Second World Novel

While Jack was thinking, Peniel asked him, “You know what you can get with this stone, right?”

Jack’s thought was still on the main quest, so he didn’t quite catch Peniel’s meaning.

Seeing Jack’s confused expression, she said, “This stone closes a portal. We got a portal in Themonium. We close that portal and we get…”

“The boundless cache!” Jack exclaimed while slapping his thigh.

“Yes! Let’s go, let’s go!” Jack said excitedly. With the boundless cache, he could increase Themisphere’s pace of improvement. He was very eager to go back to the upworld now.

“Go where?” Jack heard Yvok’s voice. The old satyr had returned.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just getting a little homesick,” Jack said.

“Then we shouldn’t make you wait longer. Our people are ready to move. I’m here to say goodbye,” Yvok said. He then gave Jack a deep bow. “Thank you, very much, mister Storm Wind. Although we can’t get Luna back, we gain the means that allow the two little nightmares to grow. That is the most important thing. For that, you have our utmost gratitude.”

“I truly don’t deserve it,” Jack said. He still felt bad about failing to save Luna.

“I want to reward you, but I’m unsure what is the proper thing to give you,” Yvok said.

“How about those hang gliders that Tenka and Yrin used?” Jack asked.

“Those gliders are precious to us. We no longer have a skilled blacksmith so we can’t produce more. However, I can give you the recipe if you want.”

“Oh? That is even better!” Jack uttered.

“Give me a moment,” he said and took out a piece of paper and pen from his small bag and started scribbling. After he was done, he gave the paper to Jack. Jack received it and used his Inspect.

*

Hang Glider recipe (Unique blacksmith recipe, for guild purposes only)

Allow the creation of a guild war tool: hang glider

*

“Yes! Our first war tool!” Jack exclaimed.

War tools were a very rare find. Even now, in Themisphere, only two guilds had war tools. The war fires from Crowd of Sins and the Caltrops from Gluttonous Despot.

Jack stored the recipe. Yvok went to Tenka and Yrin. The three had some heartful conversation. Jack gave them space. Yvok also said goodbye to Pandora and the two little nightmares. Afterward, Yvok said to Jack, “We are ready.”

Jack nodded. He climbed onto Pandora. Tenka and Yrin stood beside Sol and Fira. They formed a circle with Luna’s power orb in the center.

“Mister Storm Wind. Please, take care of them for me,” Yvok said.

“Don’t worry, I will. You stay safe as well,” Jack replied.

Pandora then started connecting with the power orb. The orb throbbed and its light intensified, turning into a small sun again. Flames then swirled from Pandora. These flames went to the orb and for a moment, they formed Luna’s image. Luna’s image looked affectionately at her two offspring. The two returned the gaze with a longing stare. The image then dispersed into flames again and flowed to Sol and Fira.

The flames blanketed them. They were as if wearing a layer of fiery suits.

Pandora neighed, seemingly guiding the two on what to do. Raging flames rose around all of them, circling them. The swirling flames became so dense that they couldn’t see what was outside.

It went on for some time. They couldn’t see outside, but Jack could sense the change around them, especially the mana. It turned lighter as time passed, less convoluted. So, when the raging flames around them dissipated, he already knew that they were in the upworld.

𝗇𝞸𝗏𝓔𝑙𝔫𝑒xt.𝒸𝗈𝓂

It was in the afternoon. The sun was still up in the sky. The two satyrs looked at the sky with mesmerized eyes. This was the first time they saw the blue sky, so Jack couldn’t blame them.

“This… This is the upworld? So bright…,” Tenka said.

“It’s beautiful…,” Yrin added.

The two nightmares also seemed excited. Luna’s power orb was floating above them, continued nourishing them.

Jack opened his map to study the place they were at. Pandora helped them cross through to Thereath region, but where they ended up was random.

After studying his map, he pointed in a direction. “That way,” He said. He was going to take them to Heavenly Citadel. He figured his guild headquarters would be the safest place for the satyrs and little nightmares to stay. He had sent Jeanny a short message informing her about the situation.

“It should be a few hours of travel,” Jack said. “Can Sol and Fira run?”

“They can, but not as fast as adult nightmares,” Yrin informed.

“We can carry them using our hang gliders,” Tenka said. Though the hang gliders were precious stock, Yvok had given some to them.

“Let’s do that. The faster we arrive, the better,” Jack said.

Tenka and Yrin activated their hang gliders. They then carried the little nightmares using one hand and operated the gliders using the other. Jack climbed onto Pandora who flew with speed adjusting to the hang gliders.

While flying, Jack contacted Wilted Tree to satisfy his earlier curiosity.

“What do you want?” Wilted sent a reply.

“So unfriendly. As if you are unhappy to hear from me,” Jack said.

“Cut the crap. Just get to the point. You always want to ask about something when you called.”

“You are not wrong. I am wondering. When you people design Second World, do you include a main quest for the game?”

“Of course, we include one. Which RPG games don’t have a main quest?”

“Okay. Mind telling me what’s the main quest.”

“As in any RPG game, the main quest is very long interconnecting quests. To summarize it. It’s about the players’ effort to prevent a cult that worships demons from unleashing the underworld force into the world. Failure to do so will result in the seven main countries being overrun by the underworld force, destroying everything in the process.”

“What happens if that failure happens?” Jack asked.

“The game ends and everything is reset. Every player will then have to start from the beginning again.”