“Join the resistance, we shall fight the oppression…”
?
In a dingy side street of the town of Valhalla, such messages are stuck rampantly on the walls. They speak of freedom from tyranny and revolution from the useless government, and is in no way not related to their current quest to deal with Captain Realex.
?
For the past hour, they have been trying to find out where all the supposed revolution is, in an attempt to judge for themselves whether such a revolution would actually be bad for the quest.
?
“I mean, if the revolution has promise, we could use them to deal with Realex.”
?
“On the other hand, if the revolution is just a plain old useless, it would actually be better for us if we actually just wipe them out rather than them screwing up.”
?
“True.”
?
The both of them, while they're chatting, are systematically pulling down every poster from the walls. Of course, they are doing this after they noticed a certain figure following them for the past hour ever since they saw the poster.
?
They are currently still clothed in their beginner armour but Nexus already had his Nightingale at ready. Tyle, too, slung his shield loosely crossed his back for easier access.
?
“Is it enough?”
?
The question was posted towards Caldecius and Nightingale, whom they have instructed to keep a lookout at the person.
?
He has been getting more and more pissed as time goes on…
?
“Who wouldn’t be, when we are destroying their effort. Imagine someone destroying all your hard work, one by one.”
?
Two more posters are torn down and thrown into the mud while they make a big show of stepping over it nonchalantly. To add insult to injury, Nexus even spit on the poster and commented loudly:
?
“Sigh…what is with all this useless trash sticking such rubbish up onto the walls, eh? Trash should just remain trash…”
Provoking words to force the man over the limit.
?
“Fuck you!!!!!”
?
That was fast…
?
The person finally snapped and rushed towards them with a dagger. Nexus casually stood there as Tyle blocked the attack. Following that, he place his sword on the neck of the assailant before they press on.
?
“Checkmate. Now tell us everything or we would kill you.”
?
“Never!”
?
“Sigh…you know, I don’t really want to hurt you. If you would just talk, it would make things easier.”
?
“Just kill me.”
?
“Hmm…we all know that your base is in the alleyways. You know, we could just tell Realex to come here.”
?
“What? It is impossible for you to know where our base it! No one could find out that it is in the Blacksmith shop!”
?
“...”
?
“How the…what did I just do?”
?
Is it the Deception skill? So it makes the NPC much more dumber?
?
“The Blacksmith shop, huh? Looks like we need to go there. Tyle, drag that guy along with us. He would be our key to entering.”
?
With that, the both of them made their way towards the resistance headquarters with that person in tow.
--------------------
“So, what is your name?”
“Ryse. Oh wait…”
?
“So Ryse, tell us more about the resistance.”
?
“The resistance is formed by a group of residents with the intention of overthrowing Realex. Realex, ever since coming to power, has been terrorising the townsfolk with no intention of stopping. We also have beginner supporting our cause and we are on the verge of the revolt. Wait…how did you do that?”
?
“No questions, only answers, Ryse. So, what is the power of the resistance? The number of people, average level, chance of success etc.”
?
“We have over a thousand people in the resistance as of now. We also have several high level players as part of the revolt. We believe we have the capacity to overthrow Realex.”
?
“Good. Looks like we could use the resistance, Tyle. Ryse, when we enter the resistance, you are going to tell them that we are new recruits trying to overthrow Realex because that is our goal as well. If not, we are going to…”
?
Nightingale inched closer and closer to Ryse’s face.
?
“Ok?”
?
“Yes…”
-----------------------------------------------------------
“Rendrick Blacksmith Shop, For the Adventurer in You. What a good spot to hide the resistance. You actually had the galls to hide the resistance in the shop frequent by Realex’s guards. What cheek…”
?
“Ermm…no? We actually hide in the blacksmith over there.”
?
Ryse pointed towards a rundown shack along the road. The sign was in varying stages of decay and the door hanged on its hinges, swaying to the wind. Within it, occasional sparks can be seen.
?
“...”
?
Nexus and Tyle stepped over gingerly to the shop. A slight putrid scent was wafting from its innards. Looking at each other, they stepped into the shop.
?
Within the shop, a elderly blacksmith was hammering at a sword. Thump…thump…each swing was rhythmic and precise, hitting exactly where the blacksmith wanted to hit. The sword that was being forged slowly came to shape in front of their very eyes, as the blacksmith put on the finishing touches to the blade.
?
The blade stood at 2 feet long, with a delicate silver handle. The edges of the blade are sharpen to paper thin. The body of the blade showed signs of the complex folding that when into its creation. The blacksmith slid the blade into its sheath and placed it on the wall, before turning around.
?
“Ryse, you are back. With friends, I see.”
?
“Your blacksmithing is still as beautiful as always, Impetus.
?
“Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Such creation is nothing compared to the past.”
?
With that, he threw the sword into a pit full of such swords and started anew.
?
“Impetus is one of the finest blacksmiths in the Kingdom of Haven. At least he used to. The reason why his shop is so rundown is because he never spends money to renovate it. It serves us just fine, however. Plus, you have Rendrick’s shop over there stealing all the business.”
?
Ryse said with a touch of contempt. He lead the both of them into the back of the shop. In there, lied some sparse few items. Out of them, Ryse took them towards a cupboard that lied in one corner.
?
“This city is founded by Valhalla, whom help us defeat a huge threat to our town previously. One of the lesser known facts is that reason he done so was because of a cavern that lied beneath our town. The cavern, apparently, held the secret of the Lost King. We did not know whether it is true or not, but it also functions as an extremely useful base for us.”
?
“Wouldn’t Realex know about this?”
?
“That bastard comes from the capital. He knows naught about our town. Those guards of him too. All of them are useless pricks.”
?
Ryse pressed a spot on the cupboard. He made a blatant attempt to hide the location but Nexus could still see it anyways. The cupboard rotated just an inch, enough to reveal a lever that lies behind.
?
“That lever is the only way to go into the cavern.”
?
He slipped his finger into the gap and gently tugged on the lever, causing a sigil appeared on the cupboard. The sigil glowed for a brief moment, illuminating a spot on the ground. Ryse moved over to that spot and placed his palm onto that exact spot. The spot started to split apart, opening a hole in the ground.
?
“Revias Requiem Authenius!”
?
“Requiem Entra!”
?
“Enter.”
?
Nexus looked on at Ryse in suspicion. He had been unexpectedly helpful to them. Ryse did not say anything, except gesture once more.
?
“Tyle, go in first.”
?
“...Fine”
?
Tyle took out his shield and climbed down the hold. Nexus, then gesture back to Ryse for him to go into the hole next. Ryse did not say a word, except follow on. Finally, Nexus climbed down the hole too.
?
Sepentius…beware of the serpent.
?
That was the last name he heard before the hole closed on him, shrouding them in darkness.
---------------------
The darkness did not last, however. A series of sigils lit up in quick succession, illuminating the way. With the brightness, the illusion of distance via darkness is destroyed. The distance from the beginning to the end is just a measly 5 foot.
?
Tyle was the first to reach the bottom of the climb. His shield swung up in front of him, ready for assault.
?
What happened next when by too fast for Nexus to comprehend. Ryse just disappeared below him just as Tyle shifted the position of his shield. A shadow crashed onto the shield, breaking Tyle guard, as a pair of daggers flashed towards Tyle, stopping an inch from his neck. Several bindings of pure darkness bound him by his arms and dangled him from the entrance.
?
“Whew…that was fast.”
?
Ryse puffed he slowly forced Tyle to his feet, all the while looking at Nexus.
?
“Welcome to the Revolution. Found what you are looking for?”
?
“You…you…”
?
“Are supposed to be a weakling? A moron who babble secrets? I did not say I am any of those. I am not even an NPC.”
?
His hand never wavered from Tyle the whole time he was speaking to Nexus. Tyle could find no openings to counterattack or even escape. Ryse snapped his fingers at the shadows and Nexus was slowly lowered to the ground.
?
“That is enough, Earlic.”
?
Nexus attention was drawn towards a man standing just on the edge of his vision. Dressed in a simple attire, with the exception of several noticeable accessories adorning his hand, and a rather unusually large staff, Earlic is unmistakably a spell caster of sorts. Tapping that ginormous staff of his onto the ground, he cancel the movement of the chains.
“As you wish.”
“So now, let me guess, you have a lot of questions you want to ask. Firstly, an introduction. Or re-introduction if I may say so. I am Ryse, the leader of the Revolution.”
“I don’t really care. What I am concerned about is whether you all are serious about getting rid of Realex.”
“Rest assured we truly are.”
“Then there is no need to bind us. We too seek to get rid of Realex.”
“Why, if I may ask?”
“A request of sorts from someone I know deeply wishes for Realex to be gone. As we have a common goal, can we have a chat without such impedance in the way?”
“I believe the only place suited for such a chat is the local prison. Do you mind?”
“I don’t really mind, as long as I can get out of this chains.”
“As you wish. Earlic, bring the both of them along. Sylvester, reseal the entrance. Alicia, bring us some……‘desserts’.”
Earlic walk towards the both of them and touch them on the hand. Nexus could feel the intrusion of foreign magic into his body as he slowly lose strength as the magic does it work. The Holy energies within him are impeding the magic’s progression. Nexus could feel his forehead burning slightly as the counteraction against the magic occur. Earlic furrowed his brows as he felt the resistance.
Looking at Nexus, he gave a sigh and raised his lifted his hands. Bring up his staff, “tapped” him on the head. Nexus felt himself losing consciousness as Tyle was bestowed the same fate.
————————————————————————————————————
“I said bring, not tow, them over Earlic.”
“Both of them are too troublesome to bother. When should we expend more energy than the bare minimum on prisoners. To be honest, that is what they are now, aren’t they?”
“Actually, I am quite curious about their story. We could always just seal away their memories and send them back, can’t we?”
“It takes a lot of effort and time to lock down their memories. It is not so simple nor am I interested in performing the magic for every guy that stumbles upon the revolution.”
“Isn’t that what a revolution is suppose to be? A bunch of people fighting for freedom, for justice and all those crap.”
“That is not our final goal, Ryse. You do know the risk involved. The commission.”
“What is reward without risk? All we need to do is to grab the objective. After we are done, all else is naught.”
“Fine. Wake!”
————————————————————————————————————
Nexus and Tyle awoke to find themselves in a elaborate cell complete with furnishing. Ryse look on at the both of them from the sit across the table and motioned for someone outside to bring in the delicacies.
“Tiramisu, Eclairs and Pudding, your choice.”
Nexus was hesitant to eat the food offered by Ryse since he was already revealed to be a deceiver through and through. Tyle, a naive soul, did not have such queries.
“The eclairs are delicious…Nexus, come on, taste one.”
Nexus feel his heart aching in despair. Tyle…what are you… Saying nothing more, he looked on at Ryse.
“Lets get on with the main purpose. Say what you want.”
“I thought the whole point was to heard your story. So? Get on with it.”
“Fine, as you wish. Our name is Nexus and Tyle. We are Acolytes of the Church of Freya, currently undergoing a mission. We have been given a commission by the High Priest of the Church of Freya here to ‘solve’ the problem of Captain Realex. As we are wandering around trying to find a way to ‘solve’ the problem, we chance upon the poster for the ‘Revolution’. Since we both have the same goal, I am sure we can work together.”
“Heh…assume that you can even be of help in the first place. Look at yourself.” Ryse started speaking in a demeaning tone. “You are wearing beginner clothes and you assuming you can help.”
“Want to try me?”
“Sure.”
A sly grin came over Ryse’s face.
Was this his plan all along?
Nightingale choose this opportunity to butt in.
Go beat him up! I am pissed off at him!
Nexus started to feel as if he had fallen into another trap set for him. Yet, what is done is done. Nexus got no choice but to take out his Nightingale and moved towards the open area in the cell.
“Come get me.”
Ryse said nothing back to his provocation. Sliently, Two daggers slid out of his sleeves. The daggers were gripped in reverse. It’s edges gleamed with light, body as dark as night. Its edges are serrated, promising a painful wound should it hit. It was a vicious weapon, one that held no mercy.
“Nox Autumnis”
A dark black flame started flowing from the tips of the blade. It flickers around, seemingly alive. Or maybe it is.
“Nightingale, is his blade alive?”
Yes. It looks like it is one of my brothers.
“Why can’t you do something like this?”
You have not summoned me nor my true potential.
“What do you mean?”
Just try calling my name
“What is your name?”
I forgot.[i]
“…”
Nexus just remembered that Nightingale was an complete douchebag. Looks like it still needs "educating" to bend to his will. However, in this case, both of them are pissed of at Ryse.
From Ryse point of view, it seems as if Nexus has given up and has gone quite insane. He did not consider the fact that Nexus has a Ego weapon because he assume that it is general knowledge that you could speak to your weapon through telepathy. And of course, he did not realize that Nexus only played Royal Road for around 4 days.
In fact, he assume that Nexus was around the hundreds in terms of level, so he did not hold back and rush forward with one of his strongest attack.
“Assassinate!”
Assassinate is a skill unique to Assassins and its function is apparent from its name. It can only be activated under the condition that the user cannot be seen. The only reason Ryse could activate it in plain sight is due to his weapon. His weapon spew out a dark flame that shroud his body. In that instant, he cannot be seen. As a result, the skill activated. His knife stabbed into Nexus from his back.
“Freya’s Blessing! Holy Sword!”
A bright light burst forth from the wound, dispersing his flames. His sword, in a fashion similar to Ryse, became shrouded in a light.
You have activated Nightingale’s skill Smite
The strength of Smite scales with Nightingale’s level and Holy attribute
Grants 50% damage against the opposing element. This bonus is decrease by half when facing anything else.
Freya’s Blessing Activate
Gain 100% health and mana bonus
Gain 50% strength and agility boost
Holy Blade costs no mana for the duration of the blessing
Duration: 3:00 mins
Nexus slashed towards Ryse, who tried to block with his twin daggers. The clash of light and darkness annihilate each other in a explosive climax. Nexus and Ryse where both blown off into the opposing walls. Meanwhile, Earlic tapped his staff on the jail floor and raised a energy bubble to surround him and Tyle.
“Relax, the worst that could happen is that we kill him.”
“Kill?! No…why?”
A darkness from Tyle heart began to surface at the mention of “Kill”. A memory he tried to suppress by playing Royal Road once again began to consume him. Tyle was not as innocent as he seems. In fact, his innocence may have been a facade to conceal his darkness in the heart. Royal Road was such a great game because it is just like real life. Emotions, habits, even behavior, could affect the how you fare in the game. Vice versa, Royal Road could also affect your life.
Like the stat Darkness.
You have gained Darkness attribute
You have gained Darkness attribute
You have gained Darkness attribute
You have gained Darkness attribute
Warning, further increase could have adverse effect on your mental wellbeing. Please take a break from Royal Road
Tyle could not stop his emotions. More and more bubbled from his heart as he saw Nexus getting hurt. Nexus was his first friend, his only friend. The first person he saw who do not mind who he was. Royal Road was becoming his life. As such, the helplessness, the anger, the frustration he felt that day so long ago was dragged to the surface.
You have gained skill Unbound Darkness
The sorrows of your heart is fully release, gaining you the full power of the darkness. This skill does not level up and is dependent on the darkness of your heart
“Stop! Stop! NO MORE DEATHS!”
Nexus and Ryse stopped their duel halfway when a burst of darkness engulfed Earlic and Tyle.
“What is that? Ryse?!”
“I don’t know. Earlic never had that spell.”
The barrier started to exhibit cracks. Slowly, but surely, as Ryse and Nexus watched in mortification, the barrier burst apart. A wave of darkness crashed into him, drowning him in its depth.
All became black.
———————————————————————————————————————
Nexus could only feel the crushing despair of the darkness. The only reason he was not consume is due to his blessing. Checking his status view, he saw that he only had 1 minute left.
[i]1 minute…
To his luck, however, the source of darkness was close to where he was. A figure was continually spewing out wave upon wave of darkness into the void. His eyes are glowing with a dark light and, something, somehow, was trying to escape from his chest.
Just then, someone appeared behind the figure and pierce through the figure’s heart. The figure bend forward in agony as he grasp the dagger and slowly pulled it through his chest. The assassin was dragged closer and closer to the figure, melding together with it. Nexus looked on in shock as the figure assimilated the person with itself. As the final visage of the assassin disappeared, the figure stood up. It began to stabilize, as if the assassin was fuel of his rise.
With a wave of his hand, the figure summoned the a black rapier from the darkness. The figure looked forward at Nexus. It’s eye’s where hollow, and with every step, a black wings unfurled from his back.
An angel…an angel of death…
He felt something burning in his pocket. A feather or purest white slowly floated in front and towards him. An angelic voice reverberated in his ear as the feather drew closer. A sound heard long ago, once upon a time…
So is fate…so is destiny. I never would have expect the Child of Darkness to be so close…
The feather plunged into his chest as a binding pain spread through his body. He felt his body, his mind, his soul burning as he felt two white wings unfurled from his back. His sword was now one of pure white, his armor one of pure gold. He felt power surging in him. He knew his mission. To defeat the creature that lies in front of him.
Nightingale morphed into something, something else. The shackles that bound Nightingale to this insignificant form was thrown away as a glorious sword, one of beauty, was born.
It was Nightingales true form. One that I took before its creator seal it away.
In that very next instant, when both of their eyes met, they clashed towards one another.
Nexus’s sword slashed against the dark rapier as he flew forward. The rapier bend under the power of the blow, but it did not break. Instead, it rebounded the force back to Nexus. Nexus was shot back. His wings slowed the impact, but the figure did not miss his chance. With a speed unmatched, his rapier stabbed towards Nexus’s chest.
Nexus felt time slowing down to a crawl. He braked with his wings as he bend backwards, away from the blow. Almost touching the ground, the rapier glance his chest. In its path, a line of darkness appeared.
He counter attacked towards the figure, his sword sweeping across his chest, exchanging blow for blow. Again and again they attacked, each time leaving each other with no advantage. Slowly, cracks appeared in their armor, and light and darkness spew forth in equal amounts.
No one could be truly good, nor could anyone be truly evil. Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin. As a result, each blow slowly traded light for darkness, and darkness for light. They could feel their power demising as opposing elements grew stronger. Slowly, but surely, their blows became softer, weaker until…
Nexus stood facing the figure. His armor was in tatters. One of his wings are nearly black from the darkness. They stood facing each other, as looking at each other. They know that it must end soon. A final blow. Both of they clenched on their weapons and attacked. Nightingale’s Smite versus the figures darkness.
There was one mistake, however. Both of them are not equally matched. The figure was weaker. It could not sustain itself without the power of the souls it consumed. It was only the result of devouring two strong soul was he able to withstand this long. Now, the souls are rebelling. Escaping. As their weapons pierced each other in the heart, the souls burst forth from the figure. The darkness surrounding them cracked and was sucked right back into the figure in a torrent. The world became a binding white, before it turned black once more.
———————————————————————————————————————
It was not, or would be, the end though.
Two figures lied side by side as a sphere came out of them both. The sphere was a unique object, one side filled with darkness, while the other with light. It was held in equilibrium by a delicate balance. The sphere slowly shrunk and dropped into both of their hands, before disappearing. At that exact spot, two symbols, one of a shield and other of a sword, appeared, split in half by light and darkness.
“So, it has happen once more eh? I never knew it would be like this.”
“Ha…say for yourself Caldecius. Don’t think I did not recognized you for a moment, Champion of Freya.”
“That is to you, Sword of Nil.”
“You want to fight?”
“Our time is up, Caldecius. Let us observe them as they fight for our legacy. We should play a role as mentors, not as the main characters, of this new era.”
———————————————————————————————————————
Nexus woke up, his hand still gripping on to his sword. Several pop-ups are floating in front of him.
You have gain skill Equilibrium [50/50]
You are now in Equilibrium mode.
In this mode, your attribute are in balance.
Due to your class, however, unbalance in attribute’s may result in unexpected consequences. You also receive a 10% bonus to holy attribute.
You would also automatically reject the darkness attribute
You receive 50% bonus in damage and health
+20 all stats
Each attack carries a chance of absorbing attributes from the creature
As you absorb more attributes, you would gain unique attribute based skills
However, each attribute would get weaker
You gain skills Eyes of Ascendant [1]: 0.00%
This skill is created as a result of special actions
This skill is a subset of Equilibrium skill
You have began to uncover more about your class!
The eyes of the Ascendant are able to see into the attributes
Ascendants of Gods hold the power to view the base of all matter.
However, you still have more to discover about this power
You have gained 10 levels!
You have gain Title: “Darkness Unbound”
You have managed to slay darkness from the heart.
Due to your actions, you have gained:
+10 stat
+100 holy attribute
+10% damage towards darkness
“What…where…the darkness…Close status window!”
Nexus slowly got up from the ground. Looking around, he saw Ryse in the distance.
“Call it a draw?”
“I am in no mood to fight now. Let’s end it. We still need to kill Realex anyway. Earlic?”
“Yes…”
“Do you remember what happen in your barrier?”
“No…it is strangely all blank.”
Nexus also looked around, looking for Tyle. Tyle is lying on the ground, his shield next to him. He came to consciousness the last and was slowly regaining its senses.
“Tyle, do you know what happen?”
Tyle could not remember what happen. All he could remember was the something bursting forth.
“No…nothing.”
“Sigh…forget it. Ryse, so, how? Accept us?”
“…Fine. Let us just forget the incident.”
Nexus harbor suspicions that the Ryse could just forgot the incident. He did not question it, however, There was still a Captain to kill, and that was more important.
“Come over.”
Things started to progress quickly from that point on. Ryse took them to a new room, one that it not destroyed by the chaos that ensued just now, with all the eclairs and cakes spewed over the floor. In the new room, a map stood as a centerpiece.
As they are moving, Nexus edge towards Tyle. He whisper to Tyle.
“Do you think Ryse could be trusted?”
“What choice to we have? You are the person that suggested that in the first place.”
“True. If anything happens, run.”
With that, Nexus separated from Tyle.
“Welcome to the war room. Let us welcome you to the Revolution and forget all the bad things that has happen. You have already met Earlic, who is a Warlock. I am an Assassin, The person standing behind you and brought you the snacks is Alicia, the Beast Master. And the person that is currently aiming a arrow at your heart is Sylvester, the Sniper.”
Nexus looked around in surprise. Even with his observation skill, he could see no one. Looking back at Ryse again, he felt a tug at his clothes.
“Here~~~~!”
He looked down and saw a young girl with cat ears tugging at his clothes. The young girl was dressed in a cute animal costume made out of a soft white fur. Around her feet lied three snow white puppies, cuddling around.
At that exact moment, a slim young man appeared from the furtherest corners of the room. In his hands held a slim wooden bow, covered with a slight glitter. The bow elude a sense of “sharpness”. Just looking at it, he could feel the feeling of an arrow piercing his heart. The young man looked on at the girl disapprovingly.
“Alicia, come over here now! Stop bothering him!”
“But…but Brother…….he is so much handsome than you!”
“What?! Wait…noooo!”
The young man’s face contorted in the instant. He looked at Nexus and touched his face with each glance. Nexus’s impression of the young man was dipping moment by moment. Frankly said though, Nexus had not though much about his looks. Aside from his sliver hair, his facial features are passable at best. What he did not know, however, was that the Ascendant class has a innate bonus to charm. As a result, his features held a certain elegance to them, as one befitting of a descendant of gods.
The young man regained his composure quickly though.
“So what? This is a game. He must be those kind of people that spent 10 hours on the character creator creating his avatar.”
“Hmmmmmm…….true. Are you are shallow and vain person who spends 10 hours on the character creator mister?”
Somehow, Nexus was feeling annoyed. Very annoyed.
“Stop bothering him Alicia. He is Nexus and his companion is Tyle. They are from the Church of Freya on the same mission to kill Captain Realis.”
“Same mission? I thought our was a ultra super-duper secret? Earlic, did you lie to me?”
The three puppies at Alicia’s feet began to stir at her statement. Nexus could feel the tension rising in the room. The puppies began to grow, bigger and bigger, as Alicia slowly stepped towards Earlic.
“No, you dumbass. Remember that this is Royal Road. It is possible to have multiple similar quest. Since the quest are mutually exclusive, we could help each other and claim our own rewards. All our quest needs is Realis dead only, right? How he dies is none of our concern.”
Earlic said that as he ruffled Alicia’s hair, completely unfazed by the menacing dogs. At his comment, Alicia soften and tears started appearing.
“Earlic is bullying me again!!!!!”
“Earlic….”
“Sylvester, you know I did nothing, right?”
As Nexus watched this debacle from a distance, he slowly began to feel if this is how normal parties behave like. From the beginning of his journey in Royal Road until now, all he had was Tyle. Now, as he looked on at them bickering, he slowly start to feel as if he wanted it to. This kind of party life, with friends and comrades.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Quite down! We would be assassinating Captain Realex the next night. Sylvester, bring them to their quarters. Earlic, come with me. Alicia, try not to eat someone. Please.”
“Come on, Nexus and….Tyle, is it? I will bring you to your quarters for preparation.”
———————————————————————————————————————
Earlic looked on at Ryse as he sat on the only leather chair in the room. His curiosity is overwhelming him and he could not help but initiate the conversation first.
“Why?”
“Why indeed. Why did I ask them to join? Why? Do you know, I knew what happen throughout the darkness just now? What I saw, validated what I felt. In our journeys, do you still remember the old stone tablet we found. One that spoke of an angel from the Gods. I believe that Nexus holds the key to it. I will solve its puzzle and obtain what rewards that lies.”
“You are referring to the permanent quest slot that was taken up?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t observing them in battle be the best way to see their full abilities. As for the abnormal darkness that we encountered just now, it is best if we just ignore it for now. The answers will come even if we don’t do anything.”
"Earlic, tomorrow, activate your Mage Sight and observe them for the entire duration. Make sure not to let them leave your sight. Observe their abilities and tell me afterwards. Give no indication you are observing.”
"Yes."
As Earlic make his way out of the room, Ryse looked towards his hand.
The mark....
A mark of a serpent glows darkly, pulsing with each breathe.
He ignore the mark. He still has a commission to accomplish.
———————————————————————————————————————
"Hahahaha.....actually, Alicia hates animals. Really hates them. Yet someway, somehow, in the game, she does a 360? turn and actually became a Beast Tamer. I could never understand what is going through my sister's mind actually."
"Really? What about Earlic?"
"Earlic? He is a friend of Ryse. The both of them are the people who invited us into a party. Before that, we were doing random quests and hunting. They approached us one day and wanted us to join and help them with their quest. Things kind of happened and we never leaved them afterwards. I guess we kind of enjoyed being with them. Now, what about you?"
"For me, don't tell anyone, I am actually still a beginner at this game. Somethings kind of occured and I became a part of the Church of Freya."
"Same here."
Nexus and Tyle were chatting with Sylvester in the quarters, which happen to be a empty room with a few mattresses. Sylvester, surprising, was a very chatty person. He started talking about the group, what they are doing, even before Nexus asked any questions.
After a while, Nexus and Tyle start to lower their guard and respond back. One way or another, the trio ended up in their current scenario, with Tyle and Nexus on one side and Sylvester on the other, casually sitting on the mattresses.
"Why is it necessary to have these mattresses here? I mean, being players, it is fine for us to just log out right?"
"Those beds are here ever since we came to this cave. It seems to have been leaved here by the previous occupants. We are only occupying this cave for a shot period, at least until Realex is dead."
"What quest have you all exactly gotten? To kill Realex?"
"You really want to know? I spoke about the random quests we have been doing, right? Those quest are usually assassination request, either by nobles or by common folk. We are hired assassins. Ryse and Earlic is also the same as us. This quest is a request by the King of Laselle. For some reason or another, he wanted Realex dead. And we are here to fulfill his request. What about you?"
"Our quest is not exactly kill Realis per say, but rather find a way to solve Realex's oppression. We figure that killing was the best way."
"Killing, are you really Church of Freya Priest?"
"Well, it is not the first time that the Church has done evil for greater good."
"Ha...I wonder who Realex really is."
"I guess we would know when we kill him."
Sylvester simply smiled and glance sideways towards his status screen. Nexus glance towards the side of his screen too, trying to find out what Sylvester is looking at. It was the in-game clock.
"Looks like it is almost time. Come, I am suppose to bring you to the somewhere else."
"Somewhere else?"
"You don't think us four would try to kill the Captain on our own, do you? Captain Realex stays in his headquarters in the military camp of the town, which currently has over 3000 soldiers. Even when he moves out of the base camp, he is surrounded by 100 soldiers. Tomorrow is the only day in which we would have a remote chance of killing him. He would be accompanying Lord Javis in his tour of the city. 'Tour' as in a farce to convince the Lord that he is actually doing good for the city. The whole city is suppose to come and cheer for him. That is where our plan comes in. We have currently accumulated enough relationship points with the NPC's to command and incited them to revolt on that particular day. We already have planned everything so the decision is to have both of you blend into the crowd and wait for a opportunity to strike. Here, accept the invitation."
Sylvester has invited you to party
"We would be communicating via the party chat. I would be bring you to the NPC. In order to ensure that there would not be any errors, it is best you familiarize yourself. Also, before we proceed any further, Ryse wanted both of you to sign this."
Contract of Silence
This contract binds you to silence. Attempting to speak about anything related to the Revolution, in any shape or form, would result in a bounty of 500 gold to place on your heads. Also, you would be blacklisted in the Book of Targets, allowing any player to kill you without penalty.
This contract is drafted by Ryse, Master Assassin of the Order of Shadows, and carry all the authority granted by the Order of Shadows.
"Fine."
Nexus placed his thumb at the spot which says sign here. Contracts in Royal Road are in contracts in real life, just that unlike real life, there is no law or authority forcing you to abide by the contract. Therefore, it is heavily reliant on the power the issuer of the contract holds to force the contractee to obey. Any one can issue a contract, but a contract issued by a King and a contract issued by a beginner holds a whole of difference. Nexus once read about a incident in the early beginning of Royal Road in which one player dared to disobey a contract issued by the King of Kallamore Kingdom. He was hunted down and killed so many times that he had to quit the game. As for the contract Nexus is about to sign, he could see that the contract holds significant power. It appears the Ryse was more, and much more, than what Nexus thought he was.
You signed the contract. From now on, you would be bound to the contract until the quest ends
Tyle did the same thing. With that, the contract was signed and bound to the both of them. Sylvester gave a relieve sigh, and signal the both of them to follow.
“The NPC’s have a separate meeting place away from us. This is to prevent any information leakage. Also, the NPC’s are only communicated to by three leaders chosen by them, to also minimize the chance of leaking the information to Realex.”
Sylvester lead them towards a passageway hidden away behind in the very end of the cavern. It was the first time Nexus got a proper look at the cavern itself. It surprised him to find out that the cavern extended all the way to surface of the city, yet it did not collapse under the weight of the city. The roof of the cavern are lined with stalagmites, some the twice the size of a human. Each stalagmite glows with mana, with each mana flow linked to each other. Nexus looked on at each mana flow closely, seeing where it leads. It seems to lead towards the direction they are moving towards. Somehow, Nexus felt as if this has something to do with the Secret of the Lost King.
The mana flowed as if it is constricting something. Something horrible.
Then it stuck him that he could actually see mana now. Looking closely, he realize that the Feather of the Goddess had disappeared.
He started an in-depth evaluation of what has happen over the past few hours. He still could not remember clearly anything that happen in the darkness. However he had a vague impression of him stabbing a figure coated in darkness as the darkness course through the blade into him. The status windows that appeared afterwards are lost in his mind as he swept them off. He opened the windows once more to look through them again.
One skill that caught his interest is the “Equilibrium” skill.
It is based on holy and darkness attributes which I currently have, but when did I obtain a darkness attribute?
As he thought about the unusual skill, he noticed a marking on his hand, in the shape of a sword, with one side in darkness while the other in light. Each side is in perfect symmetry, however he could see the light slowly eating away the darkness.
According to the skill window, I could absorb more attributes. The skills seems to indicate to me that it is better for me to remain in the equilibrium mode. However, how should I obtain darkness attribute to remain in balance? Ah! Eyes of the Ascendant!
“Eyes of the Ascendant” Nexus whispered.
Eyes of the Ascendant have been activated. When Eyes of the Ascendant are activated, you could glimpse more into the attributes of this world. However, this skill drains the user heavily. Overuse of this skill can also result in death
As he expected, there is active skill for Eyes of Ascendant. Nexus had a vague idea of there is a active ability from the fact that users have reported on forums once or twice before that certain abilities have a untold active ability to them. Body enchantment abilities are one of the usual ones that have a active ability.
Once he activated the skill, his eyes are flooded with colors.
You have took 200 damage
He slowly became accustom to the flood of colors that clouded his vision. He was surprise to discover how many colors the world is made out of. The mana from the stalagmites are now a deep shade blue, denoting pure mana. Sylvester, however, is mostly green with a tinge of red, wind and fire. Tyle, however, is exactly split in half, with one part white and another part dark. As he peered further, however, he could see that the darkness is seething, growing, slowly eating into the white. What this means, Nexus did not want to inquire further. He already had his suspicions. What also surprise him is the fact that his sword, Nightingale, possessed no color at all, so do Tyle shield.
He did a small experiment and visualize some of the holy attribute flowing into the blade. It was much easier when he had a visual depiction to work with. Compared to the past (this was not the first time he tried), he could see the attribute flow into the sword. The sword seemed to act as a vessel for his power.
As abruptly as it began, his vision ended and his vision returned to normal. He looked towards his stat bar. As expected, his mana is at zero.
It does eat up mana like nothing…
Sylvester interrupted his musing with a announcement.
“Here we are, at the agreed upon meeting zone between he leaders and us.”
Nexus was brought to a narrow path that opened up into a clearing. The clearing opened up into the ground, allowing Nexus a view of the now dark night sky.
“I thought there is only one way into the cave?”
“There is only one way in the cave, however we are not in the cave. Didn’t you notice that we just pass a sigil? The sigil is place there since the time of the Lost King. It allows for us to exit, but not enter. This place was selected because it is located right in the backyard of the Church of Freya. Even Realex cannot barge into Freya’s sanctuary as he likes.”
“But how do we get back?”
“I thought both of you are Freya’s Acolytes?”
“…”
Both of them looked at each other. [ (-_-) ]
“Those two are the new additions? Doesn’t seem like much.”
The person who spoke was a burly man, someone who seem like a thug. With muscles bulging from every corner of his body, he eluded danger. At his back lied a huge zweihänder, one that could cleave Nexus in two in one hit.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover, Andrea.”
The next person who interjected was someone dressed in blue robe and suits the archetype of a typical mage, unlike Earlic, which look more like Andre than a mage. He had a slim body, with a scholarly face, all archetypes of a mage. He also hold a normal size staff (Earlic…) and just looked like a mage. Thats all Nexus could say. He is a mage through and through.
“Go back to your books, Reich. Weaklings are weaklings…”
“Stop fighting. Aren’t we here because we all share a common goal of killing the bastard?”
Finally, the final person revealed itself, in a cliche kind of way. She was dressed in a alchemist’s robes and, frankly, looked normal. She did not look particularly attractive, yet held a certain kind of charm, from the way she acts, confident and sharp. The alchemist robes she wore are a dark black color, and at her side lied serval potions of various colors.
At this moment, Sylvester interjected and did a short introduction.
“Those two are Nexus and Tyle. Ryse allowed them to join. I brought them here because they would be together with you all during the Revolution tomorrow.”
“Really? Those two weaklings?”
Weakling…weakling…seriously, it is getting annoying getting belittled by the burly old man
“Weakling, you want to try us?”
“Ha…if you have the guts.” Saying that, the zweihander is already off his sheathe.
What is with me and fights…
Nightingale, who was unusually silent, regain his snakiness as he edge Nexus on.
Beat him up!
He took out Nightingale and prepared for battle. Nexus was frankly exhausted by the number of things that when on today and was just itching for another fight to get rid off his frustration. First was the fairies, then the mobs, then Ryse and the wave of darkness, it was draining him. He focus all his energies on his blade and charge towards Andrea.
“Holy Blade!!!”
You have activated Nightingale’s skill Smite
The strength of Smite scales with Nightingale’s level and Holy attribute
Grants 50% damage against the opposing element. This bonus is decrease by half when facing anything else.
Fuck you all to hell!!
The first thing he noticed was how light the blade has become. Something is different about him and the blade. He also could see how Nightingale was absorbing the holy attribute and transforming. It still look like a normal sword, only that it now had...power. Nightingale now clad itself in a golden aura every time Holy Blade is activated. As he swung his sword down, his blade clash against the zweihander. The zweihander buckle a little, but was otherwise unaffected.
“Oh…good! So you do have a little strength behind those puny limbs.”
Nexus ignored him and continued to swing his blade. Once and once again Andrea used the zweihander to block him. Blast upon blast of holy energy was released by each strike as the area was buffered by the aftershock.
Nexus sensed a danger incoming and jumped back as Andrea finally attacked. He was blown back even though he jumped. Holding his ground, he visualized more Holy Blades stacking upon one another as he struck once more.
This time, Andrea was force to dodge. He sidestepped the strike and counter-attacked, almost hitting him. Nightingale, speaking up once more, warned him about the assault.
Don't you dare lost to the bastard, asshole! Dodge left!
Nexus barely manage to escape the blow with Nightingales warning. From that point on, Nightingale simple spoke of a serious of actions, highlighting Andrea’s weaknesses and moves before he actually attacked.
Left shoulder
Step right
Block and strike his right arm
Slowly but surely, Nexus, with the help of Nightingale, is slowly forcing Andrea into a checkmate. Move by move, Nexus came closer and closer to striking him until…
Slash down now!
Nexus needed no instruction to know that it is time to strike. He finally manage to worm him way through Andrea’s guard. Knocking his zweihander away, he swung his blade down.
“Holy Blade!”
You are no longer in Equilibrium. The darkness have temporarily overpowered the light due to overuse of the Holy attribute. You are now shrouded in Darkness
Due to your class, you receive a 20% damage penalty, but gain a 30% dark elemental damage to your weapon. As a side effect of your heritage, Wings of Ascendant would also be activated
Wings of the Ascendant[1]: 0.00%
One characteristic of Ascendant, their wings would represent what attribute they currently possess.
Gain 20% bonus damage to current attribute
Currently, the Wings reflect the Darkness attribute
He gather all that remained of his mana into one strike. However, rather than the golden aura Nexus is accustomed to, the blade started to pulsate with darkness. An afterimage of two wings of pure darkness, too faint to be seen, unfurled from his back. The symbol of the sword on his hand temporarily became darker as his blade reached for Andrea.
“Shield of Althroris, grant me the power to guard against all danger! Spirit of wind, silence the air!”
Three seals of power, arranged in a circular formation, blocked his attack. At the point of impact, a large explosion occurred, yet no sound was heard. Nexus jumped back from Andrea. By now, the wings have disappeared and his blade returned to normal.
You have regain Equilibrium. Effects of Wings of Ascendant has ended
“That was dangerous. You have proved your point now. Andrea, is he still a weakling?”
“No…damn, he almost kill me.”
“Can we get back to the official business?”
Sylvester, who was watching the whole spectacle, when back to the main point.
“As of tommorow, we would be launching our mission of killing Realex. The moment he passed by the town square would be the moment we strike. Andrea, you are the Captain of the Guards, is the diversion planned?”
“Yes, I have place the roster in such a way to maximize the chance of success. However, when the time comes, I would still have to fight you guys.”
“That is not a problem. Reich, how are the seals going?”
“Earlic has been a huge help in this area. As of now, I have manage to recreate the isolation seal present in the Tomb of the Lost King. We should be able to isolate Realex from the rest.”
“How about the potions? Darlene?”
“The potions of strength are ready. It should allow the crowd to fight the guards for a while. Now that you have brought some Freeman as help, I believe that it would be much easier.”
“Good. Nexus and Tyle, both of you would be with the crowd tomorrow. We are going to isolate Realex and kill him. We need both of you to hold the guards together with the crowd. Don’t worry about not begin able to kill Realex yourself. As long as we are in a party, his death should also mean the fulfillment of your quest.”
Sylvester than address the rest of the NPC’s present.
“Looks like we are done. Andrea, I believe you need to go. Reich and Dalrene, I need to see both of you. Nexus and Tyle, you can log out. Just remember to login in six hours time.”
With that, Nexus and Tyle are dismissed.
———————————————————————————————————————
Ryse stood at the tip of one houses in Valhalla. Right beside him stood another player, one bearing the mark of the Hermes Guild.
“How goes the commission?”
“Fine.”
“We hired the Order of Shadows as you are the best. Don’t disappoint us. Realex must die for the invasion of Kallamore to proceed. He is the only one opposing us in the court of King Rayleigh.”
“He would be dead by tommorrow.”
“Good. Et auferam, morte victoria.”
“Et auferam, morte victoria.”
With that, the shadow disappeared into the night.
Ryse sigh to himself. Once again, one of many times, he wonder why did Hermes Guild hired them to kill Realex. With the power of Hermes guild, squashing Realex would be as easy as squashing an ant. For one, the person he just met is one of the top assassins in the game.
Somethings are just beyond my control…isn’t it Sepentius?
Only if you say so.
His dagger said nothing else. Sepentius was one weapon he had obtain over a long period of battle, one that he love, and one that he hate.
Ryse smiled to himself as he looked on at the night scenery of Valhalla. He unconsciously touched his hand, in which the symbol of a serpent lied. It was still pulsating as usual, showing no sight of fading.
When….when can I be free of the curse?
———————————————————————————————————————
“Log out?”
“Yeah…it is a eventful day…”
Shi-Woo open his eyes and got out of the capsule. It had been another 5 hours spent in-game.
“Royal Road is seriously eating up my life…”
Saying that, he looked on at the clock. It is now 6 pm in the afternoon. Cursing to himself, Shi-Woo took a jacket from the wall and raced out of his home. Today is Friday and he had a appointment to meet.
He had completely forgotten what day today is. With a sense of urgency, he got on his bicycle and ride at top speed all the way to the nearest train station.
Even though technology has evolved enough for people to go into VR, the common modes of transport still exist. The only difference is that the speed of each mode of transport has either doubled or tripled. As such, it only took him 5 minutes to arrive at the other end of Seoul.
Waiting for him at the train station is a young lady dress in a pink cardigan with a T-shirt and a pair of long jeans. She was carrying a pink bag to compliment here cardigan and, the moment she saw him, rushed over and banged Shi-Woo on the head with the bag.
“You…you made me wait here like a idiot! You know how many times people have came over trying to hit on me. Thanks to you, I have to deal with those fools. You jerk!”
The young lady in question was undoubtedly a great beauty. Even viewing her from a up close, Shi-Woo could spot no imperfections in her. He was once again reminded of how different he was from the girl in front. The girl in question, however, have no idea what was on Shi-Woo mind.
“So, where are we going?”
“Sigh…we could go to Myeong-dong before going to Gangnam…with the way you spent money, even the inheritance would not be enough…”
“What did you say at the end? Hmmm?”
The girl leaned closer and closer to Shi-Woo. Wise to her antics, Shi-Woo showed no sigh of flustering. After giving up trying to elicit a respond from Shi-Woo, the girl lamented,
“Ah….the days when your cheeks would start burning and you would become all shy and fluster are gone now huh?”
“It has already been 4 years since we met again, Sister.”
The girl was Shi-Woo sister by blood. However, Shi-Woo never did treat her like a sister, instead he treated her more like a friend. They have been separated ever since that unfortunate day where their parents divorce.
After that, the both of them when their own separate ways. Shi-Woo was around 4 to 5 years old when this happen and nothing much could be remember of that period of time. Shi-Woo when with his mother, who was a businesswoman, while his sister,
Mi-na, when with his father, a famous fashion designer
Both of them did not met each other until, 4 years ago, when his father finally got the guts to find his mother again. Since then, both of them have come to an uneasy truce and now consider each other as just friends. Both of them never remarried and, as a result of their actions, Shi-Woo met his sister once more.
By then, the both of them are already in the adolescence of youth and the time has long pass for them to form any sibling bonds. Instead, what they agreed upon, as a result of their parents insistance (one reason why his father met up with his mother is in part due to his guilt over separating Shi-Woo and Mi-Na), they now meet up once per week. As a result of multiple meetings (and several awkward scenarios), the both of their relationship is now consider stable. In their hearts, they have settle down.
An ill effect of this, however, is that Mi-Na is now taking advantage of Shi-Woo. Shi-Woo’s mother is a strong advocate of teaching her son independence. As a result, she did not give Shi-Woo any money other than what is necessary. The capsule was one of the things he had to work hard for.
Shi-Woo’s mother do give Shi-Woo some money for his meeting with Mi-Na and Mi-Na seems intend on spending every last cent.
“Come on, they wanted us to have a better relationship, right?”
“Your father is a freaking fashion designer, why don’t go ask him to design you clothes instead of buying them?”
“But…but I like you buying them for me…”
Mi-Na started to twiddle her thumbs and look at Shi-Woo with a big watery eyes.
Oh no, not again…
“Look, I even wear the jacket you bought for me…”
That cost 300000 won! It is so freaking expensive!
“And the scarf…”
It is a Hermes scarf that goes for another 250000 won!
More and more people are gathering around them as Mi-Na eyes got even more watery. When a beauty like Mi-Na is around, people will move over unconsciously. When a beauty like Mi-Na is about to cry, however, every single person would stop and flock over.
“What a jerk, making a woman cry.”
“Scum of the earth.”
“He should just die.”
Such thoughts are as visible to Shi-Woo as daylight. He quickly grab hold of the Mi-Na’s hand and drag the her throughout the crowd of the people all condemning him with their very breathe.
“Mi-Na, god damn you! Why…why are you doing this?”
“So, do you agree to buy me the clothes?”
“….Yes!”
And there goes all my money…
———————————————————————————————————————
In a certain high-class restaurant in Gangnam,
“I want…this!”
There goes another 50000 won
“I just want the cheapest thing on the menu with a glass of ice water.”
Shi-Woo feel so out of place in this atmosphere of the restaurant. All around him, people are dressed in fancy suits and dresses while Shi-Woo is dressed in T-shirt and jeans. Shi-Woo could not but feel inferior in the face of those people. He desperately try to focus his attention elsewhere to draw away his embarrassment.
All around the restaurant, there are high-definition 8K televisions projecting scenes and visuals from Royal Road, showing scenes of battle and actions. In one particular television, a battle involving Weed was shown by KMS media outlet. It was a replay of the battle between the undead and the orcs and elves. Everytime Weed killed a enemy, cheers would erupt around the restaurant.
Seems like Royal Road is a the same, whether one is poor or rich…
As the dishes arrive on the table, Shi-Woo turn back towards Mi-Na. He wondered if she played Royal Road too. Interested to know, he asked her.
“Mi-Na, did you play Royal Road?”
“Ya.”
“Really?”
“Let me guess, you want to know my level and class? Level 367, Archmage of Magic Institute.”
He choked on his food when he hear Mi-Na mention his level and class.
“Surprised? What level are you? Hmph?”
“…Level 30 or so?”
Shi-Woo head bend lower and lower as he said those words. Mi-Na choked on his food as she tried to contain her laughter.
“30…hahahaha…how long have you been playing?”
“3-4 days…”
“Hahah….oh? 3 days? I was hoping you would say 1 month or something so I have more excuses to laugh at you.”
“You…never mind, what is your in-game name?”
“Roselyth. Don’t bother to come find me in-game for now. I am currently involve in a quest.”
Saying that, she continued to slowly nimble on the plate worth 50000 won. Shi-Woo looked on as his money slowly disappear while he ate. He lamented the fact that he all his money is going to go down the drain.
“Shi-Woo, I want to go to the Channel shop next!”
“…”
Damn…I am getting fleeced by her!
———————————————————————————————————————
“Lets see…I have 30000 won left. Damn, looks like I have to be stingy for the next few days.”
Shi-Woo collapse on his bed, exhausted by how Mi-Na dragged him around like a personal butler, helping her carry this and that. Not that he dislike doing such a thing, just that it is tiring. He looked upon his complicated feeling about Mi-Na and sighed to himself. Meeting once per week is not long enough to built familiarity yet not short enough to forget. As such, he is currently in a limbo between the how to feel.
He looked up on the clock and discovered it is around 9pm at night.
Looks like it is about time
Tossing those feeling out of the window, Shi-Woo climbed out of his bed and lied back onto the capsule. As he closed his eyes, he became Nexus once more.
———————————————————————————————————————