Chapter Eight
Way to Paradise
August 22, 2009
I received Drako's mail and have called a meeting, we have most of what we need, however we need directions for the maze, I've asked Draconair to check out the first floor of Lambda Pulsating worst core so that we know what kind of maze it is, and the meeting is to discuss how to cross this maze, with answers this close hopefully, I scheduled to meet at eight A.M., with any luck, we'll be seeing Helba before the week's over.
It was still early when Draconair arrived for the meeting, I was unable to sleep and felt that we should plan our next move. It was an hour before Drako arrived, I didn't want to bother anyone else with this matter especially since it was still early.
"So", I started, "What do we do about the problem to finding Helba?"
"Hiro said that the location was Lambda Pulsating Worst Core, although I feel like it's a setup, Skain may have told him if he failed to tell him a field to ambush us."
"I don't think so," Draconair said, "I checked the floor today and it is as he said, anywhere I went, I was sent back to the same room, once in a while, I would make it to the next room, but, it is a maze, I don't know how to transverse it"
"There is always a way a through a maze, if Helba uses this place to get to Paradise as most seem to call it" I replied.
"Well, I can't tell you, not even admins powers seem to work in there, I couldn't get anything to really work" Draconair said looking worried.
"Should have guessed it," I replied, Drako and Draconair looked at me, "What better place to hide then a place admins can't get to and players can't cross"
"There's another problem, after I left, some sort of program went up and made is so I couldn't go in again"
"What kind of program?" Drako asked.
"I don't know, but I read something happened back at the field, tried to load it up again and some sort of protection program was preventing me from entering again"
"Leave to programs to me," I said confidently, "What we need to find out is how to get though that maze."
"Can't you create a program to map out a mazes path, or in this case, pathways?" Drako asked.
"No, Helba is the best hacker in this game, there isn't anyway to out hack her, she would be able to crack my hack, the only way in is though that maze, but how?"
We sat there for a minute when I got an E-mail, "What the?"
"What is it" Draconair asked.
"I got an e-mail"
"What's so odd about that?" Drako asked.
"I've set up a program that sends most of my mail to a secondary file, only you two, Arcanis, Squall Warhiet, and Rae aren't blocked" I replied.
"Who's it from?" Drako asked again.
"It's from, Helba?"
"WHAT!" Drako and Draconair said at the same time.
"Hold on a moment, maybe she's noticed I'm looking for her" I opened the e-mail, and read:
Young man, I've noticed you've been looking for me, and have gone as far as to disobey the administration, I must say that I'm impressed with your determination, if your still wanting to meet with me, use a spell to find me, the spell to paradise is east north south west north. I'll see you soon little boy
"It's something, she apparently is interested in why I'm looking for her"
"What did it say?" Draconair asked.
"Something about the spell to paradise, East north south west north, what could it be?"
"Don't look at me" Drako said.
"I think I know what it means" Draconair said.
I looked at her and said, "What!"
"I'll tell you when we get there, but we first need to find a way around the protection"
"Wait, maybe I could use the Virus Core to open a hole in the protection for a short time" I exclaimed.
"Will that work?" Drako asked.
"Hey, I may not be as great a hacker as Helba, but I can us a virus, or should I say a Virus Core to make a opening"
"Well, what are we waiting for," Draconair turned and started heading towards the exit, "Well, come on, let's go to Lambda Pulsating Worst Core". With that she gated out.
"Well, guess we follow her" Drako said.
"Ya, lets go then"
After gating out, we selected the Lambda sever and warped there, will I really meet Helba, she's the only one I could think of that would know what happened to my brother.
When we loaded in, the Lambda server Carmina Gadelica, was packed, this server had a night time look to it almost all the time, I turned around to see Draconair waiting, before I could say anything, she sent me an invite to a group, I accepted and she said, "Lets go already, lets not keep her waiting"
"K, why the rush?" I asked.
"You don't want to keep her waiting, she may decide to leave if we take to long"
"Good point," Drako said, "Lets go then".
Draconair entered the Keywords and we where off.
When the field loaded up, first thing that came to mind was, war, the field was a battlefield, littered with giant weapons, from a war long since passed. I activated the scan program and checked the data.
"The dungeon is east of us, no enemies in the way to"
"K, lets get going" Drako said.
"Be on your guard, this may be only a lvl 48 place, but there are some strong monsters here" Draconair warned us.
When we entered the dungeon, I opened up the scan program, the dungeon was a castle with a blue and purple color, when the scan completed, I got a surprise.
"Guys, problem"
"What is it?" Drako asked.
"The scan was blocked, I got no data"
"Then we'll have to do this the old fashion way" Drako used a Fairy's Orb the floor came up.
"What's this?" Drako asked.
The floor was a straight line with two rooms at each side, "Is this the maze?" I asked puzzled.
"It may not look it, but this is the maze, unless we go through the right door, we end up back at this spot" Draconair replied.
"K, so how does the spell work?" Drako asked.
"I think I see how" I interrupted.
"How?" Drako asked again.
"East north south west north, it's directions through the maze, so we go east first" I walked towards the east corridor and walked through it, I warped and didn't see my team mates anywhere.
"Guys, it worked"
"Yes, I see that, you just popped up in the next room" Drako replied.
"Ok guys, fallow the directions, east north south west north"
"Roger" they both said at the same time.
After going thought the maze, I stood right in front of the stairs down, a moment later, Drako and Draconair appeared right behind me, "Lets hope that's the only real obstacle"
On the next floor, we found enemies in our path, the first portal released an Ark Prince and a Squidbod, the Ark Prince looked like a flying red coffin, and inside was a red vampire, the Squidbod, was a large robot with a javelin on one arm and a spiked mace on the other.
"I'll take the Squidbod, you to get the Ark Prince" I commanded.
"Roger"
I approached the Squidbod and cast PhAni Zot, the Squidbod died in one hit, when I looked over at my teammates they where standing there looking ready for more. "Lets move on"
The next room had a Risky chest, since we where in a hurry, we ran past it, the next room however had two Harpy Queens, Draconair cast OrGan Don and killed both of them, the next room held the same, and fell as fast, after that was another Ark Prince and Squidbod, we took them down and proceeded to the next floor.
"This floor is a big circle, only it doesn't connect" Draconair moaned.
"No worries, the enemies are weak, we'll tear through them" I replied.
The next floor was the same, but with a shorter route, "We must be getting near the bottom of the dungeon" Drako said after one of the battles.
"Why do you say that?" I asked him.
"I just think we are, B4 is the floor we're on, so maybe B5 is the last one".
When we descended the stairs it turned out Drako was right, it was a small floor with only one portal in a large room.
"Only one portal, I don't like the look of it" I said to my teammates.
"I agree, my programs say that there is something strange about that portal, as best as I can get them to work at least" Draconair replied back.
"It may just be nothing, at least I hope" Drako said back nervously.
"I hope so to" I replied.
I know what Drako meant, he was hoping that it isn't a databug like when he fought Skain, I hoped it wasn't either, I my program got fried when I used it on a databug. When we entered the room, we saw the portal, when we approached it, another green spotted monster came out of it, a big Red Dragon.
"Databug! Shit" Drako said in a panic.
"Dractaros, and ideas?" Draconair asked.
I've been able to rebuild my program to defeat them, but I can't do it to this one, there's some sort of protective barrier around its data"
"Any idea's how to break it" Drako asked.
"It seams to be tied in to its HP, is it loses enough, it will break"
"Lets do it the", Drako said and charged it, "Ralo Maxima"
I used "Vak Revolver" and the battle began, it's protection dropped after so long and we got it.
"Drac, did your program fry itself again?" Drako asked.
"No it didn't, looks like my reinforcement program is working, lets continue"
I got another virus core from that, maybe I'll be needing it in the future. With that done, we proceeded into the next room. When we entered the next room we found nothing but a red door that the map said behind it was a dead end.
"A door?" Drako said all puzzled.
I walked towards it and tried to push it open, just before I decide to give up, it opened.
"You think she was just toying with us?" Drako asked.
"We won't know tell we go through that door" I replied back, with that we entered into the next room.