Capítulo 58: What's Phase Three?
[Find a temple of Sterfen, the god of secrecy: incomplete]
[Find and enter a temple of Sterfen, the god of secrecy. Reward: varies on the party's interactions with the temple.]
Jack was intrigued to find an interesting, new achievement. Multiple things were running through his mind at the speed of light.
To find a blessed item and verify the existence of an ancient god's temple was equivalent to discovering a new island off the coast. This news would attract global attention.
There were still some temples of Halmut among the many capital cities across Kartonia. However, they were controlled and regulated by the Religious Council and Jack had found their new customs to be pitiful. Any blessing offered to items or adventurers was only a fraction of the basic blessings he knew in-game, and they were only given to devout followers.
What excited Jack was the particular god they needed to find. Sterfen, the god of secrecy, was previously one of the seven neutral gods that had disappeared from modern history. It wasn't the same god he had pledged to as a gamer, but Jack was sure that a certain hunter he knew would benefit greatly from pledging to such an entity. And that would also greatly benefit Jack by default.
Another interesting part of the achievement was the reward. That was the first time Jack's party as a whole would be able to affect an achievement directly. It implied that anyone in the party would be able to interact or not interact with the temple. And if normal adventurers like Rydel and Maynard could gain blessings directly from a god, like ancient heroes and others discovered the truth, wouldn't Jack's party become the envy of the continent?
"Hey, Jack…"
A whisper sounded in Jack's ear, causing him to open his eyes and face Brunar with an annoyed expression. "Can I help you?"
"Is it true what you said, about the blessings of the gods?" asked Brunar is a gentle, serious tone.
"Do I have reason to lie?"
"I don't think you're lying, but are you certain that you're right?" Brunar questioned further.
"Hmm…" Jack slowly blinked and leaned in closely. "There's a lot of things I'm certain of and there's a lot of things that you would never believe, especially if I described them in detail."
Brunar was taken aback by Jack's answer, finding that hard to believe, but Jack continued, "I can tell you that pledging to a god directly can be more beneficial than you can imagine. Also, there are more gods than you realize, and that bracer is proof."
"What do you mean?"
"That resplendent bracer has Sterfen's blessing. It's only at the basic level, but you can already see how powerful such an item is. It's because of that bracer that Slivia was captured so easily and it will also be key for our success in taking the goblin city," explained Jack.
"Who's Sterfen?" asked Brunar, too caught up on the unfamiliar name to digest everything else.
"Sterfen was the god of secrecy and was one of the seven powerful neutral gods in ancient Kartonia."
"Neutral gods? I've never heard of those?" Brunar's confusion slowly set in with each question.
"That's cause they didn't participate in the war of the gods and were lost to history, according to my knowledge," answered Jack. "You can believe what you want, but I know for a fact that Sterfen was the god who blessed that bracer. And no, I'm not willing to let a priest verify the blessing."
Brunar was about to ask that when his idea was shot down before conception, removing the only way to prove Jack's reasoning in Brunar's eyes. "Then… how do I know what you're saying is true?"
Jack chuckled, "You'll have to take my word for it."
Taking his time to think before responding, Brunar scratched his head and looked intently at the cave floor between him and Jack. "So, if I were to believe in everything you've said, what would that mean for me exactly?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Master already told me that after this mission he won't be partying with me anymore, then he said he'd be partying with you for who knows how long. You told him more than you're telling me right now, right?" asked Brunar.
"Yeah, so what?" Jack answered openly, not caring to offend.
"So, why not tell me the same stuff?" pled Brunar. "I'm his number one disciple and you said he vouched for me, so why not trust me?"
"I do trust you, enough to tell you this much. At first, I didn't trust you farther than I could throw you," reasoned Jack. "You had your chance to get on my good side back then, but you failed horribly, we both know that. Now, you'll have to earn that trust."
Brunar was going to interject but he couldn't disagree about their first interaction. He understood that he had acted wrongly out of pride and jealousy, but Brunar felt that he deserved to be prideful and wouldn't step down so easily.
"I've told you everything I'm willing to say for now. If you want more, then have faith in what I say and the plans I make. Any doubt you show me will prove I was right to not trust you." Jack shrugged and stared off into the distance, showing that he wasn't too interested in Brunar personally.
No further conversation was made as they both looked separate ways. Brunar pondered Jack's words and the events that Jack had caused or triggered within the mine. Finding a rare item was one thing but finding the tomb of an ancient hero was unheard of. Or Jack's knowledge about the strange Nightmare Lilies, that were rarely found in modern Kartonia. And then there was the Hell-flame Fox with a mutual seal on top of all that.
The young samurai was nearing a mental crossroads that would affect his life forever. Choosing to keep his former outlook on the world or following the absurd and unprecedented thoughts of a newly summoned hero.
Jack was unaffected by the previous conversation, returning to think about the new achievement. It was clear to Jack that this achievement would take him a long while to accomplish.
There were no clues about a location so he would have to search and investigate this himself. Lucky for him, he had access to the greatest database of knowledge on ancient Kartonia the world over, his own brain.
Combing over his past experiences, Jack remembered the location of a couple of temples. The problem with that was the distance; they'd have to travel across three countries to maybe find an ancient temple's ruins.
Time quickly passed as Troni was the first one to pass out, followed quickly by Brunar. Jack was teetering near the edge of consciousness when Maynard asked him a question, "What are ya doing for phase three?"
Rubbing some exhaustion from his eyes, Jack answered, "Just the usual infiltration of the palace and extraction of the survivors. You know how that goes."
"Before, ya mentioned something about me seeing your signal and going all out. What should I be looking for?" asked Maynard.
"Oh, that?" Jack smiled as he remembered. "I've made a few tweaks from my original plans for phase three, but I'm excited to see my distraction go into play."
"Distraction?"
"The appearance of a Hell-flame Fox is seen as an unstoppable natural disaster, right?"
Maynard joined Jack in smiling and asked, "Hmm… But what about Bowser? How long can he hold that form?"
"That's the thing. What's scarier; a Hell-flame Fox that approaches the city to wreak havoc or a Hell-flame Fox that appears and disappears throughout the city at random?"
"That might be the most frightening distraction I've ever heard of." Maynard knew that Bowser was low leveled but there was something about the fox that would still send shivers down Maynard's spine.
Similar to Jack, Maynard wasn't able to sense Bowser's level. Maynard didn't know how that was possible, but he understood one thing. The thought of a Hell-flame Fox, a creature that haunts legends, appearing out of nowhere with an undecipherable level would strike terror in the hearts of any adventurer.
And little did Maynard know that Jack had planned it even further. The reason Jack needed that resplendent bracer was for both Bowser and himself.
Jack's companion sharing skill would allow him to hide Bowser in his normal form as the fox dashed and relocated elsewhere. Hiding Bowser's flame body was impossible because it was considered an attack or an enraged state, but a small, speedy fox would easily slip past common goblins with invisibility.
Since phase one would attract the guards and most of the attention, Jack was betting that the goblins remaining in the city were generally the weakest. And once there was a commotion in the palace from phase two, who would be left to stop a rampaging Hell-flame Fox in the middle of the city?
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
TheSilverQuill
TheSilverQuill Sorry about yesterday, I was caught up at the dentist for a while. Thanks for reading and following along!
Capítulo 59: Discussing the Gods
'What are you two talking about?'
Maynard was startled when he heard Rydel's voice but was unable to determine where it came from. Jack laughed and didn't even bother searching, knowing he hadn't a chance of finding the stealthy hunter.
Rydel appeared within the emptied vein a meter away from the seated Jack. "What's this about phase three?"
"While you and the rest distract the goblin's main forces and those within the goblin palace, I'll be busy rescuing any survivors," answered Jack.
"And you'll let that fox pup wreak havoc in the meantime?" asked Rydel.
"Something like that, but it's just to distract and lower morale. If a huge flaming fox can distract the front lines and split their attention momentarily, then our reliable samurais will be able to slaughter them easily."
"There are a few things I wanted to talk to ya about," said Maynard. "First, ya should've realized that there will be some goblins above lv. 30, how are we going to deal with them?"
"Why don't you ask Rydel. Depending on how things went 'delivering' that neurotoxin, we'll have to adjust the plans." Jack redirected the conversation and attention to Rydel, who was now sitting down like the other two.
"About that," Rydel began to explain. "I had to make a decision. Instead of spreading the neurotoxin throughout the city, I made sure to contaminate every drop of water that the city guards could access." Like Jack, Rydel assumed that the majority of the goblin populace was around lv. 10, which he confirmed before acting.
Jack's face twitched as he pondered Rydel's decision and accepted it as the best option. "Then you and the others should be fine at the front gates. By the time anyone from the palace tries to stop you, the palace will be on high alert thanks to the captain."
Maynard lightly nodded and said, "I'm glad to hear that, but what about Rydel in the palace? Won't ya be at a higher risk with them at full strength?"
Rydel didn't turn his head but his eyes glanced to the side and met Maynard's gaze. "Don't worry about me. I was going to ask if I could use this new bracer to help make things much smoother. But I'm guessing that'll be met with some opposition."
"Sorry captain but both me and Bowser need that bracer for our plan to work," reasoned Jack. "Right now, we're just shy of lv. 15 and would struggle to do anything. Bowser can just 'Flame On!' and he'll be fine, but what about me? That bracer will let me slip into the palace while the palace guards are busy tracking you and will also help Bowser disappear from the goblins in his normal form."
"So, the rumors are true? Your items can affect the fox too?" deduced Rydel. "I understand and am willing to part with the bracer, but I do like it despite its low level."
'What if I told you that I could get you something even better?' asked Jack telepathically, leading Rydel's conversation like he would dangle a carrot in front of a horse.
'What's better than invisibility?' Rydel knew Jack was once an ancient hero but that wouldn't change his opinion on the skill of invisibility. The hunter had always sought that ability, trying his best to erase his presence by improving similar skills.
He finally had a way to go completely invisible and there were no side effects. Rydel struggled to believe what could be more tempting than that.
'That's just a basic blessing that any follower of Sterfen could easily request. You might be able to get an intermediate blessing, letting you attack while invisible,' persuaded Jack.
'Go on,' said Rydel, anxious to hear more.
'If you're hit, then the invisibility will dissipate, but then you'll become like many hunters in ancient times.'
'How do you plan to do that?' asked Rydel.
Jack chuckled, 'Simple, we visit a temple of Sterfen, the god of secrecy.'
'Seriously?' Rydel was amazed at how casual Jack had mentioned such a solution. 'It can't be that simple, right?'
'Why not? All we have to do is locate and visit one of Sterfen's temples. After that, it'll be a piece of cake. Besides, you're not satisfied with this level of invisibility, are you?' asked Jack.
'Well…' Rydel wasn't able to refute Jack because deep down he felt exactly as Jack described. He wouldn't be satisfied as a master of stealth until becoming invisible was as easy as breathing.
'Then how will we find one of these temples?' Rydel mustered up the words to ask.
'The nearest temple of Sterfen that I can remember is in the…' Jack paused as he stroked his chin in thought. Unaware that Jack was checking his system map, Maynard and Rydel waited patiently for Jack to continue. 'It'll be in the newly formed Aazoon Kingdom.'
'In Aazoon?' Rydel flinched when he heard that.
'Oh my,' said Maynard, having some insight to Rydel's past.
Seeing the shock that flashed by Rydel's face, Jack guessed the reason, 'That's where ya first fled, wasn't it? Where your mother got fatally sick, right?'
'Yeah, that's the place,' said Rydel. His voice wasn't shaky, just a little slower than usual.
'That's where we'll find the nearest temple I know of. Of course, there's the chance that it's been destroyed and ruined over the years, but it's worth investigating,' continued Jack.
Matching the flow of the conversation, Rydel returned to his usual self. 'Then we'll head there on the way to Trodar, right?'
'Exactly,' Jack answered with a nod.
'Umm, what about me?' asked Maynard, not willing to be left out. 'I'm not interested in this god of secrecy, but there's got to be some other god we can find for me, right?'
'I was about to mention that,' stated Jack. 'Any requests or preferences?'
Maynard smiled and explained his desires, 'There's a sword god, right?'
'There is, but,' Jack had already planned this response in anticipation, 'I'm less confident in finding that temple in a functioning condition then I am about the other.'
'Really? Why?' questioned Maynard
'Because of the war?' guessed Rydel.
'That's exactly why,' agreed Jack. 'The twenty gods that fought in the war are publicly known yet no one has pledged to them nowadays. Why's that?'
Maynard's shoulders drooped, already realizing the answer. Jack continued, 'We can search for it if you want; there used to be a shrine for Tyres, the sword god in the Zuran Empire. However, looking over a map you'd see that it's now in the Reinolt Kingdom. It's not a temple, but it would be a good lead to see if a temple still exists.'
'Why would it be a lead?' Rydel spoke up, curious about how Jack would find a temple through a shrine.
'There are plenty of ways to find things that are linked, especially places that share a strong connection, like a god,' said Jack. 'I'd do the same with Sterfen's temple, but the nearest shrine I can remember is equally distant as the temple itself.'
'And what if ya can't find the sword god's shrine?' asked Maynard.
'Then we'll have to find you a better god,' said Jack nonchalantly. 'Don't worry too much, I've got a backup in mind.'
'Really? What god is it?'
'Actually, I've been meaning to ask you this for some time. Who are the seven neutral gods? Are there any better than this Sterfen for me?' questioned Rydel, striking while the topic was hot.
'We're getting off track, how about we return to discussing the plan?' suggested Jack.
Rydel and Maynard didn't say anything, keeping their focus on Jack without wavering in the slightest. Their hungry stares proved to Jack that he had said too much to leave the topic open for the time being. Jack said, 'Fine, I'll tell you about the seven neutral gods, but we need to finish discussing the plan immediately afterward. I still need to get my beauty sleep.'
The two veterans nodded and let Jack explain, 'Like the other twenty gods under Halmut and Skaryn, these seven gods were ranked among themselves by terms of power and influence. It's not quite as accurate due to their differing natures, but that's where I'll begin.
'The lowest-ranked of the seven is Rikko, the god of sleight of hand, or the god of trickery as we called him. He was known to deceive everyone in some way, typically through his appearance or offering blessings for… unique missions and circumstances.' Jack remembered some of the strange requests players would get, like stealing a king's pillow or a queen's panties.
'Next is the goddess of love, Dragas. She had the most followers of all the neutral gods but didn't offer too many benefits in my opinion.'
'Really? How come so many followed her?' asked Rydel.
Jack thought to himself about the typical NEET that would play "A Hero's Tale." It was easy for him and every other gamer to figure out why so many shut-in players with little to no social life would be attracted to a scantily dressed goddess of love.
Sidestepping Rydel's question, Jack continued, 'The god I was thinking would benefit you the most Maynard is the next on the rankings. He's Jin, the god of discipline. Jin was known to reward his followers for demonstrating consistent discipline in their lives, no matter what it was for. Considering your passion for the sword and your upright character, I think you'd be a perfect fit.'
Maynard's face tightened as he heavily considered the offer.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES
TheSilverQuill
TheSilverQuill
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