Confronting the Mayor
*A/N: changing the term: "in game event" to "world event"
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I carried Jack as he slept. It has been an hour since we started our little adventure. Rose was walking next to me as we talked.
"So you'll be going to the academy in the capital huh. I'm sure the capital is a beautiful place."
Rose was telling me about how her father was going to send her to the capital soon.
"Mhm. The academy in the capital is famous for producing many hard working warriors and skilled leaders. Due to this reputation, many noblemen send their children there. It also becomes the perfect place to find a future spouse."
She's right. However, it's not just the academy that is capable of doing that. The entire capital is a gold mine of knowledge and power. Talk to the right people and you could go far in life.
I wanted to leave the starting town and head to the capital as soon as I could. Unfortunately, it's not possible until the first world event is completed. Hopefully I could be the first player there.
I also told Rose that I planned to go to the capital so we could probably travel together.
"Eh. Uhhh… if you like to I don't mind you coming along. I'll ask father if he'll allow you to travel with me…"
"Great! I'm looking forward to it!"
I give her a little pat on the back. She just nods shyly.
After walking around, we decided to head to the center stage. According to Rose, the hero was here to give a speech.
'My quest!! Will I be able to befriend the hero?'
If I remember correctly, the lore for the hero was that she's the daughter of a duke. Her father died and her house lost a lot of influence. One night, she had suddenly received the powers of a hero and wanted to use that power to bring glory back to her family's name.
Sadly… the hero died fighting the Demon King. The story goes that the demon king was far more powerful than they thought and so her, along with her entire team was killed. After her death, the demon king declared war on the human race, which eventually led to the second world event. The hero's party died close to the end of January. In February, the first world event was suppose to happen in the starter village. However, this world is different. It's not even been a full day and the first world event seems to be happening soon.
"Alright, let's go check it out then."
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By the time we reached the stage, the hero had already finished her speech. Her entire team was now standing on stage with her.
The mayor was standing to the side, saying a few words. It seems that he was using magic to amplify his voice across the entire city.
"And with that, the hero and her team will now leave. They are now heading for the Demon Continent to free us from the oppressive Demon King!!"
The moment he finished, the hero and her team released their powerful auras. The wind picked up and the team flew into the sky. They stopped and floated above the crowd, waving and smiling, allowing the crowd to see them one last time. After they gave the crowd enough time to see them, they flew off into the distance.
"Wind Magic… it's amazing."
I couldn't help but be amazed by it. This was my first time seeing it in person. I've only seen videos about it.
The mayor waited for the crowd to settle down before he continued.
"Now folks! For the rest of the night, the food will be paid by the city! Please enjoy the rest of your night!!!"
I saw the mayor leaving, this was my one chance to complete the quest.
I quickly hand the sleeping Jack to Rose and walk towards the stage. I could see the confusion on Rose's face but I chose to ignore it.
"Excuse me! Mayor! What are you doing to protect the citizens?! Everyone knows about the dead bodies drained of blood! Do you have any plans to keep us safe?!"
The guards immediately reacted and tried to locate me. Thankfully, the people around me protected me. It seemed like many of these people had the same questions.
The mayor stopped and looked in the direction that my voice came from. The guards were still looking for me but now the crowd was also demanding an answer.
The crowd was getting louder since the mayor only stood still, not answering. It looked like he was pondering whether or not he should answer. In the end, he gave in and came back on the stage.
"Settle down everyone! I know about the recent rumors so I will say this."
The crowd stopped and put their full attention on the mayor. Those passing by also heard the mayor and stopped to listen.
The guards held the crowd back, making sure to keep their mayor safe. The mayor clears his throat and addresses the people.
"My people, with the help of the top investigators from the capital, we have found the problem."
"After a week of investigating, the team from the capital and our own team came to the same conclusion. Our town will face it's greatest challenge yet! In two weeks time, we expect a monster cluster that formed not far from here to become a monster stampede."
I could hear the people around me freaking out. I don't blame them.
A monster cluster happens when multiple monsters gather together to feast on a giant carcass. A monster cluster is dangerous because some monsters end up dying and then those bodies are also feasted on. Eventually, the waste from the monsters and the carcasses will cause the healthy land to turn into a dead wasteland instead, void of all life.
Most towns hire adventures or have the army take out the monsters. Players could also receive daily quests to take out a certain amount of monsters from the cluster. It was a great way to get free money on a daily. The only issue about what the mayor said is…
"But sir! How is a monster cluster related to a monster stampede?!"
I hear someone ask exactly what needed to be asked. Monster stampedes only happens when a migration occurs. Since the prey of the monsters migrate, the monsters migrate as well. Sometimes the monsters end up passing through towns or cities. The humans call this a monster stampede. In short, they are confused since a stampede and a cluster should have no relation what so ever.
Of course I already know why the monster cluster turned into a monster stampede. The lore was that the monster cluster ended up attracting a monster it should of never had. There's a dragon slumbering near the original carcass. Once the other monsters and creature began to die, the strong smell awoken the dragon from its sleep.
All monsters have a primal fear of dragons. This fear was what caused the unnatural monster stampede.
I look at the mayor, waiting for him to speak.
"Mhm. The reason for the monster stampede is… a vampire!"
The crowd went crazy, not expecting to hear about a vampire on the human continent. I was also surprised. The lore changed!
"Silence please!" The mayor calmed the people down and continued.
"We found a dead dragon in the general area of the monster cluster! The investigators found evidence of a vampire feeding on the dragon as well as the monsters around. It's believed that the vampire fed on our people who got lost in the woods until it found the dead dragon."
"The investigators now believe that the vampire will eventually target our town by using its blood control over the monsters. The investigators have returned to the capital. They are going to try to reach out to the elf continent for help since the vampires come from there."
"They believe that the monster stampede will happen in two weeks. In that time, all capable fighters will participate in subjugating the monsters! That includes all nobles!"
The people were now restless and worried. They would now have to participate in a life or death event. I hear a notification pop off and look around, the other players were also opening up their menu screen.
I look to see a World notification pop up. This is what it said.
{WORLD EVENT: PROTECT THE STARTER TOWN FROM THE MONSTER STAMPEDE! THE REWARDS WILL BE BASED ON HOW MUCH YOU AS A PLAYER CONTRIBUTE! ONCE THE TOWN IS SUCCESSFULLY PROTECTED, THE BARRIER WILL BE LIFTED AND ALL PLAYERS WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPLORE THE WORLD}
That wasn't the only notification I got. I got a notification for completing my quest.
~Confronting the Mayor~
STATUS: COMPLETE
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Scene Change~~
Demon Continent
Three hooded figures walk into the Demon King's castle. They ignored every demon and monster surrounding them and kept moving. They didn't stop until they reached the throne room.
The moment they walked in, those standing around stopped and look towards the door. The demon king, sitting on his throne, looked towards the three hooded figures. He calls out to them.
"Who dares!?! You humans!! You have the guts to walk in here!!"
The three figures just scanned the room, ignoring the demon king. One of the figures came forward and spoke.
"Demon King Nemu, hand us the Dead Man's Codex and the God Slayer Codex."
Those that were present stiffened up. The demon king got up from his throne and took immediate action. He vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of the three. He towered over the three, his killing intent was felt by everyone. The demon king leaned in and whispered in a deep and deadly voice.
"Who are you? Those Codexes should not be known to the humans."
The man that asked for the codexes pointed to another man.
"Ask him, he'll answer you."
All eyes fell onto the one that was pointed out. The man laughed and spoke for the first time.
"You won't believe me so let me just show you."
The man suddenly started chanting.
"I will rise from the ashes and destroy the world once again. The world shall turn red with the blood of my enemies. Demon God!"
When the man's chant finishes, a cloud of smoke covers the entire room. A new aura descends upon everyone. An aura that hasn't been felt for eons.
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A/N: next few chapters will take place in the real world.