End Online: Volume 5 Page 4

“It’s strange,” Mason says while grasping his chin in thought, “There are seven tablets and the expansion is called ‘The Seven Realms’. Surely I’m not the only one to see the connection. But this feels like a major quest, the kind of which usually impacts the entire game. I just can’t see how these seven tablets could have such a ground-breaking effect on-“

  “Kyaa!! It’s Lost and the rest of his party! Oh my, Sir Laurence is even more attractive than in the videos!” A random female player screams immediately after recognizing us.

  The sound of the wind rustling the shade cloths hanging between the buildings on either side of the road can finally be heard as silence overtakes the area. This is much worse than the incident at the inn only moments ago. This time we are out in a public, crowded street.

  Players start grouping around us, calling out over one another to ask for autographs, playing advice, and information about our skills. I struggle through the crowd as much as possible, barely making any progress at all. My vision also fills with notifications of friend request, distracting me time and time again. I suspect the others aren’t faring much better than me.

  “There is an narrow alley off to the side. We should be able to escape through there!” I call out through the party chat.

  Everyone turns as one and spies the narrow space between two buildings that I am talking about. I command Fen to open a pathway by pushing the players back with walls of ice, which she happily does. A solid wall of ice rises from the ground in a straight line toward the alley way. This wall quickly splits in the middle, forming two walls which extend away from each other, pushing all the players back and creating a path for us.

  Small clinks can be heard from the other side of the ice wall as players stab, cut, and bludgeon with their various weapons in an attempt to break through. A couple of heavier attacks cause shockwaves to penetrate the walls and small cracks appear as some of the more powerful players brandish their swords and axes.

  Time is short and Fen’s defensive wall cannot possibly hold up against such a large crowd for long. We quickly slip into the alley one after another and disappear into the night. By the time the crowd breaks through the ice wall, we are long gone.

  The rest of the night and early morning is spent trying to covertly escape the city. News of our presence in the city spreads and we spend a lot of time evading players searching the streets for us.

  We finally manage to break out of the city and escape to the south as the sun reaches its apex in the sky. Several players notice us and try to sneakily follow, but we quickly lose them. Once we are finally free of our pursuers we log off for two days to wait for everything to settle down.

  ***************************************************

  I log back onto End Online five minutes prior the time we appointed. Despite being a few minutes early, Matrix and Mason are already online and waiting. Another ten minutes pass by as Verde and Sir Laurence show up one after another.

  “It looks like they’re gone,” I breathe out with a sigh.

  Sir Laurence harrumphs and turns to me, “This is your fault! You’re the one that won the tournament, not us!”

  Despite his complaints, he does not object as we reform the party, everyone’s stats appearing at the side of my vision again.

  “As you were pointing to earlier, Mason, we need to decide where to go next,” I sit down on a nearby rock, glancing from side to side, searching for the origin of the sounds of players somewhere nearby.

  “I wanted to bring it up earlier, but Matrix and I recently discovered a new dungeon that we haven’t been able to clear as of yet. Shall we go there?”

  “That sounds like a plan to me! Please tell me it is far from here?”

  “Umm, no, it’s not. It is actually a little closer to the capital than here.”

  “I am sorry Mason, but I don’t think we should go. We are currently still in the wolf’s mouth, so to speak, and we need to get as far away from here as possible.”

  “Yeah, I understand. I still really wanted to finish it with everyone though.”

  “Perhaps we can come back in the future and do it then?” I ask the question to everyone, but look at Mason directly while asking.

  “Please do, I am itching to finish it but Matrix and I are lacking in skill to do so alone.”

  “This brings us back to square one, where to travel to?”

  “Actually, there is something I heard of a short while ago. I didn’t pay too much attention to it at the time, but the discussion about the new continents earlier has me intrigued,” Mason furrows his brows and seems to be entering a state of deep thought. “There are rumors of a large island to the south of this kingdom. Apparently, it is a complete wasteland, but it hasn’t really been explored properly as of yet either. There must be dungeons and treasure hidden all over!”

  “I agree; ignoring the prospect of what treasure could be there, a new area to explore is interesting!” Sir Laurence joins as the first person to vote toward the new land.

  One by one, we all agree to travel there.

  “But Mason,” Verde ask curiously, “how exactly do we get there?”

  Mason sticks his chest out in pride as he answers, “The town of Trope, in the south of the Dalbe Kingdom, is something of a gathering point for sailors and other ocean enthusiasts. We will surely find someone to take us!”

  Coming to an agreement, I take the lead with Fen at my side as we begin our passage south. Our journey takes us through through fetid swamps, dark and humid forests, and open savannahs. Unfortunately, no matter where we are, the sun is scorching hot. I also don’t know if it is just my imagination, but the further we go the hotter it seems to get.

  “What ‘ave we ‘ere, a party of six travelling through this grand kingdom?” A man dressed in cold steel heavy armour with a large double axe strapped to his back steps out from behind a large rock.

  “I’m sorry, perhaps you are looking for someone else?” As the person at the front of the party, I am naturally the one to respond.

  “No, I not be waitin’ for anyone in particular, but I can’t help but wonder if you be lost?”

  I feel shocked at his question, his wording almost makes it sound if I actually am Lost, not simply lost for directions. I quickly recover and politely turn down the player.

  “I know exactly where I am and where I am going. I will have to turn down your offer.”

  The man gives me a toothy grin full of malice, “No, no, I must insist on ‘elping. Though, there be a small fee for our directions.”

  Just as he finishes speaking, another ten people appear from concealed areas around us. Every last one of these other players have the player killer marks on their bodies, giving away their intent. Matrix glances around at them incredulously, while the rest of us only frown.

  “I think it would be best for all of us to forget about this and move on,” I speak to the enemy party leader with no particular haste. If anything, I am more pleased that he hasn’t recognized me.

  “I don’ think that’ll be possible.” The bandit leader draws his sword, which looks like it has seen better days. “Now, hand over your gold ‘n I’ll point you toward the nearest town.”

  When he sees our reluctance to do so, he raises one hand and calls out. “Men, they do not value their lives. Kill ’em!”

  All the bandits draw their swords, axes, or bows. The only person who doesn’t is the leader, probably because he is the only one without a player killer status. The bandits move to attack , but we strike before they even get the chance.

  Arrows, throwing knives, flaming sword waves and ice spears pierce through all the enemies. The battle is completely one-sided and almost considered a slaughter. The bandit leader, this whole time, cannot help but stare with his mouth agape at the massacre. In mere minutes, the only enemy left is the bandit leader.

  Fen turns toward the man staring at us dumbstruck, preparing the next volley of ice spears.

  “Fen, No! You can’t attack him!” I call o
ut at the wolf girl, attempting in vain to stop her.

  Fen snorts lightly before sending all the ice spears through the bandit leader. Several more spears erupt from the ground and the accumulative damage quickly kills him. Along with his death, a large red skull appears on my back to let everyone know of my new player killer status. There is nothing I can do about it for now, so I can only bear with it and move on carefully.

  Three more times we are attacked by groups of other players that more than double our party size. Fortunately for us, Dalbe has a low average player level. Fen plays a large role in crowd control while Mason launches arrows to take down any fleeing players. Sir Laurence is similar to an impenetrable shield in front of Verde, and coincidentally Fen, while I dart around the battlefield, attacking where I can.

  I also manage to finally work out the trigger for my weapon ability that allows me to glide. All I am required to do is extend my arms with the daggers outstretched like a pair of wings.

  Thanks to my extreme agility and speed, I am able to take off at a speed at which most people would be frightened senseless. I lose a small amount of speed while gliding, and it isn’t true flight so I slowly descend. After the eighteen seconds are up, gravity returns and I suddenly start to plummet toward the ground.

  As we travel, the days blend together and the player population in the surrounding areas slowly decreases. A week in real life passes before we see the ocean and the town of Trope on the horizon.

  It is late in the afternoon when we reach the top of a large hill and come into view of Trope. The town is built mostly of wood, and each house is raised three feet off the ground by wooden stilts. I can only assume this is to protect the town during high tides or floods.

  Behind the town, the sun creates a rippling streak of gold with its reflection across the endless ocean. Several large docks are also built off to one side in the ocean, housing hundreds of boats along the sides of the algae-covered board walks. Each and every one of these ships belongs to a different player.

  “We’re here!” Mason calls out, not the only one excited to see the ocean. “Now all that remains is to find ourselves a ship to take us there!”

  The closer we get to the town, the busier I realize it is. From a distance, it appears like there is only the occasional player going back and forth, with little foot traffic leading in or out of the town. But this is due to the majority of the people moving in and out by boat.

  My feet sink half an inch into the moist dirt underneath me with each step, a squelching sound following shortly after.

  We walk toward the center of town and find a large inn called ‘The Ocean Maiden’. The building appears to have seen better days with the paint faded and flaking, but at least the structure is in good repair.

  I walk into the inn to the sounds of a rowdy cheering and each player shouting to be heard over the last. In the center of the inn is a female player or NPC, I am unsure which, dancing on the stage to an upbeat, merry tune. I stop to stare for a while, my eyes instinctively glancing at her lower half each time one of her legs sweep around and expose a milky white calf.

  Fen sees what I am looking at and pinches the back of my arm, sending a jolt of pain through my arm and expressing her displeasure.

  Averting my gaze from the entertainment, I order a drink for Fen and I while the rest of the party gather theirs. The availability of seats is completely different from the capital, with approximately thirty percent of them available. In Swordbreak, we would often have to find a spot to stand while scouting for the first available table.

  With our drinks, we all look toward each other skeptically.

  “It’s great that we are here now,” Verde points out. “But how exactly are we going to recruit a captain and their ship?”

  “I… I’m not entirely sure about that. It is not something I have really done before,” I prop my chin onto one hand with my elbow planted firmly on the table. “Mason, this was your idea; how is hiring a ship usually done?”

  Mason stands up slightly, glancing around the room briefly before bringing himself to his full height and calling out, “Looking for a captain to take six people to the rumored island in the south! Join us for a grand adventure! Private message Mason if you’re interested”

  “Now, all we have to do is wait a moment,” Mason grins like he has accomplished a great feat.

  While waiting for someone to send a message, we sit in silence with the occasional comment. With each passing minute, our hopes of someone volunteering themselves diminish. Eventually, Mason stands up again and calls out the recruitment message. This time, however, it sparks an immediate response.

  “Hey, if ya’ wants to shout out ya’ spam, do it elsewhere!”

  “We heard you the first time! Don’t disturb our night so take it elsewhere!”

  “Who the hell wants to brave those seas!? If you want to sink a boat that badly, make one of your own!”

  I am momentarily stunned at the angry shouts from around the room, and my face flushes red in embarrassment. Even the dancer on the stage has halted her performance and is looking down at the party in displeasure.

  As I silently mull over our options, the atmosphere of the room slowly returns. The music picks up and everyone goes back to happily shouting over one another, trying to get the dancer to look their way and send a flirty kiss or provocative hip movement.

  We stay the night at the inn, and head down to the docks the next morning.

  I can smell and taste the fresh sea spray in the air, hear our boots causing the planks in the docks to creak underneath. There are a lot of players moving out from the pier to return to their ships, some carrying heavy loads of cargo up onto their boats in order to sell elsewhere.

  “Looking for someone to take us to the rumored Isle to the south! Message Lost.” I shout out, following what Mason did last night.

  A few sailors turn to look at us, but soon turn back and carry on with their business as if it has nothing to do with them. Seeing that sending a broad message isn’t very effective, I lead the party toward a random boat along the docks.

  The captain of that boat, the ‘Judiciary’, comes running off the ship and toward us before we even reach it. He is a young man of a small stature. He isn’t wearing any armor, but instead some kind of fashionable three button coat over formal wear.

  “It’s you! It’s you! You’re Lost, aren’t you? My god, I never thought I would get to meet someone as famous as you out here!!” The player bounces on his toes as he looks us over.

  “Y-yes, that’s me,” I can’t help but feel nervous in front of such an energetic person.

  “Wow, just wow! Oh, I know your name, but you don’t know mine! My name is HectorRevival! You got that? It’s HectorRevival!”

  “Umm, HectorRevival, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

  “No, no, I should be saying that! The pleasure is mine! Lost, Lost, how exactly can I help you? I heard someone shout about commissioning a crew for a journey?”

  “That’s right. We are hoping to sail to the island that is rumored to exist south of here. Is that something you could help with?”

  HectorRevival’s face sinks and his previous enthusiasm disappears. He pinches the skin between his eyebrows, fighting some internal conflict.

  “You know,” he speaks much slower, “no one in this entire dock has actually seen that island. If there is anyone, they aren’t saying anything about it. It is nothing but an empty rumor, and there aren’t many people willing to risk the dangers of finding out.”

  “What do you mean? What danger?”

  “Once you leave the coastal waters, sea monsters start appearing. They aren’t overly frequent, but they are all incredibly destructive.”

  “Can you not fight them?”

  “Easily, we all have weapons on board our ships, some more so than others. But these ships are either bought with an enormous sum of gold, or built with endless hours and resources. A single encounter with a sea monster is guaranteed to at least da
mage the ship. After running into four or five, the damage accumulates. You run the risk of sinking, and have to make extensive repairs even if you survive.”

  I can’t help but feel depressed, “And no one wants to risk that…”

  “No, they don’t. Unfortunately, I don’t either. If there is anything else, I am more than happy to help you, but I can’t do that.”

  “It’s fine, think nothing of it.”

  HectorRevival shuffles off back to his ship, his earlier mood completely gone. I see him bring out a hammer and some wood, kneeling down to do some work on the deck of his ship.

  We walk around the docks asking several other people if they are willing to sail south. No one is remotely interested in discussing a price, let alone taking the journey.

  I lead the party back toward the inn as the sun begins to set.

  “Well, that was a waste of time,” Mason complains with a sigh. “I thought we would have more luck than that.”

  Sir Laurence harrumphs, “Cowards, the lot of them.”

  “I feel like breaking their little boats.” Even Verde is in a bad mood.

  “Everyone, calm down. I’m sure we will find someone soon. How about we go back to the inn? We can work something out there.” No one agrees with me, but they don’t have any better ideas either.

  I lead us all back to ‘The Ocean Maiden’ where the common room is already half full. The lady who was singing last night is no longer there, instead being replaced with a male and female couple. They are singing a popular duet song from the top music charts so I can tell that they are definitely players.

  “There are a lot of strange players out here,” I think aloud while looking at the couple singing on the stage.

  “There are a lot of different players in the game,” Mason chuckles. “We have spent most of our time in the main cities, which is full of the more mainstream players.”

  “What’s a mainstream player?” Sir Laurence questions before giving a quick wave to call over a bar girl to order drinks.

  “The mainstream players are those who focus on upgrading weapons, armor, skills, and aim at constantly becoming stronger. They don’t focus on skills that don’t directly affect battle.”