บท 34: Inside the Citadel of Nirvana
I raced towards Mer and gave him a helping hand. It was not like me to help someone in need. There was not an event where I had any teammates backing me up or the other way around. I completed my missions alone, and it would always be like that. So saving someone's ass was a fresh start for me, but I will eventually leave him behind when given a chance.
I trusted no one inside and outside of the game. The only people that I would place my bet on are my sister and Ryoshi.
I did not have any protective skills to shield him, but I broke all the incoming arrows in our direction. A sudden crash reverberated in front of me as I blocked and shattered each bolt. Upon inspecting each shaft, the designs indeed came from the long-eared elves guarding the forest. It had a viridescent hue covering the body and the tip of the arrows. The elves imbued their weapons with gusts of wind, enhancing the arrow's speed and strength.
I glanced behind me and met with the blazing embers uprooting the trees. Orange and crimson colour filled the forest as I wandered my eyes. The wildfire coming from our spells alerted them.
The elves were on their way in our direction.
"No. It's alright. I am fine. I just, uh-, need a potion." Despite the grimace he was showing, Mer waved his hand and used the other to get something in his inventory.
A potion was a flask with chemicals brewed by an ancient alchemist here in Code. If an individual digests the red potions, that creature will regain its lost energy and life points. There were some cases that the red potion could amplify wound regeneration. Pharmacologists and doctors continued messing up these vials, mixing modern medicine with magic.
There were other potions as well, but that topic did not matter for now.
After a few moments, Mer hauled one red potion and xertz it through his lips. He even wasted some drops on the floor, but he got the effects of the concoction. The reactions were immediate; his wounds closed up, his muscles relaxed, and the skin damaged by the arrow healed on its own. A soothing chime coming from the healing process echoed in our surroundings. That part was also in the game.
I will never get bored seeing such a fantasy healing process like this.
"There! All fixed!" A smile emerged on his face as the guild's captain rose from his knees.
However, his croaking voice told me otherwise. I scanned his health bar and glared at the small scarlet rod showing his health. It did not look like he was okay with me. One arrow in the chest would bring Mer into misery for sure if I had to guess his fate right.
With a splash of a scarlet potion, one could effortlessly come back from wounded to feeling better already.
"We better move forward if we want to win," Mer expressed and swung his blade at the surrounding bush.
A couple of screams blared behind the trees, showing us they died from the attack. Within a second, the lifeless bodies of those elves crashed in front of us and soon disintegrated. It was like Mer had said. Those corpses slowly faded away and became pixie dust, unlike actual human beings.
"There are more of them out there," Mer announced.
"I'm on it," I answered.
I leapt across the branches and used them as platforms for me to jump on and advance. A twitching sound echoed at each bough, but I paid it no mind. My eyes looked ahead and spotted some figures lurking in the shadows. Those elves loved hiding behind the gigantic trees and using them as a cover for their spot. I knew all of this information since I fought them once after they lost a bet against me.
As soon as I encountered the long-eared species, I used the pommel of my knife to make the rangers unconscious. I did not want to kill them yet. A part of me that refused to become a monster. I would only kill if necessary, but if there were a situation where I can leave them alive, I would not kill those innocent souls. If this were still the actual game of Code, I would have sliced their head or slit their throat. However, the world changed inside here.
My reasons shifted when I heard about the death game. Killing someone inside or outside the game would make me a murder, regardless of the characters, especially after diving in the memories of Red-an NPC. It would be inhuman for me to kill one of my own. Killing NPCs would also leave a bitter taste inside my mouth.
However, those players out there would kill these elves once they saw them. These people weren't like me. I needed to hide their bodies at the sides behind the bushes or barks of trees if I wanted them to survive.
"This is the least that I can do for you, ranger," I whispered, and pushed the sleeping body upwards and on the bush, hoping that the players could never find them.
I moved forward and did the same thing for the dozens of elves. Using my [wolf walk] (which granted me stealth and concealment). I stunned the wardens and pushed them on the hidden spots.
Before I knew it, I was in front of the recognisable cave covered with thousands of vines.
"The entrance. Who would've guessed that the entry would be at the mountain's bottom?" I muttered, and sliced off the sheet of creeping plants at my fore.
It was as I had expected. There was a tunnel leading onwards inside the cave. It felt more like a distorted cavern, uninviting anyone who came across the ingress. If I had to compare it with a shabby home, this cave hit the throne of worst exterior design for a passageway.
I glanced behind and saw the players still fighting against the remaining monsters and elves. All of them got preoccupied with the battle. They neglected someone who had breached their base.
I could notify Mer and the others that I was inside the kingdom, but the effort was not like me. I only used the guild as bait, and now that I was inside, all I had to do was look for my lost friend inside the dungeon. And besides, I opened the path for them. It was up to them to look around that inviting entrance I made after cutting the vines covering the mountain's mouth.
Thousands of elves marched through the entrance and collided against the guild's forces. Although the players outmatched their opponents, they were dealing with thousands of elves at once without rest.
I raced through the village and met the gazes of the frightened villagers right next to their treehouses. Like any other creatures, these civilians wanted nothing more but to be alive with their loved ones. I knew the game developers made these Elven people still had emotions carved on their faces.
It was strenuous for me to move on, but I needed to. I will cross every mountain and sail the vast oceans to save Ryoshi.
"And if the time comes, I will kill whoever stands in my way," I whispered, and headed forward without looking at my sides.
It was not my concern to help them, so I proceeded onwards to locate the dungeon inside the citadel. Where else could I find the Elven jail? If I were the king of a kingdom, I would have also placed the prison below my fort.
Using my [wolf walk], I passed by the agitated guards and snuck myself inside the castle. It was not an effortless feat, but I made it at the entrance. Despite having hundreds of levels besides their names, those elves did not have any means to discover my stealth skill.
The gates behind me shut close, obstructing any intruder who had entered the kingdom. I arrived in the nick of time and forced my way inside. I was fortunate enough that my ability lasted as soon as I landed here inside the fort.
The only thing that I had to do now was to find the whereabouts of Ryoshi.
A map materialised on the upper side of my screen. It would mark and draw everything I trek inside the castle. It was a handy tool given to players who had this system ability.
"All I have to do is wander around and head below." I sneaked past the guards into the area and found a cosmic hall. There was a garden to my right and another door leading elsewhere on my left. The one in the middle caught my eyes, thinking that I should be the one leading downwards.
"Here goes nothing," I said, and walked forward.
As I had expected, the room was the empty throne of Grandmother La Finta. Instead of the elegant chair found at each temple, the elves had their throne shaped like a leaf. Beside the green chair were millions of lily pods, amplifying the nature designs.
"Nobody's home?" I asked, and looked around. I needed to be sure instead of running aimlessly inside the castle.
However, boy, I was completely wrong.
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