Chapter 10 Sanctuary

Miggy wasn’t my responsibility. He had latched on to me however, despite my indifference. I had seen what forming parties had done to the group of avatars, with some, or maybe all of them still level one.

He had at least agreed to allow me to examine him. He too was a hunter, and level two. He told me he had come with the group, along with Raymond and others, that there had been something like a hundred of them.

I didn’t ask why he had left them, and neither did he volunteer the information. It was clear however that some kind of altercation had occurred, and from my limited interactions with him, presumably involved some kind of thievery and exile.

Checking my experience, I was somewhat miffed to see that I was still some ways off from hitting level five. I guess because I had zoomed through levels one to four so quickly, I’d assumed the levels would continue to fly by. No such luck. Killing the sabretooth king had set my progress on fire, but I couldn’t count on stuff like that happening every day.

‘I know where it is,’ Miggy had blurted out, as I finally turned to leave.

‘You know where the gate is?’ Somehow, I found that doubtful. He nodded earnestly.

‘Took me some time, but I managed to figure it out. I could show you.’

I hesitated. This felt like dragging it out, but I promised myself no matter what happened I was not going to join him. I needed all the experience points I could get. I didn’t need an experience vampire at my side.

But, I did need to know where the next gate was.

‘Show me.’

We trekked through the savannah. From the mini-map, I could see that we were headed back towards Raymond’s encampment, but just as we approached the entrance to the valley that would take us there, we veered off heading up. Soon the two of us had reached a wide, flat cliff built into the side of the mountain.

Below us was the flat savannah, grassy plains that extended as far as the eye could see. There was a herd of what looked like bison, or perhaps their prehistoric ancestors galloping across, kicking up dirt as they did.

‘There,’ said Miggy, pointing far out into the distance, ‘do you see it?’

I in fact, did not. I peered first to the grassy savannah and then into the distant horizon. There…something shimmered. Like the hazy rise of steam, the scenery disrupted.

‘What is that?’ I asked.

‘Boundary of this zone,’ Miggy explained. ‘Beyond that, it was where the main quest starts. The quest to find the gate.’

I stared at him, then to the zone. He looked… solemn. ‘You haven’t been able to reach level five have you?’

He shook his head. ‘Nope. I managed to explore enough, but any further and I’d need to fight, and it’s just…’ Once more, Miggy was tight-lipped.

I looked to the plains once more. Open field, a mile across to the boundary to the next zone. I needed just one more level, and I could begin.

‘Thank you,’ I said, and then feeling as though I should add something, said, ‘we’re even now.’ I ambled past him, placing a hand on his shoulder. I could tell he was disappointed.

‘Not quite,’ he said. ‘Look, share your mini-map with me. There’s a little icon in the bottom right hand corner.’ I opened the map, finding the little share icon I hadn’t noticed before. I didn’t mind. Wasn’t as though there was much on my map to share either.

Miggy’s however was extensive. It ranged far further than my own, whole swathes of the fog of war dissipating in an instant. I saw the topography of the land, areas where certain mobs were, sabretooths, wolves. There were other pockets of camps, and most interesting of all the locations of several side quests. I grinned. Miggy had just given me a goldmine.

I could tell he was happy with my response. I scanned further and noted what looked like a custom marker of Miggy’s, a skull icon that lay in an area perhaps half a mile across, a little distance from Raymond’s camp.

‘What is that?’

‘Avoid that place.’ He wasn’t any more forthcoming, but I had no reason to not believe him. I said my thanks again, ignoring the hopeful look in his eye.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

He’d survived this long, that had to count for something. At least, as I walked away, Miggy standing there silently staring out at the plains, that’s what I told myself.

I saw a notification in my UI that told me a quest had been updated. The main quest, as it turned out,

[Main Quest – Dawn of the Spear – You have fought your way through the jungles and found the open plains. The grassy savannah provides the last oasis of peace, as beyond those boundaries lies the domain of the Warlord, who guards the Gate.]

[Warning – You must be level five to begin this quest.] [Warning – It is recommended that you finish any remaining quests in this zone before moving to the next.]

There was nothing for it. I needed that extra level. I decided to head back towards Raymond’s encampment. It wasn’t strictly necessary, and I’d be lying if I said that seeing Iris again hadn’t factored into that decision making. As I did, I opened up the mini-map, reviewing the points of interests, little icons on my map that denoted side quests. It gave no further information other than that. I would simply have to get there and see if it was worth my while.