Chapter 218: Midnight Departure

Aegis and Lina returned to the Sky Darling atop Snowflake immediately after taking his next advanced class quest, to see Pyri and Leonard still having a good time and Darkshot and Rakkan pretending to be blind.

Following their arrival, though, the Airship immediately turned around to return back to Kordas from which it came. The return trip felt shorter, due to Aegis going deep into thought and theorycrafting the most effective methods to raise up his remaining skills while only briefly explaining to the others what he had to do for the quest.

When they finally arrived back in Kordas, it was the dead of night. Aegis, Lina, Darkshot, Rakkan and Snowflake marched off down the boarding plank and onto the pier after Gregory had set it out for them, and only after they’d already left did Pyri realize she was falling behind. She quickly bid farewell to Leonard, then ran to catch up with them as they finished crossing the pier to reach the central Skyport platform, where to their surprise Quinn was waiting for them.

“I guess this is a regular thing, huh?” Pyri eyed Aegis’ live streaming icon upon making eye contact with Quinn.

“As long as you are streaming, everyone will always know where you are.” Quinn shrugged with an innocent smile. “I’m not here to ask you for anything, though. Just need to give you a heads up, as it’s apparent you are not aware and no one else seems to be telling you…” Quinn began, as all eyes turned to her curiously.

“Heads up on what?” Aegis asked.

“There’s another top streamer who regulars the 6th slot on the top 10 list named Seraxus…” Quinn began, causing all in the group but Pyri to immediately get tense.

“Hm, that’s the guy that Finley and Joltblade were talking about, right?” Pyri confirmed, and Aegis nodded back.

“What about him?” Rakkan asked.

“He set out from Puagas on a makeshift Airship he stole from a group of Holy Crusader players that tried stopping him early on in his PvP career. His destination is Kalmoore. His target is you two…” Quinn pointed at Aegis and Rakkan. “Apparently, he felt as though Rakkan did something to disrespect him, or challenge him. I don’t know, some weird ego macho gamer thing…” Quinn shook her head as all eyes turned to Rakkan.

Rakkan didn’t say anything, but instead looked unapologetically forward at Quinn, waiting for her next words.

“He also feels insulted that you passed him in the rankings while doing PvP during the invasion, I guess. I don’t know, he’s using kid logic, I’m pretty sure he’s like 14 years old or something.”

“15.” Rakkan corrected her.

“Whatever, either way, he’s dangerous. Not only do I hear he’s insanely good at PvP, he’s got a really powerful weapon. But, there is some good news…” Quinn said as she eyed the group to watch their reactions carefully, seeing no sign of fear in anyone’s faces. “Have any of you ever heard of Wile the coyote?” Quinn asked while putting her arms on her waist and looking at them curiously. The group broke their stares to start glancing between one another, giving each other confused shrugs.

“Uh… maybe? That’s like a cartoon from the 20th century, right?” Pyri asked with a scrunched brow.

“Mhm, more or less. It’s a kids show about this one coyote who is always coming up with elaborate plans to hunt down a really fast rooster. It’s fun to watch, but, in reality, Wile the coyote always fails. He keeps trying, coming back again with a new tactic, but fails again…” Quinn began chuckling to herself, but snapped out of it when she realized they were all just continuing to stare at her with blank expressions.

“Anyway, so, there’s another guild, a German guild that goes by the name of Schadenfreude. They’re made up of primarily paladins, crusaders, and clerics, and early on they made it a mission to stop Seraxus and destroy his sword.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of them. They kind of suck at PvP though.” Rakkan nodded, as eyes turned to him. “They tried attacking Seraxus back when I was still on Puagas - I fought alongside them, but none of them were really good. It almost seemed like they enjoyed losing to him.”

“Yeah, they’re a weird bunch, I’ve watched a few videos of them.” Darkshot nodded.

“They’re basically Wiley the coyote, and Seraxus is their roadrunner, is what I was trying to explain.” Quinn continued and the group now nodded at her, understanding what she was getting at. “The thing is, this time, Wiley the coyote is putting up a good fight.” Quinn smiled, getting looks of confusion once more.

“Whatever, forget the cartoon analogy. Schadenfreude pops up to the top 10 spot regularly, whenever they engage in their antics to stop Seraxus. You’re welcome to tune in, they’re streaming now. They’ve set up an airship blockade and are preventing Seraxus from leaving Puagas Airspace - so at the moment, you guys are safe.”

“Really?” Darkshot asked with surprise as he began fiddling into his interface to open up his livestream viewer, which Rakkan saw and began doing the same.

“Yep. I doubt it’ll last forever, but with the distance between airships, the fact that Seraxus and his party can beat them in PvP seems to have been somewhat negated for now. That means you guys have some time to prepare. But I should warn you, from what I’ve heard about him, once he sets his sights on someone…”

“He doesn’t stop until he’s fought them and either won or lost.” Rakkan finished the sentence on her behalf, causing Aegis to look at him, then Lina who looked up at Aegis worriedly.

“Right. We owe you, so if you need a hand, just let us know. That’s all I wanted to say.” Quinn shrugged.

“Thanks for the heads up.” Aegis replied as Quinn waved and turned to leave Aegis’ party atop the tower. She disappeared below the platform as she descended the ramp leading down the tower as the others turned to huddle into a circle.

“No rest for the wicked, huh? First we’ve got a bunch of Dark Network guys trying to sink our island, and now the top PvP player wants a fight with us…” Pyri said while stretching her arms up into the sky.

“At least we have some time to prepare…” Darkshot said as he closed out of his livestream viewer. “According to the german guild, Seraxus doesn’t even have a proper airship pilot, and they already messed up his only airship. It’ll take a miracle for him to get to Kalmoore.” Darkshot shrugged.

“Finley said that dark god worshiping players can do quests to get offered elixirs that allow them to traverse the abyss, though…” Lina said worriedly.

“Yeah. He could come here on foot… Or, another guild with a vested interest in stopping us might intervene and give him a lift.” Aegis said while briefly eyeing his livestreaming icon, before turning to Pyri.

“Yeah… he’s really that petty.” Pyri sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Either way, we shouldn’t waste this time that the german guild has gifted to us.” Aegis cleared his throat and straightened his back, eying his companions with a serious expression on his face. “In order to achieve my advanced class, I’ll need to work on leveling all of my crafting skills. It’s something I can do on my own - like most advanced class quests are meant to be done. Do the rest of you know what you need to do for your advanced quests?” Aegis asked them.

“Viella, in the city of the white tree… She’s a quest giver for my advanced quest…” Lina replied.

“I’m not exactly sure, but I know Quinn did it, so I can ask her where to get started.” Darkshot replied.

“The Rune Knight guy atop the mountain, he’ll be where I need to get started.” Rakkan said.

“I need to go and have a chat with Jael.” Pyri answered him.

“Good. Then everyone knows what they need to do, right?” Aegis asked, and all of them nodded back at him. “Alright… I guess this means we part ways here. Let’s all get our advanced quests as quickly as possible, and when you guys get back I’ll have some fancy new equipment waiting for you.”

“I got my ass kicked by the advanced bow mastery quest, but, eh, yeah. I’m definitely not going to be the last one to hit advanced…” Darkshot put his hand forward towards the center of their huddle, causing them all to look at him strangely. “Oh c’mon, it’s one of those group huddle cheer things. Put your hands in.” He insistently nudged Rakkan beside him, who reluctantly put his big green orc hand on top of Darkshots. Following this, Pyri put her hand in, then Aegis, and finally Lina.

“I won’t be last either.” Rakkan said.

“Me neither.” Aegis said.

“I won’t lose too!” Lina cheered. Pyri just glanced between the four with her lips pursed to the side.

“I don’t particularly mind being last…” She smirked.

“Ok, now, we have to say 1 2 3, and then a chant of some kind. Like a group callout, or something.” Darkshot declared.

“A group callout? We don’t have anything like that.” Aegis raised his eyebrows at him.

“Yeah but we need one, we’re big and famous now.” Darkshot explained with enthusiasm. “How about, the Dark Hunters.” Darkshot suggested.

“Ehhh…” Pyri shook her head while Lina winced.

“That’s pretty lame man.” Rakkan replied.

“I’m with Eirene, so, why not the stars of Eirene?” Aegis suggested.

“Ew, no, buddy. Give the Eirene stuff a break already. You named your town after it, your character’s Aegis, and you’ve got a star on your shield. Even Eirene’s probably thinking ‘it’s a bit much, that shattered healer. I reckon he’s too clingy’.” Darkshot said with a feigned female voice.

“That’s your impression of Eirene?” Aegis asked to which Darkshot shrugged. “She doesn’t sound like that.” Aegis shook his head at him.

“Hurry up and pick something, everyone’s hands are getting sweaty.” Pyri complained as they continued to hold their hands on top of one another.

“What about Light Knights?” Aegis tried.

“Sounds too much like night lights. People will think we just protect toddlers from the monsters under their bed.” Darkshot quickly dismissed it.

“I don’t know why we’re taking naming advice from you, you called yourself Darkshot.” Aegis grumbled.

“What’s wrong with Darkshot? Darkshot is badass.” Darkshot protested, and Darkwing cooed in agreement from atop his shoulder.

“Okay, as the only adult here.” Pyri spoke up loudly to interrupt their squabbling. “I’ll designate a name for the group. From now on, we’re called… uhm…” Put on the spot, she became flustered as no one came to mind. “Whatever, this is silly. Kalmoore on three. One. Two. Three!” Pyri cheered before forcefully pulling everyone’s hands up along with hers, and they all changed Kalmoore rather enthusiastically.

“I’ll come up with a cool name for next time.” Darkshot said with a determined expression on his face, but got an eye roll from Aegis. Following this, both he and Rakkan made their way towards the ramp and headed down off the Skyport tower, giving one final wave to the others.

“Want a portal to the White Tree?” Pyri asked Lina, and she nodded hesitantly.

“Yup… but, first I wanted to talk with Aegis…” She said shyly.

“Oh, okay.” Pyri grinned mischievously at Lina before making her way down the ramp quickly, hiding from view so that the two could be alone.

“Is everything okay?” Aegis asked her, and saw her suddenly eyeing his live streaming icon above his head. “Oh, right. One second…” Aegis began fidgeting with his interface to turn it off for her.

“DON'T YOU DAR-!” Hae-won began shouting at her broadcast, but was cut off as Aegis turned the livestream off, leaving her to stand in front of his audience by herself. “Ohohoho, he’s gonna get it.” She gritted her teeth angrily.

“I…” Lina began after seeing the livestream turned off. She briefly looked Aegis in the eyes, but found her confidence dwindling and quickly turned to look down at her feet. “I don’t like being away from you for so long. And these advanced quests, they are hard and take a long time, I think…”

“It’ll be okay… I’ll be around the major cities crafting, so, anytime you want to take a break to come see me, I’ll be here, okay?” Aegis replied, and she nodded back without looking at him still.

“It’s not just that, but Cheryl's words still bug me… I think lots of girls will like you now. You’re really popular and nice, even Yumily…” Lina mumbled.

“You don’t need to worry about stuff like that.” Aegis shook his head and put his hand on her chin to lift her face up, allowing him to look into her eyes. “You’re my girlfriend, you’re the one I want to be with…” Aegis said as boldly as he could. He watched as Lina’s face turned bright red, and couldn’t resist the urge to lean in and kiss her. As inexperienced as they were, they both did their best to convey their feelings through their lips for a long few moments.

“If anything is ever bothering you like that, just ask, alright? My mom always said that the most important thing for a good relationship is communication.” Aegis said, causing Lina to nod.

“Damn right it is.” Pyri called out from down the ramp, revealing that she was still listening in.

“Mom…” Aegis groaned in annoyance while Lina chuckled.

“Alright, sorry, jeez.” Pyri apologized as her voice trailed off further down the ramp.

“Oh… also, my birthday is coming up soon. I don’t do much for it, but we usually go out for dinner. Darkshot comes with his family, and, well, if you want to come too…” Aegis began awkwardly, while Lina suddenly had a look of panic on her face.

“In the real world?” Lina confirmed, and Aegis nodded.

“It’d be the first time meeting up in person since we started dating. But, it’s probably not that different from in-game, right?” Aegis shrugged.

“Yeah… yeah, right…” Lina nodded awkwardly.

“I mean, only if you want to come. You don’t have to.” Aegis shrugged.

“No, no, I want to come, of course! It’s your birthday. But, I do have my braces being removed soon… what day is it exactly?” Lina asked.

“Two weeks in the real world.”

“Oh, okay, then it’s after that…”

“So you won’t have braces anymore?”

“Nope…” Lina nodded.

“Okay, cool. Great. Then, I’ll send you the details on when and where…”

“Okay, cool.” Lina smiled and awkwardly brushed her virtual hair back behind her ear.

“Oh my gosh you two are two adorable.” Pyri sighed as she re-emerged from the ramp onto the skyport platform. “Getting all uncomfortable just cause it’s in person. You’ll be fine…” She shook her head at them. “I think.” She added a shrug as she pulled her staff out from off of her back. “Ready to go?”

“Yup.” Lina nodded at her. Pyri began casting the portal spell, and within a few seconds, a blue glowing doorway leading to the Portal Altar of the City of the White Tree opened up. Lina moved to stand in front of it, but briefly glanced back to look at Aegis one last time.

“Good luck with your crafting. I will miss you…” She replied timidly.

“Good luck with your Shadow Dancing. I’ll miss you too.” Aegis smiled and waved. Lina then quickly and shyly stepped through the portal, and Pyri promptly closed it up afterwards.

“D’awwwwwwwwww.” Pyri feigned hugging herself.

“Shut up.” Aegis grumbled at her. “Don’t you have an advanced class quest to go do?”

“Oh, mr. grumpy is here.” Pyri replied in a mocking tone. “Yeah, I guess I do.” She sighed as she moved to stand beside Aegis, and the pair looked out at the night sky together from atop the tower. “I nearly made us lose the entire island, because I didn’t pick a proper class…” Pyri mumbled.

“What do you mean?” Aegis asked curiously.

“That Simon guy, he had a lot of spells and passives that made him harder for me to handle than he should’ve been, all because I picked this wizard’s learner class. Because I was too afraid of what would happen if I picked anything that would stand out…” Pyri explained.

“Why were you afraid of something like that?” Aegis turned to look at her with a curiously raised brow. Pyri looked back at him and smiled.

“No reason, I guess.” She ruffled his hair with her hand. “I don’t think there’s a class in this game that I could pick that would ever make me stand out more than you do anyway.” She smirked, causing Aegis to chuckle. “Still, I find it hard to believe your father would be so petty as to try and stop Yumily from helping defend her island, just because we’re on it… You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that would you? Like, any reason in particular he might do something like that?” Pyri eyed Aegis suspiciously.

“Huh? No…” Aegis avoided her gaze in favor of staring down at his feet. “He’s just petty, probably. Like you said, right?” He shrugged awkwardly.

“Right…” Pyri replied with a skeptical stare at her son. “Well, thanks to you, I’m pretty much over him. Even if he’s in this game world, I don’t really care about it anymore.” She leaned back and stared up at the stars, smiling. “I’m happy to put him behind us and just enjoy spending time with you.” She turned to smile at him once more. “I still can’t believe I get to play games with my nerdy bookworm son.” She cheered.

“Yeah… heh.” Aegis nodded, still avoiding her gaze. “Well, I guess I should get around to crafting. Lots of people waiting for Mithral, and lots of skills I need to level.” Aegis said while turning to begin heading down the tower.

“Right. And this time, I’ll be coming back with a real proper class that you can be proud of!” Pyri cheered, giving him a thumbs up as she watched him disappear down the ramp with Golem Snowflake following behind him. Following this, she cast fly on herself and took off towards the Wizard tower of Kordas.

By the time Aegis had reached the bottom of the tower and stepped back out into the dark streets of Kalmoore, she was long gone, leaving Aegis alone with his gryphon and several silent Kordas guards who stood flanking the entrance to the Skyport tower.

“So, lil buddy. Ready to level up some crafting skills?” Aegis asked Snowflake, and he let out a stony squawk of excitement. “Who knows, maybe once my skills are higher, we’ll be able to craft you some upgrades. How’s that sound?” Aegis asked, and Snowflake screeched back at him.

“Hah? A fire breathing gryphon? No way. I was thinking more like mithral talons.” Aegis replied to the screech, and got another squawk as the pair walked down the street together. “Nuh uh, that’s just weird. We’re not doing that…” Aegis shook his head at the apparent suggestion made by Snowflake.

END OF BOOK 2