I whipped out my musical instrument and played my lone song spell, wrapping my body with another barrier on top of [Greater Pyro Shell]. The buffs of my rings kicked in as I stood still. I wasn’t stupid to think I could survive RailGunLord’s attack. But I wanted him to believe I did so he’d continue his plan to get up close and personal to deliver the coup de grace.

[ Status | Debuff Lock: Cannot Remove Debuffs for 7 seconds ]

He wants to ensure the kill, I mused, raising my shields.

He was coming. I needed to know when and from where. I cast [Horde Stampede]. Though I remained stationary, the effects of this skill still generated sounds of stampeding hooves and stirred the snow around me into clouds as if I were charging.

Then, it was gone, along with my barriers and other buffs. Only my passives remained. RailGunLord dispelled them again. He’d strike before [Debuff Lock] expired. A few seconds to go.

I spied in the corner of my left eye the ruffles of snow formed by [Horde Stampede] getting flattened. There he was. My guess was correct that he had a skill that allowed him to move without leaving tracks, clearing the ground of any marks. That was why parts of Mr. Goat’s tracks were erased in this area even though Oyi Oso didn’t pass by here.

I didn’t face his direction to tip him off that I knew.

One last ace up my sleeve. Not technically an ace because that implied this was going to work a hundred percent. A gamble, rather. But the wheel of fortune was always on the side of Herald Stone! Hoping that RailGunLord was near enough—another gamble—I cast [Heaping Infections].

“What the—?” exclaimed a voice that sounded normal. He must’ve turned off his Mardukryon voice settings.

Popping to my side was RailGunLord wrapped in black leather bands, glowing red runes all over, wielding flaming daggers. He stared at his hands whipping about like swatting flies instead of stabbing me.

I won the gamble! I immediately hightailed it out of there. With [Debuff Lock] gone, I cast [Cleansing Flames], removing most of the other debuffs.

I laughed as I ran, making sure he heard it. I’m an asshole too.

He must be confused as hell about what happened back there. [Heaping Infections] reduced Attack and Magic Power, and also softened up the targets depending on how many debuffs they already had. But that couldn’t stop his attack or help me survive in any way. My secret weapon was one of the Link Shards connected to [Heaping Infections]—[Chorus of Delirium].

Lvl 5 Chorus of Delirium (Link): Enemies under the effect of linked debuff-type skills will suffer Delirium, with a 25% chance of not attacking or confusing their allies as enemies. Increases the duration of linked debuff-type skills by 15%.

Just a twenty-five percent chance, and it procced. The gods were really on my side.

I’m on my side.

An assassin like RailGunLord, though not tanky, would have resistances and countermeasures against crowd-control skills like stun and freeze. In fact, because he was a glass cannon, he’d be heavily invested against CC. One stun and he’d be gone.

However, the debuff of [Chorus of Delirium] wasn’t like the usual disables; there was no Delirium Resistance stat. It’d stick. Cleansing away [Heaping Infections] was the solution. RailGunLord would soon do that if he hadn’t already, which was why I was in a hurry to get out of the PvP zone.

I made sure to have obstacles between me and RailGunLord so he wouldn’t have a clear shot. I also left Totems behind me. I couldn’t hear any sound other than my hooves, but then again, I couldn’t hear him moving earlier.

Red filled my vision. My health bar zoomed down to almost zero. I got hit by something!

I was also rooted in place. I drank a health potion as I looked down. Large metal teeth clamped my ankles—traps laid by RailGunLord.

What a thorough guy. I’d applaud him if he wasn’t about to kill me.

Here he was. Again invisible, he made sure to follow my tracks to announce his presence, smoothening the snow as he moved over my hoofprints. Ominous vibes. This guy really knew how to set the mood. He stopped some distance from me, out of range of my Heaping Infections.

I stared in defiance at where he should be standing. I bet he was pissed as hell. I got him to reveal himself and also talk. This was already a win in my books. And his. Even if he killed me, he couldn’t turn back time.

He wasn’t doing anything.

A few seconds passed and the trap released me.

He still didn’t attack. Was this asshole telling me to continue running?

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If he wanted a round two, I’d give it to him. Any opportunity to piss him off more was welcome. I nodded and galloped away. But I didn’t head to the border of the PvP zone. There’d be more traps there, and that’d also be where he’d want me to go. I bet he imagined killing me just before I exited the area. No way I was giving him that satisfaction.

Instead, I headed to a group of ruins I spotted in the distance earlier. I got a better view as I closed them. Toppled pillars lay on each other. On top was a collapsed roof made of stone. Perhaps this was a temple of sorts long ago. Beyond the ruins were boulders piled on the slope of a small hill. This was a—

BOOM!

An explosion a few meters to my right. A statue was blown into bits. RailGunLord was using AoE skills?

KABOOM!

This time, the explosion was to my left.

I didn’t mind them. RailGunLord wouldn’t kill me just yet. The explosions continued, getting closer and closer, narrowing my path, and herding me. RailGunLord wouldn’t let me reach the ruins in one piece. I didn’t plan on reaching it. I already won and wasn’t letting him get his revenge.

I stopped barely ten meters from the first pillar. Glistening projectiles arced overhead and landed halfway to the temple ruins, carpeting where I would be if I didn’t stop with explosions.

I turned around, unequipping my shields, and extended my hands. Go ahead. Kill me.

He’d lose if he did. And if he didn’t. He should know it.

Any choice he made would result in his defeat.

If I were him, I’d just kill me and accept the consolation prize. Inconvenience me with getting transported back to Kurghal Village and denying me Hunting Tokens. I also didn’t get Oyi Oso. RailGunLord wouldn’t get his pride back, but he should content himself with this. He didn’t have a choice.

A large flare shot up in the sky. He wanted a bombastic ending, as was fitting for Herald Stone.

“I win,” I said. He may not have heard me, but he should’ve seen my mouth movements.

The comet descended. I closed my eyes. Pose as cool as possible.

An explosion. The earth quaked.

But the sounds were… muffled? Distant. There was something else. Every noise was swallowed by clear notes of a flute, some sort of wind instrument, merging into each other like a chorus of songbirds.

There were no notifications.

I was alive…

I gingerly opened my eyes. The red of flames filled my vision. But I was unharmed. The raging fire was on the other side of a transparent barrier. I couldn’t feel the heat at all. An entire dome protected me, isolating an island in a sea of flames.

“What the…?” Who saved me? None of my teammates had a skill like this.

(Friend,) a calm voice spoke inside my head.

I turned around. The back of the dome extended, like the tongue of a clam, to the temple ruins, extinguishing the flames as it opened a safe path for me. At the end of it, hiding under the piles of pillars, was [Lvl 81 Musical Goat|High Minstrel: Inuus].

Freaking eighty-one? Was this the highest level anything I had ever encountered?

Inuus was bigger and hairier than the Kurghal village goat, its fur pearly white without any hint of dyes. Its swirling horns were gigantic, larger than its skulls. Beads and carved trinkets adorned its body, layering on top of an intricate golden chest piece. Wind instruments floated above its horns, glowing blue as they played a serene tune.

(Do you know our music?) it asked me. Unlike the village goat, Inuus spoke in my head instead of projecting thoughts while bleating.

“Yes, I do,” I said, unsure of how to reply to telepathic messages.

(Come. Follow me. Away from danger.) It turned around and disappeared in the bowels of the ruins.

“This is unexpected.” I looked over my shoulder to check RailGunLord.

Numerous blasts peppered the face of the dome. They couldn’t break through.

This goat was strong. Forget about Oyi Oso. Forget about Mama Bear and the Fengharls. Forget about my party—I’ll message them. I wanted this barrier song spell, and so much more.

(Friend. Hurry.)

I heeded its call and trotted after it. “What about the guy attacking me?”

(Trust me. Follow me.)

I entered the cave formed by the collapsed ruins, bending my upper body very low, because it was a tight space, and using my spear as support to not topple forward. Beating drums made my heart also pound. In the darkness of the tunnel, I saw glowing golden drums floating. A rumble followed. Another earthquake.

I leaned against the walls, waiting for it to stop. There was a large crash. Pieces of the pillar behind me broke off and fell, sealing the entrance.

That bastard is going to be very confused, I thought with a smirk. I coated myself with [Greater Pyro Shell] to light my way.

Checking my [Tattered Map], I realized that this was the direction to Elder Pabilsag’s hidden workshop. I was still some ways away from reaching the unlocked portion of the [Tattered Map] that Gula gave me, but it was there somewhere.

Poor birds getting hit by Herald Stone.

“Uh, Mr. Inuus! Wait for me,” I said, struggling to keep up with it in the cramped space. The goat fit in the tunnel just fine.

(A musical friend,) it told me. (A Mardukryon friend. I’m glad I met you in this new place.)

“Mardukryon friend?” I repeated. “Do you know other Mardukryons?”

(Many Mardukryon friends. But not here. New place.)

I gripped my spear tighter. I couldn’t even form a sexual joke in my excitement. Chief Nogras! I found them!

So many birds getting hit.