"Please! Help me!"
As Arthur came closer and closer, he did not stop yelling. And now, given his close proximity, some traits of his could already be seen. He was a tall young man, about the same age as Dane, seventeen. He had light brown hair and dark green eyes. His clothes were a complete mess. Some were even tattered. A sane person would never get close to him, especially given his yelling and panicked expression.
Randwen, without saying a single word, got in attack position and summoned a mana dagger to his hand. It was very concealed, so Arthur did not notice anything abnormal. Dane, on the other hand, sensed the fluctuations. It has to be said that no matter how weak Dane was now, he still had the experiences of a peak player. Detecting mana fluctuations was a walk in the park for him.
"Randwen, do not attack him unless he attacks us and don't kill him or permanently injure him under no circumstances, understood? Also, don't call me Jadar from now on. Just call me Dane." Dane authoritatively said. It had to be said that his words carried way more confidence than the one he actually felt.
"Yes, my lord." Randwen just dispersed his spell and stood there looking attentively, as if waiting for Arthur to make a wrong move.
Finally, Arthur arrived next to Dane and fell on the ground. He was breathing heavily and his face was almost completely devoid of colour. His eyelids were struggling to stay opened, but even then, it did not help much. After he lost consciousness, Dane ordered Randwen to cast a healing spell on him.
Dane moved the unconscious Arthur to lean on the rock wall. After that, he made sure there were no severe injuries in his body and then moved back to Randwen's side.
"What do you think? This area is not supposed to be widely traversed. There should not be anyone here. Even though he was being chased, I still find it hard to believe he would just appear here. It is too coincidental." Dane voiced his concerns to Randwen, after which the latter grunted.
"My lord, I feel like there is something special going on. Everything is being too coincidental. First, the tower got transported to some other location and you los your power, I believe we should finish our business quickly and return to the tower where you can work to regain your former strength. And about him. Although there was not deception in his words, I too feel it to be quite suspicious."
"Yes, I thought so too." Dane nodded. "Send four reconnaissance familiars to investigate the surrounding area. 3 km should be enough, but you can decide the scope of the search. Also, dismiss these three and summon one shadow elemental. That should be enough to guarantee my safety."
"Yes, my lord. As you command." Randwen bowed and then followed his orders. Within seconds, four bulbs of light materialized in front of him. At first, they were pure white, but then turned blue, green, red, purple, and finally stopped becoming the colours of the rainbow. This was a mid-level reconnaissance familiar, capable of travelling up to 200 km without losing touch with it's caster. Then, they just flew away. After which, the three elementals protecting Dane disappeared, and were replaced by a completely black figure. It then blended to Dane's shadow.
"Sir, I am aware of the error in my ways, but I am afraid I must insist. Since you cannot protect yourself in this world, it should be best if you returned to the tower while you grow stronger." Randwen made sense. It was a dangerous world, but Dane could not just stop what he was doing. It was too important.
"Randwen, it wouldn't really matter whether I go to the Thunder Tower or not. The meltdown is imminent, and I need to get stronger before it happens. There is no difference between staying in the Thunder Tower or somewhere else, but if I go there, my plans would be somewhat affected."
"Sir, I have trouble believing that there is an event when I cannot protect you. It doesn't matter what this meltdown is, I'm sure I can get you out of it safely." Randwen said with utmost confidence. Dane felt confused to the point he believed Randwen was joking, but then again, it was not his style.
"Randwen, do you not remember the meltdown?" Dane asked, to which the old man just knitted his eyebrows. Evidently, he did not remember.
"My lord, I don't remember that. To be completely honest with you, I remember everything relating to the tower and yourself after being created, but I don't remember much else. Specially in regards to the world. I know simple things, but I seem to have forgotten a great deal."
This was exactly what Dane did not want to hear. Randwen's memories about the meltdown were wiped the same way Dane's knowledge of magic was. Definitely the work of that god bastard.
"Randwen, let me ask you a question, then. You must answer it with utmost honesty. Why are you being loyal to me? I have no power right now, so intimidation can't be the reason. Please, tell me why." Dane had been pondering this question since Randwen obeyed his order, but he had just found the opportunity to ask him just now.
"My lord, it matters not whether you are the strongest man in the world or the weakest. I owe my life to the Thunder Tower and it's 21 lightnings. If it weren't for them, I probably would've died years ago in a dark alley and become a nameless corpse. It is my honour, as well as my debt, to obey and follow you." Randwen was abnormally emotional when he said those words. But, even then, it was an answer that left Dane completely satisfied.
All of the guilds in Zeryann were classified in five tiers depending on their strength. The levels were local, regional, national, continental, and global. There were only 20 global guilds in the game, including 21 Thunders. Each level had different advantages, obviously. It was easy to jump from local to continental, but the global level was a complete different thing. The first advantage global guilds had was the option to choose it's surroundings, like a forest, swamp, or a mountain range. Before that, all guilds are stationed in a random location. The second perk was the intelligence network. It was very handy to know when a monster spawned, for example. The third and most important advantage, though, was the recruiting.
All guilds, from local to global had a recruiting system, but it was not meant for players. Instead, it was meant for npcs. For example, a local guild could recruit npcs from level 1 to 30. The regional had the option to choose up to level 60. The first big change was in the national level, where a guild could subdue monsters and other npcs to work for their guild as long as they were under level 100. The continental level had the seed recruitment, which meant that a guild member could find a young npc in any location, be it a city, wild area or even a dungeon, and could recruit him.
The thing is, all of the recruits starting from this level were level 1. Training them consumed a lot of resources and time, so not many chose this option. Another uncertainty about this option was the talent and potential hidden, value, which all npcs had and could not be altered. This meant that if the recruit you chose happened to be capped at level 99 and you invested a lot of resources on him, it would be considered a loss.
Of course, this changed a lot for the global level guilds, since the fated recruitment appeared. This option assured the players that an npc recruited with this option would have a minimum level cap of 150, which was a very good number. Luckily for the 21 Thunders guild, Dane's character, Jadar, had mastered the clairvoyance skill, which allowed him to see the maximum level cap for any recruit. This way, the guild could focus on who was the best candidate to nurture.
Of course, this alone wouldn't have been enough, but Jadar had other two secret spells that made the trick. They were Potential Awakening and Limit Break. They were both rank 6 spells, and were very useful. It could be said that, when used together, they were godly. Of course, not many players knew about this combination, since both spellbooks were so well hidden that there were only 6 available. Four copies of the dormer and two of the latter. The best thing was, 21 Thunders was in possession of the four Potential Awakening spellbooks.
The way Potential Awakening worked was very simple. It didn't matter the level cap of an npc, it was extremely rare for them to reach it. Usually, they stagnated 10 or even 15 levels before reaching it. That was because of the dormant potential of the body. It could be awakened by fighting at a disadvantage or completing certain quests, but it was too troublesome and not many wanted to go through that hassle. But, once the spell was cast on an npc, it automatically awakens their dormant potential, assuring that the level cap would be reached.
Limit Break, on the other hand, was even more logic defying. It made the target npc go beyond his limit, raising the level cap by 50 levels. Although it could only be cast once, and the target had to be at the highest level possible, it was pretty overpowered by it's own. This was one of the secrets of why 21 Thunders managed to keep its footing in the global level guilds with so few players. Almost all of their recruited npcs had a level cap of at least level 250. Of course, none reached that level. It was just too difficult. Even achieving level 200 was considered a great accomplishment.
Of course, Randwen was a product of said procedure. He was recruited as a 14-year-old youth who had just lost his parents and was getting involved with the wrong kind of people. He was saved by the members of the guild and nurtured to become one of the most powerful magician class npcs in the game. If he could be included in the world ranking for that specific class, he would undoubtedly rank at the top 20.
That was another reason for the dominance of fate recruits. They could be custom trained, even their classes could be selected and modified to better match their aptitudes. That was why, in this world, there were probably no more than 5 magicians that could rival Randwen. As Dane thought of this, he smiled and turned his head towards his subordinate.
A few moments ago, he was still regarding him as a product of data, something he programmed and nothing more. He had a backstory and a history with the guild, but he never thought of him as a member of it. Now, on the other hand, Randwen seemed human, a grateful human. He was grateful towards him and his team for saving him and giving his life purpose. He was grateful for being this powerful. Grateful to him.
As he thought of this, Dane was starting to regret having to deceive him. But, seriously, who would accept the fact that the very real life they were living was a videogame? He'd rather lie to him a little than coming clean. Anyway, it wouldn't hurt him or anyone.
"Randwen, thank you. I will become stronger so I can once again protect you and the others. Even though you say you owe me, I will still work hard for your benefit and that of everyone in the Thunder Tower, this I swear." Dane was really happy as he said that. With somewhat watery eyes, he looked at him with a smile.
Randwen was surprised by this sudden show of affection, so his usual expressionless face softened and he gave a nod. He was acknowledging Dane as his lord once again. As Dane saw this, a data-hud appeared next to him.
[Name: Randwen of the Thunder.
Title: Guardian Mage of the Thunder Tower.
Class: Summoner Soul.
Level: 213.
Strength – 200
Vitality – 200
Speed – 200
Dexterity – 200
Intelligence – 300
Mana – 17,260
Mastered Skills: Multiple Summons. Elemental Summons. Primordial Summons. Multi-plane Summons. Soul-shared Summons. Combination Summons. High-level Elemental Battle-spells Proficiency.
Mastered Transcendent Skills: Legion of Primordial Elementals. Fort of the Hundred Summons. Independent Summoned Soul.
Mastered Celestial Skills: Army of the Primordial Divinities.
Specialties: Summoning. Reconnaissance. Potioneering. Transfiguration.]