"Who makes such a heavy spear? Show-off! No one can fight with this thing!"
Cyclone was disgruntled having embarrassed herself. The others were curious, giving it a try. But the result was all the same. Those with a few points in STR were at least able to pull the spear, perhaps lift it slightly. But to use it in a fight? Wishful thinking.
Eventually Radiant Shield took the spear into his inventory. He looked at the item's description. It was marked as a quest item but everything else was hidden behind question marks.
"Seems like they want us to figure something out."
"But I'm sure our expert already has the solution."
Cyclone chuckled and turned towards Liam. It was surely no coincidence that they found these skeletons here. Liam definitely had a plan.
"You are all focused on the spears. Why don't you examine that stone plate?"
Those words directed everyone's attention. Cyclone crouched down and looked at the tablet. A frown swiftly found its way on her face.
"I can't read that language."
The mage shook her head. She grabbed the stone and stood up, showing it to the others. But everyone shook their heads. Even Silver Blade, an enjoyer of the game's lore, was unable to find the time yet to learn other languages. Cyclone could only hand the plate to Liam who didn't let his friends be curious for long, translating the content.
"If you can read this, I shall call you friend. I don't know if you are one of ours. There are not many of us left. Greed has caused a rift to tear apart our brotherhood. Some of us even assisted those vile creatures they swore to kill. Please, friend, I don't ask much of you. Just return our remains and our weapons. Even though I think Uruval does not deserve this honour, but this decision can be made by the living. To enter our realm, find one of our statues and speak the following words: Si owl re ot ear or h thig ogar eyal.
- Dragonspear Lev"
"Dragonspear? Dragon? And that code… sounds familiar."
"Look at that picture on the stone plate. It must be one of the mentioned statues. I think we have seen it before…"
"Could it be…"
Before the friends could speculate further, a quest was suddenly generated for them.
[
[Step one: Return the remains of Uruval and Lev to the Dragonslayers!]
"It's indeed about Dragonslayers!"
At this moment everyone understood. The two people who died here deep in the mountains were part of the Dragonslayer faction. Did they die hunting a dragon or fighting each other? From the text on the stone plate, it might even be the latter. So what happened to this mysterious group? The friends were quite curious.
After a moment of contemplative silence Silver Blade was the fastest to move. She took the rest of the remains in her inventory, turning towards the others.
"We won't find more answers here. Let's go and see what the Dragonslayers have to say."
"Alright!"
"Sure!"
Everyone understood that they were done here. The friends jumped on their mounts and went back the way they came from. After a brief teleportation they reached the familiar Southern Light Kingdom. They left Brobrity on their flying mounts and in no time at all hovered above a devastated landscape. Violet soil, lingering void energy which was held back with a lot of effort, and twisted, bare trees.
"Wow, this takes me back."
"Yeah. We fought our first world boss in this place."
"Haha, back then it looked so strong. How much HP did it have? A hundred thousand or something?"
A light mood spread. Suddenly the friends heard some chaotic shouts. They followed the noise and found a crowd of players fighting a big hawk, its brown feathers permeated with violet void energy.
"Hey, the world boss is still there? It did not disappear after the war on the void?"
"Perhaps to give the lower-level players something to do."
"They don't look that low level to me. They are definitely stronger than we were back then. See, those in the lead have to be around level 30."
"Hey, should we stay and grab the loot?"
Cyclone's suggestion instantly earned her multiple disdainful gazes. She quickly shut her mouth. The friends didn't stay much longer. They retraced the path they took back then, flying across a bunch of fields, eventually reaching a small clearing.
"Dear viewers, what a memorable moment. You see how even Hotpot started out small. I often get the question: Fortune, does it make sense to start playing now or is it already too late? And to that I can only say: Yes! Enter the game! You will start small, but so what? You can still make a name for yourselves! The same as we did!"
Fortune patted herself on her back for the commentary. This would turn a boring travel into a learning experience for her viewers. And who knows, her words might really inspire some future pros?
At this point everyone was already used to Fortune's commentary, not showing much reaction. A moment later they already reached their target. On the grassy plane below there was an unassuming dragon statue. However, compared to the past there were now a few people gathered around the statue, observing it curiously.
"This is the statue?"
"Yes, it is said that Hotpot used it to escape after they got the loot of the world boss."
"What do think is behind it?"
"Surely, it must be a treasure trove. If we solve the puzzle, we could also get in. Perhaps we can get a powerful weapon and follow in Hotpot's footsteps."
"It's a pity that Fortune bleeped the passphrase in her video!"
"Yeah, hateful!"
"Oh really?"
Suddenly an unexpected voice came from behind the discussing players' backs. They turned around and stared wide-eyed at the group hovering behind them.
"F… Fortune!"
"Fortune! I didn't mean it! I'm your biggest fan!"
"Hotpot! It's really Hotpot!"
"Hotpot returned! I knew it! This statue must hide a treasure trove!"
The more than a dozen people present were all fans of the group. After Liam and his friends landed, they were immediately surrounded. But placating the fans was surprisingly easy. After a few seconds everyone made way and observed closely as Hotpot approached the dragon statue. The players sharpened their ears, some cleverly starting to record.
Liam only smiled helplessly. Back then, Hotpot didn't reveal much about the Dragonslayers, save for a few images, mainly because Fortune didn't want to add the team getting wiped to her video. But this only increased everyone's curiosity. If these fans dared to follow, it would only mean their death, but Liam knew he couldn't persuade them.
"Si owl re ot ear or h thig ogar eyal!"
As soon as these words rang out, Liam and his friends were enveloped in a blue light and disappeared on the spot. When they reappeared, they were already within a large hall, right opposite of an enormous gate adorned with intricate engravings of courageous warriors hunting dragons. To their right there were stands bearing heavy armours and weapons, similar to the ones the party had found earlier.
"Adventurers, you are back…"
A gentle voice echoed through the room, causing the torches to spew some green sparks. The friends turned towards the left and observed a few thrones standing on an elevated platform.
Only one of the thrones was occupied, carrying a valiant woman in silver armour, her skin partially covered in bark, her hair replaced by thin branches interwoven with white flowers. Her single arm held a tall spear made from unknown black material.
"Did you come to resume the trial?", asked the dryad with a sonorous voice. Compared to the first time the friends saw her the dryad now seemed fully awake, radiating a mighty aura worthy of a dragonslayer.
Silver Blade bowed lightly, taking the lead:
"Yes, mighty dragonslayer. We have trained hard and are ready to take on the trial once more. However, we have to show you something before that."
Multiple items appeared on the floor. It was the remains discovered by the group.
Suddenly the big hall fell silent. Even the torches froze in place. An unsettling atmosphere spread. But it was only for a moment. The dryad closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.
"Uruval and Lev. They haven't appeared for more than two hundred years. There was never much hope… Please, adventurers, if you would place their weapons and armours on the stands."
Silver Blade nodded. Everyone worked together to heave the heavy equipment and place it on one of the empty armour stands. They glanced at all the others and couldn't help but feel solemn. Did each armour stand represent a dead Dragonslayer? If so, were there even any living one's left? Or was it only the dryad?
"Thank you, adventurers. You can see that our proud brotherhood has suffered much. But our will lives on! We can't give up! It would be a catastrophe for the common people of Crunaboul. Adventurers, you finding the remains of Uruval and Lev is fate. If you wish to succeed them, complete the trial! Join the brotherhood!"