AN: this chapter is super difficult to write. I better post it now or I might be tempted to keep on editing this and may not move on to write the next chapter. I really don't want to write stuff like this again in the future. Oh wait. I have to when the two Heroes arrive at the Dota map. Fu-
A Week of Discussion
"That's for today's basic rules of the Defense of the Ancients. We'll continue reading about it tomorrow aaaand I think the rabbits are ready to eat." said Rylai as she closed the book. It is lunchtime and while the food is cooking, Yurnero asked Rylai to read about the rules. They read about the enchanted map of the Ancients and their stronghold or base, lanes, jungle, Ancient's and neutral creeps.
"I told you before that the place is enchanted: day and night passes by minutes than the usual hours." Rylai said as she was about to return the book in her bag.
Yurnero spoke. "May I borrow the book?"
"Hm? Sure." Rylai handed the book to Yurnero. She began cutting the rabbits into pieces and place them in four dishes. She then puts the cooked smashed potatoes in the dishes. After that, she served two dishes to the couriers then carried the rest as she went towards Yurnero.
"Here's your share of the food." said Rylai as she sat beside Yurnero. Yurnero never responded, just stare at the opened book. Curious, Rylai looked at the page and saw the picture of the Ancient Radiant.
"The Ancient Radiant is so beautiful, don't you think so? I never knew that a tree could have pink leaves when most are color green, yellow, or red." Rylai giggled. "I can't wait to see the real Radiant. I bet it's very beautiful when you actually see it with your own eyes."
"It is very beautiful." said Yurnero with reverence. He caressed the picture of the Radiant with blunt fingertips. "It... reminds me of home."
"Hm? Really? How so?" Rylai asked with interest.
Still looking at the book, Yurnero spoke. "In my homeland, we have trees like this called 'Sakura'. Every year during spring, the trees are alive with pink blossoms." Yurnero started to remember his past: he standing under a lone Sakura tree one late afternoon, and the wind carries some of its blossoms to the heavens. The blossoming trees were one of the few things that comfort Yurnero during the unjust rule of the corrupt lords of the land. "Even at night or from a far distance, the pink blossoms are visible. They are like a shining beacon guiding lost souls to the right path." He looked at Rylai. "It would be nice to see such trees again."
Ohhh. He sounds so sad. He really misses his home. Rylai gave him a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, you will once we arrive at the Radiant stronghold." She beamed. "C'mon. Let's eat. Here's your share. We'll read the book tomorrow. And if you want, you can keep the book with you as long as you like."
Yurnero did not keep the book with him and in the next afternoon, they continued to read. As usual, Rylai read aloud while Yurnero remained silent.
" 'The rules are hard to fully explain so only an idea of how it works are written here. The detailed mechanisms of the battle will be 'shown' to the participating Heroes only. Note that Heroes who were slain during this event are not permanently dead because the Ancients will grant resurrection. Those who made heinous crimes against the participating Heroes after this event will not go unpunished.
" 'To start, all Heroes must understand that they begin from their humble origins. That is to say, the Hero will start as weak, and all the skills and attributes that the Hero has gained will be forgotten. How to regain the Hero's potential skills and attributes will be explained later.
" 'When the day of the event starts, all Heroes will be judged by the Ancient if they were to fight or not. When deemed worthy, the picked five Heroes are warped to the fountain. The Heroes are given gold to spend on items which they think will be beneficial during the fight. The courier can be bought in the shop. A courier is a trained being that will go to the battle field just to deliver or buy a Hero's purchased item. After buying the desired items, the Heroes will then choose which lane to go and defend from the enemy, go into the jungle and fight enemy creeps, or go scouting.
" 'The battle begins when the bellow of the horn is heard and the creeps start to spawn and traverse the lane. The Hero gains experience from killing enemy creeps, structures, and Heroes. To earn experience is a way to learn the forgotten skills again or attributes. It is called 'level up'. To level up allows the Hero to either learn a forgotten skill, improve a learned skill, or for attributes. Killing enemy creeps, structures and Heroes also grants the opposing Hero to gain a lot of gold compared to receiving one gold per second when the fighting continues. To gain this much gold, a Hero must perform the final blow or also called 'Last-hitting'. Heroes can also kill their allied creeps or fellow Heroes if it is possible. This is called 'deny'. Denying lets an enemy Hero have difficulty earning enough gold.
" 'The Hero is granted a bird's eye-view of the map. Only the Hero's field of vision, Ancient's stronghold and lanes, lane creeps, allies' location, and areas illuminated by wards are clearly visible. The rest of the areas are obscured, usually termed as Fog of War. The Hero could also telepathically communicate with his or her allies as well with enemy Heroes. Even when a Hero is slain, he or she is able to do these things.
" 'The slain Hero will either wait to spawn at the fountain for an amount of time or use gold to buy himself or herself back to join the battle again.
" 'If the enemy barracks are destroyed, the opposing force will have creeps that are bigger and stronger than before. When all the barracks are destroyed, it is declared that the opposing force have Mega creeps.
" 'Last, when the opposing force have destroyed the enemy Ancient, they become the victors of this event.'
"Aaaand that's a wrap!" exclaimed Rylai.
"I have questions about this." said Yurnero.
"Like what?"
"Like why only five Heroes? Why would we start to be weak and forget our skills? How is that even possible? How does the courier know to whom should the items be delivered? How do we receive the one gold per second and from the enemies we killed when we are busy trying to survive on the battlefield? Is it really necessary to kill a fellow ally? How do we see the map and communicate with the Heroes, especially when you're dead? In my opinion, I see many... flaws about this event."
"Oh... I think you're right... Um, the book did stressed the word 'shown'. Maybe that will answer all your questions?"
"How will these detailed mechanisms be 'shown' to us?"
Rylai never answered. That proves to Yurnero that they still lack knowledge about this prestigious event.
The next four afternoons, they read about the items sold at the shops ('How could it be called a Secret Shop' when everyone knows about it? So much for being a secret.' Yurnero once said). They understood about the how each item is used, upgraded, and how much it cost.
"I always notice that the consumable items cost a lot of gold." said Yurnero. "Why must the merchants sell them so expensively? Most of the money I earned during my scouting years is spent on food."
"It's because there's a high demand on these items when wars are always present and a lot of people are looking for adventure."
"Mm. You have a point." They continued to look at the items in the book.
"The Phase boots look so cool to use." said Rylai. She looked at her own footwear. "But I don't want to discard MY boots. Plus, it won't match with my own clothes. The Arcane boots matches the color of my clothes though but I don't need it."
"Arcane boots are useful for mages like you."
"Not to me. I have a special skill that doubles mana regeneration. Not only to me but to allies as well. I call it Arcane Aura. Sounds cool huh?"
"Mana regeneration... So that's why my mana seems to recover faster when we were at Augury bay."
"Uh-huh. All I have to do is recognize you as an ally then my skill will work on you." Her attention now transfers at the book. "It's also nice if I could use the Eul's Scepter of Divinity but I don't think I can hold two weapons on each hand."
"These staves are good to use but I'm not a magus. Although I like the idea of using this Agahnim's Scepter." Yurnero said as he pointed at the image of the said scepter. " 'An item with a passive ability that upgrades the ultimates of certain heroes.' From the word 'ultimate', I'm guessing this means about one's special and final technique. Yet I cannot hold a scepter on one hand and a sword in another when I fight."
"Um, you can carry it on your back?" suggested an unsure Rylai.
"It will just get in the way. And do not suggest to put it in a bag. Taking out the scepter when using my technique will waste precious time. So many useful items to use yet a burden to carry. How do you use and carry these items?"
"... I, have no idea."
They remained silent for a while before Yurnero suggested they pack up and continue to travel.
" '... the Hero Roshan stole the Aegis of the Immortal from a Shopkeeper whom he killed. His actions displeased the gods and as punishment, they cursed Roshan to have his life and treasure stolen repeatedly for his crime.' " Rylai read. "Ohh. So this is the reason killing Roshan to acquire the Aegis is included in the event." She looked at Yurnero. "Immortality." She said in wonder. "Imagine that you acquire such a thing. You're going to shock the other Heroes when you suddenly stood from where you were slain and then continued to fight."
"Mm. I agree. It will be beneficial when storming in the enemy's stronghold." said Yurnero. He closed the book and handed it to Rylai. "At last, for a week we are done reading the book. Yet we still lack information about the mechanics of battle."
Rylai smiled. "I think having an idea is better than knowing nothing. Don't you think so?"
Yurnero shrugged his shoulders. "Mm. I will agree with you."
"Anyway, I can see a town from this distance. I think we can reach it before night-time. So, are we going to travel now?"
Yurnero nodded his masked head. The two then continued on their way towards the said town.