The sun was high up in the sky without a cloud in sight and the morning air smelled of grass and flowers. The tall trees that provided shade for pedestrians along the walkways were in full bloom and alive with a motley of colors like a pastel artwork come to life. It was summertime in Patriam and the great city of Babel buzzed with activity as every player went about their business. It was a good day to go out and have an adventure.

But besides the bustling crowd that filled the streets in their summer attires, there was one solitary figure sitting still at the steps of the city cathedral. Lukas had been waiting for hours for the newcomer’s orientation. He had been waiting here every day for the past week looking for a chance to talk with a certain silver-clad Lord Knight.

The incident with the Blue Demon had sprouted big questions for Lukas including a few about Argenti himself. For example; why was it Argenti who showed up when Kaya used the coin Damocles gave? Who was he to Damocles? What was his role in all of this? As a result, Lukas took it upon himself to ask around about the man. It seemed an easy task at first since all of the players and even the NPCs know who Argenti was, but after raking up a considerable tab in different pubs from buying people free drinks in exchange for stories, Lukas had only gathered mostly rumors and hearsays.

Some say Argenti was not a player at all but an NPC made by Damocles himself. One man said that the Lord Knight was the first player ever to be summoned to Patriam by the celestial. An elderly NPC even insisted that Damocles and Argenti are one and the same. And one girl dreamily hinted that the man and the celestial were secret lovers.

But out of all the rumors were a few nuggets of information collaborated from different sources and were considered as general facts. It was apparently common knowledge that Argenti was the leader of a very strong and exclusive guild called the Nightingales who were notorious for hunting dangerous monsters. Almost all players agree that the Lord Knight was the strongest player in Patriam at the present. And, perhaps the most interesting, Argenti was supposedly Damocles’ right-hand man.

It now made sense why the Lord Knight came to their rescue and why Argenti and his guild were the ones escorting newcomers to the cathedral for their orientation. He was basically Damocles’ errand boy. But one thing still doesn’t make sense; if Argenti was said to be the strongest player at the moment, then why wasn’t he able to instantly kill the Blue Demon? And why did he not look even remotely surprised when it happened?

“Where the hell are you?” Lukas muttered as he scanned the crowd in hopes of catching a glint of silver.

But it appears that there were no newcomers arriving today either. It had been like that for a while now. There used to be new recruits every week since Lukas arrived in Babel but now the cathedral had been empty for nearly a month save for a few that still held to their religion coming to pray and some who took to worshiping Damocles himself.

“Hey…” a girl’s voice came from his left.

Lukas looked up to see Kaya in a light green dress wearing a large sunhat.

“Hey…” he said back.

“Still no plans of heading out?”

Lukas shook his head.

Ever since fighting the Blue Demon, he had been hesitant to go outside the safe zones. He had told Boris and Kaya that they needed some vacation time to enjoy the changing of the seasons but in reality, the idea that monsters get stronger by killing players unnerved him. Facing the Dark Lord will surely result in casualties, but if Obsidius got stronger with every dead player, then that would be a big problem to consider. Lukas wanted to confront Argenti on the matter to confirm if his suspicions were true. If it were, then Damocles left out something crucial in his little orientation.

“Boris keeps bugging me to ask you,” said Kaya. “I think he’s getting impatient.”

Lukas had noticed that as well. The Russian didn’t like standing still for too long. Even a full day of rest was too much for Boris, and they had been in Babel for a full week at this point. The old man wanted to keep pushing forward, and Lukas could understand his feelings completely. Boris only wanted to go home back to the real world, just like him. But Boris seems to fail to understand how difficult and dangerous that task would actually be. Especially now with the current circumstances. Lukas needed answers before they could move. He didn’t want to end up like Jacob the Knight, losing two close friends because he wasn’t fully aware of how this bastardized version of GFO really worked.

“Where is he?” Lukas asked.

“He’s in one of the pubs… the Wolf’s Head, I think.”

Lukas pushed himself off the pavement and dusted his hands.

“Let’s go get him then.”

“Ow… we’re heading out today then?”

“Yup.”

They had been stagnant for too long. That could be detrimental to its own right. They had to be exposed to combat to keep themselves sharp and ready.

...So we don’t forget how dangerous this world really is.

Maybe they could backtrack to a few towns and complete some quests they skipped just for the sake of having something to do.

“So, where are we headed?” asked Kaya as they started walking toward the Wolf’s Head pub.

“I’m thinking we go to Philipu.”

“Philipu? I think I’ve been there before,” said Kaya. “On my previous character, I mean. But we haven’t been there yet, have we?”

“Nope. We skipped it,” said Lukas. “But there are a few quests worth going back for there. We could always use the gold.”

***

As they walked along the side of the city square lined with cafes and restaurants, the mouthwatering aroma of different dishes and the strong smell of coffee wafted through the air. NPCs garbed in different summer costumes beckoned them to come inside their respective establishments.

They were passing by one the cafes Lukas loved to frequent for their strong black coffee when he noticed someone familiar.

In a grey sharkskin suit that further emphasized the silver of his hair, Argenti sat reading a book at one of the outside tables. It was odd seeing the Lord Knight outside of his silver armor but it was definitely him.

There you are.

“What? You wanna get a coffee first?” asked Kaya on seeing Lukas stop midstep.

“Huh? Uhm. Yeah.” he lied. “Why don’t you get Boris and we’ll meet back here. Sound good?”

“Uhm. Owkay-”

“Good. See you in a bit.” Lukas said as he ushered Kaya away.

When she was out of sight, Lukas walked over to Argenti and sat on the empty chair directly across from the man.

The Lord Knight looked up from his book and cocked an eyebrow at his guest.

“There are plenty of empty seats here, friend.”

Doesn’t he remember me?

Lukas was caught off guard by this. But it was foolish to just assume Argenti would recognize him now that he thought about it.

“I… uhm… My name is Lukas.”

Argenti stared at him for a while and turned his eyes back on the book.

“Well, Lukas. The answer is no.”

What?

“But I haven’t even asked any questions.” Lukas protested.

“You were going to ask if you could join my guild. That even though you’re not high level yet you are full of potential and eager to learn. Blah blah blah...” said Argenti in a bored tone as if he’d said the line many times before. “The answer is still no.”

“I’m not here for recruitment,” said Lukas slightly irritated.

“Well, what do you want? And be quick about it. You’re intruding on what very little leisure time I have.” replied Argenti without looking up from his book.

Lukas felt a sense of excitement. At last, he would get answers. But he quickly realized that despite waiting for almost a week to talk to the man, Lukas did not know how to form the questions he wanted to ask.

“I… uhm… you see… the thing is, last week you uhm...” he stammered.

Argenti’s brow furrowed in annoyance.

Just spit it out already.

“Last week, you rescued us from an Elite monster,” started Lukas. “Do you remember that?”

“Vaguely,” answered Argenti, flipping to the next page of his book. “What about it?”

“I wanted to say thank you… for saving us.”

“You’re welcome. A P.M. would have sufficed but saying it in person is appreciated.” replied the Lord Knight in a dull monotone.

It appears that saving people’s lives is a common occurrence for Argenti. He didn’t even look up from his book.

“If that’s all, then perhaps you can do me the courtesy of-”

“That’s not all why wanted to talk to you.” cut-off Lukas.

“Out with it then,” said Argenti with a heavy sigh.

“When you saved us, I noticed something odd....”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“The monster… it took more damage than it should’ve....”

At this, Argenti’s brows twitched ever so slightly. His eyes were still glued on the book he was holding but his pupils weren’t moving.

Lukas could tell Argenti was buying some time to think. He had seen the same expression on his mother’s face whenever he asked a difficult question about his condition when he was young.

After a few seconds of stalling, Argenti closed the book and finally looked up. Lukas could see the recognition come in those grey eyes.

“Ow, you’re that Lukas. The deal-maker.” Argenti said with a smirk.

“Yes, I’m that… wait, the what now?”

“The deal-maker. Well, that’s what people call you.”

“Who’s calling me that?”

“Everyone.”

That made Lukas pause for a moment. He did not know what to make of this information. Should he be flattered?

It does have a ring to it. Deal-maker. That sounds- wait, wait, wait. I’m veering off-topic here. Focus, damn it!

“Anyway… I just found it weird, you know. You should have killed it in one hit but-”

“-but I didn’t. What of it?” interrupted Argenti.

Okay... This is not going well.

“...well, with your level you should have,” said Lukas a little apprehensive. But after hearing it himself, it sounded like an insult more than an observation. “I mean, by the looks of your gear alone you seem fit to lead a raid…” he added, trying to save the early statement.

Argenti pursed his lips.

“Well, you’re right. I should have killed it with one blow but I didn’t.” The Lord Knight said. “Now if you’re going to ask me something, out with it. So far all I’ve heard are statements and observations.”

Lukas had to admit, Argenti was more direct about the matter than he expected. As if almost daring him to ask the question. In fact, it was Lukas who seemed to be beating around the bush.

Come on… Just ask him directly.

“Is there something Damocles isn’t telling us?” Lukas said seriously.

Argenti only gave him a deadpan stare.

“How should I know? I’m not Damocles now am I?”

Apparently the question wasn’t direct enough. Lukas thought as he did a mental face-palm.

“Now if that will be all, I’ de best be going,” said Argenti as he got up from his seat.

Shit!

The Lord Knight was already walking away when Lukas finally gathered the words to form a more direct question.

“Do monsters get stronger too when they kill?” Lukas blurted out.

This made Argenti pause midstep and turn his face ever so slightly back at him.

“Does the decree Damocles invoke work both ways?” Lukas added.

There... Is that direct enough for you?

Argenti seems to mull the question over for a few seconds and then the corner of his lips curved in a shallow knowing smile.

“I neither confirm nor deny.”

What the hell does is that supposed to mean?!

Lukas shot up from his seat infuriated by the answer.

“What do you mean you-”

“LUKAS, MY BOY!” came a booming voice behind him and a hand the size of a bear paw slammed on his left shoulder and he was forced back into his seat.

“I hear we finally get back to slaying some beasts!” Boris said excitedly.

“Uhm. Yeah. Just hold on a minute. I just need to-” but when Lukas turned back, the Lord Knight was already gone, lost in the bustling crowd of the city square.

“Damn it!” he cursed.

“Why? What’s the matter?” asked Kaya.

“Nothing…” he mumbled.

And it was nothing. What was he supposed to do with ‘I neither confirm nor deny’? Argenti might as well have not answered at all.

Was he just messing with me?

“So, where to now, Lukas my boy?” asked Boris.

Lukas still had questions and if Argenti wasn’t there to give a straight answer, then he’ll find something else that can. If he wants to confirm if monsters also get stronger when they kill, he would have to find a case similar to the Blue Demon incident. Elite Monsters were brought on by the new patch and this means players weren’t yet familiar with their mechanics; attack patterns, skills, stats, etc. Hence, players were more likely to die when facing such monsters. Taking the Shroom King and the Blue Demon as examples, this seemed to be the case. However, only the Blue Demon had an unknown level but it did kill more players than the Shroom King. Did it gain enough essence to exceed its intended level? Was that the reason why it became so strong?

If they could find more monsters with unknown levels and prove that it had killed players, then his theory was most likely right.

Hunting low-level Elites would be safe enough, I guess. Lukas thought as he mentally plotted their next leveling routes.

Lukas’ hand went absentmindedly to the pommel of his new sword; The Witchblade. With this new weapon, his build just hit a massive power spike. The existence of the item alone verifies that his build was viable. It meant the creators of GFO intended for a player to use Spellblade as a main source of damage in the expansion. But what if his build was too powerful than anticipated and they decide to nerf it on the next patch? Will Damocles update this version of GFO to match the actual game? If that was the case, then Lukas could get stuck with a useless build in a world where only the strong ones survived. All of a sudden, he was struck with a sense of urgency.

I have to abuse this for as long as I can.

Lukas stood up abruptly and started walking.

“Where are we going?” asked Kaya.

“To the Bounty Board.”

“Excellent! I love a good Bounty Quest!” said Boris. “What are we going after?”

“We’re hunting Elites,” declared Lukas.

***

In one of the alleys that linked the city square to the guild halls, Argenti watched the three players leave the cafe and blend into the rush of the morning crowd. He gave a brief smile before turning his back to head deeper into the alley. After a few steps, he felt a familiar presence beside him.

“What is it, Ravi?” Argenti spoke into the apparently empty alleyway as he kept walking.

A hooded figure of a girl seemed to emerge from the right-side wall and fell in stride with him. Her footsteps barely made a sound on the stone walkway.

She was a head shorter than Argenti and was fully wrapped in a black cloak that only revealed her heart-shaped face with bronze skin, full lips, and big almond-shaped eyes the color of hazel. The only thing that stood out about Ravi’s attire was a coin-sized silver pin in the shape of a nightingale that clasped the cloak at the left shoulder.

Name: Ravi Luis

Class: Reaper Subclass: Swordsman

Level: 81

“Who was the boy you were talking to, captain?” she asked.

Argenti scoffed.

“Noone. Just a curious fellow asking some interesting questions,” he said. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, I’ve seen him every day for a week standing in front of the cathedral... I think he was waiting for you.”

“Is that so? You didn’t see him talk to anyone else? Rave conspiracy theories or some nonsense to anyone who would listen?”

“No… he just waited there. Sometimes the Priestess would drop by but he mostly kept to himself.”

“Really? Now that’s interesting…”

Maybe you could be trusted, deal-maker. Argenti thought for a moment.

“Ravi, I want you to tail him… Keep tabs on where he goes, what he does, and who he speaks to.”

“Of course, captain,” she said without hesitation. “Is he a threat?” she asked casually after a pause.

Argenti saw a slight movement and knew Ravi placed her hand on the pommel of her weapon.

“No.” he answered. “He’s a prospect. The Nightingales could always use a new member with discretion.”

“Understood.” she nodded.

With that, Ravi melted into the shadows of the alley walls. She was gone as fast as she appeared.