Chapter 80: Arallia

Chapter 80: Arallia

“LAND HO!” Quinn shouted from the deck of the ship, interrupting a game of cards Aegis was losing against Tullan, Herilon, Clara, Ren and Sapphire.

“Finally!” Tullan let out a sigh of relief as he threw the cards down on the dining table. Everyone stood up and rushed up the stairs to the deck of the ship to get a view of the island visible on the horizon. It was mid afternoon, the 7th day in-game since they’d departed from Kalmoore, and everyone was eager to get off the ship.

In the distance Aegis could see the orange-yellowish hue given off by the large chunk of land protruding out of the Abyss in front of them - it was very different than Kalmoore with its rocky hills, lush green fields and thick forests. All Aegis could see here was large sand dunes in all directions.

“Prepare for the uplift.” Captain Leonard shouted to them from behind the helm as Gregory and Trexon joined them on deck to watch the island get closer and closer. Once the Sky Darling was within several hundred meters of the island it began to slowly ascend upwards, rising higher above the mist and the island.

“That’s a bit odd.” Leonard said as the ship rose up and crested over the land, evening out. He turned to look backwards off the stern of the ship once it had settled, causing Aegis and the others to follow him and look curiously as well.

“What’s odd?” Quinn asked.

“The mist, around the ledge.” Leonard pointed out where it looked as though the mist was creeping up from the abyss all around the edges of the island. “I’ve never seen it doing that before.” Leonard said.

“What do you suppose it means?” Trexon asked curiously.

“Probably nothing, could just be a storm inland that is upsetting it.” Leonard shrugged.

“Could be.” Quinn replied suspiciously. “Alright everyone, listen up.” Quinn turned and positioned herself so that everyone could see her. “Kriene is not Kalmoore. It's filled with a lot of big ego players and guilds, so don’t expect a lot of lawfulness. Keep anything you can in your inventory at all times.” Quinn said as she began pacing.

“Herilon, you’re with me guarding the Airship.” Quinn said and he gave a nod. “Tullan, Trexon, Ren you will be talking with the lead guild of Arallia and negotiating favorable trade deals using the goods we brought with us. If there is any time left over, you’re free to explore the libraries and expand your bestiary.” Quinn instructed them and the three of them nodded.

“Sapphire, you’ll assist Aegis and Priestess Clara and make sure they arrive at the monastery in a timely fashion, to give Aegis as much time as we can to get his quest done. Aegis, don’t take too long on your quest.”

“Yes M’am.” Sapphire replied while Aegis gave Quinn a nod.

“Good. You’ve all got seven days before we’re taking this ship back to Kalmoore. If you aren’t back on the ship by then, you’ll be a proud new resident of Arallia.” Quinn finished, making Herilon chuckle. “One last thing. Turn on your viewership numbers, we need to know what we’re going to be dealing with.” Quinn said to Aegis.

“My viewership numbers?” Aegis asked curiously as he looked at the livestream icon above his head, no numbers present.

“Stream snipers. You are broadcasting to the world that we’re arriving on an Airship, so there’s bound to be a welcome party.” Herilon explained and Quinn nodded, it was something Aegis hadn’t considered but he recalled what it was like during his first days in the game when everyone thought he was Makaroth’s son, and remembered how fast it got populated in Orm just because of Keldan. He was a bit anxious to see his numbers as he’d expected them to have dropped a lot, but relented and went into his interface to turn it on. The viewership count showed at 2000, a significant drop from what he’d last seen.

“Not bad, looks like people want to stick around and keep watchin ya.” Tullan shrugged.

“It’s pretty normal for a big drop after something like a World announcement.” Quinn reassured him as Aegis tried to hide his disappointment. “2000 means there’s still a good chance people in Kriene know we’re coming.” Quinn added to the others, and Aegis watched as all of the members of the Night Hunters began equipping their high level armor, switching out of their casual attire. As they did, Clara moved to stand closely behind Aegis.

“There it is, the Heart of the Desert, Arallia.” Captain Leonard motioned to the horizon where a tall mountain could be seen in the distance. As they got closer, Aegis and the others looked over the side of the Airship to take in the scene in front of them.

The City of Arallia was built primarily using yellow sandstone with tall Sandstone walls surrounding the entire southern facing side of the Mountain it was built into. A large waterfall could be seen showering crystal clear water into a river that flowed down the mountain and into the city through winding canals, ending at a large lake just outside the walls to the west. All around the lake were lush green palm trees and ferns, which contrasted heavily with the sand that it slowly transitioned into the further out from the water Aegis looked.

Aegis could tell from this distance that the architecture required to build these structures was vastly different than what he’d worked with thus far, but despite this, he still understood how they were built thanks to his skill. The structures varied greatly in sizes, and from this distance he could make out the purpose of some of them such as a public furnace, the training grounds, a Wizard’s tower, and the barracks. Most noticeable of course was the Palace built at the very base of the mountain with large beautiful walls covered in statues and carvings depicting iconography and figures Aegis wasn’t familiar with.

Many banners, flags, and other cloth flailed in the wind, strewn about the streets and buildings, which gave color to the otherwise sandy yellow city, and there were thousands of players visible moving about the streets below,- as much if not more than what Aegis had seen in Kalmoore.

“There it is, the Monastery of the Stars!” Clara pointed excitedly up at the top of the mountain. Aegis hadn’t noticed it at first, but at the very peak of the mountain, some ways outside the city walls, stood a large sandstone tower reaching high up to nearly the clouds themselves, and at the base of it a square-shaped structure. He could barely make out a narrow winding road on the mountainside that led from the city, to just past the top of the waterfall flowing out of a cavern in the mountain, and then up to the monastery.

“That’s where we’ll be going.” Sapphire slapped Aegis on the back as she pulled out a carrot and crunched into it. The Airship suddenly slowed down just as they were closing in on the outskirts of the city and began to descend downwards. Aegis looked down to see that there was a large flat pentagonal shaped platform made of sandstone built just outside the greenery of the Oasis, with a road leading from the platform towards one of the the southern gates of Arallia.

“That’s the Skyport?” Aegis asked as he looked down at it, seeing a few buildings built around it, including what looked to be a stables.

“I know, it’s an insult to Airships.” Leonard replied in between his ability uses. Aegis watched as he flicked his hand towards the main sail and it curled upwards, while simultaneously the wing sails began to fold inwards, and a few moments later with a light thunk, the Airship had landed on the Skyport of Arallia.

“And the quest, is it something we could assist with?” Erikson asked.

“This Priestess needs to arrive at the Monastery of the Stars safely, along with this Priest.” Quinn motioned to Aegis and Clara as Sapphire moved to stand in front of them.

“Yes, of course. Aegis. Congratulations on the world notification. Very Impressive.” Erikson smiled and waved at him, Aegis nodding back awkwardly. “This is Josephine, our very own Cleric of Eirene, she’d be happy to help guide you to the monastery.” Erikson motioned to her beside him and she bowed politely. Quinn leaned in and pulled Aegis’ ears close to her mouth by grabbing his shoulder.

“Stick with Sapphire and follow her instructions. They’re probably just chasing screen time on your stream, but don’t trust them or anyone in this city. Like I said, this isn’t Kalmoore.” Quinn warned him before pulling away.

“Let’s go!” Sapphire cheered before biting into her carrot and heading down the step ladder. Aegis and Priestess Clara followed behind her, Quinn’s words ringing in his ears as he took his first steps onto the Island of Kriene.

“Right, I’m going to get hammered and see if I can’t find myself a fourth bride or groom.” Captain Leonard said excitedly as he followed Aegis and the others off the ship, whilst Herilon jumped with great strength back up onto the Airship to stand beside Quinn and Gregory.

“Have fun.” Herilon waved.

“This way, I’ll show you the quickest way up to the Monastery.” Josephine said politely as she motioned Aegis, Sapphire and Clara to follow her. As much as Aegis wanted to feel excited about arriving in a new Capital City, Quinn’s parting words left him tense. The four of them headed down a large brick ramp leading to a paved road towards the city gates in front of them, sand that had blown in from the wind was lightly overtaking the path and it crunched under his leather boots as they walked.

Not just in the game world, but in the real as well, Aegis had never traveled to an environment quite like this. Looking out away from the city it was nothing but sand and dunes in all directions and he’d wondered what it would be like to try and level up in areas like this. What monsters, creatures, or dungeons could be found underneath the sands? When he looked towards the lake and greenery surrounding it, he had some of those questions answered as low level players could be seen battling with small level 10 scorpions in the distance.

Aegis made sure to keep a close eye on Clara as they stepped through the gates and entered the noisy city, seeing a look of excitement on her face as she looked upon her surroundings with familiarity.

“Welcome to the Capital City of Kriene, Arallia.” Josephine smiled at them, her face barely visible through the holes in the front of her iron helmet. The wagons and carts were made of lighter colored wood, pulled by horses, camels, and other strange looking beasts that varied differently from what’d been in Kordas - no sign of a lagnok anywhere. The clothing that the people wore was colorful and light, showing a lot of skin, but many wore see-through veils or turbans wrapped around their heads - both NPC and player alike. The sun was bearing down on them with excessive amounts of heat and Aegis felt the sweat trickling down his face despite them barely moving and his stamina being full.

“This road will take us towards the Monastery.” Josephine motioned them down one of the streets once they reached the first intersection. Aegis glanced around to see a few [Arallia Guard - Level 30]'s standing around wearing tan-colored leather armor and wielding spears and round shields.

“Wait, one second.” Aegis stopped the others from walking forward, and the three turned to look at him. “I’d like to make a short detour, if that’s okay.” Aegis said. It was his last chance to try and promote Clara to Elite before his final intermediate class quest.

“Where would you like to go?” Josephine asked politely.

“Well...” Aegis looked to Priestess Clara. “You wanted to visit someone, right?” He smiled.

“Oh.. right... Are you sure it’s okay?” Clara asked nervously, looking between all of them.

“Of course.” Josephine gave a nod, though Sapphire looked visibly annoyed.

“O-okay.” She replied. “I’m not sure if they still live there, but, I hope... It is this way.” Clara motioned them down another street and they followed behind her.

“What’s this about?” Sapphire leaned in to grumble in Aegis’ ear.

“Just something she requested.”

“You’re making quests for the NPC now?” Sapphire groaned. “You know that intermediate quests are hard, right? You’ve only got a week.” She reminded him.

“It shouldn’t take long.” Aegis waved her off, but after he had she intentionally bit a carrot loudly beside his ear.

They made their way down a few streets to a quieter section of the city until Clara suddenly stopped in front of a small single story sandstone house with a light wooden door, and an open, glassless window off to the side covered with plain gray curtains.

“This is it.” Clara nervously motioned to the door for the others, and they stared back at her.

“Well, aren’t you going to knock?” Aegis asked her.

“R-right, of course.” She nodded awkwardly, stepped forward, and knocked on the door.