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Volume 4
Chapter 06: Complete the Quest
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The confused monsters freed themselves from the tiny moments of delay and chased off Siva who then put a charge on «The Heart» on his chest.
He felt that even though it wasn't extending on further parts earlier, it retained the stunning effect that he had originally planned for it to use. It happened back there when he was trying to save Agatha. Although when he looked at his player panel on his vision, the charge that was set on The Heart was depleted after just that one discharge.
Dragunov's original concept design and purpose wasn't built around the «Raijin Ability Set».
And he even felt that he had neglected its original use ever since he discovered the «Raijin».
From his accessories list, the «Disintegration» function of the Dragunov had used up 4 slots with the (-) sign that meant that the function can be junctioned; four limbs, four slots.
He used that to junction the accessory «Alteration» he had received from Rafaela (that gave him the ability to switch between two targets) and made him discover the «Raijin» ability set.
Its basic explanation is described as the «elements» of the Dragunov making a connection between 'any' target and when he issue the command «return» (either to any of the four limb parts, or all of them altogether, thus the four slots used), the activated 'part' will pull Siva.
Thus the ability that allows him to 'almost' teleport in any place within the AOE of the Telekinesis and the effective range of the «Alteration» instantaneously.
This is the «Lightning Step».
In the case of the other ability, «Call of Thunder», it is a skill that doesn't require any target. He can activate the said skill by:
1) releasing the charge in «The Heart» after deploying a Plasma Smoke Screen; or
2) with a little computation and luck in nature reading, when the cold temperature in midair is low enough to reach the warmer temperature on the ground. All Siva had to do is extend the «elements» as high as he could (thus the raising of the hand), and the charge can be set and released.
3) Both, together.
Thus the «Call of Thunder».
It was just a simple science of utilizing the negative and positive ions intermingling in the air during combat moments, resulting to the summoning of the lightning.
As fire spells or anything that naturally produces warm ions scatter in the ground due to the natural positive particles in the surface, the ever expanding negatively charged cooler molecules with heavier atomic weight in the air will eventually meet.
Siva's sole role in that moment is to shorten the whole process of connecting the two ion fields and 'guiding' the powerful lightning bolt generated by nature itself towards his enemies.
But the game doesn't allow one hit kill from such kinds of abilities, especially when «Inventions» have an insulation function to them by default.
The reason that it can kill in one hit is because of Siva's Killing Zone.
As RPG: Terroa had also included it on the said 90% reality catchphrase, it was a gift to him that he was the only person, or the first, to have thought of using the natural relationship of nature on his gameplay.
This is the accidental discovery of the «Raijin» ability set. Initially, this 'set' is not even intentional as Siva's original plan for the «Disintegration» function was just to use it as a binding technique to paralyze opponents.
He discovered the «Raijin» when he was with the Miranda over the pacific Ocean.
Fighting off flying Lapiz Lazuli was hard. It's a matter of chance and luck that they were in the ocean at the time and so using the ocean water (as it was a very good conductor), he tried to electrocute the Lapiz Lazuli but ended up making a hole in the ship in the explosion that occurred.
Since then, he had experimented and studied the effects of the «Raijin» ability set and eventually used his research's results for the first time during the «War of the Two Powers», eventually leaving an impression on everyone else's hearts as the Thunder God —the title the players present there gave The Destroyer.
And so here he was, charging The Heart.
The electric charges gathered and the excess ones had traveled on the extending parts of the «elements» until the tip of his supposed wings.
The monsters chased after him and Siva did his best to dodge at all cost. When he saw that the other monsters are still going after Volt and the others,
"I've had enough!"
He yelled angrily and all attacks to his team seized in a breath's stroke.
The monsters turned their heads at Siva, eyes bidding a soulless, unfocused state, and they all began to scream as if he was a being of hateful intention.
Every monster in his 500 meter radius began to be attracted at him and all of them had dripping saliva and wild fantasies of their beloved prey.
A unified roar rattled the wind, louder than a thunder, a stench of decay soaring the air.
Numbering, perhaps, over two hundred, the ring where the royal rumble was happening suddenly gained peace through the invitation set out by their unified prey, Siva.
They all converged to him that their killing intents that was once scattered all over the place almost made Siva choke and stop. It was all pointed at him and it was so heavy, so pure, so violent, so great, and so terrifying to that the pressure it brought on his bearing was almost enough to make him collapse.
For the first time in his gaming career, the mental strain of the monsters' murderous rages were almost enough to affect his thinking.
Just how many are those, he couldn't describe. He had experienced being subjected to 20+ C-ranked monsters' murderous rages but to experience 30+ S-ranked ones at the same time was a shock. Their weights were too far and too great to even describe.
It was their unadulterated murderous intent, amplified to their monstrous levels—S-rank level—that made Siva gulp on the weight.
Like being pressed by invisible hands directly on his mind, his vision was hazy, his sense of touch hick like bathing on mud, his ears were blocked by water, and he couldn't maintain a rhythmic breathing.
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"...!!"
With the tingling sensation on his nape, Siva turned his head and reflexively twisted in midair like the way the Spiderman dodged bullets.
A razor wing slashed through a few strand of his hair and it left an impression on his mind that he was almost beheaded.
The 4 inch thick wing blade traveling 300km/hr passed through him and whispered the words "your neck" that made his hairs rise.
No defensive durability could defend him on that force of attack. He'd be sliced in two for sure.
But just after that instance, another tingling sensation on his nape woke up his muscles.
Siva kicked and dodged a shot of hot water from the ground, then balled up to avoid being crushed by a large boulder thrown by an unidentified dark humanoid figure from the trees below.
Like a giant rock golem but smoother skin and wearing patched cloth for clothes for underwear, the giant threw the boulder like a rocket. Timing that there was a sky wyvern who dived down in a steep angle, Siva was just a few inches away from being crushed by the two sides who wanted him dead.
If he was a little late on his reaction, he would have died. If not for his heightened senses, he wouldn't have seen those attacks coming.
—No, not see. Felt.
He felt them coming.
Asking himself how he's doing it was a little too late now. He was in the middle of the two interlining attacks and he felt their force and the wind that came after them as he kicked the air to be free.
Looking around, more Formula, Goliath, Sky Wyverns, and Land Fishes were coming after him.
There are even more monsters on the lower Ranks of 'A' and 'B' somewhere in their group and so all he did was to leave them behind as he followed the trail of voices left by the screaming Agatha on Volt's arms.
How could she scream with that kind of wound?
It's been bugging him for a while now. Why is it that he was the only one who seemed sensitive enough to 'feel' an attack coming from a blind direction?
But no matter how hard Siva thought of it, his attention is just not focused enough to ponder over it.
One step at a time, turn, twist, parry, block, slide, skid, step, burst, one impossible aerial acrobatic move at a time, Siva was successfully avoiding death over and over. How he's doing that is a mystery.
One could only ask just how much mental strain he was actually enduring with those moves.
To stay alive, adrenaline, or something that imitated the state of the mind when in adrenaline rush, was being utilized without rest.
Anyone could only say that he was persistent to live like a cockroach.
It was majestic.
With dark wings giving the impression of a flying devil, Siva gracefully moved as one with the wind.
The light of sol reflected on his wings shone like sparks of water. Each time he charged The Heart when it has been used was like a mini supernova in a sea of large trees and monsters. A trail of black shadowy smoke was left each time he dodge and dashed.
Truly a wonderful sight to behold.
Zigzag and straight, round and a straight burst again, he was varying his movements, cautiously selecting the best option to take, then countering with precise and accurate touch to paralyze his pursuers in midair.
As monsters fell off the air, the ground forces began to take their stand.
Considering the rarity of S-ranked monsters over the lower ranked, this gathering of B to S-ranked monsters itself was the largest gathering of the most dangerous monsters in the game.
It's a horrifying thought. The sky was being filled with giant terrors, the land was being razed by countless walking doom bringers.
Fortunately, he bought almost 300pcs of E-Grenades.
When the flying creatures were stunned, they'll hit the ground or the trees, and would either be very injured, enough to be out of commission, or they would hit another monster, making them snap out of the lure of the «Killing Zone» and start a personal war.
But considering the times he had to use it and the fact that not all monsters actually dies after crashing to the ground, his stocks of stun grenades were falling rapidly.
That was helpful because it reduces the number of his avid fans. But still, with these numbers, he could only say that it's wishful thinking.
He's getting tired.
His stocks are nearing depletion.
Desperation is rising intensely.
Though he would admit that flying saves days of travel time compared to when they jumped off the ground with Karim, this area, in all honesty, is just too crowded with monsters to fly over.
And yet he kicked and kicked without care to it all.
They had no choice left.
Siva never seized to move. Up front, Volt's group was almost in his fighting zone but he had no choice if he wanted to survive.
In their hands, they held on to their T-Devices.
And as thankful as he was, their sneak attacks and their effort to stun some of his attackers were giving him the enough opening to catch up to their speed.
They were still escaping the forest.
He also took his own T-Device on his right hand. He used all his mightiest mental strength to concentrate his attention to dodging despite the pulsating pain coming from his temples.
Visually, the eastern border of the forest is just almost a kilometer away now. How long had he dodged their persistent attacks. Only the fastest land crawlers and the Formula Wyverns are the ones on his tail now.
Or at least the ones he was seeing.
He could see the green plains expanding like a green colored ocean from the horizon, bidding his heart hope that they would survive.
"A little more!" he screamed over.
He looked back and saw in horror as the last seconds of the quiet pursuers have been replaced by four green and blue scaled beasts that measured a little more than 30m in size.
Lapis Lazuli, terror of the skies!
There were four of these giant horrors, chasing his hide and wanting him whole for themselves.
This frightening reality struck Siva's thought. He's going to be their breakfast!
Behind the four are the group of monsters chasing him earlier. Where these four giant Lapis Lazulis came from was a mystery. It felt like they were teleported there in a speck of a moment.
In front was the vast green land, the exit.
He could even see a spider cargo truck that perhaps belonged to a hunting party hunting the monsters near the borders of this unknown forest.
GROOOOAAAAARRRR...!!!
For sure, whoever the ones in the border of the forest can hear that roar just now.
He could see the startled players battling a large B-rank monster in the green fields looking at their direction.
Even the B-ranked monster was attracted to his direction by the PASSIVE effect of the Killing Zone.
As the Lapis behind their group wasn't in the «Pose of the King», the roar only sounded like a warning without the paralyzing effect.
The hunting party that numbered around 15 started running towards their Spider Cargo Truck in an attempt to escape.
Siva apologized deeply in his heart and did his best to fly off towards the border of the forest.
From the perspective of the hunting party, the rocky edge with a dense forest behind rattled as strong winds blew from there.
And just then, they heard that roar, after that, came a group of players flying away in incredible speeds.
But what came next was what surprised them.
A large bluish green scaled monster burst out of the tall wall of thick trees and rock formations, and destroyed it along with another one of its roar. What more, there was four of these monsters!
What the monster was chasing is a single person who then dived down on the ground that made the lead green monster stumble.
The person did not land. It was just a strategy to shake off the nearest pursuer. But as soon as it happened, the next giant monster appeared right off and it was almost at the man's feet.
Volt looked back, "Maria!" and his and Agatha's body was covered in a bluish white light but not in the slightest were they safe because the teleport sequence is needing a 3 second delay before fully activated.
During that time, Volt and Siva were just 10m apart and so Volt saw the jaws of the Lapis also 10 meters away from Siva's feet, opened wide, ready to devour.
He reached out his hand but wide eyed gasped.
Siva's white teeth bade a smile as a prompt appeared on his player screen. He had just received the item they took care of last night, The Lantern of Evergreen Light.
"Complete the quest." Volt read his lips or heard the whispers in the loud sound of the wind barrier...
...or what sounded like one that meant those words.
He wasn't sure.
And then his vision turned white.
Then blue.
"Siva!" he screamed, calling out to him and reaching his hand.
The next thing he knew, they were stumbling to their faces, rolling twice in a paved city floor, their wing sets were deactivated, and there was Agatha groaning in pain.
He looked around him and confirmed their location
But first thing's first, his thoughts lined.
"Help us!" he screamed and knelt down at Agatha.
Then there came the medical personnel from the city of Maria. Volt stood and looked around once again.
Siva truly wasn't with them.
He knew Siva had something he didn't tell them and this act just confirmed his worry. Siva clearly wanted to leave him alone.
"Damn it..." Volt could only grit his teeth as he gazed down. "Damn it all!"
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Siva came rolling out of his Teleport Light, bumping into the players that hanged around the fountain.
A commotion roared, followed by silence.
They were all attracted to the black smoke that rotated around the new arrival.
Siva wasted no time and equipped his grey cloak, white mask over his face, his Black Ender holstered on his back with the hilt touching his right hand, shoulders in a heaving motion as he greedily breathed down air.
He deactivated the «Disintegration» function. Or in this case, he unequipped his accessories. The vanishing black spectacle looked like smoke of a wet ember.
It disappeared just like how smokes did.
He slowly stood up, everyone in the plaza could hear his heavy breathing. With the bluish light earlier, it was a sign that he used T-Device as a means to escape.
For some players, it wasn't cheating death. It was using the game's items on its full use where they are the most useful. This one's an example of a successful escape from a dangerous situation.
He staggered on his way up and was about to fall on his back when 2 players ran over to him and helped him to his feet.
"Thank you." Siva said and bent over in gratitude.
"You seemed like you came from...GASP!"
Just before the first guy was about to finish his words, the hands that held his shoulders were released as he saw what face lay inside his cloak's hood.
There was just blackness.
...and there was that mask.
That's why he held his breath because he didn't expect himself to be surprised by that.
"Thank you." Siva's thanks woke the first guy up and as Siva walked off the fountain square, the first guy stood there frozen, paying a fleeting glance over Siva's back.
"What, you know the guy?" Asked the first.
"No man," he answered and gulped. "But I am sure that that skin tone was like that one in the video posted by the Helium members."
"The Ancient Evil?!"
"Yeah. And there was that white mask..."
"Are you talking about that video that was just posted yesterday."
"Yeah, that one."
"But the ancient evil was defeated by The Destroyer."
He couldn't reply.
Or perhaps it was the feeling. Because maybe, just maybe, he felt that Walled City of Loire may have a special event happening any number of days from now.
Though whether that feeling is positive or not is beyond his comprehension to translate.
What they did knew, however, is that the next day, city was shaken to its core by a single name:
[...the Volume Hunter]