"Oh, great! With a top player like you, we might actually have a shot at this quest. I'm FreshwindElara. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Stonehaven."
FreshwindElara let out a soft laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Stonehaven. It's quite a mouthful. Why not just 'Stone'? It's a lot less formal."
"..." Marcus was at a loss for words.
"I just got a quest from some 'Stone Elder,' and now I run into you, Stonehaven. It's a regular stone convention around here."
"A Stone Elder? What's that?"
"Come on, I'll show you."
Marcus followed FreshwindElara, cutting down the red-maned lions they encountered with ease. The beasts were little more than experience fodder.
"This is him. The Stone Elder."
FreshwindElara pointed toward a moss-covered statue of an old man nestled between the roots of a massive tree.
"A quest from a statue?" Marcus asked, skepticism dripping from his words.
"Hey there," Marcus tried, addressing the stone figure. As expected, it offered no reply.
"He told me he was frozen by a petrification curse," FreshwindElara explained. "To break it, we need to find something called Cloud Root Water in a Bat Cave up ahead. He said it took him fifty years to learn how to speak for just three minutes, and he used it all up talking to me. He's mute now."
"Right. So, the Bat Cave it is, then."
"Yeah, but I have no idea where it is. I was still looking when that lion decided I looked like lunch."
"I know the way. Follow me."
Marcus consulted Silas the wanderer's map. It showed the Bat Cave at the stream's headwaters; a place marked as dark and infested with bats.
"You know… maybe we should just skip this one," FreshwindElara said, her voice small as she stared into the cave's pitch-black maw. A low, chittering noise echoed from within, and she shivered, visibly hesitant.
"It'll be fine. You're with me." Marcus wasn't about to pass up a Hidden Quest.
"But…"
"Seriously, don't worry. Just stay close."
"Okay."
Seeing the resolve in his eyes, FreshwindElara relented. She cast a Power Buff and a Defense Buff on him, then stuck to his side as they stepped into the darkness.
Some instinct told her she could trust this Knight. He seemed solid, reliable. Under any other circumstances, she would never have followed a stranger into such a creepy place.
Inside, Level 20 bats immediately swarmed them, but they were dispatched so quickly they barely registered as threats.
"Stone, what level are these things? They're barely touching you."
FreshwindElara stared, astonished, as damage numbers like -20 and -30 popped up above Marcus's head. She found herself with nothing to do; the Heal spell she had ready was completely useless.
'Ugh, not this again. Why does everyone default to 'Stone'? Is Stonehaven that bad? I should've just gone with 'Rock' and been done with it,' Marcus grumbled inwardly.
"I'm a Knight. Defense is the whole point," he said, keeping his explanation simple.
"Right," FreshwindElara replied, though she thought, 'I'm not stupid.' Knights were supposed to be tough, but this was something else. His raw attack power seemed higher than her brother's, and he was a pure Warrior.
Since Stonehaven clearly wasn't going to elaborate, the clever part of her knew not to push it, though a small, unfamiliar pang of disappointment settled in her chest.
As they delved deeper, Marcus and FreshwindElara kept up a light chatter. The cave grew darker and drier, and Elara instinctively closed the distance between them. A faint, clean scent, like rain on fresh leaves, wafted from her, cutting through the cave's musty air.
'What is that? It smells… really nice.' The subtle fragrance from her was both distracting and oddly focusing.
They carved a path through the territory of Level 25 giant bats without slowing down. It wasn't until they reached the Level 28 Dark Bats that Marcus began to feel a slight strain. Now, however, FreshwindElara truly came into her own, her Heal spells landing on him consistently, letting him fight with abandon.
By now, FreshwindElara was utterly convinced of Marcus's strength. As long as she was near him, she was safe. Standing in this man's shadow felt incredibly secure and, somehow, warm. A feeling of reliance began to bloom within her.
She watched the fluid, powerful way he moved with a budding sense of pride. Seeing him cleave through the annoying bats with a few efficient strikes filled her with a quiet joy. All the hesitation and fear she'd felt at the cave entrance was gone, replaced by the thrill of her first real adventure with… a man.
The oppressive darkness of the Bat Cave suddenly felt bright, warm, and comforting, all because he was in it. She found herself casting Heal a little more often than strictly necessary, discovering it was the easiest way to feel connected to him.
To just keep walking like this, always standing behind this man's back… The thought was a comforting one.
After clearing the last cluster of Dark Bats, they neared the cave's end. A soft, greenish glow flickering from a recess in the wall caught both their eyes.
"What's that? Let's take a look. Stay right with me. Careful now."
"Okay," FreshwindElara whispered, pressing close. Seeing her entrust her safety to him so completely sent a surge of masculine pride through Marcus's veins.
They reached a small alcove where about a shot glass's worth of clear, green-tinged water shimmered. This had to be the Cloud Root Water.
Screech!
Just as they were about to celebrate, a deafening shriek ripped through the cavern. A massive, golden bat, taller than a man, materialized from the shadows and dove straight for them.
"Get back!"
In one fluid motion, Marcus yanked FreshwindElara behind him, activated his Knight's Shield Guard, and used Insight on the monstrous creature.
Dark Gold Bat King: Level 33 Silver BOSS. Health 6000. A Dark Bat that consumed Cloud Root Water, possessing extreme Agility.
Skills: Blood Drain (10% of damage converted to Health), Bat Cloud Form (doubles speed), Bat Sonic Attack (Area of Effect damage with Stun effect).
'A Silver BOSS! Now we're talking.'
Marcus swiftly swapped his generic sword for the Skeleton Blade and launched his assault.
Miss! Miss! -300!
'Damn it!' This Dark Gold Bat King was a physical class's nightmare. Its Agility was off the charts. Marcus's own Agility was already on par with a Level 30 Assassin, even without his high Luck stat factoring in. The fact that he was missing so much was a testament to the bat's absurd speed.
-120! Miss! Miss! -100! -150! Miss!
Still, Marcus was holding his ground. His passive skill, Phantom Body, which granted moments of physical immunity, combined with the Dodge and immunity from his artifact, the Shadow Cloak of the Dark Spirit, was paying dividends. Most of the Bat King's furious physical swipes simply passed through him. Yet, the creature's attack speed was so blindingly fast that for every three hits Marcus landed, it managed to score six of its own.
"Oh my god!"
FreshwindElara couldn't stifle her gasp as she watched the flurry of numbers. It made sense for a Knight to miss a fast opponent, but why were the Bat King's attacks missing so often? The math wasn't adding up, but seeing Marcus's health bar dip, she pushed her confusion aside and focused, pouring Heals into him to keep him standing.
"Heads up!"
The Dark Gold Bat King suddenly beat its wings, opened its maw, and unleashed a visible wave of black energy that rippled toward them in expanding circles. The Bat Sonic Attack.