The new day came with its own surprises. The morning sun peeped through the dense, silver fog that rolled over the valley like a carpet. Mark was the first to wake up as his system announced 0500 hours. He stepped out of the vehicle to stretch his stiff muscles and felt the coolness of the damp air welcoming him out.
To his surprise, there were four figures standing in a semi-circle ten yards away from the vehicle facing him. It was Ahmed, Diljeet, Amit, and Alden.
Alden stepped forward with a grave expression. It seemed that he had something important to discuss. His words were directed at all of them but his gaze was fixed on Mark.
“We need to upgrade weapons before we face the enemies ahead,” he started.
“The monsters that we have faced so far were real with flesh and blood, Mark,” said Alden. “But the dark forces that we are about to face are not of this world. They are possessed by demons, parasitic, and have otherworldly powers. Ordinary steel will not harm them. We need to learn how to fight such creatures by finding help.”
With that said, Alden led the way deeper into the silverwood forest. He led them to a narrow pathway that twisted and turned until it opened up before a small hut. The hut had a roof of glowing green mosses. Salts had been thrown in intricate patterns on the windowsills and on the doorframe. Inside, they could hear the chanting of a local priest who was going through his morning rituals. He was chanting in an ancient tongue that had long been forgotten by most people. As Alden stepped into the porch, he knocked three times on the wooden door with his knuckles.
The chanting stopped as soon as the knocks echoed. There was a moment of silence before the massive door creaked open to reveal a thin man with friendly eyes and long, flowing grey robes. He recognized Alden and his men and welcomed them with a bow.
“Peace be with you, Ward of the System,” he said with a warm smile as he stepped aside to usher them in.
The hut was filled with the scent of dried lavender, sage, and candle wax. The priest was very accommodating as he served them some special leaf tea prepared from the silverwood leaves. The tea was to help them regain their stamina reserves. He asked them to sit down and have some biscuits with the tea.
They all enjoyed his company as the time was right for them to take a break from the level up grind.
As Mark lowered the empty tumbler, Alden wasted no time in getting to the reason why they were there. He wasted no time and told him the real reason why they were there. He told him about their rapid progress. He also told him of the ominous signs that had started crossing the borders.
At his words, the priest turned ashen. He did not say a word but stood up and walked to a heavy chest behind the tapestry in one corner of the room. He pulled out a long, silver key and opened the iron-bound chest with great caution. He pulled out a duffel bag made of canvas with strange markings on it.
He gestured for them to come closer as he placed the bag on the wooden table, making it rebound with a metallic sound. He explained that it contained strange things he had brought from the Gaza strip during a temporal rift manifestation to face the dark forces. He warned Mark that the new challenges were much more daring than any previous ones. He said that they needed to rely more on their tactics than on brute strength to keep their souls intact.
The words sent shivers down his spine. Just by touching the surface of the canvas bag, the universal interface activated, flashing a golden-bordered notification on the table that scanned the content of the bag. It read:
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: DETECTED SUPERNATURAL ITEMS] Adding weapon properties to Tactician Overview ...
The system interface displayed the scanned items with their weapon class and general use.
Weapon/Utensil
Item Classification
Core Purpose & Use
The Ruby-Inscribed Carver
Rare Enchanted Blade
It is a dark steel dagger with inscribed markings. It is designed to pierce through the physical defenses of high-class demonic entities to access their essence directly.
The Colt of the First Born
Unique Artifact
This is a heavy single-action iron revolver inscribed with a pentagram. It is capable of firing special bullets that can finish off almost all supernatural creatures if the vital spots are targeted.
The Angelic Spike
Epic Consumable Weapon
It is a solid triangular silver blade that glows with celestial energy. It has the power to sever the connection of non-physical entities with the physical realm when driven into their spiritual heart.
The Hex-Breaker Chalice
Rare Ritual Utensil
It is a decorated bronze chalice used for storing mixed cleansing solutions. When mixed with clean running water, it can break curses, spells, and area effect traps with a single splash.
Mark could not believe his eyes as he was already strategizing with the new weapons in mind. It was not the physical attributes of the weapon that mattered but rather the concepts that went into their designs.
Was this the start of a new, bloodier level for them? Would they be able to tackle the paranormal world like the village?
Mark looked down at the glowing text and the weapon in his hand, looking toward his friends as the system map in his peripheral vision flashed with a new, ominous red icon.
Weapon class aside, the universal interface continued to scroll with the weapons, indicating that there were many more locked weapons that needed to be unlocked. The four items they had were just the tip of the iceberg. There were other advanced supernatural weapons in other levels that they had to unlock to help them in their quest. It was no longer just a matter of gaining levels and power. It was becoming more and more about faith, and the purity of their souls, and the devotion to the universal force that sustained all things.
An excited jolt ran down his spine at the thought of the challenge ahead of them. Their blood was already pumping faster at the thought of what was in store for them. There was also a trace of fear as none of them had ever faced a purely paranormal entity. They had faced raiders whose attacks had been physical but nothing more than that.
Feeling their fear, both the priest and Alden leaned forward and told them something that all four of them needed to hear.
“We need to rely more on our tactics than on our physical being if we want to make it through this trial,” said Alden.
What kind of terrifying monsters would they have to face in the dark? Would it be some non-corporeal entity that manifested through steel? Would it be some parasitic being that fed on their souls? How would a vanguard of fighters who knew how to fight with blades and shields fight against something that had no physical form to slice or pierce?
So many thoughts ran through their minds as they digested what had just happened. Was it enough for them to be good enough to handle whatever was about to come their way? There were still many things that they did not know that would test their faith, purity, and devotion to the universal force that bound everything together. What came next would tell. For now, they had to wait for Alden’s next orders in the quiet dark.
ns216.73.216.223da2
and then Add to home screen.