A.N: Part 2 of a 2 part chapter
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3 hours and 15 arrogant customers later, it was time to head home.
'Thank fucking god.' Thought Ethan as he left the restaurant and walked towards his car, a black Ford Falcon, his pride and joy.
It didn't take very long to get home, he only lived 15 minutes away from his workplace, which was good, because he didn't need to spend too much on gas.
'I'll sleep tonight and log back in tomorrow, I'm too tired for games at the moment,' he thought as he locked the front door behind him.
He walked down the hall to his bedroom, closed the door behind him and slumped down into bed without bothering to get undressed, he just wanted to sleep, nothing else.
***
Rani Lay in her bed, she hadn't slept that night,she was too busy thinking, thinking about him, the only traveller that ever treated her with respect and kindness, not the fake kindness that most travellers used to gain what they needed before they left, but real kindness, something she could call a friendship.
Friendship.
Something that she never dared to dream of fell right into her lap, for the first time since the travellers came, she was happy, genuinely happy, all because of one man, and something as small as a little kindness.
*KnockKnockKnock*
Somebody had rapped their knuckles on Rani' small shack door.
"Coming." She said as she leapt from her bed and took a moment to regain her composure.
***
Foot steps could be heard on the hardwood floor, and soon the door was opened to reveal a small and pretty Faery with long light green hair and a blue dress, her soft green eyes shone as she saw who was at her door.
"You came back!" She cried in happiness, her wings fluttering slightly, barely even noticeable.
"Of course I did," replied Markl, "we still have plenty of fun to catch up on." He said with a warm smile that made the small Faery girl blush.
The bright sky was as clear as ever in the small Faery town high in the trees, the suns light shone through the tree tops to the ground below, the light breeze swayed the leaves, making their shadows dance.
The merchants were relaxing in the shade as customers, players and NPC's alike, browsed their wares.
Markl and Rani were following the merchants example and relaxing beneath the shade of a tree that had a nice view of the charming little village.
"So, what will we do today?" Asked Rani, excited to have fun with her new friend.
"How about a quest?" He asked, "but not just any quest, a fun quest!" He cried with enthusiasm, making Rani giggle.
"What kind of quest would you class as fun?" She asked with a smile.
"A quest where I get to fight a lot." Replied Markl in a serious tone, making Rani giggle yet again.
"If you go and speak to the miner, Durin, he will have a quest to your liking." Said Rani in a serious tone that made Markl chuckle.
Before too long, they were both giggling in the shade of the tall tree.
The place that Rani had taken him to was a small wooden shack just like hers, it was relatively small, made of hardwood and had no windows.
Rani knocked on the door and waited for the reply.
"It's open!" Sounded a gruff voice.
Rani opened the door and walked inside, Markl not far behind her, much like Rani' shack, it was rather small, with only a bed, a large cupboard and a steel headed pickaxe leaning against it.
"Hello traveller, and if it isn't Rani!" Laughed the muscular old Faery, his grey hair and beard not matching his blue eyes full of life and vigour.
"Durin!" Rani cried in happiness at the sight of her old friend, "do you still need someone for that quest? If so then please give it to my friend!"
"Friend?" Said Durin in amazement, "but he's a traveller, I thought you hated travellers?" Asked the old man, eyeing Markl closely.
"Not Markl, he's different, I... Trust him." Said Rani, her voice soft.
"Is that so?" The old Faery asked rhetorically.
"Yes." Was Rani' reply.
Durin cackled at her answer and turned to the boy, "it won't be easy," he said, "but if you want it you can have it."
"Yes please!" Markl replied, barely able to contain his excitement.
Quest: Don't Touch That, It's Mine!
The old Faery Durin' mine has been over run with goblins,
he wants you to eradicate the goblins that infest the mine.
Conditions:
-
Rewards:
1x small ruby
+300 experience
Failure: Death
Do you wish to accept?
y/n
"Yes!" Replied Markl, the old Faery laughed again.
"You managed to pick a good one Rani," said Durin, "good and strong!"
"I- I know." She replied, her face completely red.
Markl just stayed quiet, not understanding the situation, Rani turned towards the door and exited the small shack, as did Markl, closing the door behind him.
The birds were chirping amongst themselves, making the forest seem even livelier, the warm breeze pushed the leaves back and forth, pushing the shadows on the forest floor along with them.
Markl fell in love with the peacefulness of the forest, the feeling of serenity that flowed through him, dissolving all of his worries.
"How much further until we reach the mine?" Asked Markl as the two silently strolled through the beautiful forest.
"We will reach it in about fifteen minutes." Rani replied, giggling at her impatient friend.
The two continued to walk through the sea of tall, green trees, admiring the landscape around them.
The trees began to thin out as they got closer and closer to their destination, until the tree line stopped altogether and they stood at the foot of a tall mountain.
"This way," said Rani as she lead him to what looked like nothing but a boulder, "Durin' mine is very valuable, so he had to hide the entrance, I don't even know how the goblins found it." She said as she made her way around the boulder to a small entrance no bigger than four feet tall and three feet wide.
They both entered the tunnel, Markl lead the way whilst Rani stayed close behind him, she didn't mind at all!
The tunnel was well kept, the magic stones placed in the mine supplied sufficient light and the tunnel was also spacious, well, for a Faery.
The tunnels grey stone walls showed clear markings from when it was mined, it varied from small indentations to whole room sized spaces that were dug long ago.
*ScuffleScuffle*
"Did you hear that?" Markl whispered to Rani as he stopped walking to listen.
"Yes, it came from just ahead." She whispered in reply, her voice quivered slightly.
"Don't be scared, I'll protect you." He whispered to her, in the dim lighting of the mining tunnel Markl couldn't see Rani' face reddening.
Slowly and silently, Markl made his way around the corner to see what caused the noise, up ahead were two goblins, small green creatures that had small
pointed ears, rotting black teeth, a flat nose and no more than 30 hairs covering their otherwise bald heads. They held terrible weapons and wore leather armour that was nothing more than scraps.
Markl approached them quietly, but not quietly enough, the goblins heard him coming and readied for a fight.
'Good,' thought Markl, 'they aren't smart enough to call for back up.'
Markl jumped forward and slashed his blade at the goblin to the left.
-16 HP
The goblin that was struck with his blade recoiled in pain as it yelped, the other goblin snarled at Markl as it thrust with its spear.
-8 HP
'Fuck you,' thought Markl as he thrust his blade at the eye of the goblin that attacked him.
-17 HP
'That's right,' he thought as the goblin let out a piercing screech, rolling on the ground with his hands covering his oozing eye.
The goblin he attacked first regained it's senses and threw itself at Markl with quite a bit of force, knocking him to the ground.
-4 HP
'Piece of shit!' he thought as he bashed the head of the goblin with the pommel of his sword, splattering its brains across the floor.
Fatal Blow!
Markl quickly got to his feet and turned to face the second goblin, his blade at the ready.
The goblin tried to stab Markl with the point of his spear, but Markl stepped to the side and kicked the goblin with all of his force, throwing it back several feet.
-10 HP
The goblin lay on the tunnel floor, winded and dizzy, unable to so much as shriek.
Markl drove his blade through the back of the creatures head, killing it instantly.
Fatal Blow!
Markl stood in the dim light, breathing heavily as he waited for his health to regenerate.
'I should be close to levelling up,' thought Markl as he walked bak to Rani.
"Are you ok, Markl?" Asked Rani in a small, scared voice.
Markl chuckled, "no need to worry about me." He told her as he gave her a warm smile.
He didn't even bother taking the loot from the two goblins, there were just weapons and armour that were worse than his current apparel, he did take the money though.
+20 Copper
'Ten copper each, not bad.'
Markl and Rani continued to advance through the old tunnel and killing goblins, Markl had gotten into a good rhythm and killed them all with ease, levelling up twice! Rani wasn't the fighting type, but Markl didn't mind, in fact, he was just happy knowing that she was safe behind him.
As they continued further into the tunnel, the twists, turns and forks that were carved out of the hard grey rock that surrounded them became more frequent.
"Do you remember the way back?" Markl whispered.
"Yes, just count on me when the time comes to go back." Rani whispered back.
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'That's one problem taken care of,' Markl thought as they rounded another bend in the maze like tunnel.
Markl stopped and looked at Rani, "we don't know how long we will be here and how many enemies are still left, lets rest." He said, Rani didn't complain as she sat against the wall, breathing hard.
"Here." Said Markl as he passed her a half a loaf of bread and his canteen, he then sat next to her, but when he leant against the wall, he fell right through!
Congratulations! You have discovered the "Hidden Cathedral"
Rewards:
+50 Fame!
+200 EXP.
You Have Levelled Up!
'What the...' Thought Markl, confused, he heard a scream from the other side.
Markl sat back up and passed through the wall again, "what's wrong?!" He asked, the anxiety clear in his tone.
Rani stared at him wide eyed, "you're body was...." tears began to form in her soft green eyes.
Markl embraced the mortified Faery warmly and stroked her hair.
"I'm fine, this wall is just an illusion, come see," he told her soothingly, drying her eyes Rani nodded and stood up from the cold stone floor.
Markl and Rani walked through the invisible wall and were quite surprised as to what they found.
Behind the false wall there was a perfectly square room the size of a cathedral, the walls and floor had no rough edges whatsoever, the only light that was given came from magic crystals that covered the roof of the cathedral.
There were pews that formed five rows either side of the cathedral entrance, with a walkway that went between them, it stretched from the hidden cathedrals opening to an alter that had a book mounted on it.
"What is this place?" Asked Rani.
"It's a church, or that's what the message told me." Replied Markl, just as curious as Rani.
The two slowly began to walk down the path to the alter, passing rows of empty pews built from pitch black wood, or maybe it had just been burnt.
They reached the last row of pews, "status screen." Said Markl.
Status WindowName:MarklAlignment:NeutralLevel:5Class:-Race:FaeryGender:MaleTitles-Fame:0Infamy:0-Health:180 / 180Health Regen:1 / SecMana:350 / 350Mana Regen:1 / SecStamina:300 / 300Stamina Regen:1 / Sec-Strength:20Speed:15Power:10Dexterity:10Intelligence:10Wisdom:10Leadership:10Luck:10-Attack:25-30Defense:40Physical ResistancesSlashing:-Piercing:-Crushing:-Elemental ResistancesFire:-Water:-Wind:-Earth:-Light:-Darkness:-Status Points:5
'Not too bad,' thought Markl as he saw his stats, he's still very weak, but five times stronger than before.
"Wait here Rani, I'm going to look at the book on the alter."
Rani nodded and sat on the pew to her right, waiting for Markl to finish his business.
Markl approached the alter carefully, this seemed suspicious, very suspicious.
He came closer and closer yet nothing happened, eventually he was standing at the alter, his hand outstretched, ready to take the book.
Markl turned around to make sure Rani was safe before he continued, she was sitting on the pew patiently waiting for him, he could see the worry in her eyes, he chuckled lightly, 'worry wart,' he thought as he gave her a warm smile.
He turned back around to face the alter, the book was still sitting there, giving of a weird aura, a dark aura.
Finally, he reached out his hand and touched the book slightly with his index finger, it felt similar to Leather, but far to smooth, and the books aura was pulsating, as if a heart beat inside.
Darkness.
Silence.
Nothingness surrounded Markl, he tried to yell for Rani but couldn't make a noise.
Then, suddenly, a voice cut through the nothingness, it was in his head yet far away, as loud as a roar yet as quiet as a whisper.
"Interesting, I never would have thought that I would be called by one of the Faery folk." Said the voice.
Again, Markl tried to speak yet couldn't utter a single word.
'Who is that?' Thought Markl, bewildered.
"The Devil, boy, that is who I am." Replied the voice, not in a sneer or any other tone you would expect to hear come from the Devil, he just stated a fact.
'The Devil? God damn it.' Cursed Markl.
"He already has." Was the amused response.
Markl, even more bewildered than before, asked, 'ok then, Devil, how do I leave?'
The Devil laughed at the young Faeries words(thoughts?), "I've made the mightiest warriors feint from fright and a small Faery isn't even phased."
He let out another laugh.
"I've been looking for somebody like you, someone that can't be cowed into submission by even the Devil himself." Said the Devil, his voice full of interest.
'Why have you been searching for someone like me?' Asked Markl, feeling slightly uneasy about how his conversation with the Devil was going.
"The balance of power, boy, those that worship the gods of light are trying to tip the scales, completely eradicating the darkness."
'But then there will be only good.' Replied Markl.
"False, good can come from bad just as bad can come from good." Replied the devil in that same, fact stating tone.
'Why must you answer in riddles?' Asked Markl, somewhat annoyed.
The Devil laughed again, thoroughly amused that a mere Faery would dare to show blatant annoyance to the ruler of darkness.
"Riddles? The answer I have given you is as straight forward as can be, you just refuse to understand." Said the Devil.
'I'm not refusing anything, I just don't understand.'
"Murder is seen as evil when an innocent being is killed, but if a murderer is hung than a whole village cheers."
'I see...' Replied Markl.
"Do you, do you really, boy?"
'Yes, good and evil depend on circumstance, not the actions themselves.' Was Markl' reply.
The Devil was stunned into silence, "You do understand..." He said, excitement making his voice tremble.
"Boy, I have a proposal to make, would you be interested?" The Devil asked, there was something in his voice that was not expected, hope.
'It depends on what I gain and what I lose.' Markl replied bluntly.
The Devil burst into another fit of laughter, "yes, I like you boy. My proposal is this, but before I ask you, I must fill you in on a few things, first is the making of a demon, it may seem irrelevant, but listen to me boy. I first take a soul that has been twisted by life, I then ingrain a small amount of my power into the twisted soul, then I have it twisted some more until my power awakens inside of them and acts as a converter, the souls agony is converted to its demonic power. Now that you know how a demon is made, I can start telling you the important part. Devil Knights, they are demons born from different methods, but far superior, if I offer a large amount of my power to a soul that knows not of backing down or cowardice, and if they withstand the test then a Devil Knight is made."
Markl didn't know what to reply with, instead he thought over what he was told, and how it is relevant to him.
'So you want to make me into a Devils Knight?' He asked the Devil.
"Yes, that is what I want."
'I don't want to be a knight though, they can't use magic.' He replied.
The Devil laughed once more, "were you not listening, boy? A Devils Knight is a demon but far superior, magic is what you will excel at." Said the Devil.
"What say you, boy?" Asked the Devil, trembling with anticipation.