Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 398 A Favor For Andriel

Ye Ci remembered her promise to Tamra before his death, “Andriel, Tamra wanted me to take you home before passing away. He told me that you’ve been through a lot together, and it’s his wish that you’re able to return home as well. Are you willing to come with me?”

It was a quest from Tamra, but it also involved digging up a grave. Ye Ci knew that it was wise to ask first or she might risk offending the owner of the grave.

Andriel was not surprised to hear her words, as if it was something that he had long expected. He stared at the horizon far away, at the direction of the ancient battlefield where countless Elves lost their lives. How many souls are sleeping in that desolated hellscape?

“No, my kin, I do not wish to leave.” Andriel’s gaze drifted back to Ye Ci, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think you can fulfill the late Tamra’s wish.” he smiled at Ye Ci.

“But why? Don’t you want to return to our homeland? There are trees, and beautiful flowers blooming…”

But she was cut off by Andriel mid sentence, “But my comrades are not there. I miss our homeland, and I am indeed a friend of Tamra, but I’m also a warrior. I cannot abandon my brothers in arms in this place.”

This signified the checkpoint of Tamra’s quest for Ye Ci. In a situation like this, Ye Ci would usually receive a request from Andriel to deliver his response to Tamra. But she was shocked to discover that there was no change in her quest description. She did not fail the quest, nor was the quest showing another progress. This meant that she must bring Andriel back to the Eastern Continent.

But with Andriel’s rejection clear, Ye Ci could not forcefully dig up the corpse of the NPC, as it would mean a huge reduction in their intimacy. She might even risk angering the spirit of the Elf, which might attack her and kill her where she stood.

And even if she was not attacked by the Elf, she knew that Andriel would never give his cooperation in unlocking the secrets of the shrine. She would lose her only clue to unlocking the barrier and gain access to the bow.

While Andriel had indeed expressed his reluctance to return, the Elf did not say that he would never return no matter what.

With her mind set, Ye Ci changed her approach, “Andriel, we Elves had always been a race to keep our promises. I am deeply impressed by your conviction.”

Andriel bowed towards Ye Ci in return, “My kin, thank you for your praise. This is the highest honor one can bestow upon me.”

Ye Ci nodded and let out a long sigh.

“What is it, my kinsman? Why are you sighing?”

“It’s nothing Andriel. I’m sighing because I’ll never be a hero like you.”

“Why would you say that? You will be able to achieve such a feat as long as Elven blood flows within you!”

“But I can’t even keep my promises! What good can I be if I can’t even fulfill the oath that I have made?” Ye Ci shrugged, “It seems my promise to Tamra is bound to be broken. I can only hope that he will forgive me.” she bowed at Andriel and smiled at the Elf, “I shall take my leave, Andriel. We will meet again.” and she immediately turned around and entered stealth.

Ye Ci was praying with all her might as she walked away from the NPC. Oh God, please let this work. Come on, Andriel! I know you can’t bear to allow me to leave just like this…

Just then, Andriel’s voice rang out in her ears,”Wait.”

Ye Ci could barely suppress her urge to jump with joy. It seems like I’m getting better at fooling the NPCs. I hope his reply will not disappoint me. “What is it, Andriel?” she turned around and came out of stealth, “Is there anything else you need from me?”

Andriel was apologetic as he spoke to Ye Ci, “I’m sorry, my kinsman. I was being selfish, and had forgotten about your promise.” he looked at the direction of the ancient battlefield, “But I do not wish to part with my comrades. My kinsman, can you fulfill a wish of mine? If you can, I will return home with you.”

“Of course, great hero! I will do my best to fulfill your wish. What do you need me to do?” Ye Ci immediately bowed at the Elf.

“My comrades and I swore an oath at the shrine before we went to war. We would live and die together on the battlefield. Their bodies were still strewn across the battlefield, while I’m buried here. If I can’t leave with them, then I shall stay here and watch over them forever. If you wish for me to return, then I shall return with my comrades. I’m sure they miss our homeland more than I do.”

His comrades? Ye Ci could not believe what she heard, The Elves that took part in the battle were hundreds of thousands strong! You want me to take them all back with me? Why don’t you just kill me!

Ye Ci took a deep breath. She could only pray for the benevolence of the game developers. “How many of you do I have to bring back with me?”

“All of us, of course. Our battalion that was a thousand strong swore an oath before going to war. I hope you can bring them all back with me.” explained Andriel.

A new quest appeared in Ye Ci’s quest interface. It was a mission to collect a thousand corpses from the ancient battlefield.

Only a thousand? Thank God! Ye Ci breathed a sigh of relief. She would definitely have rejected the quest if the numbers were higher. She accepted the quest and bade farewell to Andriel before leaving to the direction of the ancient battlefield on dragonback.

But she did not get far before she was forced to land. The monsters in the air were too numerous. There were even a few low tier Dragons in the mix. While Ol’ Six was a formidable Holy Dragon, its level was still too low compared to the monsters. Her safety was not guaranteed if she proceeded towards the ancient battlefield in the air.

She would present a smaller target if she traveled alone by land. As long as she was quick and agile enough, she would be able to reach the battlefield unscathed.

But it was still easier said than done. Ye Ci had to traverse through eight maps before she could arrive at the ancient battlefield, and they were all populated by high leveled monsters.

But she was able to change her stats and appearance into that of a monster’s using her Brooch of Deceit. This greatly reduced the risks she had to face on her journey.

She began to run into the remnants of Naga’s army as she got closer to the ancient battlefield. With their leaders slain in a battle a long time ago, the monsters wandered aimlessly in the desolated land.

And unlike the spirits of the dead, Naga’s army were monsters that were still alive. They would fall upon anything that gave off the scent of the living. This made the map a very dangerous place for Ye Ci. She disguised herself as a Dark Apostle and would only walk through places with the thinnest monster population.

Just when she was halfway across the map, Ye Ci noticed a Dark Apostle with a slightly different appearance making its way towards her. She stole a glance at the NPC, and was shocked to discover that it was a BOSS.

A field BOSS like this would be randomly generated in Fate. They would have a higher level and Perception than a normal monster. Ye Ci maintained a steady pace as she attempted to evade the BOSS.

But despite her best attempts, the BOSS was able to notice her presence and walked up to her. It hissed at Ye Ci, and while she could not understand the language that was being spoken, she shrugged at the BOSS and stepped aside. Despite its suspicions, the BOSS continued its way forward and left Ye Ci behind.

Ye Ci let out a sigh of relief when the BOSS was a safe distance away. She knew that she could not remain in the map for too long, and immediately began to move.

It took her more than ten hours to finally arrive at the ancient battlefield.

Despite the relatively small monster population, all of the monsters in the map were Elites and field BOSS type enemies that were lvl200 and above. There were at least two thousand Elites and nearly two hundred BOSS type monsters scattered across the map.

The ancient battlefield would be a good hunting ground for guilds in the future due to its monster population and the treasure chests that could be found in the map. But Ye Ci was here to collect the corpses of Andriel’s comrades. Survival was of the utmost priority to her.

She proceeded through the map with utmost caution, and it took her five days to collect 999 corpses from the map. She was also able to unlock a few chests along the way and obtained a number of lvl200 equipment and rare skill books thanks to her Master Key.

The equipment might not be of use to players at the current stage of the game, but it was still a good motivational tool for the members of the guild. Their presence in the guild’s warehouse was like a message to Upwards Ho!’s members: The guild is stronger than you think.

Ye Ci had long since grown familiar with the map by then. She was able to effectively evade the monsters in the map, and knew where the treasure chests would appear. But despite her best attempts, she could not locate the final corpse.

Knowing that blinding scouring the map would be a waste of time, she decided to return to the Swamps of Despair and summoned Andriel, “I’m very sorry, great hero, I was only able to locate 999 corpses after scouring the entire battlefield. I was not able to find the body of the final warrior. Are there any other places that he might have gone to?”

Andriel’s expression was a mask of surprise. He let out a sigh after a long moment of silence, “My kinsman, you’re an Elf of your words. We Elves are lucky to have someone like you as one of our own.” He lowered himself and patted Ye C on her shoulders and said with a smile, “But there is no need for you to look for the final corpse.”

“Why is that?” Ye Ci was confused. I don’t have to search for it? But the quest is not completed yet!

Andriel nodded and spread open his hands, “Because I am the last corpse.”

Ye Ci creased her eyebrows. Thank God I decided to ask him, or I would’ve driven myself mad trying to look for something that is never there!