Chapter 24

Ranked Missions

Fifty years ago, there was a war.

It was dubbed The War of the Braves.

In that war, the establishment of the new frontiers were started and thus it led to the current plotline where the players of RPG: Terroa must banish the aliens and free the world of their reigns.

In that war, where the Humans and the Terrans won back the current free territories, the Walled Cities, and the places where Humans and Terrans are living, young Aldrin Eclaire had once served as an apprentice knight.

Knights such as the late Sir Isaac Beowolf, had the backing of his title and his lineage that he was granted the privilege to train warriors as his apprentice. One of those lucky to have been personally picked by the great esteemed knight was Aldrin. During the war, though his training was incomplete, the rest of the legion where he belonged to was eradicated. Only him and Sir Beowolf was the sole survivors of the surprise attack.

As he opened his eyes from this unrealistic dream, he saw five faces, one at which he reached using his time woven hand just to touch the dried marks of battle.

Seventy year old Aldrin Eclaire, with a body eaten up by an incurable terminal disease, traced the scars on Siva’s face and made a contented smile as he opened his mouth and spoke the words, “How nostalgic.” with a trembling voice.

“Those scars are from fighting a Cleopa.”

Siva was shocked and amazed as he raised his head to look at his companions. Then he looked at their host, Andrea Eclaire, with doubtful eyes.

Andrea nodded with a weak smile and Siva held the frail hand and with a stern expression said, “You have a sharp eye there, sir.”

The old warrior laughed and used all his strength to grab on to the young hand in his hand.

“You, young lad, had eyes of a warrior. I can see my old master in you, he, alone at that time, charged into the ranks of the dreaded demons and killed a hundred of them and still made sure that I will go back alive to tell his tale. Oh…time surely passes by…”

“It does.” Siva agreed rather forcefully.

“But young warrior, surely, you didn‘t come here to hear of an old man‘s tale.”

“Actually…” Again, he looked up to check for their host’s reaction and upon seeing that she agreed, Siva let go of his restraints and told him straightly. “I came here to ask of your great ancestor, Christofer Eclaire.”

“Ah…” At that moment, the old man’s eyes became that of a strong willed person and the life in his eyes wandered throughout the corners of the room. And as he had confirmed that nobody else was inside except for them, he spoke again. “What do you want to ask?”

“About him and his work, Clemente‘s Demise.”

The old man’s face hardened as soon as he heard it and although Siva sensed that he was getting at some place, Andrea suddenly kneeled down and checked his grand father’s vitals.

“He‘s weak.” She told Siva. “I think that‘s enough for today. Let‘s have him rest.”

Siva stood up and could only let the grandchild take over but then as soon as he motioned to walk away, the old man’s hand suddenly gripped his left hand.

“Wait…” The old man forced a weak voice. “What do you want to ask me? What of that book?”

Steeling his resolve, Siva faced the man and spoke up in a solid tone.

“It‘s his message. I believe he left us a message.”

“Ah…” The moment he let go of that reaction, the old man’s face became that of happiness. Even Andrea who cared for him with all her heart was baffled by the sudden change of his grand father’s reactions. “What did you see? Tell me child.”

The old man bade for Siva to come closer, seeming to want him to whisper it to him.

At that, Siva kneeled back and approached his ear, then he whispered, “Find the Providence.” That made the old man smile.

Then he called for his grandchild. “Andrea.”

“Yes grandfather?”

“This man knows, lead him.”

Surprised, Andrea studied Siva’s appearance and her expression softened as soon as she saw the honest look on Siva’s eyes.

“It would seem that you can be trusted. Follow me.”

As he motioned for Siva and the company to follow, a nurse came and tended for the old man. Siva and the rest’s attention was now fixed on their host who looked a little more than thirty, a mother of two kids, and a wife of the city’s Vice Mayor.

In their house’s basement, in the dust covered table in the middle of the room, Andrea brought a candle and placed it on the table. She wiped off the dusts and Siva removed the books and forgotten plate and glass.

It was then that a map of the surrounding landscape came to their sight.

‘We’re the first people.’

As soon as Siva sent the whisper through their communicator device, Volt and the rest looked at him and nodded, trying their best to hide the excitement in their chest.

Then as Andrea pointed at the door at which Agatha who was at the far back made sure to lock. After that, Andrea pointed at a mountain peak.

As soon as her finger made contact with the laid out map, a sound notification echoed on their party and a pop up window appeared on their visions. That in itself was the surprising part since the window that popped out suddenly on their visions is a [Mission Window].

Mission.

The difference between a quest and a mission wasn’t that much big but it was still a clear deviation.

Quests are literally a call for adventure.

It is activated when the user had tapped an event, or a detail in some place, or by a person, or something, directly connected or with regards to RPG: Terroa’s main storyline. Or if the player himself (or his party) had been employed by a certain important NPC that triggered a quest. It can take up to several days, weeks, or months before completion and they sometimes are those that needed one or more people to be completed.

Missions, however, are short term quests that has immediate need of results. The longest time a mission could go on is a week. That is, if it was really a long distance errand or if it was somewhere along the lines of an A or S-ranked mission.

Sometimes, low rank missions are considered high rank quests. Simply put, missions are the errands from an NPC, meaning, they only see the errand and its simplicity as the entirety and not the difficulty along the way. And when it was said difficulty, it means though the errand is a simple E-ranked mission where you have to deliver a letter to someone, considering that you had to cross oceans, desserts, forests full of monsters, spend personal money, or actually fight off a dragon, the mission difficulty in itself was entirely a joke.

Even the rewards wasn’t worth it.

In the end, what missions are all about is the fact that its unpredictable nature —unlike Quests where if it says it’s an S-rank it is an S-rank, is the reward itself. You never know what you’ll get from a mission and if you put it in a different perspective, the loot you get along the way is the reward itself.

And so, looking at the small window that popped up in their visions, Siva and the rest could only hold their breaths in shock.

[Mission]

“An old man’s legacy”

Rank “B” difficulty

Requirements: Eclaire Family’s trust.

Limit: 18 days

Will you accept?

(Yes?) — (No?)

As the window remained, Andrea began to pull her finger and spoke in a restrained tone.

“There is a cave in this place. Deep inside the cave is an altar. In the altar is a package. Retrieve it.”

“But…” Siva realized it was too late to retract his voice and so he had no choice but to continue. “I heard the old man say that you had to lead us.”

And that’s where he received a smack in the head.

“Stupid! Can‘t you see I‘m a mother of two kids! Or are your eyes just there to make you look human?”

Hearing the words, along with a surprised heart, the third emotion that swell on his chest at that moment was irritation. It’s because somehow, those words had reminded him of another person.

On the other hand, the sound of restrained laughs did not escape Siva’s ears. And when he raised his hurting head, there, Agatha and Hawkeye covering their mouths along with teary eyes while Samara and was talking to the wall and also covering her mouth. But the greatest blow to his pride was Volt who, with no restraint, had the time of his life laughing at one corner.

He was left with no choice but to pout and listen to Andrea.

“Do you get me? Retrieve the package and I will tell you what you needed to know.”

Siva was urged to ask why she won’t come but then he stopped himself before the first word came out. And so, they exited the room and was guided to the dining area where they had lunch before departing.

The words of goodbye was never spoken but before they left, they all agreed on the mission and carried their selves out towards the Southern Gate.

At the entrance, the view of the mountain Andrea had pointed at can be seen. It was one of the two peaks that entrapped the Walled City of Hagonoy, giving the water and the life for its people and of course, towards the users.

“How many days?” Hawkeye asked to no one but the person who answered her query was Siva.

“A week at most. Four at least.”

Volt put an elbow on his right shoulder. “And that‘s coming from experience, I bet.”

“No. Just my calculations.”

“Hahahaha…you‘re really weird you know that?”

“Funny,” Samara opened up her floating bag (a very expensive item for Mages. +100 inventory slots) and pulled a wand. “I really do feel an excitement different from the usual today.”

“Is it because we have a new member on our team?”

On Agatha’s comment, Siva only glanced at her and then let out a long sigh. He then started to head towards the stores at the side of the main road and began to buy things, even adding a Z80k worth expendable legged truck. And not only one, he really bought two of them.

Seeing those, the four could only follow his lead as they also prepared themselves for the adventure.

Then at one point, Hawkeye asked, “Why did you buy a portable expendable truck?”

Siva ignored the adorable expression and continued to buy supplies. But without glancing at her, he replied to her question with a straight answer, “They are for our pride. I don‘t want to experience the same shameful sight I‘ve had once before.”

Hawkeye and the two girls could only wonder while Siva recalled that one time where he was forced to ride on woods from a stone age cart filled with his goods.

“I don‘t want to feel the shame again.” He repeated the line that sounded like a mantra.