Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest
chapter-706

As Elayne and her friends found out the truth behind the Divine Hephaestus Forge and decided to challenge the System itself to accomplish the impossible and obtain an item capable of imbuing enough power into the Forge so it could work again, Angelina's party wandered the streets of the Luminous Kingdom's Capital, the night sun slowly descending from the horizon as the night was already about to enshroud the skies with its gentle veil of darkness and stars.

"We've been asking around for a while now, but nothing yet, nya… This is hopeless, without Elayne's help, I doubt we'll be able to find many clues without barging inside of places that might get us banned." Anikitty sighed.

"We have already asked around most Guilds, and even some nobles we encountered…" Gandalf sighed. "Yet we still can't find any more clues about the Sect of the Demon King of Miasma. Just what are we missing?"

Angelina stopped walking as she sighed, rubbing her chin, and then glancing into the sky.

"From what we've investigated, the Cult's latest whereabouts were the Southwest Sewers, but we've already explored that place and even fought some Zombies that some of the unfortunate Cultists ended turning into." Sighed Angelina. "But that was days ago, we haven't been able to find clues about where they could be at all. And how they're infiltrating this city exactly."

"It's not like they'll openly reveal themselves either, or we've run out of clues because our informant only knew the most basic info." Said Erdrich. "What do you think, Julius? You've been hanging around with us for a while."

"Hm? Oh, I can feel the presence of the Demon King of Death here for a while." Said the skeleton. "Anyways, now that I've registered in the merchant guild, maybe I should try-"

"Wait, WHAT?"

The rest of Angelina's party was shaken the moment the small skeleton merchant spoke those revealing words, their hearts began beating rapidly as they realized things weren't as they looked like.

"He's here? His forces? Someone?" Angelina asked.

"Hm, I can't tell completely." Said Julius, rubbing his bony chin. "But I can sense his presence, the Necrotic Energies, all over the city. Humans seem incapable of smelling it I guess…"

"So that means that bastard's here, or his subordinates, nya." Anikitty wondered. "Does this means… Could the Cult be working with them?"

"That's…" Angelina muttered, suddenly noticing something, presences were slowly approaching, they were following them. "Who's there?!"

She summoned her spear of light and pointed it towards the dark alley behind them. Silence was the only thing that greeted their surprise, as all four of them glanced at one another.

The shadows remained still, perhaps too still, Angelina's eyes shone brightly... However, the presences she felt quickly disappeared, as if they were never there.

"It's gone…" Angelina muttered. "Just what's going on?"

"It's not gone." Julius empty eyes glowed with bright blue phantasmal flames. "There!"

Suddenly, he summoned a spear made of bones and fired it to the left, the spear hit the walls, or something in the walls, as the shadows suddenly materialized into the shape of a shrieking, amorphous beast!

"GRYYEEEH!"

It had a slightly humanoid shape, made completely out of black miasmic liquid, with a spiraling, red eye on its bald head, and sharp fangs and claws.

The beast groaned in agony, taking out the spear of bones on its back as black blood started to splatter out, glaring furiously at everyone else, as dozens of more of these beasts suddenly emerged from the shadows!

"W-What the…?!" Anikitty cried in shock.

"Monsters?! But there shouldn't be monsters inside the city, no?" Angelina muttered, stepping back as she quickly gathered her Aura to unleash light.

"Hmph, to think that little skeleton would find us out…" Suddenly, the figure of a tall man wearing black robes emerged from within the shadows, his face wearing a black and red mask, similar to the heads of the creatures. "Oh well, you guys are looking for "clues" a bit too hard… The higher ups told me to get rid of you."

"What?! The higher ups?" Angelina asked angrily. "You…. So you're a member of the Cult, huh? Even if you manage to kill us, we're Players, we will simply come back eventually!"

"Oh yeah?" Laughed the masked man. "I wonder if that's possible after I seal your souls in place… You'll take a while to revive, hehehe… Days, even weeks."

The man suddenly showed them his right arm, which was completely pitch black, made of a slimy, miasmic substance, and filled with spiral-shaped red eyes, overflowing with a black flame aura that then shaped into phantasmal chains.

Whatever he was, it wasn't just a normal lackey… And the powers he possessed were both similar to the Demon King of Miasma and also… of the Demon King of Death!

"A Special NPC that can make our revival time take much longer?!" Angelina thought. "Heh, the Developers really went out of their way with this secret event…"

Usually, when killed by a monster or an enemy NPC, and if there's no further penalties, a Player can take up to 24 hours to revive. The higher their level, the longer it takes. For Level 200+ player, it can range from ten to twelve hours.

"Well, it wouldn't be a World Quest without its amazing challenges anyways!" Anikitty smiled defiantly, summoning her staff.

"Well, well, a fight in the middle of the city? Oi, isn't this against the rules though?" Erdrich laughed, summoning a huge scythe made of bones, his shadows spreading and bringing out skeletons of all shapes and sizes.

"We're Level 200 Players, good sir." Gandalf summoned his Staff, elemental energies synergizing around his body. "We're not going down easily."

"It's not like I'm any weaker…" The masked man laughed, as the Party quickly noticed his Level…

The number 2 was followed by 5 and 0…

"Level 250…?!" Angelina smiled. "Hoh, not bad… This is going to be quite the challenge! I'm pumped up now!" Her wings spread out.

"Hahh… You really don't know when to give up, huh? You're all surrounded, fools." Laughed the masked man. "And so will be your friends, as we take down that pitiful forge out of the map tonight~"

"What did you said, nya?!" Anikitty cried.