NOVEL NEXT Chapter 401: Let's go
Kate looked at the guy in disbelief. "You are impossible!" She scolded him first, but then she let out a sigh and answered. "Yes, yes, the portal is open. Mark should be guarding it right about now."
Damon chuckled. "Let's go then. I think I might need a change of scenery to take a proper break."
Kate shook her head, though a small smile tugged at her lips despite herself. "You call storming headfirst into another death trap a break? You're ridiculous."
Damon only grinned wider, though the tiredness in his eyes betrayed him. He stretched his arms lazily, as if the weight of everything he had endured could be shrugged off like an old coat.
"Hey, compared to the abyss, anything else is a vacation. Besides…" His gaze flicked toward her, softer for just a second. "I don't feel like sitting around and doing nothing right this second. Moving keeps me sane."
Kate narrowed her eyes, wanting to argue, but she bit her tongue. He was right in his own twisted way. Still, she wasn't letting him off easy. "Fine. But if you collapse, I swear I'll drag you back by the ears."
Damon laughed. "Fair enough." He started toward the exit when he suddenly stopped. "Do you both want to come?"
He only barely finished talking when both Ellora and Erin appeared right next to him. "Of course, my Lord."
Kate rolled her eyes, but she did not say anything. Damon smirked at their immediate response, not the least bit surprised. "Grab Kaelthorn and also that idiot."
Ellora bowed her head lightly. "As you command." She then disappeared into the tunnels to get those two. In a matter of minutes, everyone was once again standing outside the Blood Hall, ready to go.
"My Lord, I gathered some more supplies from Varnyx. He also asked me to relay an important piece of information. The holy dogs and the light bitches have somehow sniffed out our recruitment of elite troops. They have decided to increase their battle efforts and Varnyx is saying that it would be atleast another week before they come barking at our door."
"Another week, huh?" Damon smiled. "Got it. Ask Varnyx to keep us informated about the developments." Ellora quickly conveyed the message to the vampire.
Though on the surface it might seem like this small benefit was thanks to their recruitment of the elite troops and expending so much wealth to bolster blood hall defense, Damon knew the truth. Right now, the entire focus of the light continent was on that small blemish, Lotera where the first seed of abyss had already been sowed.
Right now every single effort would be to eradicate that blemish and suddenly, a small vampire base in a random city became the least of their concerns.
A fledgling Blood Hall tucked away in some half-forgotten city was nothing compared to Lotera. That seed of the abyss had every priest, knight, and holy inquisitor scrambling like ants over a spilled feast.
While they bled themselves dry against corruption they barely understood, Damon had been handed something priceless, breathing space. That too with someone like that mad woman present in the zone, he might actually end up getting more than just a week.
He had an inkling that this would happen, but he did not plan to count on it as it was not a sure thing. But now he had an extra free week to further develop blood hall before the enemies come knocking at their doorstep.
Also, it was not like the portal to the Bloodlands was a one-time thing. Once they guarded the portal for a few hours, a permanent outpost could be created, and they would be able to shuttle between the light faction continent and the dark faction continent as they pleased.
Not just them but all the players would be able to use this portal to go between both these continents. At most they could get a head start and monopolize the portal for a couple of days. After that it was impossible to keep this gateway under wraps.
The system itself would see to that. There would be announcements, new quests and so on and all of the playerbase would come to know about this new development.
Damon did not care about this. The thing was Bloodlands was a high-level place. Even if everyone knows about the portal, it would still take weeks for other players to finally be able to step into the place. By that time, their team would definitely grab all the low-hanging first come achievements.
The group soon arrived at a deserted spot between two jagged, barren mountains. The valley was silent, with nothing in sight for many miles. At its center, a massive portal shimmered with a deep red glow.
Mark stood before the portal like a sentinel, arms crossed, his towering frame lit in flashes of red as the portal pulsed. "Are we going in now?" He simply asked as he saw Damon walking towards him.
"Yup," Damon answered.
Mark did not question him any further. "Let's go."
He silently stepped back and allowed Damon to enter first. There would no doubt be some sort of achievement and reward for the person who entered the Bloodlands first, and Mark had no problem stepping aside for Damon to take all of that.
Damon only smiled at his friend's actions. He was not polite and decided to take the goodwill. Sure, rewards and achievements were waiting for them on the other side, but there could also be several high-level monsters waiting for them.
Damon did not explain all of this and simply took the role of the vanguard. He raised his hand and pressed it against the portal. The red swirling energy rippled under his touch, and the system instantly responded.
[Ding! You are the first to step into the Bloodlands.]
[Ding! Achievement Unlocked: Pioneer of Blood.]
Pioneer of Blood: While in Bloodlands, all your stats are increased by 10%
Damon smiled and then, without hesitation, he stepped through. The unsettling feeling of teleportation washed over him, and then a heartbeat later, he stepped onto the blackened earth.
End of Volume 2~~
Author's Note: Hi everyone, thank you so much for reading and enjoying this novel. Your comments and your support motivates me to do better everyday. I am very grateful for all of your constant encouragement.
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