Heaven's Sword Online- Book One of the Alta Luna Saga

Episode 18: Stranger

*Manuel*

The four (or five counting Sol) of us manage to get a great distance of traveling done by the time one of the four suns of the world starts to set. I had no idea that there were four until Sol mentioned it. Will one of the others rise in the place of the one that had just set? What if there's more than one in the sky? It must be scorching hot if there's a place where all four are in the sky at once.

"You're into astronomy?" Sol asks as he sits down at the base of the boulder I am sitting on top of.

I lower my head and grumble. "I don't like how you two invade people's minds."

Sol snickers before lowering his head. "Sorry, force of habit."

"Habit?"

The red-head averted his gaze. "Nothing too important." He gazes at our surroundings. Despite all the miles we just traversed, we are still at the edge of the river cutting through the massive valley. Even this far away from the center, there's nothing but grass and wild flowers. The aquatic life however provides some nice relief, at least it did at first.

"Does this world have anything more to offer but lush fields?" I ask.

My guide chuckles once more. "I ask the same thing."

"Hey, Sol?"

He glances up at me. "Hmm?"

"Just like Lua, you aren't an AI or NPC, are you?"

Sol stands up and dusts off the grass stuck to his backside. "That's correct. I am a real person like you and the other beta players. Also, why do you ask the question? I thought you figured out who I was."

I nod. "True, Mr. Check guy."

He chuckles. "Ahhh, so you do recall our real world meeting."

"The reason I bring it up is... I want to know if Iv is real person or not?"

"Iv? The shopkeeper? You seem rather closer to that NPC."

"NPC, huh?" I sigh. He's dead, Manuel. Move on. Iv isn't your high school friend.

The guide raises his hands toward the now purplish horizon. "Seems the others are back."

Adriana waves as she makes her way to our campsite which consists only of a small fire and two makeshift huts formed out of sticks from some of the few trees we could find, grass, and river mud. It was Alexis who had constructed them, the guy had experience making houses of various materials for the needy.

"Hey," Alexis says, waving as he carries with him a basket of golden fruit from the same trees he used to make the hut. The one who weaved the basket had been Adriana with some directions from him.

Tae-young averts her eyes as soon as she sees me. In her hands is a large pig.

"Pig?" I cry out. "Where did you find a pig?"

"It attacked us on our way back, it wanted our golden apples," Alexis said. "Tae-young here quickly dispatched it, however."

"I see," I say, standing up. "So this valley isn't only imps. That or we've made it far enough for new enemies to appear."

"The imps are weak without their queen," Sol said, staring at the remnants of sunlight. "After my sister sacrificed herself to take down their ruler, the imps were attacked by foes of similar strength but who lack their numbers. The result was a pull back. Likely by the time we return to our old town, the imp empire will have collapsed entirely."

"That quickly?" I ask, eyes wide.

"Yes. The queen was the one who protected them and kept the various imp tribes together. With her disappearance, they will fall to their once repressed enemies as well as themselves."