Chapter 4 Part II
Amaryll was nervous. Her heart was pounding against her chest so hard and fast she thought it was going to explode. It was a strange sensation; she couldn't understand why her body was working itself up, while her mind remained cool and collected. Perhaps it was the fear that such a poor man would reject her kindness. Or that her pity could backfire… she didn't know. But whatever the reason for her rising stress levels, she knew that she was doing the right thing.
The young Elf slowly approached the Blade Knight and then stopped. He needs zen… She opened her inventory, scooped out some gold coins at the bottom of her bag and counted it. One, two, three… twenty- six. Hang on… Amaryll scratched her head briefly. I thought I had more than that! At this afterthought, she just shrugged her shoulders, through the zen back in her bag and searched the Noria safe zone for the Knight. He was standing by a golden arched fence beside the Elf Soldier, whistling to himself when she reached him.
"Hi Mr Knight," Amaryll greeted nervously.
"Why hello young one, are you here to humiliate me further?" he replied sadly, obviously transfixed on something behind her.
Amaryll narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced over her shoulder; she could see Saddreams in the distance with her arms folded, staring right back at her. She mouthed 'what are you doing?'. In response, the winged Elf just folded her arms and scoffed. What is her problem? She shook her head with disbelief and turned her attention to the man before her. Up close, she could see he was a little old in the face but had definitely aged gracefully. His hair was a mixture of light and dark browns tones which sat on his head in an array of different spiky lengths. He had beautiful, dark brown eyes, which, to her dismay, seemed lifeless, as if he had nothing to fill the void. From his neck down she noticed that he was quite broad-shouldered and wore a navy blue coloured body suit which showed off his strong, muscular physique. His gloves and boots had been worn through and the tattered, heshen-like garment he wore on top of the body suit fell below his thighs… just covering his pelvic area. The last thing she observed was a golden crest embellished across his torso… which seemed to symbolise some sort of alliance. She came to the conclusion that perhaps this man had fallen from his glory days, and was determined more than ever to give him hope that things will get better.
"I'm not here to humiliate you," she answered seriously, "And I'm really sorry about my friend back there; she doesn't take kindly to, um, strangers. But I'm not like her. I want to help you."
The man looked at her blankly for a moment, then said graciously, "That's very kind of you…"
"I don't have much, I mean, I've just arrived here, but I hope that this will help," she said as she fumbled around in her inventory for her zen.
"You've just arrived here? So you're new?" he asked with a surprised face.
"Yes Mr," the young Elf nodded, whilst pulling out the gold coins, "I don't have much, but I hope it will help you."
She attempted to give him the zen, but each time she held her hand out, nothing happened… it was as if something was preventing her from doing so.
"Um, I can't seem to give it to you," she told the man, feeling extremely embarrassed.
"Well of course you can't. You need to trade with me."
Amaryll smacked the side of her head, "That's right, I forgot!"
Feeling a little relieved, she held out her hand, which the Blade Knight shook happily. As expected, her inventory popped up as it had all the previous times. She grabbed the zen and handed it over to the poor man. But instead of accepting the trade, he stared at the money and went silent. Huh? Why is this taking so long? He began to chuckle softly… then started to laugh hysterically. The young Elf didn't understand why his mood had changed so suddenly… and she was beginning to think that helping him wasn't such a good idea after all.
"Why are you laughing?" asked a confused Amaryll.
The Knight closed the trade and calmed himself down.
"I cannot accept that," he said bluntly.
"W-what?" she spluttered, starting to believe that the winged Elf could be right about him, "What do you mean you can't accept it? It's zen, isn't it?"
Saddreams had seen and heard everything. And she had had enough. Her friend was clearly in distress and it was time to step in and save her from more humiliation.
"Well-"
"What's going on here?" Saddreams interrupted, glowering at him.
A shocked Amaryll looked at her friend in bewilderment. Seriously… what is her angle? First she stares me down, and now she's butting in? I don't understand why she is doing this…
"This Elf," the man addressed the Energy Elf, oblivious to her death stare, "Is one of the most genuine people I have met on this continent. She has just offered me some zen and I am truly grateful for her concern."
"But you didn't take it Mr!" Amaryll said loudly, extremely hurt by his actions.
"So, let me get this straight," Saddreams stepped up, "My friend offered you all the zen she possessed and you refused to take it? You're a piece of work."
"Just wait a sec-"
"Oh no, you listen to me you… you scammer!" she spat angrily, cutting him short, "You thought you were going to get a good haul from her didn't you?"
"No, that's not what hap-"
"And when you saw what she had to offer, you knew that she was a noob - sorry Amaryll, you know I don't refer to you per se - and you didn't want it. Her money wasn't good enough for you, was it?"
"That's not true!" the Blade Knight denied outright, "Her money is good enough for me!"
"So why not take it huh?"
"Well, there's a very simple answer to that one," he told her as he moved in closer to Saddreams, "Like you said. She's a noob. I'm not going to take anything from someone needs it more than I do."
"Huh. As if I'm going to believe you. You're a scammer; you'll say anything to get out of trouble."
"I am not a scammer EE."
"So why are you asking for zen then, BK?"
"That is none of your business," he said defensively.
"It is my business when it involves my friend here."
Amaryll felt a warmth spread through her body. Saddreams's protectiveness over her was very touching and she realised that she was only looking out for her all this time. I should have listened to her from the start, then all of this could have been avoided…
"I don't want to talk about it-"
"Well, you should have thought about that when you tried to scam my dear friend Amaryll here!"
"Leave it EE," he warned.
"Or what? You'll scam me too?"
"No-"
"So what is it if you're not a scammer then?"
Amaryll could see the frustration mounting on the Blade Knight's face. Her companion's badgering was beginning to break him down. But she had to admit; It wasn't a nice way of extracting a confession, especially when it wasn't really necessary. It wasn't as if he had tried to kill her; all he had done was reject her…
"Like I said before, just leave it alone - leave me alone!"
"So I'm right then-"
"I WAS HACKED, OK?"
The man screamed these words at the top of his lungs and caught both Elves off guard once again. His face was contorted and in pain, as if he had been wounded and he looked as if he were to collapse at any given moment. Yet again, Amaryll didn't understand what was going on, but by the look of horror on Saddream's face, it wasn't good.
"ARE YOU HAPPY EE?" the Blade Knight yelled in anguish.
The winged Elf looked away, "Why should I believe you? You could be lying-"
"LOOK AT ME!"
Saddreams flinched. She refused to obey. The young Elf placed her hand on her shoulder for but was shrugged off instantaneously.
"I'm sorry… I…"
With tears welling in her eyes, Saddreams turned to Amaryll with a crooked smile… and disappeared. She stared at the place her companion had been and then moved forward to confront the Knight. She was angry. He looked at her and backed away; it was if he was afraid of her.
"You've scared my friend away," Amaryll said angrily.
"I'm sorry Elf," he apologised with a strained voice, "I didn't know she was going to react like that."
"You yelled at her," she furthered.
"Quite frankly, she deserved it. There's only so much one can take."
He must be talking about the pressure Saddreams put him under…
"She was only looking out for me; she didn't deserve it Mr!"
The man let out a sigh, "Perhaps you're right. But it was wrong of her to… to…"
"To what?" the young Elf finished, realising he couldn't finish his sentence.
"… Let's just say… being hacked isn't something I like to share with complete strangers."
"Is being hacked a bad thing?" she asked, not knowing how insensitive she was to his plight.
The Blade Knight rubbed his eyes, "Yes, it is a bad thing. It's probably the worst thing that can happen to you here on MU. I hope is never happens to you young one."
"But why is it bad?" she questioned further, her anger slowly fading.
To this, the man gestured her over to the toadstool table and chairs and sat down, "Once, I was a very wealthy man. I had many friends and valuables to die for. Then one night I went to sleep. And when I woke up the next morning… everything was gone."
"What do you mean 'everything'?"
"Everything that I worked for was gone. My jewels, my zen, my valuables, my set… everything. Gone."
Amaryll was horrified. But wait…
"What about your Vault? Didn't you get the Safety Guardian to protect your possessions?"
"I did," he answered then lowered his voice, "But this was done by professionals who make a living out of hacking. Even the Safety Guardian couldn't have stopped them."
"So the Vault System has some safety issues? Saddreams gave me the impression that it was practically impenetrable."
"So that's the EE's name then? Saddreams… interesting," he said thoughtfully, "Pray tell, what might your name be?"
Taken aback by his formality, she replied, "My name is Amaryll, Mr."
"That's right, your friend mentioned it in the heat of the moment. She's very fond of you; definitely spoke with a lot of passion in her voice. She is very loyal to you young one."
For the first time since she laid eyes on him; he smiled. It made her feel much better knowing that he could show happiness even when he was grieving inside.
"She warned me not to talk to you, you know."
"And she was right," he agreed, "But yet you ignored her. That is why I said you are one of the most kindest people I have met. You were willing to help me regardless of my situation. That quality is so rare to find on this continent. I commend your generosity."
"Thankyou Mr."
"My name is Tegea young one, you don't need to call me Mr; I'm not that old!"
They both laughed. For some strange reason, Amaryll felt very comfortable in his presence. It was strange to think that just a few minutes ago she was furious him and now, she was enjoying his company. She admired the fact that he could openly talk about his past with her and yet still be an incredibly nice person.
"So where are you headed now?"
The young Elf tilted her head and gazed up in the air, "I don't know. I was levelling before with Saddreams-"
"Then that is what we shall do!" Tegea jumped up, almost knocking over the table.
"You mean level up? But I have no one to level with."
"What do you mean? You have a bow and arrow, why would you need someone to help you?"
"I have a hard time accepting the slaughter of animals is for the greater good of MU," she confessed.
He nodded in response, "Ok… I admire your honesty. Then I guess I won't be able to help you level after all."
"Why not?" Amaryll cried.
"Believe it or not, but I am a very high level; four hundred to be exact" Tegea said proudly, straightening himself up, "You won't get any experience with me."
Now where have I heard that one before…
"Well, thanks for offering anyway-"
"Young one, I said that I couldn't help you level. But I can help you in another way. Come."
The Blade Knight led her past the Safety Guardian and out of the Noria safe zone. She had never been this way before; to the right of her was a huge, leafy green tree that swayed serenely in the breeze above her and there was a lot more shrubbery fringing the cobblestone path she was standing on.
"This is the south west side of Noria," Tegea announced as if he were a tour guide, "This path takes you all the way to Lorencia. The funny thing is that not very many people come by this way, even if it does connect the two places."
"I've never heard of this Lorencia place before," Amaryll said, intrigued by the name of this place she just found out existed.
"I'm not surprised. Elves only find out about it once they stumble across the entrance, or are told about it like you are now. I come from Lorencia. It is a dark place to be young one, so I don't visit there much. I much prefer to be here in Noria," he said happily.
"How come it's dark-"
"You there!" he called out suddenly, cutting her off.
Amaryll swung around. She could see a figure in the distance, which obviously had seen them both. It waved to them and walked off.
"Come here!" Tegea commanded with a strong voice.
The figure stopped for a brief moment, then proceeded to move forward. Needless to say, the young Elf was very impressed with his triumph; she never would have had the courage to attempt something so bold. He smiled happily as they waited on the path for the stranger. As he came closer, she could see it was a man… not because of his face, but because of the way he walked. He took long strides, with a little bit of bounce in his step. He wore armour that was very similar to that which she saw in the treasure chest that Baz guarded and held a shield full of studded spikes. In his other hand, he clutched a sturdy sword with a curved blade that reminded her of a pirate's cutlass. He had an angular shaped helmet that prevented her from seeing his face; it looked as if it were made of brass. When he came face to face with Tegea he took it off abruptly and flicked his hair back. Amaryll had to agree he was very handsome, with his dark grey eyes, chiselled features and jet black hair. Butterflies were beginning to form in the pit of her stomach.
"What do you want BK?" he asked in annoyance.
"Firstly, I would like to say thankyou for honouring us with your presence," Tegea said graciously.
"Rriigghhhtt… you're pretty old school," he said curtly, "So you got me here, what do you want?"
"I would appreciate it if you looked after my little friend here," the BK smiled as he pushed Amaryll in front of him.
He looked her up and down, "… you're joking right?"
"Why would I joke?" he questioned as his smile slipped off his face, "She is new to MU and could do with a helping hand."
"Yeah… I can see that," he said slowly, obviously checking Amaryll out at the same time, "Alright, I'll do it. What's in it for me?"
"I-I beg your pardon?" Tegea spluttered involuntarily, "What do you mean 'what's in it for me?'"
"Well, you can't just expect me to party with her without some sort of payment," the Dark Knight said as he crossed his arms.
"Payment? Payment? See here you noob, back in my day we used to party with anyone for the sake of experience," Tegea replied angrily, extremely shocked with the Knight's attitude, "This Elf needs help and I think the satisfaction of knowing you're doing a good deed for another outweighs any consideration we can give you."
"Whatever. Sorry to break it to you but the old days are gone. Get with it old man," he replied rudely, "No payment, no party. Simple as that."
"I cannot offer you anything DK… I was hacked-"
"Not my problem," he dismissed brazenly and turned his attention to Amaryll, "What about you Elf? What have you got?"
She thought about this for a moment. What have I got? Thinking back to what she had stored in her inventory, all she had was an orb Lord Shahenshah have given her, some zen, and a ring. Overall, she had diddlysquat. And to be honest, she didn't want to give this man any of her possessions; she felt she needed them more than she needed his help.
"I don't have anything-"
"She's got me!"
That voice! The young Elf whirled around to see Saddreams floating towards them. For the first time since they met, she felt relieved to see the very sight of her. The winged Elf smiled contently as she made her way to the threesome and stood right between the two men. Both Knights were taken by surprise; one with shock and the other with victory. All Amaryll wanted to do at the very moment was squeal with delight, but held her tongue, knowing that this wasn't the time or place to do so.
"She's got me DK," Saddreams repeated, her voice growing stronger with every word spoken.
Recovering slightly from the shock of her arrival, he responded, "Oh yeah? So what have you got for me then, Elf?"
The Energy Elf smiled slightly and proceed to cast her magic force field around him. His face lit up after a short moment and then he held his hand out.
"You've got yourself a deal," he said in a business-like manner.
At first, the young Elf hesitated. Did she really want to be partied with a man who valued what he could get out of it, rather than being a good Samaritan? She looked to Tegea, who gave her a reassuring smile and then to Saddreams. Her friend was not happy with this choice of warrior, but knew that Amaryll would not get anywhere if she didn't take it upon herself to level with him. So she too, smiled reassuringly and the Elf shook his hand. The little red box appeared above her head and over the DK's. She could see his name…
"Nice to meet you, Turnbull," she greeted nervously, her butterflies getting stronger.
The Dark Knight ignored her, "Let's go."
"Wait."
All three of them turned to the Energy Elf.
"I want to say sorry to you BK," Saddreams said to Tegea, "If I had known you were hacked, I definitely would have helped you… no questions asked."
Tegea turned a bright red, "That's ok EE. You weren't to know what had happened. It's not something I want to tell the whole world."
"I'm sorry I called you a beggar and a scammer-"
"Really, Saddreams, it's fine," he assured her.
"Ok, it's all good now? Let's roll," Turnbull cut in rudely and then mumbled, " Ihatethisbullshitfeelingscrap."
The BK gave Amaryll a final hug and whispered, "If you ever need me, mail me. You are a good person young one, you will go far on this continent."
"Thankyou Tegea."
A little box appeared before her, which she decided to name 'The Friendship Box'. She gladly accepted Tegea's request as she had done with Lechedemy and waved farwell…. Goodbye Tegea, I hope one day we will meet again…
Before she knew it, she was being dragged further into the Noria Plains by Turnbull. Saddreams followed from behind and buffed them both with defence and attack shields. The DK led the way and after a few minutes of trampling beautiful wild flowers and dead grass, they found a strange golden creature digging a hole near a big rock. Its body seemed to be interlinked with exoskeleton chain links and had a huge, jockstrap shaped head, with large scales covering it's whole body. The young Elf shivered.
"We hunt Chain Scorpions," he said in a low voice.
"What? Don't they sting?" replied an alarmed Amaryll.
"Not if we get them first… wait," he looked at her strangely, "Where is your bow?"
"Um… ah…" she started, not sure whether to tell him she placed it in her bag.
"It'll be faster if you kill Turnbull," Saddreams stepped in once again, "Your attack power is much greater than hers."
"I suppose you're right EE," he slowly agreed, still looking at Amaryll suspiciously, "I forgot she's noob. Ok, you stay here and I will kill it."
When are people going to stop calling me noob? She watched as the Dark Knight turned three hundred and sixty degrees in the air, then slpit the monster in two halves. It made her feel sick in the stomach, and decided to face the other way each time he went in for the kill. Saddreams tried to cheer her up by pulling funny faces and imitating Turnbull when he wasn't looking, but after a while, it was beginning to get a little tiresome. Spiral after spiral curled around her as the DK sliced and diced what seemed to be hundreds of little golden Scorpions, until he took his helmet off and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I'm bored," he said, after taking a huge breath, "I think it's time we head to Lorencia."
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Saddreams sighed dampening his idea, "I don't think Amaryll is up to it just yet."
"I swear she has levelled at least eight times since we started. She's definitely ready."
Tegea told her Lorencia was a dark place, and Amaryll was extremely reluctant to leave her homeland.
"I'm not ready," she said out loud.
"Suit yourself. Goodluck levelling without me then," he said arrogantly and strode off.
The winged Elf approached the young Elf's side and whispered, "I think you should go with him. There aren't that many low levels around nowadays. At the moment he is your best chance at helping you. Just stick with him until we find someone else."
"But Tegea said-"
"If Tegea was here, he would tell you the exact same thing I've just said."
She was right. Turnbull may be a jerk, but she had to stick with him for the meantime. She couldn't stand the thought of slaying creatures by herself. It was something she could NEVER do. To her relief, her butterflies had completely dissolved… meaning she no longer felt anything for the Dark Knight. No! There is no way I'm going to admit that I liked that man. NO. WAY. Then something completely different swept across her mind…
"Saddreams, why did you leave me?"
The Energy Elf looked away sharply and paused, "I was ashamed of myself Amaryll… of how I acted… If I had known he was hacked… I would have acted differently… I just didn't know how to react after being such a bitch."
The young Elf didn't know what to say.
"I'm sorry I left you behind," she continued, "I won't do it again. Scout's honour."
"It's ok, I'm just glad you came back," Amaryll said happily, finally understanding her actions.
The two Elves travelled rapidly down the path to Lorencia. Amaryll could see from afar that the Plains of Noria were beginning to fade into darkness as they passed a crooked sign pointing in the direction of the Noria safe zone. Funnily enough, Turnbull was waiting for them next to the sign, with his arms folded… and a huge grin on his face.
"I knew you'd come."
"Yes, we need you oh so much," Saddreams replied sarcastically.
"Ready noob?" he asked with little concern and not really caring what her answer was.
"Uh… I think so…"
She watched as the DK walked into the darkness and disappeared. It wasn't until she looked down that she realised she was standing in the middle of a crossroad. This was her choice; to cross or not to cross. If she stayed here, she would have no help to level and would probably never summon the courage to explore the continent of MU. But if she crossed… the opportunities were endless. With one last look at her homeland, she took a deep breathe and stepped into the darkness, leaving everything she knew behind her, and ready and willing to accept what was waiting for her on the other side.