The Ancients World

Chapter 168: Changing of the times

I land us right outside the city and out of view. It's been 10 hours since we left The Valley of Fallen Gods. That's two hours till players return to their original continents. "We'll sneak in. I'd rather not ask and go through as much hassle as last time. The cover of the night will help us in this endeavor. There are only a few hours till sunrise as well. So we must hurry." I don't like sneaking into such a place, but I intend to get this done fast. I have more important things to do than play word games and politics with people who have access to The Secret Keeper of Titans. I hope this is the last time I'll ever have to see this city and its attitude.

Sally understands the plan, and we look at the giant wall once again. "Send out your ice dummies like last time and create that hole in the defenses. If it worked once, it will again." They won't see the need to update security from last time. Literally, no one was hurt, and they're none the wiser for what really happened. Sally creates the ice dummies and sends them away to distract like last time. I pick her up as soon as I hear guards yelling. I leap out of the tree line and scale the wall just like last time. We land safely on the other side and quickly disappear from the area. We make it a good distance away and calm down.

We are back in this rotten city, and I'll say this first. I wouldn't be sorry if monsters destroyed this place. However, the good people would end up dying too. "Once we are done speaking to the Secret Keeper of Titans, we'll leave this city immediately. Breaking into the church isn't going to be an easy feat, but I have an idea that might work." Most churches in Ancients World have church bells. It's one of the few places that lead inside without much complication. Most regular people can't jump onto buildings and scales walls as I can, though. Players would eventually be able to do it. The people of Gaia can if they are high enough level and with the proper stats.

That's circumstantial, though. "Mind filling me in on how we get inside? It's common for teammates to share plans with each other. In my opinion, I think we should wait until sunrise, and it opens. That way, we can just walk in and sneak our way down to the lower levels. Making it this complicated doesn't sound like a good idea. If we get caught breaking into it while it's closed, we could end up in a lot more trouble. If we do it my way, we have plausible deniability. We can say we got lost and probably won't get into tins of trouble." Sally brings up good points, but I don't want to be here when the players return. My identity will be leaked.

Sally has a good mind, and her ideas are valid. My selfishness is what's causing this risky move to plan out. Wanting a few hours of anonymity is what's driving this plan. "The plan is getting up to the bell tower and descending inside from its rope. You can wait outside if you want. I'm not going to force you inside. It might be better if you wait outside. That way, the risk of us getting caught is lowered significantly." Having her wait for me is actually a way better idea. I can get around much faster without her with me. Sally nods her head in agreement, and we quietly walk towards the church. After a few minutes, we make it.

Sally waits in an ally near the church, and I look towards the building. There are guards at the doors and patrolling the outside in three groups. The actual guard count is low, and that will be easy to avoid. I see a gap in the patrolling guards after a few minutes, and I jump onto the roof of the church. It's one of the biggest buildings in the city, and the bell tower is at the top. I quickly leap from edge to edge all the way to my destination. I make it to the bell, and the rope attached to it leads right down into a set of offices for some officials. I jump down since and grab the rope to slow down right before I hit the ground. I don't make any noise on impact.

I look around, and this place must be on the upper floors. I calmly begin walking around, and I eventually find the stairs. I scale them all the way down to the lowest part of the church. I find the area I'm looking for, and I approach the door that holds The Secret Keeper of Titan behind it. I knock on it, and it creaks open as I do. I walk in, and the environment changes to an open meadow. The door closes behind me, and I see her drinking tea at the same table as last time. "I guess congratulations are in order, aren't they. You have achieved another piece to your power. The next one won't be available for a long time." I walk up to the table and take a seat.

She reaches out her hand, and a scroll comes out of nowhere. "When you find out the next step to gaining more power, read this. Once you do, you'll understand everything. Don't open it till it's time. I suppose you are here for a reward as well. Greedy one, aren't you? Even with a divine mana aura, you still think there is more to have from this quest. Too bad for you there are only the usual things you players get." She is the only being of Ancients World I have met that knows about players. I get several notifications, and most of them are exp rewards. The only thing that isn't about exp and levels is the scroll she just gave me. I pull up my quest and player interface to see the information.

+8 levels

[Slayer (Zern) Lvl.90]

[Exp: 1/100%]

[Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden),+3 more]

[Stats]

[Strength - 2095][Endurance - 2045][Dexterity - 2125][Speed - 2240][Focus - 14,660]

[Mana aura control: 5/100%]

[Health: 16,560,000,000/16,560,000,000][Mana: 146,600,000,000/146,600,000,000]

[Stat Points: 90][Armor rating: 500]

[Inventory]

[Passive Perks]

[Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [Slayer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever]

[Active Skills]

[Heavens light Lvl.9 325/900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.9 225/900] [Slash Lvl.22 4600/13000] [Parry Lvl.3 80/300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingslayer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse]

[Chain Divine Mana Aura Quest]

[Description: Now that you have reached tier 1, you must undertake the real challenge. While many mana aura quests are the same, it's a known fact the rarer a class is, the harder the quests will be for that class.]

[Objective 1: Go to The Valley of Fallen Gods.][Completed]

[Objective 2: Fight the creature that is guarding your mana aura.][Completed]

[Objective 3: Return to The Holy City to speak to The Secret Keeper of Titans.][Completed]

[Difficulty: Divine]

[Rewards: Divine Mana Aura]

[Mysterious Scroll]

My mana aura quest is finally finished. After so long, I have it done, all the bullshit I had to go through to get it. It's all worth it, in my opinion. "Can you tell me anything about The Old Gods? When I was at The Valley of Fallen Gods, I caused them to return by taking the divine mana aura from there. Any information about them will be helpful." She closes her eyes at my words and sips her tea. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't know either. They seem older than Fenrir, at least from his reaction before leaving to Overworld. She slowly opens her eyes and sets her tea down. She looks at me with scrutiny and frustration.

She makes a sigh and relaxes. "I don't know who or what they are. Only deities in Overworld would know the history that far back. The only advice I can give you is to stay away from any of The Old Gods. I don't know how strong they are or what kind of threat they pose. I'm surprised you have the gall to sneak in the church when there is an emergency meeting on you and The Old Gods. I hope that whatever occurred at The Valley of Fallen Gods doesn't destroy the world we live in now." My actions keep leading to more and more problems. The only explanation I can come up with is my choices are directly tied to the fate of this world, and everyone in it will live or die by my decisions.

The realization I have been ignoring this whole time can't be ignored anymore. If I continue ignoring this reality, I'll be the reason for extinction.