Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 402 A Meeting

Elves were a race of elegance and beauty, and had an appearance that would not age.

The Elf standing before Ye Ci was the pinnacle of beauty. While the Elf was still an NPC, his appearance was very much near perfection.

While his spirit was transparent, it does not share the appearance of the spirit of Andriel. The spirit was lit up in a white glow that gave his form a more solid feel that made him look real. One might even mistake him for a teammate who was in stealth.

The most eye-catching feature of the Elf was not his stats, but his name: Illusion of Dau’er.

That’s right. The spirit standing before the duo was the spirit of the Elven King Dau’er.

Ye Ci was glad. After a long string of troublesome quests, she had finally met the NPC that was the subject of her main quest.

“Look what we have here… Two young Elves.” Dau’er sat on the lid of his coffin and spread his arms open. The Elven King’s form was bristling with muscles, and his armor that hugged his body highlighted his strength well.

“Greetings, king of the Elves.” Ye Ci and Fleeting Time bowed deeply at Dau’er to show their respect for their long lost king.

Dau’er was apparently used to being treated in such a way. He nodded in acknowledgement of the duo, and smiled at them when they rose, “Oh, let me think… It’s been awhile since I’ve met such young Elves. Has it been a thousand years? Maybe two thousand even…” Dau’er behaved as if he was pondering the question seriously, but he ultimately shrugged, “Wah, it’s been far too long. I don’t even remember it myself. But…a kind smile appeared on his face, “To be able to find your way here… I’m sure the two of you have been through a lot.”

The two of you? This came as a shock to both Ye Ci and Fleeting Time. “Hey, when he said ‘the two of you, does it mean that we can both proceed with the quest together?” asked Ye Ci in their private channel.

Fleeting Time shook his head, “I’m not sure. Let’s continue talking to him. Perhaps we’ll get a clue.”

“It’s an honor for us to be able to follow your footsteps.” Ye Ci decided to use the most standard speech in response to Dau’er, “We have always longed to see you in the flesh. But we have only found your cenotaph here. Can you tell us what happened to you, oh Great King?”

“What happened…” Dau’er smiled as if he was not affected by the topic that was being discussed at all, “It’s something I do not wish to remember. What a humiliation that was.” he let out a long sigh.

Dau’er began to recount past events, which was in line with what Ye Ci and Fleeting Time already knew about his story. The races on the Jiama Continent united under a single banner and raised a vast army to fight against Naga and his minions.

Casualties were high on both sides, and the leaders of the Alliance were able to seal Naga at the cost of their life, and their remains were buried in the Grand Cathedral.

But the seal was not entirely perfect, as part of Naga’s will remained. The Dark Lord could still direct the remnants of his forces and set them loose in search for the lost items of the kings so that his seal could be broken.

And due to the rampage wrought upon the land by Naga’s minions, the entire Middle Continent fell into ruins. Even the Grand Cathedral was not safe from such a fate. It was forgotten when the last of its monks passed away, and the cenotaph of the lost heroes remained a hidden secret within the cathedral until it was discovered by Spotless Autumn.

Ye Ci was shocked when Dau’er completed his story, “So you’re not buried here?”

“Of course. It’ll be too lonely for us.” Dau’er had the appearance of a youth, and even his thoughts were that of a youth, “It’s like hell on Earth to be trapped in a graveyard. One will go mad if the only thing one can do is to lie in a coffin. We have entertainment of our own.” and Dau’er winked at a dumbfounded Ye Ci, “Of course, I’ll have to ask you to keep this a secret. If the other Elves learn about this, it’ll bring my image to ruin.”

“Then what…” Ye Ci sighed, “What should they expect of you?”

“They’d expect me to lie in slumber within this coffin of course.” The illusion of Dau’er let out a shout, “Ahhh! It’s so boring!”

“Where does your body and soul lie then?” Ye Ci was able to tell that something was up.

“In the center of the ancient battlefield. That area is covered by mist if I’m not mistaken. It’s the barrier that we put in place to seal Naga. And I’ve just told you, the shield is imperfect. Naga is still able to project his will through the barrier. We’ve always thought that the barrier would last for at least ten thousand years, until a new generation of heroes could rise up and defeat him for good, but…”

A serious expression took over Dau’er’s face, “We’ve recently discovered that Naga’s will is growing stronger by the day. I think the seal is getting weaker. If things continue the way they are, Naga will soon be able to break through the seal and plunge the entire Jiama Continent back into darkness.”

Ye Ci sighed after listening to Dau’er’s words. This does not sound like an easy quest. I think we need at least a thousand to complete something like this. She glanced at Fleeting Time, “This sounds like an Epic-tier quest. It’s not something only the two of us can handle. We might even need to enlist more help in completing this quest.”

Fleeting Time nodded after some moments of thought, “I think we’ll need more men. But we should be able to get the numbers from the elites of Genesis and Upwards Ho!. The rewards for completing a quest like this will be bountiful. I’m sure Absalom and Remote Depths will be interested in this.”

Ye Ci knew that Bai Mo would never pass up on such a good opportunity, and that Fleeting Time would be able to handle Absalom without a problem. This quest will definitely help improve the Prestige of my guild. It’ll definitely help in our future fights against Golden Era.

“Great King, the both of us might not be strong, but we have friends. We’re all willing to share this burden with you.” she said to the illusion of Dau’er.

NPCs were always waiting for players to offer their aid so that they would not appear to be imposing a quest on the players while simultaneously being able to see their problems solved. A highly intelligent NPC would often attempt to trick players into offering their aid. And Dau’er had apparently succeeded.

The Elven king nodded as his gaze swept across the faces of Ye Ci and Fleeting Time. “We Elves are indeed the bravest of all races.” he sighed, “I’m thankful for your offer even when this has nothing to do with you.”

Ye Ci pursed her lips. I knew it! It’s not easy to deal with someone with that age.

“But while I’m thankful for your aid, it is still our fault that the seal that was placed on Naga was incomplete. Go fourth, young ones. Head to the Sacred Mountain of Duro Canyon. I heard that Danars is living in seclusion there. I think he’ll be willing to help as long as you tell him your purpose of seeking him out,” Dau’er sighed, “He is the first Grand Sorcerer and was part of the Holy Order of Dragon Riders. He’s an old man with a strange temperament. But I think he’ll be willing to help.” and Dau’er handed a broken medal each to the duo, “I got these from him. Show him the medals when you find him.”

The duo shared a look and let out a collective sigh. The hardest part of the quest was finally upon them.

They bad farewell to the illusion of Dau’er after some more exchanges and left the hidden graveyard.

The duo then left the prayer room and headed for the surface. Due to the lack of monsters and chest, the location remained deserted. Ye Ci and Fleeting Time saw a hooded figure making its way towards them when they left the prayer room. The figure was moving fast despite its slightly plump size. And the figure stopped the moment he brushed past the duo.

Ye Ci and Fleeting Time immediately reacted by each jumping to a side and unslung their bows. Two arrows flew at the hooded figure mere moments later.

The figure turned into a leopard with a flash of light and evaded their attacks.

“Gongzi You, Fleeting Time, stop! We’re not enemies.” The leopard rolled on the ground and returned to its Druid form.

It was a familiar voice. The duo stopped their attacks but remained vigilant as they stared at the Druid.

The Druid removed his hood and grimaced at the duo, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have stopped so abruptly. But you guys sure are fast. Are you really thinking of killing me?”

Ye Ci stared at the smiling face of the Druid and immediately recognised the player. He was none other than Lethal Poison.

What the heck is wrong with this day? We ran into Spotless Autumn, and then into Lethal Poison. Are the top players of all four continents having some sort of meeting?

Fleeting Time broke into laughter, “It’s you.” It was apparent that he was very familiar with Lethal Poison as they were both from allied continents and were the top players from the top guilds of their continent.

“I thought you could recognise me from the size of my body. But it seems that even my mother could not recognize me the moment I put on the hood.” Lethal Poison sighed.

“What are you doing here?” Despite the deal that they struck, Ye Ci did not enjoy the close relationship shared between Lethal Poison and Fleeting TIme. She slung her bow and stood silently beside Fleeting Time.

“Me?” Lethal Poison raised an eyebrow and allowed his gaze to drift back and forth between the two, “If I’m not mistaken,” he chuckled, “We’re here for the same reasons.”