亚洲综合中美

‘Five adventuring parties, one’s unknown to each other. At the morning quest’s display, one stood out in particular, one that involved wiping out a horde of monsters. The rank assign was tier-six with a special requirement; five parties would have to work together. I don’t know the reason why, but it all started then and there. The higher-rank party, Kniq, took command of the others. All were respectful, the journey to the location took quite a while. Upon arrival, the forest, one that seemed dense was cleared – a path in the middle led straight towards an open field. For some reason, it reminded me of an arena with the trees as spectators. Very quickly, the teams were placed in formation, Swift and I stood in the back with Kniq. The other three were decoys, a plan that we all agreed. There wasn’t a doubt in our minds that victory was assured, the warriors taunted over and over again.

The first hour went by quietly, all who were specialized in long-range battle took refuge in the foliage. Afterward, goblins of low-rank rushed us, they seemed unorganized and filled with hatred – the eyes burnt with a redden color. It was simple enough dispatching those low-tiered devils. With each strike, confidence grew, every group had an area to cover. We were in charge of the middle, the formation changed half-way through. The others covered the four cardinal points, our job was to kill anyone who got past their defenses. Horde after horde, blood-shed, but they kept on coming. Fatigue took over, just as the breathing grew erratic – wolves ran out. Some were being ridden by goblins; a dire situation to which we pulled through by Stamina-potions. In that fashion, two to three hours went by.

The nauseating sound of someone’s head getting bitten off took us by surprise. One of the recruits the others had brought was ambushed. The formation broke without us noticing, we were all over the place, that ambush was the spark that triggered our defeat. Gunshots were fired, Deadeyes did all he could to protect the rest, Achilles and Viola took charge when we all fell into the depth of uncertainty. Guilt whelmed our party, that girl who died was because our fault – the beast slipped past our defenses.

Thinking we might have had a chance, with Kniq fighting to keep us alive. We rose yet again, this all happened in seconds that felt like minutes. Doubt cleared, vigor found, adrenaline pulsing, we fought, the hordes only kept on increasing. It was hell, slash after slash, the battle raged. However skilled or talented one was, fatigue was the only thing that held back and got fighters killed. In our case, tis was no different, it felt as if we were being toyed with. In a flash of blinding light, Achilles sprinted around the edges of the field, she sliced through trees and slew all who hid in ambush. A move that was supposed to give us breathing room – but none was the wiser to what came next. Hobgoblins, a single swing sufficed to sent the girl across. Unconscious, they rushed her without paying heed to us. Obliged to help, everyone ran and stood in the monster’s path. They were as big as a two-story house, bigger than the trees, and larger – I’d have given them Tier-four ratings.

Despite this, with Avon helping in supportive magic, the giants could not be stopped. People crushed, some eaten, some getting their head torn; all that death and suffering. At that moment, the one whomst I thought was the leader of Kniq stepped in, her appearance changed to which a blur is all I remember. Crimson colored lights slashed through the attackers; they fell.

A smile could have been seen, out of the five parties of which consists of four members each, only three remained – they gave up their lives to give us a surviving chance, but we were fools. As if lightning, the moment the hobgoblins died, other beasts came from behind, ones taller and stronger – ogres. There had been rumors about those monsters, one that even higher-guilds had troubles with. It didn’t take a second for one of the three remaining parties to be destroyed. Face with three of the beasts, the end came – fatigue, fear, and doubt, we all stood. Deadeyes rushed in despite being the support – he jumped in whilst trying to save me. One of the Ogre caught him and bit part of the leg; I could not stand by and watch, the man’s eyes screamed of regret and wanting to live. In that instant, all became clear – I jumped in the way trying to push him away, they got my left-arm. I didn’t care, my savior was saved.

.....

Just as my life flashed before my eyes as the club approached, Swift’s leader jumped and use Iron-maiden. An imprisonment skill that did equal damage to the host. He felt possessed, thanks to him, we were saved just for a few seconds. Laid in our blood, I saw the figures of two who were worthy of the title of hero; Achilles and Viola. A high-pitch noise was the last thing I remember.” The event retold, Athus’s breathing grew erratic. The memories triggered a sense of fear unlike any other.

“Thanks for helping,” strong hands patted his forehead to which he fell asleep.

“I find it hard to believe that goblins would work together with other monsters. The seamlessly relentless assault was a plan to tire out the fighters – that’s my take on it,” Adete voiced.

“I agree, the story has some inconsistencies but now we know what happened,” he stood, “-even if it’s a part of it,” the body relaxed.

“Are we headed on an expedition then?” she was sure that he would run to find out more details.

“No, we’ve got something more important than chasing monsters who might not even be there,” the door opened, he left. ‘There’s a deadline to fulfill, I can’t waste time on things that are beyond my control. Even if that attack was planned out by a higher-being, I doubt this is the last time we’ll hear of them,’ a wise assessment, cool and composed, he walked down the hall.

‘Jona is working beyond that door,’ he stopped and watched, ‘-none shall perish whilst that lady is here,’ he continued walking.

“Wait up,” footsteps scurried from said hall, a piercing voice, “-Just who are you?” Clarise stood and stared up.

“I’m Staxius,” he showed the alchemist badge, “-can’t a guy have a chance to change up the hairstyle?” the goal was to make people think that all these changes were done as a fashion statement. A hard lie to sell but she fondly got behind said prospect.

“That doesn’t matter,” she ignored the statement, “-I came searching for you earlier on. There’s a task that requires your intellect,” reluctant, a letter with an unknown insignia was given. “The nature of what the task is in there,” without another word, she turned around and walked away.

‘Things never change,’ with a sigh, he teleported back to the shop.

“Best get to work,” the head refocused after all that happened, the clothes torn, there was no time to rest. The machine worked double time; highly concentrated God’s ale was brewed. A few hours later, at around midnight – a third of the required amount was readied. This invention from Arda performed well beyond expectation, the ability to influence the process on the mana-level, made it all the easier.

*Beep,* the table vibrated, a table on which his sword, Tharis, a phone, and a glove were rested. All the commodities he carried were laid out.

‘I almost forgot about her,’ a quick glance revealed Cake’s name. ‘Better pick-up.’

“Hello?” he asked rather than a greeting.

“Glad to see that the phone I gave wasn’t just for show,” her tone felt frustrated but expected. “-where are you right now?” she asked, just as immediately her voice changed.

“I’m at my shop, is there something the matter?”

“Yeah,” she stood before a building in flame, one located outside the capital, a few hours drive to the north-west. A small town named Rotherham, a place ruled by repute merchants on the outside but controlled by the Underground on the inside. All who remained there were corrupted to which the royal-guards never had a clue.

“Care to give more details?” a fire could be heard in the background.

“Long story short, our hideout and storage facility have been destroyed. Sprinkles is truly over,” the voice woeful, she could not but watch as her hard-work turned to ashes.

“I see, there’s no helping it,” he took charge, “-get back to the capital,” to which he gave details of where the shop was located. It would take another few hours before she arrived, rather than wait, Staxius worked to get the first shipment ready.

‘Whilst I’m at it, why not take a look at what Clarise gave,’ the scroll opened, he completed the brewing process.

“The second task assigned to the Alchemist Staxius is a detailed examination of the following substances.” [Difficulty: A-Ranked]”

Confused to what substance, he thought long and hard till it clicked. ‘The substances must be the stains on the paper,’ placed in the light, three spots of what looked to be a light-colored fluid were seen. Without much effort, samples were taken – it didn’t take long thanks to what the engineers built.

‘Three droplets of liquidized mana; interesting.’ Compiled in a file, the task was complete just in time. A roar came from outside, Cake arrived; the timing could not have been any better.

“Elegant,” helmet taken off, she sat on the bike and wondered.

From the top floor being lit, the ground floor came to life, the door opened, to which Staxius signaled for her to come in.

“Nice hair,” she commented and entered.

“Thanks,” he guided her upstairs, there was no reason to hide anything.

“May I ask what’s the purpose of this place?”

“Tis a magical shop,” he sat at the desk, she was free to look around. The place relatively empty aside from all the apparatuses on the central table.

“I guess you’re an alchemist,” she sat on a stool, one that was used to get onto higher shelves. Her outfit was one skinny and made of leather, one that looked easy to move around in.

“Before we start,” he spoke, “-what is it that you want to do, what’s your purpose?”

“Seeing my position, there’s no getting back to the normal world. I haven’t a single clue right now but I swear I’ll find out who was foolish enough to mess with me,” the words came out as if a raging storm, her eyes lit with tenacity, she hadn’t given up yet.

“Good to see the fighting spirit hasn’t gone out yet,” sense-personality was used to check her inner-most belief and thought. No schemes, no plan, nothing out of the ordinary, the lady burnt with passion – the passion to kill all who did her harm.

“It’s safe to assume that Sprinkles has been wiped out. The men you rescued are unable to fight, it’s only us remaining. Getting back repute amidst the people of other gangs is going to be hard. The fight for survival is harsher, if something displeases you, pull the trigger, that’s the only rule we got. Shoot first, ask questions later,” she had seen her fair share of killing. The eyes of a murderer – there were more in common than they realized.

“Nothing is lost,” he voiced confidently, “-you’re a strategist of fame. People are afraid, starting over isn’t always a bad thing. Call it a purge – anyway, starting today, forget that Sprinkles existed. I don’t care if you had attachments to your companions, they’re dead,” the eyes devoid of emotions, Staxius spoke without restraint, “-starting up will be hard but not impossible. We’ll begin as manufacturers for god’s ale,” he pointed behind, “-that’s the product that is meant to be delivered to Karlson later. There are more ways than one to gain influence,” he smirked – she understood his intent.

“Rather than being powerful, we make ourselves essential to the organization, forge the path to being irreplaceable through alchemy; I like it,” she smiled, “-a battle of wits rather than a battle of strength.”

“That’s right, we’ll build up a strong foundation – gather members; elites, quality over quantity. Then set out on a quest to exact revenge on the gang who dared make us an enemy,” two masterminds at work, their ideas and goals intertwined – tis was the birth of a new sect.