Chapter 21 - The Darkness

Trev emerged from the ordeal battered and bruised, but ultimately unharmed. The enigmatic 'Dark Figure,' though relentless, proved to possess strength no greater than that of an average human. As the figure met its demise, a sudden flash in Trev's vision drew his attention to the quest log. Navigating to it via his watch, he opened the log to find a new quest awaiting him:

[The Dark Figure]

[Now the Dark Figure has been defeated, explore the house and uncover its origin.]

Trev marvelled at the revelation that there were world quests, it was a pleasant surprise. Before continuing into the house, first they needed to retrieve the spoils left behind by the vanquished Dark Figure. Elena kicked the pile of ashes and beneath it was a small chest. It was notably smaller than the chest they looted after defeating the mantis creature. Eager to uncover its contents, Elena opened the chest while the rest watched intently.

Inside lay a silver coin, a valuable addition to their growing collection. It also contained resource crystals of each colour, with each member taking their respective colour. Lastly, a single silver ring captured their attention. Embedded within it was a purple pebble-like stone, seemingly originating from the defeated Dark Figure. Elena picked it up and attempted to put it on, but failed. It wasn't a force item. She handed it to Trev, who also failed to put it on. It wasn't an energy item either. The ring then found its way to Emilee, who slipped it onto her finger effortlessly. The ring adjusted its size to fit her finger, indicating it was a mana item.

"Yay! Another pretty ring," she cheered,her momentarily lifted spirits a respite from her prevailing melancholy.

"Activate it and see what it does," suggested Trev.

Emilee activated the ring, but to her confusion, nothing appeared to happen. She stared at the ring closely, it had taken her mana, but for no apparent benefit. After a moment, Emilee's face brightened.

"Ohhhh," she exclaimed, taking a step forward.

As her foot made contact with the ground, a faint purple barrier materialised around her, bearing the same texture as the Dark Figure. When she lifted her foot again, the barrier dissipated.

"It's called Dark Step. The next step I take after activating the ability grants me a protective barrier, reducing physical damage taken from a single attack," Emilee explained excitedly.

Quite useful for a caster," Trev remarked.

"Caster?" Emilee questioned, unfamiliar with the term.

"Yes, a caster is someone who stands back and casts spells. It's a term commonly used in gaming," Trev explained with a smile.

Emilee, despite her lack of familiarity with games, had quickly adapted to the game world and its accompanying abilities. Aside from the events that had just unfolded where she spaced out, she had proven to be a dependable companion otherwise.

With the looting complete, they approached the house to complete the quest. The eighteenth-century structure stood among a row of townhouses, its raw red brick exterior and small porch giving it an unremarkable appearance. Trev couldn't understand how people lived in a place with nowhere to park, no front garden and their front door effectively opening onto the street. Trev was from a place where everyone had a large property, front yard, and a garage, which made much more sense to him, though he hadn't come from a big city.

Trev opened the small gate, grasped the doorknob, and unexpectedly found the door unlocked. The inside was like any modern house, aside from the recent edition of exploded appliances and a sense of desolation. Since the Dark Figure had originated from upstairs, they ascended the stairs and entered the front room where it had emerged. What was once a bedroom now lay in ruins, its contents shattered and piled against the walls. In the centre of the room, a burned crater bore evidence of a powerful explosion. This must have been the explosion that rocked the house. In the middle of the crater was a small opaque purple orb that looked to be boiling inside as bubbles were floating up and around a liquid. Cautious of approaching it, Trev decided to employ his scanning ability to gather information. Scanning the orb, the results displayed on his interface:

[Event orb]

[Destroy for one event credit]

"The scanner suggests that we should destroy it to obtain an event credit," Trev relayed, his brows furrowing in puzzlement.

"Event credit?" Elena inquired.

"I recall the tournament flyer mentioning the need for an event credit to participate," Emilee interjected. "It must be a requirement for special events like that."

"Should we enter the tournament then? It could provide an opportunity to meet one of the board members," Trev proposed.

"That's precisely why I'm here—to confront and kill all the board members. So, yes, I will be entering," Elena affirmed, her resolve unyielding.

Without warning, Elena swung her blade down, shattering the orb into many pieces. The purple liquid within seeped out and evaporated, leaving behind a steel token in the shape of a coin. Its design was simple yet distinctive: one side bore the Evolution Corporation company logo, while the other displayed a straightforward Roman numeral one. At first glance, the token seemed susceptible to counterfeiting, but Trev sensed it possessed a level of complexity beyond its appearance. As Elena picked up the token, the quest in Trev's log completed and vanished.

"Well that was easy. Shall we head back?" Proposed Trev.

"Yes!" Both ladies responded in unison.

Armed with their event token and the acquired shank, they made their way back to the rest stop. There, they handed the three shank's to Spruce, who acknowledged the quest's completion and rewarded them with experience points and a silver coin. Elena, who was sore, postponed her information gathering from Spruce until tomorrow. But only after he promised he wasn't going anywhere.

Their spoils for the day now amounted to seven silver coins and sixty-five copper pieces, three-quarters of a bar of experience, the event token, and the Dark Step ring. Even though it was only early afternoon, they retired to their room, each nursing their respective wounds. Emilee took one silver, her stuff and Mr Bluebell, and got herself another room, as they had earned enough for her to do so. Elena chose to stay in Trev's room instead of joining Emilee, hinting at lingering tension between the two. Trev was just happy they appeared to be getting along for now and refrained from prying.

After a refreshing shower, Trev emerged from the bathroom only to find Elena seated on the bed, facing away from him, but something seemed off. Feeling hungry, Trev went around to the other side of the bed and grabbed something to eat out of his bag. Only once he looked back at Elena did the reason for his disquiet become evident—Elena, although still wearing his jacket, was completely naked underneath. Leaning back on the bed with crossed legs, her bare thighs and toned legs were out in full view. Even though the jacket was zipped up and just covering the important parts, it didn't leave much to the imagination. She greeted him with a warm smile, but the sight perplexed him. Why was she naked?