[System Warning in Advance: The System Will Undergo Maintenance Two Hours From This Time And Will Be Unavailable Until Sundown. Please Prepare Accordingly]
Nepenthe closed the pop-up alert. With or without the system, it wouldn't change much, but he was admittedly worried about not being able to use the shop or view his skills. It would be nice to sit down somewhere and recollect his thoughts for the time being, but the system urged him to find Old Fallowmoor and settle down there.
As soon as Nepenthe and Nyra set foot in the village, Nepenthe received a big message.
[Please proceed with caution
The known [hero] will be presented]
So, it was time. He and the hero would cross paths. The hero who would end Nepenthe's life. It would be another instance of just "knowing". Nepenthe would know who would kill him before the person knew. Wasn't it cruel? To know what would inevitably come?
It wasn't hard to find Nepenthe on the list of Wanted Criminals pinned to the tack-board in the middle of town, although the face was not his—or anyone human. The poster depicted him as some sort of monster, with fangs and oddly stylish hair. And while it did not say his name, Nepenthe knew it was him by the description claiming the criminal to be Lior's partner in crime. "He rushed in and swept him off his feet," one read. "Very scary." It should be read solemnly.
Surrounding the poster were other criminals, ranging from thieves to arsonists. The dark board went ignored by the buzzing streets with talk about the shining sword. Nepenthe, hearing about a sword, stopped a grinning villager near the market.
"What's this talk about a sword?"
"A sword?" The villager's eyes lit up. "Oh! You have not heard? It is not a real sword, nor an "it" at all! But a person, a person! He was given the name, the title of The Shining Sword—because he is a hero! My hero!" The villager nudged, or rather shoved, Nepenthe's shoulder and went about, skipping their way through the bustling crowd.
"The nature here is very weak, even all the leaves have fallen to the ground when it's summer. Yet the atmosphere is very…lively," Nyra murmured, looking around.
Yeah, no kidding, Nepenthe only caught half of what that villager said; he lost interest when he learned it was not an actual sword.
"Very weak" was just being nice; it looked like the town had been ransacked by three dozen starving bears and a dinosaur. Nepenthe strolled by a group of adults, pretending to check out the small flower garden they stood next to.
"Really? What's he doing there? We should be holding a party for him!"
"We've been partying for four days and four nights, but he has not come once."
"But I heard he's on the outskirts…"
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Warning: Encounter with Narrative Axis approaching.
Thread of Fate density: Critical.
Do not deviate from the assigned Role.]
Thread of Fate? Assigned role? Alright, Nepenthe's heard of "OOC," but he wasn't sure what personality this villain was supposed to have, since [This World] is not based on a series. He could also assume the Thread of Fate would apply to things that absolutely have to happen. Things like meeting the hero…
It happened when he heard about the outskirts. Luckily, it didn't take too much time to hear about it some more, since more people went up to the group to gossip.
"The outskirts? Wouldn't he be at that tavern then? It has a hotel. He could be staying there."
"The hero deserves better than that run-down place! Let's build him a home, right here in the town."
"Would he stay? Doesn't seem like he likes the people much. Uh, I mean the town, the town. Maybe it's not up to his standards."
"Let's invite his summoner then. What person can say no to free food and housing?"
"Is the hero drinking alone? He must be at the holy place instead."
The group discussed the best way to find the summoner of their hero sword. Nepenthe turned to Nyra, who was kicking a rock with a bored expression.
"I have to gather more information," Nepenthe said.
"About the hero? Just be straight with me about your plans, alright?" Nyra kicked the rock at Nepenthe's shin.
He nodded, just to make sure she wouldn't start complaining. Nepenthe, wanting to waste no time, turned around and headed back toward where they had come in.
"We're leaving so soon?" Nyra jogged to catch up when she realized Nepenthe wouldn't wait for her, nor her opinion. She had the dreadful feeling that he would cause trouble.
"What kind of personality is he..?" Nepenthe murmured under his breath as he walked. A hero who seemed to prefer being alone. Ah, the Chapel. An introvert wouldn't willingly stay at a tavern, certainly.
The Chapel, while maintaining its noble air, was covered with overgrown vines and clawed walls. Walking in felt like the start of a horror movie despite the shining sun. Nyra whispered about feeling like the walls would narrow in on her as she walked closely to Nepenthe, as if debating if she would be safer with him or with the possible demons. Maybe it was the same thing. There was a rhythmic dripping noise that softly echoed, hitting against the bare walls.
[The air is stuffed with the light attribute- Entering a Holy Zone.
All stats reduced by 12%
System automatically shuts down into rest mode for needed updates. 5 hours remaining]
Leaning against the pulpit was a young man with tanned skin and flawless golden hair. In his hands he held carefully a sword, the hilt adorned with gold and a blade that gleamed when the light hit it just right, wielded by a being shaper than it. The hero glanced up, his hand pausing at the side of the blade. His eyes narrowed and met with Nepenthe's thoughtless gaze.
Would he not speak? When there are three introverts in the room, one must stand up and become the extrovert. Luckily, that person wouldn't be Nepenthe.
"Holy…I-I mean I'm such a huge fan! I mean like THIISSS HUGE!" Nyra made a motion much like a huge rainbow with both her arms, nearly knocking over a vase.
"..."
"..."
Nyra was not ignorant and sat herself down on her knees and bowed her head in shame. She turned especially red when the hero clicked his tongue and looked away.
Nepenthe tipped the vase over to make her feel better for not being the one to break it, and not because he wanted to be destructive.
"That was a holy relic." The hero cleared his throat, and his eyes found Nepenthe again.
"Looked neglected to me. See how easily it shattered?" Nepenthe shrugged.
The hero seemed to tense, but his eyes bore challenge to Nepenthe. Nyra, unable to avoid the crossfire of glares between the two, stood and waved a hand in front of Nepenthe. He turned his head.
"For some reason, I don't like him already. I think the feeling is mutual." Nepenthe tilted his head slightly and looked at the hero. "Where's your summoner?"
"Not here." He had started back shining his sword.
"What's your name?" When there was no answer, Nepenthe played a smile. "I'm a fan as well, so I'm just curious."
"Have we met before?"
"No."
"Then why do I feel like I've killed you before?"
Nepenthe stiffened. No, was this some kind of smack talk? His eyebrow twitched.
"Never mind." The hero shook his head. He sheathed his sword and stood straight. The sole beam of light seemed to follow him as he walked closer. "My name, a symbol, bestowed to me by the gods. Rhanes. It refers to one's destiny, or kingly." He waited.
"Oh…I'm Nepenthe." Nyra nudged him. "My lord…?" Nepenthe added. Nyra looked, perplexed.
"No need for that title. It would be more befitting for a noble or summoner." Rhanes also motioned for Nyra to stand straight. "Perhaps whatever your goal is would benefit from speaking with my summoner."
"Since they're not here right now. Could you pass on a message?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot. Whatever is for my summoner is personal; it would be out of my place."
"It's nothing too personal, it's not like we're having a love affair." Nepenthe's laugh turned nervous at Rhanes' look of displeasure. He cleared his throat. Why was this guy actually intimidating?
There was a pause, then a rumble. The floor shook, and peeling paint drifted down from the ceiling. Nepenthe narrowly avoided the claws of a beast that came from above. He nearly stumbled into a sobbing woman who clutched her arm as blood seeped through her fingers. He held onto her shoulders, instinctively. Behind her were the following wails of a crowd of people. Surprised, Nepenthe pushed her back.
Rhanes caught the woman and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back from the dull fangs of the beast. Unsheathing his sword, he swung and hit an attacking beast from the side, impaling the furry monster until it went limp.
Nyra had taken out her staff and cast a spell. A transparent wall surrounded the small group of villagers and flickered before disappearing completely. Nyra gasped and looked over at Nepenthe.
"You need to command me to protect them!"
Nepenthe was able to open Nyra's stat window and considered her mana level. "Let's wait, save your mana."
Was she expected to just watch as the innocent ran for their lives like headless monkeys? Nyra seethed and tried her magic again. It recoiled and hit her square in the stomach, pushing her 10 feet away. Just as she lifted her staff, a sharp beam of light flashed past her and hit the muddy beast in the back, and it shattered like glass. Nyra looked over to see Rhanes with his sword pointed out, the tip glowing.
In one swift motion, Rhanes cast a shield around the villagers as the beast opened its mouth and charged up its attack. A blue ball of flame grew bigger and bigger inside the beast's mouth and released with a lingering blue streak. The Chapel grumbled and roared as the shield absorbed the shock. The wave dispersed in the ground and hit Nepenthe with a jolt, and a ringing sound like a calling followed.
Rhanes let the woman join the others behind the shield just as the floor cracked and the monster cried. He looked at Nepenthe, looking quite displeased.
"I didn't do anything." Nepenthe held up his hands in surrender.
"That noise…" Rhanes started.
Howlings similar to the beast's cries carried over from the entrance of the Chapel. The sound waves of their heavy steps reflected off the shield and rang through Nepenthe's body. He knew the others felt it, too. A group of beasts was approaching, around four or seven.
Nepenthe watched and suddenly jolted with an idea. He ran over to Nyra but was stopped by the sound of a small voice. From behind the shield, a child called out to him.
"Mister? P-please help us…you'll..you'll keep us safe, right?" The kid was scrawny, with trembling lips, a scratched face, and torn clothes.
Nepenthe's gaze fell over the rest of the villagers, trembling and shaking forms, most with injury, and leaning against each other for support.
Why were they asking him? Could they not see the known hero fighting off the monsters? Nepenthe hesitated.
"Sure. You're behind this shield, aren't you? Look at that guy there," Nepenthe spoke calmly and motioned toward the busy Rhanes. "He's a hero who will protect you. This shield was made by him, so it won't break."
The child's eyes gleamed. "Promise?"
Nepenthe just smiled. Well, it wasn't a full lie. Maybe the shield would break, and maybe half the villagers would die. It was nothing Nepenthe had to be concerned with.
He pulled Nyra over away from the distracted beasts and whispered.
"I have an idea, but you have to follow it without question. Can you do that?"
"Do I have much of a choice?" she retorted.
"You feel the echoing of the steps?" Nepenthe wrapped a hand on Nyra's staff, which made her flinch.
"I'd have to be an idiot not to realize what it is," she muttered. As if responding, the floor rumbled again, making the villagers stumble down and panic despite the shield. Rhanes slid back, stabbing his sword into the floor to lessen the momentum. He gritted his teeth but quickly calmed to assess the situation. He glanced around with narrowed eyes before lunging back into action.
"Why doesn't he cast some skills?" Nepenthe whispered to himself.
"Can't do that without his summoner. Shouldn't you know this?" Nyra looked at Nepenthe disapprovingly.
"This will work." He positioned Nyra's staff to face the shield, and she resisted when she realized.
"What? What are you doing?!"
"Stop." No force had to be used, because just as a machine, Nyra's struggling halted instantly. Nepenthe did not dwell on this. "I need you to attack the shield. I'm sure you have a skill of the darkness attribute?"
Nyra wavered. "Why would I…?"
"Because, for me, a darkness user, to access your skill or even have you in my party, you'd need to be of the darkness attribute. Shouldn't you know this?" Nepenthe patted Nyra's shoulder and let go of the staff, letting the weight of it fall into Nyra's hands.
If his theory is correct, anything that holds the darkness attribute and hits the shield should…
Bounce back.
Just the tremors in the ground were enough for Nepenthe to know. The sound that rang after the absorption of the attack was not due to a lost bell on the floor, but something within Nepenthe. When it had hit him, the light must have hit the opposing element inside and created such a noise that called the pack of beasts. In that case, a stronger impact with darkness should have a similar, stronger effect.
Just as expected, Nyra's attack reflected right off the shield. It burst just before hitting a struggling beast. Nepenthe did not seem displeased despite the miss.
"What kind of beast is it?" Nepenthe watched as Rhanes successfully ran his blade through the hollow heart of one, and as the others roared and jumped.
"Raek," Nyra answered obediently.
"How much attack power would be needed to be used?"
"…Too much. If it gets to that, I'm afraid the shield will be broken." She tried not to let her lips tremble or eyebrows furrow, knowing her nervousness and reluctance would go unheard.
Nepenthe looked at the whining villagers. The elders had fainted or nearly fainted already, while the youngsters tried calming the babies down. How many were there? It had to be around 20.
Nyra noticed Nepenthe's gaze, and perhaps hoped he was rethinking it. "There are 25 of them, ranging from ages 3-60. From their clothes, they have to be from the neighboring village. These monsters must have run them from their homes."
"If it's timed correctly, your skill should be able to fend off the rest of the Raeks. There are three left, thanks to the hero. But, don't you see he's near his breaking point?" Nepenthe pointed a finger at Rhanes. "Once the beasts are hit, I'll join in the fight to end it."
Nyra swallowed back her words about it being too risky. She looked at the floor, already imagining the bloodshed that could be.
"Do four consecutive strong attacks," he demanded.
The mana came out swiftly, forming balls the size of 10 adult human heads in rows. Nyra's whole body buzzed with an overwhelming electricity that urged her to let go of her staff; she only gripped it tighter and tensed her jaw. The yelling of the people couldn't be heard over the shrieks of the beasts, and she did not wish to see through her blurry eyes the sobbing or huddling of the innocent as cracks formed in the shield.
Beside her, she could recognize the form of the hero shaking Nepenthe.
"What are you thinking?!" Rhanes seethed, hands trembling in clenched fists on Nepenthe's shirt collar.
Nyra did not bother to try reading Nepenthe's lips, but could see the faintest hint of a smile. Rhanes stiffened, and his eyes hardened. Nepenthe adjusted his collar when the other let go. As soon as Nyra's spell finished, the cracks on the shield slithered alarmingly fast. Like the wind, Rhanes and Nepenthe sprung into action.
The Raeks had lost a significant amount of HP, but were not done. Nepenthe quickly recalled how he infused his last dagger with his attribute, and since he was temporarily unable to open his own skill or stats window, he'd have to make do.
Nepenthe held out the palm of his hand facing the beast as he leapt into the air, gaining enough height to get two out of three in range. He quickly tried a bunch of things, visualizing, chanting, holding his breath, and pushing; when finally, a pulse of energy released from his palms and straight to the beasts! A shining light clashed with it, and both Nepenthe and Rhane hit the ground. Nepenthe landed clumsily on his feet while Rhanes landed gracefully. They shared a glance.
"Was that on purpose?" Rhanes's voice lowered dangerously.
Nepenthe zipped his mouth shut and raised his hands just in time to release another burst of energy at an incoming Raek. He quickly felt drained. He felt a nudge on his shoulder, and a rejuvenating energy spread through him before shooting out as if rejected. He felt worse after. But the energy hit a beast and caused a domino effect, knocking over the other two and defeating the two in front.
The stat reduction Nepenthe faced was beating his ass. And it was no help to work with a light user, since oil and water do not mix. Nyra was too busy babying the villagers to help out. Well, Nepenthe did suppose there were actual babies among them.
Rhanes glared and pushed Nepenthe out of the way. He slashed his blade down. With a schwing, Rhanes defeated the last Raek. He lowered his sword and released a breath, his blond hair falling near his eyes.
Rhanes sheathed his sword and walked over to the villagers. Nyra backed away, fidgeting with her fingers as she thought back on her actions that were forced. The people seemed to relax when Rhanes came near and gathered around him. Nyra inched closer to Nepenthe's side.
"He's the type of person people follow. You're the kind they run from," she commented.
"That's the point."