Epilogue – Vanguard (END OF BOOK 4)

Nearly twenty hours after finishing the Siege of the Hanging Backyard, Hiral stood off to the aspect of the massive group, simply outdoors the doorway to the raid zone. Like Left had estimated, they now had about a-hundred-and-fifteen hours till it unlocked, although there had been new data after they all arrived.

“So,” Seena mentioned, coming over to take a seat beside him. “Are you as shocked as I’m that there’ll be a connection from the Asylums to this place? And ten hours earlier than the zone itself unlocks.” She pointed across the valley-like space sheltered from the rain by the mountain peaks. “The PIMP should be placing lots of significance on this if it’s going to spend the power to do one thing like that.”

“After a few of what we noticed again on the Hanging Backyard,” Hiral mentioned, referring to the identify of the Bonder metropolis – not the dungeon. “Not likely. It popped that dungeon interface up, gave us rewards, after which vanished prefer it was by no means there. It’s in all probability been making ready for this raid zone to open for a very long time.”

“Yeah,” Seena mentioned. “I do know all of us type of… crashed… after the whole lot that occurred in that dungeon, however we’ll want to speak in regards to the rewards we bought in some unspecified time in the future.”

“Yanily is clearly glad about no matter his have been,” Hiral mentioned, wanting over on the spearman beside Nivian, Wule, and Seeyela. “He’s been virtually glowing the complete time.”

Seena squinted as she adopted Hiral’s gaze. “He may truly be glowing.”

“Who is aware of with that man,” Hiral chuckled, then checked out Li’l Ur floating on Seena’s shoulder. There’d been a little bit of a scare after they’d all realized the little lich had been lacking after Seena’s resurrection. Fortunately, it turned out Li’l Ur had developed from a pet to a capability, sort of like Foundational Break up, and Seena might resummon him if something occurred. “How’s your new hat?”

“It’s not a hat,” Li’l Ur snapped, turning his head strikingly to the aspect so Hiral might get a greater view of the crown of blue flame hovering above his cranium. “It’s my Un-Halo, returned to me in the end.”

“Is that truly the identify of it?” Hiral requested, and Seena nodded.

“I bought him to share the window with me,” Seena mentioned. “It’s an important merchandise, regardless of the identify.”

“What do you imply regardless of the identify?” Li’l Ur requested. “I dubbed it myself upon its creation.”

“Certain, certain, Ur,” Seena mentioned. “It’s very cute.”

“Cute!?” Li’l Ur staggered. “This… that is certainly one of my best creations! On par with the Second-Pores and skin of Amin Thett. With it, I led my armies. Conquered nations!”

“And regarded cute doing it, I’m certain,” Seena mentioned.

“It’s not…” Li’l Ur began.

“In case your Mistress likes it,” Hiral interrupted. “Isn’t that sufficient?”

“I… nice,” Li’l Ur surrendered.

“How about you, Hiral?” Seena mentioned, bumping her shoulder towards his, after which taking his hand. “I do know I simply mentioned we’d all speak about it a bit later, however you’ve been sort of distracted by one thing. It’s not… us… is it?”Fịndd new updates at novelhall.com

“No!” Hiral mentioned, squeezing her hand tighter. “By no means. I’m sorry if I did something that made you even contemplate that.”

Seena let loose a breath prefer it was a reduction to listen to it. “What’s it then? Did you get one other achievement reward you didn’t like?”

Hiral’s lips quirked up. “One thing like that, truly.”

“Like that?” Seena requested suspiciously.

“I… bought a complicated class,” Hiral mentioned.

“What? Actually?” Seena mentioned. “That’s incredible! Isn’t it? What’s it?”

Hiral chuckled on the rapid-fire questions. It was good to have Seena again. Higher than he might even put into phrases. “It was known as the Runic Common.”

“Whaaaaaaaat!?” Li’l Ur virtually shouted, his little jaw dropping whereas blue flared in his eye sockets.

“Is that good?” Seena requested the lich.

“It’s what we known as Amin Thett earlier than he grew to become the Emperor,” Li’l Ur defined. “If it’s something like what he… why are you taking a look at me like that, would-be-apprentice?”

“I assumed it was one thing like that,” Hiral mentioned. “Even the flavour textual content of the category gave me the identical trace.”

“You didn’t take it, did you?” Seena mentioned, studying his face. “Like Nivian. It didn’t line up with the way you noticed your self.” One thing about what she mentioned made her frown. “Hiral, one of many issues I needed to speak to you about once I came visiting… it’s in regards to the raid.”

“What about it?” Hiral requested.

Seena bit her backside lip. “You’ll be able to say no, if you need, however…”

“However what?”

“We talked about it – me, Nivian, and Seeyela – and we wish you to be our raid chief,” Seena mentioned, then rapidly continued. “Nivian and I’ll nonetheless lead our events – and also you’ll pay attention once I let you know to not do one thing reckless – however… when it’s come to it, just a few occasions now, you’ve made the onerous decisions. Seeyela completely received’t do it, and she or he agreed you’re your best option, even when she needed to.”

“Even after…?” Hiral couldn’t end.

“Even after,” Seena mentioned. “Possibly particularly after. You probably did what none of the remainder of us might’ve. When it wanted to be achieved. You’re good. Fast to motion. However, you additionally care about us. We all know you’ll make the most effective decisions for one thing like this.”

Hiral chuckled and shook his head, however not as a result of he was saying ‘no’. “When did you focus on this?”

“Whilst you have been nonetheless asleep, recovering. You’re okay now, aren’t you?”

“Again to regular,” he mentioned, patting his abdomen. “Took longer than I anticipated, however it’s nice. I suppose this explains why I woke as much as the superior class possibility, although.”

“I’m sorry if we pressured that on you,” Seena mentioned.

“No, I don’t assume you probably did,” Hiral mentioned. “At most, that was solely a part of it. The PIMP appeared to need me to go on this route. I disagreed.”

“Okay,” Seena mentioned. “Possibly your subsequent superior class possibility will likely be a greater one?”

Hiral chuckled once more, and this time when he shook his head, it was undoubtedly as a result of he was saying ‘no’. “I received’t get one other one supplied,” he mentioned. “Properly, at the very least not till S-Rank.”

“What? Why? We bought lots of expertise from that dungeon, however not sufficient to get to…” she trailed off. “You… didn’t.”

“I… might have?” he mentioned, and now he was actually smiling.

“You modified a complicated class?” she mentioned, absolutely catching on to his tells.

Hiral nodded.

Seena leaned away from him sufficient she might punch him within the shoulder. “Why didn’t you say that sooner?!”

“Eeeeh, that’s in all probability true. These Sword and Protect buffs look like they’re good for Left and Proper, too” Seena mentioned, clearly studying via issues once more.

“They’re an possibility,” Hiral mentioned. “If we had a extra devoted tank – particularly one specializing in endurance – the Protect one is perhaps higher for them.”

“True,” Seena mentioned, then snapped her fingers. “That jogs my memory of one of many different causes I came visiting to speak to you.”

“What number of issues have been there you forgot about?” he teased, and she or he simply glared at him. “Sorry.”

“Anyway,” she mentioned dramatically. “We’re going to have room for a tank, so possibly you’ll get your want.”

“Drahn?” Hiral guessed.

Seena nodded. “He’s going to make use of his token to get individuals again dwelling – each our islands, don’t fear, I made him promise – prepared for this raid zone. They’ve solely bought a hundred-and-fifteen hours to get as many individuals Asylum entry as attainable. Much less, truly, for the reason that Disc of Passage will join ten hours earlier than, which might be for the most effective.”

“Will give us all time to coordinate,” Hiral mentioned. “We’ll want all the benefits we are able to get if Vorinal and the Infested will likely be there contesting us for rewards. And…” he trailed off as he checked out Seena.

“You count on extra Unnamed to be in there too, together with the opposite Chimeras, don’t you?” she requested, and he nodded. “Me too. Not wanting ahead to that.”

“What I did with you,” Hiral mentioned. “In all probability a one-time factor. We are able to’t depend on it once more.”

“I do know,” Seena mentioned. “If we even catch a whiff of a type of Unnamed bastards, we’re going after it with Yanily’s favourite sort of prejudice.”

“The acute type?”

“Precisely.”

“I assume we’ll be forming a raid group with Nivian and his celebration?” Hiral moved on to the following subject.

“Sure,” Seena mentioned, wanting again to the place a pair of Bonders stood with Burs, Nivian, Wule, and Seeyela. “It’s too dangerous in regards to the dungeon they did.”

“From the sounds of issues, it’s not their fault solely two of the celebration they have been despatched to rescue survived,” Hiral mentioned.

“Not their fault in any respect, and the 2 don’t blame them.”

“Nivian blames himself, doesn’t it?”

“He does.”

“Even undead, he doesn’t change. We misplaced virtually half the defenders earlier than issues completed,” Hiral mentioned, referring again to how barely greater than three-hundred defenders had been left within the counter after they accomplished the dungeon. “It’s what occurs when the dungeons are actual. Issues go improper.”

“Issues went actually improper in Nivian’s dungeon,” Seena mentioned. “They didn’t need to take care of an Unnamed, however it was virtually as dangerous from what I heard. This raid zone goes to be tough.”

“Certain hope we’ve greater than three hours to finish it,” Hiral mentioned.

“With how many individuals it appears we want, I guess we are going to,” Seena mentioned. “Anyway, we’re going to be heading again to the Hanging Gardens quickly. Will you be able to go? Are you able to get the exploding out of the way in which?”

“Sure,” Hiral mentioned with a roll of his eyes. “Once we get again, are we nonetheless planning to run the Bonders’ dungeon?”

“Drahn leaving modifications issues slightly,” Seena mentioned, then shook her head. “It’s good he’s going again and the whole lot, however I don’t assume that’s the actual motive he volunteered to go.”

“He doesn’t really feel like he can sustain with us,” Hiral mentioned, echoing what Nivian had mentioned to him earlier than.

“Precisely, and truthfully? He can’t,” Seena mentioned. “He did effectively throughout that final dungeon, don’t get me improper. The wall wouldn’t have held with out him. However, towards that Unnamed, he would’ve fallen behind. And, actually, we want a tank greater than one other injury vendor.”

Hiral rubbed his abdomen the place not-Seena had punched proper via him. “Don’t I do know that.”

“Shush, you. My jaw nonetheless hurts, and also you didn’t even punch me,” Seena joked, winking to verify he knew it didn’t truly harm. “I’ll speak to Burs once we get again. Possibly we are able to choose up a Bonder tank to run the dungeon.”

“Does it actually have multiple-rank dungeons inside it?” Hiral requested. He’d heard a rumor of it, however…

“Burs says it does,” Seena mentioned. “Every ground of the tower – as he calls it – is a unique rank. E-Rank on ground one, then D-, C-, B-, A-, and… yup, the highest ground is S-Rank.”

Hiral whistled. “How far up have they gotten.”

“They’ve solely cleared as much as C-Rank, however we’ll have to begin at E-. Apparently, you’ll want to clear them so as.”

“We’re going for clearing at the very least the B-Rank earlier than the raid, proper?” Hiral requested, coronary heart beating slightly sooner on the considered the problem.

“You guess. We’ll even check out the A-Rank, although rank-disparity is a bitch,” Seena shrugged. “Then once more, your new class may assist with that.”

“Wording suggests it may not work on Bosses,” Hiral mentioned. “Proper the place we’d want it most.”

“Yeah, we’ll speak about it as a bunch,” Seena mentioned, then patted him on the shoulder and untwined her fingers from his. “I ought to get again. I’ll warn everyone you’re going to blow up – and let the Bonders know that’s regular for you – then get everyone prepared to maneuver. We’ve bought a dungeon to clear earlier than we hit this raid zone.”

Hiral stood earlier than she might return to the group, then wrapped her in a decent hug. It didn’t take her greater than a heartbeat earlier than she returned it. They held one another a minute longer, then parted. It was good to be near her, and he wouldn’t let one thing occur to her once more. To not any of them.

His new superior class was simply step one to changing into sturdy sufficient he by no means needed to fear about that once more.

“I’ll allow you to get to the exploding,” she mentioned, patting his arm.

“Be sure to and the others aren’t too distant,” he mentioned. “Evolutionary Inspiration.”

“We’ll be watching. From over there. If all that textual content is a sign of how massive you’re going to blow up, we don’t need to be too shut.”

“Yeah, that’s truthful,” he mentioned, then watched her stroll away.

A second later, she and the others stood watching him, smiles on their faces, and the Bonders behind them. Seeyela had her arm over Seena’s shoulders, and there was nonetheless a little bit of rigidity there. Alternatively, she hadn’t killed him in his sleep, so that they’d be capable of work via issues with time.

There was a path ahead.

Hiral regarded on the notification window simply ready for him to substantiate his acceptance of his modified superior class. Time to take the following step on their journey.

As quickly as he tapped Sure, the notification window shattered like damaged glass, his double-helix erupted off his pores and skin, and he – as Seena put it – bought to the exploding.

Fin