Definitely,” Zion said dreamily, his mouth closing tightly as he heard his own voice. “I mean, yes, I was searching for you. How could you have possibly known that?”
“Easy, my quest screen updated when I saw you fighting,” she answered matter-of-factly, helping him stand up. The lug Francis tried to stand up, and she nailed him in the face with the back of her heel. “So, you're Ki’s Herald, huh?”
A grimy voice squeaked at that, “Hold up, the little brat is a Herald!” Donny looked mortified at the revelation. “Listen, man, I’m sorry. Please, please don't kill me.” He held his arms over his head protectively, bent on his knees.
“Seriously, stop that nonsense. Get out of here, trash, and don't bother me again,” Zion shooed the man away. He followed after the girl as she turned and walked towards a table at the back. “Hi, my name is Zion; it's nice to meet you.”
She sat in the chair as he followed and looked him up and down. “Cute.” Another person beside her giggled, and that was when Zion realized they weren't alone. “I’m Camila, and this chuckling girl is my sister, Beth.”
Zion took in the laughing girl. She had the same build as Camila, but instead of black hair, hers was snow white. “Hi there,” she whispered softly. One hand brushed white strands of hair away while ice-blue eyes drifted down. “I wasn’t making fun of you, by the way. You just sound so innocent.”
“No problem…I guess,” Zion responded confusedly. Once again, the quest pinged him, letting him know he had found the second Chosen. “You two are really sisters?” Camila nodded seriously while he swore he heard Beth whisper, “Supposedly.”
“Two separate Deities really approached you both. The odds of that have to be astronomical!” Zion proclaimed. “Then add in the fact that we both have a quest to find each other, and I'm starting to feel like an overused puzzle piece.”
“Well, we didn’t need to find you, Zion, was it?” Zion gave her a thumbs-up, which caused Beth to giggle again. She sighed and continued, “All we had to do was wait. Our quest stated you'd find us. So we've been holed up here for the last two days.”
Zion pouted at the information, “Well, that hardly seems fair. I had a ten-hour search limit, and you two just had to wait?” he scowled at the sky. “Not fair, Ki.”
The pair looked at each other and smiled, Beth taking the lead this time, “Well, you’ve found us now. I’m Beth, Chosen of Rime, and she is Camila, Chosen of Lanza. We assume you're Ki’s Herald.”
“Ice and spear gods, pretty powerful benefactors. Yeah, I’m Ki’s Herald, though that's still really odd to say.” Zion finally sat down, just in time for his food and drink to be brought over. The barkeep gave him a wary glare that made Zion cough nervously. “I’ll cut straight to the point. How much do you know about what's going on?”
“Well, obviously, we're talking about the Champions,” Camila answered Zion, shushing her raised voice. “Seriously, chill out, Zion. No one is near us. Do you know how imposing our presence is to them?”
Not replying, she continued, “This many blessed together is unheard of. No one wants to know what we know.” She raised her eyebrow to punctuate the sentence. “We know just as much as I promise. Maybe more because we had two Gods feed us info. What does that have to do with the quest?”
Zion was taken aback by how forward Camila was. “Well, the second part of my quest was to convince you both to join my party. I plan on going to an Untamed Sphere and leveling up.”
“We had planned much of the same, but why should we join you?” Beth said bluntly, Zion grimacing at the words. She shook her arms wildly, “No, that's not what I meant! I was just asking what we gain by grouping up with you….that still sounds mean.” Beth covered her face, obviously embarrassed.
Zion couldn't help but think how different these two were. “Well, I’m fairly strong, so I can help during battle. Oh! I also don’t need any gear that has physical stats. They just converted to magical ones for me,” he told them, both girls seeming shocked by the fact. “I think the biggest benefit is strength in numbers.”
Neither responded at first, both looking at each other in unspoken communication. Finally, Camila spoke up as they both stood, “We need to discuss it before we make any solid decision. How long before you leave?”
Zion brought up the quest, seeing he still had over six hours remaining. But he needed them to join before that time expired, not after. “I’m grabbing some potions and the like. Then I will be leaving in five hours. Is that enough time? You could meet me at the pillars.”
“That should be plenty, Zion. If you see us, it means we think you are the best choice. If not, we choose a different path. Either way, I wish you the best.” At that simple response, the girls left the table, leaving Zion to his own thoughts.
Ki, please remember I'm terrible at talking. Let’s try to avoid social cues as quests. Zion chowed down the rest of his food and left the Drowned Mana Rat, pleased to never set foot in it again. He planted a final kick at Francis on the way out.
Zion spent the next five or so hours getting the rest of his supplies. Potions, rations, and other basic necessities found their way into his belt. He was glad for the potion slots as thirty clots didn’t sound like it'd last long. Zion also grabbed a simple pack to conserve some space.
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For the next hour, Zion stood around the pillars, pacing around anxiously. The girls hadn’t sounded too thrilled at the idea of partying with him. Maybe he was just meant to start this journey on his own. Or maybe they were told to stay away from him since he had already gotten a Champion after him.
Camila invites you to join her party.
Accept? Y/N
The notification brought Zion out of his worrying. Looking around, he found both of them wearing teasing smiles. “Missed us already?” Camila asked, coming to stand by him. “Be careful not to fall too hard, we've only just met.” She slapped his shoulder, knocking him back a step.
“So where we headed?” Beth queried, joining them by a pillar. Zion grinned at both of them, a sense of joy spreading through his chest. He had allies!
“We are heading to Sphere Neva, a new tier-two sphere. It's currently in the process of being settled, and they need help clearing monsters. Give me one second to finish the quest.” With a mental command, he accepted the invite, two names with expandable bars appearing in the corner of his vision.
Quest Complete:
Ability Acquired.
Aether Storm (Active, AOE) - Unleashes a tempest of pure mana that envelops the caster, manifesting as a violent storm within a 50-foot radius. Enemies caught within this maelstrom are subjected to a relentless barrage of mana explosions. Effects: Generates a swirling vortex of mana explosions, indiscriminately assaulting all foes within a 50-foot range, costing 150 mana per cast.
Zion pumped his arm in excitement, getting stares from his new party-mates. “Sorry, I got excited,” he apologized before blushing. “Do you guys need to finish your quest before we leave?”
“Nope, both of us completed ours when you offered us to join you,” Camila said, stepping closer, seeing the annoyed look in Zion’s eye. “Didn’t you know a woman's job is to play hard to get?” She then placed her hand and disappeared with a wink. Beth laughing once again vanished as well. Zion scoffed, placing his hand on the white stone. These girls might be the death of him
Zion broke free of the bright light and found the rumbling of his stomach building up. Desperately, he grabbed a travel candy from his belt, plopping it in his mouth. If he ever met that old woman again, he was gonna squeeze her tight.
With projectile vomiting avoided Zion took in his surroundings. All around him was a vast forest spreading further than his eyes could see. The trees were easily two hundred feet tall, made of beautiful redwood, their branches filled with vibrant leaves. The sounds of wildlife could be heard in every part of the forest.
Camila and Beth were both taking in the scene as well, the light evident in their eyes. Directly to their left was a simple cottage, maybe big enough to hold forty people. It was the only building that was properly set up in the clearing; the rest of the area was littered with tents. There was a considerable amount of people migrating around the area, all of them decked out in adventure gear. Some looked like well-traveled veterans, while others looked fresh from the ceremony.
“We will need to make contact with the guild official before we do anything,” Camila remarked, her long legs making way towards the wooden cottage. Zion and Beth rushed to keep pace with her, letting her take the lead. Zion wasn’t quite sure how she got that position, but he didn’t mind at the moment.
“Zion, do you have your adventure tag? It'll make things faster if I hand them all in at once,” she said, holding her palm out to him. When he just stood there dumbly, she looked back at him, her face dropping. “Please tell me you got certified back in Valor?”
Zion looked away shyly, “I kinda forgot with all the other things on my plate.” Camila started to stomp her foot. “No big deal, really. I can still certify here. They just might freak out a little more than the Valor HQ.”
She waved her arm forward, gesturing for him to take the lead. Zion complied, stepping ahead. He led the way through the double doors, with most people not bothering to notice their passing. Inside, the cottage was laid out like an office building. Four desks sat in the front, with uniformed personnel manning them. Lines formed behind each desk, adventurers holding quest notices to turn in or accept. The notice board stood near the entrance, its face covered in layers of parchments.
Eyes had turned on them with their entrance, most gazes lingering on Zion's skin. He pulled his hood up, knowing it was too late for that action; still, it made him feel better. He led them to the shortest line, and after a few minutes, he approached the clerk. "Hello, ma’am, I need to certify, if that's okay?" he asked the petite blonde in front of him, her frame clearly that of an administrator.
The lady let out a long sigh, seemingly built up from dealing with repetitive questions. "Hold out your hand," she instructed. Zion complied, extending his right palm. She swiftly pierced it with a needle and dropped the blood onto a steel tag. It flared with light, writing etched into the metal. The receptionist appeared bored until she went to hand him the tag. "Here you go, He… Herald. What! Uh, please stay right there," she exclaimed, dashing towards the back of the building with Zion's tag in tow.
“Freak out a little more. That's what you said, right?” Beth asked smugly. “That might have been an understatement.” Zion shot her a look, tapping his fingers on the well-made desk. He really should have done this earlier.
About three minutes later, she returned with an enormous orc in tow. The orc's head easily reached the low ceiling, its tusks almost scraping against it. He walked briskly towards them, Zion's tag in hand. "You three, with me," he ordered, pointing at them before gesturing with his thumb towards a room on the side of the office. With unanimous shrugs, the three of them followed.
“Tags, both of you,” he demanded when they had sat down in the small room. His deep voice didn’t leave much room for negotiating, and each of them handed over their tags. He scanned all three tags, slapping them down on the table when he was finished. “Normally, I would ask why three tier-one showed up at a second-tier Sphere. Those questions would normally be addressed to regular newbies, not a Herald and two Chosen. That's even glancing over the fact that you sit here with a race never seen before.” He quirked his eye at Zion, the look full of curiosity.
"I'll get straight to the point. We've had some issues clearing out a tribe of trolls in the southern region. No team has succeeded so far, and we need those bastards killed. I’m willing to offer you double the reward if you will head out there today and finish the quest. Sounds like a good offer, right?”
All three shared looks, unsure how to respond to the direct request. Zion finally took point since he had caused the whole scene. “Why would you offer a quest that no one has completed to a bunch of newbies? My question even sounds suspicious.”
He grinned widely then, a grin of a man who was very desperate. “Oh, it's more than suspicious; I'll grant you that. But really, it's simple. If three blessed by Creation can’t kill those damn things, then no other tier-two is. Plus, your stats alone put you higher than most of the adventurers here. Seriously, it should be no problem for a party as composed as yours!”
“You know what let's fucking do it,” Camila exclaimed to confused looks from the others. “Seriously, we should start off red-hot and work our way from there.” She stood up at that, “What’s the worst that could happen?”