Chapter 789 Camping
?The road back to the Kingdom of Tretidian was quieter than Kaizen's group had expected. Unlike the day they went to the Kingdom of Mibothen, the road was not in chaos, nor was there a fire on the borders. On the contrary, people were happy and nostalgic.
'This event was definitely a milestone...' Kaizen thought as a group of players on the side of the road waved to them.
Of course, Kaizen returned the gesture, and a few seconds later the players lost sight of the carriage on the winding forest road.
Even though there were no people traveling to Tretidian, there were still many people traveling to Mibothen. There was a lot of work and service, and therefore money waiting.
On that late afternoon of Rise Online, the sun's rays were beginning to dance among the leaves of the trees on the road that snaked through the forest. Kaizen watched the peaceful landscape from the carriage window, lost in thought. The memory of the event in Mibothen still echoed in his mind, even almost two weeks later, except that contrary to what he and Bloody Lily had expected, those two weeks had been peaceful. No Evolved or God confronted them. Everything was peaceful and everyone was feeling it, because he could see it in the eyes of the companions next to him - the mage Alina, Andrew, Xisrith, everyone. Updated from novelbIn.(c)om
A cool breeze caressed Kaizen's face, which almost made him fall asleep.
The carriage rattled gently over the stones in the path as the group moved forward. If they kept up this pace, it would only take a few more hours to get home.
Alina, who was sitting next to Kaizen, looked at him with a quiet smile. "You seem calmer than usual," she commented, her eyes fixed on him.
Kaizen was surprised. "What do you mean?"
"Um..." She put a finger to her lips, thinking. "The impression I had recently was that you were anxious about something, apprehensive in a way. A goal perhaps? Or were your instincts telling you that something like what happened in Mibothen was going to happen? I don't know, but it seems to me that that black cloud over your head disappeared after you returned from the Capital."
Her analysis made Kaizen smile. It was impressive that she, an NPC, had realized how apprehensive he was to reach level 200 as quickly as possible.
"I will neither agree nor disagree." He said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, as if he was ready to go to sleep.
While they were talking, the carriage began to slow down, approaching a sunny clearing, and with a jolt the carriage came to a complete stop.
"Guys, Blackcloud's a bit tired and it's getting dark, shall we stop here and set up camp?" Og'tharoz asked.
Kaizen looked at the others and they nodded. Stopping now and waiting for dawn meant that they would have to spend the night playing or log on early to complete the journey.
"Yaw!" Xisrith stretched. "It's good to stretch my legs at last... I wonder if there are any monsters around."
"I'm dying for some fresh meat and not this inventory meat, so let's hope so," said Andrew.
Xisrith remained calm and asked directly:
"And what do you intend to do? Go to hell to get your beloved's soul and come back?"
"No, I'm not an idiot. I know that if I tried that, I'd end up dead. The only thing I can do is offer myself as tribute to Surtr, try to redeem myself. He needs officials to run hell, otherwise Muspelheim will become chaos, and that might be the only situation in which he would take me back."
"That would mean that you..." Andrew was about to speak, and Alina complemented him.
"You'd be trapped forever, or worse, you could become a victim of his." The sorceress said, looking into the fire.
Og'tharoz nodded. "In either case, my wife would finally have peace. If I die, he will no longer have any reason to torture her. If I work for him, she can be spared. And if I become his victim, I'll be the focus of his anger, which will make Luna no longer the target."
"Or Surtr could torture her in front of you, making you both suffer twice as much..." Kaizen said, looking Og'tharoz in the eye. "That possibility crossed your mind too, right?"
Og'tharoz, trying to remain calm, nodded in agreement. "I know, but what choice do I have?"
The clearing was immersed in a heavy silence after Og'tharoz's words.
Kaizen stared at Og'tharoz, pondering the words he had just heard. His thoughts raged as he searched for a solution to the demon's dilemma. Finally, he stood up, breaking the tense silence.
"Og'tharoz, I know you believe there is no other option but to surrender to Surtr. But what if I told you there was an alternative? A way to confront Surtr and save your wife, without having to surrender completely to hell?" Kaizen suggested, maintaining a serious but determined tone.
Og'tharoz's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you suggesting, Kaizen? Nothing in hell is simple, and facing Surtr is practically a death sentence."
Kaizen paused dramatically before revealing his plan. "If we take on Surtr as a group, we might have a real chance of winning. Besides, if he's so busy trying to subdue all of us, it'll give him the opportunity to rescue his wife."
The group around the campfire looked at each other, absorbing Kaizen's words. Og'tharoz, initially skeptical, began to consider the proposal. A spark of hope shone in his eyes as he imagined the possibility of not having to face Surtr alone.
"Kaizen, you're suggesting that we all face a hell lord as if it were something easy..." said Xisrith, almost laughing. "Ouch, but I'm up for it."
"Face the devil? I'm in!" Andrew said and stood up.
"I've never been to another world. I think I'll enjoy the trip." Alina agreed.
Jayaa, the bard, played a soft note on his lute. "Imagine the songs an adventure like that could generate! I'm going too, of course!"
Kaizen looked at Og'tharoz seriously. "So, Og'tharoz, what do you say?"