Chapter 199: Meeting Up With The Crew II

I make my way out of the tent as Sally continues to sleep. I look in the direction of the setting sun and sit down on a log. The more I think about the next step, the more I realize how much lies beyond the horizon. Once the Dryads are free, the state of Gaia will change, and not to mention the current war with monsters, right now. I bet many players have reached the level to participate in the war and are doing so. There is The Old God's and whatever they are planning. Who knows when that storm comes. The future is undetermined, and it's safe to say that it's futile to try and predict it. I lower my head and stare at the ground. When everything with the Dryads is finished, it'll be time to help Sally. So I probably won't be able to visit Amelia in Zenith. I pull up Sally's quest to read it again.

[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.][In Progress]

[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.]

Sally is going to need my help on this, facing the men who did what they did. It won't be easy, so I'll be there to lean on if she needs me. After a couple of minutes, I hear shuffling from the tent, and Sally comes out. She smiles at me and walks over. She sits next to me on the log and rests her head on my shoulder. "What's on your mind? You have that look on your face. The one that tells me you are thinking about something really important." I didn't even know I had a look like that. I contemplate if I should talk to her about what we are going to do about her revenge. "The sunset is really beautiful... There was a time in my life I only dreamed I could have something like this... A life..." She is tugging on my heartstrings pretty hard, and my desire to help her grows even more.

I lean back on her, and I take a small breath. "I was thinking about our first step once we free the Dryads. Since we'll be getting revenge for what happened to you, we'll need a plan to take on a royal family as powerful and influential as the elves. I also have a favor to ask..." She looks at me, waiting for me to continue. "I'd like to stop by Zenith after we are done with the Dryads. Amelia is there, and I'd like to see her after all this time." She smiles and nods her head. So the plan is to free the Dryads, visit Amelia in Zenith, and plan Sally's revenge. I'm excited about what The Dice of Wayland do. They are supposed to be important to whatever the future holds. I open the quest about the heist, so I can review the information again.

[Heist of Bellvia's treasure vault]

[Description: Break into Bellvia's treasure vaults and retrieve The Dice of Wayland.]

[Objective 1: Once in Bellvia, find a group that can help you pull off the heist.][Completed]

[Objective 2: Meet at the location and retrieve The Dice of Wayland from the Crew.][In Progress]

[Difficulty: Legendary]

[Rewards: Anything you can take from the vaults other than The Dice of Wayland.]

The plan went off without a hitch too. I got the information to free the Dryads. I finished the quest An Abomination. The amount that we have gotten done shows that everything and anything can be done if you put in the work and make smart decisions. "Mind answering a question for me too?" I nod my head and wait for her to ask. "I'm curious about your sword... I've come to learn it's very special, but that's about it. I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but it's truly a beautiful work of art." I laugh a little at her words. Most would say it's very intimidating for a sword. It affects people, and that usually causes people to keep their distance once it comes out of its sheath. I stand up and draw it from its sheath.

I hold the handle out for Sally to grab it. She does, and I let go. The same thing that happened to Hailey happens to Sally. It drags her to the ground like a ton of bricks and squishes her fingers. "Pick it up, you dummy! It's crushing my fingers!" I do as she asks, and I lift it and take it in a single hand. "You must be crazy strong if you can even lift that thing... It wouldn't even budge when I used all my strength to lift it." That's because it's bound to me, and it's very attached to me. "Where did you even find that thing? I've heard you call it The Witness. That's all I've come to learn, though." I take a breath preparing the story for her. She will enjoy the early times of me chasing power and enjoy the struggles I've had so far.

I relax and begin to speak. "It's a legendary sword that used to belong to the Sword Saint Monrell. I completed his trial, and this was the reward. It has a very rich history. I would tell you what I know about the blade, but there isn't enough time for the full story. We should get a move on to the meeting location since it's starting to get dark." She nods her head, and I sheath my sword. I walk over to the tent and pack it up, and put it in my inventory. The location we are meeting the crew is an old abandon mine several miles from the city. It'll take less than a minute to get there at full speed, but I'd like to go slow today. Hence why we are leaving early. I toggle my wings on, and I kneel on the ground so that Sally can climb onto my back.

[World-wide Announcement: The City of Bellvia is chaos! Not only has The Son of Arch-Angel Michael, Zern, visited the city and healed many sick people along with the brutal murder of nobles! In addition, the treasure vault has been robbed of many valuable items! Not only that, but the Palace in Bellvia was holding fugitives, and they were found dead in their rooms after Zern left the Palace!]

[World Mission: Bellvia is offering a 10 million gold bounty to any information of the mysterious robbers!]

[World Mission: The church of the dark ones has offered a huge increase to all their rewards for the capture of Zern and delivery to them!]

As Sally settles in, a world announcement goes off. It looks like everything is starting to come out. Once the Dryads are free, even more heat will be coming Bellvia's way, and nothing can stop that. "Let's get a move on. I'll be flying us at a slower speed today. It'll be about an hour before we get to the meeting site, and let's enjoy the opportunity for a slow trip." I'll admit that I have grown a little tired of flying at full speed. Sally nods her head, and now that she is all settled in, I flex my wings and launch off the ground. I reach the clouds and slow down to around 30 mph. Sally snuggles close and relaxes on my back. I look down at the passing dark forest, and the night sky is just starting to pop out. 

Sally hums a little melody, and it relaxes me. We both couldn't care less about the world announcement. The relationship we have developed means a lot to me, and I'm not a mushy guy. I find open expressions of love very difficult to do, and that is something that I'm working on. It helps that Sally is similar in this regard. We are both coming to the new dynamic that has entered our lives with caution and taking time. While we have been intimate, it hasn't been insane. It has been within comfortable boundaries for both of us, and that means something. I don't know why Sally feels so right for me, but I'm not going to question it. It is what it is. The heart want's what it wants. All that I've come to understand about Sally is amazing in my eyes.

Someone so special and unique, as well as strong-willed and willing to trust even after what she has been through. I look forward to the idea of spending my foreseeable future with her, and I think she might even feel the same way about me.