Aksh Mal'en seemed to be dumbfounded when Khurd Fla'en recited to him the whole lot of events he had been through. Yor Ka'an was listening to it as eagerly as she had listened to it the very first time.
"You mean we're stuck in this game because someone chucked in a different code?!", exclaimed the Serge, who was as terrified as he was confused.
"That question,... you should reserve for the guy himself, Serge, but that point now is irrelevant. I, want you to tell me, whether this world here looks somehow familiar to you ?", asked Khurd Fla'en with some weight.
"Yeah, but-but, all of its features look entirely scrapped, as though someone purged the original world. Also, there are lot more things here than what I had tested a few months ago.", the Serge replied with a concerned tone.
Meanwhile, Khurd Fla'en had rested his chin on his dense wrists, apparently thinking something very hard. Occasional beads of sweat ran down his cheeks as the two suns blazed above them.
Lastly, after the tense wait of few minutes, he spoke up.
"Tell me Serge, honestly. Are there any hidden trials here which cannot be accessed by normal players yet but unlock in future as they level up ?"
"Yes there are, but at this early stage in the gameplay, it is impossible to have achieved even the minimum requirements to open the easiest dungeons. Though the rewards there are handsome."
Khurd Fla'en's face showed the slightest signs of a strange smile. It was neither comforting nor malicious.... it was... neutral....
"Think hard Serge, are there any "dungeons" which can be activated accidentally ?
A second later, Aksh Mal'en's eyes widened.
"How'd you possibly know that there are accidental trials in this game ?", replied Aksh Mal'en, who was now casting a suspicious look on Khurd Fla'en.
Looking at his face, the smile embroidering Khurd Fla'en's face widened.
"So I was right. There really are accidental dungeons in this game. You see, I intentionally forgot to tell you one minor detail. I'm a developer myself, mate. You see, I worked for the company as well."
"Are y-you one of the design department folks who got fired that day ?!", said Aksh Mal'en, as realization spread over his face.
"Precisely, dude. You got me."
All this time Yor Ka'an was listening to their conversation intently, not uttering even a single word. She seemed to have lost interest in their talk. Her eyes were reflecting a dreamy gaze. Something really uncanny was happening....
"Now it's high time I ask you. "Why did you hide that information from me. You even hid this info from your previous partner, even if it meant losing your life.", asked a very assertive Khurd Fla'en.
Aksh Mal'en realized that he could not longer hide his true identity.
His scared expression transitioned smoothly into that of an intriguing laugh.
"Ha ha ha ha.... Hahahahah!!", he roared in an intensive, frivolous laughter.
"You do seem to know your stuff young man, you caught me.", said Aksh Mal'en, his laughter dying down.
"I knew that the moment I saw you. Your prana.... It was never sucked from you.... I could easily sense it. I have seen various beasts dying.... Right in my very arms... Half their bodies destroyed in a mush. I exactly know how it feels when someone starts losing prana.", said Khurd Fla'en, his expression returning to its usual expressionlessness.
"Now, that you have caught me, I shall tell you everything about that dungeon. And Beware! Don't try anything foolish. You see, I have your woman here as my hostage."
"I already noticed that, you bastard. You already put a charm upon her when we started this conversation. You thought I wouldn't notice.", said Khurd Fla'en.
"Now...Now...Now...., don't ready your horses, young man! I have my own business and you have yours.
You see... I have some very serious business in that city. The dungeon you seek shall lead you directly there, as a reward for its clearance. You... shall help me clear it, and I... if you do as I say, will release your dear woman. And....
I am a man of my word, so you see....
I ain't no bastard...."
Aksh Mal'en was enjoying Khurd Fla'en's helplessness.
But maintaining his calm, Khurd Fla'en replied,"Very well, if I have to help the likes of you to get to that frickin' piece of shit, I'll do it."
"The #$@# Sinnual Front are meddling their affairs in this game. They are gonna do anything to bring Attenborough down. Even here. Hah! If Attenborough still was sane!"
"Are you still chasing Attenborough's tail, huh? You lot would never leave that guy alone, will ya ?"
"You see what he did, don't you?", he said, unable to control his anger.
"You perfectly do know that the company was not behind all this. But still, you lot wouldn't leave a chance to pull its ass.", Khurd Fla'en said, pointing towards Aksh Mal'en's chest.
Taking a deep sigh and reverting back to his cool state, Aksh Mal'en said, "You are in no position to throw accusations at me, you lil' punk. You see her.... I'll make her strangle herself, as painfully as it could be. You see... the company has provided us with quite useful powers."
Khurd Fla'en opened his mouth to speak something, but better thought not to. Breathing out quite audibly, he said, "Whatever, just tell me where this goddamned dungeon is, I wanna get to the city as fast as you want to.
Now, lead -the- @#$% -way.", he declared, with a threatening tone.
"As you wish, young man. The point that'll surprise you is that we're standing right above the very dungeon you seek."
Khurd Fla'en's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
Aksh Mal'en started pacing around to and fro in front of him. With a very serious voice, he said, " Now, the problem is, how are we actually gonna enter it. I believe you're actually not thinking of digging down?"
Khurd Fla'en gave no physical reply.
"Very nice. The only way to enter the dungeon is to pour your prana into the dungeon's leading "waystone". Now, you'd be wondering what the waystone is ?", asked Aksh Mal'en, with raised eyebrows.
A smile crept across Khurd Fla'en's face.
"Its the goddamn tree we just left. Was the only damned thing in a whole 5 kilometer radius.", he replied.
"I see that you've got brains, boy. Now, shall we return to where we had started.", Aksh Mal'en said, extending his hand towards the very direction from where they came.
...
Reaching the old, thick tree, the two men were eyeing the bark and its branches intently, trying to find an opening or something.
"I thought you exactly knew how to enter the dungeon.", said Khurd Fla'en, shooting a loathing look at Aksh Mal'en.
"Well, you see, I only have 'tested' the game in 'development'. I never once had to play through its entire storyline, and now as the entire storyline has changed, I don't know how the @#$% I'm gonna find the opening.", replied Aksh Mal'en, in a mildly annoyed tone.
For an entire period of 20 minutes, the two men were searching for any clue that wold help them open an entrance for the dungeon. At last when they could find nothing, they sat down. On the opposite sides of the tree. Yor Ka'an's dreamy figure was still standing a meter off the tree, bearing no expression.
"Wait a minute!", Khurd Fla'en said, the first one to break the long silence.
"You just said that the dungeon opening was accidental. So there must be an accidental opening of the waystone, and the only way the mechanism can be accidental is...."
"The whole god forsaken tree is the waystone", said Aksh Mal'en, completing his sentence.
Both men stood up and Yor Ka'an walked closer, beside them.
As Khurd Fla'en poured his prana into the tree, a loud whooshing reverberated throughout the ground beneath their feet.
A loud crack was heard and with it, the tree glowed the brightest purple, outshining even the two suns. A large opening had appeared within its trunk.