Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

[The player 'Klank' shared a Hidden Quest with you].

[Mission Name: Spark of Judgment

An astronomical scientist from the Mibothen Human Realm needs to be escorted to the Center for Astronomical Studies in Galilei University City.

Possible rewards upon completing this Mission:

- +1000 XP.

- +100 Gold Coins.

- + Reddish Meteorite Crystal.

- + Map of Mibothen Kingdom.

Do you wish to accept this joint quest? YES/NO.

(Caution! If you accept this mission, the rewards will be divided by the number of players in the group.)]

For Kaizen there was nothing unusual about the mission description, but that was a normal thing to expect. Usually, mission descriptions only reveal a lot of information if they are sequels or continuations of other missions done previously.

"All right, I'll take it." Kaizen said, clicking the YES button.

The happy expression on Klank's face made it clear that he was very excited to do a joint mission with Kaizen. This was the first time he would go on a mission with someone from outside his guild, and it would be with a player he admired so much, so it was impossible for him not to be happy.

*Tum*

Klank slammed both hands hard on the wooden table, bowed his head and exclaimed:

"It will be a pleasure to play with you, Klaus!"

The drunks around them on the second floor were slightly annoyed by the sudden shout, but they weren't reasoning well enough to even move much, so they just grumbled.

Kaizen shrugged and smiled at Klank, ready to begin the mission.

"Come on then, Klank." He said, getting up from the table.

"Wait, aren't we going to decide which rewards from the mission you get to keep?" Klank inquired.

"What are you talking about? My pay will just be what I mentioned earlier to you. I imagine you and the Bloody Lily are after the Reddish Meteorite Crystal, so obviously I won't be demanding that, and I have no interest in the Mibothen Kingdom Map."

Klank was surprised, because many players would kill and die to obtain the Mibothen Kingdom Map, precisely because it was in a very cold region, with many hidden dungeons, thieves' camps, towers to explore and so on. The fact that Kaizen rejected this made him someone much more impressive in Klank's view.

However, make no mistake, if this same situation had happened a few weeks ago, Kaizen would not hesitate to demand to have the Map of the Kingdom of Mibothen, only he visited the Library of the Mages and met Librarian Alina, who granted him a complete map of Midgard, drawn long ago by the ancient mages in the tower.

"Well, let's go then!" Klank said, enthusiastically.

Kaizen smiled and the two of them left the tavern, prepared to fulfill the mission.

Since the location of the start of the mission was demarcated on their map, it was not difficult to find. The astronomical scientist was waiting for them at an inn with his personal butler.

"Finally, you have arrived. I am glad to know that you have accepted the mission on my behalf." The scientist said in a pouty voice and with a smile on his lips.

Kaizen and Klank moved closer to the man in the lobby of the inn, realizing immediately why this man needed to be escorted.

While their butler was young, close to twenty-five years old or less, the scientist appeared to be at least past eighty.

The old man walked with his spine bent forward, squinting his eyes to see straight. In his ears was a forest of white hair, stuffing them. To walk without anyone's help, he used a metal cane, but he walked at the same speed as a snail.

"Come on then, my young men. Let's do what we have to do." The scientist said, blinking his eyes as if he were telling some joke to himself.

Kaizen and Klank exchanged glances, understanding that the mission would not be as easy as it initially seemed.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. The carriage is waiting for us in front of the inn." the butler said after returning to the lobby of the inn, being as courteous as possible.

"Let's not be in a hurry, Yokoso. There is time for introductions. Come, be polite to the men who will take care of us for a few hours." The scientist said, his voice trembling more with each word spoken.

The thin, brown-haired butler snorted, looked at Kaizen and Klank, bowed slightly, and said:

"It is a pleasure to meet you men. My name is Yokoso Ferris and I am the grandson of this gentleman, whose name is Rismar Ferris."

"That's right, that's right! His name is Yokoso Ferris and my name is Rismar Ferris. Besides being my butler, he is my grandson." The old man replied.

"Grandpa... I think they understood that."

Klank held back from laughing for a few seconds, and Kaizen used that time to introduce himself.

"My name is Klaus."

'What a simple presentation!' Grandson and grandfather thought at the same time. 'But I have to admit it is.... Much cooler this way!'

Both Yokoso, and also Rismar, remained neutral on the outside, while internally they were dying with envy for not having introduced themselves in such a straightforward manner as Psyker.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too. How nice that you are from the same family, that will make things easier. My name is Klank and I am a member of the Crimson Soldiers Guild, one of the three best Guilds in the Tretidian Kingdom and perhaps the one that is at the top of them all."

"Crimson Soldiers Guild? That's impressive, young man." Rismar stated, impressed with Klank as well.

Yokoso agreed with his head. "I told you, sir, that the man who accepted our request was someone of extreme aptitude. There is no reason to worry about us traveling at night, I bet it will be much more peaceful for us to avoid thieves and I am sure the monsters will think twice before attacking us by having a member of the Crimson Soldiers Guild with us."

Elated, Klank scratched the underside of his nose as he listened to the compliment.

"Traveling at night is great for avoiding thieves, but the monsters get stronger and more obstinate. We have to be just as cautious." Kaizen said. "Now let's go, I have no time to waste."

After that, they made their way to the carriage, where the old scientist occupied one side seat inside the carriage and the other was left with Klank. There was more room inside the carriage for more people, but Kaizen preferred to go in the coachman's seat to ensure the safety of the butler.

The route to Galilei University City was very busy with numerous carriages, mainly because the Royal Capital supplied this city, which produced nothing but knowledge from two most different academic branches. However, at night it was very rare to find one or two carriages crossing the road between the cities.

When the guide whips cracked, and the carriage began to move, Kaizen and Klank were alert with all five senses, especially after they left the comfortable protection of the big city.

The road to Galilei University City was long, but it shouldn't be too dangerous. The monsters that appeared in this region were not strong enough to defeat two well-known players like Kaizen and Klank, but there was something different tonight. The forest they entered as they started north was shrouded in a thick fog that made it difficult for Yokoso to guide his horses. Thanks to this mist, the forest became much darker and it was difficult to see many meters ahead.

​ "What should we do, Mr. Klaus? Should we perhaps stop and wait for the mist to clear?" asked the butler.

With his arms crossed, Kaizen swept all around them with his eyes, but found nothing. Then he looked at Yokoso with narrowed eyes and said:

"There is no reason for us to stop. The road ahead of us is still visible."

"As you wish..."

'I'm sure you told him and the old man that monsters are more dangerous at night. Isn't that enough information to realize that stopping the carriage in a forest like that would be suicide?' Kaizen wondered.

However, he said nothing and allowed Yokoso to continue driving the carriage.

The butler was just doing his job, and Kaizen knew that if he spoke his mind he might get in the way of Klank's mission. For now, it was best not to act.

They continued walking for a few more minutes until suddenly a silhouette appeared in the dense fog that covered the road a few meters ahead.

Kaizen sharpened his vision, closing his eyes, and realized that there was a huge deer, with antlers the size of tree branches, in the middle of the road.

"Should I stop?" Yokoso asked again.

"No, just slow down, I'll try to scare it away," Kaizen ordered and stood up. "Get out of the way!" He shouted, trying to scare the deer enough that the animal jumped off the road.

The deer was eating a few grasses in the middle of the road, but it was a smart animal and listened to Kaizen's voice easily. Seeing the carriage coming towards him, the deer got ready to run and this made Psyker relieved. However, when Kaizen went to sit on the seat again, he felt something push him to the side.

Before he fell off the carriage in the middle of the road, he had only a few moments of time to look back and realize that Yokoso was the one who had kicked him.

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

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