-Forming the Party-
Two days later at Alberta
Methys has just arrived at the harbor city of Rune-Midgard, after walked by foot from Payon. He really likes to come here. The buildings were made of white stones and the streets inside were clean. Even so, few people were around here. He tried to sell his merchandise here before, however he has a hard time to sell inside the city where the Merchant Guild established. Facing many competitors, he decided to go back to Payon. The only things he had to worry there was the porings. Suddenly Quickfang's bark brought him back to the reality again. He smiled, while saying,
"Okay, Quickfang! Let's find Guildmaster Zophar's place now!"
But then, it was easier to say than to doing it. The archer had asked the people he met; yet nobody knew where the Guildmaster's place is. Not even the Guide or Kafra girl knows about Zophar. After spent time up to afternoon, Methys took rest at the nearest Inn. At that moment, he felt something vibrating inside his pocket. Quickly, he shoved his hand in and took the Emperium out. Somehow the metal glowed and reverberated. His instinct said that he must follow the signal. He went out to the south direction and then turned to one of three warehouses not far from the harbour. As the sign became closer, Methys found out that he faced the wall.
"What is this? Must I walk through this wall?" Quickfang barked twice. He shrugged his shoulders in response, yet he said to his pet,
"Let's try…" Closing his eyes, Methys inched forward and…passed into the wall. He saw the wall speeding toward him like a falling house and zoomed out the other side. Completely disoriented, he shuddered and felt like needles were stabbing him everywhere. It took him a few minutes to recover, even longer for Quickfang. He laughed,
"Wow! That was a rush, let's do that again!"
The wolf pup growled to express the displeasure over his joke. Methys quickly took his bow and arrows, before he called the pup,
"Come, Quickfang! We have a work to do!" Then the archer found out that he was inside the huge circular hall. Not for long, he spotted someone leaning at the pillar. It looked like he was shuffling a deck of cards. Methys immediately went closer and recognized the person as a magician from his long brown robe and the ivory rod. He has a fan-like, purple-dyed hair, while his slit-like eyes looked shrewd. He also noted that everything that the mage wore was slotted. The wolf pup barked aloud when saw the mage. Felt someone watching, the magician turned to Methys and greeted,
"You must be invited by Guildmaster Zophar. Am I right?" Shyly, the archer answered,
"Ah, yes! Could you tell…" Instead answering, the purple-haired man offered him the deck.
He instructed, "Pick a card, please." The silver-haired archer followed the instruction, and the mage turned away. Then he said again,
"Please don't show me the card that you've picked," Methys saw that he got a Poring card; instantly he muttered under his breath,
"Poring…how I hate this creature!" Next, the mysterious mage offered again the deck,
"Now put your chosen card inside this deck and shuffle it by yourself." Methys did as he instructed and then returned the deck to him. The purple-haired mage looked deep in thought, yet he broke the silence,
"Hmm, is this your card?" He showed a Vadon card to Methys who instantly shook his head,
"No, that's not my card…" Suddenly the mage smiled and reached Methys' right ear. The archer protested upon the action,
"Hey, what are you doing?" The mage didn't reply, and then he took a Poring card from behind Methys' ear and showed him,
"I believe this must be your card," Amazed, the archer asked,
"How did you do that?" Before anyone could reply, a mocking voice came out,
"Anyone can do that! It is a cheap trick…" From behind another pillar, a black haired youth appeared. He wore a goggles and light garment. The daggers were strapped behind his back. The mage merely sighed,
"Stryke, please don't ruin the fun, just because you can't guess how I'm doing the trick…" Then he glanced to Methys,
"If I were you, I'd be careful to keep your zenny. Consider that as an advice from a friend." The black-haired youth replied mockingly,
"Yeah, such friend likes you!" Ignoring the mage, he offered his hand to Methys,
"Don't listen to him! You must be the latest recruit! May I introduce myself? My name is Stryke." The archer replied back,
"I'm Methys Ivaldy, nice to meet you! I'm coming from Payon village. Where are you coming from?"
"I'm coming from Morroc…" Suddenly, the silver-haired boy beamed,
"Morroc! I have been there before…" Stryke quickly followed,
"You are? That's wonderful! Morroc is the beautiful city in…" Before he finished his sentence, a loud shout echoed inside the hall,
"STRYKE!! Where is my dead branch?" Then a girl came from another direction. Her hair was dusty brown. She carried a cart full of merchandise behind her. From her face, it was oblivious that she was very angry. The young thief immediately hid behind the archer, as the girl went closer to them. She began to speak in a higher tone,
"Stryke, give my dead branch back or else!" Stryke protested,
"Hey, why are you asking me?" The merchant girl replied,
"Because you are the ONLY thief here! Who else took my dead branch? That mage?" The mage watched the event in amusement. Then the girl stopped short when she watched Methys. She quickly fixed her hair and put a clip, before introducing herself,
"Oh, I'm sorry for the sudden outburst! I hope it won't change my impression to you…my name is Carlyne.
If you ever need something, just come to me and we can negotiate the price…" The archer blushed only,
"Eh, it is nice to meet you, Ms.Carlyne…" The merchant turned to the thief, who still hid behind Methys and spoke gently,
"Stryke, that dead branch cost you about 125,000 zenny…" Now it was Stryke's turn to be furious.
"Robber! How do you expect me to pay such amount? There is no difference between you and me then!!"
Carlyne answered proudly, "At least, I do my business legally! Not like you who can only steal from the helpless people like me…" While they traded verbal to each other, Methys noticed another person not far from them. He brandished a long blade, while watching the surrounding like a hawk. He tapped Stryke, before pointing the man
"Excuse me, Stryke! Who is that man?" The thief sniffed,
"That one? He is a jerk! He didn't introduce himself since he come…" Carlyne cut him sharply,
"Probably you asked him in a wrong way. I asked him once and he said that his name is Wulfhaund. He looks cute, if he doesn't so rude…" Suddenly, the magician added,
"He can be another Sakray…" Instantly, everyone's heart froze in fear as they heard the name mentioned. The cursed swordsman, Sakray was greatly feared in Rune Midgard. There was nobody survived, once crossed path with him. With his evil sword Tartanos, he had massacred the entire Assassin Guild single-handedly and even fought with the knight Chaos to the death. After the last fight between them, nobody knew what happened to the crazed warrior. Since then, the Prontera Chivalry and the Swordsman Guild became more selective to pick the candidates. They didn't want another Sakray appeared and spread the havoc like the previous one. Methys watched the swordsman again; he could not find anything wrong with the guy, except he looked unfriendly. Quickfang growled suspiciously toward the swordsman. At that time, the merchant girl replied back to the magician,
"Nonsense! If he were like Sakray, I wouldn't be here today! Even you and Stryke…" The mage whispered,
"Probably not today, but who knows tomorrow?" Then a sound of gong broke the silence and everyone turned around. From another direction, a red hooded person appeared. Lyssia, who wore another headgear, accompanied him. Methys was unable to see the man's face, since the hood covered it completely. The acolyte helped the man to take a seat on a stone chair nearby. Coughed a little, the man cleared his throat and spoke with a low, throaty voice,
"Greetings for all of you! Thank you for heeding my invitation; I believe that you've come so far only for that…" He continued, "I'm Guildmaster Zophar and welcome to my guild!"
"First, I'll acknowledge your presence one by one, before briefing you about our quest…" Zophar turned to the mage,
"People called you 'Card Magician', because you have an extensive knowledge about the cards. Combined with your magic, you're already famous in Geffen. Thank you for coming here, Aethyls." The purple-haired mage smiled with pride. Next, the guildmaster turned to the black-haired thief,
"Lightning Stryke! That's what the people calls you, am I right? They says that your hands and feet are fast as the lightning," Stryke bowed theatrically to the acknowledgement. Now, Zophar looked to the swordsman,
"Wulfhaund, or aptly called 'The Berserker'. You have a hot temper, but also the rare swordsmanship. Sorry for mentioning this, but rumors said that you might be…" Wulfhaund immediately growled in fury,
"I'm not like him, if that what you think!" The archer was surprised to see the display of anger like that. Yet, the guildmaster paid no attention to that, instead he turned to the merchant girl,
"Ah, you must be Carlyne! I am honored to have your presence here…in fact, Kafra Corporation has recommended your name to me," Carlyne blushed like a beet, before she replied,
"You're flattering me, sir! That's because I am a resourceful merchant! I'm willing to help you with the right price…" Listening that, Stryke made a funny expression. Finally, Zophar shifted to the young archer who looked uncomfortable with the attention. Then he said,
"Last, but not the least. You must be Methys Ivaldy, the arrowsmith from Payon. Yes, I have been expecting you…" Methys replied shyly,
"Thank you, sir…I feel flattered…" However the swordsman quickly cut the scene immediately,
"Excuse me! Can we cut the craps and go to the point?" The guildmaster shook his head, before he said,
"You are a very direct person, Wulfhaund. I like that! Now I shall explain why I have invited you here…" Suddenly he had a bout of cough, which made his body shook violently. Lyssia quickly tended him and asked,
"Master, are you fine?" Zophar replied back,
"I'm fine, my dear! Let me finish this first." After fixing his composure, he began to explain,
"Have you heard about the Jormungand Serpent?" Everyone stood blankly, yet the mage looked calm. Then the guildmaster gestured to Lyssia to explain. She started,
"The Jormungand Serpent is the rarely seen monster in Rune-Midgard, yet it is also the most powerful compared with Baphomet and Stormy Knight. Nobody knows where the beast lives, nor anyone returned back after they saw it. I don't think the Einherjars has encountered this monster before. Someone says that it might live around Byalan Island…" Now Stryke asked,
"So, do you want us to take out the beast?" Zophar chuckled,
"No, what I want you to do is to take the Emperiums inside his lair. Three will be suffice. For 1 Emperium, I'll pay you 5,000,000 zenny!" Instantly, Carlyne's eye became green once heard the amount of zenny. Stryke only whistled. Yet, Aethyls inquired further,
"I have reason to believe that you have something more to offer…"
"Very perceptive, mage. Yes, if you managed to get another three from Stormy Knight's lair at Luftie I shall triple the amount…" To this, the merchant couldn't hold her shock,
"Forty-five million zenny?" But the guildmaster didn't finish to there,
"Lastly, you have to deliver those things to Blacksmith Thyrm. He knows what he must do with those things. Once finished, bring these things to me immediately. If you were late, I can only pay you a half of the promised amount, but if you managed to bring it safely, I probably will add another 45,000,000 zenny to the amount. Believe me, that amount will be enough for the rest of your life," Carlyne couldn't speak anymore, because she has fainted already. Methys was stupefied, for all his life he never dreamed to get such amount. The young thief smiled mischievously. But Wulfhaund didn't show anything until he asked,
"The reward that you promised, will it be split between us or for individual?" Zophar nodded,
"Yes, they'll be split among all of you. Even so, the amount is enough for all of you!" While Methys helped Carlyne, Stryke expressed his concern,
"But you ask us to fight the unknown monster! Stormy Knight is another thing, but the Jormungand Serpent…"
"That's why I making this party. Alone, you'll end as a dessert for the Serpent, but you might have a chance to survive when together. However, the Jormungand Serpent is the least of your concern…"
"Like what?" This time, the guildmaster sighed in resignation,
"The real danger is the rival guilds! I have lost some of my guild members because of that. True, there are many guilds scattered around the Rune-Midgard, but only two of them that you must be extremely careful…the Defenders of Midgard and the Shadow of Hel!" Methys asked him,
"Who are they? What do they want from you, sir?"
"I have no idea, but those guilds were intent to keep me out of business! The Shadow of Hel is the most ruthless in their objective, they're willing to stoop low, even resort to violence only to get what they wants. They are likely to wait you finish the quest first, and then steal the Emperiums from you…" Stryke whispered jokingly to the archer,
"Probably they're always kill-stealing everyone…" Nobody laughed, and then Zophar continued,
"In other hand, the Defenders are playing fairly, nonetheless that makes them into a fierce competitor! They will do anything to outsmart you from fulfill the quest!" Then Wulfhaund spoke,
"It sounds challenging! I'm not afraid to them! I accept this!" Once again, Stryke mimicked the swordsman to mock him. Methys stood up,
"I'm coming too!" Zophar nodded only,
"Good! Lyssia will be your party leader, she will be my eyes and ears," The acolyte came forward,
"What I need now is a second-in-command after me…"Without being asked, the swordsman said,
"It's me then! I am the right person for the job!" To this, Aethyls expressed his objections,
"Excuse me, do we forget something? Did anyone nominate you as a candidate for the position?"
The thief followed, "Yeah, right! I don't remember nominating you as a second-in-command…" Wulfhaund glared to them, especially to the mage. He pointed Aethyls,
"What do you mean by that? Don't say that you wanted the position too!" The purple-haired mage snickered,
"Yes, beside have you considered yourself fit for the job? It seems you have a personality problem…almost like Sakray…"Upon heard the name, the swordsman gritted his teeth and instantly unsheathed his blade, pointing its edge to the mage. Stryke gasped nervously, while Carlyne has fainted again. Methys watched everything worriedly. Quickfang growled warily. Then Wulfhaund warned,
"Say that again and you'll regret it for good! I demand you to pull those words!" Instead apologized, Aethyls gave a mocking smile, while saying,
"No, I won't do that." This time, Wulfhaund felt pissed off. Bellowed, he was charging toward the mage, lifting his blade. Before his opponent get closer, the mage took a Berzebub card, put it in his accessory and began to cast spell,
"Napalm Beat!" Instantly, the swordsman was hit by an incredible force and flew to the corner. As he tried to rise, Aethyls has sent Frost Diver to him. The spell froze Wulfhaund and encased him inside a block of ice. The archer was astonished with the fight; he never saw magic like what Aethyls displayed. Smiled, the mage turned to Lyssia victoriously,
"I think the result has been decided…" To anyone's shock, the block of ice exploded into smithereens and the swordsman came out. He breathed heavily, while staring his opponent with reddened eye. Aethyls was mildly surprised, yet he said,
"Tough guy, huh! Then you should be tougher…Ice Wall!" Instantly, the icy spikes came from nowhere between them. Wulfhaund ignored the barrier, and started to hack his way! With such ferocity and speed, he slashed the ice spikes, ignoring their shards. Lyssia quipped,
"Auto-Berserk…" Methys heard that, and then turned his attention back to the fight. Now the mage was annoyed; he took a Kobold card and put it to his right accessory. At the same time, the swordsman had opened the ice wall. He roared like a wild beast, and once again put his offensive position. Then they were ready to unleash their attack,
"Magnum Break!"
"Soul Strike!" Suddenly the guildmaster shouted aloud,
"ENOUGH!! Break Spell!!" Instantly, the fight came to a halt. Aethyls felt his SP gone and his spell was abruptly stopped. Meanwhile Wulfhaund stopped in the midst of his attack. Both of them stared Zophar. The silver-haired archer watched the guildmaster with disbelief. Zophar spoke then,
"I won't tolerate violence inside my hall! Look, you may not like each other! You may hate each other's guts, but out there, you've got only each other to rely on. Now, I'm not asking for a group hug. Just work together. Cover each other's backs." The guildmaster turned to the acolyte,
"Beside, it is up to Lyssia to choose who will be her second-in-command. Whoever she picked among you, I won't protest her! It's your turn, my dear…" Wulfhaund and Aethyls stared each other, before turned to the acolyte. Lyssia walked among them, while pondering her choice. Stryke and Carlyne watched nervously. Suddenly, Lyssia pointed the archer and said,
"You'll be my second-in-command, is it all right for you?" Methys was looked uncomfortable, while the swordsman was shocked and the mage snorted only. He said,
"Miss, I don't know anything about leading…beside, there is another people who were deserve to be…"He wasn't able to finish the sentence as the guildmaster declared,
"Splendid! So the party has been formed!" Then he said to the silver-haired archer,
"Don't worry about that, just act naturally! Lyssia know what she is doing…is anyone here disagree with the decision?" Nobody lifted their voice, and then Stryke and Carlyne clapped their hand. Methys looked to Wulfhaund who looked disappointed, while Aethyls simply ignored everything. He sighed, thinking that he was thrust to the great responsibility too fast. However, he relieved to see the acolyte smiled and his pet barked happily. Finally, Zophar said,
"Your first destination is Prontera. My men said that there is an eyewitness who had seen the Serpent. You must ask the information about it and then go to Comodo for next instruction! That's all, mates! I say good luck!" After finished that, he waved his hand and the party was vanished from his sight.
Note: OK, the party has been formed! What kind of danger they will face later? What are the Defenders of Midgard and Shadow of Hel? See next time in 'Friends and Foes'.
P.S.: Zophar, Jormungand Serpent, Defenders of Midgard, Shadow of Hel etc are the product of my imagination. You won't find the place at Alberta. Aethyls is also my character in Chaos server. Stryke, Carlyne and Thyrm has to be confirmed yet. I haven't play PvP yet; this is only in the story.
Another Note: I have edited the story to allow integration with the War of Emperium...it is up to you, give your reviews (flames) and suggestions!
Two days later at Alberta
Methys has just arrived at the harbor city of Rune-Midgard, after walked by foot from Payon. He really likes to come here. The buildings were made of white stones and the streets inside were clean. Even so, few people were around here. He tried to sell his merchandise here before, however he has a hard time to sell inside the city where the Merchant Guild established. Facing many competitors, he decided to go back to Payon. The only things he had to worry there was the porings. Suddenly Quickfang's bark brought him back to the reality again. He smiled, while saying,
"Okay, Quickfang! Let's find Guildmaster Zophar's place now!"
But then, it was easier to say than to doing it. The archer had asked the people he met; yet nobody knew where the Guildmaster's place is. Not even the Guide or Kafra girl knows about Zophar. After spent time up to afternoon, Methys took rest at the nearest Inn. At that moment, he felt something vibrating inside his pocket. Quickly, he shoved his hand in and took the Emperium out. Somehow the metal glowed and reverberated. His instinct said that he must follow the signal. He went out to the south direction and then turned to one of three warehouses not far from the harbour. As the sign became closer, Methys found out that he faced the wall.
"What is this? Must I walk through this wall?" Quickfang barked twice. He shrugged his shoulders in response, yet he said to his pet,
"Let's try…" Closing his eyes, Methys inched forward and…passed into the wall. He saw the wall speeding toward him like a falling house and zoomed out the other side. Completely disoriented, he shuddered and felt like needles were stabbing him everywhere. It took him a few minutes to recover, even longer for Quickfang. He laughed,
"Wow! That was a rush, let's do that again!"
The wolf pup growled to express the displeasure over his joke. Methys quickly took his bow and arrows, before he called the pup,
"Come, Quickfang! We have a work to do!" Then the archer found out that he was inside the huge circular hall. Not for long, he spotted someone leaning at the pillar. It looked like he was shuffling a deck of cards. Methys immediately went closer and recognized the person as a magician from his long brown robe and the ivory rod. He has a fan-like, purple-dyed hair, while his slit-like eyes looked shrewd. He also noted that everything that the mage wore was slotted. The wolf pup barked aloud when saw the mage. Felt someone watching, the magician turned to Methys and greeted,
"You must be invited by Guildmaster Zophar. Am I right?" Shyly, the archer answered,
"Ah, yes! Could you tell…" Instead answering, the purple-haired man offered him the deck.
He instructed, "Pick a card, please." The silver-haired archer followed the instruction, and the mage turned away. Then he said again,
"Please don't show me the card that you've picked," Methys saw that he got a Poring card; instantly he muttered under his breath,
"Poring…how I hate this creature!" Next, the mysterious mage offered again the deck,
"Now put your chosen card inside this deck and shuffle it by yourself." Methys did as he instructed and then returned the deck to him. The purple-haired mage looked deep in thought, yet he broke the silence,
"Hmm, is this your card?" He showed a Vadon card to Methys who instantly shook his head,
"No, that's not my card…" Suddenly the mage smiled and reached Methys' right ear. The archer protested upon the action,
"Hey, what are you doing?" The mage didn't reply, and then he took a Poring card from behind Methys' ear and showed him,
"I believe this must be your card," Amazed, the archer asked,
"How did you do that?" Before anyone could reply, a mocking voice came out,
"Anyone can do that! It is a cheap trick…" From behind another pillar, a black haired youth appeared. He wore a goggles and light garment. The daggers were strapped behind his back. The mage merely sighed,
"Stryke, please don't ruin the fun, just because you can't guess how I'm doing the trick…" Then he glanced to Methys,
"If I were you, I'd be careful to keep your zenny. Consider that as an advice from a friend." The black-haired youth replied mockingly,
"Yeah, such friend likes you!" Ignoring the mage, he offered his hand to Methys,
"Don't listen to him! You must be the latest recruit! May I introduce myself? My name is Stryke." The archer replied back,
"I'm Methys Ivaldy, nice to meet you! I'm coming from Payon village. Where are you coming from?"
"I'm coming from Morroc…" Suddenly, the silver-haired boy beamed,
"Morroc! I have been there before…" Stryke quickly followed,
"You are? That's wonderful! Morroc is the beautiful city in…" Before he finished his sentence, a loud shout echoed inside the hall,
"STRYKE!! Where is my dead branch?" Then a girl came from another direction. Her hair was dusty brown. She carried a cart full of merchandise behind her. From her face, it was oblivious that she was very angry. The young thief immediately hid behind the archer, as the girl went closer to them. She began to speak in a higher tone,
"Stryke, give my dead branch back or else!" Stryke protested,
"Hey, why are you asking me?" The merchant girl replied,
"Because you are the ONLY thief here! Who else took my dead branch? That mage?" The mage watched the event in amusement. Then the girl stopped short when she watched Methys. She quickly fixed her hair and put a clip, before introducing herself,
"Oh, I'm sorry for the sudden outburst! I hope it won't change my impression to you…my name is Carlyne.
If you ever need something, just come to me and we can negotiate the price…" The archer blushed only,
"Eh, it is nice to meet you, Ms.Carlyne…" The merchant turned to the thief, who still hid behind Methys and spoke gently,
"Stryke, that dead branch cost you about 125,000 zenny…" Now it was Stryke's turn to be furious.
"Robber! How do you expect me to pay such amount? There is no difference between you and me then!!"
Carlyne answered proudly, "At least, I do my business legally! Not like you who can only steal from the helpless people like me…" While they traded verbal to each other, Methys noticed another person not far from them. He brandished a long blade, while watching the surrounding like a hawk. He tapped Stryke, before pointing the man
"Excuse me, Stryke! Who is that man?" The thief sniffed,
"That one? He is a jerk! He didn't introduce himself since he come…" Carlyne cut him sharply,
"Probably you asked him in a wrong way. I asked him once and he said that his name is Wulfhaund. He looks cute, if he doesn't so rude…" Suddenly, the magician added,
"He can be another Sakray…" Instantly, everyone's heart froze in fear as they heard the name mentioned. The cursed swordsman, Sakray was greatly feared in Rune Midgard. There was nobody survived, once crossed path with him. With his evil sword Tartanos, he had massacred the entire Assassin Guild single-handedly and even fought with the knight Chaos to the death. After the last fight between them, nobody knew what happened to the crazed warrior. Since then, the Prontera Chivalry and the Swordsman Guild became more selective to pick the candidates. They didn't want another Sakray appeared and spread the havoc like the previous one. Methys watched the swordsman again; he could not find anything wrong with the guy, except he looked unfriendly. Quickfang growled suspiciously toward the swordsman. At that time, the merchant girl replied back to the magician,
"Nonsense! If he were like Sakray, I wouldn't be here today! Even you and Stryke…" The mage whispered,
"Probably not today, but who knows tomorrow?" Then a sound of gong broke the silence and everyone turned around. From another direction, a red hooded person appeared. Lyssia, who wore another headgear, accompanied him. Methys was unable to see the man's face, since the hood covered it completely. The acolyte helped the man to take a seat on a stone chair nearby. Coughed a little, the man cleared his throat and spoke with a low, throaty voice,
"Greetings for all of you! Thank you for heeding my invitation; I believe that you've come so far only for that…" He continued, "I'm Guildmaster Zophar and welcome to my guild!"
"First, I'll acknowledge your presence one by one, before briefing you about our quest…" Zophar turned to the mage,
"People called you 'Card Magician', because you have an extensive knowledge about the cards. Combined with your magic, you're already famous in Geffen. Thank you for coming here, Aethyls." The purple-haired mage smiled with pride. Next, the guildmaster turned to the black-haired thief,
"Lightning Stryke! That's what the people calls you, am I right? They says that your hands and feet are fast as the lightning," Stryke bowed theatrically to the acknowledgement. Now, Zophar looked to the swordsman,
"Wulfhaund, or aptly called 'The Berserker'. You have a hot temper, but also the rare swordsmanship. Sorry for mentioning this, but rumors said that you might be…" Wulfhaund immediately growled in fury,
"I'm not like him, if that what you think!" The archer was surprised to see the display of anger like that. Yet, the guildmaster paid no attention to that, instead he turned to the merchant girl,
"Ah, you must be Carlyne! I am honored to have your presence here…in fact, Kafra Corporation has recommended your name to me," Carlyne blushed like a beet, before she replied,
"You're flattering me, sir! That's because I am a resourceful merchant! I'm willing to help you with the right price…" Listening that, Stryke made a funny expression. Finally, Zophar shifted to the young archer who looked uncomfortable with the attention. Then he said,
"Last, but not the least. You must be Methys Ivaldy, the arrowsmith from Payon. Yes, I have been expecting you…" Methys replied shyly,
"Thank you, sir…I feel flattered…" However the swordsman quickly cut the scene immediately,
"Excuse me! Can we cut the craps and go to the point?" The guildmaster shook his head, before he said,
"You are a very direct person, Wulfhaund. I like that! Now I shall explain why I have invited you here…" Suddenly he had a bout of cough, which made his body shook violently. Lyssia quickly tended him and asked,
"Master, are you fine?" Zophar replied back,
"I'm fine, my dear! Let me finish this first." After fixing his composure, he began to explain,
"Have you heard about the Jormungand Serpent?" Everyone stood blankly, yet the mage looked calm. Then the guildmaster gestured to Lyssia to explain. She started,
"The Jormungand Serpent is the rarely seen monster in Rune-Midgard, yet it is also the most powerful compared with Baphomet and Stormy Knight. Nobody knows where the beast lives, nor anyone returned back after they saw it. I don't think the Einherjars has encountered this monster before. Someone says that it might live around Byalan Island…" Now Stryke asked,
"So, do you want us to take out the beast?" Zophar chuckled,
"No, what I want you to do is to take the Emperiums inside his lair. Three will be suffice. For 1 Emperium, I'll pay you 5,000,000 zenny!" Instantly, Carlyne's eye became green once heard the amount of zenny. Stryke only whistled. Yet, Aethyls inquired further,
"I have reason to believe that you have something more to offer…"
"Very perceptive, mage. Yes, if you managed to get another three from Stormy Knight's lair at Luftie I shall triple the amount…" To this, the merchant couldn't hold her shock,
"Forty-five million zenny?" But the guildmaster didn't finish to there,
"Lastly, you have to deliver those things to Blacksmith Thyrm. He knows what he must do with those things. Once finished, bring these things to me immediately. If you were late, I can only pay you a half of the promised amount, but if you managed to bring it safely, I probably will add another 45,000,000 zenny to the amount. Believe me, that amount will be enough for the rest of your life," Carlyne couldn't speak anymore, because she has fainted already. Methys was stupefied, for all his life he never dreamed to get such amount. The young thief smiled mischievously. But Wulfhaund didn't show anything until he asked,
"The reward that you promised, will it be split between us or for individual?" Zophar nodded,
"Yes, they'll be split among all of you. Even so, the amount is enough for all of you!" While Methys helped Carlyne, Stryke expressed his concern,
"But you ask us to fight the unknown monster! Stormy Knight is another thing, but the Jormungand Serpent…"
"That's why I making this party. Alone, you'll end as a dessert for the Serpent, but you might have a chance to survive when together. However, the Jormungand Serpent is the least of your concern…"
"Like what?" This time, the guildmaster sighed in resignation,
"The real danger is the rival guilds! I have lost some of my guild members because of that. True, there are many guilds scattered around the Rune-Midgard, but only two of them that you must be extremely careful…the Defenders of Midgard and the Shadow of Hel!" Methys asked him,
"Who are they? What do they want from you, sir?"
"I have no idea, but those guilds were intent to keep me out of business! The Shadow of Hel is the most ruthless in their objective, they're willing to stoop low, even resort to violence only to get what they wants. They are likely to wait you finish the quest first, and then steal the Emperiums from you…" Stryke whispered jokingly to the archer,
"Probably they're always kill-stealing everyone…" Nobody laughed, and then Zophar continued,
"In other hand, the Defenders are playing fairly, nonetheless that makes them into a fierce competitor! They will do anything to outsmart you from fulfill the quest!" Then Wulfhaund spoke,
"It sounds challenging! I'm not afraid to them! I accept this!" Once again, Stryke mimicked the swordsman to mock him. Methys stood up,
"I'm coming too!" Zophar nodded only,
"Good! Lyssia will be your party leader, she will be my eyes and ears," The acolyte came forward,
"What I need now is a second-in-command after me…"Without being asked, the swordsman said,
"It's me then! I am the right person for the job!" To this, Aethyls expressed his objections,
"Excuse me, do we forget something? Did anyone nominate you as a candidate for the position?"
The thief followed, "Yeah, right! I don't remember nominating you as a second-in-command…" Wulfhaund glared to them, especially to the mage. He pointed Aethyls,
"What do you mean by that? Don't say that you wanted the position too!" The purple-haired mage snickered,
"Yes, beside have you considered yourself fit for the job? It seems you have a personality problem…almost like Sakray…"Upon heard the name, the swordsman gritted his teeth and instantly unsheathed his blade, pointing its edge to the mage. Stryke gasped nervously, while Carlyne has fainted again. Methys watched everything worriedly. Quickfang growled warily. Then Wulfhaund warned,
"Say that again and you'll regret it for good! I demand you to pull those words!" Instead apologized, Aethyls gave a mocking smile, while saying,
"No, I won't do that." This time, Wulfhaund felt pissed off. Bellowed, he was charging toward the mage, lifting his blade. Before his opponent get closer, the mage took a Berzebub card, put it in his accessory and began to cast spell,
"Napalm Beat!" Instantly, the swordsman was hit by an incredible force and flew to the corner. As he tried to rise, Aethyls has sent Frost Diver to him. The spell froze Wulfhaund and encased him inside a block of ice. The archer was astonished with the fight; he never saw magic like what Aethyls displayed. Smiled, the mage turned to Lyssia victoriously,
"I think the result has been decided…" To anyone's shock, the block of ice exploded into smithereens and the swordsman came out. He breathed heavily, while staring his opponent with reddened eye. Aethyls was mildly surprised, yet he said,
"Tough guy, huh! Then you should be tougher…Ice Wall!" Instantly, the icy spikes came from nowhere between them. Wulfhaund ignored the barrier, and started to hack his way! With such ferocity and speed, he slashed the ice spikes, ignoring their shards. Lyssia quipped,
"Auto-Berserk…" Methys heard that, and then turned his attention back to the fight. Now the mage was annoyed; he took a Kobold card and put it to his right accessory. At the same time, the swordsman had opened the ice wall. He roared like a wild beast, and once again put his offensive position. Then they were ready to unleash their attack,
"Magnum Break!"
"Soul Strike!" Suddenly the guildmaster shouted aloud,
"ENOUGH!! Break Spell!!" Instantly, the fight came to a halt. Aethyls felt his SP gone and his spell was abruptly stopped. Meanwhile Wulfhaund stopped in the midst of his attack. Both of them stared Zophar. The silver-haired archer watched the guildmaster with disbelief. Zophar spoke then,
"I won't tolerate violence inside my hall! Look, you may not like each other! You may hate each other's guts, but out there, you've got only each other to rely on. Now, I'm not asking for a group hug. Just work together. Cover each other's backs." The guildmaster turned to the acolyte,
"Beside, it is up to Lyssia to choose who will be her second-in-command. Whoever she picked among you, I won't protest her! It's your turn, my dear…" Wulfhaund and Aethyls stared each other, before turned to the acolyte. Lyssia walked among them, while pondering her choice. Stryke and Carlyne watched nervously. Suddenly, Lyssia pointed the archer and said,
"You'll be my second-in-command, is it all right for you?" Methys was looked uncomfortable, while the swordsman was shocked and the mage snorted only. He said,
"Miss, I don't know anything about leading…beside, there is another people who were deserve to be…"He wasn't able to finish the sentence as the guildmaster declared,
"Splendid! So the party has been formed!" Then he said to the silver-haired archer,
"Don't worry about that, just act naturally! Lyssia know what she is doing…is anyone here disagree with the decision?" Nobody lifted their voice, and then Stryke and Carlyne clapped their hand. Methys looked to Wulfhaund who looked disappointed, while Aethyls simply ignored everything. He sighed, thinking that he was thrust to the great responsibility too fast. However, he relieved to see the acolyte smiled and his pet barked happily. Finally, Zophar said,
"Your first destination is Prontera. My men said that there is an eyewitness who had seen the Serpent. You must ask the information about it and then go to Comodo for next instruction! That's all, mates! I say good luck!" After finished that, he waved his hand and the party was vanished from his sight.
Note: OK, the party has been formed! What kind of danger they will face later? What are the Defenders of Midgard and Shadow of Hel? See next time in 'Friends and Foes'.
P.S.: Zophar, Jormungand Serpent, Defenders of Midgard, Shadow of Hel etc are the product of my imagination. You won't find the place at Alberta. Aethyls is also my character in Chaos server. Stryke, Carlyne and Thyrm has to be confirmed yet. I haven't play PvP yet; this is only in the story.
Another Note: I have edited the story to allow integration with the War of Emperium...it is up to you, give your reviews (flames) and suggestions!