his normal one. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself staring at a gold gilded mosaic art painting of a dragon. It was incredibly red and incredibly vicious looking. It was a fine piece of work which must have cost a hefty sum.
‘Oh that’s right. I’m at Sasha’s house for the weekend.’
A pair of sky blue eyes popped in front of his face.
“I knew that I’d find you snoozing down here.”
Andross grin faded as Sasha lifted the covers off of him and he was assaulted by the chill of the morning air. His immediate response was to pull the covers back over his body and rest on his side again. As soon as Sasha approached him for a second round he grabbed her in a hugging hold and rolled around until she was under the covers with him with her hands trapped by his arms to prevent her from pulling the covers off again. He then promptly laid his head against hers and made exaggerating snoring sounds
“Be my pillow for but a few moments longer.”
She laughed and used her feet to throw the sheets back, “Now now, don’t be a lazy bum.”
A faint lavender scent entered Andross’ nose and he tightened his hug. She had already showered so that meant that he had overslept. This was a rare occurrence for him since he kept so strictly to his sleeping schedule.
“Truly you do insult to me by taking away both my shelter and my dignity. Would you also deny this bum the pleasure of a ladies company?”
She giggled but put her hands to her nose in a mock gesture to indicate that he smelt. He sighed and lifted himself up from the bed. His shirt had gotten wrinkled and his pants crinkled from the nights rest and he lifted himself towards the shower room.
“Now I need to get something so I’ll join you in a second. I’ll get some clothes and a towel as I go.”
Sasha walked outside of her room and as Andross swept his feet over the side of the double king sized bed he became painfully aware of the minefield of stuffed toys that were laying on the floor. Plushies of all shapes and sizes were scattered across the floor and Andross could hardly move without stepping on an arms or chest of some unfortunate manufactured animal. He carefully tip toed over the fluffy creatures and made his way to the shower room that was located next to the room that held the virtual reality capsules.
After he had already started the shower Sasha came in holding a laptop and she grinned as he turned around casually to avoid exposing anything important.
“You know the water vapors cover up anything important.”
Andross grinned and she could see it from the reflection on the shower screens. He gestured towards those very same screens and she saw that none of them were covered in steam or fog of any kind.
“I know that that is one hundred percent a myth. I have seen how much protection shower steam provides and it isn’t much.”
“I found it-” she was tapping at the computer screen but Andross continued.
“And yet it seems to me that from the moment our little talking sessions began the normal glass was replaced with anti-fog panes.”
“It was time to modernize. Besides I do believe a certain super star actor hadn’t complained when it was my turn to shower and his turn to talk.” Andross turned his head towards her to look at her in disbelief but found that she was already completely fixated on the computer screen. He was a little hurt that she had so easily been distracted from him. But she quickly started speaking so he didn’t voice his opinion out loud.
“Well according to the website player killing is just like it sounds. Since the game allows anyone to attack each other at any point in the game, many players have come to start killing each other. The only problem is that once you kill someone if you die at any time in the future it counts for two deaths instead. This additional death on the death counter is given depending on how many players you have killed and will reset upon the death of the player killer. There is no limit to this death penalty apparently so technically infinite deaths may be stacked as long as you keep killing and don’t die somewhere in-between.”
Andross nodded his head. It seemed like a fair enough punishment. Why would people risk losing access to quests in return for what could simply be some experience and a couple of crummy items. Sasha scrolled down the screen she talked.
“The person that starts the fight will receive the penalty and the person being attacked will receive no penalty upon killing the attacker. Players will generally drop one or two of their items but player killing battles may only be done by one person at a time and as soon as someone has exited a player kill battle they regain full health. This is supposed to be a measure against group attacks. Players killed as part of a quest are not counted as a player kill. This also applies for players participating in wars and guild fights. The site says that on top of this, depending on the rules of a tournament of course, some players may kill their opponents freely and face no player killer repercussions. They will instead be given the same treatment as mobs and so may still drop items but have no repercussions.”
“Err, player killers are given a symbol which automatically appears on the breastplate of any armour they wear upon killing another player.” Sasha panted a little as she ran out of breath from reading the entire section of text out loud. “The symbols start from green, yellow, orange and red and shaped like a target. The green symbol is given to players that have only killed one or two people, yellow is for those that have killed three to ten, orange for those that have killed eleven to thirty and red is thirty one or more. Those are the kind of guys you just want to avoid in general since they would probably kill you on the spot for fun.”
Andross turned around fully to face her and felt his face looking as grim as he felt, “Sounds like a nasty business. No chance the player killer I’m meant to say is just a green?” Sasha lightly shook her head as she clicked another tab.
“She has her own page in the forums so she’s pretty famous. Orion is a well-known level one hundred player killer. Her class is marked as a swordsman with a power rating of lower 2. This is because she also branched out into some sort of alchemy that allows her to create various poisons but lowered her amount of sword skills in return. Unlike normal player killers she does not kill others for fun but because she is commissioned to by outside parties.” Andross coughed and she looked up and into his confused eyes, “Basically, she gets paid real money to take out targets.”
“Like a hitman?” Andross couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice. He had been surprised when he saw that players that killed other players existed and it had seemed gruesome to him since killing someone else for fun in a highly realistic environment was just below being actual murder. But he knew the work of hit men well, he had played hit men in various films and even in a television series he did in his early days. Sasha nodded her head and continued talking.
“But because of this most players don’t retaliate and kill her, especially since she makes it as swift and painless as she can by either surprise attacking them or even using various poisons which act quickly and harmlessly. It is suspected that she simply kills other players because she is trying to support her family or herself. She can be often seen travelling with other parties and exploring dungeons when invited because the treasures and gold she gains can be sold for more money over various websites.”
“So she’s a bad guy with a good motive. I see. Well it certainly makes me want to save her. Think you can, you know?” Sasha looked at him in confusion and he lifted his hands up and mimicked taking a photo and typing. Sasha’s face bloomed with understanding as he knew it would. She and he had once worked together on a television action series where he would make the same sign to her character and she would link a suspect’s face to a search engine containing the entire world population’s data and she would find out their personal details. He was basically telling her to find out Orion’s real life data.
“I think I’ll be able to since there’s enough pictures of her on the internet. I’ll ask Sophie to get someone to do it after or even dad. Are you thinking about giving her some money?” Andross shook his head, “I’ll just check out her qualifications and stuff, if she’s useful I’ll pull a few strings and see if I can get her a comfortable job.” Even though he had millions to spare Andross was a firm believer in never giving away money. Often those that didn’t have it would spend it all in a flash and end up in the same position or worse than they had been before. A stable income provided by a job was good enough. As an actor with hardly any emotional support from his family he had made so many contacts and connections in various industries that he could essentially pluck a job from any business or industrial labour area if he wanted to.
‘If she can afford to play the game then surely she can’t be that poor.’
He had never asked Sasha how much the capsules and game had cost. Sasha simply smiled at his words. Despite how well known he was she knew that Andross had always kept a humble mind and if there was someone in need of genuine help then regardless of whether or not they were a stranger he would help them. Of course, if Orion turned out to be perfectly fine in real life he would still save her from the execution.
“Well, I’ll tell Sophie to get someone to look into it. She’s a rea-” *Brrrring* *Brrrring* Sasha frowned, “One second. I’ll go get that.” She put the laptop to the side and walked out of the bathroom. Andross recognized the sound as her work phone. It was attached to a post next her bed and sounded like an incredibly old fashioned telephone.
‘If it’s work then she’s probably going to be busy for a while.’
He turned off the water and stepped outside the shower cubicle. He felt the warm of the heater bathe over his body and sighed in contentment. Then he realized that he had no clothes to wear or towel to dry himself off. Sasha had promised him that she would bring them in with her once she joined him since she was going to get the laptop. She had forgetting about both though.
*Creak*
As though reading his mind the door opened and Sophie entered the bathroom with a small pile of clothes in her hands and a towel resting on top them. She stopped as soon as she saw Andross and blushed.
“Oh my, pardon the intrusion Mr Silver. Miss Ferrier told me that you would be needing clothes and that she’ll be busy for the next few minutes.”
Sophie bowed and left the room. Andross smiled as he took the towel and began to dry his hair. Moments later Sasha peeked her head inside and he immediately picked up the faint signs of distress on her face.
“Work’s called me up. They asked if I could come in today.”
“On a Saturday?”
She nodded wordlessly and he sighed. The Producers and Director of the film were completely aware of Sasha’s condition and the contracts of her contract specifically stated that they should avoid calling her up for work outside of the scheduled times. He knew from the look on her face that Sasha had already told them she would be there and he walked with her while drying his hair with the towel.
“They just want to go over a scene which won’t be able to be done next week due to time constraints.”
Andross nodded to her and as they stood on the stairs which lead to the first floor he suddenly stopped and looked around the area.
“Where are they?”
Sasha suddenly puffed out her chest and lifted her back and head confidently, “I have absolutely no idea what you could be referring to. Shall we leave my prince? The business cannot be kept waiting.”
Andross grinned and Sasha breathed a sigh of relief as she seemed to glide down the stairs.
“SOPHIE.”
Andross’ voice echoed across the entire mansion and the head maid quickly scuttled out of a room. Sasha moaned as she saw that the maid was carrying a pair of metal crutched. They were the type that had a pair of plastic straps on the top so that the wearer could put their arms through it comfortably and grab the handles with ease.
“But I do say dear, these foolish things look hideous and cause the masses to stare in rather unseemly ways at my body. Would you subject a poor girl to such displeasure? I have already drunk the dreadful medicine that the doctor did prescribe to me just the other day.”
“Sorry Sasha, no amount of posh words are going to get you out of this one.”
Sasha grumbled under her breath as she grabbed the crutches from Sophie and put her arms into them. Although she had drunk the ‘medicine’ that her doctor had recommended she still had to wear crutches to and from locations other than school. Especially on days such as these when she was going to work she would need to conserve her energy.
The medicine itself was a strange blue substance that he had rarely seen. It smelled quite foul and the only thing he knew about it was that it somehow prevented her from growing tired during the day. He was sure it was a lot more complicated than that but essentially she wouldn’t face too much exhaustion from daily activities for six hours after drinking it. It was enough to keep her going for the day but as he had seen after school just yesterday it would wear out by the end of the school or work day. He wrapped his arm over her shoulders and brushed her hair with his cheek.
“It’s not that bad.” He switched to his own posh accent, “Shall we exit the estate swiftly mademoiselle? Your chariot awaits your commands.”
She giggled and they walked towards the limousine that would take them to the studio that held the filming set for the new series, Into Darkness.
~~~~
“I shall return ever so swiftly. Do have fun.”
Sasha grinned as Andross left her with her fellow co-workers and made his way to a large building. It was covered in windows instead of walls and he could see the various round tables inside even from where he was. He looked around and saw that the studio area was completely devoid of people.
Ever since laws had been implemented stating that people only have to work five days a week unless agreeing otherwise the Saturday mornings were generally the emptiest time for work in the acting industry. Actors were either lazing in their beds or nursing hangovers after a late Friday night or preparing to go out for the rest of the day and have fun. The canteen itself was almost completely empty except for three people. The two females staffing the counter were either checking things on their mobiles or sleeping. The last person was sitting down on one of the various metal tables and rested comfortably on a metal chair while fully concentrating on his laptop.
“Carlos,” The boy looked up from his laptop as Andross called out to him and smiled, “I knew you would be here.”
Andross pulled himself a chair and sat down across from Carlos. The Hispanic boy frequently occupied the canteen on Saturdays as his only day off from work and so Andross had bet on the fact that he would be resting there. As soon as he had called out to him the girl manning the counter that had been on her phone had dropped it in shock and then nudged at her co-worker to wake her up. Andross ignored them. They would come for autographs and pictures later and he would oblige them but his conversations with Carlos were one of the few things he actually looked forward to other than Sasha and work. Carlos looked at Andross with his big brown eyes.
“Hey Gold, I haven’t seen you around lately.” Carlos was the only person other than Sasha that Andross had allowed to use his pet name. He hadn’t been at the studio for a few weeks since he hadn’t accepted any acting jobs and Carlos had secretly missed their weekly conversations. “Are you working at the moment?”
Andross shook his head and Carlos looked back down at his computer. He began to type and Andross was amazed at how quickly his fingers moved. As soon as they hit one key they seemed to blur and leave afterimages as he quickly moved from typing one word to the other. He stopped after a few seconds and looked up again while looking sympathetic.
“I hear it’s tough to find acting parts nowadays. Don’t worry I’m sure you’ll find something soon. I hear that towards the end of the year you guys get tons of opportunities with the holidays and stuff.”
Andross smiled at the boys attempt to cheer him up and Carlos started typing on his laptop again. In truth he had gotten over twenty job offers in the last month but he was still thinking about them all since they hadn’t really interested him. But one of the main reasons he enjoyed talking to Carlos was because he provided the exact thing he was trying to achieve with Best of Best, a conversation with somebody that had no idea who he was, or at least didn’t care about it.
“Well I’m sure you’re right. How’s the new book coming along? Sell much?”
Carlos nodded his head, “A bit over a hundred million people viewed this time. It’s less than usual but the revenue from this story alone is enough to keep me going for a few months. Hopefully it’ll get more even though it’s already been out for a week.” His fingers blurred through the air as he talked. For as long as Andross had known the boy he had always been typing. Both of them had two things in common.
Firstly, they hadn’t known about each other prior to meeting and they were both the best in their respective industries. His was acting and Carlos’ was writing. When meeting Carlos for the first time Andross had been arrogant and boastful but Carlos had soon brought him crashing back to earth when he revealed that he had no idea who Andross was. He had then revealed his identity in return as repayment but had been even more surprised than Andross had been when the actor revealed that he also had no idea who Carlos was.
The answer to that question was that he was actually an incredibly famous writer that was world-renowned. Each of his books was guaranteed hundreds of millions of hits online every time he released one. Normally Andross and Carlos would exchange pleasantries of the kind between both equals and friends but today Andross intended to talk to Carlos about something else.
“Hey Carlos,” the boys hair flicked up and for a second his hair flared red against a ray of sun coming from a nearby window. Although the boys hair looked black, when it hit the sun or when he placed a certain chemical liquid on his hair it instantly became a bright red colour. It was a disguise technique often employed by stars to hide their appearance. Nobody in the public would place the quite black haired boy with the red haired writer that appeared at interviews and on television.
“I’ve recently started playing BoB.”
Andross couldn’t help but let a look of excitement escape across his face. Since he had thought about practicing martial arts in the virtual world before he had also thought about Carlos using the time difference to either write and upload the words to his computer somehow or just think up new ideas by fighting various creatures and going on different quests. Carlos put a hand up in the air and continued typing with the other.
“Thanks,” He smiled at Andross, “But I’ve already been writing using virtual reality for several years now. I’ve been playing BoB since it released for the exact same reason as your about to suggest. The game time played to real time experienced is as high as it’s ever been. It’s why I’ve been able to release so many novels this year as well as three books.”
Andross felt his face fall slightly and Carlos laughed, “I’m happy for the thought though, let’s add each other?” Carlos flipped his laptop around and Andross saw that the Best of Best website was open in front of him. A new screen featuring another hidden class being found had already replaced the one announcing his class. He pressed his eye against the computer’s retina scanner and a message appeared across the screen.
User: Commoner ranked #85679854 wishes to add you as a friend. Do you accept?
Carlos didn’t hesitate to accept and instead of checking the laptop Andross took his phone out of his pocket to see the notification from the Best of Best website that had appeared on its screen.
User: Ultima ranked #1 has accepted your friend request.
Andross whistled, “How did you get the time to reach that rank?”
“I needed to reach places before anyone else so that I could write my ideas in peace. The new discoveries and lack of people make it easier for me to concentrate on my work and get new ideas at the same time. Unfortunately people kept expanding so I had to go further and further away each time. It meant that I levelled up a lot as I was forced into higher level areas. Even the dungeons I explored kept increasing in difficulty. It’s quite annoying as people tend to flock to me as soon as I’m spotted and try to beg me to power level them or even pretend to be my friends. Though I just run to a high level monster nest and they run away.”
Andross sighed, “Well good luck with that, I’m still struggling to even try to make friends.”
Carlos looked at him curiously and he lifted his hands into the air and gestured as he began to explain about Sasha tricking him into playing the game and giving him a mission to find friends. Normally he would have hesitated with any other person but he had complete and total trust in Carlos. As soon as Carlos told him that he played Best of Best he knew that he could tell him about Commoner since they would both be hiding their identities from the world.
“So you don’t want to do the same as me and just train until nobody can bother you?”
Andross shook his head, “It’s a bit late for that. You had a few months head start and she told me to make friends. It’s hard to do that if I’m away from civilization and other people the entire time. Besides I don’t want to become famous or people will come after me, you might be fine since you’re too strong for people to challenge but as soon as someone finds out I’m a low levelled player they’d flock to me like no tomorrow. I need to make friends with people that don’t know who I am.”
“I guess different goals mean different measures are taken to accomplish them. Why don’t you just wear a mask?”
At his words Andross’ eyes rolled, there was no need to keep up a gentlemanly appearance around Carlos.
“I tried that already, now I can’t take the mask off and it’s causing me more trouble than it’s worth.”
He quickly explained to Carlos everything that had happened since he had entered the game and the boys tanned skin seemed to quiver in laughter at his predicament. Despite being rather anti-social Andross had found that the boy was a constantly smiling and happy person. Andross recapped the events surrounding his class change including being out-acted by Shadow and then went onto receiving the quest from the Blessed Smith. He gave the full details and upon hearing about the Blessed Smith Carlos’ eyes lit up.
“I got the message that somebody had gotten a powerful hidden class. Boy, you really are unlucky. So now that you’ve got the sword you’re basically stuck between a hard place and a rock? This sounds like good book material.” Carlos saw Andross’ face, “But don’t worry I won’t write any of it. Trust me if the guys on the site knew who I was they would flock to hoping to be a character in one of my books so I know how annoying it’d be for you. The Blessed Smith isn’t lying though.” Andross’ face lit up with interest and hope, “I’ve met her before and it’s true that she has the power to change your class easily if she wants to. Try your best to complete the quest. It should be easier than you’d think if she’s involved. She’s the kind to send several people at once to do a job if one of her creations is involved so you’re going to have powerful allies. As far as I know nobody knows who you are either except for your class so as soon as it’s gone your free to pick another in anonymity.”
“Phew,” Andross ran his hand across his forehead where a drop of sweat had formed as he had told his story and remembered the stresses that had come with it, “Well that’s good to hear. Do you know who she might have sent to help me?” Honestly Andross had no idea how many people Carlos would know, he was the quite type of guy that needed someone forceful like Andross to get him to socialize so Andross didn’t expect him to have that many friends online. But then again, he was ranked number one in Best of Best so he had to know a few people at the least.
“Where are you right now?”
“A town called Obsten, umm, on the Marcades continent”
Carlos nodded his head and started typing furiously. The next second he had flipped his laptop around and he pulled his chair around the circular table to sit next to Andross. They were looking at a list of about a thousand people with various ranks next to their name. All of the numbers were below ten thousand.
‘It’s his friends list.’ Andross realized.
“So these guys,” Carlos pointed towards several names, “are in your area, umm, Grandfather Time, Grandma, Hippy, Naughty and Samurai.” He looked troubled for a second, “As far as I know Samurai is registered in the Sunfire Guild so he will most likely be guarding your target or at the execution stand waiting for the girls arrival. He’s a guy that uses six swords at the same time but I don’t remember how. Maybe he has six arms?”
At this point Andross saw that Carlos seemed to be talking more to himself than to him but he didn’t mind since every bit of information he gave would help. Already the boy had given him more information than he had expected to find on his own while in the game. At the very least he had eased Andross’ worries about accepting a quest from a random stranger.
“Well no matter, he’s ranked about five thousand so he’s tough, but the others there are real monsters. Naughty and Hippy I don’t know much about, just that they’re twins that fight together but I only met them once. Now then,” he pointed towards the last two people in his area, “Grandfather Time and Grandma are the ones you really have to watch out for. They’re a pair of Japanese that have been playing as long as I have, they’re incredibly strong and since their kids never visit them they’re always online. As far as I know they aren’t aligned with any guilds since they tend to travel a lot. It could be a coincidence that they’re there or they could have been sent by the Blessed Smith since they can travel across the land incredibly quickly when they want to. I’d try to find them and see their intentions as soon as you can. They don’t usually kill people so you should be fine but I haven’t met them for a while so I don’t even know what classes they are. They’re ranked at the lower 800’s though so assume they could obliterate you in a second if they wanted to.”
His fingers blurred and Andross witnessed the screen changing tabs constantly as Carlos opened a new window after new window, the screen was filled with a picture of a sun surrounded by flames. “This is the Sunfire guild website. I won’t lie to you, they’re pretty strong opponents and I fully expect you to die several times over if they so much as catch onto your plan. They’re completely ruthless and they try to grab as much fame as they can so this execution is pretty important to them.” He pointed to a list of names, “Other than Samurai they have several incredibly high ranked players who will most likely be guarding this player killer you have to save. The guild leader Chapman is slightly weaker than Samurai but his main methods of controlling the guild are terror and fear whereas Samurai provides the muscle needed to keep people in line. You” he pointed at Andross, “have to make sure to avoid Chapman at all costs. He’s an experienced fighter and the damage he deals is no joke. I’m not sure what upgrades you got but unless you magically gain two hundred levels it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to defeat him in combat. I would go for quickly killing the weaker guild members guarding the prisoner and sneaking the target out of the dungeon. Then you run away as fast as you can.”
He brought up a map marked Obsten and then opened up the map of the Obsten dungeons. “This is your target. There is no way you’re going to be able to enter there undetected without someone distracting the outside guards. So make sure you get someone to do that if you can. Generally the prisoner will be kept inside their cell until the last moments just so the guild can make a more dramatic entrance. If you fail to free her before they bring her up to the guillotine then you’ve got a few minutes while they read her crimes to get her off the chopping block. They’ll place a respawn point at the execution stand so as soon as the guillotine chops off her head it’ll repeat a hundred times over the next few minutes and you’ll fail the quest.’
‘They use guillotines in this game?’
Carlos had already moved over to a new page showing a picture of a humanoid creature made of stone that was around the same size as Tafrec. “This is a problem. More specifically, this is a defence golem. They generally guard towns and won’t appear as long as you don’t present a threat to the town. THIS is the main reason you have to sneak in and out of the dungeon without too much of a ruckus. They’re incredibly tough to kill and for someone of your level I wouldn’t hesitate to say that it would squash and kill you and the target in a second and then the player would respawn on the execution stand.” He clicked a few links and small picture of a golem and the name ‘Obsten’ appeared “The golem guarding Obsten is of a high class and according to the site information it is currently controlled by the town of Obsten and by the Sunfire guild due to Obsten being their main base of operations. If they feel like it then they will trigger the golem and send it after you so you have to make sure to make yourself scarce as soon as you get away. If it comes down to it I think only Grandma and Grandfather Time could handle the golem by themselves.”
Andross nodded but Carlos hadn’t finished yet. He opened yet another tab and over fifty names appeared on the screen. They weren’t that high ranked but they were enough to cause Andross to worry slightly.
“Are these the people guarding the execution stand?”
Carlos shook his head, “These are the reinforcements that are currently heading towards Obsten. They will join up with the guild in three days of game time.” With approximately five to six days left until the execution it meant that they would be in the game for over twenty four hours of real life time.
“How does that work? They march an entire real life day to reach the town by the execution time? And then they wait even longer for the execution to take place?”
Carlos shook his head, “They’re marked as a reinforcement squad so the players will switch spots. It’s set so that when someone logs out they will log back in at the current spot the group is at. That way some can rest while others march onwards. Your best bet is to attack before these guys get there or else you’re screwed. If the reinforcements reach the execution stand they’ll call the sleeping members and the entire force will be there for the actual event.”
Andross sighed, “I thought this was only meant to be a B rank quest.”
Carlos laughed heartily, “This is pretty easy for a B rank quest. What gave you the impression it was going to be easy?”
“Err, I already have another B rank quest and an A rank quest. Aren’t they pretty common?”
At his words Carlos had begun to laugh uncontrollably and tears were forming in his eyes. After a few seconds of watching Andross was about to interrupt him but he suddenly sat up straight and looked as though nothing had happened.
“It must be because of the class you received. The get that sort of class at level 1 is something I’ve never heard about, I got my current hidden class at level five hundred and it’s at the same power rating as yours. But these quests aren’t common at all. There are a few ranks lower in terms of quest difficulty.”
“Well, looks like I’m screwed. I’ll try to find these high ranked friends of yours but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to complete this quest.”
Carlos shrugged nonchalantly, “Just move on to Kelhter if you don’t complete it. This just gets you to your goal just that little bit faster.” Andross stood up. He was meant to have met up with Sasha a while ago, “I’ll see you around Gold. Good luck losing your class. Mind if I ask you a favour?”
Andross nodded his head.
“I’ve gotten so much help from you it’d be rude for me not to hear you out at least.”
Carlos pulled back his chair and bent down to grab his bag that had been hidden under the table. He rummaged through it and took a small black box out. It looked like a video camera except that it had some sort of cable sticking out of it.
“This is a device that will record your time in the game. I call it a recording device. Attach it to the right side of the Capsule where the connector is to start it up. Since you’re going to lose your class after this, can you record yourself as you do the quest and I’ll try to make it into a short story if I can? If you fail then of course I’ll delete all the footage and it’s a given that either way I won’t include your real name or any references to your real life.”
Andross laughed and took the black box out of Carlos’ hands, “Yeh go for it. I don’t know if a quest would make a good story.” He had refused something similar in the conversation but since Carlos kept his word one hundred percent of the time he had nothing to fear.
“It’s been making me millions so far. You’d be surprised at how awesome these quests are on Best of Best.”
Carlos smiled and turned back to his laptop. After a few seconds he was completely engrossed in writing again. Andross turned around and saw that the two female staff members that had been manning the canteen when he walked in were lazing about the entrance conspicuously.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
‘Well, I’ve seen better attempts at trying to act casual but it wouldn’t hurt to say hi to them.’
He smiled as he exited outside the canteen and slowed his pace so that the girls could walk up to him without having to run. One of them appeared beside him blushing slightly and he stopped walking as though he were surprised to see her. She looked up at him and he flashed a grin at her. Her face was almost as bright as her orange coloured hair. She was young, around seventeen years old. Then again, he was only barely nineteen.
“Y-you’re A-Andross Silver right?”
Andross nodded, “That’s right,
“I-I’m Erica, um, can I have your autograph, or maybe a picture?”
Andross took out his phone and gracefully accepted a pen that Erica had pulled out of her pant pocket. Her work uniform was a simple pair of tight black pants and simple light blue shirt. Andross leant over and signed the side of her shirt and she gave a little squeak. Then he ran his arm around her upper waist and swept her into a hug. He placed his phone in front of them, taking a picture of himself and the red faced worker.
“Why not both? I’ll put this up after is that okay?”
He let go of Erica and showed her that he was placing the photo on his profile. It would probably be viewed by millions of people by the end of the day and she could download it to show her family and friends. The other employee, another young girl, bashfully crept up to him and he smiled at her. After another photo and autograph the two excitedly ran back into the canteen. They had no doubt gone to tell everyone they knew about their encounter with the young superstar. He grinned happily, it always pleased him to see happy fans.
‘Now it’s time to go and pick up mademoiselle.’
~~~~
Andross sat down and observed the actors. Sasha was currently working with her fellows in the new drama, Into Darkness. The point of the drama was to show the life of the ever conservative countess Evelynn Theodore. She was in fact an elf but this fact was not known by her husband Matias Theodore. Currently Sasha was playing Evelynn and Matias was being played by an up and coming newcomer to the acting scene named Mark Alcott. The countess had to try and make sure that her husband wouldn’t figure out her secret for fear of reprimand and so she was faking illness and bedridden for days on end. The only other man to know her secret is her doctor, an elderly man who was once saved from death by an elf who was Evelynn’s mother.
Of course, over the course of the series many of her subjects and outside parties would discover her secret and because elves were ostracized in their society they would have to make the choice to keep it or to publically announce it. Their machinations and attempts at blackmail and other such plots were the key to driving the story forwards so although Evelynn is the focus of the plot she does not necessarily have to appear in so many scenes as she drives them through name alone.
“CUT”
Andross sighed as the scene Sasha and Mark were filming was cut once again by the Director, Treffle, who was looking at the young male protagonist angrily. They were currently filming a scene in which the countess and the count dance privately in their quarters during one of their rare moments of peace but where Mark was supposed to match Evelynn’s pace in the dance he constantly overtook her forcefully.
‘He clearly has the wrong idea in his head.’
Andross had seen it many times before, a young and hot headed actor decides to add his own flare or take on a scene and the director has to constantly restart the recording because the message the actor wants to send is not the one the director planned for the scene. In this case the message Mark was trying to send was one where Matias completely dominated over Evelynn while they were in their private life and this was reflected in his dance. Clearly Director Treffle disagreed with this approach as the scene had been stopped several times over. It was a scene with no lines but in Andross’ opinion those were the hardest kind since the message could not be conveyed out loud with words to the audience and must instead be shown to them through subtle gestures and movements. It took the skills of a true actor to pull off such a scene successfully.
A girl shuffled uncomfortably and Andross turned away from the actors to look at the girl and woman that were on the other side of the room. The girl was around his and Sasha’s age, probably eighteen or nineteen and he had seen her walking around Blue Flower High School.
‘Her name was Tracy wasn’t it? Wait, no, Stacy.’
Stacy Olen. She was similar to Sasha in height, body figure and hair colour but her eyes were a light grey and she was well endowed. She was wearing the same dress and other clothes that Sasha was.
‘Probably a double D or bigger.’
She had been brought in by the Producer, the woman standing next to her, as an understudy but Andross knew that she was there for a different reason. If Sasha seemed to be having too much trouble acting while afflicted with her disease then Stacy would be brought in as her permanent replacement. The main reason that Sasha had been able to gain the part of countess Evelynn was because of Treffle’s influence and insistence that she be the actress to star in the role. Despite having acted in an exemplary manner and not showing any signs of slowing due to her disease Andross could have sworn that the Producer was staring at Sasha with distaste. If he remembered Sasha’s words correctly then Stacy had been recommended by the Producer to be the female lead of Into Darkness. It was probable that personal bias played a part in her angry glances towards Sasha.
“DO IT PROPERLY OR I’LL FIND SOMEONE ELSE THAT CAN DO IT.”
Treffle’s voice boomed over Andross’ thoughts and he glanced at the angry Director. Mark was coolly taking in the angry Director’s rant and Andross sighed. Clearly the young actor was going to completely ignore Treffle’s words and continue to screw up the scene without realizing that he was the problem.
“I’ll do it.”
Before Andross realized it he had already walked into the middle of the group as he spoke. Mark scowled at him but he noticed that Treffle was smiling now and the Producer and Stacy walked closer to them as they curiously surveyed the scene.
“Ah, Andross, I saw you sitting around there. Did you come with Sasha?”
Andross nodded his head. Treffle had been his acquaintance for a long time and he had stared in many television series directed by him. The man was, in all honesty, a genius. His techniques had long ago made him the top of the pack and everyone expected Into Darkness to be another hit show to add to his already long list of successes. Andross looked down at the floor where Sasha and Mark stood. Two spots were marked with white crosses to show where Evelynn and Matias were going to dance. Treffle looked hopefully at Andross and the Producer had begun to whisper to Stacy. If he wanted to Andross could just say the word and Mark would be kicked off the cast and he would be added in. But he shook his head at the Director.
“I’ll just do the dance once, to see if it’s how you might want it.”
If Mark saw the way the dance was meant to be done then perhaps the added incentive of surpassing Andross would finally allow him to pass over the wall that had been created by his own arrogance.
‘A little friendly competition never hurt anyone.’
Sasha walked once again into the white cross on the floor but Andross shook his head.
“I want to dance with her.”
He pointed towards Stacy and everybody in the room stared at him. Stacy flicked her hair back and met his eyes with confidence. The Producer nudged her and she calmly moved towards the marked area and Sasha moved out of the way to let her step onto it. Sasha had already seen through Andross’ thoughts and realized that she needed a rest. She too had noticed how confident Stacy was. There wasn’t a doubt in their minds that she had already learnt this dance.
‘She’s a good understudy.’
Andross strode confidently towards his marked spot and Mark roughly pushed against his shoulder as he passed him. He ignored the subtle insult and instead he curved his arm so that his right hand was in front of his body, directly positioned in the middle of his chest, his elbow facing forward towards Stacy. His partner had done the same so that they looked like two halves of a whole, seeking to be connected with each other.
It was the traditional stance of the dance that the two were completing. In the scene both Evelynn and Matias had retired to their bedchamber after Matias had attended a royal ball. Since Evelynn had been unable to attend purportedly because of her illness Matias had instead suggested that they dance in private and now both of the actors had entered the traditional dances stance. The dance was nothing royal but instead was something the count and countess had danced as children together, a rural dance depicting a man’s chase and capture of a woman. But whereas Mark had dominated Evelynn during his time dancing Andross had no such intentions.
He found himself facing Stacy and staring deeply into her eyes. They were a stormy grey colour, but he could see only the blue, mysterious eyes that the lady Evelynn possessed. The sound of music begun to flow gently through the air and Evelynn lowered her body in a brief curtsy. Matias followed her lead while keeping the contact between their eyes unbroken. As the melody began to increase in pace his hips began to sway from side to side and Evelynn placed her hand over her mouth as she giggled, but she herself had already began to move as well, lifted a leg behind her and kicking the ground with the tip of her toes in a steady rhythm.
*Tap tap* *tap tap*
She finished tapping as the music entered a new phase and grew louder, rougher. Matias and Evelynn simultaneously glided forward from their right sides. They moved in a semicircle motion with Evelynn gliding across the floor and Matias swiftly keeping up with her on the opposite side while keeping their eyes connected. Because they were moving in opposite sides they formed a full circle as they completed their short journey towards each other’s white marks.
As Matias passed her in the middle of the circle her gaze seemed to project a subtle message, one of lust and seduction, and although he was as far as he had ever been from her physically her gaze told him that he was also closer to reaching her than he had been before. They ended up in each other’s positions and turned around full circle on the spot, their gazes immediately locking again as though they had never been apart.
To them the spin had represented the passing of years and they were no longer strangers observing each other from afar but instead people who knew each other as friends.
Matias moved forward and curved in an S shape to the other side, with Evelynn following suite so that together they would move in a figure 8. They met each other in the middle but although her voluptuous breasts grazed the air within an inch of his chest and his own gaze hit her in full force they simply passed each other with a smile, two people meeting and enticing each other.
They came to a stop in their original positions and did another twirl, this time the eyes that Matias showed Evelynn were those of a hunter. He had found his prey and he intended to make her his. He glided in another semicircle towards her and she glided towards him along the same path, meeting with him at the middle. Evelynn’s body shrunk as she neared him, as though she were easy prey that was inviting him to hunt her. She lowered her face so that her eyes were shadowed beyond his sight but he sensed her eyes facing up towards his own. He thrust his chest out confidently so that he towered over her small form and they moved their feet in synchronized motions, tapping the ground in front of each other with one foot and bringing it in and repeating the process with the other foot.
The pair slowly moved their bodies closer together as they danced, the man towering over the girl. But as soon as they were near to touching Evelynn broke off from her tapping and glided back towards her position, Matias stepping lightly on his feet in pursuit of her. Evelynn never ceased to glide forward and every time Matias seemed to come closer to her she would fly away from his grasp and soon it was not a hunter pursuing his prey, but a man chasing after that which he could not have. His every step matched with hers and they moved perfectly in sync.
Evelynn denied her chaser the chance to catch up to her with subtle footwork that made her appear as free as a bird and Matias never stopped his chase for fear that she would fly away and forever be out of his grasp. If one were to stop moving they would break the delicate balance that had been created through their movements.
As they reached her white marked position Matias broke off his pursuit and gracefully stepped back into his original position, keeping his eyes linked with Evelynn’s the entire time. The duo twirled on the spot again and as they reached the end of the spin they didn’t hesitate to make another figure 8, meeting at the middle and stopping to dance next to each other. Matias raised his arms protectively over Evelynn’s head as though he were blocking the sun, keeping her from running away from him again. Evelynn had raised her head to tie her eyes directly to his, no intention to run from his grasp or to even acknowledge it.
She simply twirled on the spot and moved towards the marked area. They had once again swapped spots and both did their spins. They glided forward towards each other as the music reached its climax and both of them sped towards each other, slowing suddenly as they came within inches of each other and finding themselves interlocked. Matias had wrapped his arms around Evelynn’s waist yet it was Evelynn that looked forward triumphantly as the man that she had desired since she saw him flew into her arms. Each lusted for each other but it was she who had earned her security in his arms and his undying love through her threats of flying away should he ever let go of her. Ultimately it was she who was the winner in their dance, in their chase.
The music stopped and Andross heard the sound of clapping. He saw that Treffle was grinning as he put his hands together over and over again. He broke away from Stacy and turned to face Mark, “What’s the name of the song that’s playing?”
Mark shrugged his shoulders, “Not sure. I’m guessing you’re going to tell me?”
“The song’s name is Promise. The meaning for this name is shown through the dance that Evelynn and Matias perform. But because you don’t know what the meaning is you haven’t been able to do it successfully.”
“I know what the meaning is. The two want each other badly so they dance, he chases the girl and gets her.”
Andross moaned internally at the simplistic explanation and he saw Sasha walk towards him until she ended up next to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder just as Stacy also returned and stood next to the Producer. Director Treffle had stopped clapping and had his face not been stuck in what seemed to be a permanent smile Andross would have sworn that he was glowering at the male lead. He was a director known for his anger yet he had never let an angry expression cross his face.
“That isn’t the meaning of it at all.” The people in the group turned to face him and he flashed a smile around to show that he wasn’t trying to start a fight, “the true meaning of the song and dance is much deeper than a simple game of cat and mouse between a man and a woman. These two lust for each other but until the end they never touch.” Mark’s eyes looked up to the ceiling as Andross began to speak, “In the end it isn’t the guy that wins,” Mark looked at him disbelievingly, “It isn’t even the girl, it’s both of them. The whole point of the dance is to show that they are both equal, the man gave chase to the girl but at the same time the girl always wanted the man to capture her. As equals they ran from each other and enticed one another but in the end they ended the dance with the result they intended. Not a man for the night and not a woman who was easy but a couple whose bonds would not be broken because they knew and respected each other so well after the long chase that they cannot afford to let go of one another for fear of losing an equal.”
“Well,” Andross looked at Mark’s annoyed face and Treffle’s smiling one, “I should probably go now. Will you be long Treffle?” The smiling Director shook his head and Stacy went over to the Producer’s side. As he had suspected she had known the dance perfectly and unlike Mark had also discovered the true meaning behind its movements. Perhaps he would ask her about it afterwards at school. The Producer was also smiling at Stacy and Andross couldn’t help but feel a small amount of triumph emanating from her body.
“You know you come and butt in on my performance like your all it.” Mark had angrily turned to face Andross, “but you should know that you’re not always going to be the top guy around here. I’m already a star in critically acclaimed films and soon I’ll be beating you so badly that people will forget who you are.”
Andross shrugged, “If it’s about beating me in acting yesterday alone I had two people completely make a fool of me and show me how limited my skills were. My acting isn’t ‘all it’” he made a quotation gesture with his fingers as he quoted Mark, “But if you want to beat me then go ahead. I don’t really mind as long as you enjoy yourself while doing it and the audiences have fun watching your stuff.” Mark shut his mouth as Treffle suppressed a giggle.
“Well then, I better go. Sasha?”
Sasha nodded and wrapped her arms around his arm so that they could walk together. He sighed as he realized that she had ‘mysteriously’ lost her latest pair of crutches. The Producer seemed to be viewing the spot where their arms locked with some sort of angry expression.
‘She was dancing fine before.’ He looked down at Sasha who had a comfortable expression on her face, ‘I really think she’s faking it sometimes. Her medicine shouldn’t run out for a few more hours.’ He really couldn’t work out what they were thinking, making Sasha come in for such an easy scene. He was sure that with the practice done today they would be able to complete it on Monday or else they wouldn’t be letting him take Sasha away so soon.
“One last question,” Mark was gazing at the spot where Matias and Evelynn had danced only moments before, “When did you get the time to learn the dance so perfectly?”
Commoner waved his free hand in the air dismissively as he walked towards the stage exit with Sasha in stride, “You saw me watching you a few minutes ago didn’t you? Don’t tell me you didn’t notice me there.” He could feel the gazes of astonishment on his back. He wasn’t lying either, he hadn’t seen the dance before today but he had memorized the plot of Into Darkness just this morning and as he had viewed Mark dance he had learnt it in his mind and simply had to think about it to perform it perfectly. He had trained for years to perfect dancing under the tutorage of his acting instructor who had also taught him how to dance and play instruments as part of his curriculum.
“Just remember” His acting instructors words flitted through his mind, “An actor is an actor because he is always comfortable in his own element. As soon as that comfort is gone he ceases to be an actor and so you must learn how to do everything and if you encounter something you don’t know how to do, then you adapt and learn it.”
As his instructors words flitted across his mind Andross couldn’t help but leave a final comment in his wake, “I don’t have time for people like you that insist on holding up the process because of their own ego so I just decided to give it a go myself.”
As he left the astonished people behind he smiled to himself. They passed the canteen and he saw that Carlos had already left.
‘Pity, I wanted to thank him for his help.’
Sasha nudged his side.
“You seem to be in a rather evil mood my prince.”
Andross ruffled her hair and they headed back to the limo. It may not have been a defining moment in his career but unlike fighting skeletal dinosaurs or dog face kobolds this was where he felt comfortable. It was in this place and in moments like this where he felt as though he could do anything and everything and always get it right. He was an actor.
And this was his element.
“Well then countess,” Andross viewed the long walk to the limousine, “Shall I give you a ride fitting for one of your status?”
Sasha gave him a confused look and her eyes widened in surprise as he grinned and wrapped his hands around her waist, lifting her up into the air. She made a sound that was a cross between a squeal and laughter as countess Evelynn’s short dress fluttered in the wind. He placed her on top of his shoulders and felt her thighs rubbing against his ears and hair. He grabbed them to make sure that she didn’t fall off. After she had safely wrapped her legs just below his neck and tightly pressed her thighs against the sides of his head he let go of her and lifted his hands into the air in a grand gesture.
“Behold the countess that holds the entire world underneath her gaze! Behold the riches of she who does not hesitate to use strapping young men such as myself as a mere mount! Do not doubt her power and veracity for she is ruler over all she sees!”
Andross’ shout rung across the entire studio complex and echoed off of the canteens walls. The countess in question was stuck between laughing and shrieking loudly as Andross shook his shoulders from side to side and threatened to topple her over. She grabbed onto his forehead to prevent herself from falling and he laughed and brought his hands back to down to rest on her thighs and steadied her with them.
“This rather unceremonious act of screeching isn’t quite befitting for a lady of your stature.”
Sasha panted and leant over so that her upside down face was looking down at his. Her blonde hair obscured her vision and despite her face being darkened by shadows he could see the slight edges of a smile crossing over her mouth.
“Tell me my good man, since when does a mount treat his queen with such callous acts that make her heart jump a flutter as though she were in danger.”
Andross grinned and brought his lips to her own to lightly kiss them.
“I’m shocked at your words. I act this way for it is in my nature to do so for a beautiful lady.” He laughed gaily as she frowned, “And of course the most beautiful of all ladies is this noble born woman who holds her head up high above me.”
She brought herself out of her lean and held out her hands as though trying to grasp the sky.
“Onwards my loyal stead, for you have a date in a day that you must not be late to. Let it not be said that this countess allows her subordinates to be late to their pre-planned ceremonies.”
“As you will, mademoiselle.”
~~~~
“What was that?” The Producer banged her fist against her wooden desk and Stacy flinched, “WHAT WAS THAT?”
Stacy tried to stay calm in front of her mother’s rage. She had seen her mother in worse moods before but it had still been a long time since she last saw her angry face. She popped a bubble with the chewing gum she had in her mouth and lightly wrapped her mother’s fist in her hands.
“Relax ma, Andross asked me to dance didn’t he? He didn’t ask her.”
The Producer angrily pulled her fist out of Stacy’s hands and pointed her finger at Stacy’s chest.
“That little upstart.” She poked her finger into Stacy’s chest harshly “She just comes in and takes your role while she parades around you and you let her. It wasn’t you that left the set wrapped around Andross Silver’s arms was it?”
Stacy sighed. Her mother wouldn’t stop her ranting for a while. She was well and truly pissed at Sasha Ferrier. And it was true that although she had danced perfectly with Andross Silver in the end it had been Sasha that had left with him.
“DO you know how many strings I had to pull to get you that part?”
“Yes ma but-”
“There are no buts here Stacy.” Stacy shivered under her mother’s glare.
“We are Olen’s Stacy! And we don’t give up until we get what we want. What we deserve. We don’t lose, especially to some little disabled girl with pretty eyes and a famous boyfriend.”
‘It’s not just a famous boyfriend. It’s THE famous boyfriend.’ Stacy couldn’t help but think to herself. Even Treffle had acted like a young boy being pampered when talking to Andross and he was a world renowned director for both his work and his fiery and unmanageable temper. Andross Silver was someone that was way beyond the level she would ever be at. She let a small sigh escape from her lips. They had looked so cute together when they were leaving the studio.
“This isn’t something you sigh about.” Her mother continued her tirade, “I didn’t hide my identity as your mother for all these years just so that your first big role could be stolen right before my eyes.”
“But what are we going to do about it ma?” Stacy knew the only way that her mother was going to get over her little rampage was if she played along with her.
“You aren’t going to do anything Stacy. Leave this to mommy now.”
The Producer pulled a filed out of a drawer and smiled sweetly as she placed it on top of the desk. Stacy curiously looked over the contents and her look slowly turned into one of horror. This wasn’t information her mother was supposed to have access to.
Best of Best Account Details:
Sasha Ferrier:
IGN: Mademoiselle
Class: None
Level: 15
Location: Capital city of Marcades, Trinim
“There’s more than one way to crush a bug Stacy. Luckily for us she registered her Best of Best account details with me so that we would know that she is using the time ratio to study and practice her lines.”
The Producer grinned, it was she that had called the cast together today and made sure that Stacy had thoroughly practiced the dance routine so that when Sasha failed in front of Treffle, Sasha would face the blame and Stacy would conveniently be there to fill in for her and show her superiority. It was a slight miscalculation that Mark would be the one to underperform but it was of no matter to her. The Producer intended to call Sasha to work every day until she was too tired to move. No person could handle being overworked while coupling an online training schedule and a crippling disease.
“No matter how strong somebody is they can’t handle being crushed in three different areas at once.”
“Three?” Stacy could see how her mother intended to attack Sasha from work and from her virtual life, “What’s the last area.”
“Of course every girl relies on her social life to keep her afloat. No girl’s mental state will be destroyed until you first undo the foundations of her defence.” The Producer looked at her daughter and eyed her well-endowed chest and pretty grey eyes, she also had a slim body and tight thighs and well-rounded hips, “You’re a born man eater Stacy, put those gifts to good use and seduce Andross Silver for me would you? He goes to the same school as you, does he not?”
“But-” Stacy couldn’t see herself talking to Andross Silver let alone seducing him.
“No buts Stacy. We will crush this girl and then you’ll get this part. Being in one of Treffle’s series is guaranteeing you fame and stardom. We will crush this little bitch whether she likes it or not and nothing is going to stop us. Now go. Surely even you can think of some way to seduce that man. He’s a hot actor, he can’t be too bright.” Stacy left the room in a huff and the Producer took another memo out of a drawer.
If you’re looking for a player killer near Mademoiselle I recommend Orion since she’s in the area and well known for accepting any job for the right price.
The Producer scowled. She had looked up this Orion and the foolish girl had somehow managed to get herself captured in a town called Obsten or something like that. The Producer intended to harass Sasha in her real life but if she simply escaped to the virtual world to practice her lines then it was no use. She would have to crush the young actress in both worlds and the best way to do that would be to hire a player killer to harass her whenever she logged online. Unfortunately there were no other players that she could contact to dispose of Sasha’s in game avatar. It wasn’t easy trying to convince players to kill other players. But thankfully, paying them to save someone was far easier. It was a job that required money and when it came to negotiations this was her element.
“Well now.” She smiled to herself and looked around the room.
“It looks like we’re going to have to organise ourselves a little prison break.”
~~~~
“You truly are a magnificent creature.”
The Archemage of Fire, Quilbur, was gazing at the monster in front of him. Since their last encounter Tafrec the Undying had fully recovered from his injuries and the bones which had been exposed before were covered in luxurious scales of the highest quality. Its skeletal head had remained a skeleton and Quilbur couldn’t help but feel that it was like that originally.
“Tell me your secrets my good pet. Or else I shall have wasted my time for naught.”
He was currently observing the creature’s habits in the hopes of discovering some sort of weakness. The monsters of Best of Best had alarmingly strange habits when it came to interacting with the life around them. Sometimes the strongest of creatures would cower in fear at the site of a lower levelled monster despite there being no obvious reason for it doing so. Some simply keeled over after eating certain types of plants. As a creature that had lived underground for centuries and had never seen the light of the sun until it had escaped a few days ago Quilbur was certain that every step Tafrec took would be a cautious one and that just maybe it would reveal some sort of weakness.
‘It truly is an interesting creature Archemage. Just by looking at it I seem to get the feeling that nature will never cease to surprise me.’
A melodic voice called out to Quilbur and he turned around to find himself staring at a pair of dark blue eyes and a head of wavy black hair. The woman in front of him was skinny and clad in a white dress, her feet were bare. She could be no more than twenty years old, at the least eighteen or nineteen.
“And who might you be my fair lady? This mode of speaking would indicate that you are an angel, but I know their kind does not roam this far into the land.”
She girl let out a joyful laugh, ‘I am known by the people of this land as the Blessed Smith traveler. I have come bearing news of the Shadow Mask Mercenary King and a quest for you. I have watched his travels through my creation and know that you are one of his companions.’
‘So the sword we picked up was one of the famous Blessed Smith’s ones eh?’ Quilbur smiled to himself, his friend truly was an incredibly lucky man.
“Of course, I am honoured to meet you my lady. I see that that some lucky young lady has picked up one of your creations.” It was a well-known fact that the Blessed Smith took the form of the last person to pick up one of her creations, he had half expected her to be in Andross’ form but Quilbur supposed that she didn’t take male forms, “You say that you bring forth a quest for me yet I cannot bring myself to meet with my companion so soon after parting with him. It would be breaking a promise I hold very dear to my heart.”
She smiled and her joy seemed to light up the nature around them, ‘Fear not Archemage for you will serve to help your ally in a different way, one that will not require you to meet directly with Shadow Mask or to break your promise of meeting with him before he is powerful enough to lead you. For I know that he will require your help soon and that is why I have chosen to gather you to aid him in his battle.’
“If I may help my friend in his time of need without breaking my promise then I would be happy to oblige. But if you would excuse my question,” He looked at her happy face, “whom do you mean to call to arms, for I have gathered from your words that I am not the sole person to whom you are asking this favour.”
Before the Blessed Smith could respond a familiar face and pair of skinny arms appeared from behind her and the new arrival smirked as he viewed the suddenly expression of annoyance that had crossed Quilbur’s face.
“Your words are still as large and grand as your stomach, if you’re going to try and impress a lady you have to let her know you’re not going to eat her on the first date.”
‘I am aware that you are already acquainted with one another.’ The Blessed Smith looked from one player to another, ‘I wish you luck on your quest travelers.’
A quest message appeared in front of Astros and Quilbur and they smiled as they read the contents. There was no hesitation in their movements or their words as they spoke simultaneously.
“I accept your request.”
Author's note: Unfortunately i do not have much time between releasing chapters to get them PR'd so if you spot any mistakes feel free to point them out :) Write them in the comments below and I will get to them as soon as I can.
Stat tables: Stat tables are going to get big soon and with the added enchantments coming into effect when he reaches low hp (which he probably will, i'll let you read on later ;-) ) I will be happy if you guys want to correct any mistakes in the stat tables which will be appearing next chapters and in later chapters. Again do this through comments as i hardly ever check forum pm's