Grabbing his head in pain Dante fell to his knees and let out a gasp of pain as pop-up appeared:
Congratulations on killing a mythical beast
You have slain a mythical beast! Though not as powerful as the legendary beasts of this world they are a force to be reckoned with. In destroying Enchantress Seline you have ended her corruption and tyranny over Serlonia while also eradicating the last of the plague that she had cursed the lands with hundreds of years ago.
Rewards: Knowledge: Demon King Location, 7,000,000 exp, 1,500,000 gold, and 1 +20 Earring of the Enchantress +50 Mana/Energy, +20 Attack, +20 Accuracy
Knowledge: Demon King Location
Upon killing the Enchantress some of her dark magic seeps into you and awakens her knowledge in you about the whereabouts of the Demon King. Head southwest and find the Shade Knights who hold the key to the king’s secret shrine in the elven mountains. Beware the ents of the forest, for the have the power to keep even the Enchantress herself at bay.
Ignoring the words of his friends Dante scooped up the items left behind from the Enchantress and hurried with the group out of the room. The corridor was quiet as the dead but once they stepped out into the courtyard that silence was broken by roars of panic and screams of surprises as anarchy had been loosed on the capital city. Not having time or the energy to solve everyone's problems Dante and his group carefully made their way back to the house and barred the doors before relaxing and going over the new information.
Dante Alexander: Knight Mage
Level: 39.74
Attack Power:226
Defense Power:427
Health:1905/1905
Mana:1327/1327
Stamina:1301/1301
Attack Speed +5
Casting Speed +5
Critical Hit +5
Movement Speed +5
Gear:
Main Hand
+14 Blade of Chaos
Off Hand
+14 Short Sword of Chaos
Helm
+19 Hidden Circlet of Chaos +150 HP
Armor
+25 Leather Breastplate of Chaos +250 HP and +30% Damage Reduction
Gloves
+17 Leather Gloves of Chaos +250 Mana/Stamina, +22 to evasion
Shoes
+18 Leather Shoes of Chaos +250 stamina, +87 to evasion
Set effects:
2 pieces: + 1 to casting/ attacking speed
3 Pieces: +1 to critical hit
Full set: +1 to movement speed, and +40 to Attack
L Earring slot +20 Earring of the Enchantress +50 Mana/Energy, +20 Attack, +20 Accuracy
R Earring slot +20 Earring of the Enchantress +50 Mana/Energy, +20 Attack, +20 Accuracy
L Ring slot Ring of Attack +1 to attack speed
R Ring slot +10 Ring of Stamina +25 Stamina, +8 Attack, +10 Evasion
Necklace slot +12 Assassins Necklace +10 Attack, +6 Defense, +6 Evasion
Belt slot +13 Snakeskin Belt +14 Attack, +10 Accuracy
Skills:
Basic Attack
Swift Strike
Cascading Blades
Scatter Blades
Chaotic Shield
Hidden Power
Cycle of Fate
Chaos Hold
Shadows of Chaos
Intertwined Fates
Chaos Dash
Plight of Chaos
Chaotic Blast
Chaotic Subterfuge
Light of Chaos
Dominion of Chaos
Core Attack: Annihilation
Chaotic Flow
Evasive Blade Stance
Lashing Chaos
Burst of Chaotic Blades
Leap of Chaos
Companions:
Terrance Walsh: Warrior
Level:35.77
Attack Power:189
Defense Power:372
Health:2304/2304
Stamina:1311/1311
Attack Speed +5
Casting Speed +2
Critical Hit +5
Movement Speed +5
Erchik: Crossbowman
Level:36.01
Attack Power:206
Defense Power:301
Health:1672/1672
Stamina:1033/1033
Attack Speed +5
Casting Speed +0
Critical Hit +3
Movement Speed +4
Laurina: Healer
Level:34.03
Attack Power:212
Defense Power:330
Health:1441/1441
Mana: 1017/1017
Stamina: 671/671
Attack Speed +1
Casting Speed +5
Critical Hit +5
Movement Speed +4
Chapter Thirty-Five
As soon as they made it back to the house they barred the door with the extra furniture from storage. Dante’s head was still splitting with the rush of information that was forced into it but he managed to convey what he had learned after their fight had finished. Not wanting to stick around the city in case someone finds out who killed the Queen they decided to lay low and rest up until the following night, staying no longer than absolutely necessary. They rested in shifts, all refusing to let Dante take a shift due to his head bothering him so much. Otherwise undisturbed by the for the rest of the night, someone tried to break in but finding that the door was barred stopped and left them unbothered during the wee hours of the morning.
Heads clear and ready for the next battle the group went over the details of the night before and pulled out an old map laying around in storage to chart their path. Knowing little of the lands Laurina, Terrance, and Erchik listened to Dante who recounted the carious bits of knowledge he remembered. With each new detail he would point at the map outlining an area where a mob might be located or an otherwise unknown path might be hidden.
Pointing at what looked like old castle ruins Dante informed them. “Last I remember the Shade knights had an underground lair of sorts here where they liked to lay low. Full of mostly humanoid creatures created from pure darkness they don’t really like the surface all that much. If I can remember correctly they were an offshoot of the Demon King's followers who decided to delve a little deeper and got corrupted by what they found. They’re pretty much the elites of the Demon King's loyal servants in this world so I am not surprised that they would have the key to his secret sanctuary. As to the secret sanctuary itself I know the general area but by the sounds of it the key or somehow retrieving the key will lead us more directly to the Demon King.”
Going over the terrain Laurina spoke next “I think the map is mostly correct. There are a few small changes in the landscape as you have notice through your travels and the last bit of news that the abbey got said that when the elves left the ent’s took over the whole of the forest and slaughtered anyone who attempted to get through. Most agree that the elves put them up to it but we honestly have no idea either way. Just know that most the monsters are between level forty and forty-five and are resistant to most forms of magic and melee skills.”
“Do we know what might affect them the most?” Terrance asked.
Erchik piped up “I would guess fire based spells and spirit based melee attacks.”
Laurina nodded. “Your guess would be right. Though there is no proof of it spirit type melee attacks are suspected to be infused with a hint of fire magic. Monks of old said that those types of attacks were infused with the fiery spirit of the person using the attack. What we know for sure is the few accounts of people getting away mention that both fire based magic and spirit based melee were the most effective.”
Smiling Terrance nodded. “Well thankfully most of my attacks are spirit based” Then jabbing a thumb in Dante’s direction. “But not too sure if his chaos magic attacks are gonna be much good here so we best plan for the worst.”
Dante shrugged. “So far the chaos magic seems to counter almost everything or at least deal a decent amount of damage to almost anything so I wouldn’t coun
t it out completely. I think it would be prudent to be prepared for the worst regardless though.”
Looking around the house and listening to the ongoing rioting and fighting outside his old home Dante made up his mind about the near future. “I am going to pack up the house.” Calling both maids over offering them a kind smile before talking to them as equals instead of as simply designed tools developed by the developers. “I don’t want to leave you here in this mess so when I do leave I will cancel your contracts. I think I know our next stop and will use the container interface to send your contracts and all my stuff from Serlonia to our next stop. When I get there we will have to set you up again in one of my other old houses but I figure it is better safe than sorry. That is if you two do not mind being stored away for now?”
Both maids gave him fond smiles and bowed speaking in unison “We are happy you would give us a choice in the matter but we think your decision is best for all” before walking away busying themselves with tidying the place.
With that settled Dante asked everyone to sit on the beds while he entered the house interface and put everything into storage except for the beds and bathing area. He’d decided to pack those last knowing that it may be a while before they slept on anything comfortable or were able to bath with warm water. Once done the group sat around and finalized their departure plans and the charting of their course to the Shade Knight’s location.
Everything settled Dante pulled food out of storage and they ate a quiet and simple meal of tack and jerky with the last of the fresh fruits and a bit of cheese. Mouth still full of food Terrance sat up a moment as if a thought just struck him “Wait!” he shouted. “Does this mean we still have more legendary beasts to kill?”
Chuckling and trying not to choke on his mouth full of food Dante quickly chased it with a bit of fresh water. “Yeah after the Demon King the only other thing left here on this side of the world as far as I know is the legendary beast Regem Ligno who also drops a main hand weapon. I never got a chance at him when I was an adventurer before so we will be going into this one blind. Also I have an even larger house out in Lumen Silva. It should make a nice new home for the maids and I think after all is said and done we could use the rest before trekking all the way to the desert for the last two items.”
“Desert?” Terrance, Laurina, and Erchik all asked confused.
“Yes” Dante replied “The one that is in the far east and separates the land of Arba and Intan. I think it was called the Arenae desert.”
Everyone looked at him oddly until Terrance smacked his head realized the reason for the confusion. “That's right it used to be a desert, but now it is the Sea of Arenae. There’s a large water dragon and a sea serpent that live in it so most just go around the northern waterways to avoid them. Occasionally ancient weapon beasts will bob to the surface time and wreak havoc and those who’ve survived them say they are a force to be reckoned with.”
Looking at his friends incredulously “A sea?” he said in surprise. “How the fuck did a desert become a damn sea?”
Laurina laughed and waved off the question as she finished her food. “No one is really sure. But it is said that around the time that the Adventurers left there was a thunderous sound that shook the land from one end of the continent to the other and almost overnight where there had once been a sea of sand there was now a large body of water. Most figure it was the reaction of the Gods to having lost the aid of the Adventurers who kept the worlds order but no one really knows for sure.”
So trapped in thought Dante didn’t even notice Terrance finish Dante’s food along with his own. Before long though he was shaken from his mental stupor by the others who brought to his attention that it was time to go. They'd all rested and relaxed a bit throughout the day but a few hours after night fell they packed up the rest of the house in the storage container. Before closing the contracts and sending those along with all of his belongings to the elven lands Dante said his thanks and goodbyes to the maids assuring them that he would make sure to get them setup as soon as possible in their new home.
Door unbarred the group snuck out and as he closed the door behind him Dante turned around and looked at it one last time and unchecked the residence tab in the interface relinquishing ownership of the house before he followed the others through the night. Ducking into alleyways and scurrying around in shadows they made it out of town quickly enough. Only a few times did they run into anyone but not wanting to hurt any of the confused people of what remained of Serlonia they hid and got away without doing anyone further harm.
Night sounds of insects and birds of prey were all that they heard as they moved further away from the road in into the forest along one of Dante’s old off road forest paths. When he’d played the game he was one of those who rode a horse at breakneck speeds and took shortcuts everywhere not wanting to waste a moment. It was one of these paths that they had chosen as their default route to their next destination. Not much had lurked in the forest when he ran through, mostly some large rocky spiders which hardly noticed them as they passed by.
Per the plan they traveled for a few hours, slowly and carefully making their way forward before stopping for the night and setting up camp in a small clearing far away from anything that should be able to do them any sort of harm. Knowing that the world had changed though since Dante was last here they took no chances and slept in shifts letting two people sleep while the other two would keep an eye out. Nothing bothered them the rest of the night though there were a few unfamiliar and odd sounds that were otherwise indistinguishable to either group of outlooks.
Dante Alexander: Knight Mage
Level: 39.74
Attack Power:226
Defense Power:427
Health:1905/1905
Mana:1327/1327
Stamina:1301/1301
Attack Speed +5
Casting Speed +5
Critical Hit +5
Movement Speed +5
Gear:
Main Hand
+14 Blade of Chaos
Off Hand
+14 Short Sword of Chaos
Helm
+19 Hidden Circlet of Chaos +150 HP
Armor
+25 Leather Breastplate of Chaos +250 HP and +30% Damage Reduction
Gloves
+17 Leather Gloves of Chaos +250 Mana/Stamina, +22 to evasion
Shoes
+18 Leather Shoes of Chaos +250 stamina, +87 to evasion
Set effects:
2 pieces: + 1 to casting/ attacking speed
3 Pieces: +1 to critical hit
Full set: +1 to movement speed, and +40 to Attack
L Earring slot +20 Earring of the Enchantress +50 Mana/Energy, +20 Attack, +20 Accuracy
R Earring slot +20 Earring of the Enchantress +50 Mana/Energy, +20 Attack, +20 Accuracy
L Ring slot Ring of Attack +1 to attack speed
R Ring slot +10 Ring of Stamina +25 Stamina, +8 Attack, +10 Evasion
Necklace slot +12 Assassins Necklace +10 Attack, +6 Defense, +6 Evasion
Belt slot +13 Snakeskin Belt +14 Attack, +10 Accuracy
Skills:
Basic Attack
Swift Strike
Cascading Blades
Scatter Blades
Chaotic Shield
Hidden Power
Cycle of Fate
Chaos Hold
Shadows of Chaos
Intertwined Fates
Chaos Dash
Plight of Chaos
Chaotic Blast
Chaotic Subterfuge
Light of Chaos
Dominion of Chaos
Core Attack: Annihilation
Chaotic Flow
Evasive Blade Stance
Lashing Chaos
Burst of Chaotic Blades
Leap of Chaos
Companions:
Terrance Walsh: Warrior
Level:35.77
Attack Power:189
Defense Power:372
Health:2304/230
4
Stamina:1311/1311
Attack Speed +5
Casting Speed +2
Critical Hit +5
Movement Speed +5
Erchik: Crossbowman
Level:36.01
Attack Power:206
Defense Power:301
Health:1672/1672
Stamina:1033/1033
Attack Speed +5
Casting Speed +0
Critical Hit +3
Movement Speed +4
Laurina: Healer
Level:34.03
Attack Power:212
Defense Power:330
Health:1441/1441
Mana: 1017/1017
Stamina: 671/671
Attack Speed +1
Casting Speed +5
Critical Hit +5
Movement Speed +4
Chapter Thirty-Six
No one spoke as they moved forward the next day. The only sound made among the group was a slight squeal that Laurina let out as they crossed a cold river to continue along the charted path. It caused hushed chuckles from the rest of the group but keeping in mind there next stop they sobered up again fairly quickly. Around noon time they stopped on the outskirts of the forest and had a light lunch. Without any idea as to the changes in this part of the world they wanted to be prepared for anything. When Dante was here last as a player in the game the surrounding areas were staging areas for the Blue Orc Clan who were seemingly attempting to make a go at the Serlonian area. Only the sounds of the forest greeted them now though. Not the grunts of working orcs or the clash of weapon on weapon as they practiced for upcoming battles like he would hear this close to what used to be their settlement in the game.
From the Beginning Page 21
