Chapter 25: Secrets and Lies
[ku-keee-kee-kee-kee]
[chaww-aw-aw-caw]
The wild. An uncivilized land inhabited by savages. The air is thick. A blanket of moisture lingers on your skin. Every breath you take feels forced; like pulling water through a straw, the pressure was unbelievable. Your clothes are tattered but it’s warm. Like finding yourself snugged in your favourite blanket, you found it strange. Not too long ago it was freezing. Why the sudden change in temperature?
Your eyes are still closed but there's an orange light flickering from the side. Someone is calling out to you… but who’s voice was it? You didn't know but who ever it was...it was mesmerizing….
[...Markus...Markus…]
“Ugh…” (Marcus)
“Marcus! Marcus!” (Yunni)
“Daddy!” (Diloria)
Marcus slowly opens his eyes. His body is heavy. It’s been less than 30 minutes since they were swept up by the hurricane. Pieces of debris from the ship could be found scattered along the shoreline. The storm had past. Well... at least where they were. Wherever that may be....
“Ugh...Ouch!” (Marcus)
Shrapnel from the exploding shipwreck caused several lacerations on Marcus’s back. The bleeding has stopped but the pain still lingered. If this wasn't a game, Marcus would have died several times over before landing on the beach.
“How ya doin buddy?” (???)
“Huh?” (Marcus)
The campfire caused a soft glow on the young man’s face. Marcus could tell he was a player as well. His thick Kansai accent gave it away. Marcus sat up. He gave the boy a long stare. The player’s clothing was odd. It drew a fine line between ancient arabian clothing and modern art. He had two daggers on his side and a whip on the other. His tanned skin made him blend nicely with the sand. He had a confident yet affectionate smile. Overall, Marcus summed it up in one word. Strong.
Marcus wasn't well versed in the game. For goodness sake, he couldn't even open up his own friends list!
“Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to know how to look at your friend list?” (Marcus)
“PFFT!” (Player?)
The boy almost choked on the piece of wild boar. Besides the obvious shock that accompanied the stupidity of not know how to open your friends list, but to think that would be the first thing on Marcus’s mind after finding himself stranded in the middle of nowhere was to open his friend list!
“Ahem. For ya info, my name is DarkPrince. Ya can call meh Prince fa short” (DarkPrince)
“Ah, nice to meet you Prince. Name’s Marcus...” (Marcus)
“Wait. Aren't ya curious bout wat happened?!” (DarkPrince)
“What do you mean?” (Marcus)
“Like how I rescue ya, or how I fought off da armored panthas!” (DarkPrince)
“Ah, that sounds fascinating. So how do you open the friends list?” (Marcus)
The boy gave himself a facepalm. He wasn't expecting on saving a noob. Considering Marcus had 3 pets with him, Darky thought Marcus would be at least level 100. The boy gave Marcus a share of the meat before explaining.
“Sigh... okay listen up! If ya dunno wat to do, open the -playa help menu-!” (DarkPrince)
“Okay got it!” (Marcus)
“And for friends list, just say -open community window-” (DarkPrince)
“-Open community window-” (Marcus)
[ping]
[td6]Community Window[/td3]
GuildNoneFriendsGuild MembersParty MembersMisty33 (Offline)-Stephanie71 (Offline)Rushop5 (Online)--Stephanie71 (Offline)--
Hm...Stephanie’s off- wait who’s Misty33?
Darky continued to rant about how careless Marcus was for being in a high level zone and how he should head back to a starting city but... Marcus didn't hear any of that. His eyes were fixated on the name Misty33... who was it? Something was squeezing at Marcus’s heart but he couldn't figure out why.
“-Hey! Are ya listening to meh?!” (DarkPrince)
“Oh! Sorry” (Marcus)
“Anyways, I was asking how’d ya get so many pets?” (DarkPrince)
“We’re not pets! I’ll have you know I’m his wife!” (Yunni)
“...” (Rieko)
“Bark, Bark! (Daddy, Food! Food!)” (Diloria)
Marcus also gave himself a facepalm. He didn’t consider himself married, but telling Yunni would only make her upset. Well, it’s not like she could fly away with her magic restricted, but having her whine would be just as annoying.
“They’re not my pet. They’re family” (Marcus)
“Marcus~” (Yunni)
“Woof! (Food!)” (Diloria)
“Eh?! Yah weird ya know” (DarkPrince)
After recovering from his hunger, Marcus decided it was time to check his inventory.
[ping]
Inventory:
Misc seeds x 24
Empty flask x 11
Flour sac x 6
Red salve x 1
Travel cloak x 1
Galzar Ring of Deception x 1
Black Steel Fairy Hoe x 1
Hunter’s keys x 6
Blacksmithing hammer x 1
Bucket x 1
Steel pot x 1
Digging shovel x 1
Drinking canteen x 1
Trowel x 1
Short Steel Axe x 1
Map of Hunter’s Hideout x 1
Minor Pesticide x 1
Huh? What’s this ring?
Pulling out the ring caused a reaction from DarkPrince. He quickly grabbed it from Marcus’s hands before Marcus could attempt to identify it.
“Hey-” (Marcus)
“-Identify-!” (DarkPrince)
Marcus watched as the boy examined the ring.
“Wow!” (DarkPrince)
“I’ll take it back then, thanks!” (Marcus)
“Where’d ya get da ring from?!” (DarkPrince)
“What’s it to you?” (Marcus)
“I’m a treasure hunter! It’s ma job to identify all da treasures in da world!” (DarkPrince)
“Really?” (Marcus)
“Ya! I get bonus stats every time I uncover something rare!” (DarkPrince)
Since the item has been -identify-, Marcus decided to see what it was.
(Unique) Galzar Ring of Deception (120/120)
Description: A ring that belonged to the King of Galzar.
Active: Can mimic the appearance of the last person you touched. 5 MP/sec
Bonus: +500 MP
Requirement: Lvl. 50, 150 INT
Yikes, the requirements are too high!
Marcus looked over to Yunni. She was lvl 57... and she did have more than enough intelligence...
“Ah- Yunni, wear this” (Marcus)
Yunni’s eyes sparkled. She was completely over the moon! Her tiny fingers trembled as she started to drool. She was having another episode of weird delusions that involved some more red salve.
It’s not food Yunni...
“Ehehehe! Yay! I’m. I mean! Really?! Yipee!” (Yunni)
Yunni slipped the ring on her thumb. Thumb you ask? Well...
“Its-its-it’s too big!” (Yunni)
“I guess it can’t be helped” (Marcus)
Taking back the ring, Marcus decided he would save it for later. Maybe he’ll start maxing out his intelligence?
“But-but…” (Yunni)
“It’s just a ring, don’t worry about it” (Marcus)
“Uh-Marcus…” (Yunni)
“Hey, yah fairy is sad, shouldn’t ya give her something else?” (DarkPrince)
“Huh?” (Marcus)
She does look a little sad, she really wanted that ring huh?
“Oh I know!” (Marcus)
Marcus pulled out the last bit red salve he had in his inventory. He saved it for an occasion such as this one. For emergencies.
“Hey Yunni, I got some red salve” (Marcus)
“Eh?! But there’s other people watching!” (Yunni)
Yunni’s face was bright pink! She began to fidget while rubbing her chest. Marcus was confused. Did she want the red salve or not?
“Hey, ya should use da potion on ya-self. Those wounds are narly” (DarkPrince)
“It’s not an emergency” (Marcus)
“What?” (DarkPrince)
“Guess I’ll save it for later” (Marcus)
The DarkPrince became even more baffled by Marcus’s bizarre behaviour! Emergency?! Save for later?! There wasn’t enough facepalms in the world that would describe how Darky felt. The Prince had to ask Marcus the question...
“Um, how old are ya again?” (DarkPrince)
“I’m 16, you?” (Marcus)
16! 16!! The boy was left speechless. Marcus was his senior by a year! But he was more clueless than anyone he’s ever met before! Darky wanted to give Marcus a good smack in the face but considering he was a much higher level than Marcus, that would probably kill him.
“Uh-wah level are ya?” (DarkPrince)
“Let me check” (Marcus)
[ping]
Status WindowMarcusFarmerLevel27 (45.1%)TitleFiloria's HeroHealth827/1750 (+150)Mana1582/1582 (+255)Stamina398/398 (+5)Charm29 (+5)Strength193 (+5)Intelligence52 (+5)Agility85 (+5)Dexterity120 (+5)Wisdom20 (+5)Vitality42 (+5)Nature162 (+5)Fame1620Infamy233
+increase earth affinity
+ 5 to all stats (Filoria's Hero)
Reputation: +1000 (Filoria), +1000 (Hansbridge)
Fire resistance: 16.5%Water resistance: 16.2%Air resistance: 16.2%Earth resistance: 16.2%
“Level 27” (Marcus)
“...” (DarkPrince)
“How about you?” (Marcus)
“...E-Eighty-three...” (DarkPrince)
“That’s really good!” (Marcus)
The DarkPrince gave up. He had enough nonsense for the day.
“Anyways, I’m login out! Here, I’ll add you to my party” (DarkPrince)
[ping]
You've been invited to DarkPrince’s party, do you accept?
“Sure” (Marcus)
Stephanie71’s party has been disbanded. You've joined a new party!
Marcus watched as DarkPrince faded towards the abyss. It was a new moon. Marcus made a cursory gaze of his surroundings. It was a jungle out there. Literally. The forest was densely packed with exotic plants and strange noises. The canopy was at least 4 stories high.
Looking over to Rieko, he noticed she hasn't touch her piece of boars meat. She was curled up near the fire. Her gaze was long. Marcus took his extra cloak and draped it over her shoulders. She flinched. The whole experience must have been traumatizing for her. He didn't understand why humans were so cruel to such a cute little girl. Even if she was a demon.
“Aren't you hungry?” (Marcus)
“I-I’m not!” (Rieko)
Rieko’s stomach was more honest than her mouth. Marcus didn't know why she was being so hardheaded. He let out a sigh and looked towards Yunni for help. Yunni took the gesture and sat next to Rieko with two servings worth of food.
“Hey Rieko! Have some of my meat!” (Yunni)
“T-thanks onee-chan” (Rieko)
Rieko took the food and started scarfing it down. Tears slowly rolled down Rieko's cheeks. She started crying while eating the boar...
“I-Is the food bad?!” (Marcus)
“Hic-that’s not it stupid!” (Rieko)
Rieko dropped the leg and scurried to the edge of the beach.
“Marcus! Don’t be so insensitive!” (Yunni)
“Ah?” (Marcus)
“Stay here! I’ll watch over Rieko” (Yunni)
Man...I’m horrible with kids
Marcus sat next to the campfire and gave Diloria some affection. At least Diloria was easier to get along with. Looking ahead, Marcus was staring towards the dark abyss. The jungle was truly endless.
Looks like tomorrow is going to be a long day...
***
-Prof. Okamoto’s POV-
It’s early morning. The sun was still snuggled beneath it’s concrete blanket. It’s been a long night for Okamoto. She pulled an all-nighter grading the 1st years midterms. She was usually punctual and never left things done till the last moment. But she couldn't help it. Something has been constantly on her mind lately. Like a question you couldn't solve but needed to know the answer to. It was an enigma. Just why was he constantly on her mind?
“Morning Prof. Okamoto!” (Sora)
“O-Oh! Sora, aren't you cold in this weather?” (Prof. Okamoto)
“A little, but running helps” (Sora)
Okamoto was carrying a heavy box full of all the first years test papers. She was surprise to catch Sora so early in the morning. For someone who was always late before, of course it would be strange! Okamoto continued ahead towards the school.
“Do you need help Sensei?” (Sora)
“No thanks Sora, these are the mid-terms. I can’t let you carry them” (Prof. Okamoto)
Sora watched as Okamoto struggled to open the doors. She was held the box up with one knee while trying to reach her arms over the box, towards the door handle. He chuckled as he walked closer to give her a hand. Okamoto flinched at Sora’s sudden appearance.
“Eek!” (Prof. Okamoto)
She lost what little balance she had and started to fall. It was happening so fast. She gave up on resisting. She was exhausted. Tired. She had no strength left to fight against fate. Gravity was taking its course. Only one thought kept flashing through her mind. How embarrassing!
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Like a knight in shining armor, Sora caught Okamoto by the waist with one arm and supported the box full of paper with the other. For Sora, it was actually a very difficult feat to pull off, but his well trained muscles from all the sports he played throughout school started to bare fruit. Sora was actually very fit. More fit than the average student. His silky black hair flutter in the wind, his chiseled jaw and daring eyes made him look all the more handsome!
Okamoto’s heart was racing. She was obsessed with Sora. The drastic change in his demeanor kept gnawing on her consciousness. Was it puberty? Why was she so mean to him before? Did Sora remind her of her ex? Okamoto was left speechless. She couldn't take her eyes off Sora...
*doki-doki*
“Sensei, are you all right?” (Sora)
“Ah-um. T-thank you Sora” (Prof. Okamoto)
Okamoto got up and snatched the box from Sora's hand. She turned her face away. She didn't want Sora to see her blushing. Sora held the door for her as she went inside the building.
Okamoto made quick strides towards the teacher's lounge. She was arguing with herself over the ethics of dating a student. It was morally wrong, unacceptable, society would look down on her if they knew. Wait! Why was she even considering the proposition in the first place?! She was at least 15 years older than Sora. Dating her own student would be absolutely ridiculous! But...
He does look cute...
***
-Marcus’s POV-
Welcome back Marcus
Marcus was back online. He was back to full health and all the wounds from earlier had disappeared. Marcus caught Yunni playing with some plants at the edge of the jungle. He became curious.
“Hey Yunni, what’cha doing?” (Marcus)
“Oh! Hi Marcus~ I’m just collecting seeds for you” (Yunni)
“Seeds?” (Marcus)
“Yup! You were complaining about running out of seeds. It’s a wife's duty to make sure her husband has enough seeds with him” (Yunni)
Marcus felt something was wrong with that last sentence. Oh well. He shrugged it off. He watched as Yunni extracted several seeds from the fruits. Marcus didn't realized how wasteful he’s been when planting! He never thought about gathering the seeds after he’d finished harvesting the crops! Marcus bent down and squatted next to Yunni...
“Here, let me give you a hand” (Marcus)
The fruit looked like a tiny apple but had the consistency of a melon. Marcus snacked on the fruits while spitting out the seed in his hand.
[ping]
Through special action(s): (New) Skill: Seed extraction beginner lvl. 1
Yunni started to give Marcus a personal lecture about the different ways to regrow a plant; drying seeds and saving tubers. Marcus didn’t have to go through the tedious process of manually extracting seeds thanks to his new skill. With a bit of mana, he was able to pop the seed out of the fruit without even opening it!
Wow, I can make seedless fruits!
After gathering several seeds from useful looking plants, Yunni suggested to sneak to the back of the forest and waste some red salve. Unfortunately, DarkPrince was standing behind Marcus and Yunni the whole time, watching them precure seeds.
“Hey, where ya guys going now?” (DarkPrince)
“Ah. Hey Prince, I was just about to head out with-” (Marcus)
“EK! Nonononono! Stop! Don’t say anything!” (Yunni)
“Huh?” (DarkPrince & Marcus)
“Marcus!” (Yunni)
Marcus seriously didn't understand kids. First she wanted to waste his precious red salve for no reason, now she doesn't. Well, that was good for Marcus since he only had one left. Thankfully he was able to find some neat looking herbs at the edge of the jungle too. He was going to experiment later on making potions with his new herbs.
“Hey! I’m meeting up wit some friends in town. Wanna tag along?” (DarkPrince)
“Yeah! Sounds good” (Marcus)
After filling up their Satiation bar, the group headed through the jungle.
“Wow, so yah a farmer eh?” (DarkPrince)
“Yup. I can also do a bit of blacksmithing” (Marcus)
“Cool. So yah like a support class right?” (DarkPrince)
“Uh. I guess you can say that” (Marcus)
“I’m really surprise ya have so many pets. All ma friends were jealous when I told dem about ya” (DarkPrince)
“Hey! I told you, we’re not pets!” (Yunni)
“...” (Rieko)
“Bark! Bark! (Daddy, Daddy! Flowers!)” (Diloria)
The trek through the jungle wasn’t easy. The atmosphere was more dense than usual, it was rather strange. There was also high level monsters ranging from level 50 - 70 roaming around. Marcus found himself gaining levels quickly. Every turn they made, there was always a monster waiting to pounce.
“Tsk” (DarkPrince)
Marcus had managed to defeat his 20th monster. His terraform skill became very handy against most creatures. He was able to immobilize them within the first few attempts. Afterwards, it was just a matter of beating the monster from behind until it was dead. Prince was just standing around. He was probably letting Marcus get most of the exp to raise his level up. Marcus was thankful for that.
The monsters were definitely stronger than the Galzars. If more than 2 was attacking Marcus at the same time, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to handle it. Luckily Prince was there to watch over Marcus, so he felt confident in fighting the monsters solo until they've reached the city.
“Well, I guess we’re here...” (DarkPrince)
Marcus had gained a total of 7 levels! Diloria managed to reach level 30 and Yunni gained a level as well!
Breaking through towards the clearing, Marcus was blown away by the city. It was like walking back through time to an ancient power that flourished in the heart of the amazon. Giant stone structures, stone carvings, totems, and even a pyramid could be seen in the middle of the forest. Though the city looked ancient, the were several buildings made of wood and hundreds of players roaming the main plaza.
“This city is Tokato, high level players gather here to explore the dungeon” (DarkPrince)
He pointed towards the pyramid. Marcus could see several parties gathering around campfires at the entrance of the building.
“Come, the guys are at the inn. Lets go” (DarkPrince)
The group made their way past several vendors and stores. The wooden buildings were out of place. It was obvious they were built more recently compared to the stone buildings. One particular stone building caught Marcus’s eyes. The roof was completely caved in with a huge vertical slash through the ground.
The building started to pulse. The blue skies turned grey as screams could be heard echoing throughout Marcus’s mind. Fire was raging in the corner of his eyes. Several apparitions started to flee from Marcus. His eyes started to focus. A feeling of rage and anger started to surge from within.
-Flashback-
“Ahhh! It’s the humans! Run!” (???)
It was a war zone. A once peaceful demon tribe was being attacked by a group of humans. They were defenceless against the onslaught. Women and children were fleeing for their lives. The demon warriors tried to resist the assault but it was futile.
“Die human!” (Warrior?)
[shiiing]
One by one, demons were falling towards Markus’s feet. Their lifeless corpses were filled with agony and sorrow as they desperately cling onto what little life they had left. Markus approached the largest stone building in the village. His sword was ready to strike. He felt the mana pulsing through his hands.
“You humans are despicable! The Demon Lord will see to your demise!” (Old demon?)
Two little demons were trembling behind the old man. Markus could only feel pity towards these demons. They fell on the wrong path. It was his duty to enact justice upon them.
“Did you know what you demons have done? You murdered thousands of innocent people while disregarding the women and children! The king has ordered me to execute you vile demons for your heinous crimes! May the gods take pity on your soul!” (Markus)
Markus’s blade surged with power. He didn’t give the demons a chance to plead for forgiveness, he split the demons in half along with the building. As he watch the building crumble, he closed his eyes and utter a small prayer.
“...May Freya have mercy on your souls...” (Markus)
-End Flashback-
“Hey Marcus! Over here!” (DarkPrince)
Marcus snapped out of his illusion. The feeling was vivid. It left a bitter taste in Marcus’s mouth. The group headed towards the inn. Inside, three other players were waiting to greet them.
“Hey look! It’s a fairy!” (Male player?)
“OH, it’s a demon chick too!” (Male player?)
“Hey Prince, what happened?” (Male player?)
“Shhhh. This is Marcus, da guy I was telling ya about” (DarkPrince)
The group got up from their seats and acknowledge Marcus. They all looked towards each other and nodded.
“Hey Marcus, let me introduce ya to ma friends” (DarkPrince)
Each player introduced themselves to Marcus and the girls. RaymondX was a paladin, the tank in the team. Viper99 was a red knight. He specialized in spellblades and status effects. The last was Yumomo. He was a dark alchemist, the mage of the group. His arsenal consisted of powerful dark magic as well as using potions to cause serious mayhem to mobs.
“Hey, come join us in the dungeon Marcus” (Viper99)
“Yah! It’ll be fun!” (Yumomo)
“Ah, my level is pretty low. I don’t want to hamper your progress through the dungeon” (Marcus)
“Don’t worry about it, we’ll help you power level through the dungeon. Everyone is still looking for the final boss though. So if there’s any loot, it belongs to us” (Viper99)
“Well, if you insist. I don’t really mind” (Marcus)
The group of boys grinned. Besides DarkPrince, everyone else was about the same age as Marcus, maybe even older. Yunni pulled Marcus aside to talk to him in private.
“Um Marcus. I don’t like the looks they’re giving us” (Yunni)
“What do you mean?” (Marcus)
“It’s creepy. Let’s not join them. We can manage on our own” (Yunni)
Marcus gave it some thought. They were eyeing the girls an awful lot. Maybe they had some weird fetish? Well, Marcus was already considering soloing by himself but Yunni magic was sealed. Without her help, it would be difficult to level up in such a harsh environment. Their offer wasn’t bad if you consider just giving up the boss loot for some extra levels.
“I think it’s all right. Don’t worry” (Marcus)
“Ah. Okay…” (Yunni)
Marcus rejoined the boys as they sat around the table discussing their plans for the dungeon.
“And then we’ll do it there” (Viper99)
“You sure?” (RaymondX)
“Hey, he’s back!” (Yumomo)
Marcus sat down. The group explained to Marcus how the dungeon worked and the several traps to watch out for.
“Always stay behind us. We’ll protect you from the mobs” (RaymondX)
“If it gets too hard, we’ll pull back” (Viper99)
“Anyways, just focus on staying safe, we already cleared several floors” (RaymondX)
Marcus only nodded. They were very nice in giving Marcus a thorough explanation of the dungeon. He was actually excited. This would be his first major dungeon with real life players. He was actually playing the game for a change! Darky cut in the conversation as he came back from the receptionist desk.
“Hey Marcus, why don’t you restock on potions before we head out. We’ll meet back here in 3 days” (DarkPrince)
Three days meaning tomorrow in real life. The trek through the jungle already took several hours. Marcus accepted the proposal willfully and headed out to repair and restock on seeds and herbs. He spent the next few hours creating several different potions.
[ping]
You've created a new potion: Vial of Stench!
Grade: B
Description: A horrid smell that will cause monsters to flee in anguish. May cause (minor) nausea and vomiting.
Haha, I can’t believe I made this!
Marcus stretched his body out. He bought a few dozen flasks and eating utensils for the group. He also went around the outskirts of the city to collect seeds from various plants and herbs. After a long day Marcus was ready to log out.
“Hey Yunni, don’t wander off too far. I’ll meet you back at the inn in 3 days” (Marcus)
Marcus gave Yunni the keys to the room. Yunni knew the protocol. Marcus would always disappear for 3 days and come back for 1. Sometimes he was able to stay visible longer but she didn't know when that would be. Yunni scurried back into the room and handed Marcus a gift.
“Um-If you ever get lonely, please use this!” (Yunni)
Yunni gave Marcus another one of her panties. Marcus was surprised. Just how many panties did she have?! Marcus nodded as he took the dainty piece of silk before waving goodbye.
I really need to return these to her later...
"Well then. Take care Yunni" (Marcus)
"H-Hey Marcus!" (Yunni)
"Yes Yunni?" (Marcus)
"Please keep the thing about the red salve between just us!" (Yunni)
"You mean keep it a secret?" (Marcus)
"Y-yes! Don't tell anyone okay?" (Yunni)
"Well...I don't like lying to people" (Marcus)
"Please Marcus!" (Yunni)
Yunni eyes were pleading. Marcus figured he'll grant Yunni this one wish. She's been a good child so far. Good kids deserve a good reward. Marcus nodded in acceptance. Yunni smiled while giving Marcus a big hug. Marcus never asked Yunni how old she was. Maybe if Marcus knew, he would stop treating her like a child and more like an adult.
"Um. What are you guys talking about?" (Rieko)
"Eh?!" (Yunni)
"N-nothing" (Marcus)
Rieko glared at Marcus with suspicion. She pulled Yunni over to her side while sticking her tongue at Marcus. A vein popped on Marcus head. He had to hold in his anger.
This little brat...
"Ahem. Bye Rieko, stay safe" (Marcus)
"Loser!" (Rieko)
"Hey Rieko!" (Yunni)
Ah-seriously?! Can't wait to return this kid back home! Geez!
Marcus could only shake his head in disapproval before login out...
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