Chapter 2

Start of a Long Journey

    Valecore walked along the river flowing south. The sun was already beginning to set, and it would be dangerous to go through the forest at night. He was also looking for the sword he dropped when he fell into the river. After a few minutes of searching, he found it lodged between two rocks at the bottom of the river. It was a lucky find, since the blade was just at the right angle to reflect the light of the setting sun.

    He took off his clothes and dove into the lake to take the sword. When he surfaced, he found a small animal digging through his clothes. It was a horned rabbit.

Valecore: "Shoo!"

    The horned rabbit scurried back into the forest, but his shirt got stuck on its horn and was dragged away. Taking the sword with him, he quickly got out of water and dashed after the rabbit. He lost sight of the animal, but he found his shirt lying on the ground. He took it and found that there was a rip. The rabbit's horn probably ripped through it after running at a fast speed while dragging it around.

Valecore: "Now, it's useless."

    He returned to the riverbank, gathering twigs and dry leaves along the way. He then made a campfire and lay down beside it. The warmth coupled with his exhaustion and injuries easily brought him to sleep.

*         *          *         *          *         *          *         *          *

    A girl was lying on the bed beside me. She said something, but I couldn't pick up the sounds. There was a ringing noise in my ear, but I knew that what she said had filled me with great joy. I then lifted the blanket that covered our bodies, revealing her beautiful naked body. I gently place my hand on her stomach. Yes, she said that she was with child. My child.

    Suddenly, everything around me stopped moving, and shattered like glass.

    I was standing in front of a huge stone tablet. There were inscriptions on it, but I couldn't understand them. I place my hand on the engraved letters, and I knew that this was a record of all the rulers of this continent, all their names, their abilities, their achievements, and their deaths.

    At the lowest part of the tablet, there was enough free space to add another name. I touched it, and whispered something. New engravings appeared.

    Valecore the Fallen Hero

    Demonic Corruption

    No achievements

*         *          *         *          *         *          *         *          *

    A strange feeling woke Valecore. His entire body was hot, almost the same as when he was cursing at the heavens. This time, it wasn't as painful.

Valecore: "I think I just had a wierd dream."

    The campfire was starting to lose its heat. He sat up to fetch more fuel to add to the fire, and something rolled down from his chest.

Valecore: "Huh?"

    It was a white lump of fur that looks vaguely familiar. It twitched and unfurled itself, revealing a rabbit with a two inch horn on its head.

Valecore: "You again?"

    The rabbit turned towards him with its red eyes. In the darkness, it felt a little creepy. It didn't move from its spot, waiting for Valecore to make the first move, as if analyzing him if he were friend or foe.

    With a sigh, Valecore stood up and ignored the rabbit. He was tired, and his shoulder wound still hurts. He did not want to spend useless energy to catch a rabbit. He went to a pile of dry wood he had stocked up as extra fuel for the campfire, and took a few branches to feed the fire.

    The heat in his body had already died down, and the campfire had been replenished, yet he lost all semblance of drowsiness. It was still dark. He looked up at the sky to see the moon shining brightly. It was a familiar sight, but he can't remember viewing the moon like this when he was still in the town.

Valecore: "Where have I watched the moon like this before?"

    He felt a very faint pain in his heart.

    He knew he had friends who watched the moon with him, but he can't remember their faces nor their names. A small smile crept on his face, warmth feeling his heart. Those friends must be really dear to him.

    A small rustling sound came from beside him, and as he turned to look, he saw the horned rabbit settle down there. It just sat there looking at the fire, as if telling him not to mind it.

    With that, once again, Valecore felt the world of dreams calling to him.

*         *          *         *          *         *          *         *          *

    The news of the raiding of the NPC town, Lewick, spread like wildfire in the Kingdom of Arcum. A Merchant-class player that arrived there yesterday evening to buy cheap weapons, armors, and supplies were shocked to find the entire town burned down and a makeshift graveyard right beside it.

     Inside the Golden Lion pub on the Metal-crafters district of the capital city of Arcum, Cellicina, there were four adventurers sitting side by side in front of the counter. They had heard about the news from the female barkeeper NPC.

Janica: "I can't believe this! Who would do such a horrible thing?"

    She was the party's leader. Equipped with heavy armor, a shield and a longsword, her class was Warrior. She had been playing the game, Legend Tales Online, since its release three months ago, and this had been the first time she had heard of such news. She knew it was possible to kill the NPCs, but it was common sense not to do so. Most quests are obtainable from NPCs. Quests provide the largest amount of EXP one can get at a certain level, not to mention gold, items, and equipments. It was much more efficient to do quests than grind mindlessly. Dead NPCs do not respawn, thus losing the chance to get a quest from them forever.

Marilane: "Calm down a bit, leader. You're scaring Anna."

    She motioned towards the barkeeper who had a slightly terrified look. Janica made an apologetic bow, then faced the girl wearing loose robes sitting to her left.

    Marilane was a Mage. She had played the game a little bit later than Janica. The two met when Marilane was being ganked by PKs, and Janica, who was already among the top players at that time, rescued her.

Janica: "How can I calm down so easily? I'm pretty sure that players were responsible for that!"

    She said that in a lowered volume.

Prezz: "It's true that players where the only ones capable of thinking and doing such a thing, but normally they won't do it without reason."

Kanis: "I think it's probably a quest."

    Prezz and Kanis were twin brothers. They always played together, and started about the same time as Marilane. Prezz was a Cleric, while Kanis was a Hunter.

Janice: "What sort of atrocious quest is that? Sheesh, it feels like there's something going on behind the scenes."

Marilane: "I think you're not far off with that. Last night, I saw bits of rumors in the forums. Apparently, a major event is about to happen."

Kanis: "What sort of event?"

Marilane: "I don't know. There's not much details, but players from the opposing faction mentioned that the emperor was secretly building an army."

Prezz: "Now that you mention it, I've heard rumors from NPCs in the church about the King not following their advice to make peace relations with the other faction."

    Hearing that, Janica frowned. The other three knew what she was thinking.

    It seems like a war was about to happen between two major factions of Legend Tales Online.

*         *          *         *          *         *          *         *          *

    Before the sun rose, Valecore had already woken up. This was due to his daily routine of waking up early and training with the sword. Because his left shoulder was injured, he only used his right arm.

    He scattered the remains of the campfire and covered it with soil. This was to reduce the chances of anyone knowing that someone was here. He can't remember where he got this knowledge, but he knew he had to do it.

    Proceeding through the forest, he gathered berries and fruits and placed them in the rucksack he salvaged from town. Strangely, the horned rabbit followed him. Although it had stayed close to him last night, now it was hopping at a distance behind him.

    He ignored the rabbit and continued his walk through the forest. When the sun was about to reach its peak, he arrived at a small village surrounded by the forest. He had gone to this place before. Once a month, he would travel with his father to this village and trade with them.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    All the people in this village were women. But they can't be looked down on because they are all powerful warriors. With exotic brown skin, pure white hair, and devilish red eyes, their true strength was disguised with their beautiful appearance. Corey had always warned his son never to provoke any of these women.

    Taking notice of the stranger, one of the warrior women wielding a spear approached him.

Warrior woman: "What do you need?"

Valecore: "I have come for the oracle."

    The woman inspected his appearance. She checked inside his bag, touched him through his clothes, and even inspected his weapon. With a confused look, the warrior woman decided to take him to the small hut found at the back of the village. He followed her lead. He looked back to see if the rabbit had followed him, but it was out of sight. They arrived in front of the hut. A curtain with distinct tribal patterns covered the entrance.

    Valecore had met the oracle the first time he came here with his father. Back then, she had made a prediction stating that one day he would come back alone of his own accord.

???: "Who goes?"

Warrior Woman: "State your identity, stranger."

    She whispered to him after the voice came from inside the hut.

Valecore: "Valecore Edin. Son of Corey Edin, blacksmith of Lewick."

    After a few seconds of silence, the curtain opened. The warrior woman left and went back to what she was doing before.

    Valecore entered the hut. He drew his breath at the sight of the beautiful woman lying down on her side on a majestic carpet. This was not the first time he had seen her, but he still thinks that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

    Unlike the warriors of the village, this woman had pearl white skin and ebony black hair. Her eyes were red like the others. She emitted a calming aura.

    The beauty of her face was beyond description. Every line, every contour, from her head to her toes were perfect. Her neck were decorated by golden chains embedded with colorful jewels. Her body was draped with a thin robe that did nothing to hide her figure. Thanks to the dim light, the skin beneath the robe was faintly hidden.

    She was the Oracle.

Oracle: "We meet again, young man."

Valecore: "It has been a while, fair lady."

    The Oracle smiled with her bewitching lips, and motioned for him to sit on the carpet she was lying on. Valecore did as was told, and he sat down with his legs folded beneath his thighs. It was a formal sitting posture. He did this to distract himself from the seductive charm in front of him.

    The Oracle, seeing through him, slowly lifted her upper body to sit up, then leaned forward and draped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Oracle: "You have grown."

    The scent of the alluring woman wafted through his nose, and he felt her hand touching all over his body.

Valecore: "I have been training."

Oracle: "To impress me?"

    Looking back, Valecore indeed seemed to have started training with the sword after going to this village for the first time. He was not sure if that was the real reason, though.

Oracle: "No matter. So what have you come here for. I did predicted you would come back alone, but I am sure it is not for the same reason."

Valecore: "First, tell me how you predicted that I come back alone of my own accord?"

    The Oracle paused, then looked at him. Her eyes seemed to have changed color for an instant.

Oracle: "How much do you know about this world?"

    He was slightly taken aback. He had never left the town of Lewick aside from visiting this village. Seeing his lack of response, the Oracle continued.

Oracle: "This world may be for us to live our lives in, but the course this world will take relies on the hands of the adventurers."

    Hearing the term 'adventurers', Valecore nodded.

Oracle: "The adventurers are not from this world. They came from a distant place unknown to us. They came to this world to enjoy themselves in the freedom of their actions. They are neither good nor evil. They are existence that rules over themselves."

    Her beautiful eyes once again observed him. Every now and then, he would notice the momentary change in color of her eyes.

Oracle: "Unlike adventurers, we are bound by an invisible hand. This I had realized over time. I could understand a lot of things and see things that others couldn't. I thought I was all-powerful."

    She had a self-deprecating smile on her face.

Oracle: "I could not leave this hut."

    The statement shocked Valecore. How could she not leave? Only a curtain separates this place to the outside.

Oracle: "You will understand someday."

    She once again lay down on the carpet and motioned for Valecore to do the same.

Oracle: "Spend some time with me. I have not met such a dashing man such as you for quite some time."

    Tempted, Valecore did as he was told.

*         *          *         *          *         *          *         *          *

    It was morning the next day.

    Valecore woke up feeling refreshed. The Oracle was still sleeping beside him. They had done the act the entire afternoon yesterday, with her taking the lead. After that, he fell asleep.

    He stretched to find out that his injuries were already gone.

Valecore: Did she treat my injuries while I was asleep?

    Now that his entire body was in great condition, he went out to find that most of the warrior women were already awake. Some of them were training alone, others were sparring, and the rest were doing chores like cooking and laundry.

    He went to the training area and found a wooden dummy no one was using. He then practiced striking at it with his sword.

Valecore: It's hard!

    He was surprised at the hardness of the wooden dummy. Looking closely, only the outer parts were made of wood. It was metal inside. He remembered bringing similar looking objects with his father before.

Valecore: So they had bought this stuff from us, too.

    Some of the warrior women saw him, and they invited him to a spar. Sometimes with weapons, sometimes unarmed, the results were all his defeat. They were insanely strong. Their strength did not come from raw power, but from their versatile usage of techniques.

    After the training, he had taken a bath alone behind the Oracle's hut to find some of the younger villagers peeking at him.

Oracle: "They are still young and untrained, and so they are curious about what they don't have in this village."

    The Oracle was leaning through an open window at the back of the hut. She had a huge smile on her face as she watched him wash his body with greedy eyes.

    He had brought the food prepared by the warriors into the hut. There was enough for him and the Oracle.

Oracle: "What do you intend to do from now on?"

Valecore: "I will seek those who had wronged my family and friends and do to them what they had done to us!"

Oracle: "Let's say you have successfully completed that goal. What then?"

    He remained silent for a while. He gave it thought, then remembered a name.

Valecore: "There are things I don't understand about myself. I will seek the truth."

    The Oracle smiled. She pulled something out from beneath her robe.

Oracle: "Take this. It is something that I should give to the lucky adventurer who would have been guided to this place by either you or your father. But with the situation as it is, I think it is enough that this rest on your hands."

    It was a strange round object with a solid bottom half and a crystal top. There was some sort of liquid inside, and a floating arrowhead. When he turns it around, the crystal stays in the same position.

Oracle: "That is something that can guide you to a place that may provide a clue to what you need to do. Even I do not know the exact details."

    Then with a longing look, the Oracle leaned forward and kissed his lips.

Oracle: "Open your eyes, this is the last thing I can give you. Once you do, it will be a long time until we can meet again. I hope that we do."

    When she pulled back, a searing pain pierced through Valecore's head. He shut his eyes, unable to withstand the pain. Then, he felt his entire body lose its sense of balance. Finally, the pain receded and he opened his eyes.

    He was back in the forest, the village nowhere in sight.

____________________________________________________________

[End of Chapter 2]