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Chapter 340: Stormbringer
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“So we just have to use the clues of the people who escaped Alexandria that day, correct?”
“Yes. And if it’s possible, use your agents that are still in Alexandria as well to inform you of any kind of information that may pertain to the people who had made contact to him. He is on a very unstable and very sensitive condition. His mind is hurt and he might either be in a comatose condition, or is an aimless walked with soulless eyes.”
Pistareen considered the information, recording it on a piece of paper.
Siva only watched him, giving more information as much as possible. After a few minutes, the paper was imbued with Mana and turned into many birds of different kinds that in first glance, you’d think it was a true living bird with no distinction that it was made of magic.
Unlike the spells available for players, this is true magic according to Siva’s definition of the word.
“How mysterious…”
“True magic is not about spells that can make the things around you float… or a spell that can be used to control the elements. If I had to give it a crude definition, all those so called spells are all trash, that’s why the world only knows a bit of magic, with the true path already lost in time and even a few who even dares to study it.”
Pistareen spoke with a solemn look. Then he bid a glance to the flock of birds that flew in many directions, reminding Siva of the time the reports will come…… a minimum of seven days later.
“I will teach her the true path of magic but for how far she could go, it would depend on her.”
Siva was right beside Scion but Pistareen spoke straight to the point as he addressed her.
“Does she really have to inherit your seat?”
“This is a request.” Pistareen said. “At least when I give her my chair, she could seat on it until she can find a proper successor to it. But if you have to ask me, she is already the most perfect one to the rest because not only her Mana is pure and is bright… she also has two kinds of blessings that even I in my peak are unable to decipher what.”
Siva glanced at Scion who also looked up at him.
“Blessings, huh…” he recalled whose blessings those are. One was from Terra, the other is from Janus who he only recently found out to be a God in this world and wasn’t a player.
“Siva-kun…” she looked down and then spoke in a very gentle voice. It was really awkward for her to call ‘Rex’ his player name while in front of other people. She really wanted to just call him Rex and not his player name, “…this path of magic… it was mentioned by Uncle Janus to me before… he said something about ascension and things.”
“Ascension?!” Pistareen’s eyes lit up when he heard her saying the word, “Please tell me. The person you call Janus… could he be a…”
“He’s not an Immortal. That’s for sure.” Siva cut in before he pressured Scion. “He’s a wandering old man who jumps in one city to another trying to run away from the people he owed debts to.”
Pistareen’s excitement died down as if doused by ice-cold water. Seeing this, Siva continued, “But if you want to know about ascension, then I will tell you now; to prove your path to the heavenly laws and gain Immortality, you must be confident that the path you have taken is either a self-made path with real worth of immortality, or a path that’s been taken before by another ascender and is an already proven path. If not, then you’d only risk yourself falling into a Quasi-Immortal whose life is decided by the heavens and not yours anymore.”
Siva then finished, “In the end though, you might still become an immortal but your life and death isn’t yours to decide any longer. That’s why the matter of ascension is a very tricky thing.”
Half of what Siva spoke of was true, but the other half is just half-truth.
Siva had omitted another possibility that might be the end of an ascension ceremony; and that is for the ascender to be corrupted by the Darkness.
Also, right after he spoke, he blinked underneath his mask, as Pistareen and Scion.
“How do you know such things?”
“Is it… your [memory] again?”
Siva looked at Scion and gave her a nod. Yes. It was a memory from the [memories].
Pistareen, however, only gave them a glance then sighed and shook his head.
“I’ve heard of it before… from records…… and a path for ascension can only be proven once and that there is no next time.”
“Well, anyways, you’re still too far from being able to even trigger the gates of heaven to descend for you. In order to be Immortal, you must at least be able to stand in the most pinnacle of power in the world that you belong.”
Again, as soon as Siva finished talking, he blinked in disbelief under his mask; these [memories] are really a handful of surprise at times…
“Enough of that.” Siva spoke strongly, “Let’s just finalize the agreement. You will teach us the Path of Magic of the Terrans and as well as the Full Record, while I will agree to be your Magic Knight and do missions for you. Part of it is to become Brea’s Protector in the entirety of the King Test and to…”
At this point, a knock on the door came and Halma peeked in to inform them, “I’m sorry to disturb you Grand Elder, but it seems Volt had come in to our Temple with a lot of people.”
Pistareen looked at Siva who gave him a nod, “I contacted him for you. He’s already aware of your request but I think it would still be proper if you’re the one to directly talk to him about that.”
Pistareen was quite surprised. When did he do just that? But then again, he was planning to head out after this talk and go with Siva to talk to Volt so him coming was convenient as well.
“Those are my friends who’re with him.” Siva said.
After a few minutes, the entire group led by Volt and Thorn entered the Mansion but only those two were allowed to come up inside.
“Yo.” When the door opened, Siva greeted them first but was assaulted by the two’s questioning before he could even start with the introductions.
“King Test?” “Why only him and not me as well?”
“Hold on you two. It wasn’t me who made all these arrangements. It was the Grand Elder Mage who had requested for this to happen.”
At this point, the two looked at Pistareen and saw the warmly amiably smiling middle-aged man in a light green magicians robe waiting for them and giving out a dry cough as he waved a hi.
The two only spent a glance then sealed Siva on an arm-lock from two directions.
“Did he threaten you with a manhunt mission?”
“Are we going to be official fugitives now?”
“Well, the prospect is not bad though…”
“Right. I think it’s going to be an exciting run.”
“You think so too?”
“I thought so.”
“Mn. Mn. Right. Right. So how much is the bounty he ordered on your head?”
“When is the official print of your WANTED poster going be released?”
“This should hit plenty of hits (likes) in the Net.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“I’d bet a hundred Credits.”
“I bet two hundred.”
“Deal.”
“Mn. Deal.”
“So, what’s the deal with that guy?”
“So, what’s the deal with that guy?”
They had their back on Pistareen and the two just talked as if the man wasn’t there at all.
Siva chuckled and then sighed, “You two relax. I am not hunted nor there is a bounty placed on my head. And in regards to that offer, it’s the Grand Elder Mage who’s going to explain things to you.”
“Voltaire Romanoff, Adventurer and Explorer, it is my honor to have finally met you.”
Volt, who was addressed by his registered player name in the Terran Registry, was surprised by the proper full-name approach of the Grand Elder.
“My name Pistareen. No surname. If you want to call me something, then you can address me as Grand Elder Mage and nothing more. That is my title. But anyway, I do apologize for our sudden meeting and for you coming here in such a faintly hurried manner. I hope that you will understand that the matter of the King Test is really important and that your participation this time will not only be saving us, the Temple, but also the Kingdom as a whole as well.”
When Siva heard this, he had a premonition, a warning from the deepest core of his soul saying that this King Test is not going to be an easy one.
“Please, let’s have a seat and properly talk.”
Pistareen motioned for them to take a seat and so while Siva and Scion took the side, Volt took the center stage directly in front of Pistareen while Thorn took the side sofa and looked at the trey in front of him that had sachets in it.
“Ahehehehe… do forgive me but I don’t actually know how to blend myself so I only have a few sachets of instant coffees.”
Just like Siva’s reaction, the two new comers felt like this Pistareen is not such an ordinary fellow.
For him to only look elegant was one thing but to actually not know how to properly treat his guest is a show that he’s either an unsocial monster or he’s just plainly an airhead who didn’t know any other task aside from being a Mage.
The two obviously chose to believe the latter.
After the cookies and ‘blends’ were served, they proceeded accordingly to the topic.
“So… the matter of the King Test…”
“I agree.”
The room fell quiet. Even Pistareen, who was just about to explain the situation, was dumbfounded.
“Excuse me?”
“I agree to be your candidate to the King Test.”
“And by means of being our candidate, if ever you actually are able to enter the King Test and be able to walk amongst the other candidates; you do know that you will have to be able to prove your strength in there, right?”
“It wasn’t that hard… I think.”
“The test… I’m not sure… but the people involved in it… I am telling you now, the King Test is as dark as it could get.”
“Oh?” Siva was intrigued now. He’d had a feeling but he never would have thought that it was such a scandalous of a mystery in this level.
Volt felt smiling although he also felt a shiver run on his spine on this warning.
Thorn, however, leaned closer on his seat and cupped his chin above his hands, hiding his lips as he stared at Pistareen.
At this point, Pistareen wore a serious expression and as he lifted his cup and sipped on his tea, his seriousness pervaded the four like a poison made of chocolate syrup. They all felt that what he was going to say next is a crucial top-secret matter.
“To put things literally, why do you think no one has become a king until now?”
It was a hypothetical ques—no, it was a challenge.
Why indeed?
They were players so they don’t actually lived all those years inside Terroa and don’t usually care about the internal politics of the governments in it, but for these NPCs, this was their world and it was their problem to think over.
When the cup in his hand hit the saucer, it was like a bell that echoed loudly in their minds —or at least, on the three men’s minds, snatching them from their thoughts.
“Why?” Siva asked.
There was a skip in a heartbeat and Pistareen was in a pause as he inhaled and told them with a very straight and very calm serous face: “I don’t know.”
“…” “…” “…”
“Honestly, I have no idea. I just wanted to ask you that as well because I don’t know why. I thought you guys might know something… ara ara… I am really in a bind here… hohoho…”
FLASH!!
A bazooka manifested in thin air and was about to fire a shot towards the Grand Elder.
“Don’t stop me! I’m gonna blow his face off!”
“Hold it, Volt! We’re still in the Temples!”
“I fucking anticipated it! I held my breath, man! I was hooked on the suspense!”
“Just hold it!” Thorn stopped him and then faced Pistareen, “Seriously, are you for real?”
“I am. I’m actually quite curious. After 3 decades, the King Tests had recruited so many talented and very exceptional King Candidates but they still can’t find a suitable King on their list. I’ve seen a bunch of young men and women like you with a deep sense of patriotism and righteousness on them take the King Test but every time it neared the last phase of the Test, there will always be an accident that will happen… or at the very least, there will not be someone chosen. And in all of these years that the King Test had happened, the number of deaths had always exceeded half of the original candidates.”
Siva frowned at this, “It’s like a disaster.”
“Yes.”
Siva thought to Pistareen’s request to be Brea’s protectors during the test. While it may not be an illegal thing to bring retainers and followers during the test, the purpose of the King Test is still to test out and filter the future king of Jeremiah thru the horde of testers every year.
And to think that accidents still happen even with all those ‘protectors’…… around the candidates.
He could only imagine why Pistareen wanted him to protect Brea. She was his disciple after all.
“What happens to those King Candidates, then?” Volt asked.
“That’s the odd thing. While not all of them die in the accidents, but the most promising ones, the ones with the most virtuous qualities, are the only ones who always die first in the end.”
Siva frowned. He had seen Brea before and knew that while she may not look like it, but she was the type that has a lot of similarities with Scion.
“Is this the reason why you want me to be her protector?”
The two men looked at Siva and understood a few things regarding the talk that had transpired here before they came.
“But who is Brea?” Thorn asked and Volt went into a deep thought.
“The name kind of sounds familiar…”
“She should be.” Siva said. “She’s the tall girl we met back in Billion’s office in Alexandria.”
“Ah!” “Ah!”
“She is Pistareen’s disciple.”
“That explains a few things.”
“That complicates a few things.”
The two men answered at the same time as Siva continued, “This time, I was requested to be her protector and the payment will be arranged a few days from now. Volt, the payment for you agreeing to the Grand Elder’s request will be decided by you alone but one of them is that you will receive the full support of the Temples.”
Full support. Thorn and Volt understood the facts underlying on this short statement.
Who wouldn’t want to be fully backed by the Temple… the only organization in Terroa that can give people the access to Magic?
And yet, just as they were dreaming of the pros on this deal with Pistareen, Siva’s next few words put an alarming stamp on their dreamy thoughts.
“But things aren’t that simple.” Siva then faced the green-robed man who only continued to relax on his seat in front of them. “What I want to know, old man, is that why do you want Volt to be your representative in the King Test? No, before even that, why only move now of all times in the past?”
Pistareen, seeming to have been waiting for this question, put the cup on his saucer.
“Because I want a reform.” His tone and voice was solemn as he told them, “The Kingdom was built upon the heroes of the Great War, 56 years ago, in which I participated and watched as the late Queen Astarte united the Terran Race into a big force that went against the invasion of the Lagram Alliance. Back then, we only have the preservation of the entire civilization in mind and so we rallied all the force we could and went on to attack the enemies directly on their strongest fortress. After the war, the Terran People had agreed to build the strongest wall of the Terrans against any and all kinds of enemies... thus The Kingdom was built on this ground where the former Grand Royal Kingdom once stood mightily. But now…”
“I see. I understand.” Siva’s words made the other two men look at him or his explanation. “So what you want to happen is that if either Brea or Volt becomes the next king, you want to reform this Kingdom with the original ideals it once had in its founding years… is that it?”
“Honestly, I don’t care who will become the next heir to this kingdom. In my eyes, it has been so rotten even before the founding of The Kingdom and the Queen taking the reins.”
Volt and Thorn picked up a few clues on the old man’s words. They are gamers and when it comes to Quest and Mission acquisition, it was their job to read between the lines when an NPC is talking.
“What I cared about more is the people. In their eyes, The Kingdom symbolized not only a power of a single country, but a power of an entire race as a whole that stood in the frontlines for the sake of our civilization. To see it corrupted to this level hurts and to see so many youths who had all the potential to be virtuous rulers die and is unable to do anything despite my authority is heartbreaking; and that is also why, for so many years, I’ve made my resolve to finally stand up and intervene. It just so happens that you, Siva, and your group came in this world…”
Siva laughed and caught everyone by surprise.
“This is funny, old man.” When he spoke, Scion squeezed his hand and looked at him with eyes telling him he’s being rude. But Siva didn’t care about it and only stared at him, “Of all these years, and even with your power as the Grand Elder Mage, why didn’t you intervene earlier and waited for us to come in? You could have warned them that if they are still to continue their evil ways or whatever it is, you could have cut off their access to your magic artifacts… right?”
“It’s not that easy.” He told them. “The Temple is an organization built with the purpose of sharing and providing magical support to the entire Terran Civilization. For the one that will be inheriting the seat of the Grand Elder Mage, he or she will be overseeing that purpose until the time comes that he or she has to pass down this task to someone else.”
“So aside from that task, you’re not really allowed to intervene to anything that is happening to the citizens of Terroa, whether or not they are using your magical technology?”
“Precisely.”
“Like a charity work.” “More like slave work.”
From the side the two men’s comments couldn’t be hidden enough as they didn’t give face to the Grand Elder Mage at all.
Siva also found this quite surprising. Usually, the two of them would be the first to berate him if he ever so display disrespect to an important NPC.
And yet now, they were actually talking as if the man in front of them was just like a street face you would see everyday.
“So what’s different now?” Siva asked.
“You.”
Everyone looked at his direction. Just how did he become the topic now?
Siva frowned and his voice hostile: “Explain.”
“Have you noticed it, Siva, ever since the events in Dragona, the world suddenly began to change and in every historical event that happens, you are always in the middle of it... does that not strike weird to you?”
Siva scowled as he stared directly at Pistareen.
.
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The King Test is not as simple as it seems…
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