~‌‌ ‌‌2.20 ‌‌-‌‌ Earth’s Decline ~‌‌

 

Tenzin’s Lorien

4th Waterday of the Full Moon

Flea awoke, still sitting cross-legged with his back against the basement’s inner wall of the large tree. Looking over to Bob, he found him still meditating.

 

“What kind of gain did you get from meditating, Bob?”

 

Bob seemed to immediately come out of his trance, easily breaking his meditation. The act caused a prompt to pop up in front of both their vision.

 

 

Mentally closing it out, another prompt came into view.

 

 

Must have passed out after four hours of meditation. 

 

Getting up and stretching, Flea called out for Tenzin but received no answer. The Gnome and cat walked through the door and up the stairs further into the Lorien.

 

The duo came into a nicely furnished room. The furnishings looked like a sitting room you’d find inside a castle of nobility. Not seeing Tenzin, they walked further up the spiraling staircase to the next level. Here they found weapons and armor on the walls, plus multiple chests circling the room. Reaching the third floor, they discovered Tenzin’s bedroom and a door to a balcony looking over Dustgrove.

 

Going out onto the balcony, they found two rocking chairs and a table between them. On the table, they found a note and two Royals. Flea picked up the letter and read it.

 

To Bob and his Companion.  I’m heading to Stuglegen. I found the Energy level from the Divine Core could not be sustained while inside my Lorien. Your companion was asleep, and you were deep in meditation, so I left you before the sunlight’s bells. I’m going to speak with an old friend that can make items that may help the two of you while you’re here on Mea.  I’m also going to sell the Dragon Eater parts. I will try to get as much as I can for them. I’ve left the two Royals as a down payment against the spoils. I will try to come up with a way to repay the debt I owe you as best as I’m able before I start my journey to The Spire and find what awaits me in The Second Game. Please feel free to use my Lorien as your home while I’m gone. If the two of you can look in on my kin, Zyla and her mother Yulia, once or twice, I’d greatly appreciate it. They live in the only sky blue and white house on the Guild’s main road to the eastern gate. Regards Tenzin Trisyarus

 

“Here, Bob. The letter is actually for you. The Old Elf didn’t even remember my name.”

 

Bob shrugged as he took the letter, then began reading it.

 

“Well, at least we can use his tree to stay in. The meditation benefits are certainly worth it. I think we should just stay and meditate here for a few days,” Bob said.

 

“I wouldn’t mind, but I’d get bored just sitting around after spending a couple of weeks at the mine. Plus, we need to look into the baron and help out Zan. They did help you level, and we need to repay them for such kindness.”

 

Bob smacked his forehead.

 

“Damn, how could I forget about something like that.”

 

Flea mimicked Bob’s shrug. The cat squinted his eyes at the Gnome, giving him a look.

 

“Let’s head into town. We need to visit Magnus and also do some shopping,” Flea said.

 

Bob nodded his head, still giving him the same look.

 

The duo went back into the basement and down the never-ending stairs. Coming to the end of the tunnel and the stairs going up, they found the way blocked by the inn’s floor. Spotting a lever off to the side, Flea jumped up, grabbed the metal handle, and pulled it down. After a few ‘clinking’ sounds, the floor raised, allowing them to enter the room. Lowering the bench back down, they unlocked the door and entered the inn’s common room. The barkeep nodded to them as they walked outside into Dustgrove.

 

“Try not to break your record of thirty seconds before you get arrested again, please,” said Bob grinning.

 

“You’re becoming a wiseass.”

 

The cat shrugged.

 

“Where too, first? You’re the one who’s explored the area already,” Flea asked.

 

“The Adventurers’ Guild would be my suggestion.”

 

“Alright, let’s go speak with this Elder Magnus.”

 

The two started walking towards The Guild. Flea, who was now getting his first full look at the town, noted the medieval European-style buildings again. The Gnome also spotted multiple dogs under porches and in alleyways looking in their direction.

 

“How many members does Zan’s group have?” asked Flea.

 

“I have wondered about that as well. There always seems to be a lot of dogs within the town at any given moment, even though they say the baron is hunting them down.”

 

“Well, let’s find Zan after we speak with Magnus and see what they can tell us about what’s going on.”

 

They reached The Guild, entering the main hall. Flea beelined for the quest boards. Looking at the three boards against the wall, the Gnome could see only a few blank pages among them, meaning there was nothing for Copper or Tin ranked adventurers. Putting the question of such an oddity to the back of his mind, he turned around till he spotted Bob in the corner talking with a female Dwarf.

 

“Shanon, this here is my companion. We're here to speak with Elder Magnus,” Bob said, pointing to Flea as he walked up.

 

“Splendid! I will let the Elder know you are here to speak with him. Please wait here for a few moments,” said Shanon.

 

The Dwarven woman was gone for only a couple of minutes. Upon her return, she asked the duo to follow her up the stairs to join Elder Magnus in his office. Arriving at a door, Shanon opened it for them and beckoned them to enter.

 

“Could you prepare us some chufa please, Shanon,” Elder Magnus called out to her.

 

“Right away, Elder.”

 

“Welcome back, Bob. And thank you for helping Tenzin bring down that Dragon Eater. News has already reached the baron, and the rumor is he is furious with you for taking the Divine Core for yourself. Though there is nothing he can do about it with Tenzin backing you, still please be careful nonetheless.”

 

“Thank you for helping Bob when I could not. I owe you a great debt of gratitude for the bag, Skill Core, and Energy you provided him,” said Flea.

 

“Think nothing of it. I treated him as if he was a normal adventurer. Though, as we both know, he’s anything but. As for the Energy from the cores, you can repay me by answering some questions. I have some time now if you do.”

 

“I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. But I would like to ask you something before we start. We are currently on a small quest and need to know anything you can tell us about this baron? All I know of him is his title,” said Flea.

 

“Not much is known about him honestly, Flea. Around eighty phases ago, the town was attacked by the tribes of the marsh to the north. All four of our Elders were killed during the battle, but not within the attack itself. Each had been poisoned. With the four leaders dead, the baron was able to gain control of Dustgrove’s Crystal.”

 

“You can take control of the Crystal?”

 

“That is correct. While the controllers of the Crystal are all dead or outside of the town’s territory, another can access the Crystal and assume control.”

 

“I take it no one was able to find evidence of the baron’s involvement in the deaths of the Elders?”

 

“Oh no, we know it was him. But anything is fair when it comes to territory war.”

 

“Then why hasn’t anyone gone to kill him and reclaim the town? From what I’ve heard so far, the territory has fallen from what it once was,” Bob asked.

 

“There have been attempts on his life on multiple occasions. The main issue is no one knows who he is. He stays secluded in his compound to the east at the base of the mountain. Those who have gone and tried to kill him were caught and sent to the mines for a year. Some have even been able to kill whom they suspected as the baron and then had their Crystal privileges removed from the territory. Those individuals would either leave or relife on their subsequent death.”

 

“Relife? Is that the same as respawning?” asked Flea.

 

“Yes, and no. When someone is forced to respawn somewhere else on Mea, we call this a relife. Very seldomly do you respawn anywhere near where you had been. This involuntary relocation ends up forcing the player to start their life anew where they end up.”

 

“Interesting terminology.”

 

Shanon entered the room carrying a tray with an ornate pot and three matching cups. She set the tray down and quickly retreated from the office, closing the door behind her. The Elder got up and poured three cups of the light pink liquid. The Goat then passed two of the cups to Flea and Bob.

 

Flea took a sip and nodded in approval to the Elder. Bob sipped his drink and promptly spat it back into his cup.

 

“What is this? The taste is… I don’t know what to call this taste,” Bob said.

 

Flea chuckled.

 

“It’s like our coffee on Earth. This is probably the first time you’ve had something bitter. Magnus, do you have anything here that can sweeten it for him?”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

The Elder reached for a jar on his desk. Using a spoon, he removed two tinted blue transparent balls and dropped them into Bob’s cup. They dissolved instantly upon hitting the liquid. 

 

“Try it now, Bob,” Magnus said.

 

Bob took a sip, and this time he smacked his lips. 

 

“I like the taste much better now. It still has that bitter taste, but it is now mixed with a sweet and something I can’t describe.”

 

“Floral may be the best word to describe the taste. Those blue balls are stamen clusters. They are farmed from flowers found far to the north and are perfect natural sweeteners for most drinks such as chufa,” explained Magnus.

 

“Thank you for the drink, Elder. Is there anything else you can tell me about the baron?” asked Flea.

 

“He has a distaste for us Beastkin but seems to allow the Tanuka to stay within the town unmolested. He also commands the large group of Elves who wear the red plate armor you see around town. These Elves are the ones who maintain control of the territory for the baron. As I mentioned, it is believed he never leaves the grounds of his compound. Most figure he does this to keep his identity a mystery and not lose control of the territory through assassination.”

 

“What are the Tanuka? Are they like Tanuki? Someone thought I was a Tanuki a few days ago,” asked Bob.

 

“I could see how they might think that. The Tanuka are the dogs you see around town. They are a Fallen race here in The Games. The Tanuki are the same as the Tanuka but are not Fallen. No one knows how, but after the Tanuki dropped from The Games and became known as Tanuka, a group of them were able to rejoin The Games quickly and in a large group.”

 

“Because that would mean each needed a Golden Crystal to return to The Games?” asked Flea.

 

The Elder looked surprised.

 

“You are correct, Flea. How does someone so new to The Games know of such an item?”

 

“I helped a Dryad on Noto Island get one from an Elder of the town.”

 

“A Dryad back in The Games? They were such a passive species. I’m curious to see if their disposition will change, assuming they can propagate in mass again.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Dryads may look like any other species within The Games. But they are, in fact, not fauna, but flora. They are still able to reproduce but at a vastly reduced speed. If one has regained a connection to their soul and can plant a seed from their Elder Tree with Dryad blood, then they will once again begin to reproduce players for their species.”

 

“The chest,” Bob said.

 

“I thought the same thing,” Flea replied.

 

“The chest?” Magnus asked.

 

“The Dryad Queen gave her daughter Niseph a chest when she found out she had become a player again. Niseph wouldn’t tell us what was inside, but now I believe we know what was in there.”

 

“Most interesting. So many changes in such a short time. The games had been growing quite stale without a new species joining in a while. Now, I would like to ask some questions of my own if I may.”

 

“Shoot,” Flea said.

 

“Shoot what?” asked Magnus.

 

“Nevermind, a figure of speech from home. Ask away.”

 

“What’s it like on your world, Earth?”

 

“Not sure how to answer that. The planet is just now beginning to recover from the effects of the industrial and plastic age. On our world, we have massive cities with buildings that touch the skies. We travel in metal machines on the ground and through the air around our planet.”

 

“What is plastic?”

 

“It’s an oil-based product that doesn’t decompose like other materials over time. It almost led to a massive kill-off within our oceans. Before that could happen, our scientists were able to engineer a bacteria that thrived off of the plastic as well as CO2. We then started using a plant-based product to replace plastic as well.”

 

“Many species have done similar damage to their planets, so it’s not a surprising story. How are the rulers of your world?”

 

“We call most of our rulers, governments. Each country has its own system of government. And they can range from a single person in control to bodies of people, or even elected individuals who run the nation for a specific period of time.”

 

“Have they started playing The Games as well?”

 

“Maybe some of them have? I don’t know of any.”

 

“Under-five percent have,” said Bob.

 

“How would you know that if your companion does not?” asked Magnus.

 

“I have my own information network on Earth,” replied Bob.

 

“You are also from Earth? You weren’t born when he was bound to a Companion Egg?”

 

“No, I’m a part of Flea. On Earth, I’m attached to his brain.”

 

“A symbiote of sorts. It makes sense now why you humans have companions far different from the other species here. Bob shares the same connection to your soul.”

 

“Can you explain more about that?”

 

The Goat opened his mouth to speak, then averted his eyes to the side. After a long pause, he went on.

 

“Unfortunately, I can not speak further on the subject. I’m sorry about this. How many of your species are in your world?

 

“We crested around thirteen billion, but our species is on a large downwards decline now.”

 

“What is the cause?”

 

“Scientists believe it’s some form of a virus. Around ten years ago, large numbers of couples found they couldn’t have kids. It took a few years to discover this new form of virus altered the genes that controlled reproduction. Many assumed that it was a type of biological attack by one of the larger governments. However, that theory lost popularity after we found everyone on Earth began to get infected. I have a five-year-old cousin who was one of the few to be born in the last decade.”

 

“Your scientists haven’t found a cure to fix the affected genes?”

 

“Even with all the advancements in our technology, they haven’t been able to create a cure.”

 

The Goat thought for a few minutes before getting up from his seat.

 

“Thank you both, Flea and Bob, for coming to speak with me. If you remain in the area, I would very much like to chat with you again.”

 

“We can swing by another time down the road. If I may ask one more question, why are there no Copper or Tin quests downstairs?”

 

“Ah, Duskgrove isn’t ‘adventurer friendly.’  The baron uses the red plates to keep the beasts at bay, and the townsfolk can’t afford to pay for help.”

 

“I see. Thank you for your knowledge. It was nice meeting you, Elder Magnus.”

 

The Gnome and cat left the Adventurer’s Guild and headed on to the alchemist, as well as other shops, to buy supplies.