***In one of the major cities of the game***
Sitting in a cafe, inside a private room, were four players. These players were familiar to even the newbies, since they had all appeared in the first tournament over a month ago.
They were also all part of the top fifty charts, two of them even being in the top ten charts. These players were Phoenix, Gulnur Deepshield, I’die Ad’tempus, and Athena Woodland.
“I wonder how much time it’ll take him to catch up to us and surpass us on the charts,” I’die said, looking at his teacup.
“Don’t be like that, tree hugger. I know he is strong and will eventually pass us in power, but stay positive. That way, it might take longer,” Gulnur responded, looking down.
“Have some faith in yourselves, boys. He is still stuck in a level thirty zone, from what he’s told us. So even if he surpasses us, it will take a long time.” Athena tried reassuring them.
“He wrote me a message earlier. Apparently, he has one thing left to do before leaving his starting zone. After that, he’s exploring towards us.” Phoenix said, trying to bring the main subject back.
“He told me he’s with the little girl he was training, so I don’t know how long before they get here. But he was adamant about getting us all together to run some dungeons.”
“Something about his zone not having any, and wanting to have fun together again,” she said before taking a sip of her coffee.
“Now. If we do a dungeon run with him, we might as well do one that brings benefits,” she added.
“Hmm? What did you have in mind?” Athena asked, getting curious.
All three of them knew Phoenix was a shrewd person and a meticulous planner. The fact she had gathered them here already, instead of waiting for Astaroth to arrive, was a sign of her brewing something.
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“All of us are strong enough to go into level forty dungeons with a reduced group, seeing as we did something similar before. But what of our two friends that are on their way?”
Athena interjected here.
“I think Astaroth could most likely go into a level forty dungeon on his own, if his power in the tournament hasn’t stagnated. And anyone travelling with him should be no weak player either.”
Phoenix nodded at the woman’s words. Her train of thought aligned with Athena’s.
“I also think adding those two to a party with us four already in, would make us capable of more. So I want us to attempt something harder. Something that hasn’t been completed yet.” Phoenix said, crossing her hand on the table.
I’die audibly gulped at her statement. From the side. Athena was grinning savagely, and Gulnur’s eyes were sparkling.
“How high are we talking about?” Gulnur asked, anticipation shaking in his voice.
“The highest dungeon completed yet, was a level forty-five. I want to go higher than that. I want to run a level fifty dungeon and beat it.” Phoenix answered, smiling like a shark.
The other three players gasped.
“But, we have found yet no dungeon of that level. No one has ventured into zones of level fifty, since they are so much more dangerous.” Athena said, her forehead creasing.
“From the coordinates Astaroth gave me in his last message, he won’t reach this place for at least two weeks. So we have less time than that to find a level fifty dungeon,” Phoenix said.
“Now I believe you all have friends you play with, and trust. Our best chance of doing this would be to each get our own group, and start slowly exploring level fifty zones.”
“This way, we can keep levelling up, and maybe find our objective in time, before Astaroth reaches here,” Phoenix said, before grabbing her coffee, and taking another sip.
The three other players at the table pondered for a few minutes. They were letting the task sink in before they started thinking about a way to make it possible.
Gulnur already had some people in mind that he could party with to explore higher-level zones. He had been playing with a group of dwarves and gnomes recently, and they fit the bill.
Most of them had the strength to plod into level fifty territory and were mostly over-eager to play with him. That made them the perfect group to do this with, as they would most likely say yes to his demand.
I’die and Athena were also thinking about this issue, and Athena had some people in mind. She shared her ideas with I’die, and he nodded, being as submissive as always with her.
As for Phoenix, she already knew who she was taking with her. A guild had tried to poach her not so long ago.
They had offered her a trial run to see if they were worthy of hiring her, and she decided to take them up on that offer for this task. Of course, she had no intention of joining them.
She intended to start her own guild, in due time, and joining one now would only complicate her plans. But she always appreciated free labour.
After discussing their plans with each other a little, and choosing different zones to go to, they paid for their stay and parted ways. The next two weeks would be adventure-filled, and they couldn’t idle any longer.
***Back to the Ash Elf territory, deep inside the dire wolf zone***
Astaroth and Violette took down the last of the wolves from a group of seven before looting them and taking a brief break. The last hours had gone by in a breeze, as the both of them plowed through the wolven territory.
They were clueless about the direction to go at first, but when the packs of hunting wolves started getting larger in numbers, they understood they were going in the right direction.
They were now very close to the den, as every time they took down one group, another came in reinforcement not long after. Astaroth could feel White becoming restless inside him.
‘Soon, my friend. Soon you will have your revenge.’ He told the wolf inside his head.
White’s trepidation was leaking into him too, as his adrenaline levels refused to go down.
An enormous grin appeared on his face.