The Ancients World

We exit the secret tunnel and into the underground city. Parties are happening all over like last time we came through here. I don't want to spend any time in this place. The animals in these cesspools make me sick—rapists, murderers, total scum. It's not my place to be their judge and executioner. There is a balance of good and evil everywhere you look. No one can deny that, and people like to believe there are no sides. Eventually, you will have to pick one. Everyone does. "Let's avoid any of the places with parties coming out of them. We know where the exit is, so no need to follow the road." Sally nods her head in agreement, and we use the alleyways between the buildings. It takes us a little bit longer than I'd like it to, but we make it to the entrance we came through last time.

We start walking down the tunnel, and the noise from all the parties fades. I take in the silence and enjoy it. I hate parties. Many bad things can happen at them, and I want nothing to do with that lifestyle. "What are we doing next after we are done here?" Sally asks me an important question right out of the blue. I have contemplated what we could do. The thing after this is heading back to the Dryads and freeing them. After that, I'd have completed all my relevant quests. Aside from the tier-up quest, I'm going to get nothing immediate springs up. So that leaves what Sally wants to do. I know she wants revenge on the elven people, and I do have a quest regarding her past. Asking her what she wants to do is what I should do here.

I roll my neck, releasing any built-up tension. "What do you want, Sally? After we are done here in Bellvia, the Dryads need to be freed. Once that's done, I don't have any immediate things that need finished. So what do you want?" She looks slightly taken aback by my words. I guess she never really did get a say on what we are doing and where we are going. I watch her look at the ground in sadness. She must be thinking about her early life and mother. There is a lot of pain in her heart. I have no intention of telling her that forgiving them will help. Cause I don't know if it would, I wouldn't feel better. She has had a much harder life than me, so she probably doesn't have the want to forgive either. 

I've learned so much about Sally, but I still know very little about her life. "I want to take revenge on the elves... I want the royal family to suffer for what they have allowed to pass and thrive... I want to avenge my mother... Those are the things I want, Zern... I know they are all very tall orders to fill, but I have the power to do it now." When she finishes speaking, I get a notification from the system. It's definitely about her quest, but I'm not going to look right now. My attention needs to be on Sally, and talking about all this is hurting her, I can see it. "Will you help me after we are done with the Dryads..." I nod my head with confidence and give a smile supporting her choice. Revenge is a path that isn't selected often, but sometimes a person's transgressions are so great it's the only choice you have. In this case, it's an entire ruling family of the strongest race on Gaia. 

She smiles at my determination, and it reinforces her confidence. We walk for another 15 minutes and eventually make it outside through the same entrance we came into the city with. There are guards like last time, but they don't ask or say anything. We walk away and eventually get out of sight. "Once we get 2 miles out, we'll wait till the sun starts to rise. I'll have to activate something before we leave, though." She looks at me with curiosity. I was unintentionally cryptic. "I'll activate my title. You know that some of the world's strongest people have titles. I have one too. It signifies my connection to my father." She nods her head in understanding. Some NPC's around Gaia are notorious with powerful titles, but none of them are like mine.

We walk in the dark, chilly woods, and that's when I notice that it's a little colder tonight than usual. I like it. I'm a cold person anyway. Even being born and raised in LA, I still prefer the cold. I think about all the things that I witnessed growing up in LA. "These tall trees remind me of a forest I used to visit growing up. They called them redwoods, some of the most amazing trees..." Most of the forest in which they resided died from pollution, but some were alive long enough to see them. Thinking back to those car trips before Marcus was born brings back a lot of memories. The earth must be a better place without us, and if it does survive and recover while we are gone, then the life that's left might have a chance.

Sally looks at me and is waiting for me to keep talking. "The world we new people come from is called earth. It was a beautiful world at one point, but we ended up killing it. Its fate was sealed before I was born, but now that we aren't there, it might have a chance." Sally gives me a solemn look and reaches for my hand with hers. She runs her fingers down my palm and interlocks her fingers with mine. She leans her shoulder against mine as we walk. She is taller than most women at 5'10, but I'm still much taller than she is. Her elf half makes her taller than human females. I wonder who her father is? She said that it was a bandit that forced himself on her mother. I don't even know how she'll become comfortable enough to talk about this subject.

When she is, I'll be ready to listen and help any way she wants me to. "I'm really happy that you shared something about where you come from. Thanks for trusting me enough to talk about that." Sally speaks as she leans on me as we walk. I realize something about being with Sally. I can talk about my life with her. She makes it easy. I don't know what that means, but I think it's good. "Once we reach the spot, can you set up the tent? I want to get a few hours of sleep before we do any of this." I nod my head, and we continue walking through the dark woods. I'm not scared of anything possibly out here. Anything we run into, we can kill if we work together. I doubt anything is that strong near a capital city, though.

After walking through the woods for a couple of hours, we stop on the side of a hill with a perfect view of Bellvia. Even far away, it looks rotten on that cliffside. I set up the tent for Sally, and she immediately crawls in and cuddles the furs and blankets. I take a seat on a log by the tent and stare out to the vast forest and city. "I don't know how a kingdom could last so long..." I talk to myself out loud, entertaining the silence. The stars are out tonight, bright and beautiful. A scene you would never see on earth. It takes my breath away and makes all my goals seem so small. Now that I have some time to myself, I pull up Sally's quest and begin to read the new information. It's an honor that I get to help her with this task.

[Sally's Past]

[Description: Help Sally in her quest for vengeance against all the men that tortured and sexually assaulted her growing up. Help her punish the Elven Kingdom for their ways.]

[Objective 1: When the time comes, Sally will ask you for your direct help in this matter.][Completed]

[Objective 2: Once everything is done with your quest involving the Dryads, ask Sally what the first step in her revenge is.]

[Rewards: Unknown]

[Difficulty: Legendary]

[Note: The great difficulty of this quest is the goals that Sally has set in revenge. If they weren't so great, then the difficulty wouldn't be so high.]

The new objective explains that Sally is the one doing this quest. I'm just going to be helping her, and that's perfectly fine with me. She must need this to do all the planning and plotting by herself. She knows her enemies better than I would, so all I have to do is ask once we are done with the Dryads. "I can never know what you went through, but I'll do my damndest to understand. A painful life like yours should never happen..." I speak aloud again as I think about the information Sally has told me. Come first light. We'll be heading for that city again. This time I won't be hiding. I wonder what the experience will be like...