It was unusually quiet as the two of us hastened along the pathways or cut across through wilder areas to head for where the Hallowed Vale should be. From what I remembered, most of the skirmishing was supposed to take place in this area in particular, on account of the crafting dungeons that were in the area, but perhaps Tyman had alerted Wildeye and the others to our plans and they had adjusted accordingly so that we could slip through undetected. We still used our stealth skills anyway for expedience.

As we drew near to the area where the three regions touched on the map, there was almost a stillness in the air. We found a rustic trackway that wound its way in the direction we were hoping to go, and ventured upon it to see if it led to our destination. A breeze blew gently past us; leaves went skittering as they scattered before it. Something about it impressed upon me the magnitude of realism this game had.

“Do you feel... I dunno... spiritual, maybe, right now?” Ariana said to me softly as we continued along the way.

“Kind of? Sorta...” I returned. Our hands clasped together our of habit, and then, after a few paces more, we saw it.

It was a magically golden cedar tree, towering above the rest of the trees in the area. All the other trees had similar coloration to them, but none were so royal, so elegant, so awe-inspiring as the one that now dominated our vision.

“Amazing...!” I exclaimed breathlessly, and Ariana nodded. Beyond the cedar, the path continued downward into a vale that seemed just as distinct in color and presence as the grove which guarded it.

“Hence the name,” Ariana said as we approached. “Hallowed Vale.”

It definitely had that vibe to it. You could almost hear chanting, or perhaps a chorus of singers harmonizing on some ancient and forgotten hymn from before the ages of man. Maybe that sounds like nonsense, but at the moment it was the only thing I could think of to make it make sense in my head. We entered the vale, and instantly the distinct vibe it gave off permeated us. Was it the system bestowing some effect, or were we actually being touched by the divine? In that moment, I couldn't say.

Animals watched us as we kept on our way; they had the same regal colors as the rest of the place. Ivory stags and does, silver or golden squirrels, scarlet and amber foxes, a myriad of birds with a myriad of spectacular colors, a sable bear, and a second cedar tree, this one an even richer gold than the first, situated before a very tall pagoda-type temple of marble-white walls with a wondrously fashioned veranda, probably made of cedar, and jade-turquoise roof-tiles. A set of stairs led up to a door that had been so spectacularly fashioned we thought it was a mural or a relief at first glance.

“Wow...” I remarked as we got closer.

“Totally,” Ariana agreed. “Oh hey, there's a spot for the charm,” she then pointed. I took it out of my inventory and slipped it into the empty space. The door glowed, and we were then teleported inside.

Welcome to the Hallowed Pagoda! Face the three trials ahead of you and confront the Guardian of the Utmost Chamber to claim your reward!

“Well that's straightforward,” I said, and she nodded in agreement.

“I wonder what kind of challenges they'll be.” Ari wondered.

“I guess the kind that try to split us up or make us question our trust?” I replied, wondering the same.

“Hmm... even then, that'd be difficult!” she said to me with a bright smile.

“True.” I smiled back. “Let's do this, partner!” I said, gently squeezing her hand; she did the same, nodding to me, and we headed further in to begin our adventure.

So in a dungeon like this, there's usually monsters of some sort hanging around and certain mechanics you need to figure out in order to progress through it. I didn't have a perfect idea of what our trials would be, but I was kind of unprepared for there to be no monsters at all--not even roaming ones or pathers, as we gamers like to call them. Well, I guess there might be some involved in the trials, I pondered as we moved along the corridor of upward stairs unperturbed.

After a moment I noticed idly that our hands were still clasped. Maybe this had something to do with it? Maybe we were already facing the first trial? Some quaint yet noble sentiment about sticking with your partner no matter what?

Hmm... I bet if we let go, something would happen... and something might yet happen to try and spook us into doing so. That would probably fail and reset the dungeon.

“Think we can fight like this?” Ariana suddenly said to me with a sly grin, and I turned to her.

“We'll have to figure something out,” I replied. “I have a feeling that if we let go it'll fail us.”

“Well then I won't let go.” she said, her hand grasping mine more tightly; I smiled back, nodding as I did the same. “Still... that seems like an odd mechanic.” she mused.

“Well, it is a VR game; the system they've built recognizes all sorts of player interactions. I mean, you and I are doing this, after all... among other things... when no one's around...” I slowly trailed off with a blush, and Ariana giggled.

“Nothing naughty,” she reminded me.

“True.” I sighed in relief.

“Hmm... it's connected to our minds a lot more deeply than earlier interface-devices for things like this, isn't it?” she pondered aloud. “I wonder if it analyzes emotions and psychology...”

“That would be both amazing and a bit creepy at the same time.”

“Right?”

“But I don't think it goes too deep; just deep enough so that the virtual avatar gets the signals that the real body should get from our own minds without interfering with the autonomous systems.” I told her, and she nodded.

“Which would be very--he-llo, what's that?” she suddenly looked further past me, and I turned to look as well. There was a placard on the wall to our right. It had the “common tongue” (English) inscribed upon it, riddle-verses that seemed to be about what lay ahead.

The first of three is don't let go

No matter if they're fast or slow;

The second has a darker twist--

That many here have sadly missed;

A third to guard the final door

Which ope's up to the final floor;

The guardian tries your soul:

Shall you, O heroes, come out whole?

“Well that's about what I expected.” I remarked.

“Hmm?” Ariana looked over at me.

“Vague and cleverly worded clues.” I wryly said as we moved on.

“I imagine they'll seem more obvious as we get to them--” she began to reply, when all of a sudden something came whooshing out of the wall; I spun us out of the way, keeping hold of her, and the razor-disc rolled back into its receptacle.

“L-like that?” I nervously quipped.

“Y-yeah... j-just like th-that...” she nodded, a little more shaken up than I was.

“Fast or slow, huh...” I then remarked, looking at the stairwell looming before us.

“Oh, I get it... this is like an Arizona Tom movie.” Ariana said in a calmer voice.

“Heh? Oh yeah!” I snapped my fingers in realization. “That scene in Palace of Death!”

“Exactly!” she replied, smiling again.

“All right, we can handle this... just stay calm and listen for directions,” I said.

“Can you see the traps?” she asked me.

“Now that I know there are traps like this, they should be visible to me. Shadow Vision!” I called out, and my sight was altered; I could still see the outline of the stairs, but now I also saw objects highlighted in red. They were in the stairs, the walls, and the ceiling. “This is gonna get tricky... it's gonna take all of our outside skills to do it,” I told her.

“Dancing and dodging.” Ariana nodded.

“Ready?” I asked.

“Ready!” she affirmed.

With that, we set off at a brisk pace; you don't want to rush through a hall of traps, but you don't want to be slow going through them either. I carefully watched the objects in my field of vision, daring them to try and stop us.

“Jump; swerve; dodge!” I said as we avoided the first three. “Swerve--jump; now duck; jump again; we're twirling!” I continued as the two of us moved like ninjas to avoid being sliced or impaled. “Above--duck and roll!”

“Yeek!” Ariana squeaked as we narrowly avoided a ceiling trap.

“Up and jump!” I resumed, guiding us over a trap-door; very briefly I noticed there were spikes at the bottom. “Twirl, and twirl, and twirl... hey! This is almost--”

“Like a dance?” Ari suggested.

“Kinda--oop, jump!” I said, and we hastily avoided another floor trap. “Swerve, and twirl, and swerve--dodge! Spin around, here we go for a jump!”

“Whee!”

“Right? Spin!” I called out, and we started laughing.

The obvious danger of it all became quite fun, and for the next few minutes we cycled through our maneuvers to avoid the traps, to the point where Ari knew by feel what I was about to do--and it helped that I didn't need to keeping calling them out. This was the sort of fun you could never have in an older game, even if you could get to the same sort of mentality with a partner or team; there was something much more rewarding about the experience in this virtual world, where the sensory sharing was much more involved.

When we finally cleared all of the traps, we kinda felt sorry the fun was over. But of course we had to get on with things and claim the reward at the top or our purpose in being here was moot.

“Whew! That, was, amazing.” Ariana exclaimed as we caught our breath.

“Seriously!” I agreed. “What was the next thing again?” I asked, trying to recall.

“Hmm... that was the most vague... 'the second has a darker twist that many here have sadly missed', and that's all it really said.” she recounted for me, and I frowned, letting out a sigh.

“Fun.” I softly groaned.

“It will be when we figure it out.” she winked.

“Eh. Okay. Point for you.” I returned.

The stairs came to an end at a white door trimmed in floral patterns of gold and silver, with emerald and sapphires “blooming” among the design. We opened the door, and found a wide open hall with a ladder in the middle. It rose quite a ways to the top, and it looked as if there might be more traps further up -- as well as places where monsters of some sort or another could attack us, if they so desired.

“Well... this seems obvious... but let's keep alert. You never know when a twist will come along.” I remarked.

“How to get up the ladder and still hold hands, for one thing.” Ariana noted.

“Right; and, potentially, how to ward off monsters while holding on to it.” I added.

“Hmm,” she sighed, pondering the thought as we moved closer. We halted at the ladder, staring at it for a few moments in silence. Thankfully, the trial didn't start just by our doing that.

“You know, I bet this ladder starts disappearing or breaking apart as we climb it.” I idly thought out loud, and she looked over at me blankly, trying to process what I just said.

“That's just wrong!” Ariana finally shouted.

“… Right?” I agreed, suddenly aware of what I had just said myself.

“Okay. We can still do this, I know we can.” she began in a calmer voice. “There's probably incorporeal monsters here; and even if they aren't, I think I should probably be the one to deal with them.”

“Hmm? How are you going to--” I began, and then she spun me around so that I was in front of her with my back towards her. She put her other arm around my shoulder and leveraged up a bit to wrap her legs around me, bringing out her mage-orb and putting the staff away for the time being. “Ehh, I get what you're trying to do... this would be easier if we could do this the more traditional piggy-back way, though.”

“True! But I have a firm grip on you like this, and I don't have to wave the orb around like I do with the staff. And besides, your Agility and Dexterity is better than mine, along with your Strength. We'll need that to get up this ladder quickly.” she told me.

“Quickly!” I suddenly felt something click in my head. “That reminds me, I never tried this skill yet...” I mused, using my still-free hand to scan through and take a look at it.

“Hmm?” Ari wondered, sneaking a look over my shoulder as I found it, reading it with me. “Oh, God, are you really?” she asked me with a nervous voice.

Skill: Shadow Speed; +225% Movement; Evasion and Dodge set to +35% of maximum value; Immune to knockback and stun effects; can be used to climb walls.

“I hope this thing counts as a wall,” I remarked hopefully.

“You're gonna owe me another date for this. A nice date. A really, super nice date.” Ariana told me in a no-nonsense tone.

“You got it.” I told her.

“I'll activate Holy Barrier and Storm Wards now; that should help us.” she said, doing so at once.

“This is why we're the perfect partners.” I smiled to myself. “Shadow Speed!” I then called out, and then -- you guessed it. I started running up the ladder at over double my usual speed. Which was already fast compared to most non-rogue players and even some who were.

I could feel the defenses that Ariana had put around us deflecting several attacks. But I didn't have time to think about that. Sure enough, the dang ladder started breaking apart as we went up; and I bet there's what we like to call a jack@$$ mechanic at the very top, I mused briefly as we continued what was probably our most insane duet of skills to date.

What kind of mechanic do you mean, Sean? I mean that I bet the ladder will start to break from the top down once we get near the end. And I also bet that there will be a doozy of a monster floating or flapping around as well.

But I didn't think much about that for now, because if I did, I would probably overthink it. I was already keeping myself reined in so that I didn't panic and screw up, and I was steeling myself against the likely inevitability of the aforementioned surprise I expected to get. Ariana clung to my back desperately, trying to hold back a scream. Got it; roller-coasters: out, I thought to myself as we whooshed up the ladder. We were making good time; I estimated that we were over halfway up at the moment. My momentum had not slowed, and nothing had broken down the protection Ariana had given us. Good thing this is a toggle-skill, I smirked to myself.

I could only speculate how Garth and Angela would have fared in this situation. I doubt that over-smug jerk would have figured it out, even with her to help him.

Oop! Forget it for now; focus, focus!

Arrows, bolts, and darts began to shoot out of the walls. Ariana reinforced our protection with Mystic Ward; I kept racing up the ladder, trusting her as she trusted me. This is how we beat this thing, keep trusting. The door to the next area was becoming visible now, partially illuminated by paper-lanterns that hung in alcoves still a ways above us.

Now, I'm sure you've seen by this point that I have pret-ty keen instincts on things that happen in games. It's almost annoying sometimes, especially when they tell me something bad or at least not-so-good is about to happen. This was one of those moments. We were practically three-fourths up the ladder; the projectiles had ceased, but now there were several eerie looking incorporeal-type monsters coming out to play--and the ladder was starting to crumble from the top now as well.

I hate being right!!

“L-Lana! The ladder!” Ari squeaked out.

“I see it; you worry about those monsters, I'll worry about the ladder!” I told her.

“They're forty-fives; they'll never break this triple barrier!” she told me in a more confident tone.

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“Then hang on to me tightly!” I said. “Shadow World!” I called out.

There was just a tiny extra burst of speed with Shadow World, but right now I needed all I could get. I felt like all the sound suddenly got sucked out of my ears as I accelerated. Everything else seemed to slow way down somehow. The monsters launched some sort of attack. I didn't see what it was. As the ladder began to crack irreparably, I managed to take us both up to the highest rung left--it was just enough of a springboard to launch us, still at full throttle, through the door. It opened for us as we passed through, and I somehow yoinked us to one side so I could land safely with Ari on top of me, still tightly holding my hand.

We sat there for several moments to catch our breath; she gently patted my back, and we maneuvered a bit so that we were again side by side. She looked at me with a big smile, all panic gone.

“You're crazy. But I love you.” she remarked.

“I love you, too.” I told her. She kissed me, and then we stood up to head on to the next trial.

We enjoyed a peaceful walk up the next staircase; not a single thing came out to so much as say “Boo!”, which was almost a let down. But then again that ladder room was rough, so the quiet was also nice. When at last we got to the final door, the two of us were again ready for anything. It was like the previous door, but this time there was writing on it. This became legible as we got closer; upon it were the following words:

Congratulations, heroes, for making it thus far! You may now let go of each other's hands for the final confrontation!

Ari was about to let go when I took a firmer grasp and shook my head as she looked over at me.

“It's a trick.” I told her, and she smiled wryly, squeezing my hand as she also took a firmer grip.

“How silly of me.” she said.

“Well done, heroes; you have passed the third test!” a voice called out, and the doors opened. “But now you face the final challenge: me!” it said.

As we entered into the room cautiously, we saw an enemy garbed in a monkish robe of black color, over which it wore red and brown samurai-style armor topped with a fearsome dragon-helm. In its hands was a strong looking nodachi, gleaming silver in the lantern light.

“Are you prepared to face me as one, or shall you prove yourselves unworthy?” it asked us.

“If we weren't prepared we would have failed the third test.” I said in an off-the-cuff way, not really expecting a reply.

“Your candor does you credit, mortal!” it said to my surprise. “Withstand my assault for ten minutes, and you may claim victory!” the figure then told us. Ariana pulled out her orb again, and I pulled out one of my daggers.

Yeaaahh... gotta switch to a shortsword *at least* after all this... I mused to myself with a look of mixed admiration and bemusement as I looked at it in comparison to the nodachi.

“I'll keep our protection up; I'll also try some impairments on him.” Ariana told me.

“Gotcha; I'll deflect what I can if he gets too close.” I replied, and she nodded back.

“Let's go, Lana!” she said.

“Let's go, Ari!” I returned, and with that our battle with the Guardian, I guess we should call him, commenced.

Fortunately for us he wasn't immune to roots or slows, like most bosses generally were. Oh, sure, he would break out of them, but Ariana always had another ready, and there were a few traps in my own arsenal of skills as well. That said--close quarter battles really are a pain. I mean, the room wasn't small, but it wasn't big either. It was maybe about the size of your average high school classroom. About five minutes passed us by with this little pattern of trap and defend, and then it happened.

The Guardian withdrew for a moment, and then did one of those showy pantomimes that usually prefix some sort of devastating attack or super-annoying self-buff. With a sudden shout a special effect of energies flashed throughout his body.

It's a buff, I tisked as I watched. Quickly I looked for his status bar.

“Hmm... oh, there it is; 'immune to all impairments and traps, plus fifteen to all stats, plus twenty-five percent to critical damage'--” I read aloud, but then Ari interrupted.

“Basically this just got a lot harder.” she said with a poised expression on her face.

“… 'and plus twenty percent movement speed'.” I added, and she gave me a wry look. “Ahh--yes, I mean; it got harder.” I hastily amended, and she nodded back.

Our enemy came after us again at that moment, and Ariana focused on wards and her few healing spells while I parried and blocked as best as I could. Lucky for me I could use my strong hand. If I'd had to use my left we would probably have failed by now. Which, admittedly, can be the fun of a game like this; but I had a nasty feeling that either we had a limited number of tries or that after this first failure we'd be sent out and would have to find another special item to open the dungeon again. Not to mention the likelihood of Garth finding one before that.

“Honestly now,” I vented aloud, adjusting my grip on Ari's hand so that it was firmer. “I've had it with that good-for-nothing pansy and his stupid little war!!” I practically fumed.

I'm sure every gamer has gotten frustrated like this for whatever reason. Mine just happened to be another player. However the case, it revved me up to the point where I also started counterattacking, and I managed to get a few decent hits in while still keeping that blade from touching us. I can't remember how I kept hold of Ari's hand, but I managed it, and when our remaining time had passed the two of us had barely gotten a scratch, and the Guardian ceased his onslaught as he returned to a more docile position.

“Well done, heroes; your strength, and your bond, is undeniable. Step forth, and claim your prize!” it said, and then went back to sleep.

Ariana and I went over to a pedestal that suddenly gleamed; a box sat on top of it. Inside the box was a pair of identical silver rings.

“Identical stats, too; plus ten Charisma and Vitality, twenty-five percent additional health regeneration, and a shared status effect between wearers.” I read.

“The stat bonus becomes fifteen, an additional five-percent to regeneration, and a ten-percent shielding effect, as long as you're within thirty meters.” Ariana noted.

“No wonder they were after it,” I nodded. “I wonder if it has some sort of special bonus that it would apply to all the gear he has...” I suddenly wondered.

“Could it do that?” Ari asked as we claimed the rings and set them in our inventory for now. A portal to the outside opened.

“It's possible; there's specific sets like ours that definitely work in tandem, but there can also be incidental sets.” I said as we made our way over to the portal and headed out.

“Items that aren't tailored specifically for one another, but which work well together.” she nodded as we entered the vale again.

“You got it!” I said with a smile.

“Speaking of which, Lizzy said she would upgrade our sets when we got to fifty, but what about after that?”

“I think we may end up needing to find new ones after fifty-five for sure. From what I saw, you can only upgrade sets to your levels so many times, and since we're wearing Aldholt Regions sets, the limit is probably at the regional cap.”

“That makes sense,” Ariana said as we made our way out of the Hallowed Vale.

It felt kind of sad to leave the place. As we got to the hill leading out into the Aldholt, I wondered if there were any other quests or quest-chains that might bring us back some day. We summited the hill, and took a look back at the place together.

“So beautiful,” Ari remarked. I could only nod in agreement. Reluctantly, we tore our gazes from it, and turned around to see the leaders of the Garth-Fire Alliance waiting for us.

“Well, well, I wondered what it meant when someone reported that a somewhat suspicious player or two had exited our guild-hall and ran for the wayport, but to imagine that it was Lana Windstrider and her second, Ariana!” Garth said with a smug grin.

“Give it up, Garth. We have the items.” I said to him, and he shook his head, tisking at me.

“Now, now; you do have them, but I can find ways to get them from you.”

“You probably couldn't have gotten them in the first place,” I shrugged condescendingly, making my voice sound as aloof and as bored as possible. “Hard work isn't your specialty, or so I've heard.”

“Why you--!!” he suddenly spluttered.

“Garth, forget about taunting them and let's get fighting them.” Angelfire said to him.

“Not so fast!” another voice rang out. The Silver Tigers had appeared on the scene. “There are more of us than of you, Garth,” Wildeye continued, “And though they may not be as fast as Lady Lana, we have several sneaks lurking about and waiting for a command, should you try to attack her.”

“I see! Well played, Wildeye,” Garth returned with a fiendish look in his eyes. “Yet you should note that I have my good friend Skeletor here with me; he of all people needs no command or indeed encouragement to do away with these--”

“Hahh... okay, okay... let's try this,” I broke in, putting off the egotistical Garth. “I know you like hearing your own voice, but how about a duel, Garthy?” I said, gently nudging Ariana to get back.

Garth looked taken aback for a moment, and then his ego triumphed as a cold sneer came to his face.

“You wish to face me? The deadliest swordsman in the Aldholt Regions and commander of its greatest guild?”

“I was asking you to a duel, not Jannie.” I retorted without batting an eye. Skeletor seemed to almost break down laughing on the spot, and even Angelfire and Angela covered their mouths; I wasn't sure if they were trying to not laugh or if they were genuinely offended. But Garth himself got riled up.

“Ah... is that... so?... well, then, let me show you... what swordsmanship is... all about!” he replied with a shaking rage, his eye twitching as the phony smile on his face crumbled.

“That's fine with you, Wildeye, right?” I called out.

“Very well! I defer to your decision, Lana!” the reply came.

“Oh, damn, this gonna be one for the streams...” I heard Tyman say.

“Right?” someone else remarked.

“Hey, get a recorder going!” a third piped up.

“Be careful.” Ariana whispered to me, squeezing my hand as she withdrew to join the others.

“Always.” I replied, taking out my daggers.

“Ready to lose?” Garth said as he drew out his sword and steeled himself.

“That's my line, you third-rate Battlecraft dropout.” I returned at once.

Without another word he rushed at me, incoherently yelling. I deflected his first attack and slashed him on the cheek as he bulled by, spinning around as he came about to try some fancier moves on me. For the next few moments I deftly parried him, avoiding the sword and taking mental notes.

He was an early tournament champion, they say, but he had this equipment then already; after winning it he never really did much fighting, not even in this conflict. His Strength and Dexterity seem to be good; but I have Agility in addition to those, so I probably outclass him stat-wise. Weapon-wise? That sword has a longer reach, but my daggers (even though I plan on replacing them soon) probably have a better damage rating.

But now wait a minute--in the first place, does he even know what he's doing? Does he have *any* skills going or is he just hammering away at me hoping I'll screw up so that over-priced longsword can slice me?

Wait, over-priced longsword? Isn't that...?

“Nice weapon, Garthy; it looks like the one decorating the box,” I quipped as we traded blows and then locked weapons.

“A keen eye, Lady Lana; for it is the very same!” he said in reply. He withdrew only to attack again, and I resumed fending him off.

Your ego makes you say just about anything, doesn't it? But I thought the sword on PFO's box was an elite rare unique item that you could only win from the highest dungeons in the central regions... wait, his dad -- is the truth even more shocking than the rumors?

“What's the matter, Lana? Are you in awe of my skills?” he said with an ugly grin.

“More like, I've figured you out, and I can't believe the GM's let someone like you run around.” I replied. A squawk emanated from him, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Is that so?” Garth bantered lightly.

“Still, I'm impressed; I didn't know you could downgrade a sword for lower-level players, especially not that one, of all swords.” I said in an overly loud voice. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Wildeye catch on. He opened a panel, and I rushed Garth, who was already livid, to further unbalance him.

“How dare you! I'll have you know that my father--urgk!” he shouted before canning himself, but that seemed to be all the confirmation Wildeye needed. It was definitely all that I needed.

I came after him with my most intricate skills, blended with some martial arts moves, queued up in a pattern I liked to call the Shadow's Dance; Crescent Flash followed by Thousand Needle Strike, continued with Doomstrike and Flashing Blades. This time he actually prepared to counterattack with a skill, but then I tried something new; I unleashed Shadow-gaze on him. It was a paralytic skill, and it froze him in place.

“Kn-knight's Ardor!” he shouted, breaking the effect.

“Heh... so you do know how to play,” I quipped blithely, rushing to hit him with another Crescent Flash as he recovered before dodging out of sword's reach with a roll.

“Insolence!” Garth raged, swinging blindly after me. As I continued defending myself, I could tell that even Angela, who had been the most on Garth's side, seemed put off somehow.

“Beth? We're leaving.” she said to her second, and the two of them departed. Garth made the fatal mistake of looking away.

“Angela? Angela! Wait!” he cried out, and I entered Shadow-world.

“Heartstinger!” I called out as I neared him, and stabbed with all my might.

Caught by complete surprise, he stood there dumbly as his health bar drained rapidly until there was only about five percent left, if he was lucky, and then he fell to his knees. Angela looked back, shook her head, and resumed making her way to a wayport. Angelfire exchanged a look with Skeletor, and with Humphrey. The latter shook his head.

“C-curse you!” Garth fumed at me. We then heard the sound of an incoming teleport. Turning towards the sound, we saw a regally dressed player--no, wait, it was a GM; a Game Moderator had entered the fray.

“Garth?” the man called out, and the player in question lifted up his head. “Ah, there you are; let's see now...” the man continued, opening up what I assumed was an examination panel. I looked at his ID bar; “Wildthunder”.

What d'ya wanna bet...? I mused to myself as I regrouped with the Silver Tigers.

“Now how could you possibly have all this at your level? Oh, I see now; 'modification downgrade by Gallancleeve'...” Wildthunder mused aloud.

“Downgrade?”

“Gallancleeve? The GM from daily updates?”

“Wait, so the rumors...?”

“They weren't rumors?”

“Garth cheated to get that stuff?”

“And a GM helped him?”

“Duuude...” chatter like this went on for several minutes, and then the GM literally stripped Garth of his equipment and weapons, leaving him in a pair of trousers (luckily for him). The guy seemed absolutely at a loss for words.

“We'll be resetting these items to their proper levels and restoring them to their dungeons. As for you, we'll leave you at your current level; but you'll have to start your equipment over from scratch -- this time, without your father's help.” the man said, and then after a nod to Wildeye, he vanished. Garth cringed, and curled into a ball for a few moments. Humphrey then stepped forward.

“Lord Ga--no... Garth.” he said, and Garth snapped to attention once more.

“Humphrey! It's unlike you to be so casual!” he remarked.

“The guild has taken a vote; you are to be cast out.” Humphrey said solemnly.

“Wha--?!” the other squawked in reply, now at a more definite loss for words.

“We strip you of your title and banish you from the guild; I doubt anyone in the Aldholt will take you in, either--not even the outlaw guilds. Good luck on your future endeavors.” Humphrey said; he then approached us with Angelfire and Skeletor, along with their seconds. “Wildeye; I ask you to forgive this unseemly affair. However, there are yet matters which must be resolved. I believe you and I, along with Magisteria, Deathscythe, and Angelfire and Skeletor can come to a satisfactory arrangement?” he said, and Wildeye nodded.

“Let us bring in two of the neutral guild leaders as well; I suggest Applebell from The Farmer's Market and Tom O'Dell from Shamrock's Luck.” the other guild leader replied.

“I agree. Let's contact them and arrange to meet at Floraline.” Humphrey nodded.

“Very good!” Wildeye said; Humphrey hesitated a moment, and then looked at me.

“Forgive me, Lady Lana, for not suggesting yourself; it was you who detected Garth's farcical ways, after all.” he said to me.

“Don't worry about it,” I shrugged. “Just end the war; and if you do make a treaty, make it about helping people instead of controlling them.”

“Of course.” Humphrey said. The guild leaders in question then made their way to a wayport, leaving the rest of us to depart as we would. Most of their seconds went along with them, but there was one who came over and gave me a funny look. If you guessed Tyman, you got it in one. He crossed his arms and examined me silently for a few moments.

“…?”

“That you, Dans?” he said to me in a quiet voice. I couldn't deny it; a faint grin came to my face, and I shrugged innocently. “Damn, squirrel. I thought I recognized those moves. 'The hell you fibbin' about, not being in the game? And I guess I know who the other Silvernight Queens are now, too.”

“Ah-heh... I didn't know what you'd think...”

“Sure I think it's weird... but somehow, it suits you.” he remarked, bumping my shoulder with a gentle fist.

“I don't know how I should be taking that,” I returned with a funny look of my own.

“However the hell you want to, sister-man.” he grinned cheekily. “Where y'all headed to after this dumb war ends?”

“Xuanpu, further west of here.” I told him as the Silvernight Queens gathered around.

“That's a way away from here, Lans. Might take a few real days no matter which way you go.”

“We're planning on going through the Marshes of the Wyrd ourselves.”

“Hrrn, probably the best way to go.” he shrugged. “Yo, good luck with that; I'mma catch up with Wild at that Floraline place. Don't know why that quack made me his second, but I appreciate him, y'know?” he said, reaching out a hand. I reached out as well, and we gave each other a five and a handshake.

“I think I know why. Take care... Ty.” I returned.

“You too... Lans.” he smirked back, and then headed off to join the guild meeting.

As for the four of us, we took a look at each other, and then looked back to where Garth was. He sat there on the ground, looking as if the whole world had gone up in smoke for him. Pathetic, I shook my head. I opened my mouth to say something, and then decided against it with another shake of my head.

“No parting shots?” Lizzy wondered.

“Not worth it.”

“Agreed.” Ariana nodded.

“Totally.” Healina remarked.

“True!” Lizzy smiled. “So... Cloverbell?”

“Cloverbell.”

“Hotspring?” Ariana chimed in.

“Hotspring.

“Nice.” Heali smiled.

***

“Maybe someday we can do this for real,” Lizzy remarked as the four of us idled away in the hotspring later that night.

“That would be miraculous,” Heali agreed, sounding as if she had died and gone to heaven. “This is an amazing place; I'm glad we can explore it peacefully now.”

“At least in regards to Lord Goof and his schemes.” I quipped, and the other three burst out laughing.

“Daang it, why didn't you come up with that during the battle?” Lizzy guffawed.

“That would have been such a buuurrn,” Ariana agreed; Healina was too doubled over with giggles to make a comment.

“Sometimes the best comebacks are the ones that come too late,” I remarked with a sigh.

“Sad yet true.” Lizzy replied, patting my head. “Anyway; so we're off to the next area after this?”

“Soon... let's get to fifty for the last equipment revamp and then make our way north.” I said, and she nodded.

“Hmm... I think there's a good dungeon for that in Varkstania, close to Heimgar.” she mused.

“That sounds fun!” Ariana said.

“We'll try it tomorrow then?” I asked, and the other three nodded.

“And let's round out our crafting a bit more, too,” Healina suggested.

“Right.” I nodded back.

“We're almost at the limit for that in this area; should be doable by Tuesday.” Lizzy told us.

“Nice; so we can get going by Wednesday.” I noted.

“Yup!” our smith nodded. After a few minutes more we got out and headed inside, equipping our casual outfits. It was then that the notice arrived.

Attention fellow players; the conflict between the Garth-Fire Alliance and the Silver Tigers Pact is hereby over. The official alliances will dissolve, and normal guild interactions will resume. There will be no further attempts to monopolize or control resources or players. An agreement to help new players and crafters has been made; requests for assistance will be put in at region capitals by those needing it.

This discussion moderated by Tom O'Dell of Shamrock's Luck and Applebell of The Farmer's Market, agreed upon by Humphrey of ⸸SOVEREIGN⸸, Angelfire of Flamehearts, Skeletor of Fear The Reapers, Wildeye of Mountain Tigers, Magisteria of Words and Sorcery, and Deathscythe of Hallow's Eve.

Good luck in all your future endeavors!

“Well, that's over.” I said with relief. The Garth-Queens War had concluded. New adventures would soon be underway.