Bolts of lightning sparked through the air. It was the third day of training, and Wraith was up against a horde of glass-like golems. They were electrified, able to cause massive damage quickly. However as compensation for the damage they could inflict, they had very low defence.
They all swarmed together, forcing him to destroy as many as possible, as quickly as possible before he got killed. There was no way to dodge the attacks, so all he could do was to endure.
Form of the Wolf-King has reached beginner level 5
Claws of the Beast has reached beginner level 4
Loki's Blessing has reached beginner level 5
Chains can be unlocked and used as a tool-'Unchained'/'Chained' only in Form of the Wolf-King
Mana consumption: 5 Mp
He didn't have the time to test out his new ability, so he ignored the system messages for now. After several kicks, as well as well-placed knee and elbow strikes, he had finally cleared the corridor. Since he was down to twelve percent health, he bandaged himself up and drank a potion to restore some Hp. If I barely survived with twelve percent Hp against the low-level mobs, I need a plan to get the boss.
For Wraith, this was the worst type of enemy to have. He was confident against melee fighters, and those with physical attacks, but when it came to magical attacks he had no resistance whatsoever. I wonder... “Unchained.”
Instantly, the chains that were wrapped around his arms unlocked and fell down. They were still attached to the shackles on the wrist, giving him the appearance of an escaped convict. He tested the chains out, spinning and swinging them around. They were completely unsuited for attacking with, since they were as light as a ribbon, but for his purposes they would do quite well.
Once he was at full health and stamina, he went into the boss' room. This time there were a few glass pillars located around the arena. As expected, a giant glass golem rose from the ground. This golem had a wide-area attack, sending many lightning bolts in all directions.
Wraith was prepared for this, so he spun the chains in a circle. Though it didn't eliminate the damage completely, it did reduce it considerably. When the attack stopped, he ran forward. The golem then put his hands up and shot his basic lightening bolt at him.
It just missed him, but it struck the pillar behind him. He knew that those pillars were a danger, and he was right. Upon striking the pillar, the lightning split and forked, a few striking him in his unprotected back.
Fortunately, the attacks were reduced in power from the splitting, so he got off with just a bit of burned flesh. As he made his way closer, he got struck more often, but he was able to get close enough to launch a kick. At such close range he had to sacrifice some of his health, but he was able to destroy it fairly quickly.
Having finally defeated the enemy, he left the dungeon. When he came out, he saw Calder training Sarin and Vangar. Obviously he couldn't teach them techniques, but he let them get used to fighting against humanoid enemies. At the sight of Wraith, the two wolves bounded over to him, concerned about his injuries.
“Don't worry, these will soon heal up. Calder, thanks for teaching them.” He wanted to take them with him, but he knew that as they were, they wouldn't be able to survive the training.
“No problem, their innate battle sense is good, they just need more experience.”
Wraith had to agree. They were still quite young, so they had yet to experience true battle. “Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow.” Having said his goodbyes to Calder, he took his pack back to Versailles. It was Fenella that suggested this. She pointed out how they were wild animals, and not pets or familiars.
Taking her advice, he took them to the forest. For the entire day they ran and hunted, as predators looking for prey.
They ran through the woods searching for a herd of deer. Wraith had another reason for hunting with them. He wanted them to forget about the pain of their loss, if only temporarily. He knew that the deaths they saw would remain in the back of their minds for some time yet, but they were born as predators.
They would grieve for the loss, but they would move on. They knew that all things would eventually return to the earth. All they could do was focus on the living. It take a while, but Wraith was determined to see them filled with joy and life as they went on the hunt. As the leader it was his duty to see to not only physical needs of his pack, but the emotional needs as well.
Though they were hunting, what they did was completely different from the actions of the woman they met the day before. They were always mindful of what they killed, making sure to eat what they killed, and Wraith would collect the fur and bones for use in alchemy and tailoring. By the end of the day, Wraith had several pelts and bones, while the wolves gained a few levels.
In between the hunts, they also spent several hours mock-fighting against him. Through this they also improved their coordination and teamwork. They gained a better understanding of their packmates' abilities, as well as their weaknesses.
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The following day, he woke up and went for his training, worried about the new enemies he would have to face. This time there were stone golems with fire between their joints. They didn't have any special magic attacks like the wood and glass golems. Instead they each had a big stone club, with heat coming off them in waves.
It was made to test the limits of his strength and ingenuity. He couldn't defeat it with brute strength, as every hit he gave would burn his limbs on contact. He had to make use of his new ability to swing a chain around a golem's neck or arm.
These golems attacked in small groups of three or four, so he had to wrap the chains around two of them and send them crashing into each other. As they were tangled up in each others limbs, he struck them with powerful kicks. Even though he also took damage from his attacks, he had no other choice if he wanted to defeat them.
Through the use of bandages he survived long enough to destroy all the golems in the dungeon. After recovering for a bit, he went into the boss' room. This time there were holes in the ground, from where a mist sprayed out from.
He didn't know for sure, but given the nature of the golem, he suspected that it was natural gas. It made sense, since up to this point the terrain served to augment the boss' attacks.
As this ran through his mind the boss showed up, rising from the centre of the arena. Unlike its minions who were only cloaked in flames, it could shoot off actual fireballs. Needless to say, fireballs and natural gas were not a good combination.
They were slower than the lightning bolts of the day before, but when they ignited the natural gas, the explosion was several metres wide, occasionally igniting the nearby vents as well. Besides burning him the blast also knocked him off his feet, leaving him vulnerable to further attacks.
Before I do anything I have to seal that attack. The fireball came from the golem's arms, so all he had to do was aim it away from him. With that in mind his whipped the chains around, building up speed as he ran towards the golem. When he was within range he swung the chains around the golem's wrists and pulled them together.
With it being unable to attack with its fireballs, and the club chained together with its arms, Wraith pulled it down. It was too heavy for him to pick up and toss easily, so he had to figure out another way to defeat it.
Instead, he dragged it around, slowly spinning in a circle. After getting some momentum, he loosened the chains. The now free golem, slid near a gas vent. When it tried to get up, the flames from its joints ignited the gas. As it was in the middle of the explosion, the golem was blown away.
It may have had fire in its body, but it didn't have 100% fire resistance. The resulting shockwave did the rest of the damages, shattering its body. The fragments of its body rained down on Wraith, as he left towards the teleportation circle.
After leaving the dungeon, he gathered Vangar and Sarin and went to hunt with them again. They weren't like dogs that enjoyed being in an enclosed space with stone walls. They needed to get back to nature.
They ran through the forest, searching for enemies. His sense of smell and hearing weren't as developed as actual wolves, so he was forced to develop his observational skills.
He looked for tracks left in the ground, as well as fur that had rubbed off on the trees. Unfortunately, there wasn't a skill that could be used to increase observational skills, so he had to rely on hard work and his innate abilities instead.
This time around, they went after more powerful game. Instead of going after herds of deer, they went after bears. They relied on both Wraith's eyes and Vangar's nose to find a small gathering of bears. After looking around for a while they had managed to find and corner an older bear. It was stronger than what Sarin and Vangar could normally handle, but they fought against it as a group.
Wraith led the attack, sending Sarin and Vangar to surround it and nip at its heels. They distracted it and lightly attacked it, while Wraith went for the vitals, aiming to kill it. He didn't kill it right away. Instead he let Sarin and Vangar get their attacks in. When it seemed like the fight was going to turn, Wraith stepped in and tore the throat out himself.
By the end of the day, the wolves had gained a few levels and Wraith had a few new pelts to make clothes with. Tired from all the tracking and hunting, they went back to Jorenheim to get some rest.
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The following day, he woke up filled with anticipation. The past four days had been in preparation for this final trial. If he could get through this, he would be richly rewarded for all the time and effort he put in.
“Just a bit of a heads-up, the last trial isn't like the others. The slightest mistake could be fatal.” Calder said this seriously. It was strange since he usually spoke in a laughing, playful tone. If he said it was dangerous, he must have really meant it.
Though his heart beat with trepidation, he walked into the dungeon. This time, there was no corridor. Behind him, the door disappeared. He was left in a large circular room with no exit or entrance. It was similar to the boss' room from the earlier times he went into the dungeon.
Sure enough, a golem rose from the floor. He had been prepared for a big, hulking giant, but what he saw was a very humanoid shape, about as tall as he was. It was made of dull, grey steel and had a two-handed sword in its hands.
It crouched over slightly, and then dashed over to him. “Form of the Wolf-King.” He barely had time to activate his skill when it attacked him. He managed to dodge by a hairs-breadth, though he couldn't escape a shallow cut on his muzzle.
So it sacrificed strength and durability for speed. Unlike the big hulking giants he fought before in the dungeon, this one was agile. It could dodge and parry his attacks, as well as slip some in of its own.
Regardless of this fact, it was still considerably slower than him. He waited for the golem to swing its blade, and would counter with a strike of his own. Because of its smaller size, it was damaged more easily than the previous bosses. Within a few minutes he had defeated it.
Immediately after it fell, another golem rose up from the ground. Unlike the previous one, this golem seemed to be made out of rubber. Because of the strange material, it was much faster due to its lightness.
Instead of a two-handed sword, it had a dagger in each hand. As much as Wraith tried, he couldn't escape the attacks. The only thing he could do was to move back in order to reduce the damage he received.
With such swift movements, Wraith could only give glancing blows. His claws would only make the slightest scratches, and his kicks would hit nothing but air. “Unchain.” He released his chains.
He spun them around, waiting for the next attack. When the golem got close, he swung them around and wrapped them around one of its arms. He pulled hard, sending it flying towards him. It was helpless in the air, unable to dodge his kick.
His high left kick struck it in the chest. It sent it flying away, crashing heavily on the ground, chains still wrapped around its left arm. He walked over to stand above it and pulled hard on the arm, breaking it off. Sitting on top of its back, he grabbed the back of its head and repeatedly slammed it into the ground, crushing it to nothingness.
He stood up, blood dripping from a dozen tiny cuts over his body. He looked around, and sure enough another golem was rising up from across the room. This was a composite between the first and the second. The base material was made from the rubbery substance of the second golem, though it had metal plates covering it like armor.
It had twin shortswords in its hands. In terms of speed and defence it was in between the two golems. It wasn't as fast as the rubber golem, nor as durable as the metal one. It slowly made its way forward. It rained slashes on Wraith, alternating between each hand. Wraith was able to dodge most of them.
He waited till the swords had slashed down to grab hold of its wrists and kick forwards. When his foot made contact with its chest, he let go off its wrists.
He knocked the golem backwards, causing it to stagger. While it was off-balance, he struck its chin with the palm of his hand. He pushed it over and drove its head down into the ground. He tried to slam its head down again, when the golem swung the left shortsword towards his head.
He had no choice but to jump back, barely avoiding it. These golems are growing stronger and better at fighting based on my previous battles. Unlike the other golems that had fairly simple moves, this one had more complex attack patterns.
The golem got up and pointed its swords towards him. It leaped towards him and attacked with short slashes. They were more controlled and effective than the wild slashes he received before. It took him some time to get a strike through its guard.
Eventually it fell down, defeated by kicks and palm-strikes. He knew that this wasn't the end of the enemies. Sure enough he was right. After the third golem came one with an electrified blade. Then there was a fire mage, an axe wielder, and even one that used a warhammer.
They were all strong and powerful, taking out massive chunks of Hp. His stamina was almost depleted, his Hp and Mana was running on fumes. He'd used up all his potions and was left with only forty-eight percent health left.
This has to end soon, I can't handle much more. He had defeated about fourteen golems so far, with no end in sight.
With no time for rest, he spied another golem coming out from the ground. This golem was different from the others. The obvious difference was how similar it looked to him. The shape of the head, arms and legs looked like a werewolf's. The only difference was the light armor it had over its body.
He instinctively knew that this wasn't simply for show. This was far stronger than any of the previous golems. Every single golem that he fought against was specially crafted in order to kill him. Those that failed served to gather data for the final attack.
They circled each other, sizing each other up. They traded blows, dodging or parrying the other one's kicks and strikes. Wraith blocked the golem's right knee with his left elbow, and followed up with a kick to its midsection.
The golem put its arm down and blocked the kick, grabbing hold and dragging Wraith forwards. To prevent falling over, Wraith jumped off of his planted leg and drove his knee forwards into the golem's face.
He followed through by extending his leg forwards and kicking the golem's chest. He succeeded in launching the first attack, though the golem got its attack in as well. Wraith sported four shallow slashes across his face.
They danced a dance of death around each other, their slashes just missing their vitals. They held out for about an hour, shaving away at their lives. They had each gotten some good hits in, leaving Wraith with twelve percent health. The golem was doing better than him, though not by much. He couldn't tell for sure since he couldn't see its Hp.
With such low health, he attacked from a distance. He used his chains by wrapping them around the legs to trip the golem, while getting some quick strikes in.
At one point he was able to get a chain around its left arm. He managed to break the left arm off, and then attacked from that area. It was vulnerable on that side, and it knew it. It turned away from him, putting its right side forwards. He had to keep circling around while attacking.
After the numerous strikes it received, the golem eventually had cracks all over the body. All it would take was one good strike to end its life. Wraith knew this, so he went all out. He shot an arm out past its head and grabbed it behind the neck. With his other arm holding the right arm, he pulled the golem forwards right into his left knee. It struck square in the middle of the chest, piercing through the cracked metal and fake fur, ending the golem's life.
He fell to his knees, his legs drained of stamina. He slowly wrapped bandages around himself, regaining his health. A system message popped up in front of him.
Congratulations, you have passed the Beginner Training Hall. You are the 364th player to pass the training. Because of race restrictions you cannot convert classes to Master Fighter. You have the opportunity to attain a new skill. Whatever action taken, a skill will be created for you.
This was a golden opportunity for him. He could create a skill, any skill that would suit his needs. The possibilities were limitless, which made it all the more difficult to make a decision. He knew that his race would give him some elemental magic skills eventually, so magic was unnecessary, he already had fighting and movement skills so they weren't needed either.
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He decided to do something that suited his character. In all aspects he was wolf-like in nature. There was something he had wanted to do ever since he gained the appearance of a wolf. He howled, straining to reach even Sarin and Vangar out of the dungeon. His howl was filled with sympathy for the loss of Sarin and Vangar's pack, as well as the joy of gaining a new family.
You have learned a new Skill: Wolf's Howl
Your howls will pierce the heavens, filled with a predator's spirit. It will cut through the battlefield and be heard for kilometres away.
Effect:
* Pack's Fighting Spirit increases by 200%.
* Enemy confusion state increases.
* Temporary increase of Leadership.
* Slight chance of stunning the enemy
* Charisma stat has been formed.
Level up! Gained 12 levels
Killing Intent +13
END+17
STR +11
AGI +6
STA +9
VIT +11
DEX +4
Like Calder promised he gained all the levels and stats he would have gotten all at once. A new skill, with improved stats and levels. It all paid off quite well. He stepped through the door that had opened up and stood in the teleportation circle.
“I knew you could do it,” Calder said to him with a wide grin on his face.
Sarin and Vangar ran up to him, relieved that he was safe and happy to see him.
“Congratulations kid, maybe you'll end up as a better fighter than me.”
“So now what? I know that the training is over, but I still have a lot of time on my hands. Do you have any suggestions?”
Calder thought about it. “There was one assignment I was going to give to some of the rookies, but I suppose you'll be able to clear it. A group of poachers have set up in the forest where you came from. Some of the creatures there have asked us to clear them out.”
Punishing the Poachers
The creatures and monsters of the forest have asked for you to clear out the wasteful poachers who upset the balance of nature.
Difficulty level: D
Quest requirements
Close relationship with Calder
Must have completed Beginners Training
Quest rewards
EXP
“I'll do it.” He was grateful at the chance to get Sarin and Vangar some extra combat ability before he was summoned for the test. Though in all honestly, it's been so long that he almost forgot about it.
You accepted the quest.
“So where can I find these poachers? And how many of them are there?”
“Here's a map, it's pretty rough but it should get you to the general vicinity of the poachers. They have a rough settlement built for about thirty people.”
Wraith gathered his pack for their first major battle. He was a bit apprehensive about it, given that it was three against thirty. Though he had confidence in his team, there was no way of telling what level the poachers were at. Still, knowing that Calder had faith in him meant that the quest wasn't impossible to complete.
Within a few minutes they had left Jorenheim through the portal and found themselves in Versailles. He followed the map as best he could, but it was a forest. It was hard to pinpoint a location when one area looked the same as the other. Eventually he just gave up on it, fed up with walking in circles.
“Do the two of you smell anything out of place?”
They lifted their snouts into the air trying to pick up a scent.
After walking several kilometres they spotted a small wooden wall around a few roughly-built shacks. From the animal skulls mounted on wooden pikes, there was no doubt that it was the poachers' settlement.
“We'll stay here for now and gain some information about what we're up against.” It was past noon, the sun still high in the sky. There was still plenty of time till sundown. Since they were up on the ridge and hidden by the forest line, they wouldn't be spotted by any poachers.
The information Calder received about the poachers wasn't completely accurate. There was closer to forty poachers in the area. From the enormous pile of bones and rotting flesh outside the settlement, Wraith judged that they must have killed hundreds of deer, bears, and other animals both large and small. They had simply stripped the fur from the animals, and discarded the carcasses, not even bothering to take the meat. Wraith looked with disgust at the settlement. He had no problem with hunters, but this was an affront to nature.
Through their reconnaissance they saw that each poacher had a quiver full of steel arrows and a sturdy wooden bow for hunting. They all used the bow for hunting, but they had swords and daggers as secondary weapons. He didn't know how proficient they were with blades, but they were highly skilled in archery.
Were they to attack the poachers in a head-on battle, Wraith and his pack would look more like porcupines than wolves. “We'll wait for nightfall then make our way into the settlement.”
Several hours passed and the poachers had all returned to the settlement to turn in for the night. There were eight shacks built in a circle around a smaller one. The plan was to go in and wipe them out one by one. The first thing they had to do was to take out the man standing watch.
Wraith took over this task, sneaking over towards the gate. He was slowly making his way over when he stopped himself. There's no way I can sneak in there with a killing intent like mine. They'll sense me way before I get close enough. He was right. Killing intent and fighting spirit were highly useful stats. They acted like an automatic debuffer against the enemy, but they had the unfortunate tendency of making one's presence known.
To counter this, he slowed his breathing, and imagined the aura returning to his body. He visualized himself becoming invisible, melting into the shadows of the night.
Skill unlocked
Silent Steps has been learned
He quietly whispered, “information: Silent Steps.”
Silent Steps
Active Skill
Masks your killing intent while stalking your prey, making you seem invisible just before you strike. Higher levels of skill will completely hide you from the enemy, even while attacking.
* Reduces noise from walking by 1%
* Slightly camouflages you
“Silent Steps.” Having activated the skill, he made his way towards the side of the wall. “Claws of the Beast.” He refrained from transforming, in order to blend in better and stay hidden. Using his claws, he climbed up the wooden wall and slipped over it. Landing softly on the ground he quickly ran over to the watch post.
Slowly and silently he made his way up the ladder. When he got to the top he saw a middle-aged man sitting on a wooden chair. Although he was on watch he wasn't doing a very good job of it. He was fast asleep, lying completely helpless before Wraith.
Before he could wake up, Wraith stood behind him, his left hand above the poacher's mouth, and his right hand poised above his throat. He quickly pressed down against his mouth, as he dragged the claws of his right hand through the arteries and trachea.
Since there wasn't a whole lot of time before the changing of the watch, Wraith scurried down and opened the gate. Then they all made their way to one of the settlements. Wraith would take one poacher for himself, while Sarin and Vangar worked together. Vangar would rip out the throat of the sleeping poacher, while Sarin would press them down and rip open their guts.
Wraith wasn't as messy as they were. Instead he carefully slit the throat with a minimum of fuss and noise. They cleaned out one shack easily, moving to the next one. The second shack was also relatively easy to clear out. With a quarter of the enemies killed, they went to the next group.
While their plan to kill the enemies in their sleep had been successful so far, Wraith didn't let his guard down. As they went into the third shack, Wraith saw one of the blankets begin to rustle. From beneath the blanket one of the poachers stirred and woke up.
“Ah-,” they poacher started to exclaim at the sight of Wraith and the wolves, but was quickly cut off by Wraith. The second he saw him start to move, he had dashed over. He stabbed his fingers into his throat and silenced him.
However, the damage was already done. Two of the other poachers had begun to stir at the sound. Sarin and Vangar went to silence them but they couldn't make it in time.
They had already woken up and screamed at the sight of the blood-drenched sheets. Wraith and the wolves killed everyone else in the shack, but it was too late. The shacks nearby had been alerted. They could hear the footsteps of the poachers as they came to throw open the door.
“Stand in front of the door and attack when it opens.” He gave those orders to Sarin and Vangar, while he slipped out a window. He saw the group of poachers come close. Fortunately only about half of them had their bows. They didn't take the threat seriously. Since they were still half-asleep, they were easy prey.
He waited for them to crowd around the doorway. They opened the door slowly, peering inside. The wolves then launched their attack, tearing the throats out before they knew what hit them.
Wraith ran around behind the poachers in a pincer-attack. The poachers who ran away from the wolves were eviscerated by him. At such a range they couldn't draw their bows, and they were quite shoddy with their swordsmanship.
In a few minutes the group was cut down by half. Their cries alerted the few shacks on the opposite side, bringing them over. There were only about fifteen enemies left. This last part of the battle would be much more difficult, since the enemy was prepared and were at a distance to do some serious damage with their bows.
They were all huddled together, releasing arrow after arrow at them. Wraith and wolves went inside a nearby shack. The second we step out we'll be turned into pincushions. I might be able to survive, but I can't say the same for Sarin and Vangar. I need a shield, something like...aha.
Wraith tore the thick wooden door off its hinges and held it before him. “We're going to get close to them. Make sure to stay behind me until we're only a few metres away. When I give the order, split up and attack from the sides. Got it?” They nodded in agreement.
Wraith took in a few deep breaths, composing himself. He held the door horizontally, and crouched down. When his pack was behind him and ready for battle, they charged towards the poachers. A few dozen arrows punched through the door, the arrowhead making its way through the thick wood. A few stray arrows split the skin of his scalp and his feet, but none gave him any serious damage.
Within seconds they had closed the distance, and were only ten metres away. Wraith waited for the moment they started to nock their arrows and yelled, “now!”
He threw the door at them, knocking some down and dazing others. Sarin veered off to the right side, Vangar went to the left, while Wraith charged in from the front. Together they mauled the enemy, biting and clawing away.
Soon they had decimated the group, leaving their blood spilled across the ground. It had been a long and tiring battle, but they came out victorious. “Lets gather up all the loot.” They went around to where each of the corpses fell down and picked up all the items. Wraith then went around to each settlement and took anything and everything of value. They raided the entire place, not leaving even a clean blanket behind.
Having picked up the loot from the large shacks and the bodies, they went to the small shack. It was their storage area for everything they hunted. There lay a mountain of animal parts. It was piled high with different hides. There were hundreds of animal skins from deer, bears, even other creatures like chimeras and manticores.
Jackpot. Besides the furs, there were some bones, ores, weapons, and even gold they had saved up. There was a whole host of other items there and Wraith took each and every single one that was there. If it weren't for the several bags they found in the storage area, they wouldn't have been able to cart it all off. Even with the weight and size reduction, it was an enormous burden.
To prevent falling over, they slowly made their way back to Jorenheim. It should have been no more than an hour's walk but at the pace they went at, it took them three hours instead. By the time they got home, it was only a few hours before the sun would rise. They dropped all their goods on the ground and fell asleep instantly, not even bothering to climb into bed.
Since they were so exhausted, they slept in until noon.
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Amber logged in to Royal Road, since her 24-hour login ban was up. She saw that she had respawned in Somuren Liberty City of the Keuroin Kingdom. Since she died in the wilderness, she had respawned at the closest place to her death.
Her Aura Mastery skill had dropped a bit, and she had lost a few gold as well. She wanted to get back at the man who killed her, but she didn't know his name or where he was anymore. That really pissed her off so she walked around to cool her head.
She walked around the city, adn narrowed her eyes when her gaze fell upon an old man in nice silk clothes. From his gait and appearance, he seemed familiar to her. She walked behind him and followed closely.
After a while she was sure about who he was. She walked forwards and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him into an alley. She shoved him against the wall, looking carefully at his face. “Why hello Ayrsted, how nice to see you again.”
“You! Even here, I can't be rid of you.” He burst out in anger, his hate and disgust for her evident in his tone of voice.
“Come now, that's not a very nice thing to say to an old friend. Now what are you doing here? I thought you would be cooped up in that cabin of yours.”
“That's none of your business,” he snapped at her. “Ever since you and that boy came, my life went straight to hell.”
“That boy?” Circe wondered if he was talking about the same person that killed her. After all, it was unlikely that anyone else went to that same area. “Describe that boy to me.”
“What do you care?”
“Humor me.” Ayrsted grudgingly described the person that came to learn form him. Though the hair, eyes and markings were all different, he sounded like her killer. From what Ayrsted said, it was possible that the changes came because of a hidden class he found.
Circe smiled coldly at Ayrsted. “You were here to try to get back at me and him, am I right? Don't bother lying to me, what I really want to know is how you planned on accomplishing that.”
“Well, lets just say that a lot of people owe me a few favours, including those with political and religious influence.”
Circe thought about this and came up with a plan. “How about we work together on this? We could make a good team.”
“Why would I ever partner up with someone that stole from me?” Ayrsted spat out scornfully.
Circe sighed and rolled her eyes. She handed her backpack over to him. “There, that's most of your stuff. Now, let me paint you a picture about what could happen. If we go to the church, you could use your connections to get a punitive force sent out there. If I was to back you up, they'd be sure to listen. For bringing them news about a human that sides with monsters, we could be rewarded quite well.”
Ayrsted was torn. He didn't really need to get revenge on the boy, that the thought of Freya's reward was oh so tantalizing.
Circe continued whispering insidiously in Ayrsted's ear. “Think about it, you'd be a hero again, all it takes is the life of one boy, and he'd come back to life anyway.” That sealed the deal.
The two of them went to Freya's church and got an audience with an Archbishop. He agreed surprisingly quickly. It seemed Ayrsted's connections weren't just for show. They gathered a small group of players, about fifteen of them for the quest. They were around level fifty to sixty, so it would be no problem hunting him down.
The church provided horses for them to shorten their journey. Within two days they would be in the forest and have killed the man that ran with beasts.
Circe smiled to herself. In two days time she would have gotten even with him and gained some reputation with Freya's church.
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