Chapter 17: Ch 17: Insane Whims

Chapter 17: Ch 17: Insane Whims [Main Quest: Kill Cassius Valtoria] ’Huh?’ Adrian’s eyes almost popped out of his sockets as he read it. He re-read it again hoping to find something else. But nope, the three words which stood, deeply etched on the screen remained. To Adrian those words were no less cursed than a Shattered being of Titan. Cassius Valtoria. The Emperor of the Valtoria Empire. He is not just one of the strongest humans to exist in this Eastern Hemisphere but also one of the few Elites. All living organisms followed a common pathway when it came to ascension. The Power Surge. If described in simple words, an infant would start from lvl 0. As they grew up, they could start leveling till lvl 256. These levels were just measure of their well-being. Meaning it was a sum of one’s physical fitness as well their emotional state. As they reach the peak of lvl 256, they gain the chance to cross the threshold and enter the Elite Stage. A stage where one’s powers grew so exponentially that even the combined strength of a huge number of mortals wouldn’t be able to put them down. And Cassius Valtoria? He was at Elite lvl 2. Creating even one level in Elite stage was like climbing a shallow slope with a smooth surface, but without any equipments. The experience was daunting and at times took several lifetimes to cross one Elite level. In simple words... "Kill an Elite? Heck, even at my prime I was only at lvl 233. The difference between us is massively insane." "Care to explain this insanity, ma’am?" He inquired. In response he was only met with a dry chuckle. "It’s your mission. Do complete it, your life is precious afterall." Then she added, "Alright, I have explained it all to you. Bye bye." Saying that, she abruptly disappeared, her presence gone like a flicker of fire blown out. Adrian stared blankly at the empty space around him. He liked being lonely but now he would have shamelessly preferred a company...maybe someone strong enough to deal with the Valtoria bastard. He looked at his screen again, mainly the quests. His eyes however propped up towards the Skills section. Wind Breathing, Fire Breathing, Ether... basically all the 5 Breathing. Double Penetration. The skill section showed only those skills which he had performed under their gazes. ’So that means as I keep on displaying more skills of mine, they would start appearing on this screen.’ He already felt an incoming migrane from this farce. Clutching it to reduce the building pain in his forehead, he looked at the screen. There were three quests. The side quest was the easiest, especially since the players weren’t actually strong enough to hold him from assassinating them. The main quest was not possible with his current strength. It was obvious he had to hold it for now. "So I need to go back again." He sighed as he looked at the Time Limited Quest. Woodrock City was one of the central trade cities in all of the kingdom. Surrounded by the mountains at North and North-East and bordering the Great Forests to the East, it has the entire kingdom of Evenstar behind it. Before Trios was constructed, Woodrock served as the only border city in this region. Construction companies, building contractors, civil engineering firms; this city has it all. It was even known as the anvil that forged the Evenstar Kingdom. However, that’s not even the main attraction of this city. The majority of the city’s income generates from the mining firms due to the rich supplies of Aetherite in the Dawn mountains. Though the rumours surrounding the mountains were aweful... Aetherite -- the foundation of any weapons for mages. Industries built upon it never fail to produce success. Even the side businesses of this place, that is the hotels, restaurants and inns, have a massive annual income. Not wanting to waste any more time, Adrian started lifting the dead guards and laid them in a single row. They atleast deserved a proper burial rather than become the monthly ration of the wild. As he landed another guard and came across Housten’s body to lift him up, he was slightly taken aback. Housten was alive! His chest was still going up and down and his fingers twitched at times.His chest had a deep slash across it, which looked fatal to Adrian. He wasn’t any medical expert...he knew it very well he wouldn’t be able to save Housten. However, Adrian had seen immense potential in this guy. He was only 24 years old and at lvl 37, his fighting styles were impressive. It was no joke whem compared to the world’s standards. With even proper training, Adrian knew that the guy could be one his greatest allies. ’Loyalty, bravery, courage, determination to work hard and see through it...this guy is the epitome of sincerity in a way.’ Making up his mind, he walked over a little distance and called. "System, connect me to Evelyn." [~Ding~] [Connection in progress (⁠◔⁠‿⁠◔⁠)] It was just a guess on Adrian’s part. ’I mean she must have made sure I have a way to contact her...that was obvious...And what’s with that smiling thing?’ [Calling me already?] Not wanting to waste his energy, he went straight to the point,"I need your help with something. You can name the price for it." [Of course you shall pay for it. That was never a question.] Adrian kept quiet, wanting to hear more. [Alright, here is the deal. You complete your main quest within 2 months in return for the help.] ’2 months?!’ Adrian almost choked blood. Here he was having trouble thinking of even defeating that Emperor and here she gave him a time limit now. However, he remained calm on the exterior, not wanting to carelessly say anything to her. Finally, he said, "Done. Now heal that guy." He said pointing his finger to Housten. [Well, well...you actually taking interest in someone. That’s new] "He can be a good ally in the future." He didn’t hide his intentions. Not like it was anything that required to be hidden. [Hmm alright... though this was the first and the last time you ask me for help. I won’t be helping you on anything in the near future.Unless i personally deign to share any information with you.] "Mm hmm, that’s good with me. The less I hear from you, the better my mental stability." [...]