[Welcome Back, Nyte]
[Last Save Point: Ashglass Outpost]
[Active Quest: Collapse of Day – Deliver the Unseelie Heart Shard]
[Server: Maintenance | Sync Stable | Session Ends in: 13hr 30min]
A soft voice piped up from behind him.
“You’re back! I was getting worried you forgot about me.”
Kaiden turned. Liri stood at the edge of the outpost fountain, her faint glow reflecting off the still water. Kaiden’s lips twitched into a smile. He reached over and ruffled her hair.
“Nah. I’d never. I said I’d bring you back home, didn’t I?”
Her expression softened. “Then let’s go soon. The Unseelie will start to forget me if we wait too long.”
“Yeah,” he murmured, petting her head. “Soon.”
Before he could say more, his HUD blinked with a private message notification.
[Private Message from Veyle]
“Wait… Kaiden? Is this you? I just saw your credentials from the server. I didn’t know you were Nyte. You’re the one with the Dusk Bringer class.”
Kaiden sighed. Those rumors were never going to die down.
“Yeah. It’s me. Just trying to do my own thing. Stay low.”
“Got it. Sorry. Just didn’t expect the viral mystery class guy to be you of all people. Um… side note, any chance I can ask a favor?”
“Go ahead.”
“I’ve got a quest I’ve been meaning to clear. Every time I join a random party, they drop me or complain I’m too slow with healing. I know I’m not grinding daily or anything, but I get to play a free game and get paid for watching the system while I do it, so, win-win, right?”
Kaiden smiled a little.
“Yeah. I get it. I was waiting for someone anyway. Hold on…”
[Friend List (Online): Mixmaster]
Location: Eastern Crafting Node | Status: Available
Kaiden opened his messages:
“Hey. Friend of mine in-game, Botanist. Asked if we could help with a quest. You in?”
“Chemist and Botanist? Sounds like we’ll be there for a while.”
“Eh, I'll wipe them quickly with Overflow.”
“True. Alright, I’ll be there.”
A shimmer of particles signaled Naō’s arrival beside him, a flask hanging lazily off one finger. “So where’s this Botanist of yours?”
[Friend Request – Veyle ? Nyte: ACCEPTED]
[Party Formed: Nyte (Lv. 14), Mixmaster (Lv. 10), Veyle (Lv. 8 – Botanist)]
Liri tilted her head as Kaiden’s HUD pulsed. “You’re bringing more people?”
“Just a quick quest,” he said, glancing her way. “Shouldn’t take long.”
The party menu flashed once in his HUD as Kaiden typed back:
“We’ll port over to him now.”
[Teleport – Confirmed: Withered Bloom Rise, Outer Path]
Ashglass faded into particles, replaced by the soft, sickly greens of Withered Bloom Rise. A region tangled in moss, brittle flora, and veiled fog. Strange fruit hanging with dim light along the branches overhead.
Kaiden landed near a moss-stained arch. Liri appeared beside him. A lone figure stood a few steps away, wrapped in layered robes. A staff rested across his back.
“Yo!” the Botanist waved. “Kaiden, well, I mean, Nyte, Thanks again for this.”
“Yeah, no problem,” Kaiden said, nodding.
The teleport shimmer pulsed again, and Naō materialized beside him. “Mixmaster,” he introduced with a grin. “I’m the one that tries to keep things from going horribly wrong.”
“Veyle,” Cam said. “Level eight. Mostly focused on status effects and passive regen auras. Not anything to ride home about, but I keep people upright… eventually.”
Naō chuckled. “So basically a patient healer. Good. We’ll need that when Kaiden forgets to watch his HP again.”
“Fun-ny,” Kaiden muttered, checking his HUD one more time.
Veyle glanced at Liri, blinking. “Oh. Cool, a familiar? Haven’t seen one of those around.”
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Kaiden nodded. “Kinda? She’s part of a hidden Unseelie quest line. Most of those are off-grid; they’re rumor content right now. Word is, they tie into greater-world events for the next expansion.”
Veyle’s eyes widened and whistled. “Nice. Hope I can get as lucky as you.”
Kaiden shrugged. “Trust me, you don’t want all my luck.”
A quest marker lit just beyond the tree line, pulsing like a heartbeat.
[New Party Objective Triggered “Where the Green Fails”]
Suggested Level: 10+ | Type: Exploration / Corruption Investigation
Naō chuckled. Kaiden checked his HUD one more time. “Alright, let's get this quest moving.”
???°?°???
The air inside Mycoth’s Depths clung thick and heavy in the air. Spores hung like fine dust, glowing faint green in the darkness.
[Zone Transition: Mycoth Depths | Remnant Tunnels]
Environmental Effect: Spore Density +30%
Visibility: Reduced | Passive HP Drain: -1 LP / 15s
Liri’s voice lowered to a hush. “It’s stirring.”
Naō wiped a film of residue off his sleeve. “Feels like we’re walking inside of a body that’s alive.”
“Welcome to Mycoth,” Kaiden muttered, gripping his scythe. “Stay sharp and watch your back.”
The sound of dripping water echoed in the air. A patch of dirt bulged ahead then split open.
Long stalks of translucent roots rose from the ground, ending in caps that snapped open like mouths.
[Enemy Encounter: Fungal Leech Caps ×3]
Type: Subterranean Parasite | Level: 11 | Weakness: Heat / Slash
Veyle raised his staff, voice uncertain. “Well, uh, I guess all I have to say for encouraging words: Just… stay alive?”
“Yeah, we got this,” Kaiden said, darting forward.
His scythe flared with power as he spun in a half circle, slicing through one of the bulbous stalks.
[-124 LP] [Stem cleared]
Black ichor splattered the ground. Naō followed up with a vial.
[Corrosive Draught Applied]
DEF -10% | DoT Active
The spores hissed as they hit acid. The air shimmered with heat.
Veyle spread his hands, roots unfurling from his staff.
[Skill: Bloom Vein Regrowth]
Effect: Restores 15% LP to nearby allies over 8 seconds.
Naō blinked. “Not bad. That’s better than I expected.”
“Still learning,” Veyle said, grimacing as one of the leeches lunged at him. Kaiden intercepted, kicking it back with a slice that turned the air into ripples of shadow-water.
[Critical! -182 LP] [Restored: +10% LP]
The last of the creatures shrieked and withered, folding in on itself like burnt paper.
[Battle Complete]
EXP Distributed: +320
Veyle: Level Up! (Lv. 9)
New Skill: Photosynthetic Surge – Gradually restores LP when allies stand in light zones.
Veyle whooped softly, eyes bright. “Okay, that’s worth the stress.”
Naō smirked. “Congratulations. You’re officially above tutorial level.”
Before Kaiden could reply, the tunnel opened wider, roots twisting to form a natural arch. Symbols were carved into the walls, glowing faint gold.
[Environmental Puzzle Triggered “Roots of Memory”]
Objective: Align the bioluminescent vines to open the inner chamber
Naō studied it, eyes narrowing. “Touch the wrong order, and we eat spore gas.”
“Good thing we have a botanist,” Kaiden said.
Veyle stepped up, brushing his fingers over the vines. The symbols pulsed when touched. “They react to the order of light intensity… like photosynthetic wavelength prioritization.”
Kaiden stared and snorted. “Ain’t no way that’s a thing. You just made that up.”
“Nope. Watch.” He tapped one vine, then another. The colors shifted from blue, green, and then gold.
[Sequence Recognized: Gate Opening]
The roots pulled back, groaning in tension then formed an open path.They stepped through, entering a cavern so large the fog thinned at the edges. Embedded in the far wall, was a figure they all recognized.
Belgrave.
The alchemist’s form was half-human, half-root. His chest pulsed faintly with green light, eyes open but distant.
Veyle froze. “That’s him. My quest NPC.”
Kaiden tensed, remembering the last time. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “We’ve seen him before.”
[Quest Objective Complete: Collect Spore Samples from Belgrave]
[Reward: EXP +300] [Item: Bloom Catalyst]
Veyle carefully approached, using a vial to extract a glowing sample from one of the vines attached to Belgrave’s arm. The HUD blinked.
[New Branch Objective: Speak with Belgrave]
Naō exhaled. “Figures. They recycled his quest line.”
Kaiden’s frown deepened. “Or it’s another instance of him.”
Belgrave’s eyes flickered to life. “More… travelers…” His tone was layered with a strange tone that wasn’t entirely ‘human’. “The cycle returns. But there are things we do not know.”
Veyle stepped forward. “You’re… Belgrave, right? You wanted this sample studied?”
Belgrave’s voice was almost gentle. “Yes. Take it… to the research halls beyond the Bloomveil border. To the gates that have not yet closed. Hollowmere Crossing. There… a friend waits.”
Kaiden pulled up his map. The destination marker blinked halfway across the continent.
Naō groaned. “That’s halfway to the Unseelie capital. Of course it is.”
Veyle didn’t hesitate. “Accepting anyway.”
[Quest Accepted: Belgrave’s Legacy “Deliver the Bloom Sample to Hollowmere Crossing”]
Belgrave’s glow dimmed. “Be swift… the sun is listening.”
They left the chamber in silence, stepping through the newly opened root gate.
[Quest Phase Complete]
[Mycoth Depths: Cleared]
As they ascended toward the surface, the spores began to thin. They headed through the western and eastern cities region, following the marker outside of the cities gates.
Kaiden stopped just outside the gate.
A figure stood at the exit. A man in weathered mercenary gear, blade on his back, mask covering his jaw. His tag shimmered in red above his head:
[Enemy Encounter: ?? – Mercenary of the Gilded Bloom]
Level: 15 | Type: Human (Player-Controlled NPC)
Objective: Terminate or Capture Unseelie Entity
Target: Liri
The world slowed for a second.
Kaiden’s HUD had a new alert:
[Quest Triggered: Protect Liri (Timed)]
Liri stepped behind him, trembling. “Nyte… he’s looking at me.”
Veyle’s voice shook. “Uh, what’s happening? This wasn’t in my quest—”
“Doesn’t matter,” Kaiden said, drawing his scythe. “Protect Liri. Keep her HP full.”
The mercenary unsheathed his weapon, its edge dripping black-green ichor. His voice was calm. “Orders are orders. The Unseelie fragment dies here.”
[Boss Encounter: Corrupted Mercenary (Lv.15)]
Traits: Solar Venom / Precision Strike / Shadow Immunity
“Naō!”
“Already on it.”
“Veyle, barrier now!”
“I—I don’t have a barrier spell yet!” Veyle stammered.
“Then improvise!” Kaiden yelled back, launching forward. His scythe collided with the mercenary’s blade, light exploding between them.
Damage counters filled the screen.
[-74 LP | Counter Hit -118 LP]
The mercenary smirked behind his mask. “Your stats are impressive… for a Seelie betrayer.”
Kaiden’s eyes narrowed. “Guess you'll see up close and personal that power.”
