Chapter 32: Where’s the Silver Lining?

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Part 1

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Hall of Valhalla

Congratulations.

You are the first player to discover the Hall of Valhalla. Brave souls called Einhenjar once walked within this sacred walls freely, governed by the Great God King, Odin Alfodr and his chosen mortal Champion, the Founder and First Emperor of the whole continent, King Siegmund.

Now, it is nothing more than a remnant of the old. The traditions and obligations to one’s cause, honour and pride too have ceased to exist alongside the use of this place.

Fame +250

EXPs +150,000

Achievement: <> has been unlocked. You had gained yourself favour among the many people who called themselves hunter of the lore, history and truth. Your achievement of discovering new places due to your sense of curiosity and the needs to explore the four corner of this world will never be slighted.

The book <> has been completed!

The first thing that greeted me was the system message that popped-up once Mimi and Elly correctly placed all the seven keystones on the pedestal on their first and only try. As colourful rays of seven different type of lights surrounded each one of us, we were transported magically into an unknown place.

“For a hallowed place, this sure feels creepy. And not to mention desolate and unkempt. The thick dust is sticking to my paws, po!” Popo said my mind out for me. However, for Mimi, this was a big find for her. Within the darkness, I could sense that her breath was short and shallow amidst her incoherent mumble.

I lighted up a torch and then kept count of the party. Satisfied that everyone was here, I gave a big sigh of relief. But we were not out of danger just yet. My eyes kept darting around the edges of the light like a paranoid person. But better to be safe than sorry. If something like God’s Wrath or Ein-something came and attack us, all of this would be for nothing. We had to press on forwards but where should we go from here?

“M-Master… I-I… I did it!!”

A piercing shriek rudely jolted me out of my thoughts. Afraid that something might have come our way, I took out my weapon. However, it was just a false alarm. Shaking my head, I managed a dry smile towards the culprit – Mimi. She was already on her knees and immediately broke down into a river of tears.

Knowing her, it must surely have been about her Master’s lifelong study and unfinished journal. As his student, I was sure that she dreamt about finding this place and fulfil whatever her old Master’s wishes had left to her. Since we had found this place and thus completing the journal, Mimi was showing an emotion that I never knew she had it in her. I left her alone, sobbing and muttering yet more incoherent words while I explored around. Elly and Rose came with me, leaving Mimi alone with her husband.

“Wow, this place is sure huge,” I mumbled under my breath as the two girls walked quietly alongside. Our journey was at a snail pace – both slow and laborious. I could not see well what was ahead of us despite having the illumination from the torch. But for once, this was a good change of pace. Keeping things unrushed and slower than usual would allow more time for me to think thoroughly. Especially what I wanted to do next. I was pretty much bummed and had no idea how to proceed from here. I was out of options, friends and definitely allies. Whatever ideals and approaches that I once had when I first started to play this game were flushed down the drain.

The corner of my eyes peered at the blonde girl who walked beside me. Her long golden silky hair that flowed down to her waist under the dim light of the torch surrounded by the darkness beyond us made for a very contrasting but beautiful sight.

“Perhaps… it was worth it after all.” With a bittersweet smile, I pressed on further. We took our time exploring the unknown area and kept our vigil and alertness close to us.

However, it did not disguise the size of this place in one bit. Albeit not as large as the place where we came from earlier, I could make out how spacious it was. If I could simply describe it, the structure was like the carbon copy of the Hall of the Forgotten Gods; the pillars, walls, floors and the engravings just felt eerily similar.

“Ghost… I-I…” Suddenly, the silence of our exploration was broken and I peered towards Elly. She looked quite uncomfortable. Her pained expression somewhat made me curious.

Did this place give her the creeps? Or did she recalled some painful experience by walking around in this sort of place? A traumatic NPC was something that I would never expect, ever. I stopped and jerked my head at her. She was a little hesitant and kept on fidgeting.

“Is there something troubling you, Elly?” Despite my inquiry, she stood silently while her eyes darted around lacking focus. Perhaps tired of it all, it was Rose who blurted out for me.

“Stupid Sis wanted to say sorry, Papa!”

“Ohhh?” Raising my eyebrows, I scrutinized the two of them intently. Elly finally nodded her head. And for breaking the ice, Rose crossed her arms and gave out some sort of a victorious smile. She must be really happy with herself.

In regards to Elly, I couldn’t say that I was not surprised. She had been acting weird since we rescued her. I thought it was to do with her acceptance of her fate, like how I used to act when I became a paraplegic. Rejection of one’s own reality, especially the painful and bad ones could break a person. And because of that, I’d let Elly alone to her thoughts. But to hear from Rose that she wanted to say sorry was news to me.

“It’s alright.” I tried to ease her. But she was having none of it. “B-But…”

“But what?” I asked.

“I-I-I have lied to you! Everything about me… I-I had lied…” She stuttered at the end of her words. However, this time around the surprise elements did not work at all. I had my reservations when I first got her as my ally. With a question mark on her class and the way she acted and behave was not incongruent at all with what I was told, I knew immediately that there was something more to her than she would ever let me knew. But as an ally, other than that one time, she had proved to me her immeasurable values. For me, that alone was more than enough.

“It’s alright. I knew you had not been truthful to me, but you have your reasons.” I turned around and started walking. “You are still my ally and I’ll still have your back no matter what. I trust you with my life. So, when you can trust me enough, perhaps you could…”

Before I could finish my words, I received a hard and big hug from my back. The force was so strong that I took a couple of steps forward to balance myself.

“Not fair!! You are not supposed to hug Papa like that! I want one too!!” And then came another hug that finally took me down to the floor. As the torch flew forward, the two girls had made their homes on my back.

“Oi, you two! Let me go already!” But my muffled protest went through deaf ears.

“Hahaha. Seems like there’s one of us who have trouble with women too, po!” The damn rabbit came, squatted in front of me and then gave a pat on my head. Instead of helping me, he just rubbed salt into my wounds by winding up me further. Of my miseries and how lousy I was with women.

“S-Shut up, you half-dead rabbit!”

“Po! I-I’m not…”

“Yah, yah! Now shooed these two from my bad. My stamina is dropping like flies!” However, Popo just smiled at me and with another pat on my head, he stood up and laughed away.

“Come girls. I know your feelings for Ghost, but you better let him go. Or else we have to carry him next.” Mimi came and she was the one who helped me from being pinned like this.

“Yah, who will be carrying Popo when I’m out of it, ehh?”

“I can walk by myself, po! I don’t need you to carry me like a child!!” The damn Bunnian retorted but was instantly whacked on his head by Mimi. One glare from her immediately shut him up for good.

“Whatever, you skirt wearing one-eyed rabbit.” The rest of us laughed at Popo’s expense. Though we were yet out of our troubles, a little respite like this would do us a world of good for things to come.

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