W hile some were shocked by the recent encounter and others enjoyed their new arm, the forums were growing more and more excited about the upcoming event. Less than twenty-four hours remained, and the players who had new VR capsules were looking forward to it.
No more information was published following the first announcement. The devs’ silence was making some players curse them for keeping secrets to themselves and others to beg for even the smallest of leaks. Unfortunately, both strategies were equally useless. Neither yielded any comments from Skydome.
Along with the pre-event excitement, the forums were also buzzing with strange rumors about the Novice Temple and the character’s mental development option.
A few threads were already full of heated discussions. No one who came across these rumors took them seriously, except for the Columbus Club. One of its members had seen the related system messages with their own eyes, and it had already been several weeks since everyone in the group had begun looking for anything that could be of any help. However, all their efforts were in vain. Their hope that Buckshot would ever be able to enter that Temple was slowly fading when suddenly...
Four: [Hey, guys! I found something.]
Thirteen: [Woah! Four? Are you back?]
Three: [Hi yourself. How are you?]
Seven: [Does anyone know where One is?]
Two: [Come on, Four.]
All Enlighteners knew each other’s nicknames, or even real names, but followed the tacit rule of not mentioning them in the chat. Buckshot, the receiver of the message about mental channels, was known as Two, and was particularly curious about everything related to the Novice Temple.
Four: [Yes. I’ve been away for a while. I was looking for information that could help our friend. I met a guy who gave me a good hint. Believe it or not, I had to take a trip to Tibet to get to the bottom of it!]
Two: [Get to the point.]
Four: [Fine. What do you know about the “inner world”?]
Two: [Eh? Tell me more.]
***
Raven stood across Hendelson, smiling happily. His attempt to support the blacksmith had been fruitful — although the fruit of his labor wasn’t yet ripe enough to be picked let alone eaten.
The dwarf had probably reached some conclusion as he observed Pandora’s Box. Looking up at the rogue, he said solemnly:
“Thank you, Raven. Thank you for reminding me that I still have things to learn. I should go on another journey; see what was previously hidden from me. Learn the secrets of my trade. Exchange ideas with other masters. I hope I’ll live to see the day when the Floor Gate will be unsealed.”
Raven tried not to frown. He hated the idea of losing someone as useful as Hendelson.
“Before you set off, may I ask one question?”
Hendelson smiled.
“You don’t have to be that polite, boy. You’ve helped me reach heights I never thought possible. I’m very thankful.”
“Glad to hear that. Now, my question is: if I prove to you that the Columns of Order, or the Swords of Nine Gates, still exist, would you make several items for me?”
Hendelson took his time to consider the answer.
“That’s a good plan,” he replied with a suspicious squint. “I trust you as a friend, but I don’t believe you can do that. But should you succeed and bring me some proof, I promise I’ll consider your offer.”
Attention! You have found a lead to a quest: From the Ashes of Time
Rank: Hidden
Description: Give Hendelson the Legendary Blacksmith any proof that the Columns of Order, or the Swords of Nine Gates, actually existed.
Shit. This guy is an inexhaustible source of quests.
“Where can I find you if I get some proof?”
“Erm... Let me think. I’m sure you won’t find any, but if you do...” Hendelson frowned, looked away, and began to pace up and down the cave. Ten minutes later, he smiled and came up to one of the tables.
“Wait here. Don’t leave,” he told Raven over his shoulder and got to work.
Two hours later, he presented the rogue with two small, square plates, as large as a silver coin.
“Take one.”
Taking the item, Raven examined it.
A SIGNAL RUNE
Type: Disposable
Rank: Unique
Description: A creation born from the union of blacksmith craft and magic. This rune will crumble away when activated, producing a powerful wave of magic that will be felt by its creator.
Range: Unlimited
Activation: Break the rune.
“Convenient.”
“Isn’t it amazing?” Hendelson said, proud of his new creation. “When you’re ready to prove the existence of the Columns or the Swords, come here and activate the Rune. I’ll come right away.”
The last thing Raven had to do before saying goodbye to Hendelson was to find out the space crack’s location so that he could close it and collect the quest reward.
Knock, Knock, Who’s There?
Rank: Unique
Description: As the one in possession of the Heavenly Observer’s gift, you cannot pass by a space crack without sealing it.
Reward:
+ 200,000 XP
+ 30 relationship points with Heavenly Observers
Memorizing the coordinates, Raven was about to leave when Hendelson stopped him again.
“By the way. You may keep my gift.”
“Ah, right... Haha, I almost forgot about it!” Raven slapped himself on the forehead and made a remorseful face. But Hendelson wasn’t that easy to trick.
“Drop the act, you rascal.”
Shaking his head, Hendelson turned away and sat down on a stool, pondering something.
Raven just nodded and, making no comments, waved the blacksmith farewell. Now only the system knew when their paths would cross again.
***
Hendelson’s old house was an hour’s walk away from the mountain. It was a small wooden hut with a smithy next to it. Raven passed by it without sparing it a second glance, heading for the nearby forest. According to Hendelson, the crack had appeared about a month ago. Expanding rapidly, it had already destroyed the nearby lake and the rocks around it.
The closer he came to the trees, the more magic energy he could feel in the air. This energy was suffocating him, stealing the air from his lungs. The colors were gone. A dark-golden glow had devoured the forest.
Attention! There is an open space crack nearby.
As an heir of the Heavenly King’s Seal, you must close it. This is your burden, and your blessing.
If you refuse:
Probability of the Kreel Forest ceasing to exist: 43%
Every new step took him more effort. Struggling to keep moving, he clenched his teeth.
So that’s what Zakhel meant when he said that closing these things isn’t easy. Shit. I thought it’d be free space energy, but nooo... Nothing can be easy in this fucking game.
He couldn’t see the crack yet, but he was already aware of how difficult this task would be to complete.
Attention! Your gear is being corrupted by space energy pouring from the crack.
Remove it to prevent further damage.
Reading that, Raven quickly put away all his gear into his inventory. He’d rather not test its durability. But once he thought about the prosthetic arm, his body suddenly absorbed some of the energy in the air.
The Diabolic Hand of Treason was created using space energy.
Space energy absorbed.
+1 space energy
“What?” Raven stared at his arm, observing balls of golden dust being sucked into it.
+1 space energy
“Fucking fuck. Is it a magic battery of sorts?”