End Online: Volume 5 (19 page)

The rest of the ingame day passes relatively peacefully. The
following day, the city is ravaged by a sandstorm and we are forced to remain
in the inn all day. Verde, despite my original opinion, turns out to be quite
the alcoholic.

On the third day, both parties head south out of the city to see
just how powerful these monsters are. Halfway there, a shocking notification
appears before us.

The notice takes me, and everyone else, by complete surprise.
That means in exactly one hour, Verde, Sir Laurence, Fen and I will be
teleported back to Grenton.

“Seeing that we will be teleported back within an hour, I have
an idea,” Mason says over party chat.

The archer explains how Mikhail and his group have been far too
suspicious for a while now. Even after the boat trip to this land, they have
followed us around for no discernable reason. His plan is to shake them off for
good by killing them and sending them all back to Swordbreak.

CaptainGordon is against this initially as he is also from
Swordbreak and will be teleported back shortly, but when Mason explains that
there is a strong possibility they won’t be able to log back in for the next
three days and he can easily leave the area, he agrees.

Sending a silent signal over party chat approximately thirty
minutes before the teleportation begins, we turn around and attack Mikhail’s
party without warning. They must have been expecting this since they unhurriedly
prepare to receive our attack.

I attack Mikhail the Stalwart first. He raises his weapon to
defend and counter while I am ten paces ahead of him, but unfortunately for him
that is only my after-image. I am already directly beside him, my real body
exposing itself the moment my blade cuts through his neck, causing a critical
hit.

Mikhail turns in shock, and I click my tongue when I see that a
critical hit practically ignoring all his armor didn’t even manage to take
twenty percent of his health. Moonkite and the other two members make a move to
flank me, so I beat a rapid retreat from their encirclement.

A thunderous boom sounds in the area and Mikhail is blown back
ten meters, his health falling to a dangerous state. He sits up and glares at
CaptainGordon and the smoking gun in his hand.

“A gun?! That can’t exist in this game!” he shouts in shock.

His party members react slowly, disbelieving what just happened.
They move to both attack us and protect the nearly dead guildmaster while he
recovers health. Mason fires off arrows to cover us while Matrix acts as a
meatshield in the face of MoonKite’s attacks.

SomaHealer supports the enemy with healing spells and passive
buffs while Lockon, having witnessed her strength, focuses his volley of arrows
on Fen. The wolf girl is forced to keep moving and doesn’t have a chance to
counter-attack.

“Mason, CaptainGordon, attack Lockon. Do that and we will win,”
 I order my team mates over the party chat with victory in
sight.

It isn’t that the other side is weak. In fact, they are
exceptionally strong, but so are we and they are lacking in numbers.

Mason changes targets to focus on Lockon, taking the other
archer off-guard and causing him to stagger backwards. CaptainGordon fires
another round from his pistol cannon. Unfortunately, the bullet only glances
Lockon, but it is still enough to allow us to quickly kill him before
SomaHealer can heal him.

As Lockon dies, I am pleasantly surprised to see that none of us
have gotten a player killer’s mark. This validates that the Battle For
Supremacy has already begun and he will not be able to log back on for the next
three days.

Mikhail stands back up with over half his health restored and
joins the fray. His attacks are not strong, but skillful enough to force Matrix
into a corner and nearly kill him.

Fen comes to the rescue, no longer under the barrage from
Lockon. She forms several glowing ice bolts, which screech through the air
before piercing SomaHealer from all directions and killing him instantly.

With only Mikhail’s elementary healing skills, they don’t have
enough stamina to battle us equally. Sir Laurence has a few higher-tier healing
skills that he casts on Matrix and Verde when they are hurt, rapidly recovering
their health points. He stubbornly refuses to use his healing skills on me
though, which is frustrating and causes me to ‘accidentally’ hit him with a few
throwing knives. The damage is minor, and he pretends as if the little knives
do not even exist, infuriating me further.

The surviving Mikhail and MoonKite glance at each other and
attempt to flee. They are quite quick, and against anyone else they may have a
chance of success. It is unfortunate they are comparing speed with Fen and
myself. We catch up to them with a flash and quickly cut them down. I even use
my Dire Flame to kill them in case they escape.

The battle is over twenty minutes after it began. I can only
imagine how angry Mikhail and his party will be after not being able to log
back in for the next three days.

We all sit down on the sand and I break out a few cooking tools.
I begin roasting a slab of meat similar to pork with a moderate application of
herbs and some homemade broth to ensure tenderness.

Before teleporting back to our respective kingdoms, we may as
well enjoy one more good meal together.

“To The Wanderers!” Mason calls out enthusiastically once the
roast is served.

“To The Wanderers!” Everyone apart from Fen shouts back the
words, confirming the bond between us.

The wolf girl stares at the grilling meat with lust and casually
says, “The… Wanderers…”

-Lost-

As the moment of teleportation arrives,  a grey fog
crackling with lightning surrounds us. Apparently, teleportation is a
high-ranking spell and has the flashy graphical effects to go with it.

As fog and an occasional flickering discharge fills my vision, I
begin to experience strange sensations all over my body. I feel as if I were
falling through the air or beginning to drift off into sleep. The fog
disappears as quickly as it appeared. Instead of being surrounded by the desert
I was in mere moments ago, everything around me is covered in white. The sudden
change in not only location but also temperature causes my pupils to dilate in
shock. This is an area I have not been to in a long time: Iceridge.

I had known I would appear here, but even that foreknowledge
failed to prepare me for the suddenness of the shift. With me are Verde and Sir
Laurence, looking just as perplexed as I am. Fen is here as well, grabbing onto
my arm and leaning into me. Frowning at Fen’s calm composure whilst having most
of her skin exposed, I wonder if the wolf girl is feeling the cold at all.

Verde hastily changes her equipment to thick clothing under her
armour and a cloak over the top to keep herself warm. Sir Laurence remains a
mystery as none of us know what he wears beneath his full body suit of shining
silver armor. The fact that he wore that in the desert is impressive enough.

‘Come to think of it, she is technically an ice wolf. It would not
be abnormal for her to not feel the cold,’
 Verde
and Sir Laurence look at me as I silently nod to myself.

“Looks like we are all back where we started,” I cheerfully say,
pretending like I wasn’t just nodding to myself in my own little world moments
ago.

Verde looks around with nostalgia, “It feels like it has been so
long, yet everything is the same as ever.”

We’re in a large square lined with various residences,
restaurants, and two inns. Other players who have been teleported back to
Iceridge crowd around us. If I recall correctly, there are countless areas just
like this one throughout our home city. I suspect that each of them are also
all full of players.

Several clumps of snow fall off the roofs as a large gust of
freezing wind blows by. One unlucky player is directly beneath some of the
falling snow and instantly gets buried. He quickly digs his way out, but still
shivers and curses the cold nonetheless.

“NOOO!!”

A loud scream sounds two meters behind me, causing me to visibly
jump in fright.

The strangest part of the voice is that it seems so familiar to
me. The four of us turn around and see someone who only Fen and I know. It is
Mouse. I am initially surprised that he teleported so near to us as we were
quite far from Sphinx, but it dawns on me that he was still probably the
closest player from the Kingdom of Glace to us.

“Mouse, what’s wrong?” I ask tenderly as I stand next to the
crying merchant with Fen looking over my shoulder.

“My wares! They’re all gone!” He screams loud enough to attract
the attention of several more players in the area.

“What are you talking about Mouse? How are they gone?”

“I was teleported back to Iceridge, but all my wares for display
remained! I’m finished!”

“All of them!? You had all of your goods on display?”

“Course not! It was only 10 percent of my wares. But the loss!
Such a loss!!”

My eyes instantly become lifeless while looking at the merchant
as I fully realize the situation. He has lost 10 percent of his goods and is
only crying over spilt milk, so to speak. However, the scene he creates from
such a small loss is the truly tragic thing.

I calmly pat him on the back, wish him the best of luck, and
walk back to the party with Fen.

“What was all that about?” Verde asks, still puzzled over the
situation.

“It’s nothing. Merely someone making a scene because he lost a
few of his toys.”

I can’t help but look back at Mouse, who is currently a mess on
the ground. Several people who are still unaware of the situation have taken my
place in consoling him; some people even offer him a couple pieces of gold,
which he reluctantly accepts.

As we’re putting the scene further behind us, yet another
interruption arrives. A player dressed in white and gold runs into the square
and rapidly climbs up onto the roof of one of the nearby residences.

“Hey, I know we climbed on the roofs in Grenton, but isn’t it
dangerous here with the snow?” I ask Verde and the prince as we watch the
player standing up on the roof.

They nod and grunt their approval. Just as we had predicted, his
footing slips and he slides completely off the roof. The scene causes laughter
to ripple through the crowd wherever it was seen. Even I laugh lightly at
seeing the fool fall from the roof in one of the most clichéd scenes of them
all.

The player who fell off isn’t discouraged however. I can see him
moving to the building next to the previous one and climbing back up. He is a
little smarter this time at least, selecting a building with a slightly less
steep roof.

Once the player has a firm footing on the roof and isn’t in
danger of falling, he raises his voice loud enough that it is heard throughout
the stadium, “Everyone! We are currently holding a strategy meeting for the
Battle of Supremacy outside the north exit of Iceridge. Please head there to
take part in the meeting. Everyone we have spoken with already is there waiting
for you to arrive!”

Quite a few shouts and complaints sound from different sections
of the square, but when all the other players start heading toward the north
gate, those who are dissatisfied with being told what to do are humbled and
follow the crowd.

Sir Laurence receives a few lusty stares from female players
around due to his exceptional body, which the system basically guarantees is
the same in real life. Due to the crowd of interest forming, Fen and I are separated
from Verde and Sir Laurence. The crowd loves it when he goes to one knee in
front of Verde and calls her ‘my lady’. However, venomous stares are directed
at Verde when she kicks the shining knight onto his back and stomps off.

‘I will give them another half hour before they understand that
prince’s horrible personality and suddenly distance themselves.’

I once again nod to myself at my prediction.

Interestingly, Verde doesn’t seem to dislike Sir Laurence’s
actions at all. Despite the violent and woeful rejections she gives him every
time he does something shameless, she still stops and waits for him to catch
up. Several times, I notice her pause while walking away from the prince to
casually check her nails until he catches up.

Following my prediction, several of the crowd, the males at
first and then the females, begin to notice his prejudiced personality and
start distancing themselves. This allows the two of them to catch up with Fen
and me before we reach the north gate of Iceridge.

Outside the city, players easily numbering in the tens of
thousands are grouped without organization and casually chatting amongst
themselves. I can hear one conversation nearby in which a player describes all
the ways he will ambush the enemy during his assaults. His whole description is
overly glorified and something that one of the first people to die usually
says.

The four of us mingle amongst the crowd until the people who
decided to coordinate the attack and defense for the Kingdom of Glace begin to
shout.

“Players of Glace!”

The speaker, a male dressed in ornamental green and gold armor
with a large war bow on his back, uses some skill or magic to amplify his voice
so everyone in the field can hear it. “I am EyesofHorus, the vice guild leader
from Guild Snowdragon, the largest guild in the city of Iceridge!”

I was wondering how these people could become the leading party
for such a big event with so few refuting them or vying for power. Guild
Snowdragon is possibly the most famous and prestigious guild in Iceridge.

“The Battle for Supremacy is the largest event of End Online to
date, and we are the kingdom with the least amount of players! In order to have
a fighting chance, we must make up for this disadvantage with tactics! We at
Guild Snowdragon have come up with a top class battle tactic that will give us
a fighting chance, but we need everyone to work together for it to work!”

Loud cheers arise from the crowd, eager to take part in the
battle.

“We will separate into nine groups! Five groups to attack
unexpectedly and assault the enemy, four groups to defend our city and crush
all invaders! Several of our guild members are going around collecting
participant names and assigning you all to groups! Please cooperate with them
and join us in victory!”

As the vice guild leader is finishing his speech, I hear another
voice nearby which attracts my attention, “…Mortis, Specializing in defense,
group seven. SecondGrade, we could use your strength with the sword on the
front lines, group two…”

I notice that the voice is slowly getting closer and closer to
me. Eventually, I see a player dressed in white and gold which must be Guild
Snowdragon’s guild colors.

The player, who has two short daggers equipped and is dressed in
light armor finally gets to assigning the players near us. He looks in my
direction and his eyes instantly light up. He rapidly finishes assigning the
players near him and immediately rushes in my direction.

“Lost! I thought I recognized you!” He exclaims once standing in
front of me. I wouldn’t have minded it as much if his announcement of my name
hadn’t attracted the attention of everyone in the area.

Excited whispers run through the crowd about me, but they are
too quiet for me to hear what they are.

“Ah, there is no need to be so loud,” I try to calm him down,
but he is gibbering like a young kid who has had too much sugar.

“What do you mean? You are my idol! After seeing you fight, I
practiced training my speed as much as possible and even wield two shortswords,
the same as you! Everyone used to believe that a heavy defense was the best way
to become strong because you can’t outspeed many enemies in agility or reaction
time, but you proved that wrong time and time again.”

He looks me up and down, inspecting the small amount of armor I
wear, revealed through the open gap in my cloak.

“Will you have a look at my weapons? Let me know if they are any
good! You are currently the founder of the ‘Speed King’ player build.”

‘The ‘Speed King’ player build? What is that?’
 I wonder to myself curiously, making a mental note to ask
Mason about it later. If anyone would know about it, it would be him.

Without waiting for my opinion, the guild member from Guild
Snowdragon holds his weapons in his hands and flicks over the item information
window so it appears in front of me. I am actually surprised by this action; I
never knew this sort of thing was possible in the game. There is clearly much
more to this game than I am aware of.

The sword is of the ‘Epic’ rarity, and quite a high class one at
that. His other sword is also a kodachi, and whilst doing similar damage to the
first one, is only of the ‘Unique’ rarity and has less impressive abilities.

“It’s very impressive,” I say to him unsure exactly how to
praise him.

I never sought to create a specific style, but apparently
someone has tried to work out some formula for my fighting style from all of
Mason’s videos. I feel like I should have expected something like this with the
amount of people who have come to know me and the even more impressive number
of views Mason’s videos have been getting lately.

Sir Laurence suddenly appears next to me, puffing out his chest
in pride with a look on his face that seems to say he is at peace with the world.
My idolized fan looks at him before suddenly exclaiming, “I know you too!
You’re Sir Laurence, one of Lost’s party members: The arrogant one!”