WINNERS & LOSERS PT 9

April

I spent hours lying on my bed, motionless, staring into blank space. With the incident that had just happened endlessly haunting me, my mood was spoilt and I wanted to wake up from this nightmare badly. Jake, being the leader of Black Death, also meant that our chances had already become less than slim.

I already skipped breakfast and lunch, and would have proceeded to skip dinner if not for a rude banging on my house door.

“Yes?” I opened the door and mouthed unenergetically.

“Are you alright?” It was Jake! He dressed himself innocently in a white tee and a pair of dark jeans, looking like the last thing one would suspect as even a member of Black Death.

A dark shade of red stained my cheeks at once and I fiddled with my fingers frantically, my mind at put to work full speed, trying to make up a reasonable answer that would not humiliate me even further.

“Um no?” Great I messed it up.

“Well, I know that you are mad cos’ I’m coming back even though you told me to scram.” Jake let out a hearty laugh and I smiled nervously, trying to follow along. “I just wanna apologise for the, um, ‘trouble’ I put you through so I thought I’d compensate by buying a gift for you.”

From the back of his palm he suddenly whipped out a small parcel and handed it to me, then got ready to leave.

“Hey wait up!” I beckoned after him in a moment of rashness. “Do you know anything about a syndicate called Black Death?” I then regretted it and hoped Jake would not get angry.

“Who are you kidding? Everyone in these parts knows them. They’re the terrorists of today’s era!” I was startled that Jake thought so lowly of his own guild, or faked and talked so lowly of it. “Well I ought to be going now!” He pushed the parcel into my hands, touching them in the process, and calmly walked off.

I held on to that spot he touched by accident and sighed. Jake sure knew how to put up a deceitful front. I guessed that in order to be in Black Death one would have to master that anyway. Whatever it was, I was absolutely sure that Jake WAS the leader.

I closed the door and faced the loneliness of my room, then settled to open the parcel. Out spilt a purple adventurer cape and a pair of gold drop earrings. According to the tags those items were way godly and would be worth billions.

Purple adventurer cape +5:
Intelligence + 15
Magic attack 8
Weapon defence 8

Gold drop earrings +5:
Intelligence + 15
Magic attack 25
Magic defence 55

I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were scrolled really well. In fact, ALL 10%s, or 30%s, had worked. How Jake had managed it I didn’t know but one thing I did know was that he had definitely spent a lot of money on them.

Jake still cared a lot about me! Normally I would’ve detested his extravagant spending but that alone changed my mind completely. A huge grin wiped across my face and I quickly equipped them, replacing my current existing Icarus cape 2 and pansy earrings (lol so contradictory from the stereotype ‘pansies make the best gifts for my gf’ craze!).

As I fastened the cape to my back a pink card suddenly freed itself from the cape’s envelopment. Curious, I picked it up.

April, please take care of yourself. I suggest you try the third job test. You should be strong enough by now- Jake

Clipped to the card was a cheque for 50 million mesos as well. Why was Jake being so good to me? I pressed the card to my heart and decided to heed his advice. I would take the test to become a priest. I loved the thought that Jake would be so proud of me!

I left the house geared in my battle outfit and travelled to El Nath, where I seek help from Robeira. She was impressed with my skills and told me to head back to Ellinia, where Grendel would once again aid me. I went back to Orbis and took the ship.

The journey back to Victoria took a few days and all the while I tried to brace myself for the test. I did not know what would be thrown at me but I was confident I could do it. Stuck in deep thought, I suddenly noticed that in a flash the ship had arrived in Ellinia.

Grendel marvelled at my growth for a long time before finally becoming serious. He told me to head to the forest of evil, where a dark clone of him would lie, awaiting my presence. He warned me that the clone was very strong and wished me luck.

Teleported my way to the forest of evil, I set my mind on finding any signs of the test grounds. Several maladies eyed me from a distance, their anger seething from pure hatred of clerics, but none dared to strike from the sight of my evil wings.

It took me a long time but eventually I found an entrance to the grounds; a portal cleverly hidden among the leaves and branches of the plentiful trees. I jumped into it and found myself in a vast cavern, similar to that of the sanctuary in sleepywood.

“I see you have found my humble home.” a menacing laughter echoed along the walls. At the end of the cavern was a magician dressed in clothes identical to Grendel, but his eyes held a savage and deadly look. “As a visitor I guess it shall me my honour to kill you!”

The clone sprang at me and launched an explosion. I flew back, my skin crowded with blisters and my robes burnt. I healed myself and regained stance.

“Not so fast!” I cast bless and invincible, then began firing a rain of holy arrows at the clone. He was caught off guard, but still managed to dodge them.

“Cleric eh?” The clone laughed hysterically again. “never mind it doesn’t matter what job you are! You’ll be killed all the same!”

I continued bombarding Grendel’s clone with holy arrows but to no avail, my strategy was not working. I needed to think of another way. Then I got it. Jake had once reminded me that taking advantage of the terrain was a crucial way to win a match whereby the enemy was above your league. My idea was the best I could think of at the moment and to me it was brilliant.

Attempting to mislead the clone I started firing low shots at him. Each time he teleported away it struck the ground and smoke filled his area. It was working. Grendel’s clone, oblivious to the strategy I was hatching, never wiped the smirk from his face, thinking I was nothing but a pathetic fool.

Again he sprang at me and delivered an ice strike. This time I was prepared and jumped out of the way before the frozen crystals smashed into the cavern floor. By now all his active teleporting had him weakened and he was breathing hardly, gasping for air. Grendel’s clone was too weak to escape now.

I sent him a last look of me inferior to him with a weak smile, and thumped my evil wings on the ground. A small tremor swept through the rocky terrain and past the clone’s feet. He crackled another time and waved his hand. A ray of light caused me to squint. He was going to start a shining ray attack!

But Grendel’s clone had been tricked well. While casting the shining ray he needed force. The force he needed cause tremendous pressure on the ground below him. Normally it would not be enough to weaken him but after being softened from my holy arrows and a bit of strength from my evil wings, it was a different story.

In a second the rock collapsed below him and the clone plunged down 15 feet. I was right; he couldn’t take physical damage well. He was now very weak and stumbled to even stand. Victory was nearly mine.

I gulped down a power elixir and strafed holy arrows and him once again. They caused smoke and explosions. When it cleared, I gleefully peeked down the shaft. Grendel’s clone was not dead yet!

He’s magic defence was too strong for me. I would have to finish him off in the different way. He might have been stuck in the hole but if he was given time to recover he could levitate out of it.

Brainwave! Another brilliant one too.

“Hey stupid, why don’t you use your tauromacis to protect you noob!” I taunted him and prayed hard.

The clone hissed at me and waved his hand. A dozen tauromacis appeared in the hole and assaulted me with thunder.

However high the clone’s intelligence was, I still proved to be the smarter one. Armed with my new purple adventurer cape and gold drop earrings, it was safe to say the thunder could not penetrate my magic defence.

By now Grendel’s clone had realised its mistake. The tauromacis where rampaging in the hole, leaving little space for him to hide. Any careless mistake and he would be trampled by the raging hoard.

With all my last mana, I aimed a holy arrow at the damp top and fired. The arrow pierced into the rock and boulders tumbled down Grendel’s prison. The last tauromacis struggled and slowly, its arm ceased and laid to rest.

Grendel’s clone had probably suffocated under the tauromacis’ bodies and his lifeless corpse transformed into a charm, darkness glowing in it. I had triumphed! I was exhausted and picked up charm proudly before heading back to Eillinia. I couldn’t wait to become a priest and inform Jake.