NOVEL WEB Chapter 117: A Mistake in the System?
Chapter 117: A Mistake in the System?
Ten minutes after his little “outburst,” Zach struggled not to let the shame and self-revulsion overcome him as he internally cringed at the emotional, mewling state he’d reduced himself to right in front of Kalana. It’d just happened all at once and so unexpectedly. But, if nothing else, it’d been cathartic. It was a poison that needed to run its course—and had. He just wished it would’ve happened someplace far from Kalana where he’d been unobserved. The last thing he wanted was to be seen in such a state, especially by her. And what’d made it all so frustrating was how fine he felt now. He was back in control and he really didn’t want Kal to think he was a lunatic or that he was losing his sanity.
It's out of my system now, he thought. But even still, she’s probably going to think I have some kind of issue or something is seriously wrong with me.
Still, all things considered, she was thankfully not bringing it up—at least for now—and so he was trying his best not to dwell on it just yet; it was something for him to worry about tomorrow when her therapist came to bother him. Instead, he refocused his effort towards simply enjoying being with her on this fantastical island. At the moment, the two of them were quickly making their way through a rugged stretch of terrain covered initially with short grass that gradually became taller the farther they ventured. Halting atop the apex of a steep hill, Kal turned to her side and extended her arm in the direction ahead of her.
“Well,” she said, “here we are. These are the Avikin Grounds. I dunno where exactly we’re supposed to find the king of the slug clan, but it’ll be somewhere here, and we’ve got, um, like an hour left to find it.”
Zach, having lagged a bit behind her, hurried to the top of the hill to better see what awaited him, and when he did, he was left speechless, caught somewhere between total confusion and absolute amazement. As he observed his surroundings, he felt a rush of excitement that drowned out much of the previous ten minutes’ unpleasantness. But more than anything else, he tried to comprehend what he was even seeing.
“Kal, do people live here or something?”
“Nope.”
“Are you sure?”
She laughed. “Yep, I’m sure. But you’re gonna end up wondering that a few times before you realize it’s all just part of the way my island works.”
Incredible, he thought. This is…this is just incredible!
Aside from the very fleeting glimpse he’d gotten after jumping out of the helicopter, Zach knew little about what he might see here. Mostly, he’d been expecting to arrive on a flattish field covered with moderately tall grass about two feet in height, which he assumed would encompass most of the three or four square miles that made up these so-called “Avikin Grounds.” Additionally, he’d expected there to be many, many mobs all over it. For the most part, that was exactly what he saw—except there was more: so, so much more. Things he hadn’t even known were possible.
Back when he’d been stuck aboard a ten-hour flight heading from Varda’s Lair to South Bastia, he’d passed some of the time by dreaming up images of what Kalana’s island might look like, his brain conjuring all sorts of ideas and possibilities, some of which had been quite fanciful or out there. But what he saw in these “Avikin Grounds” went far beyond even the wildest products of his imagination. There was “stuff” here. All kinds of stuff. Stuff he had never mentally associated with mobs or leveling, thus precluding him from ever imagining their existence in the first place.
All this is part of the adventuring world? Zach wondered, stunned. This is unbelievable.
Spread out all around this relatively flat plot of grassy land were structures that looked a lot like primitive homes. Most were made of wood and thatch, but in some cases, there were little huts, too. Some of these dwellings stood on their own, but many were grouped together and surrounded by thin fencing such that they formed small villages. And many of these villages showed active signs of life such as smoke escaping chimneys or outdoor cooking fires that actually gave off a smell of meat that drifted on the air. There were also gravel-covered roads that led between many of these villages, and there were horse-drawn wagons moving back and forth along them as well. But most noticeably, farther into the distance, Zach saw something that caused his eyebrows to rise to the top of his face.
Located dead center in the middle of these “Avikin Grounds,” there was a large cluster of more than fifty variously sized and variously shaped homes. Unlike with the smaller villages, rather than fencing, they were completely enclosed within a circular stone wall that looked to be about fifty-feet high and appeared to be defended from attack based on the visible presence of ballistae and other antiquated-looking weapons that were dotting the top of it.
From what Zach could see, the villages—as well as all the other surrounding structures—actually seemed to revolve around this central, city-like area that was enclosed within the wall. It was both incredible and bewildering. On the outskirts of it, Zach spotted small farms, a few isolated shacks, and various watchtowers that had to be close to a hundred-feet tall; they appeared sturdy despite being made of wood, and each had a ladder that led up to the top of them. There were also wells, a few windmills, and what looked like a market of some kind.
“I know I just asked you this,” Zach said, pointing at one of the wagons. He watched as the wagon stopped at the entrance to the walled-in mini city, where it halted at a wide metal gate, which was slowly opened to allow it inside before audibly being shut with a loud snap. “But you’re one-hundred percent certain that there is no one living here?”
“Yup.”
Zach eyed another wagon pulling up to the gate, which likewise opened to allow its entry before snapping shut once more. “So, all of this”—he waved his hand around at the world before them—"this is all because of the spawn points, and none of it is a place that real people call home?”
“Mhm.”
Zach blew out whatever air remained in his lungs; his mind was blown. “Whew,” he said. “That’s…a lot to take in. You don’t seem all that surprised, though. I’m guessing you’ve already been here, Kal?”
“A few times,” she said. “But I didn’t spend a whole lot of time here. I think I leveled from like, uh…I wanna say like 35 to 45, maybe? Somewhere around that. I basically did laps through a few of the villages.” She lifted her chin and looked off into the distance. “I only stopped because the mobs near that city-fort-whatever place were higher level though, and I left before exploring it. I was gonna come back when I leveled enough to take them on, but by the time that ended up happening, I already found way better stuff to hunt that was closer to home, and I kinda forgot all about this place.”
Zach blinked in awe at what he was seeing. Then he turned his attention to Kalana as her words registered in his head, which also filled him with awe but for an entirely different reason. The fact she’d casually stated she’d gained ten levels in this place despite claiming to not have spent much time here reminded him of just how different the leveling experience must have been for an Elf as opposed to a human.
“Olivir told me Elves get a huge boost to xp that no other race gets. Is that true? Is that how you were able to level so fast?”
She nodded. “Yep. Starting at level 5, we get a racial passive that makes it so that whenever we hunt something solo, we get double xp.”
“So then joining a party with me is actually bad for you, right?”
“Nah-uh! It’s more fun and I like it better.”
He laughed. “Fair enough. But seriously, Kal, that’s a hell of an ability.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty good,” she agreed casually and with a nonchalance that Zach took as her not wanting to sound overly boastful.
Returning his attention to the Avikin Grounds, Zach noticed that there were mobs all over the place—as in everywhere. They were in the villages, on the roads, in the watchtowers, on the stone wall, and even steering the wagons. Some were eating, some were sleeping, and a few were actually dancing while others banged on drum-like instruments. All of them also looked pretty similar.
Although there were a fair number of different mobs with different names at different levels, everything but the horses pulling the wagons—which were also mobs—shared several general aspects in common. For starters, they were all tall, feathery, and winged creatures with bird-like faces and muscular, two-legged, humanoid bodies. They all walked upright and had human-like hands. But where they differed was in attire and weaponry, and sometimes in height and build. Yet they were all clearly of a certain “type” and had similar characteristics to one another, kind of like the skelly mobs in Yorna.
Not far from Zach, one of these creatures was strolling down the gravel pathway closest to where he and Kal were standing side by side at the top of the hill leading up to this place. As it drew nearer, Zach saw that it wore a pair of white, baggy trousers but was also shirtless, exposing its six-pack abs. It wielded a katana in each hand, each with a silver blade and a black, striped hilt. Its face was wholly avian in nature, and along with a yellow beak, it also had round, yellow-colored eyes.
HP
27,500/27,500
Name
Marauding Avislicer
Level
27
“All the mobs here are called ‘Avislicers,’” Kalana said, pointing at it, her voice cheerful. “They’re all over the island, but I think this is where you can find the biggest concentration of them together. Actually, that exact type of Avislicer—the Marauding Avislicer—was the first mob I ever saw when Alex brought me here. Me and my dad saw it on the Path of Peace.” Her tone turned from cheerful to bittersweet. “It made me think of you and how excited I imagined you’d be if you were there with me to see it. It also made me feel really guilty and upset that I left you behind.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Zach said. He meant those words, too: strongly. That was Mr. Oren’s fault, and it was water under the bridge as far as he was concerned. Trying to keep his mind focused on the here and now, he watched as the Avislicer strolled all the way up to where the path ended, just shy of a hundred feet ahead of Zach, before turning around and aimlessly walking back the way it had just come.
“Hey, Kal?”
“Yeah?”
“Are they aggressive?”
“Oh yeah,” she said, nodding several times as though to add emphasis. “They have a pretty big aggro range, too. We’re gonna have to fight a whole lot of them just to search the area.” She hummed to herself a second then asked, “Where do you think the slug king is being held, anyway? We definitely aren’t gonna have enough time to search everywhere in the Avikin Grounds for it.”
Zach rubbed his chin, then pointed his finger at the walled-in, miniature city at the very end of the gravel road nearest to them that served as the central-most structure. “I bet it’s in there,” he said. “The quest mob, I mean.”
“You think so?”
He nodded. “The quest said the slug king was ‘kidnapped,’ which makes me think there must be some kind of storyline to all this stuff. I bet there are even more quests on your island that explain it all. But anyway, the quest said we had to get there before they ‘succeed in killing’ it. So uh, this has me thinking, right? If this really is part of some bigger storyline, then the slug king being a king is significant. It makes me think it’s got to be like a public execution. And where else would one be held than in the center of the city? You know, maybe as some kind of spectacle that the bird-people are putting on for each other.”
Kalana turned over her palms. “Makes sense to me.”
“That’s just a guess, obviously, but if I’m right and this really is part of some sort of storyline, then that’s where we should check first.”
Scanning the gravel pathway with his eyes, Zach realized there were a tremendous number of mobs between them and their destination. Though it was only a two-mile walk, the place was absolutely littered with Avislicers. And things were even worse if they tried to go off the path, as the villages and other structures along the way were stuffed with even more of them.
Gods there are so many of them! Is an hour even long enough to fight our way to that miniature city?
It was now beyond apparent why this quest had recommended up to five people. Even if they stayed on the gravel-covered road, which had the lowest concentration of mobs, there were still so damn many of them spaced irregularly from here to the metal, gated entrance. Some were by themselves, others were in small- to mid-sized groups, and many were mobile and walking in various directions.
Taking a moment to consider their best approach, Zach wondered if he should use Shadow Merge to turn invisible and scout the way forward so as to potentially avoid unnecessary fights. It was the ability on his Epic Rare cloak that he’d yet to use thus far. If he turned invisible, he might be able to slip by a lot of these mobs without having to slow down and fight them. If he found the slug king, he could then call Kal’s cell phone and tell her to come to him.
No, that won’t work, he realized.
Although the idea had seemed good at first, the more Zach thought on it, the more he realized how impractical it would be. For one, the invisibility would only last 30 seconds, and secondly, he’d still end up having to fight everything in their way regardless, because Kalana would surely aggro them, as she could not also become invisible.
Looks like we need to fight our way through.
Zach reached behind his back and grabbed the hilt of his Sword of Light Amidst Darkness. Then, with a shing, he unsheathed his blade. “So, Kal,” he said, “are you really making me call it a day after we’re done with this quest?”
“Yes!” she replied immediately. “You need to rest, and I’m worried about you.”
“Well, in that case, I’m not holding anything back at all. Might as well go all out.”
Following those words, Zach activated Unleashed Phase with a Phase Level of 1, causing a steady flow of impossibly black smoke to begin escaping his hands and feet along with the occasional flickering, golden ember. His skin also began to take on a dull glow, though it was almost impossible to see amid the intensely bright sunshine from the cloudless, tropical sky.
Having totally exhausted himself thanks to that damn Megaworm, there’d been a good deal of stamina for his ability to replenish. For this reason, he wasn’t surprised to see he lost a little more than two minutes so that he started off with 12:46 remaining on his current duration or Unleashed Phase. Still, the rush of energy and the feeling of being replenished always made it feel worth it. Though the increase in stats no longer felt as big as it had when his stats were much lower, he could still feel himself becoming stronger, faster, more agile, and more capable as his stats were increased by twenty-five.
Name
Zachys Calador
Level
21
EXP
153,900/170,000
Armor Bonus
88
Strength
129
Dexterity
112
Constitution
110
Intelligence
145
Speed
95
Luck
113
“Okay, you ready?” Zach asked. Kalana offered only a determined—yet somehow cute—grunt in reply, drawing her daggers. With the clock ticking on both his Unleashed Phase as well as the quest timer, which stood at 55:51, Zach knew they’d have to move as quickly as possible. And it all began with the very first Avislicer mob, who stood alone and was only first making its way back along the gravel-covered path that led to the city.
Although Kalana had told him the Avislicers had a big aggro range, Zach still wasn’t expecting to aggro the thing from nearly eighty feet away. In total, Zach took fewer than ten quick steps before the mob abruptly came to a halt, spun around, raised both its katanas aggressively, and then began to sprint straight for him with its wings fluttering in a way that gave off a sound similar to that of a pigeon.
“Frrragh!” it cried as it raced towards Zach, who was more than willing to charge forward and meet it head on.
With a swiftness and aggression Zach did not expect, the mob raised both its arms high and then slammed down both katanas on top of him, its dual blades parallel to one another. Even still, Zach had seen it coming. Turning his sword horizontally, he lifted it and guarded against both strikes with one defensive motion, then gave a shove of his single blade against the mob’s two, easily overpowering the level-27 Avislicer and pushing it a step back. Retaliating, Zach unleashed two quick slashes, moving his blade such that he carved the letter X into the body of the tall, muscular creature, causing it to squawk loudly in pain as streaks of red poured out of its belly and chest.
19,411
21,213
HP
0/0
Name
Marauding Avislicer
Level
27
“Frrragh,” it moaned as it fell over and died. It then began to shake violently as its entire body turned into a sort of steam that did not rise on the air but rather evaporated quickly in place.
+2500xp
“One down,” he said with a wink. Kal winked back.
With her by his side, the two of them jogged their way towards the walled-in city, stopping just a handful of steps later when seven more of the Marauding Avislicers aggroed them: four on the path, and three that had been standing perfectly still on the two-feet-tall grass, which given their nearly six feet of height, only reached to their knees.
“Frrragh!”
He and Kal briefly met one another’s eyes, and then both exchanged a quick nod, communicating silently with each other. As though he could read the intent in her eyes, Zach twirled his blade then stormed forward at a confident, powerful walk towards the four katana-wielding mobs on the gravel-covered pathway while Kalana dashed off to the left and intercepted the three Avislicers who were making their way over here from the grass.
The moment Zach met his four in combat, he knew they stood little chance, especially since he struck first, ripping his blade across the throat of the Marauding Avislicer C and dealing 28,411. Though he failed to decapitate the mob, he did kill it in one hit and caused its head to hang by nothing more than a thin piece of flesh as it fell to the ground, its body making a thwap against the gravel, followed by two clunks from each katana.
+2500xp
The remaining three surrounded him, Marauding Avislicer A to his left, B in front of him, and D to his right, and all three struck out at him. Avislicer A came in with a left-right combination, B thrust just its right-hand katana forward, and C tried to slash both of its weapons downwards in a way that was similar to the first one Zach had killed.
With a speed that he’d just as much earned as acquired through stats and equipment, Zach whipped his blade around so fast that he impressed even himself. He began by blocking one of the katana’s wielded by Marauding Avislicer A while simultaneously spinning his body to the right around the thrust from B, then bending backwards and avoiding the dual downward slashes from D—only to then spin back to the left so that he returned to his original orientation in time to block the second katana from A, but this time around, he swung his own blade hard enough to turn the block into a parry and knock the katana out of the mob’s left hand.
“Frrragh!” it shouted.
Even as A’s katana was falling down to the gravel-covered pathway, Zach was tearing his blade across the air for four quick, successive movements that managed to block four swings from the dual-wielding bird-men creatures. Four loud pings filled the air as Zach deflected four subsequent strikes. Then he raised his own blade above his head, and with enough effort to make him grunt, he crashed his sword down onto the avian-like face of B, cutting its head open down the middle as though it were an apple and dealing 29,211 damage in the process. Its body began to twitch and turn into steam even before it doubled over. In fact, it never even hit the ground; the creature simply collapsed into vapor like a magician performing a trick.
+2500xp
Now, there were two remaining: one to his left, which was missing one of its two katanas, and one to his right. Both came in at him. Zach dashed backwards to reposition himself so that they were to his front as opposed to his sides, and as a result of his quick movement, they nearly ended up hitting each other. Awkwardly, they both turned in his direction then pressed him. At the same time, in the corner of his vision, Zach realized he’d earned +5000 xp from Kalana, who had effortlessly slain two of her own.
He dealt with the one on his left first, as it was the first to reach him. Having lost its left-hand weapon, it had switched its grip on its remaining blade so that it now wielded it in a two-handed grip, a behavior Zach had never before seen from a mob. With much more force, it unleashed a horizontal slash that, had this been a week ago, Zach would have stood no chance of guarding against. Yet having grown his stats a great deal in such a short time, all he had to do was tilt his blade to the right and brace himself, and the Avisicer’s katana was easily deflected. Retaliating, Zach thrust his own sword forward, and in what came as another surprise, the mob actually attempted to parry him, stepping suddenly to the side while twirling its blade in a counter-clockwise motion. Had this thing had higher stats, Zach would have definitely lost his weapon. Unfortunately for the Avislicer, Zach’s strength was way, way higher than anything a level-27 mob could challenge, and so all it did was startle him.
“Need to be careful and not underestimate shit,” he grumbled to himself. Hastily, he took a quick swing, cutting open the mob’s stomach for 16,211; then he spun his body around and took another, this one hitting for 14,721; not only did he kill Marauding Avislicer A, but he proc’d his stamina regeneration effect twice in a Gods-be-damned row, which brought his current remaining duration on Unleashed Phase all the way up to 18:17.
+2500xp
Now, with just one remaining, Zach bent his knees, turned his hands so that his blade pointed straight forward, and he prepared to engage—and end—the final enemy as Kalana dealt the killing blow to the third—and her final—one that she’d been fighting, earning Zach yet another +2500xp.
LEVEL UP!
22 (21)
Strength
+2 (131)
Dexterity
+2 (114)
Constitution
+2 (112)
Intelligence
+2 (147)
Speed
+2 (97)
Luck
+2 (115)
XP Required for Level 23
215,000
(UNLEASHED ABILITY) (Unique) Phase Cannon Acquired!
“Finally, a decent level up!” Zach shouted out victoriously and triumphantly as he tried—and succeeded, this time—in decapitating the level-27 Avislicer before him, proc’ing his stamina buff yet again and causing his body to glow with the dark green aura, which increased his remaining time on Unleashed Phase to 21:07; unless he was mistaken, that was now the new record for the most amount of time he’d ever had remaining on the buff.
Sheesh, Zach thought with a sigh. When it comes to me, lucky things either happen all at once or not at all.
“Gratz,” Kalana said with a smile, blowing him a kiss as she hurried back over towards him.
Though urgency was still important, and though time was a resource they couldn’t afford to waste, Zach decided to take just a few seconds to see what his new ability did. With over twenty-one minutes on Unleashed Phase, he honestly felt that, for once, he could spare a moment to check something out. Usually, whenever he found himself calling upon this ability, he was in a frantic state and couldn’t spare so much as a millisecond.
“Just a sec, Kal, I want to see my new ability.”
“Wait for me!” she chirped, hurrying over to his side as though interested and wanting to see it with him. Obliging her curiosity, he pulled it up so that the information floated in the air before the both of them. And with that, Zach quickly read over his new ability, eager to see what he’d unlocked for himself this time. From the sound of its name, it appeared to be a new Unleased ability, which meant he could only use it while in Unleashed Phase.
UNLEASHED Ability (UNIQUE)
Phase Cannon
Usage Cost:
1:30 (no target) / 2:00 (if no target and used with Boundless. Does not include cost of Boundless.)
2:30 (w/ target) / 3:00(if user has target and used with Boundless. Does not include cost of Boundless.)
Cooldown:
None
Range:
100
Description:
This ability may be used with a target. Fires a light-based projectile from the palm of user’s hand. If used without a target, the ability is aimed. If a target is selected, the ability’s damage is cut in half and user’s target is struck near instantly (speed of light). Deals light damage. Scales with intelligence.
Zach bit the lower corner of his lips as he read it over, then nodded to himself. “Seems okay,” he said. “What do you think, Kal?”
She gave him an approving thumbs-up. “I think it’s cool!”
“I don’t understand how it can be used with Boundless, though,” Zach said, speaking mostly to himself.
Nevertheless, Kalana answered. “Can I see the description for Boundless again, Zach?”
He shrugged. “Sure, but then after that, we’ve got to keep moving.”
In truth, Zach likely would’ve pulled up the information for Boundless regardless, as the conflicting descriptions confused him in a way that he found annoying and stressful. Unless there was some reading comprehension issue on his part, he was fairly certain he understood what Boundless could—and couldn’t—do. Even still, because he hadn’t actually read the description for it in quite some time, he decided to take a quick peek if for no other reason than to see if maybe he missed something, because seriously, this made absolutely no sense whatsoever.
Rather than dismiss Phase Cannon, he pulled up the ability description for Boundless and put it alongside Phase Cannon so that both were visible in the air before him at once. And just as he’d remembered, Boundless quite clearly stated that he could not use the ability with any “damaging” spells or abilities. Surely, Phase Cannon counted as a damaging spell or ability, right? So then for what purpose would it even take Boundless into account in its description?
Inner Ability (UNIQUE)
Boundless
Exertion Cost:
Very Low
Cooldown:
None
Description:
The next non-damaging, non-repeating spell, ability, equipment ability, or item ability can be used regardless of range unless a target is required, in which case the user must be within seeing distance. Cannot be used with abilities that aid in charming or card-capture. Cannot be used to target or affect card-based summons.
Kalana puckered her lips then released an audible whooshing exhale. “I’m stumped,” she said. “I dunno, baby.”
“Me neither,” he said. Then he shook his head. “It must be a mistake.”
“Can there even be mistakes?”
“I used to not think so, but now that we know…”
Kal met his eyes, and she nodded. This told him he didn’t need to finish the thought and use the “S” word. She understood—or at least Zach assumed she understood—what he was implying; specifically, that now that they knew mobs, leveling, and adventuring were not some natural facets of life nor the creations of divine, omnipotent Gods, but rather, that they were a deliberately created “system,” it was no longer beyond question that mistakes could exist. Surely, it was possible for the Great Ones to have made a mistake, right? This had to be one of them.
Because if not, then for what possible reason would Boundless be mentioned together with Phase Cannon? No matter how much Zach thought about it, he just couldn’t imagine any way in which Phase Cannon could ever make use of Boundless.
Oh well. Maybe Kal’s therapist will help me figure it out, he thought with a dark chuckle, which caused Kalana to send him a questioning stare.
“It’s nothing,” he said. “Let’s keep moving.”
“Okay.”
********
Sir Allistair Morrison frowned as he listened to Major Kenth Baxtra update him on the current status of the city. Apparently, their forces had still failed to push the enemy out of Shadowfall Coast. Having armed his leveled guild members with dragon’s loot, he had hoped to see a quick and decisive victory over the entrenched forces of the Royal Roses such that if their reinforcements did manage to break through the blockades, they would be starting over from scratch, and the Guild of Gentlemen would have a much bigger advantage.
Unfortunately, though they’d succeeded in retaking the now-destroyed 4th avenue, the enemy was holding on to 3rd with a zeal he hadn’t expected from the dogs of the Royal Roses.
“Did you transmit my warning to Sir Alazar?” he asked, becoming frustrated.
“I did, Sir Morrison.”
“And?”
He sighed. “Vim still thinks we’re bluffing.”
Alistair pursed his lips angrily. “I’ll speak with him myself.”
“Is that wise?”
He nodded. “I am the leader of the Guild of Gentlemen now. Peter is dead, and I’ve just placed the order to eliminate his spawn. This now falls under my responsibility.”
Major Baxtra gasped. “Sorry, did I hear you correctly?”
“Hm?”
“Regarding the child.”
Alistair nodded, refusing to show any weakness. “You have heard me correctly. There is no mistake.”
“But the boy is only six years old, sir.”
“I know. And it’s a regrettable, terrible deed—one I’m not happy to carry out or proud of. Yet to protect humanity, there’s nothing I won’t do. You have to understand this.”
“I do, but…but I don’t see how—”
“If the guild sees him as a legitimate heir to the monarchy, he might pose a challenge to me someday. If that happens, the values of weakness embedded into him by his father might see us put in the same Gods-cursed situation we’re in right now.” He cleared his throat. “But that is none of your concern. For now, get me on the phone with Sir Alazar. I want to warn him directly so that there are no misunderstandings between us. If that little man still thinks I’m bluffing, and if he forces my hand, I am prepared to launch the weapon on Giant’s Fall.”
“I’ll connect you now.”
*******
Ensuring the hood of her robe was drawn over her head, Fylwen made her way quickly past several peacekeepers who stared directly at her, their faces blank. This was good. It most assuredly meant they did not recognize her. It was imperative she be quick, quiet, and discreet at least for the moment. Should the human filth have any reason to suspect that she was here in Tomb of Fire, the boy might be disposed of before she could get to him.
I will save him, Peter, she said to herself, her heart aching with sadness. I will save your little boy.
That thought in mind, she maneuvered her way closer towards the massive, 80-story administration building in central Tomb of Fire, where she knew he was being held on the 75th floor in a private suite that his father had stowed him in just in case this exact scenario played out as it had.
You will be able to go to Elvadin and rest easy with the Gods, Peter. As you protected mine, I will protect yours.
Though the living conditions Kalana had endured were far from ideal, Peter had made good on his word and had kept her daughter safe while she was in Archian Prime, and until that foul beast of a man, Varsh, had discovered her identity, she had lived in peace. She had grown into a beautiful young woman. Peter had kept his word to her for nearly all of Kalana’s life.
Now, it was her turn to honor the deal they’d made long ago: to protect one another’s kin should the worst ever befall either of them. She would raise him as her own—like an Elf—and she would ensure he was loved and would want for nothing. But first, she needed to get to him, for if anything should happen to the little boy, she would have her Elves burn the entire city to the ground. On this, she did swear to the Gods! Tomb of Fire would be spared none of the darkness within her.