1 Soul of Evil
The coldness of the night, with the night sky being filled with bright stars shining in the distance, the rays of the Moonlight made out the appearance of a young man whose messy golden hair acted like a separate entity from the person running.
Passing the large trees inside a Dark Forest, his attire gave you the impression you were watching a Mercenary sent on a hunt. While cheap, their worth could be valued in a sense, yet from the expression of the golden-haired man things didn't seem to be running smoothly.
Panic, distrust, and annoyance could be spelled on his features while behind him the sound of running men and their deplorable curses impulse the young man to continue his escape.
"If you stop running, I promise we will not kill you. On my Black Fang guild name!"
"We only want to chat with you! Why are you running like a bitch?"
The golden-haired guy didn't even bother to stop for a second in the face of the men whose names had a red nameplate above their heads, expressions marking killing intent and all most deplorable.
'Hah. Stop now? After you jackass killed me so many times that I wasted my money on the game time.'
'Suck on some balls.'
The golden-haired guy called silently what one might presume a skill name.
'Golden Flash.'
He ignored the voice of the system playing in his mind as he exploded in his sprint, giving the vibe of an Olympic athlete running for his gold medal.
[Your movement speed has been increased by 50% for 3 seconds.]
'I am running low on MP. Fuck, I can't dust off those pricks whatever trick I am doing. And is not as if I can log out.'
'Bugged game, how can you tell me I'm In-Combat when I didn't get hit!'
Noticing the golden effects enveloping the man's hunter's boots, the guy spearheading the "hunt" shouted with murderous intent, furious at the showcase of the movement speed revealed by the golden-haired man.
"This bitch! That skill should have been mine from the get-go! ARGHHH, how could he evade our senses? He even spotted the Treasure Chest while we were hunting in Shadowwood Forest!"
"Don't worry boss, we'll make sure to camp his corpse until he pukes out everything he owns. We'll make him so miserable that he will quit the game." remarked a guy holding tight a bastard sword, his attire being a considerable upgrade to what their prey had on him.
"You think that's enough to calm me down? Spawn Camp him even at the nearby Graveyards! Don't let him off even inside Valoria!"
"... We might suffer some loses at the hands of the Guards, and maybe the Dutchess."
"Fuck them! I don't care! Are you afraid of some dumb NPCs? You'll bring shame to the human race if you can't evade some stupid AIs."
"..."
The henchmen of the one in charge of this PK Guild showed some signs of normality compared to their Guild Leader whose name "Bloodhound" had quite the mark in the corners of the PKers section.
Since the opening of the game "Satisfy" and now after 6 months of gametime, their guild, Black Fang managed to amass quite the notoriety for being pests at the expense of the normal players.
Bullies, despicable people outside the game, criminals inside the game, one might say the game acted as a window in unleashing their twisted wimps and the victims had to cope with the struggle of losing their arduous progression.
"Viper, use your Movement Speed buff and pick on this running rat!"
"Got you, boss. You better pay me nicely for the catch."
"25% Raise."
"Heh, so generous. That's what I expect from a Golden Spoon." responded a man whose half face got covered by a black mask while wearing an assassin's armor.
The instant this individual "Viper" called out the name of his spell, [Shadow Engulf], a small jet of black smoke enveloped his body, later on stepping out from the pack with immense agility, creating some shadowy after-effects that took the eye of the PKers.
"A Top 10 Assassin. It's worth all the investment in him." commented the one leading the group, as he kept on a hunting pace, his name a darker red, setting him apart from the rest.
Still, with the golden-haired man having a fair distance between him and the direction he was taking it didn't make sense for Bloodhound considering the level of the "Rat" who could only run in fear against him and his guild.
'Where is this son of a bitch intent on going? Isn't this the path toward Travian Sierra?'
'Tsk, this rat plans to use the High-Level Grounds to take me down? Sucka, you are not even level 100.'
Bloodhound cold eyes flashed with a murderous hint as he stared at a name on the Interface Window revealing a list of players.
[Vecna – Level 81]
Gripping his right hand tightly on a long dagger that was exclusive craftsmanship, with slight effects of an enhanced weapon, Bloodhound was creating all sorts of scenarios on how to torture this person that managed to have an upper hand in the many exchanges they had since the release of the game.
'Once I catch you. I'll fuck you up so badly you'll call me Daddy.'
Nothing mattered in the eyes of this person hard bent on killing his enemy, it didn't change anything the fact the environment they were stepping onto shifted in temperament.
The already creepy forest resounded with howls of dangerous wild beasts, while the visage of a towering mountain was reflected by the moonlight.
The golden-haired man, Vecna, started feeling the pressure of the assassin that was steps away from landing his skills on him.
Viper's mocking voice rang in his mind.
"Surrender. You can't defeat us or outrun me. A shitty Swordsman who didn't even get his first advancement has no chance."
"..."
Vecna kept his silence, navigating the rugged terrain of the now, mountainous region, while his green eyes scanned the restricted view field for a possible escape route.
'I can't let those guys catch on me. This is my escape window I can't let them have their way around.'
"Accept your faith, peasant."
The content in Viper's voice was so spiteful that it made Vecna grit his teeth, thinking about how most of the people he interacted in his life had the same tone with him.
There was so much work placed on this character that Vecna couldn't possibly surrender, and akin to a crazed person that was grabbing fate in his own hands, he took out a normal-looking Greatsword swinging on the ground with a skill, blasting dust and dirt in the air, combining this escape tactic with [Golden Flash].
His attempt didn't buy much time, but it was plenty for him to think about which route to take since an Abandoned Mining Cavern could be spotted in the distance without a single sign of monsters in the vicinity.
'Crossroads. Argh, this is annoying. Let's go in the Cave and die to some mobs.'
'Once I die, I'll respawn and log out since my gametime is about to end this night.'
Moving closer to the Cavern entrance, he could see a blood effect, akin to miasma drifting in the air, acting like a line life of sorts, and as he was about to enter inside the Cave, the ring of the system spooked him.
[Ding!]
[The Quest Items <Book of Night> and <Thorn of Blood> have reacted with the User's Current location, generating a Secret Quest.]
'... Wait what? Those useless scraps I got from the odd jobs I did those 6 months are worth a quest?'
'What timing for doing quests. Overjoyed that I wish to puke out blood from my soul.'
[The Core of the Dark Father.]
[Y/N]
'Do I even have a choice? If I say no, I'll just lose this chance.'
'Maybe I can make good use of those bastards and kill a Quest Boss or whatever this game might throw.'
[You have accepted the quest.]
The instant he accepted the quest, he opened his Quest Log, to see what info he was given with regards to his Secret Quest.
What he saw left him with a sour expression and taste in his mouth, and various curses filled his mind all addressing the Developers of the Game who built such quests.
'Man, I am screwed for real. How can it be a [???] as descriptions? I am too stupid to understand the contents? Or too small of a human being to get such a generous quest?'
[The Core of the Dark Father]
Rating: SS
Description: ???
Quest Reward: ???
Quest Failure: User's Death
Nonetheless, the title and the rating of this quest after some realization made his green eyes enlarge since it was unique for him since he started playing the game. Many would salivate at the thought of handling such a quest, while others would dread the difficulty itself.
'Five Months of slow and steady gameplay, I barely managed to get an S-graded quest that I had to grind my brains out in solving it. One week, where I sacrificed some of my sleeping time for it. '
'Well, I could get my hands on some great skills, among them being [Replica of Frostbite].'
Vecna pushed ahead, worrying less about the consequences, headstrong in his belief that there might be a way out of his "misery".
Taking out his Greatsword again, it started to release some freezing smoke with his grip. Along his run, with a two-handed weapon, he saw the rail tracks of this cave, all abandoned and in disarray.
"Abandoned." murmured Vecna as he descended into the cavern, taking a stop when the moonlight cased to assist him.
It was silent for a brief moment.
A silence shattered by the assassin, Viper, who swinged his sword in Vecna's direction, releasing a black energy sword wave.
"Got you fucker! No place to run."
Frowning at the incoming danger, his initial pondering expression broke off with Viper's attack.
Vecna jumped into the unknown following the ethereal miasma of blood, that acted like a guide for him in this forgotten place.
"Bye asshole. That skill, I'll make good use of it." called Vecna as he dropped into unknown lands.
Viper arrived at the edge and looked down at the sinkhole that reminded him of some Horror movies.
"That nutjob actually jumped to his death."
The assassin couldn't help but think about the possibilities. In that Abyss, how deep it was? Was it safe for him to jump? Could he survive the landing?
"Viper, what are you standing there for? Got some brain fog??"
Bloodhound throw that question with lots of scorn the moment he arrived at the edge of the abandoned cavern.
"I am not sure about this place. Never been this deep into Travian Sierra."
"Whatsmore, we are underground. Is the risk worth the penalties of dying?"
"Pfff, since when have you been so considerate of penalties. Steel, grab a rock, and throw it into the sinkhole. Let's see how deep it is."
"Right away boss."
The black-haired guy behind Bloodhound stabbed a spear into the ground and passed one rock into the hands of the silver-haired player who later on tossed the rock in the mouth of Abyss.
...
...
*Splash*
"Aaha, we're good. There's some body of water."
"Yeah, but it was deep as fuck from how long it took for the sound to appear."
"So?"
"Okay, do as you wish. The pay remains the same for me." called Viper who felt uncertain about proceeding further.
There were many secrets deep in this mountain, and the biggest rumor circulating in the forums dedicated to the game with regards to Travian Sierra was that deep down one might find a Dragon.
Viper took a look at his Status Window and Inventory, making sure to verify each item he had inside, lest he dropped something as a penalty for dying. It was better to know what item he should invest time in recovering or abandoning.
[Viper – Level 174]
'Whatever, if we get surrounded by monsters, I'll just use my Ultimate Stealth Ability and use the Return Scroll while the rest act as cannon fodder.'
