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Volume 4

Chapter 43: An Epilogue or Two

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For the next few breaths' time, no one was able to react as they all watched how 'Siva' seems to have lost his self and began to fall to the lands below.

Miraculously, the first to react was the one that was formerly sealed down below.

It was The Predator.

When Cedric died, he was the first to notice that the ethereal chains that bound him to the place had vanished.

He emerged from his solitary cell as he took a step. From there, he vanished and he next emerged almost just below the falling Siva.

"Catch him!" a voice yelled. It was Hagrid as just as he was about to take a step, he felt his body froze and the Howling Tiger Armor he wore began to shatter in countless specks of light.

He himself staggered behind and just watched as his subordinates all jumped together towards Siva while Raven aimed at the incomparably fast Predator.

The two of them clashed, speed versus agility.

Of course, no matter how fast Raven may have been against the members of other guilds, The Predator was still the fastest player ever known.

In the air, even if it's just temporary, a unique skill given to someone who can move beyond the limits of a Terran body enabled The Predator to seemingly step on the intangible air.

He played with Raven who tried to stop him from getting that 'body'. They were all thinking of the same thing.

Whoever gets to have him can get the rarest quest in the game... the one connected to the main story!

Grand Quest!

Be it they take him captive, or even as far as force him, as it was a quest connected to the main plot of the game, it will still bring them enormous benefits just being there around him when the game itself creates circumstances to force the story quest to move forward.

That is how RPG: Terroa works!

After all, not many knew that the story of this game revolves around the actions of its players.

If the one to launch the Grand Quest is someone that knows this fact, then after this Grand Quest, a new chapter will open in the game and this will open up another opportunity to not only earn money but also earn fame.

Thus, the game never really ends and only goes on to entice its players to live in it.

Also, for one reason or another, the quest engine that runs the world had gone berserk, giving away quests and missions that forces players to either fight each other out for them to move or forces them to work together to move the story forward.

Either way, the mission is still solved and the players involved gains many benefits.

Disregarding the items alone, for a game as grand as RPG: Terroa and with its story involving Gods and Mortals alike... just thinking about the gains from the cons is still a win, if not for experience.

All the more if the rewards involved at least a hundred extra stat points!

Players may not be able to add these stat points to their Combat Stats, but just adding them all up to their 'Weight Limits' stat alone were enough to make a weak player a superpower; carrying heavy weapons and armor equipment like they were mere feathers.

Of course, with this enticement, forget about 'Siva' being a player, more or less an NPC, the enticement of glory awaits whoever gets to him first and escapes this crowd!

Currently, the parties that were after him were Hagrid and his men, The Predator, the passengers of The Archangel...and the group that escaped from the arena and is now rushing forth towards them with haste.

"He's my prey!" roared The Predator and with it, he pushed Raven's hand outwards and delivered a vicious kick that almost took all of the latter's life.

He crashed down with a bang towards one of the Green Wyvern that's being controlled by the woman while he used the red one's attack to stabilize his footing and launch another leap.

Apparently, Thorn and Volt was already there and their teamwork was surprisingly accurate enough that they repelled four arena prisoners at the same time.

Cassiopeia was locked between three men who wholeheartedly forgot about Siva and only saw the delicious meat teaser in their midst.

"Master!" Cassiopeia's passionate call seems to entice the three even further and they all launched towards her at the same time. "Get out of my way!"

Samara and FlowerLord were locked down by Hagrid's henchmen while Hagrid himself was still stunned from the stress of using high-end gears.

All Hagrid could do now is just look up and grit his teeth in regret.

Siva remained unconscious, falling towards the ground head first. His expression is placid as he seems to be trapped in a dream. As he passed through the low orbiting clouds and headed straight to the devastated city, his body's free fall had no indication of going to stop.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Blue Card Legion, in a room that was decorated for a girl's tastes, Scion's eyes twitched as she slowly opened them... where in all respect, where the light of a mortal was once there, now has a glitter that says she wasn't.

This is because the MOD she got from Hanna seems to have bound itself into her. Even without any equipment for it to latch into. It was as if she herself was the object that which it lacks.

When she finally opened her eyes, she sat up, looked up towards the window, and then gently whispered...

"Rex..."

On the other side of the world, a gentle voice echoed, the wind carried it like a call for awakening.

"Hurry!" Hagrid's body was shaking.

All his will was put into cancelling the stun time that he had to endure. A minute's time seemed too long.

He could see a countdown on his vision and it was only three seconds more.

Now it's only two.

The calling voice reached Siva's ears and his eyes jerked as they gently opened. Confused, he tried to feel for his surroundings. He felt the wind battering his body, a feeling of free fall immediately hugged his mind.

He moved his fingers on his hands and feet, then he breathed air and knew that he was alive and was still in the game...

No.

For some reason, he felt like he was in a world more real than his reality on the other side where he knew and remembered that he was still in his bed with the Virtual Reality Drive working alongside his breathing.

When he thought of this, he tried to spread his senses and could distinctly feel sharp pinching gazes that gave him the impression that he was in the middle of something... big.

One second's up and Hagrid launched one kick after another, accelerating him, launching himself towards Siva like a land-based torpedo that it even surpassed the speed that The Predator was able to make as of the moment.

Hagrid's shadow reached the same level as The Predator and they were just a meter away from Siva.

Right at that moment, Siva turned his head and looked at them.

Both men's eyes widened in shock...

He was awake? They both thought.

Siva's blank eyes now had life as his body moved faster than they could catch up to.

One moment and The Predator's and Hagrid's hands were about to catch him and on the next, Siva's hands moved and dodged them like free flowing water going through a forest of rocks.

Siva used the gap and the uncoordinated movements between the two as he slid himself past them and kicked them at their backs.

Even Siva himself found it surprising. Without processing his movements, his reflexes are being led to do the most basic yet the best actions to do. He thought back to that time in the War of two Powers... because that was the first time he had felt this nostalgic familiar feeling as if he knew every detail of everything around him. It was this feeling of complete awareness!

Siva propelled himself as they were used as stepping stones... towards Raven who was just trying to recover from being smacked down by The Predator earlier.

Everything happened in just a span of a breath.

Siva's movements were so bizarrely fast that he seems to practically teleport his way from the two superpowers of the north towards Raven who was about 50m away.

When Raven looked up to him, he couldn't help opening his mouth and utter only an empty air because right now, Siva's shadow in front of him was still entangled with that awe-inspiring figure of 'Mefisto' earlier.

Siva spent a moment looming over the frightened Raven as he stretch his hands out, summoning a black and golden pair of guns.

"I'm taking back my items." Siva said calmly as he pulls the trigger over and over, clobbering the player's face and body like a honeycomb with all the rounds in the cartridge of his gun.

After a few seconds of satisfying his former fury of being robbed, and now even gaining a few items which he ignored for now, he turned around and looked over the surprised gazes of everyone present. At that moment, time seemed to have stopped. One breath was stolen from them, they all gasped at the sight.

It is most especially to Hagrid who couldn't still recover from the shock.

Because just as they saw that Siva 'seemed' to have used his signature move that lets him escape danger with a spark... and yet he clearly didn't, his body now is slowly being eaten away by the curse that made his name known.

Coming from his back, like a maw of a monster devouring its prey, the black smoke skin ate Siva and his body became covered with the black-grey smoke again.

The devouring curse only took three moments' time in its entirety. After it consumed Siva, he stood there, looking at the far horizons... towards the south... to the seas... as if hearing his name being called.

"Amanda?" Just as he called her name, he then felt that there was some sort of anomaly within him. It was at this moment that he felt that all of his senses are coming back to normal. And yet, as it did so, it was also accompanied by a sort of different feeling as well. He checked his palm and then looked at Hagrid, then back to his palm and then to the frozen crowd, pausing at the sight of FlowerLord who he clearly recognized from first glance. "Alice?"

When being called, FlowerLord roared. "You!–

"–you're the reason why she's here! What is happening to you?! Why did you suddenly disappeared?"

Siva seemed to blink although it couldn't be seen as so when all the spectators could see is his 'eyes' blackening and whitening again.

"I'm sorry." Siva replied and held his head with a hand before staggering backwards as it seems he was in pain of something. "I have to find Baron first. He's here. I have to go."

Siva's actions and words gave the impression as if he was distressed about that name. it was as if he was in a hurry to get away and get to where this 'Baron' person was.

Everyone heard it but they couldn't make up what was happening. Even only some of those from The Archangel could guess what he had meant with that. And when they heard it, all the more they were shocked.

Alice... FlowerLord, of all people, gaped in shock as she heard it. She was the only one in everyone else present who knew just how much Siva's words meant.

"H-How is that possible?"

"I have no time to explain. He's watching."

This part of Siva's words made Volt's eyes narrow. This was the part of his deal with the TOS guild that he hasn't told them yet. Only he and Samara knew just how much this part of his words implied to his circumstances.

When Siva finally got his items back, he waved his fingers like playing piano, pressing invisible buttons with extreme agility and precision, and swiped panel after panel in the air until his body was covered by the Flight Armor at the last press of a button. It only lasted about ten seconds of time!

With a BOOM, Siva jumped off and spun in midair, looking at northwest horizon before changing his equipment again to that of his gunner custom with a puff and a flash.

At this moment, he did not try to conserve all his extra stat points and put them all on his [we] (Weight Limits Stat) to exceed the limit of equipment he can carry outside his inventory.

He was about to move away from the place when he heard Hagrid asking in a shout:

"Who are you?"

Siva, hovered there and looked down at him.

He didn't answer and instead stepped in the air as he left a ring of wind after a boom, heading towards the direction of the central city and not the northwestern side of the horizons.

"Follow him!" Hagrid ordered as soon as he recovered from the surprise. At this time, all of his henchmen followed next to where Siva had rushed into while the escaped prisoners of the Underground Arena and The Predator himself was already hot on his trail.

On the far back were Thorn and Volt's groups and FlowerLord, frozen in shock –confused if she was to follow him or if she was to search for her friend.

"This is messed up..." she said in between gritted teeth as she herself flew towards the southern seas, back to The Archangel.

Volt and Thorn glanced at each other and then back to their groups.

"Samara, go back with Cassiopeia. Wait for us there." Volt said.

"What about you?" Samara was, of course, unwilling to let him follow because the fear that she felt from Mefisto and 'Siva' earlier was still there. And yet, she also knew that their friend, Dex –no, Rex Kingsley, also needs their help.

She and Volt already knew that for Rex, this is more than just a game from the very beginning so of course she, as a person and a friend, would not sit back either. And yet... there has to be someone else to be there to return to Hawkeye and Agatha.

Volt smiled at her with a shrug; "You know me." he said and jumped in the air leaving Samara looking at his departing figure wordlessly.

At the same time...

Thorn: "Loni, I leave the crew's safety to you. Work out the ship and the crew's needs with Fuma. We will follow Siva."

"Captain... what about... Hubert?" Cramer on the side spoke with layers of anger since Hubert was, after all, part of their crew and of their main force as well. His betrayal was a huge blow not only on their reputation but to the overall power of the Tower of Sol Guild.

Thorn could only grit his teeth and only looked at Volt who, just now, changed his gears to the Flight Armor as he jumped off to follow.

He faced the two, "I need to investigate more."

As he spoke, he also jumped off to follow the fleeting figure of Volt.

Cramer and Loni watched the two depart as he looked around them being the only figures left.

Even Hagrid's henchmen deliberately left them on their devices. For them, Siva and him being the key to the Grand Quest was of utmost importance.

Cassiopeia though wasn't obligated to follow Volt's commands, was, as of this moment, just a useless luggage for her master.

She wanted to follow but what can she do?

Unlike all these people who knew Siva from outside the game, it was just her one-sided affection that exists between him and her.

At this moment, when she looked around, the three escaped prisoners that she had clobbered earlier was still KOed in a heap.

She thought, "I have countless followers and I love it but as soon as I met him... this game had suddenly became more interesting..."

A passionate gaze was put to the direction that Siva flew off to and this did not escape the eyes of Samara who was tasked to take care of her. For some reason, although they were aware of her temperament and her 'one-sided' affection towards Siva that turned into a will that even allowed herself to be a 'special slave', she still found this gaze rather... sincere.

Thinking back to the moment when Mefisto was about to unleash that 20m large Black Spear and the fear it gave her, then to that one feeling of 'insignificance' when 'that Siva' had appeared, Samara couldn't help but think that this game... this world... Terroa is more than just a game.

When Cassiopeia seemed to have decided not to follow, she approached her and patted her shoulder. Cassiopeia nodded and then they turned to Cramer who then gave them a nod.

Just as they were about to fly off to the distance, a teleportation circle appeared from in front of them where five women in maroon colored cloaks and pulled down hoods led by an astonishingly seductive blonde beauty emerged with a look of worry when looking around.

Samara, Cassiopeia, and Loni, of course, recognized who they are just from a single glance at their outfits.

Loni, having connections to them, was the first to kneel down.

"Emissaries!" She declared and summoned a gold medallion from her inventory.

To those who did not know, these five people are NPCs that belonged to the greatest 'guild' of Magicians in the game, The Circle of Magi.

When this identification medallion appeared in her hand, the leading blonde beauty quickly went to her and pulled her up. "Child, where is the one called The Destroyer?"

Hearing this, everyone's faces turned pale.

Siva?

Everyone in the game knows that The Circle of Magi is a group that does not tolerate any sort of vile and evil existences. That said, they even issue 'very rare' and valuable missions that centered on eradicating demons and criminals who had done evil deeds. These rare missions are rare events because they are always paired with extreme benefits.

Them, asking about 'Siva' and what he represents, as they are people who was entangled with them one way or another, they couldn't help but feel conflicted.

Should they tell her where he was or should they hide him?

Either way, both actions represents that they will be entangled on the dealings of The Circle and although it means that, in the game, it will lead into fame and glory... their two groups had a somewhat complicated relationship when it comes to the one called 'Siva'.

In the end, none of them answered.

Seeing this, the leading blonde beauty sighed and she hugged Loni.

"Child, do not be afraid. I feel that you are one of his friends so I don't need to hide our aim from you. We are tasked by The Great Teacher to help him accomplish his mission. If you are part of his friends then please, do not feel alarmed as we are here to help him as best we can."

Hearing this was the most alarming thing the group could have ever heard.

What?

Is she talking about the 'Player Siva' or the one that the name 'Siva' represents?

Recalling who 'Siva' was in that cinematic video earlier, they couldn't help but gulp down in nervousness because they all had 'felt' who that 'Siva' was when he effortlessly suppressed that monstrous Mefisto and unleashed that Godly aura that made them all forcefully kneel down in all fours and bow before his presence.

To them, the 'Player Siva' had a personal mission that included someone named Baron.

To help this man on that goal is considerable.

But the 'Siva' they feared was a God sent to eradicate this world!

So why shouldn't they be alarmed when the group that vowed to eradicate all evil is about to help that 'God' destroy their planet?

Also... haven't they forgotten someone? Up in the air, a cat was actually the happiest of all existences ever bundled together. It is because, she got an exclusive scoop!

"This is going to be awesome!"

"K-Kruuu...!" (I don't want to do that again!)

In the end, everything that had happened this day will become the turning point that will change all and everything they knew about Terroa... both as a game and more.

...as well as the way they looked at the man named Siva... The Destroyer.

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End of Volume 4

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To be continued...