Many days had passed in a blink of an eye ever since Will finally got his blacksmith badge.
The people had suffered so much in the past week due to the black sun. But it seemed that things have calmed down, but not yet entirely.
Silvas, the king of the elves, while blindfolded drew his bow and an arrow. He was far away from his village, practicing his bowmanship. He listened closely to the change in the wind, a branch breaking, anything.
*Crack*
Without showing the slightest sign of hesitation, Silvas pulled the string of his bow and the arrow flew at an amazing speed with amazing accuracy. He was in the middle of the forest, so it is not surprising that the area was surrounded by layers of thick trees.
His arrow completely missed every single tree, not even hitting a single leaf.
And from a kilometer away, 2 goblins who were scouting the area, had their heads pierced with a single, normal arrow.
"Almost perfect. Have I gone rusty?"
One of the goblins survived, as he had no idea how an arrow pierced his head. He tried to cling on to his life, but died soon after. The reason why it wasn't a perfect shot is because both goblins didn't die instantly. According to his logic, that was nowhere near a perfect shot.
Both of their corpses were sucked slowly into the ground with some roots, never to be seen again.
"Hm?"
He heard something else and drew another arrow, but he stopped when he recognized those footprints.
"Radix, Rias!" Silvas asked. He took off his blindfold.
Each thing has a distinct sound. Silvas was born with an amazing hearing ability. This ability of his helps him hear things clearly, almost as if he could see everything as far as hearing could go.
"My king." Rias said cheerfully.
"How was your progress? Were you able to find anything?"
"We did indeed find zombies in the village where Grace took us. Some of them were infected. But we took care of them." Radix added.
"I almost found a cure, but it seems I need to do more experiments. I have it written down so I wouldn't forget if there is a next time."
"Good, that's good. You two ran into some serious trouble with some thugs, but at least you two are okay. And I think that Arbor and Grace should be fine after they retrieve the Adalis back. They're strong, so I have no doubts that they will return safely."
"How did you know- oh, right, the trees must have told you." Radix said.
Silvas knew those things before they could them him. The trees in the forest are all linked to one another, they all communicate with each other faster than wildfire can travel.
And Silvas being the king of the elves, they naturally told him about what happened. But the forest doesn't know everything, only what happens within the forest. Which explains why Silvas had no idea if Radix and Rias found anything about the zombies.
"Pardon me, your majesty. But I better head back home." Rias excused herself and ran back to her village at full speed. The village was nearby.
"Your majesty, something doesn't feel right about this." Radix added as he expressed some concerns.
"About what?"
"Like that zombie we encountered. It is exactly like 300 years ago. The virus spread so fast. If Lea hadn't saved us with her powers, we would have been contaminated as well."
"I know what you mean. Why did a zombie appear all of a sudden? After 300 years, it just appeared out of nowhere? Either someone accidentally messed up. Or this was no accident, but on purpose."
"That's what I thought, too. For all we know is that there can be more infected zombies out there."
They both went into deep thought. Silvas wondered the same. But the forest hasn't told him anything because it doesn't know everything.
"Your majesty, I know this is a weird theory on my part, but is it possible that the Witch has returned?" Radix showed some serious concern when he thought of this. It just seemed possible.
"No, I don't think so. If such a thing were to ever occur, the whole world will know."
"Think about it, your majesty. The Great Sage is still alive after all these years. Wouldn't it make sense if the Witch was never dead, but rather still alive after all this time? Look, even the black sun is the cause of the Witch. Doesn't it seem strange that such an event can still occur every hundred years even though she is dead?"
"Your theory seems plausible, but unlikely. I know that the Witch isn't alive."
"How can you know that?"
"One, the Witch sought to destroy all of mankind many years ago, but she hasn't made a single move after 300 years, it wouldn't make much sense to let humanity progress so much and not do anything about it. Two, if she were alive, she would have no problems spreading this virus like last time. Compared to what you experienced in that village, that was nothing compared to the Wrath she unleashed 300 years ago."
"Maybe she is waiting to kill the Great Sage. After all, he's the only one powerful enough to stop her."
"No, the Great Sage is old now, he is way past his prime. I know that she would have killed the Great Sage years ago if she were still alive."
"Then where did the zombie come from?"
"I believe that it was the humans who did it, most likely it had to do something with the ones who were trying to kill you, because you two know too much."
"But your Majesty, the only ones who could do that are the Great Sage, the Phobia King, or the Fat Empress."
"You might be right. Or it might be another being that we don't know about…"
They kept discussing about the zombies, but with no evidence, they had no idea who or what could have almost caused a zombie plague.
Meanwhile…
Clement could never find the 'usual spot' where the other two men would gather. He tried getting some more info out of them, but the other side found him suspicious, and destroyed the communication stone. Therefore any way to contact them is no longer possible.
He kept riding on his horse with Princess Harmony. What exactly is he planning to do to the Princess? Nobody knows, not even he himself knew what to do. Not because he's an idiot, but because many things messed up his plan, Will, black sun, zombies, and the Princess' dark side.
Although he expected his plan to kidnap the princess to go wrong, he didn't expect that his plans would mess up AFTER he accomplished his mission to kidnap the princess.
Right now, he needed to find Will and retrieve the gun that was stolen from him. The bad thing is that he has absolutely no idea where to go. Will could have gone to literally almost 200 different villages, an empire, or a kingdom. It felt like he was in a wild goose chase.
And the worst part, is that he is a criminal wanted by the kingdom of Reyes, and there was even a high bounty on his head. He would have no problem disguising himself, but disguising the Princess seemed too far of a stretch.
Even if he were to tell people about what he knows, no one would believe him, as no one would believe in criminals.
"Where are we going now, darling?" Harmony kept pressing her chest on his back as she breathed down his neck.
One would expect Clement to have a flushed face, but it was the Princess who was blushing hard, as if she would climax any moment now
"Not your business." Clement on the other hand was very serious about retrieving his gun. Other than that nothing else mattered.
"Okay."
"..."
Meanwhile…
3 people finally arrived in a village that was mostly damaged due to the locusts from the black sun. It seemed cleaner than it was a few days ago, but traces of destruction could still be seen.
The three people were naturally July, Grace, and Arbor. July's donkey dropped on the ground on his side. No one knew if he was dead, or tired. July got off before the donkey fell.
"I'll give you this, human, you are very stubborn." Grace said as she sat on the hard ground. They haven't rested much in the past few days.
July ran over to the nearest blacksmith shop. The village that they were in currently was none other than the village where Sam lived, A.K.A. Jack's uncle.
Inside the blacksmith shop, was Sam focusing on the current task at hand.
He was trying to forge a short weapon. The materials he is using is a rare and expensive material known as Cobalt. It is not generally used to forge weapons on Earth, but in this world, things were different.
Cobalt is stronger than steel and more expensive as well, as this material is one of the few ores that enhances the mana performance in a sorcerer when they use it.
Jasmine's mana staff is made entirely out of cobalt, and it was one of the weakest sorcerer weapons, and it is still worth a ton of money.
A regular cobalt ore costs about 7-8 gold pieces, and Sam needed more than just 1 cobalt ore to craft a good weapon. But he was running low on materials, and he had no money either.
So he took the only cobalt ore he had, and used all of it to forge a fancy dagger.
Some blacksmiths would be saddened because they were running low on funds and materials, but Sam was ecstatic right now.
He took out the cyclop's horn that he was saving for three days. He was waiting for this moment, and it only took him three days.
Even since he came out of his hiding spot, he spent 3 days and 3 nights without eating, sleeping, or resting. All that time was spent trying to perfect the cobalt dagger.
It would take an ordinary blacksmith less than a few hours to make a cobalt dagger, but what Sam was attempting to make right now was not a simple cobalt dagger, but a magical dagger.
Magical weapons naturally take longer to make, and the success rate to make one is low.
Using a few more materials that literally cost him his entire fortune, he was finally gonna add the last material in order to complete the magical weapon, the cyclops horn.
"Please let it work. Please."
He took out a fancy flask that contained golden liquid inside, only a few drops of it were left. It looked like the flask contained melted gold.
The golden drop touched the cyclops horn, and it was quickly turning into gold dust and was disappearing quickly.
"Please, don't fail me now."
*BAM!*
Without warning, the door opened violently as someone kicked it.
"Ah!" Being spooked by the door violently opening, he accidentally applied too much force on his hand, and the cyclop's horn was gone entirely.
"Sam, mom said that Jack would be here. Is he here? Please tell me he is."
She kept barraging him question after question.
But Sam's face was devoid of life. He was this close to possibly creating his very first magical weapon, and his chance was gone, just like that.
He literally went broke in order to gather the materials to make the weapon. A magical weapon could be sold for thousands of gold, it could not only get him out of debt, but also give him opportunities to become a better blacksmith.
And he used all the golden liquid for that weapon. That golden liquid was the reason he was in debt, because it is literally the only thing in this world that can make a magical weapon.
Sam held tightly onto the cobalt dagger. He felt like stabbing someone right now, and by 'someone' he means his sister.
But he walked across the room, and tossed the weapon on the garbage. Sam could care less about anything right now.
"What? Why are you doing that?" July was shocked. Who throws out a perfectly good dagger?
"I don't fucking care anymore. Just leave me."
He was pissed at her. His lifelong dream of becoming a blacksmith was ruined by her, whether it was intentional or not she was the cause.
Even if he failed in making a magical weapon it would at least be his fault. But now he will never know if he could make a magical weapon.
And now he's gonna have to spend the next few months repaying his debt. And right after that, he's gonna have to spend the next few years trying to earn enough money to buy those golden drops again.
Now he's broke. Even if he sold the dagger, it wouldn't make much of a difference either.
Blacksmiths require three things in order to become a good blacksmith, patience, materials, and skill. And now, he has only his skill but not materials and no patience either.
"What is wrong with yo-" July noticed the flask in the table, and her eyes widened. The flasks that carried the golden drops were unique and very fancy.
And that's when it hit her.
"Did I just…"
Sam went back to the hidden bunker. He locked the door from the inside so nobody would follow him.
"Sam! I am so sorry." July wanted to apologize with all her heart.
It was as if she had shattered Sam's hopes and dreams like fragile glass.
"Sam!" She tried prying the door, but it was no use.
The bunker's door was inches thick, meaning that Sam could not hear her calling to him.
"What just happened?" Asked Grace.
"I just shattered my brother's hopes and dreams."
"As expected from a human. Always destroying other's dreams."
"Come on, Sam. Open up. Let me make it up to you." She tried opening the door, but with her puny strength, it wasn't enough.
"Um, hello?"
A soft voice could be heard behind them. It was a young boy. This boy was none other than Jack.
"Jack?" When she heard his voice she immediately embraced him tightly.
"Mom?"
"Jacky! Are you hurt? Did they torture you?" She immediately checked his body for any wounds, but there was none.
"I'm fine, mom. What are you doing here?" Asked Jack.
He had already been here hours ago. Jack was staying at this place and was planning on heading back to his village the next day. Who would have thought that his mother would know where to find him.
"I saw that you got kidnapped. Your grandma told me that you might be here."
"Kidnapped?" Jack had no idea what she was talking about.
"But, are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired from all the travelling."
"Thank god." July could finally rest her soul. After a few seconds, she resumed calling out to Sam.
"Sam, come on. I am sorry. It was a mistake. I'll make it up to you." She kept knocking and calling his name, but there was no response on the other side.
"Hey, you." Grace said a bit hostile towards him.
Jack looked around and pointed at himself to be sure.
"Yes, you, Did you by any chance see where the Adalis went?"
"Adalis?" Jack did not know the species name of Adaline.
"An organic monster, really fast, tall, bird's beak."
"Oh, you mean Adaline." Jack realized who they were talking about.
"Adaline…" Grace's eyes twitched.
"What's wrong?" Arbor asked. He had no idea what they were talking about.
"The Adalis… the human named her Adaline."
Arbor felt as if an arrow pierced his heart. He took care of the Adalis while it was still in her egg, and he has never even given it a proper name.
He thought that he would name it after they finished investigating the possible zombie outbreak, but it was too late now.
This was the equality of a daughter being taken from you, and that the daughter likes this other person more than you, and then given a new identity.
"Where did he take her? Do you know?" Grace asked.
"I don't know." Jack shook his head. Even if he did know he wouldn't tell him. Why else would these two disguised elves search for Will? It certainly isn't about giving him a gift.
"Do you really not know?"
Grace's eyes light shined, it was barely noticeable.
Jack was now under a sort of trance.
"Do you know where the organic creature and the human are?"
"Like I said, I do not know."
"This is not good."
Jack shook his head, his eyes ached a little but the sensation soon disappeared.
"Does he know where the Adalis is?"
Grace shook her head.
"I'll go ask the trees. They might know something." He went to the nearest tree.
"You know, you're very pretty." Jack said as he stretched out his limbs. There was also a smile on his face, but he only smiled because he finally went to the kingdom of Reyes and got to see the place where the heroes were summoned. Not only that, but he has a picture of all the heroes, except Will's.
"Don't give me compliments, you lowlife." Grace left angrily to where her dad was.
"Lowlife?"
And just like that everyone went with their day. Sam was crying. July tried owning up to her mistake. Jack was blissful. Arbor and Grace were still searching for the Adalis.
Meanwhile…
Will finally made it to the deserted land. The land was a big bowl of nothing. There was nothing here, but stone everywhere. No trees, no houses, no water, nothing.
"This can't be right. Did I read this wrong?"
Will looked at the map, and he was sure that this is the place that he wanted to live.
According to the map, it should be a place filled with greens, clear waters, warm, but it was the opposite.
"Did the guy who sold me this map scammed me?"
He looked at the back of the map, and he realized something, it had the wrong date.
"This is a copy of a map of how it looked like when it was 1815. Over 200 years ago… of course. No wonder something felt odd. God I am stupid."
Will crumbled the map. He can't rely on it because it'll just keep giving him bad information. If it was 1815 it would be fine, but it's 2020.
"Okay, Will, it took you 3 days on Adaline to arrive here, so you're pretty far away from the kingdom, and Jack. You have some food, water, warm clothes, and enough materials to make a crappy house, and some woodfire, but I do not know how to make fire… I felt like I made a horrible mistake."
Will massaged his head.
In Minecraft, other than building and crafting, there was another thing most players do, adventuring. When playing Minecraft one has to adventure the world, otherwise they will never progress any further.
Will thought that that logic applied to him as well. He cannot progress through this life unless he explores the world.
But this isn't merely a game, but real life. Even if he can't die, Adaline could. That's what worried him the most.
"Adaline, you're someone who is connected with nature, is that right?"
Adalis did not know how to respond.
"Nod your head if you understand."
And she did nod but many times.
"One nod is enough. So, does that mean that you can sense the forest or something?"
Adaline nodded furiously once more.
"Okay… so can you sense a forest nearby?"
Adaline stood still.
"Shake your head if you don't know."
Adaline shook her head furiously.
"Can you sense any food nearby?"
Adaline didn't do anything.
"Yeah, that was a stupid question."
Will was pondering about something. He was running out of monster parts, which is crucial for feeding Adaline. And it didn't look like there could be any monsters nearby.
"What should I do. What should I do." Will kept walking back and forward.
Adaline kept looking at Will. And then she grew some roots and stabbed the ground beneath her. More and more roots keep sprouting out her body.
"I could make a base here, set down my bed. And then after that we can explore the area. But without a map we would get lost. Hm?"
Beside his foot, he noticed a small sunflower sticking out of the ground.
"A sunflower?" Will looked around, and there were no other types of flowers anywhere.
Then another flower popped up, then another, and then a patch of grass showed up.
"Adaline, is this all you?"
Adaline nodded furiously.
"That's pretty cool."
He noticed that his book glowed. Upon opening it, more information popped up about Adaline.
{Adalis}
{An endangered species, but still tameable. It's speed and strength vary as they continue to grow and eat . It can grow at an extremely fast rate. It will kill anything when it feels threatened or when it is protecting its young}
{A lover and protector of all forests. It can produce exotic flowers after eating certain prey. It can go up to 2 weeks without food. It gathers its energy from the sun or standing on or near a forest. It can perfectly camouflage itself in the forest to hide itself from predators}
{it's favorite food are goblins, ogres, trolls, gremlins, gnomes, imps. It eats these species only because it believes that they destroy the forests, and therefore are its natural enemies}
{It's appearance will change to dead organic matter if it doesn't eat its specific foods after a week. It will grow weak, lose its ability to camouflage, and will die after 2 weeks}
{It is the only organic creature that is able to grow acres of forests on any terrain. It depends on how strong it is that will depend on the forest's growth speed and range}
{It is able to sense nearby forests, even if a blade of grass is to get lost in a haystack, the Adalis is sure to find it easily}
"I see. So you're creating this tiny bit of forest so you can find your way back here?"
Adaline nodded. It was smart. She knew that Will would want to stay in this place, but it would be dumb because the whole area was dry and devoid of life. It could prove to be a challenge to find something in this area.
But with this little but of grass and flowers in here, it can find its way back easily.
"I am so glad to have you here with me." He patted Adaline on her giant head. If it weren't for her, he would be lost or dead by now, most likely dead.
He placed down his chest and took out the tools needed to craft his base. Will was excited.