A half-hour later, Nix was sitting in the Blue Quail Tavern with Jaro and Gillian. He was staring at the Turtle Titan, who insisted that he call him Gil. "Let get this straight. Great Grand Pa Sinai disappeared 50 years ago. Since then, Titania has been cursed. How am I doing?"
Gil nodded. "The curse is recent; of course, none of the Titan's can currently change forms."
Jaro looked impossibly sad; he gripped his large hands together. "I found a lead in Chespri. Unfortunately, the quest of the Steward remains unfinished."
Nix had been listening to them for a while; he was starting to understand the gist of their situation. "There are seven Stewards? One from each settlent in Titania?"
"We were appointed by the Clan Matriarch herself, although she has been mourning for months." Jaro downed his drink with a tip of his mug and imdiately poured himself another.
The tavern was warm and crowded. The sll of cooked at made Nix's mouth water. "What's the cause of the curse?"
Jaro's low voice rumbled, it was evident that it was a sensitive subject. "An Ice Mage nad nial is at the heart of it. So say that he is the son of Khione herself. Anyways... he has an artifact that he has used to curse us."
New Quests are available.
Sinai the Conqueror
Description: The great Patriarch
of the Turtle Clan disappeared more
than fifty years ago. Soone must
know what happened.
Reward: Turtle Housing.
Chaos Artifact
Description: The Titan's of the North
have been cursed with the inability to
change forms. Solve the mystery and destroy
the artifact.
Reward: Stewardship of Ionova
Nix read the quests while his mind picked through the details. "How big would Sinai be in Titan form?"
"Bigger than this room, as Titans go, he was fairly large." Gil leaned closer, his aquamarine eyes showing amusent. "I'm nearly as big."
"Right... Want to take a trip then?" Nix stood up and placed a handful of credits on the table.
He turned toward the front door, walking fast while considering his next move.
Gil and Jaro had to run to catch up with the Inferno Guild Leader. Jaro's face was excited. "Where we going? A special mission?"
Nix nodded. "Need a mount. Where can we get one?"
Jaro deliberately slowed down. "A mount?"
Gil laughed at his obvious discomfort. "Go ahead, Jaro, ask for another mount."
Nix watched as Jaro walked into the stable, he looked like a man heading to the gallows. "What's going on here, Gil?"
Gil didn't bother to hide his amusent. "Dire Wolves ate his last horse; he doesn't want to ask her for another one."
The stable was located directly next to the Town's Main Gate. No sooner had Jaro entered when the door slamd open, and a dark-haired woman walked out. She was tall and lean, instantly reminding Nix of Jun Li. Her dark hair was worn in a single ponytail.
She stopped in front of Nix and Gil. "The two of you would be wanting mounts?"
Nix nodded. "Just for a day or so."
"I'm Dresa, the Stablemaster here. You won't let my horses get eaten, right?"
Nix shrugged. "Only if it cos down to them or ."
Dresa leaned closer; for soone who ran a stable, she slled remarkably good. "That doesn't instill much faith."
"Co with us then." Nix glanced back at the stable door that was still wide open, Jaro was desperately trying to wave him off.
"She doesn't have ti to follo..."
"Okay." Dresa interrupted Jaro before stomping back into the stable.
"Now you've done it." Gil chuckled at the look on Jaro's face. "She's sweet on him."
Nix laughed loudly. "Well, that explains the hostility."
**************
Nix jumped sideways, narrowly evading the snapping jaws, one quick slice, and the wolf hobbled away on three legs.
[Balefire: Fury]
A white blast of fla incinerated the remaining wolf, leaving an exhausted Nix gasping for air.
[You have leveled up to 126]
The four riders were near Nix's respawn point when the chase started. They ca up out of the ground and were everywhere. The allies scattered in different directions, with Nix heading back toward Nescari.
[Stealth]
[Dragon Eyes]
After pulling a large portion of the pack with him, Nix had found a place to fight and start killing them. Unfortunately, the use of the Fury fla sucked through his mana. The Fury blade didn't use any, but utilizing the Fury fla for balefire and fla strands had quickly exhausted him.
[Combustion]
A gentle fla settles over Nix, healing his injuries.
He counted corpses as he headed south, seventeen of the wolves had followed him. Nix didn't know much about the creatures, but he did realize they weren't from the sa pack. There were Dire wolves mixed in with a half dozen other different kinds.
Nix found her backed up against a huge tree; she was a hamr wielder like Jaro. Dresa waded into the pack without any fear; she was fast and vicious.
[Power Slam]
Dresa has landed a significant strike on an Alpha Wolf.
[Dual Chain]
Nix has followed up Dresa's attack with a significant strike.
An Alpha Wolf has been slain.
Dresa looked up in surprise, "Nix? Go help, Jaro!"
Nix raised his hands, and a dozen erald strands shot out and wrapped around the last four wolves. He heaved backward and then slamd them onto the rocks. Spinning quickly, he leaned back and slamd them against the tree Dresa had used to shield her back.
A Dire Wolf has been slain.
An Arctic Wolf has been slain.
An Arctic Wolf has been slain.
A Forest Stryder has been slain.
The Stablemaster stared in shock for a mont, then abruptly turned north and started running. "Jaro went this way."
Deafening howls filled the air as the pair ran north, it echoed from all directions. There were so many that their thermal images looked like one big lake of fire.
"Shit..." Nix cursed while he ran. "Seems like more have joined up."
Dresa nodded as she ran; her brown face was creased with worry. "Two Stewards at the sa ti, it seems they were prepared."
Nix didn't comnt, Dresa ran like the wind, and he was pressing hard to stay with her. Did she an that Nescari was being watched? Or maybe... they were after him. "There!"
Two n were fighting back-to-back in a sea of wolves. The shorter fighter held a mace in each hand, each strike of his weapon sent a beast tumbling into the air. Jaro swung his hamr in a wide swath, bashing and crushing anything that dared to step in his range.
Nix targeted the middle of the pack.
[Tides of Fla]
The maddening howls of agony could be heard as Nix charged through his own flas.
Dresa dodged to one side and ran around the affected area. Nix targeted the center of the pack again.
[teor Storm: Gemini Fla]
Fire rained down on the wolves as Nix slashed his way toward Jaro and Gil. The stench of burnt fur and the sizzling of at filled the air.
[Aura Ignition: Gemini Fla]
Nix let his flas engulf him as he recklessly attacked the pack. They seed to co in endless waves, steadily pushing back the group of four. After more than an hour of fighting, Gil slipped on the blood-splattered ground and was nearly overrun. Dresa stood over him with her hamr while Jaro dragged him back to his feet.
Nix targeted the center of the pack again. "We have to retreat! This is too open."
[Tides of Fla]
The flas washed over the pack while the four fighters retreated, a half-mile away, was a high buff that they could use to secure a better position. Dresa sprinted toward it with Nix bringing up the rear while throwing fire attacks at their pursuit.
A deep war horn sounded from sowhere close by. Nix didn't slow down, but he recognized that all three of his companions looked relieved.
Dresa altered her course slightly. "The Ground Pounders are here!"
"Ground pounders?" Nix noticed that many of the wolves had started to retreat, only the most stubborn Dire Wolves continued to press the fight.
A large company of fighters broke free of the woods and slamd into the ranks of the pack. They wore black plated armor and slaughtered the wolves with impunity.
Within a few minutes, the battle was over. Wolf corpses littered the ground as far as the eye could see. Nix stood with his group and used Jaro's bandages to work on their wounds.
"Steward Jaro?" A deep, intimidating voice spoke from behind them. Nix turned to see a heavily muscled man walking toward them. He had short brown hair and a thick beard, although he seed twice the size of everyone else, his step was silent like a thief.
Jaro bowed deeply. "War Leader!"
The giant man breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that you're safe, we've lost enough good people lately." His voice rumbled like rocks sliding down a steep hill.
Gil and Dresa also bowed respectfully.
Jaro grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. "This is Nix. The sa person who helped last night."
Nix shook the man's ridiculously large hands. "Thanks for the help."
The bearded man smiled suddenly, and his air of intimidation vanished. "You fight hard, Nix. I'm the War Leader of the Titan Clan, Mortimus."
"Mortimus?" Nix bit down on the smile that threatened to co out. "Well t sir, I'm Nix, the Guild Leader of Inferno."
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