“You look like shit”, said Orin to Marcus as Marcus met the dwarven brothers.

Marcus yawned, took a sip of coffee which he had bought, and said, “I had a long night.”

“We can see.”

“Yes, it does prove that you have eyes.” Marcus took another sip but it did not help. He still felt sleepy and his brain felt fuzzy.

“What I am asking you arsehole is what have you been up to the whole night?” asked Orin.

Marcus shook his head and took another sip. The coffee felt scalding and tasteless. Why was it not waking him up? Maybe Una coffee was not as strong. But the barista had claimed that the beans were made from Earth technology with Earth like characteristics and were a hit among the humans. However, he felt like lying on a soft mattress and snoring his brain buzz away.

Marcus said, “I was researching demons.” And he told the dwarven brothers about the major quest he had received. Judging from their expressions and the flicked of their eyes, Marcus could assume that they got the major quest now too.

Orin swore and said, “I had hoped for a good major quest. But demons! Come on. What are the Game Masters playing at?”

Marcus shrugged and said, “Should we go meet Charthuk now?”

“Yes”, it was Orik who replied, “But we need to be careful. I have a feeling that he wants to use us as sacrifices based on what Marcus told us. That means someone needs to scout ahead, get some information for us. We do not want to get caught unaware if there are demons involved.”

Orin said, “Marcus could be the scout.”

Oril said, “Yes, but Marcus is not the stealth expert even though he somehow managed to sneak in the goblin encampment. He was lucky at that time. These are demons that we are talking about. We cannot take any risk. I know someone. Give me an hour. I will get them.”

The others nodded.

“What do we do in the meantime?” asked Marcus.

“We exchange notes”, said Orik, “And we stock up on potions. And I have an idea. Let me tell you on the way to the store.”

“I already did stocked up on potions”, said Marcus in a small voice which no one heard. As Oril went to get their stealth expert, Marcus was herded off by the remaining dwarves to the General Goods store. Marcus hoped that they were not too late to stop Charthuk.

***

Kyrie Shiningstar was getting bored. She was looking at the Adventurer versus Adventurer fights and she had not found one good candidate to fight with. It seemed that she had already exhausted the Solaris circuit.

Kyrie was a nymph, a water nymph to be precise but she was not like a traditional water nymph. For one, she did not have the bright blue skin of her kin. Her skin had a greenish hue, making it more cyan than blue. She also chose to be an adventurer, something which her kin were not. Well, forest nymphs, air nymphs, land nymphs and many other nymphs chose to be adventurers but for some reason, water nymphs did not want to be adventurers or come to Una for that matter.

Kyrie had travelled from her home planet of Tarados and had found Una a refreshing place. Here she was not judged for being different. Here she was not out of place. Here she had a reputation. She was ranked first in the Adventurer versus Adventurer activity in Solaris. She was still itching for a fight, tracing her finger on the bow, waiting for the right opponent but today had been boring. There were no more interesting opponents left it seemed.

She sighed and got up. She exited the small stadium where the fights took place and decided to go to The Flying Sow. Maybe there she would meet someone interesting. She looked at her statistics as she walked.

Name: Kyrie Shiningstar

Race: Water Nymph

Designation: Adventurer - Rank 1

Age: 83

Current Location: Solaris

Adventurer Statistics:

Adventurer Level: 15

Experience: 100/320

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 20

Intelligence: 7

Vitality: 10

Agility: 9

Wisdom: 7

Luck: ???

Health: 120

Mana: 114

Active Effects:

None

Passive Effects:

Fast Draw - Level 2

Precision - Level 3

Longbow Proficiency - Level 10

Stealth - Level 10

Water Proficiency - Level 100

Description: The outcast traveller from Tarados, flowing into Una, taking baby steps with a potential to sweep everyone away is enjoying herself by bashing other adventurer’s heads. She is the water nymph to watch out for.

Spells known:

[Power Shot] [Fade]

Spells Equipped:

[Power Shot] [Fade]

Spell Slots: 2

Physical Attack: 20

Magical Attack: 17

Physical Resistance: 8

Magical Resistance: 6

Critical Attack Chance: 5% (max 15%)

Critical Attack Damage: 15.00% (max 35.00%)

Status:

None

Social: 800/1000 (Neutral)

NAIF: 700/1000 (Neutral)

Solaris: 500/1000 (Neutral)

She shook her head at her description. It was weird. She had asked other adventurers. They confirmed that their descriptions were weird too. She had yet to find anyone with a normal description.

She examined her longbow next.

The Bow of Lament

Physical Attack: Base 10 + Strength 10 + Dexterity 40

Magical Attack: 0

Block: 10%

Critical Attack Chance: 5%

Critical Attack Damage: 20%

Requirements: 5 Strength, 10 Dexterity

Description: Inheritance of Kyrie Shiningstar, the longbow scales up with her levelling. Equipped with two spell slots, the bow is indeed a shining legacy for the water nymph.

Her trusty bow. Kyrie had brought it with her when she came to Una. The Game Masters had been accommodating and had the longbow integrated with their game world. She would use no other weapon. The bow was a gift from her father, according to her mother.

Kyrie never knew her father and her mother never told her. Kyrie suspected he would be a forest nymph considering her colour but she was not sure. Different types of nymphs could not have nymph children. It had been tried. Her father and the colour of her skin would be a mystery. She rather doubted that she would find answers on Una.

She sighed and put her bow back in her inventory. She looked at her equipped armor. Calling it armor was a joke. She wore a tunic and shorts made from a material specially designed for her. As she was a water nymph, she could not go without water for a long time. Two days was the maximum she could push. The clothes she wore were made from arachnid silk and enchanted such that they absorb moisture from the air ensuring that her skin was hydrated. She would prefer no clothes or armor as nymphs do not wear them but here on Una she had to wear them as it was the cultural norm as well as it provided protection. However, because of the enchantment, her tunic and shorts only provided 1 unit of physical and magical resistance each. That was nothing. She did not wear bracers nor did she wear a helmet. She might wear special bracers if someone made them for her but after the tunic and the shorts provided by NAIF, Kyrie had asked them not to make anything else. She was already a million units in debt with NAIF and she was not happy.

A gust of wind blew making her hair dance on her face and she tied it up in a ponytail. At least she had the blue flowing hair of the water nymphs and she was proud of it.

As she was walking she got a message on her utility belt. The utility belts were handy. Because of them she could access so much information, store so much stuff and keep in touch with those whom she knew. She smiled as she saw who had messaged her. It was the dwarf Oril. She remembered her fight with him. Oril and his brothers were good. She had a tough time defeating them. Oril was her favourite of all of them.

She saw what the message read, Meet me in the private room number 6 of The Flying Sow. Have something important to discuss.

Kyrie frowned at that. What was so important. Well, she would find out when she went there. She started humming her favourite tune as she made her way to her destination. She did not even need to refer to the minimap or the GPS system. She knew her way around Solaris pretty well by now.

“Let’s hope Oril has something interesting to say”, she muttered to herself, “I will hear him and move out of Solaris. It has gotten boring after all.”

She reached The Flying Sow in about five minutes and went directly to private room number 6. Oril was not there yet. Kyrie did not take a seat but remained standing. Couches were not comfortable for her.

It took ten more minutes for Oril to arrive. He made the customary greeting of the water nymphs. He had learned it from Kyrie and she smiled as she greeted him back. The water nymph customary greeting was to give a short bow while twirling your hand in such a way that it made the motion of a tide and an ebb. It had taken Oril only a few minutes to perfect it when Kyrie taught him.

“Oril”, said Kyrie, “It is good to see you.”

“Likewise”, said Oril while sitting down. From his body language, Kyrie felt that there was something serious he wanted to discuss.

“So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?” asked Kyrie while taking a comfortable position.

Oril told her everything. He started from their mission with Charthuk, regarding destruction of the Goblin encampment, their meeting with Marcus, Marcus’ quest, the suspicions on Charthuk, Marcus’ research on demons and the major quest that they had gotten. When he was finished Kyrie got a new quest which she could see active on the right side of her vision. She read it.

Major Quest

Stop Demon Invasion in Solaris

Someone is planning to break the seal in Solaris and summon demons. Stop them or it would lead to destruction of Solaris.

She had no other quest and this quest glared at her like some of the water nymphs used to. She looked at the quest, then at Oril and then back at the quest.

“Why are you telling me this?” Kyrie asked.

“Are you not an adventurer? Also, I need your help.”

Oril described what they were planning. Kyrie agreed. Soon they were on their way to the General Goods Store. Oril told her that Orik had asked him to come there. They walked to the Store to find a group of adventurers there. Kyrie thought that this was serious. She did not know much about demons but whatever brought so many adventurers togethers had to be bad. And Oril wanted her to scout.

“Ah”, said Orik as Kyrie and Oril entered the store, “You are the stealth expert Oril was talking about.”

Kyrie greeted Orik who gave her a wave back. Of the four brothers only Oril and Orin had bothered to learn the water nymph greeting.

“What’s going on?” asked Oril.

“Orin had a brilliant idea”, said Orik. Kyrie could detect a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He continued, “If we are dealing with demons, let every adventurer know. That way we can have back up if anything goes wrong.”

“Yes”, said another voice, “But if Tarkar is correct then we are gathering all the adventurers here for a big sacrifice.”

Kyrie turned to the source of the voice and was momentarily stunned. A gorgeous human had just come to where they were standing. He was comfortable around the dwarves, and seemed that he knew them well.

“Hi, I am Marcus”, said the human, extending his hand. Kyrie had been stunned speechless by his presence. She did not react.

Orik and Oril both cleared their throats. Kyrie gave her customary greeting to which Marcus frowned.

“That is how water nymphs greet”, explained Oril to Marcus.

Marcus nodded and then replicated the move perfectly, on the first try. Kyrie’s eyebrows raised. Gorgeous and talented. She giggled to which others frowned.

“What’s wrong with you woman?” asked Oril.

“Nothing at all”, replied Kyrie, “So when do we start?”

“Right now”, replied Orin walking towards them, “All the adventurers are taking their place. We need you to scout the smithy Kyrie. Sneak in and observe. We want to know what is really happening in The Fire Forge.”

Kyrie nodded. Orin said, “One more thing. Take Marcus with you. Not the whole way. But up to a certain point. He could help.”

Kyrie raised an eyebrow. Take this amazing human who would distract her. No way.

“It would be best if I do this alone”, she said, “You do know how stealth works right?”

Orin frowned at that thought. He crossed his arms and put his head down. Kyrie could tell that he was thinking.

Marcus said, “Don’t worry Orin. I will take another route than her. She goes left, I go right. Something like that.”

“There is a high risk of you getting caught”, said Orin.

Marcus shook his head and said, “We need to do this. We cannot allow anyone to summon demons. But we need to confirm as to what Charthuk has planned. Is he summoning demons here? Or is he going to sacrifice adventurers and non adventurers somewhere else. Worst case scenario, I act as a distraction while Kyrie searches for… um… stuff. Proof. You know.”

Orin thought for a few more moments and then said, “I am not happy with this but it makes sense. I do not know or trust anyone else who has stealth to do this job.”

Marcus thumped Orin on the back, “You worry too much. You were the one who was excited about getting the major quest yesterday. And you got it. Now look at you. Down in the dumps.”

“This is serious Marcus”, said Orin, “If you are not careful, you may die. I know some people are not concerned when they die as they can respawn but dying has its penalties. First of all, the experience is not pleasant. And secondly, you lose all the experience you have gained for that particular level.”

Marcus shook his head, “I will be fine. I am not planning to go the whole way in. Only a part way. As a backup to Kyrie. To help her if things go sideways. She will not even see me. Okay. She might see me but I will not hinder her.”

Orin was finally convinced and they started discussing the plan further. Kyrie half listened to them. She had opened the map and was looking at approaches to The Flying Sow. She had to be careful. She was not going to get spotted.

It took about one hour to get everyone ready. It was already fourteen o’clock by the time everything was ready. Almost mid day. The sun was high in the air. Not a good time to be sneaking around but she would have to stick to the shadows.

The adventurers started towards the smithy. It took them about 10 minutes from the General Goods Store. They were arranged about a hundred metres away from the smithy, surrounding it from all sides. They were stationed such that they could see the smithy at all times. Kyrie was going to approach the smithy from the South while Marcus would be doing it from the West.

Kyrie started to slowly walk towards The Flying Sow. The smithy was large, covering an area of about four to five buildings. It was not high though. It was only two stories high and had space between it and the houses surrounding it. Its East side opened up to the street and it was the main entrance. There was a back entrance from the South in the corner. Kyrie had researched a bit on the smithy on the way.

She reached the smithy. It had no walls. Only open space from the footpath to the smithy. It was a closed building with dark windows and vents circulating the building. She started to walk towards the back entrance and when she reached the footpath area near the back entrance she stopped and looked around. There were not many people at the moment near the smithy. There was some vehicular traffic but no one seemed to be paying attention to Kyrie.

She crouched in the shadows. Anyone trying to look directly at her would see a hazy picture of a nymph. She moved slowly towards the smithy. She reached the door to the bank entrance and tested it slowly. Locked. Of course. She got lockpicks out of her inventory and started to work on the lock. It took her a few minutes and a few lockpicks later there was a click. She got a notification. It seemed that she had learnt the passive skill of [Lockpicking Proficiency].

She had not been sure if there was such a passive skill or whether she would get it. She had just practiced a bit earlier and seen some tutorial videos online. She was lucky she was able to pick the lock on her first try. Even though it had cost her five lockpicks.

She opened the door an inch and looked inside. All she saw were boxes. She frowned. What was with the boxes? She opened the door fully and went in. She closed the door behind her without making any sound. She was surrounded by boxes, at least ten feet high. She made her way through them till she reached a ladder near the wall. She went up the ladder to get to the second floor. This seemed to be a storage area. She looked around and spied a vent. It was big enough that she could fit in it.

She removed the grille and went into the vent. She did not have the room to close the grille. She hoped no one noticed it. She made her way through the vents. Hot air blew through them, making its way to the outside. She needed to get information fast. Otherwise this would lead to her dehydrating fast. Already the close space and the contact to the metal was uncomfortable. Still she crawled slowly through the vents on her belly.

She reached an opening which overlooked a few figures. They were all Umaru. She wondered who Charthuk was. She should have asked Orin for his description but she had not thought of it earlier. That was such a rookie mistake.

One of the Umaru was saying, “Your adventurers are late Charthuk.”

Another Umaru replied. It had to be Charthuk, “I asked them to come today. I did not give them a specific time. They would not come at first light though. Were you really expecting them early in the morning, Dimmer?”

Dimmer snorted and did not say anything. Kyrie looked carefully. There were five Umarus in the room. It looked like a room where they would store materials which support the smithing process. It had been cleared, cleaned a bit and a large circle with a complex design was drawn on the floor. The circle with the design was drawn in red and it glowed faintly. Kyrie wondered if it was blood. It would make sense if Charthuk wanted to summon demons.

The Umaru’s paced for some time. Then Dimmer spoke again, “All right Charthuk. I get that the dwarves are late. They are always late. What about the other groups? I am sure one of the groups had an elf in them. Elves are always punctual. They are actually before time. The group with the elf would have come by now.”

Charthuk looked at Dimmer thoughtfully. Then he said, “Check the smithy everyone. I am sure Dimmer is worrying without reason. But if he is not, then there is going to be trouble.”

At that moment, another Umaru came rushing into the room. The other Umaru’s raised hammers which they had in their hands. Wait. Kyrie had not seen hammers earlier. Where did they come from?

The new Umaru was wheezing but he spoke, “Charthuk. Adventurers. All around us. They know. Demons. Summoning. Planning an attack.”

Charthuk said with a frown, “Are we surrounded by a group of adventurers who have discovered that we are planning to summon demons and they have now plans to attack us? Is that what you are trying to say, Shimmer?”

Shimmer nodded. Charthuk cursed under his breath. He said, “All right. Let them come. Kill at least one of them. The more blood sacrificed in this room, the more demons that would be summoned. Take your positions.”

Kyrie noted the positions that the Umarus took and started to crawl slowly out of the vent. However, the vent decided to betray her. It broke beneath her and she fell near the entrance of the room.

There was a moment of stunned silence as the Umarus looked at Kyrie and Kyrie looked back at them.

Then Marcus charged in through one of the windows shouting to Kyrie, “Go! Warn the others. Fast.”

Kyrie flew out of the room. She could feel someone following her but she ignored them. She had to make her way out of this damned smithy. She reached the entrance to the smithy when she was tackled by someone. She quickly maneuvered out of the grip of the assailant and drew her bow and fired.

It was Shimmer. Her arrow had hit him on the head and she was sure it was a critical hit. Shimmer looked angry. But he also looked around and went back in. Kyrie kept an arrow nocked, just in case Shimmer returned. However, he did not. Instead she saw a dwarf approach from the corner of her eye.

Oril said as he came up to her, “What happened?”

Kyrie explained. Oril hurriedly communicated with his brother. The signal was given. The adventurers moved in towards the smithy.

At that moment there was a small explosion. A part of the roof of the smithy exploded outwards and a thick beam of red light shot in the air.

“What in the Gork is that?” asked Oril.

“That”, said Kyrie with fear in her voice, “Looks like a demonic spell.”

They looked at each other and charged in the smithy. Kyrie led Oril into the storage room and they saw Charthuk bringing his hammer down on someone. It was Marcus.

“No!” shouted Oril but he was too late. The hammer met his mark and Marcus disappeared. Charthuk had just killed Marcus.

Kyrie looked around. Two Umaru corpses were laid in the circle out of which the red light was shooting up. With the death of Marcus, the intensity of the light increased. Charthuk ordered the remaining Umarus to kill them.

Kyrie reacted. She saw Shimmer was the nearest to them. In a few seconds, he was pinned with arrows. As Shimmer fell, Kyrie focused on the others to see that Oril had already engaged them. His greathammer whistled through the air smashing an Umaru in the face. That Umaru died too. Only Dimmer was remaining now. Dimmer smashed his hammer into Oril’s legs and Oril fell with a cry of pain.

Dimmer raised his hammer for the killing blow, only to find himself thrown back with an arrow protruding out of his chest. Kyrie had used her [Power Shot] ability. Dimmer’s health had to be low as he died on Kyrie’s next arrow.

The red light was almost blinding. Kyrie reached up to Oril and picked him up as he heard a cackling laughter.

“Yes”, said Charthuk, “Yes. He comes. The demon lord comes. Solaris will fall today.”

Then Kyrie realized what had happened. The Umarus and Marcus had acted as sacrifices. Six people had died. Was it sufficient to summon the demon lord as Charthuk said?

“With this last sacrifice, he comes”, Charthuk said, stepping towards the circle. He slit his throat. The circle was now whistling.

Kyrie and Orin looked at each other.

“Run?” asked Oril.

“Run!” nodded Kyrie.

They tried to turn and run but there was an explosion and Kyrie blacked out.