I grabbed any of my things that I had left in the inn and canceled my stay early. Before I could leave, the older woman attendant called out to me.
"Someone left this for you," she proclaimed, passing me an envelope.
When I tried to open the envelope, nothing happened, as if it was protected by a thin sheet of mana. I pulled and tugged, but still, nothing changed.
I channeled some of my mana into the envelope as it glowed a bright white and then tried to open it.
"See you on floor 3." the letter read
That's all? I thought. Why bind something like this?
I put the letter into my bag before leaving the inn, thanking the attendant for all the time I spent there, and warped back to the second floor, this time with my mask equipped to avoid alerting the guards.
I can't believe I have to do this, I thought as I walked through the city. She made me her scapegoat. When I find her, I'm gonna... I quickly ended that thought.
I entered the White Quadrant, which was also brimming with life like the Red Quadrant. However, it didn't seem as organized; all the people seemed more independent. Although I was still sticking out, the NPCs didn't seem to mind my presence. I saw NPCs selling gear with enchantments like Swift Step and spell books like Air Javelin. However, nothing piqued my interest.
"Sneak and speed potions!" an NPC yelled. "All for 1 silver!"
I walked up. Next to me, an older man. Standing tall with a muscular build, he exudes an aura of power. His eyes are an intense shade of blue, glowing faintly when he uses his magic. His dark hair is kept short and slicked back, and he wears a long, dark robe adorned with shifting cosmic patterns.
"Why can't I just teleport to floor 3?" he asked.
"Floor 3?" the NPC replied, confused.
I interjected, "Each floor has a condition before you can move to the next."
"Really?" the man asked, skeptical.
"For floor 2," I explained, "you need to go through the teleport gate."
"Where are those?" the man asked.
"There's one in each quadrant," I quickly replied.
I placed a silver coin down on the table, and the NPC's eyes filled with wonder as he handed me one of each potion.
I walked and walked, not finding any sign of a teleport rune. Eventually, I found one. NPCs and players alike were waiting outside a guard's post, waiting for the guard to finish with the people in front of them. Many were impatient, asking the guard to hurry up and saying it shouldn't take this long. The line wrapped around a few blocks, so I decided to go to a nearby inn.
The inn was similar to the one on the first floor. It had a white color scheme and many more rooms—five floors of rooms, which seemed full. The dining area was spacious, with sturdy marble tables and chairs, all polished.
I took a nap. This room was almost exactly like the one on the first floor. Slightly smaller and missing a desk, with only a chair in its place.
I tried to sleep but was unable to because of the pain in my chest. It was as if the bullet still lodged in my chest began to pump violently with each beat.
A few hours later, the pain in my chest didn't disappear.
I got up and made my way back to the guard, who was still at his post..
"I need to get to the next floor," I said.
"Alright, that'll be 1 gold," he said. "Or if you want, you can put your hand on the crystal ball," he smiled.
I complied, placing my hand on the crystal ball, feeling energy leave my body and enter the ball. It felt like a gentle, warm current flowing from my hand, a tingling sensation that spread up my arm.
"Honored guild member. Welcome," he said before continuing, "For you, it'll be 5 silver and one apple."
"One apple?"
"Yes, would you like the quest? Otherwise, it'll be one gold."
"Fine," I sighed, forking over 5 silver. "I'll get you an apple from the third floor."
"Of course," he smiled as he opened the door for me.
I grabbed any of my things that I had left in the inn and canceled my stay early. Before I could leave, the older woman attendant called out to me.
"Someone left this for you," she proclaimed, passing me an envelope.
When I tried to open the envelope, nothing happened, as if it was protected by a thin sheet of mana. I pulled and tugged, but still, nothing changed.
I channeled some of my mana into the envelope as it glowed a bright white and then tried to open it.
"See you on floor 3." the letter read
That's all? I thought. Why bind something like this?
I put the letter into my bag before leaving the inn, thanking the attendant for all the time I spent there, and warped back to the second floor, this time with my mask equipped to avoid alerting the guards.
I can't believe I have to do this, I thought as I walked through the city. She made me her scapegoat. When I find her, I'm gonna... I quickly ended that thought.
I entered the White Quadrant, which was also brimming with life like the Red Quadrant. However, it didn't seem as organized; all the people seemed more independent. Although I was still sticking out, the NPCs didn't seem to mind my presence. I saw NPCs selling gear with enchantments like Swift Step and spell books like Air Javelin. However, nothing piqued my interest.
"Sneak and speed potions!" an NPC yelled. "All for 1 silver!"
I walked up. Next to me, an older man. Standing tall with a muscular build, he exudes an aura of power. His eyes are an intense shade of blue, glowing faintly when he uses his magic. His dark hair is kept short and slicked back, and he wears a long, dark robe adorned with shifting cosmic patterns.
"Why can't I just teleport to floor 3?" he asked.
"Floor 3?" the NPC replied, confused.
I interjected, "Each floor has a condition before you can move to the next."
"Really?" the man asked, skeptical.
"For floor 2," I explained, "you need to go through the teleport gate."
"Where are those?" the man asked.
"There's one in each quadrant," I quickly replied.
I placed a silver coin down on the table, and the NPC's eyes filled with wonder as he handed me one of each potion.
I walked and walked, not finding any sign of a teleport rune. Eventually, I found one. NPCs and players alike were waiting outside a guard's post, waiting for the guard to finish with the people in front of them. Many were impatient, asking the guard to hurry up and saying it shouldn't take this long. The line wrapped around a few blocks, so I decided to go to a nearby inn.
The inn was similar to the one on the first floor. It had a white color scheme and many more rooms—five floors of rooms, which seemed full. The dining area was spacious, with sturdy marble tables and chairs, all polished.
I took a nap. This room was almost exactly like the one on the first floor. Slightly smaller and missing a desk, with only a chair in its place.
I tried to sleep but was unable to because of the pain in my chest. It was as if the bullet still lodged in my chest began to pump violently with each beat.
A few hours later, the pain in my chest didn't disappear.
I got up and made my way back to the guard, who was still at his post..
"I need to get to the next floor," I said.
"Alright, that'll be 1 gold," he said. "Or if you want, you can put your hand on the crystal ball," he smiled.
I complied, placing my hand on the crystal ball, feeling energy leave my body and enter the ball. It felt like a gentle, warm current flowing from my hand, a tingling sensation that spread up my arm.
"Honored guild member. Welcome," he said before continuing, "For you, it'll be 5 silver and one apple."
"One apple?"
"Yes, would you like the quest? Otherwise, it'll be one gold."
"Fine," I sighed, forking over 5 silver. "I'll get you an apple from the third floor."
"Of course," he smiled as he opened the door for me.
The teleport rune was a giant circle the size of a yard on the ground. A white and blue glow emanated from it, along with symbols and letters that seemed to spell out
"Runic_Teleport (size: small, area: 10m, effect: bind, duration: permanent, location: goblin forest)."
Other players were waiting there for various reasons—meeting friends, traveling to different floors, or simply exploring.
"Teleport, floor 3," I said out loud. Other players began to look at me as bright red lights enveloped my body.
Just before I fully teleported, I saw someone enter the teleport room. It was Alinta. She smiled slyly at me with a devilish grin.