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4.41% New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live / Chapter 49: Night Patrol

Chapitre 49: Night Patrol

As Astaroth logged back in, he noticed it was dark outside his alcove. He hadn't counted in the time dilation and a little over twelve hours had gone by in-game.

It was still dark, and his clock showed it was close to midnight.

He went to patrol outside the village while the people were still sleeping. It would pass the time, at least.

When he passed the entrance to the village, two people were outside, standing guard. One of them was the healer that had healed Konnor during their first duel. The second was an archer he wasn't familiar with.

He nodded his head to them and kept walking further away, hoping to see an enemy or monster he could test out his new strength on.

Genie was tailing behind Astaroth at a slow pace, looking around her, searching for something to sink her teeth in.

As he hadn't fed her in a few days, she had hunted rodents and such small creatures to sustain herself.

Astaroth was about to pull a slab of wolf meat from his inventory to feed her when she lunged at a nearby bush.

He heard a slight squeal from the brush and then Genie came out of it holding a squirrel-looking creature.

She gobbled it up quickly, not even leaving enough time for Astaroth to scan the creature. He could guess it was a trash mob like most games had.

What made him curious about it was the possibility that their levels were low enough that he could have used those to level up early.

But it was already too late to think about this matter. He was now strong enough that he did not need to kill such small critters.

After eating her snack, Genie looked towards the north, her ears perking up.

"What is it, girl?" Astaroth asked, seeing her reaction.

Genie growled in the direction she was looking before darting away. All Astaroth could feel through their connection was anger.

He launched himself at Genie's pursuit, making sure he never lost sight of her.

Astaroth could hear fighting noises in the distance. The further he ran, the more those became clear.

They eventually both ran to the edge of a clearing and saw what was causing all the ruckus.

The unit that was on patrol was fighting a flock of giant red bats. The bats were almost a meter wide, and they were blood red.

Astaroth scanned one, to figure out if he should help or not.

Blood Bat

Level: 12

Grade: Common

Health: 350 Mana: 140

He surmised the monsters were of the swarming type. He scanned many more, but all of them ranged between Lvl 10 to Lvl 15.

Where the issue lay, and why he intervened, was in their numbers. They numbered in the hundred.

He couldn't possibly count them, but he could roughly guess by the size of the bats and the size of the swarm.

He remembered to upgrade White Death's stats and dumped the eighteen available points into agility. Then he used Spirit Meld.

His hair turned white, and fur grew on his arms and cheeks. Claws also grew out of his fingertips. Astaroth again felt the rush of being powerful.

He quickly glanced at his status window before lunging into combat.

Status:

Name: Astaroth (Fused to White Death)

Race: Ash Elf

Level: 30 (37'285/559'950)

Stats:

HP: 11'850/11'850 MP: 2'890/2'890 Stamina: 100

Mana Regen: 1/second in combat, 5/second out of combat

Strength: 48 (+55) Agility: 48 (+53) Constitution: 39 (+63)

Intelligence: 48 (+27) Wisdom: 31 (+27)

Attack Power Str: 515 Attack Power Agi: 505 Magic Attack Power: 375 Healing Power: 290

Natural Defense: 10.2% Armor Defense: 14%

Luck: 0 (Stat unaffected by Level up and free points)

Available stat points: 0

Available skill points: 0

Physical Condition: Normal

Mental Condition: Normal

Seeing his insane stats, he instantly knew he didn't need to pull out weapons to deal with these creatures.

So he decided against it, and went into full feral mode, tearing apart the bats with his claws. He tried biting one to death at some point, but the taste was so horrible, he didn't try it again.

The rush of tearing the enemies apart with his own hands exhilarated him, but he remembered to keep his emotions in check, always keeping his head screwed on straight.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Genie was also faring well. Even though she couldn't one-shot all her foes, she still dealt quite enough damage to them on each hit.

The battle went on for almost an hour, with the bats not always being in range for melee combat.

During all that time, he received many notifications about resisting confusion.

The bats had an attack called Sonic Cry that could inflict confusion, but apparently, his mental resistance was currently higher than their chances of confusing him.

The same wasn't true about his impromptu allies and Genie, as they sometimes started throwing attacks at their allies.

That forced the people being attacked to focus on defense and allowed the bats to dish out more damage. Astaroth even had to hold Genie a few times, lest she attack the others nearby.

She might not kill them, but she would render the situation more perilous, and that was less than ideal.

During the times Astaroth wasn't spirit melded, they also confused him a few times, due to receiving so many Sonic Cries at the same time.

It was a given that some would work, even with his high mental resistance. When you receive fifty attacks, one after the other, one of them is bound to succeed.

The feeling he got from the confusion was peculiar. While he was confused, when he looked around, all he could see were bats.

He couldn't tell where his allies had been seconds prior, and that resulted in some attacks from him hurting his comrades.

It happened less and less throughout the fight since the number of enemies was falling at a steady pace.

Once the last bat had died, Astaroth sat down, exhaustion catching up with him. They had been fighting non-stop for almost an hour, and they couldn't lower their guard even once.

Out of all the combatants present, only Genie looked like she was fine. That was normal, with her animalistic stamina, he thought.

The patrol unit thanked Astaroth for helping, before asking him what he was doing outside the village at this time of the night.

Astaroth brushed them off, saying he had woken up and needed fresh air. He added that when he heard the commotion; he went to check it out and found them fighting.

He couldn't in good conscience leave them to fight so many enemies on their own, so he joined in.

While they were talking, Genie strolled around, eating the hearts of the bats straight out of their chests.

That creeped out the fellow elves around Astaroth, and he could only chuckle wryly.

She enjoyed her meal for a while, before being full and coming to lie down near Astaroth.

He simply smiled and pet her back, while looking up at the starry sky.

It was a beautiful night, and the weather was cozy. After emptying his energy reserves this way, he felt like he could just fall asleep right there.

It was tempting to do so, too. But he couldn't know when other monsters would walk by him and decide to use him as a late-night snack.

After a bit of rest, he asked the patrol if they wanted his help for the rest of the night, but they politely declined.

What would they look like if they couldn't perform their duties without outside help, after all?

Astaroth didn't insist and walked back towards the village. He wandered around a little before deciding to go to a recluse corner and train.

He fought with his eyes closed, imagining enemies around him. He would fight with one weapon, then switch to another, and then another, cycling between his full arsenal.

The enemies, he imagined, all wielded different weapons, thus the weapon changing, to adapt to their shortcomings.

This lasted until the break of dawn, when someone walked up to Astaroth, watching him train with a critical eye.

Astaroth was the first to break the silence, not stopping his shadow training.

"Have you come to watch me, or spar with me?" He asked his observer.

"Simply to watch, boy. You have progressed in the art of adapting, I see." Kloud, who was standing there, told him.

"I'm still not at the point where I would feel comfortable doing it in actual combat." Astaroth responded.

"In due time. Nothing comes from rushing things, young man." Kloud said, nodding his head.

The smile on his face betrayed the pride he held, looking at his protege growing.

"I was told today was the day I venture to the capital for my coming-of-age." Astaroth said, opening one eye to see Kloud's reaction.

"Aye. Aberon has apprised me of such news." Kloud replied, nodding his head slightly again.

Astaroth saw the smile drop a little on his teacher's face when he said that.

"Is something bothering you, teacher?" He asked.

"Nothing for you to concern yourself about, young one." Kloud said, smiling again.

Astaroth knew he was hiding something, but he didn't pry further. He just hoped Kloud would eventually trust him enough to tell him his story. Who knows, maybe that would unlock a quest.

"You should go wash up and prepare for the trip ahead, lad. It is a long journey to the capital." Kloud said, walking away.

"Aye aye, teacher." Astaroth said, stopping his training and giving him a salute.

He then went to wash up and prepare.


L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS
Galanar Galanar

If you liked my story, add it to your library!

This story is in the Fantasy Carnival, so it needs Power Stones to up-rank. If I get into the top 100, I will drop an extra 2 chapters that day. Another 2 chapters for top 50. I will up the stakes at 5 bonus chapters for top 20, and another 5 for top 10! Please vote for me! :)

I have changed format for the bonus chapters to 100 PS per week, since we are doing so good :)

We maintain 49th! We have barely been passed, but the next 2 spots are still relatively close. Top 20 is our next goal! Let's keep this going!

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next chapter

Chapitre 50: Securing A Ride

There wasn't much to prepare for his trip, apart from some food for the road and a blanket to sleep out.

He took the blanket Korin had given him and shoved it into his inventory. Then he walked to the barracks to request some travel rations. The man at the counter agreed and gave him three days' worth of food.

Astaroth thanked him before heading to the old mage's abode. Aberon was walking out of his home when Astaroth arrived at the front of the house.

He waited before the stairs, letting the man turn around. When Aberon turned around, he looked at Astaroth with a tired look.

"Do you know how much trouble you are putting me through, young man?" Aberon asked him.

"Trouble? What trouble, sir?" Astaroth asked, oblivious to what he meant.

*Sigh*

"I haven't been to the capital in a long time. Too long." Aberon said with a sigh.

Astaroth could see a look of longing mixed with a tinge of melancholy in his eyes. He really wanted to know more, but he knew better than to anger the man with his inquisitive questioning.

That didn't stop him from staring at Aberon with burning curiosity. The mage could feel the stare even with his back to Astaroth.

"Don't look at me for answers, young one, for they are not mine to give." Aberon said, his tone final.

Astaroth couldn't help but wonder who he would need to question for those answers, if not Aberon. After all, he was the one that hadn't been there in so long.

They walked towards the village entrance, where a carriage was waiting. Weirdly, though, the carriage had no horses or bulls attached to it.

Astaroth could see the attachment in the front, where one would normally harness horses or bulls, but no animal was there.

He could see some of the village warriors loading some baggage on the back of the carriage. He recognized them as the first team he had patrolled with.

I'dril was leading the loading of the supplies, Korin and Aj'axx doing all the heavy lifting, while Chris was talking to Kloud to the side.

Astaroth walked to the two men with a quick gait.

"Kloud, Chris! Are you both coming on this trip?" He asked, almost enthusiastically.

"Bahahaha!" Chris bellowed.

"You don't need the two strongest men in the kingdom to reach the capital, kid." He added. Slapping Astaroth on the back.

"Only Chris is going." Kloud said, gazing at the man sternly.

"I can't reasonably leave the village without a high-level combatant, can I?" He added.

"But why is it Chris that's coming, and not you?" Astaroth asked.

Again, Astaroth could see a look of melancholy flash in Kloud's eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"That's… a story for another time, boy." Kloud said, walking away with his back ramrod straight.

Once more, Astaroth was being devoured by curiosity as Kloud was walking away. A light smack behind his head brought him back to reality.

Chris was looking at him with a gentle smile.

"Be patient. He will open up to you someday." He said, patting Astaroth's shoulder.

Chris then turned around and walked to the carriage. He began helping to load it up.

Astaroth stood there for a few moments, wondering if everyone in this village knew something that they weren't telling him.

He shook his head, throwing that thought away.

'There is probably a good reason for keeping it from me.' He thought.

He walked over to help prepare the carriage for the trip, still wondering where the creatures to pull it were.

It only took a few minutes to finish packing up, and then Astaroth turned to look at Aberon.

"I think we are ready. What now?" He asked the old man.

Aberon walked by him, not responding. He looked at Chris and Aj'axx.

"Pull the carriage outside." He ordered, walking towards the village entrance.

Astaroth followed the old man, wondering what he was going to do. He hoped they wouldn't have to pull the carriage themselves until they reached the capital.

After walking outside the barrier, the old man pulled something from his sleeve. It looked like a wooden whistle with some weird engravings on it.

He brought the object to his mouth and blew lightly in it. The melody that came out of the whistle was neither aggressive nor stressful.

Rather, it was quite delicate, like the sound of wind blowing through treetops. It whistled like the rustling of leaves and echoed the sound of hollow tree trunks.

Astaroth felt it was quite a relaxing sound, pleasing to the ear.

Nothing happened for a few moments after Aberon blew the whistle. The birds started scattering from the distant trees.

Astaroth couldn't see what had caused this yet, but Genie, beside him, started growling. Her fur was standing‌ straight on her back like she was feeling the approach of a predator.

Astaroth bent down to pet her.

"What's the matter, girl? Is something approaching that is scarring you?" He asked her, gently caressing her back to calm her.

"Her reaction is normal. You will understand soon enough." Aberon said, moving forward a few steps.

He then pulled out a pouch from his robe and waited.

The wait was short-lived when two shadows darted out of the forest in front of them.

Astaroth's heart almost stopped at the sight. His hair stood on his arms, in fear so primal he couldn't control it.

In front of Aberon stood two stags of abnormal size. To call them giants was a step too far, but one could neither call their sizes normal.

Their bodies seemed coated in tree moss of vibrant green. Their antlers, made of intertwining branches, spread wide above their heads.

There were so many points to them that Astaroth gave up counting them. Their eyes were pitch black, reflecting every little detail around them.

Astaroth tried inspecting the creatures but only got names out of them.

Guardian of the Forest, Arborea:

Level: ???

Grade: Mythical

Guardian of the Forest, Teraria:

Level: ???

Grade: Mythical

Astaroth's jaw dropped. Mythical creatures.

The fear both he and Genie were feeling right now was the natural reaction to facing a greater being. He couldn't even stand up from the mental pressure the two stags were emitting.

He locked eyes with one, Arborea, and his vision swam. Visions of leaves and trees, for miles and miles, filled his head.

It only lasted for a fleeting moment, before Chris jerked his head downwards, breaking eye contact.

"Don't look them in the eyes." Chris whispered, letting go of Astaroth's head.

"You could have warned me beforehand." Astaroth grumbled, keeping his line of sight low.

"YOU HAVE CALLED ON US, MAGE. SPEAK YOUR REQUEST." A voice boomed all around them.

"I need safe passage across your forests to reach the capital of the Ash Elf kingdom." Aberon replied, bowing low.

"YOU CALLED ON US, GUARDIANS, FOR SUCH A MENIAL REQUEST?" The voice boomed again, with an undertone of anger.

"I have. I know of the dangers roaming your lands, and wish safe passage with my fellow men." Aberon answered, keeping his body at a ninety-degree angle.

"PAY THE TRIBUTE." The loud voice said.

Aberon lifted the pouch in his hand and emptied the content into his other.

In his hand now lay six acorns. They had a pristine shine to them, as if they had just fallen from a tree.

"Acorns, from the mother of the forest. One for each traveler." Aberon said, stretching his hand forward.

The stag on the right, the one Astaroth had locked eyes with, Arborea, moved forward. It took the acorns out of Aberon's hand.

A few moments passed in silence before the voice boomed again.

"THE TRIBUTE HAS BEEN PAID. MAY YOUR TRIP BE SAFE AND FORTUITOUS."

Then the two stags turned around to leave. Arborea stopped turning for a slight moment, its eyes peering at Astaroth before it resumed its action and left.

As they left, four wooden stags the size of horses grew out of the ground.

"Harness them, boys!" Chris bellowed.

The train of events took Astaroth's breath away.

'What just happened?' He thought.


L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS
Galanar Galanar

Bonus chapter for 400 PS :)

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