“Wait,” I tell my charge as I halt our moderately fast march. The green blur passes by us and reduces to the familiar green of the forest. I crouch down low from the bushes, careful of any ambush that might be on our way.
My escort duties do not stop to simply protecting Sofalia but also extend to eliminating targets or the dangers that might pose a threat to her. I don't know how difficult this Escort Quest is exactly since I don't have the system interface.
The Umchaka Forest is not a great route to travel, especially when under PK (Player Kill) conditions. As an AI Bot who only knows how to grind, my memories of PK are mostly unpleasant.
I am quite a delicious target after all with all my loot. But as I continue to become stronger in Vanaheim, and the more I learn how to use data to my advantage, the more untouchable I become. I am not exactly invisible, but the company has outfitted me with a powerful, and evolving AI that can adapt to any situation.
“They are here… The people who must be following you…” I tell Sofalia with a whisper only audible to her. With careful diminished movement, I pick up a pebble.
This world is not so different from the mirror I know. This world after all is just another mirror. I fling the stone with penetrating physical force, and adorning a touch of it is my [Aura], a convenient supplementary skill that has mutated in this world.
The once passive [Aura] skill has now become semi-active.
~Swoosh…
The pebble flies into a straight line while the invisible energy of martial forces envelops it. The pebble, like a bullet, impressively hits a tree with a subtle tuk, almost indistinct to the ears if not for my ridiculously powerful hearing. And. Behind that tree is suddenly a burst of blood.
Sofalia from the sides watches in shock at the ridiculous killing method.
“Don’t waste summoning Fenrir, I will take care of this…” I leave these words to Sofalia as I enter hypersonic speed invisible to those who are of levels lower than me.
If the people behind the scenes who are targetting Sofalia are in any way competent, they should at least be sending someone who at least possesses a Tier 7 Legacy, or maybe a group of Tier 6. "Tier 7 or Tier 6, their average levels should be around the 70s." However, I cannot be so sure. Maybe, even levels doesn't exist in this world anymore.
I detect the strongest immediately hiding within this forest, by gauging the strength of the scent of danger from them.
My natural stats combined with passive skills are providing me explosive speed, enough to send me on draconic waves. I dispatch the ambushers with sheer brutality. All I need is to swing my sword the moment I find them, and all is done. Judging from their mix of clothing, I can safely assume that they are mercenaries.
Red splatters the once green theme of the forest, and as a result sullying it with the smell of rust and metal. Until finally, there are none of them left.
I stop. I appear behind Sofalia. “There are too many of them when we only moved out of White Peaks. They were waiting for you. You weren’t simply followed. You were tracked.” I interrogate her harshly as my Killing Intent pricks her spine like the hungry teeth of wolves.
The emotion of anger unnaturally comes off me, perhaps annoyed that these trackers might get the jump on Kruff and Pyla...
This is not Sofalia's fault, but I cannot help but be angry. I should direct my anger to those who are targeting her. I know the story, and as one of its participants back in the game, I have an idea of where to start.
Sofalia flinches at my menacing aura. “I… don’t know. It is Kruff’s assumption, so you ask him…”
I calm myself. The mood-swings are getting pretty intense lately. And this is wrong. I need to take a breather. With a single mighty swing of my fist, I shatter the area just left of me… The shockwave creates a trench several meters long and destroys many trees.
The skill [Berserker Fist] responds to my anger more fluidly… This feature is not even in the Vanaheim I know. I understand another side of Skills in this world.
“They should be sent by your political enemies… We will deal with them immediately once we return to Blumend.” I retreat my Killing Intent, and with a gesture, I signal her for us to continue our march at a relatively moderate speed. Once more, our surroundings reduce to a blur as we dart into the forest with a destination in mind.
“It is not your fault,” I confess and offer an apology. “Forgive me for my indiscretion. I apologize.”
Faces of various villains from the storyline of Blumend flash before my mind. As I already know their identity, completing the Blumend Quest should be easier now than the Vanaheim I know. However, I should still be methodological about this.
Their are real stakes at play here, moreover their is no system, storyline, plot progression, or background codes that I can look at... In fact, helping Sofalia rise to the position of Queen will take more time than my effort.
I look at Sofalia.
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for the day. Teach them how to fish, and they will feed themselves.
These ambushes that Sofalia is experiencing are among the mini-quests of the whole Blumend Quest. As I cannot see Levels anymore, I don’t know how strong the ambushers are, but it is safe to assume plenty of them are five levels lower than Sofalia, and few elites from them are around Sofalia’s level.
I should know better. I once lived these events as a fragment of memory within a Dungeon Instance by the name of Survival of the Blumend Queen. It is a repeatable dungeon where I can grind humanoid monsters to death while earning lots of items.
Sadly, in this world, it looks like the concept of a Dungeon Instance no longer exists. Looks like I can no longer do some grinding on Dungeon Instances.
Unexpectedly, it looks like my decision to offer myself in the confrontation back in Kruff’s place ends up helping me in a way. If the story goes as it should be, then old hunter Kruff will die, and also Pyla. As with my intention, my coming with Sofalia saves them from the possibility of death.
Moreover, these many hunters have the potential killing power to murder Kruff despite him being a few levels higher than Sofalia. By killing them, the possibility of death for the two becomes lower.
“I could have handled them…” Sofalia angrily voices her dissatisfaction to me. Her voice wakes me up from my contemplations.
“As if. I just saved you from a lifetime of pain. The least you can do is be thankful.” I retort to her, finding a surprise in myself as I realize I am capable of sarcasm at this level.
Since we are already here, I might as well dedicate more of our time to cleaning up the place.
Umchaka Forest surrounds the White Peaks, and by combing and eliminating the mercenaries that manage to reach this far, I should be able to preserve Kruff’s and Pyla’s safety. I must commence necessary genocide on the bounty hunters, and mercenaries here.
For the first time in my entire life, I decided to spare the monsters to serve as natural bodyguards for the White Peaks. Sofalia grumbles about how much more time they have to waste as the travel to Blumend will be two months long taking Sofalia’s slower speed into account.
Still, Sofalia decides to agree to my arrangements. We methodologically hunt them as we proceed farther and farther from the White Peaks. There is no way for Sofalia to avoid the ambushes. It is a part of her story. Her return home will be full of difficulties, which in turn will further shape her as a person, warrior, and ruler.
In my opinion, we might as well embrace these difficulties, and through this, I can help her grow. This means, I shouldn't be overprotective of her. I'll find an opportunity to throw her to a controlled environment where their is enough danger to stimulate her.
Every day I watch the White Peaks getting smaller and smaller in my vision, and while Kruff’s hut is but a dot, I can tell where it is.
This is saddening, but not as much as the initial goodbyes. Because this time, when I return home, there will be a welcome.
***
From then on, it has been more than several weeks and a month since they departed from White Peaks. The Umchaka Forest is large, and given the circumstances, they cannot help but come to a considerable crawl. The slaughtering of the ambushers in the vast expanse of the forest is exhausting and time-consuming.
Sofalia has no complaints, but she wishes, they could have done it better so as not to waste more time.
“It is also good training for you.” He says, which for Sofalia is a bunch of bullshit.
So after they complete their obligations of mass slaughter, Sofalia is so happy, that she might prance.
Van Three or as he calls himself has his hair become longer and longer, and his facial hair gets thicker and thicker. This guy can slaughter every one of the offending mercs and ferreters, but he has gone the extra length of doing it slowly... just to take stock of what Sofalia can do.
Of course, she doesn't like the treatment she is getting.
Sofalia feels like time is running so fast once more as they return journeying towards home. Her home. “Let’s go… We can just follow the river from here, and then we can run eastward at full sprint on Mendes Desert. The place has lots of bandits though."
“I know another path. It is not any easier, but the distance to Blumend will be shorter. The route you took to get to Kruff is impressive, but it will take a long amount of time for us to even get out of this forest. We will be needing disguises… and while the path will become more dangerous, the time shortened will be worth it..."
The Umchaka Forest is among the Top 5 vastest forests in the whole of Vanheim. They are only at Umchaka Forest’s outer edges after a long time of marching, and they still have regions and territories to cross after that. That is why it amazes Sofalia that Van knows a shortcut Blumend
Sofalia tries to fight back, but she is helpless as Van Three smears her face and clothes with dirt and mud. Even her luxurious robes and uniform are now gone, and she is now sporting wild fur as if she is some barbarian.
***
“We will take the Underdark…” I announce to her, making her react with rage.
“It is suicidal! The Underdark!? Of all places, the Underdark? Do you even know how to get there? The monsters in that place are twice as strong with their annoying abilities and are thrice as many.” Sofalia complains.
I ignore her whining as I tap on the source of my data and replay a particular memory in my head in rewind. The little details from reading my data allow me to remember the most insignificant details of my memory.
In essence, I am still the same AI Bot with intense and reliable computational power.
I trace my memories, as we reduce our pace several notches slower as I take in my surroundings. Old pillars welcome us, and there are even a few walls with distinguishable architecture unique to the Dark Elves of the Morrow, and some vases resembling the work of Dwarves.
Finally, we arrive at the destination I have in mind.
“This is the Hole…” Below me is a dark tunnel with an imperceptible bottom that will scare any player for the possibility of fall damage, but with my and Sofalia’s attributes, this is nothing for us to fear. “Let’s go.”
Sofalia strongly grabs my arm. “Do we have to? Isn’t it too risky?”
"Hold tight," I advise her. With a tug, I pull her along as I jump into the hole, the entrance to the Underdark.
Sofalia frantically grabs my arm as we descend. I ignore her shrieking and focus my eyes downward. Through my superior eyesight and the passive of Darkbringer, my sword, I can see just fine in the dark. Before we touch ground zero, I lightly kick the air to ensure we don't suffer fall damage.
Dice Probability can screw even the strongest of players, so I won't take my chances.
"Welcome to the Tunnels of Underdark..." I remark as I take in the sights of the moldy tunnel.
