CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

There's Actually a Plot?

The White Chapel. A relatively uninspired name for what would be the largest place of worship on the city outskirts. However, the people currently inside were not there for prayer and reverence. Instead, a pitched battle was fought across the pews, with dozens if not hundreds of players fighting tooth and nail against hooded deacons who emitted a pasty green glow.

Upon arrival, anyone would be astounded by the sheer number of combatants, but rather than join the fight, one party meekly decided to avoid the battle. Instead, finding a nearby propped hill, to better watch the carnage.

Despite the heavy resistance, the battle was progressing steadily. The Basilisk group though small were well organized, and had ensured that a maximum amount of users could take part in the assault. Of course they were no fools either, as they positioned most of the beginners to be used as cannon fodder in order to maximize their benefits.

However, such a decision soon proved to be their undoing as their actions inevitably triggered the Pastor's Ire. With but a wave of his sleeves, the corpses of the countless beginner’s strewn on the ground combined and congealed until an amorphous mass of flesh formed before them. As the users screamed in terror, the pastor managed to disappear during the commotion, leaving behind the abomination.

Bulbous, gargantuan and with pus seeping out of its seams, the monster appeared to have no offensive power but was incomparably sturdy. While its lack of aggression allowed for many to heave sighs of relief, such sighs turned to groans as located just beneath its fleshly body was a trap door. It didn’t take an idiot to know that the door surely led to wherever the Pastor had escaped to.

Suddenly the quest had a time limit. Whereas before the biggest worry was whether the players would have enough firepower to take down the pastor, now they had to quickly chase him down since it was doubtful that the Pastor would just sit idly by while they hacked away at the abomination. The exposure of his crimes would surely lead to a hastening of his mysterious plans which could prove devastating towards the success of the mission.

The rankers who were overseeing the assault were quick to act though. They swallowed whatever pride they had and sent for the NPCs, but even as the lower leveled guards began appearing, time was quickly being used up.

The monster itself had a body which was impervious to weapons. Any attacks would bounce off its fleshy hide, and the barest of nicks would also close up almost instantaneously. It was evident that they would need someone on the level of a Knight Captain to break through its defenses, but due to the isolated location of the chapel, such assistance would take time. Time, that they did not have.

Unlike normal games, the humans and monsters in the Elseworld were always on the move, which could lead to a near infinite amount of situations that players could find themselves in.

Understanding this, an officer of Basilisk could only chew on his cheek in frustration as he finally unveiled his trump card.

"Group Up! And Hit it Till it Dies!"

"We need to find another entrance!"

The chain of command was scattered as the original leader of the expedition had already been slain by Pastor Maximillian. What was left were rankers and even casual players trying desperately to seize control.

"Well, isn't this disappointing." Pale murmured as he casually watched the proceedings atop a picnic blanket. From an organized assault to this messy floundering. It might only be the early stages of the game, but such a lack of coordination was embarrassing, to say the least.

"Hey! I thought we weren't going to join in?" Dawn complained as Pale ended up swaggering towards the chapel entrance.

"Correct. We aren’t. I am."

Pale smiled before entering the fray. Despite the battle's climax already being passed, a ferocious struggle was still underway within the once holy walls.

While Dawn had half a mind to follow him, it was then that Roari materialized back onto the dirt beside her.

She had just gone on a bathroom break and suddenly Pale was gone, while Dawn looked like she wanted to leave?

"Are you guys ditching me?"

Roari cried in shock. Although she noticed that Pale and Dawn had shared some glances from time to time, she never expected to be cast aside so soon.

"No! No!" Dawn said hastily. Though Roari was expressionless, she felt as though her face was but a fragile sheet of ice, haphazardly holding back the unrelenting fury that burned within.

Through their experiences together, Dawn quickly became accustomed to why Pale almost always let Roari have her way. To see her angered was frightening beyond compare.

"He just went inside for reconnaissance. I'm sure he'll back soon!"

Dawn threw away whatever thoughts she had of following Pale, instead opting to placate Roari by brushing her hair.

'I feel like a cat owner' Dawn grimaced, however, it wasn't long before Pale returned, dragging along what looked to be a corpse in their direction.

It was one of Pastor Maximillion's deacons, although his eyes were covered with a bloodied bag, and he was missing half an arm, the servant was still very much alive. The man did not stir, but wheezed weakly as his life's blood flowed from his orifices. It was evident that he did not have much time left.

"Dawn, heal him a little."

There was only muted silence in response as Dawn allowed her healing light to shine over the deacon's body. Although it wasn't a lot, her recovery magicks still managed to bring him back from the brink of death, leaving him in heavily critical condition.

"W-what?"

A tired voice slurred, which was instantly interrupted as Pale landed a smashing blow across the covered face.

Crack.

Dawn sucked in a breath but looked on with interest. Pale's voice had deepened until it became gravelly, sinister.

"Wake up!" Pale hissed as though nothing was wrong. "The Temple Knights have come, we need to move!"

Although bloodlust had erupted from the dying man at first, Pale's words have caused him to pause. "Impossible! We were attacked by...we were…--"

The deacon was unsure of the situation, but before he could grasp his bearings, another slap came crashing down.

"It is not. We have been betrayed. The Pastor is on the run, but he won't last much longer."

"What? But we promised them Road. They can't! Wh-Why can't I see? What is this!"

"Don't take off the cloth. You were blinded."

Dawn inwardly whistled at Pale's sudden coldness. Although it was all just an act, his gravelly tone and overbearing manner of speaking all received full marks in her book. Also, some of the combatants took note of their presence, but most were too concerned with murdering each other to pay them any mind.

"We don't have much time. Our brothers are dying, but I can still save Maximillian. I just need to know where the tunnels lead out of."

"Th-They... Who are you?"

Pale cursed silently.

"I am a servant of the Master. He sent me when he learned you were under attack."

"Which Master?"

The tone of the deacon's voice became progressively more suspicious. Although Pale wanted to cry, he understood that he would have to double down on his act or receive nothing in exchange.

He snarled as spittle flew from his lips.

"There is only one Master. Don't presume to question my position. I hold more authority than you could ever hope to attain."

The deacon was silent, with only light gasps giving away his consciousness. Soon a low gurgling laugh came out of the bloodied sack. Tinged with madness, it was obvious that the jig was up.

"Fool. Why would the master care about us? We are mere ants just trying to survive while giants walk the earth. Don't presume that I am so easily fooled. Y-You are enemies."

Pale's eyes widened as the deacon's one remain arm exploded upwards. His hooks nails barely scoring the side of his face before Dawn swiftly retaliated. Draw, cut, release. The offending arm fell to the ground with a plop, having been instantly severed with but a single movement.

Roari followed up by stomping down on the deacon's chest, forcing him back to the earth while mad muffled laughter came pouring out of the bag.

The claw marks on his face stung as Pale sucked a breath through his teeth. Despite being a glancing blow, the wound throbbed viciously. Looking down at the dying deacon, he could only sigh as he tipped his metaphorical hat at the man's vigor.

"I suppose it would've been too easy if you were to just give it all away. But I'll cut you a deal. Tell us where the Pastor went, and I promise you a swift reunion with that goddess you are all so fanatical about."

"Goddess?" The deacon laughed, with a strength far beyond what a dying sack of meat should justifiably have. "There is no goddess! Road spurned us. Betrayed us. If we would see her again, it would be to show her city, burned to the ground, her legacy reduced to ash."

Pale's face turned cold as he restrained the urge to hit him. With the deacon's pitiful state, even the most casual of blows might end him.

"Dawn. Heal him. We can bring him back to the Knight's Temple for questioning."

As Dawn was about to comply, the air turned cold, as the blood splattered bag draped over the deacon's head became soaked entirely.

Cursing, Pale ripped the bag off the deacon's head to see a crazed smile staring back at him. The deacon spat a glob of flesh onto the ground before them and gave them a brilliantly bloody grin.

'He bit off his tongue?!'

From the deacon's throat came an incomprehensible jibber and his eyes became crescents. Despite having lost, he would reign victorious. No matter what torture, he had effectively ensured his silence in the matter.

Pale stiffened. Between the blood loss and the effort needed to bring the deacon in, the potential rewards really didn't seem worth it. With a low sigh, green flames appeared on his fingertips and were then used to light the deacon's entire body on fire.

The notification indicating that his level had risen didn't do anything to lift his mood as countless more questions appeared in his head. They had thought the Chapel assault would be the catalyst which would allow them to embark on the Bloodwitch questline, but from the way things were going, such a task had to be put on hold yet.

However, it was now clear that they would have to take part of the White City kidnapping questline which would be troubling, to say the least.

There was also a problem with the reactions of Roari and Dawn towards his performance. Despite their differences, both seemed to have eyes shining with excitement. As for the reasons, only they themselves would know.

"Your psychopath impression was a bit lacking, but overall a solid performance. I give a B-!" Roari commented dryly.

"It was a bit cold, but that seriousness coupled with that icy glare was quite stimulating." Dawn nodded while doing her best to hide a smirk.

"...thank you for your kind words. Anyways, back to the task at hand. I imagine we'll have to figure out who this "Road" is. If what mr.cinders says over here is true, then I imagine this is just the beginning of a long string of quests."

Pale prodded the burning husk of the armless deacon.

"Seeing how there was a monstrous abomination that even rankers can’t kill, I doubt we're anywhere near qualified to take such a mission." Dawn, the killjoy said tactfully.

Just how long would it take them to reach such a level? Judging from their current progression, it would be akin to abandoning the quest altogether.

"We could still check it out. If we die, then so be it. Isn't that the point of being adventurers?" Roari said.

Pale however disagreed. "That shouldn't be the case. This quest was offered to literally everyone who came into this city. With high leveled NPCs, why would responsibility be pushed onto the players, where the majority of whom are under lv 30?"

"Shitty game design?"

"Apart from that, my guess is that the quest is something that does not require the strength of an elite few to achieve, but rather requires the manpower of many in order to achieve success. This quest pertains to the security of the city after all. Who would leave it to but a few random strangers?"

Dawn simmered on that. If the scenario was as Pale said, they would have to expect an incredibly level of coordination and teamwork from noobs who just started. Such an expectation was quite optimistic.

"For many, the game just started. Would players really have access to quests that would have the capacity to change the foundations of a city? So soon?"

"Isn't that what's happening right now?"

Dawn chewed on the insides of her cheek. Despite having started this game much earlier than the two of them, she couldn't really declare anything with certainty. Since the beginning, quests have been more straightforward, unidirectional. It was only recently that the complexity increased by multiple folds.

As the party was at a loss, there wasn't much else to do but to search the chapel for more enemies to interrogate. As for the treasures and loot within, nearly all of it had been monopolized by the Basilisk guild already, thus profits were slim.

Though they found nothing, it wasn't long before all enemies were slain save for the abomination. Though at that point, it seemed that the NPCs in the city had caught wind of the operation, as half an hour later, the temple Knight Captains had finally arrived. Leading them all was a cold looking man in a brilliant azure blue full plate. Its gentle glow exuded a mysticism and strength that could only belong to an NPC elite.

With their revival, an eerie silence descended upon the chapel, leaving nothing but the sound of mail clinking. The cerulean knight's similarly blue eyes looked around at the dumbstruck users in disdain. Despite his glare, he did not stop to converse with anyone, instead, striding up nonchalantly to the abomination. With an almost loving gentleness, he placed his palm gently upon the mass of wriggling flesh.

Squelch.

There was no explosion, only a crimson flash. In the time span for every player in the area to blink, the chapel which was previously a pristine white was drenched in red. With unidentifiable gooey chunks trickling down the chapel walls. The blood and guts had gotten all over the Knight Captain's as well, but the blue knight stood there, immaculate.

A voice as ancient and hollow as time came out of the cerulean knight's lips. "Find him."

The orders were curt, but immediately the squadron of knights rushed for the trap door, descending into the dark unknown.

As for the knight, his piercing eyes swept over the trembling users. His gravelly voice seemed to drop another pitch as he snapped, "Who is the leader here!"

One player carrying an oaken longbow stepped forward. "He's dead...sir, but my name is Tuck, at your service...sir."

"Dead? As if death has any meaning for you lot." The cerulean knight removed his sallet helm, revealing a cold, pallid face. He might have been considered winsome if not for a fearsome scowl that marred his features.

The few rankers who remained were downcast. Even if the cerulean knight was not real, none dared to meet his gaze.

"You will not be blamed for this, but neither shall you be rewarded. Return to whence you came. This is a matter of the White Temple now."

Though not many had noticed at first, the moment after the cerulean knight made the statement, all the users in the White City had the same notification appear in their journals.

Quest Failed: Darkness in the White City

"So it was hopeless after all..."

The remaining party leaders of the Basilisk Group gnashed their teeth, but there was nothing they could do. If anything, they had to prevent this failure from getting out, lest a blow was struck to their reputation.

"Typical. If we knew about this earlier, there was no way we would have failed." Roari boasted while feeling smug at the crestfallen users.

'Are you sure about that?' Dawn frowned. Knowing Roari, they would probably have done the same and just charged in without a plan.

"I think we should just be thankful that we weren't the ones who fucked up. There will be more opportunities later." Pale stated. Although most of the users here were made up of Basilisk Group members, there were still many like themselves who have no affiliation with the guild.

"It definitely won't end with this." Pale repeated.

They decided to hover around the cerulean knight as the search continued. While it wasn't long before the squadron of Knight Captains returned, the results of the search quickly became evident

Pastor Maximillian had escaped, but they managed to find a hidden pathway which led to an underground warehouse. Within were all the kidnapped noble children, unharmed but strangely unguarded.

They were swiftly returned to their anxious parents, and soon afterward, the King had lifted martial law from the city. The White Temple Knights were now free to act as they pleased and missions were no longer restricted. Such an event made many of the users within the White City happy.

After all, the contribution points received from completing White Temple missions could be used to acquire enchanted materials for armor enhancing. Since the best possible gear obtainable thus far were merely forged from steel and iron, access to holy stones would allow users to increase their battle prowess to another level.

With that, the great abduction ended on a rather anticlimactic note. For many players, the whole scenario felt rather off, but many chalked it up to poor game design.

In addition to that, it was stated that a bounty for Pastor Maximillian would soon be issued, but the timing of such a request remained uncertain.

Though the quest had ended and most of the users had dispersed, Pale, Dawn, and Roari were stopped before they could leave as well.

"...Can I help you?" Pale looked towards the user. It was Tucker, who had assumed leadership upon meeting the cerulean knight. Despite a couple of pockmarks, he had no real distinguishing features thus his face was already fading from Pale's mind.

"What are you doing now?" He demanded rudely.

Pale blinked twice, taken back by his audaciousness.

"Excuse me?"

"I saw you chatting up with a deacon earlier. You have shifty eyes. I know you're up to something and I want in."

Pale waved him off and turned his back to him.

"Don't walk away from me! We can help each other. Just tell me what you know!" Tucker panted, removing his bow from its harness. Pale was about to stay silent until he heard an arrow being knocked in the bowstring. Pale turned with an astonished look on his face.

"You're delusional! Who are you to throw wild accusations just because you made a mess of this quest? You think its this easy to push us, beginners, around? Have you forgotten the purge?"

Tucker's face darkened and he grit his teeth. He looked at Pale's face one last time before lowering his bow. The bloodied civil war among users was still fresh on everyone's mind. Although the hostilities had more or less died down in the region around the White City, every ranker knew at least one person who had suffered at the hands of the beginners.

"If you know anything. You will be fairly compensated. We have a branch set up on the Eastern Square." Tucker said quickly as Pale turned to leave.

Dawn and Roari quickly followed suit, leaving the Bowman alone amidst the bloodied chapel.

"Wonder whats wrong with him." Pale pondered out loud, once they were out of earshot.

"Maybe he fell in love with you and was just really awkward about it! What was the term? Gay at first sight?"

"Well, that's not really fair. For all you know, he could have been a girl. It's not polite to assume."

Pale felt blood rushing up his throat as he coughed. "Yeah, let's leave it at that."

He met Dawn's concerned gaze as she looked as if she was holding back a question.

"What?"

"Well...your sexual orientation aside, I just wanted to know...'are' you up to something?"

With the events that transpired, it wasn't too unexpected that many would be at a loss as to what to do. When thinking back to the procession of children who walked past them as they exited the chapel, Pale couldn't help but get a look at a few of them. While many seemed normal, one of them caught his eye and gave him a wide, full-faced smile.

After being torn from their families and subjected to who knows what sort of tortures, would any child be able to smile like that? Shouldn't they be sobbing in relief or be traumatized? Such suspicions gave Pale an unsettling sensation in his stomach as he chose his next words carefully.

"No, but it's obvious that the quest isn’t over. Not like this. For the time being, we will look into this independently. If there are rewards at the end, then we will be the ones to gain them."

"Naturally, that would be within our rights, but where do we go from here?" Dawn's breath started becoming heavy. It was only in a game such as this where one could truly explore the romance of mystery and adventure.

"First...We have to meet the ol' Knight Captain again."