Pantheon Online

Chapter 272  Truth Seeker (Part One)

"Any sign of Nar'Kozz yet?" Exile asked as he placed his hand on Noslin's shoulder. The mountain had been silent for over an hour already.

"No," Noslin replied with a shake of her head as she gazed over the forest. "There's been no more Stalkers since the Vanguard failed. Our people are on edge. They're tense and anxious. Should we give the order for them to stand down?"

Exile rubbed his beard as he cocked an eyebrow in thought. 'Leaving them on standby will eat away at their concentration. However, standing them down may cause them to fail to react quickly to another attack.' Exile sighed as he nodded slowly.

"Let them rest. I'll take over surveillance for a while."

Noslin smiled slightly as she passed the message on. Her mind wandered to Mikari as she studied Exile. 'Would it be rude to ask him about his brother? If things go wrong, this could be my only chance to start building a friendship with Mikari.' Her mind swiftly went beyond friendship, causing her to cough to get her emotions in check.

"Is something wrong?" Exile asked when he noticed her strange expression. "No, I'm fine, thanks." She spluttered as she regained her cool. "Will Mikari be back soon?"

Noslin silently cheered when Exile failed to notice her question was more for personal reasons. The latter appeared thoughtful as he worked out the timing of what Mikari had to do.

"He should be back any minute now. I think." Exile replied with a smile. "I'll be sure to tell him you asked for him."

Noslin choked at the knowing look he gave her with a twisted grin. 'Damn it! He knows!' Before she could think of what to say, Exile turned and strode away. Noslin was left alone with her emotions and thoughts on her duties to her team. Exile chuckled to himself as he shook his head. 'Who knew Mike was such a ladykiller. If they get together, I'll have to remember this to use in the future. It's fine as long as it doesn't interfere with our team winning this thing.' He shrugged slightly as he wondered why Nar'Kozz hadn't revealed itself yet. Exile could not see any reason why the creature would hold back now. However, he was hardly an expert. 'I doubt Skovi could give us any further insight. Nar'Kozz is ancient compared to us. Its thought process probably takes into account only experience can teach you.' If that thought was true, then Nar'Kozz would be even more dangerous. As Exile reached a clear area, he prepared the runes necessary to scout the surrounding area. 'Hopefully Nar'Kozz sacrifices more of its minions before joining the battle, but we still need to know where it is.' Meanwhile, in a faraway land...

'It should be around here, somewhere.' Merlin thought to himself as he wandered the dark forest known as Freyngarde. It had taken him some time to discover spell creation and create his own spell to upgrade Avatar. He sneered as he felt the restrictions of the game world shackle most of his power in this form. However, he thought it was a worthwhile trade to allow himself to interact with the mortal realm. 'I know it's here. Those NPCs had no idea about the secrets hidden in that book. They thought it was just stories. But I know better.'

Merlin grinned as a surge of magic severed the thorn wall before him. The fog crept over the land around him, swirling and retreating on some unknown air currents. Merlin's gaze shot to the moss-covered face of a boulder to his left as his lips curled up in a smile.

A quick spell removed the moss and dirt, revealing the carvings beneath hidden by time. Merlin's hand traced the intricate lines of the long-lost symbol as he searched his memory for its meaning. 'I see. This is intriguing.' He nodded as his gaze turned northward. 'This is the entrance. From here on out, anything goes.' Spheres of charged mana surrounded Merlin as he cast several spells at once. There was no way he would allow himself to be caught unprepared as he pushed on toward his goal. A blinding flash of white light obscured his surroundings as a dome of air pushed its way outward with Merlin at its centre. 'Got you.' A third spell exploded as blue arrows shot out in different directions!

His feet moved one after the other as dampness clung to his body. A twig snapped somewhere to his right, causing him to curse as he peered into the thickening fog. Another crack sounded from behind as he used one of his spells to scan his surroundings.

However, the results were different from what he expected. A deep frown settled on his face as he took several more steps, only to notice the spell's results remained the same. 'I see.' Merlin sighed as he activated two of his spheres. A blinding flash of white light obscured his surroundings as a dome of air pushed its way outward with Merlin at its centre. 'Got you.' A third spell exploded as blue arrows shot out in different directions!

Pitiful high-pitched screeches filled the air as the illusion shattered. Merlin took his time to confirm his surroundings. He was still next to the carved boulder. A grimace appeared on his face at the time he had wasted. 'Blasted Fae.' Merlin sneered as he used a spell that covered him with a magical aura. It would alert him to any more attempts at warping his perception as he set off once again. The fog was nowhere near as thick as the Fae's illusion had made it seem. This part of the forest was still much the same as what he had travelled through. Merlin sighed at the cawing of unseen crows as his aura alerted him to the spells cast at him. "Pitiful." Merlin groaned as he cast several wind blades toward the crow sounds. He mused over the use of sound to deliver a spell as he disturbed the low fog with his pace. His staff waved before him to scatter it to prevent him from being caught by something veiled by it. 'It's an interesting concept.' Merlin grumbled as he kept tabs on his surroundings. 'The possibilities are great, but finding the best combinations would take some testing.' A half-hour later, he found a path leading underground, hidden by thin roots. 'Hmm.'

He tapped the roots with his staff as he searched the entrance and surrounding area for any more symbols. However, finding none, he returned to stand before the opening. 'It's a dud.' Merlin groaned as he used analysis spells to check for hidden elements.

'This is a decoy. The actual entrance must be further in.' His aura sent several warnings as he lost interest in the cave. However, they were traps that had lain dormant for quite some time. 'They're supposed to increase my curiosity about the fake entrance.'

Merlin shook off the effects with his aura before continuing on his northern path. 'The traps are subtle. It's easy to see why NPCs have failed in this search. I doubt anyone except a player could make it through here.'

His aura flared more frequently now. Merlin's pulse quickened as he correctly assumed he had to be closing on the proper entrance. The fog ahead suddenly parted, revealing a pitch-black pit that dropped out of sight deep into the earth.

"That's more like it." Merlin chuckled as he studied the darkness with a crazed expression. Spells flew non-stop from his fingertips as he cast every spell meant to reveal hidden secrets and analyse things in his arsenal. His expression grew frustrated as one after another, they failed to find anything. His spells faded from existence as the last one returned negative.

It took some willpower to prevent himself from stomping his foot like a petulant child as he studied the pit with his own eyes. Perhaps anything worth finding was concealed in a more mundane way. Merlin nodded to himself after coming to that conclusion.

After all, magical residue was easier to find than something made to look like it belonged. It would be the best way to hide a secret from those with magic at their disposal. With some luck, they would ignore the entrance altogether.

Merlin frowned as he got down on his hands and knees to peer over the edge. An overwhelming sense of vertigo washed over him as he closed his eyes for several seconds. He slowed his breathing and calmly told himself there was nothing to fear. It was only a game.

He swallowed the saliva building in his mouth as he forced his eyes open. At first, he scanned the areas near the top of the pit before slowly working his way further down the walls. Hours passed as silence reigned in the forest while Merlin's concentration never faltered. 'Nothing.' Merlin groaned as he raised himself to his feet. 'Any symbols must be hidden in the dark or at the bottom.'

He sighed as he cast several balls of light and manipulated them to light up the pit's walls as they descended. Merlin was careful to study every inch as they floated down. All he saw was dirt and the odd root poking out of the packed dirt. 'Come on... Come on!' He hissed to himself as his lights were almost too far for him to see anything. Suddenly, they all went out! As if they were swallowed by the darkness itself! Merlin cursed as he realised what that meant.

'This test won't allow me to circumvent how it's meant to be done.' He groaned as he began casting and holding spells to be used as needed. 'I was hoping to avoid doing this part.'

Merlin gazed deep into the darkness. Then, he swung his foot over the edge... and fell...

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