Avilien: Tutorial islands

So be it

Seconds felt like minutes, even hours as Nook's mind raced like a speeding car. Any slight move that Grimmock felt was an attack and Nook would be gone. Nook looked at his holo watch on his wrist. He needed to let Damocles know of this man's arrival. His eyes must have been glued to the watch for a fraction of a second and that was enough to make Grimmock start his cast bar for another attack. Nook surrender all he had. He'd lead Semor to Damocles, Moto, and Salamay and pray it went smoothly.

Grimmock canceled his cast bar and held out a hand to suggest leaving the rooftop. Both he and Nook did. Zeult halted his attacks on the town and regrouped with his master beyond the final gate of Meringue. Now the three had to endure the tedious trek up the mountain road.

Made from pink bricks with orangy-yellow walls to prevent wagons and people from falling off the sides of the mountain road it proved to be more of a stroll than Grimmock thought. The constant deletion of all AI townspeople meant there was no traffic and no civilians. At first, Semor thought it was wonderful, a peaceful serenity, then half-way through the walk, his opinion started to change.

Two miles of upward road and not another soul to be seen Semor could be heard grunting and snarling for the most part. As dark as the Court of Bones were Semor wouldn't do this kind of damage to the game. He took it as a sign that the Corpse Collectors guild had no idea with what they were meddling in. By deleting over and over they ran the risk of spawning a corrupted.

Heavy ice portcullis opening in the frozen walls bathed in chocolate snow, Semor remained unimpressed by the next town known as Ice. He'd seen better. Another pale imitation of the Galancia region and its towns made from ice. Walking through the gate as Zeult coiled around Semors neck and shoulder red players stopped in their tracks in the middle of the pavements to stare. Nook held his head low, staring at the road. He looked a broken man as he walked slowly with a grim expression.

"What do you want with the Necromancer called Nate?" Nook plucked up the courage to ask the question as the town hall came into view at the end of the road.

"That would be none of your business," snapped Semor, his words making Nook shiver.

"Master. There iz a lot of guidez and playerz inside that building. The one you seek iz there," hissed Zeult into Semors ear. Low enough so that Nook didn't hear or take note.

Thankful for his brief encounter with Nook, Semor had a firm grasp on how these players got to their levels and how they earned their reputation. Mimickery trinkets were quite common across Avilien but would be rare on Tutorial Islands. Semor had no doubts they were all using them. Which meant they were all in for a shock.

Stopping before the town hall with its clocktower watching over the town Semor opened up his holo watch and Nook scurried ahead to get the doors. Semor activated several scrolls and used his deception skills. For an added safety blanket he grabbed two scrolls and stuffed them into the pockets of his long cloak. If needed he could revert to his class spells, but Semor had always been a master of items. They once called him the Item Battle Master.

Lump wedged in his throat Nook walked with hesitated steps into the middle of the foyer. Damocles, Salamay, and Moto were sat down drinking and eating. They had gotten rid of Brit moments ago, Damocles tossing her into the cellar before there date.

Placing down the Gruntusk rib on a plate, Damocles looked at Nook and then at the skinny, worn man next to him in a black cloak covered in green fire emblems.

"Whos the skinny, weedy guy?" Damocles wiped his sticky fingers on a napkin and then stood up.

A few steps forward and the food he was chewing fell from his mouth. From his health bar, mana bar, level, name, and guild symbol everyone grew quiet once they observed Grimmock.