Wings of Crystal Part III

“Whoa!” Tan exclaimed.

“What…?” Nicki asked.

“The queen…she looked just like a high-school girl,” Tan replied, pointing at the queen who seemed to be in her late teens and early twenties. Not only Nicki, but the king heard it as well.

“I feel youthful and energetic in the presence of youngsters, my hero,” said the king.

Tan frowned when he heard that. “You…you are an NPC, right? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate if you had a queen of your own age? What you're doing makes you seem like a sugar daddy.”

“Silent!” A knight stood beside the king screamed and pointed his spear at Tan.

“Stop!” The king bellowed. “He is our city savior. Don’t be disrespectful, you embarrass me,” he said earnestly. “Young lad…I have a queen of my own age as well, but she is to stay in the palace. I would rather relax and enjoy the fresh air with a young lady,” he continued merrily.

“If that’s what you want.” Tan did not know what to reply to that.

“If I were in the palace, I would make my young queen wear a sailor outfit, HAHAHA. I specifically requested that when this game was under development.”

Tan was fed up even more. “So, you just want to go for a walk and enjoy the view of your collapsed town?”

The old man shook his head. “No…I have come to reward you with this.” The king handed a card to Tan. The young boy was shocked after he saw the card.

“You want me to have this?!” He gasped.

“Yes, you deserve it since you saved Caldia from the calamity. May the heart of the brave be with you.” The king was sincere with every word he said.

“A sexy student card…?” Tan narrowed his eyes and looked at the old man.

Blanche was surprised, and Nicki looked disgusted. The king who remained calm and composed looked at the card. “Wait! That’s not it! Phew…this one is from my collection. It’s an Ultra Rare card, very hard to find one,” the king said as he handed out a new card. “Caldia Castle Area Card…a G-class Area Card.”

“Isn’t it the reward for the winning team of the tournament?” Tan frowned.

The king nodded and sighed. “The Colosseum was destroyed, and it will take a while to rebuild. I’m confident that you and your friends deserve it. Just look around you,” he apprised. When Tan did what he was told, he saw people crowded around him as they expressed their approval loudly.

Tan’s lips curled into a smile as he looked at Blanche and Nicki who also nodded in approval. Seeing that, he reached out and took the card from the king of Caldia. The system’s voice rang out.

Player Tanthai has received a G-Class Area Card, Caldia Castle. The player can utilize services from the NPCs in Caldia Castle at no charge…

After Tan received the card, players who resided in Caldia rushed in to have a conversation with him and his friends. The Bald Bear that Nicki saved was among that group.

“Mistress Nicki, James will do anything for you. All you have to do is give me a command,” said the Bald Bear. His eyes filled with admiration.

Nicki was stunned and turned to Tan and Blanche. The guys laughed as she saw her reaction. Tan then recalled something.

“Nicki…What about the guy you want to beat in this tournament,” asked Tan.

“I saw him die by the iron giant’s attack. The tournament has no winner, so the deal I made with him is off. I got myself off the hook,” she replied.

Tan frowned. “Agreement? What agreement?” He wondered.

Nicki hesitated and did not say anything, but the duo would not take their eyes off her, so she finally had to speak. “If that guy wins…I’ll go on a date with him,” she answered with embarrassment.

“What?!” Blanche and Tan shouted almost at the same time…

“That makes me want to know who he is,” Tan said.

“Who is he…” Blanche raged. Tan turned to his tall knight friend.

Tan narrowed his eyes and looked at Blanche. “Oh…I see…”

Blanche turned his gaze towards Tan. “Hmm…What do you mean by that…” He stared at Tan.

“Nothing!” Tan replied with a rather high-pitched voice and giggled. “Good luck, Blanche,” he said and tapped Blanche’s shoulder. It was then that a soldier from the castle walked towards Tan and informed him of something that Nicki and Blanche could not hear. When Tan returned to his friends, Nicki told them something which was not related to the soldier.

“It’s time to go our separate ways,” said Nicki.

Tan raised his eyebrows while Blanche gasped in shock. “Where are you going?” Tan asked calmly.

“Well, we agree to join as a party to join the tournament, but there’s no tournament now. You guys can keep the Area Card,” she replied.

“What about cards I borrow from you?” Blanche asked. His face conveyed bitterness.

“Think of them as souvenirs from me,” Nicki replied while smiling at him.

“Where are you off to?” Tan questioned.

“Back to my town, Calip. It’s a town of Rian the Hundred Arms, one of the Four Avatars,” answered Nicki.

“Hundred Arms?” Tan repeated. “Yours is Thousand Armes. How similar.”

Nicki sighed. “That’s why he did not like me,” she said.

“You know one of the Four Avatars?” Tan frowned.

“Yeah…I know him,” she confirmed. “I’ll take my leave. I hope we get a chance to meet again.”

“Okay, good luck.” Tan gestured knowingly and did not stop her. Blanche looked at Nicki and Tan but did not do anything.

Player Nicki has left the party…

“Why don’t you follow her.” Tan sneered.

“Pity! You should have stopped her. I don’t want her to travel alone. She’s a girl after all.” Blanche shook his head and sat on a stone bench.

“So…you’re worried because she’s going to travel alone?” Tan spoke slowly. “Did you forget that she’s stronger than us?”

Blanche looked like he just realized the fact that Tan stated. “Well…yeah, but it’s still dangerous out there. It’s better to stick as a group,” he noted.

“Okay…okay…I got you,” Tan giggled. It was entertaining to see Blanche act weirdly like that. “I have something to tell you,” he continued and then told Blanche something. Blanche widened his eyes when he heard what Tan said. Blanche then patted his friend on the back, his face lit up with joy.

“Ouch! That’s hurt!” Tan laughed.

“That’s awesome!” Blanche exclaimed in delight.

----------------

Tan’s destination was Pieta. To get there he would need to hop on a ship at a port town in the west, Trunkus, and travel up the coast to a large port town called Calip where travelers from the eastern hemisphere stopped by. It was also a large fortress belonging to the Hundred Arms guild under the ownership of one of the Four Avatars…Rian the Hundred Arms.

There was nothing left to do in Caldia, so the duo decided to start another journey. Tan and Blanche prepared their decks before they left. When they were ready, the duo stepped out of the town’s gate, but suddenly, Tan stopped in his track.

“Who…?” He said as he opened a communication panel, displaying Somchok’s name…or what he would ‘prefer’ to be called, Edward…the famous businessman in Caldia.

“What’s up, Somchok?” Tan greeted.

“No! Not that name!” The caller yelled back.

Tan laughed and greeted him once more. “What’s up, ‘Edward’?”

“Where are you guys now?” He asked.

“We just left the town,” Tan replied.

“Which side?” Edward continued to question.

“We are going to Calip and then to Pieta,” answered Tan.

“So, you are going to Trunkus. You are now at the west gate, right?” Edward asked.

“Yes,” Tan confirmed.

“Wait there!” He yelled and then ended the call.

“What’s going on?” Blanche inquired.

“That businessman, you remember him?”

Blanche was pondering for a moment. “Ah…the one you told me his real name was Somchok.” He could recall who the caller was because of his memorable real name.

It would not take long for Edward to show up. He breathed heavily and his fine clothes were messy. “Wow…not bad at all for surviving that,” Tan greeted.

“Survive? I already died and my level had downed from 15 to 5!” Frustrated, Edward replied. “My 9-star card was destroyed too. Darn it…” He muttered.

Tan and Blanche looked at each other before Tan raised a question. “What is it you want from us that causes you to rush to us so fast you’re out of breath?”