“Friend, let me look at the seal for a while will you?” Beast whined, much to Shadun’s annoyance.

“For the hundredth time, no.”

Ever since the two of them had finished off the bandit trio that was responsible for making off with the Lord’s Seal, Beast had been pestering the bard the whole way back to Torintu to let him have a look at the object in question, partially because he was curious, but mostly because it was a potential artifact which could add to his repertoire of Prime skills. If it was not for that fact, Beast could not even be bothered to concern himself with the details of the bard and his quest.

“This object is a very important quest item so there is no way I am going to let anyone else hold it again. Not even awhile for you. ”

Of course, Beast could not say that he needed the Seal for his profession ability lest he divulge his secret job class and information out to the world but that meant he only had the excuse of simple curiosity to work on. Now all it was to make him look like a child in front of the latter and it was a disgusting feeling to savor. Puppy-dog eyes, sleeve tugging, faking tears and even reverse psychology had all flew in the face of the stoic bard, making Beast wonder how much more degrading he needed to be to even make Shadun relinquish the seal for even a second. Furthermore, they were coming very close to the town of Torintu now and the window of opportunity might forever be lost if the quest completion were to consume the seal as well.

It was right at the gates of the town that Beast decided that some form of drastic action needed to be done.

“Shadun, brother.” Beast suddenly planted his knees into the dirt ground, much to the bard’s confusion. The NPC guards also turned their head towards the scene, wondering about the abrupt commotion. Thankfully enough, there were no other player characters around; Beast had no idea if he could handle the shame in front of living people as compared to AI constructs.

“I lied, okay? I am not a mage.”

Dramatic pause. Shadun blinked.

“My job profession is a historian.”

The look on the bard’s face could only be described as confusion turning into realization. There was little to no surprise, as though he was already expecting Beast to have lied. That bastard, so the distrust had already been there from the start even after all that he had done for him.

“So you needed the Seal for your profession.” It was a rhetoric question, not as in he was expecting a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but an explanation.

“Yes. I gain stats as well from gathering information regarding historical artifacts and items.” It was kind of weak, but it is a half-truth; No one else needed to know that he can gain not stats, but also skill effects from cataloguing artifacts. Besides, it was pretty similar to that one job he almost accepted back in Rydelin’s Library anyway. However the real problem here right now was whether the bard would accept the explanation.

Surely the simple stats gain for Beast was not worth potentially losing the Seal again for the bard, meaning that Beast might have to go violent to force him into giving up the artifact for a while. Even with Beast’s unwillingness to emulate Lortan’s chaotic personality and PK the man, an opportunity such as this was simply too rare to pass by that a one-time change in moral and principle values could be justified, right?

Right? He asked himself again.

Why was it that the more he asked himself, the harder he himself became to convince? It had quickly become a conundrum where he has no answer as to what he should do.

“Here, catch!”

It was very much to Beast’s surprise when Shadun tossed the seal over to him a moment later, forcing him to break his train of thoughts to catch it in his hands.

“Huh?”

“Do what you need to do and return it.” Came the short answer.

Beast internally shrugged, wiping out all his previous thoughts. Well, that was much easier than expected. Holding the golden seal, Beast gave a thankful smile to the nonchalant bard and muttered,

“Artifact Identify.”

You have discovered the hidden artifact – Seal of the Lord

Type: Historical, Quest Item

The Seal of the Lord is the personal seal of the Lord of Caerheim, used to denote his absolute authority as well as his authenticity as the sovereign of the Caerheim Principality. Although it is a seal of Caerheim, it is worthwhile to note that this seal originates from Honduria as a Hondurian seal. Naturally it also held authority in Honduria, being the representation of power of the Prince of the Royal Family in that region.

Durability: 99/99

Level restriction: 100

Value: --

When equipped:

+75 to all stats

+700 to relations with Caerheim

Artifact Effect:

Bloodline Aura

Cost: 25% of maximum Mana

Duration: 5% of consumed mana

When used, the player is imbued with the aura of the power that runs in the bloodline of the royal family of Honduria, granting an increase in all aspects of the player capabilities.

+30% increase to all stats for the duration of the aura

Strength +8

Intelligence +5

Wisdom +7

Dexterity +11

Archaeology has increased to Basic 5

When Beast saw the equipment stats on the seal, his eyes boggled to the point of popping out. 75 flat increases to all of his stats are simply too overpowered. Coupled that with the 700 points increased reputation with Caerheim for the duration of equipping it, he could very well enjoy as much as a ten percent discount with every NPC shop under the Principality even without a merchant’s aid. What sealed the deal that all the previous groveling was worth it was when he reached the part for the artifact skill, also the part where it was the most important for him. The seal would have to be returned and eventually turned in as a quest item, so its intrinsic stats bonus was not the main point for him. On the other hand, with his catalogue skill, Beast could then spam the hell out of that sick buff effect for a measly 200 mana, making it the best buff ever compared to all the costly buffs he had encountered in his duration of online gaming. Add that to the hefty stats bonus that came from identifying the artifact and Beast could sport the stupid smile on his face all day.

Shadun saw the whole process of Beast’s expression parade and gave a concerned look.

“You alright?”

“Yea…” Beast replied with a weak laugh as he returned the seal to the bard. “Thank you very much.”

Thank the gods of this world that notification windows can only be read by the player himself.

“Is that the tome you put your findings in? I notice that it began writing itself when you did the identification thing.”

Shadun inquired, pointing his finger at the now dormant Vanadic Tome hanging from Beast’s belt.

“Yea, it catalogues itself… kind of like a pokedex, you know?” The Pokedex was one of the many references to the legendary Pokegame that had once been the childhood of many adults in the world. Now that virtual reality had taken over, the series had faded in obscurity, only remaining in the thoughts of those adults as well as the true hardcore gamers out there.

“Interesting.” Came the single word reply.

Beast stopped at that. He figured that it would be unwise to carry on talking lest he reveal his own lie and expose the secret of why he wanted the Seal. The notification windows might be private, but anyone could read the book and discover what he had done. “Hey…” Best to let the bard muse it out on his own.

“Hey!”

Beast jolted, wondering if his lie had fallen through. “Y-yes?”

A hand extended out from the other man.

“Shadun, level 24 Bard. I figured we should do again, properly this time round.”

Oh.

“Beast, level 20 Historian. Your help had brought me up a few levels really.” Beast took the hand with a firm grip and this time, their introduction this time is for real… or as real as it could be without divulging Beast’s secret class. A friend notification popped up a second later, which Beast accepted without hesitation. Even with his deep distrust of players stemming from his encounter with Lortan, the party together had convinced Beast that Shadun was not a bad person even if he might be a little weird. Besides, he let him get his hands on the Seal, possibly saving his fiasco of a gaming life in Ages Online and giving him some sweet insight into Caerheim’s royalty.

“So, what are you going to do from here on?” Beast asked.

“I will send in that letter, after which I will return to Loyderidge to claim my reward. You?”

The two of them started heading towards the most posh building in town- the Mayor’s home.

“I guess I will stay here for a while before moving on. I originally intended to head towards the Fort of Lanos anyway.”

“So this means that our paths diverge after this.” The bard said, looking at the ornate door that would lead them to the Mayor. Without pause, the both of them knocked. After a few resounding thuds from the okay, a wizened old man answered the door with an irritated frown only to change to beckoning them inside upon seeing the golden slate that is the Lord’s Seal. He led them straight past the living room into his office, and only rested easy on his armchair when the doors and windows have all been sealed.

“I am Mayor Filand. Prince Trigent had a letter for me?”

It was a rhetoric question, as though the mayor had long expected a letter to arrive. Shadun wordlessly withdrew the letter in question from his vest and handed it over to the old man, who slit it open with an exquisite penknife and began to read.

“Too soon…” The mayor slowly shook his head.

“I beg your pardon?” Shadun inquired to which Filand hastily replied. “Nothing of your concern, boys. Thank you for bringing this letter safely to me. It might be a simple task but I will reward your efforts greatly.”

A secret letter for Torintu – Complete

With your help, Shadun had managed to recover the important seal from the bandits that was stolen during his journey to Torintu. With the recovered seal, you convinced the Mayor of Torintu that the letter you bring from the Lord Tirgent of Caerheim is authentic and thus deliver the letter safely into the hands of its intended recipient.

Rewards:

+20 fame

+ 45 relations to Caerheim

+5 gold pieces

You have leveled up!

A simple task? Yea right, Beast thought. The letter was anything but simple, what with the Lord’s Seal and the hefty rewards that accompanied the completion of the quest. Besides, the reaction Filand had when he read the letter was the icing on the cake that sealed the deal. Something was up, only that he did not know what it was. Beast tried to eye Shadun to see if the latter could shed some light on the matter, but the bard remained stoic in face of the quest continuation.

“I will pen a letter in response and you will bring it back to the Prince for me as soon as possible. Keep the seal safe until it is back into the lord’s hands.”

Dringgg!

A secret letter to Loyderidge

The Mayor of Torintu had penned a reply letter to Lord Trigent of Caerheim, and requires you to deliver it safely into his hands along with the Seal of the Lord within three days. Nobody is to know of the letter’s content and neither the letter nor the Seal is to fall into the wrong hands.

Time limit: 72 hours

Note: There will be repercussions if either one were to be lost. Unlike previously, there will be no second chances. The quest will also fail if the time limit is reached.

Difficulty: D

He knew that this much was to be expected but it was getting quite ridiculous. What had Shadun done to get such a ridiculously simple fetch chain quest that pays off so well? He had gotten like 5 gold and 45 public relations just for completing a secondary quest; the main quest originator would have received much more. Granted, the bandits were difficult alone but a party could have taken them no problem. Beast is a little jealous and was almost tempted to accept the quest to join the bard and partake in his share of the pie. However, he reminded himself why he was in Torintu in the first place. Lanos - The abandoned fort where the ceremonial sword had come from. He has to get himself some viable equipment and skills first before he recklessly pursues something else.

“I refuse.”

“I accept.” The two of them said at the same time.

……………….

“So did you know what was happening?” Beast asked after the both of them were out of the mayor’s home, curiosity getting the better of him.

“Not really.” Shadun shook his head and shrugged.

“How did you come by this quest then?”

At that, the bard gave Beast an implacable look. “I … was in Loyderidge when someone approached me with the seal. Now that I think of it, it could have been Lord Trigent himself.”

From the way he spoke, Beast knew that the bard was not spilling everything he knows. But without him knowing anything and Shadun not telling, there was little he could do. Beast could see that the bard seems to want to say something and was caught in a dilemma as to what to do, so he decided to help the man out a little bit. Straightening his posture, the Lore Keeper coughed.

“I guess I will see you around then.” Beast raised his hand to wave goodbye. “You have to go, don’t you?”

“Right.”

As Shadun turned to leave, Beast sighed. Now that he was all alone again, he could regain all the previous things he could not do in front of another pair of eyes, but there was a lingering feeling of something he could not put a finger on. Kind of like an empty feeling somewhere. Nevertheless, there was much that he needs to do. After finding a safe spot away from people, Beast started to pull out all the loot he had obtained from the bandit cave and going through them one by one.

“Artifact Identify!”

You have failed to identify an artifact.

Well, that was as expected. How could a common bandit weapon ever be an artifact?

“Item Window”

Bandit Knife

Weapon, Dagger, Common

A common short poisoned knife employed by bandits used to quickly silence their targets.

Durability: 21/30

Damage: 11-14

Level restriction: 16

Effect:

Strikes have a chance to inflict Poison 1 on the target.

As mere junk to be sold to the shops, Beast tossed the knife aside and moved on to another, and another. The process of artifact identification and checking the item description kept on repeating itself until Beast abruptly reached something new from an item that he had collected from the bandit bosses.

Knife

Weapon, Unidentified.

No other information was displayed, causing a sense of intrigue in the Lore Keeper. So it seemed that the infamous unidentified items that plagued most multiplayer online games appear in Ages Online as well, which made sense considering that the virtual reality game is to mirror the real world after all. Not all of an object’s information is readily presented to one when one gets hold of it; it takes years of professional training and a discerning eye to accurately determine an object’s actual value and use. Therefore it seems natural for there to be this sort of feature in place in addition to the artifact identification feature.

It could become a little annoying actually, as this meant he actually required two stages of identification now. Identification scrolls are not exactly cheap, much less the elusive Identification skill itself. Besides, Beast knew he would never be able to bring himself to sell this kind of possibly rare loot before he could safely deem it worthless, which meant another wasted slot in his bag. Speaking of which, Beast took out the silver hide cloak.

“Artifact Identify.”

You have failed to identify an artifact. You cannot identify this type of artifacts yet.

Just what was up with this cloak? Just when could he identify this? The OCD in him and his bare unprotected body was irritating him to no end. Beast had so many so many things he wanted to do but could not and the frustration just keeps piling and piling. Unable to keep it in any longer, he packed his stuff and stood up. That does it. He will go out of the town and kill something to vent.

He needed to find another source of food anyway.

……………

Hunting in the surrounding grass plains of Torintu proved much more difficult than Beast thought. Instead of the ferocious wolves and dogs that prowled the farmlands of Rydelin, the main hunt around Torintu are the speedy level 24 antelopes. They are not just plain antelopes either; they are antelopes that ran away like the wind once any killing intent was directed right at them, often bounding far out of reach in the matter of seconds even when they were perfectly docile right before. Compared to the previous endeavors where the monsters came attacking, this was definitely a considerable change of pace for Beast.

In order words, he did not like it at all.

“Hah!”

Beast lunged at an antelope grazing at the grass, only to fall flat on his face for the umpteen times when the antelope dashed past him and disappeared. It was fine and dandy that his fragile unprotected body need not sustain any possible damage, but this inability to even hunt anything was getting on his nerves. Fighting tooth and nail with an enemy was one thing, because one expected the enemy to be still there even after they dodged a blow but this… this… this was just impossible.

Beast spat the dirt and grass out of his mouth and stared at ground. The way things were going, it would only become a colossal waste of time. Shooting a look of disgust at the nearest antelope, Beast logged out.

Author's Notes:

As I have passed the first volume mark, I would like to say words of thanks to my readers.

If you guys read and like my story, please do leave a review.

If you guys have problems with it, do leave a review too so I can know where to improve on.

Thank you!