CHAPTER EIGHTY ONE

The gods don’t seem to be as reliable anymore

~

~ Name: Oak ~

Title: Ghostly Archer

Class: Sorcerer [lv103]

HP

[103]

MANA

[262]

ATK

[95]

INT

[184]

DEF

[75]

SPD

[105]

I don’t want you to panic but I think I need to go

I’ve felt some watchful eyes on me since not too long ago

We may have pushed our luck in terms of digging through the past

Be careful where you speak of certain things, judgement comes fast

Oak was moving fairly quickly away from the king

He knew that he was strong but couldn’t help his worrying

“Maybe Hawk is rubbing off on me, I must take care

It looks like the System is not completely unaware…”

He read his god’s last message and he mumbled quietly

Unsurprised but worried that he left so abruptly

But just as he began to feel a little worn and tired

The warm light of a sunrise made the scholar feel inspired

But it didn’t take him long to notice what was wrong

It wasn’t rising in the place a sunrise would belong

The light that dyed the eerie, clouded sky was light firelight

Only making worse the already ominous sight

He jumped into the air and flew as fast as he could fly

Worried for the villages that may be too nearby

the wind in his hair started to feel smoky, dry, and hot

Then suddenly a voice derailed him from his train of thought

“You’re flying awful slow, you must have put on quite the show

It seems like the monsters are under control now though”

Hawk was now beside him as he flew toward the fire

“Yes, it seems it really is about time I retire”

She pinched his bearded cheek and smiled before casting a spell

One which caught him by surprised, for he knew her quite well

“You’ve never used a magic circle anything like this

Impress me any more and I just might give you a kiss”

She winked and finished casting the spell floating in the air

Which then became a barrier the two could freely share

“This is something an old rock taught me to do today

Though it was too ancient, so I changed it in a way”

She kept on flying onward but Oak looked around in awe

“This could be the finest barrier I ever saw

Wait, it feels as though the world itself can’t see us now

Don’t tell me, were we freed from the System’s watch just now”

He quickly cast his own appraisal skill to look at Hawk

Curious about the magic she’d learned from a rock

“Wow, we’re even more cut off from the world than I thought

Right now, we’re like two things that the System just forgot”

~ Name: Hawk ~

Title: All Seeing

Class: Mage [lv150]

HP

[167]

MANA

[420]

ATK

[94]

INT

[186]

DEF

[59]

SPD

[88]

Unable to sync entity with System mana

Disconnected from interface, rebuilding data

Subject’s class indicates proficiency in magic

Title bestowed to one who falls for no feint or trick

“For as long as I can keep this barrier alight

We should be completely out of the whole System’s sight

I’ll be quick, we need to find out what happened to Twig

It may hold the key to uncovering something big”

“The System’s message did imply we shouldn’t seek him out

But what’s happened recently has stirred some stubborn doubt”

Oak transferred some mana to help keep the spell around

But he was near his limit and feared falling to the ground

“Yes, the System may not be the guiding hand of fate

But it does have powers we didn’t anticipate

Long ago the System tried to punish someone’s crime

An ‘Update’ to retaliate against the ‘God of Time’

It’s too soon to tell if the System is friend or foe

But unless we get much stronger, we’ll likely never know

Luckily the System’s possible to overwhelm

And it’s having some trouble spying on the mortal realm”

“And you think Twig’s odd situation might help us advance?

Well if it helps our cause I do suppose it’s worth the chance”

“I’ll tell you more in time, but first there’s things we have to do

Can I leave keeping the kids out of trouble up to you?”

The barrier then shattered as Hawk’s mana was emptied

They both took a deep breath of the mana they’d come to need

“It sure is weird to be cut off from everything like that

I’ll leave the volcano to you, so good luck with that

By the way, our gods might be having a few issues

If you speak to yours, be mindful of the words you use”

They kissed goodbye and Oak veered off to begin his new quest

Disregarding his urge to stop somewhere for a rest

Hawk flew faster to the scene of the great volcano

The sky was reddened further by the mountains raging glow

Even she was shocked to see how big the golems were

Each was like a mountain glowing like a great ember

~