Eternal Battlegrounds

Betrayal

SINCE THE SYSTEM WAS TRIGGERED, ANTONIO WAS TOO CAREFUL ABOUT EVERYTHING, EVEN THE SLIGHTEST CHANGE IN HIS SURROUNDINGS.

Antonio and Hector sat down under the shade of an old birch tree near the entrance to WildWood Forest. It has been an hour since Hector mailed one of his clan members to join them but still, there was no sign of anyone. Antonio's patience was running out with each passing second, he was aware that the place they chose to rest wasn't safe but rather dangerous as other players might pay a visit to the forest for grinding exp.

Suddenly, both of them saw a silhouette rushing in their direction. They immediately stood up and unsheathed their weapons as a precaution. The areas within the virtual world were categorized into several zones which included: Safe Zones, Neutral Zones, PvP Zones, War Zones, Danger Zones, and Desolated Zones. WildWood Forest came under the Danger Zones as it was populated by the different races of monsters ranging from Giants to Wild Boars. Also, it was a PvP enabled zone which meant that any and every player can engage in undesired combats and kill each other to gain handsome loot.

The silhouette cleared as it came nearer. It was of a female who looked around as same age as Antonio and Hector. She was wearing a white robe that came all the way down to her knees and gave off a faint purple glow. She had blonde hair that was drawn into a bun and was put in place with a long pin. Her almond-shaped eyes were affixed at the two male players standing in front of her with weapons in their hands.

"Who are you, a player killer?" Antonio inquired while glaring at the female.

"You better retreat if you are one, or I will send you to hell," Antonio warned her in a serious tone.

"Antonio, relax dude! she is from my clan, her name's Natalie." Hector immediately interrupted Antonio to calm him.

"Accept my apologies, I was just trying to..."

"Don't sweat it, I know one must not put one's guard down in a zone like this one." Natalie interrupted to assure Antonio that everything was okay.

"By the way, I haven't introduced myself. I am Natalie Chase and I am a Sage by profession. I mainly excel at using water type and healing magic. I look forward to working with you in the future."

"My name is Antonio Weiss and I am a Dragon Knight by profession. I excel at close combat and by far I am at level 5. I also look forward to working with you in the future."

"Guys, are we done with introductions, we should head into the forest to level up a bit before exploring the fiery volcano cave to complete the quest," suggested Hector.

"That's a great idea. Let's head in then." Antonio agreed as he walked into the WildWood Forest.

"Watch and learn," Hector whispered to Natalie as they followed Antonio into the forest.

WildWood Forest, Kingdom of Kalvar

Antonio immediately hid behind the lush green bushes as soon as the party spotted a forest giant. He signaled Hector to pull the aggro by continuously attacking the giant. Natalie on the other hand cast a healing spell on Hector to heal the damage caused by the stomps and fists of the giant. Antonio silently laid in wait for the perfect moment to strike the giant with a critical hit which Hector clearly understood.

Antonio unsheathed his scythe, activated the skills, Sprint, and High Jump, and propelled himself into the perfect position with the help of the large oak tree behind him. He lunged forward in the direction of the forest giant who was facing Hector and made a clean cut on the nape of the giant that immediately resulted in its demise.

"That was smooth, is he a prodigy or what?" Natalie thought after she saw Antonio in action.

"I know what you are thinking. He indeed is a prodigy but, I know something you don't and for that, he must be eliminated. He is a threat to our clan." Hector commented after seeing Natalie frozen in her place as if reading her thoughts.