Ah . . . that trick always works. Ren snickered and hid at the back of the tent. While waiting for the coast to clear, he checked the [Rare Class Ticket] in the Auction feature, and the price had already reached an astronomical amount of nearly a hundred million.
While in the forums and world chat, it was chaos. Ferocious Ravens were demanding to return the [Rare Class Ticket] to them. They were spamming every channel to whoever bought the item, they should give it back to them.
There was also the issue of curses filling the chat box as well as the forums, asking for the auctioneer to show his face and give that item back to them.
Ren only laughed.
However, there were also some who questioned him about the [Rare Class Ticket]. Silvia and Evie mostly.
Ren couldn't blame them because the thief who stole those prized items had a cloak covering his face. And his other persona fit the bill.
He ignored their messages, and Ren made his way to his next destination. He noticed that all the clan members were busy building their walls.
There were signs of destruction on the gates and tears on some tents. Rubbles, splintered wood, and sharp marks surrounded the exterior of the encampment. There was no mistake that the clan suffered several attacks for nights now.
Since then, the clan erected wooden stakes hammered on the earth around the area. It wouldn't keep the predators away, but at least it would slow down these nocturnal beasts . . . somewhat.
"The clan was building the walls as fast as they could, but a lot of them were injured and killed from the previous attacks," said Orakh, the strong.
He was the lead hunter of Twin Moon Axe. An Orc that reached the second stage – the Barbarian subclass. Amongst the Orcs in the clan, Orakh was the tallest and biggest, rippling with muscles that weren't just for display.
"I'm only glad that Shurna is safe."
"Shurna?" Ren pretended to ask.
Orakh scratched his head, and his intimidating hard face melted into a love-struck fool. "Ah . . . she's the chieftain's daughter. She's really nice and an excellent hunter."
"It looks like you like her."
Orakh shrunk, and he shied away like a teenager caught by his crush looking at her. "Egh . . . o-of course not. I-I wouldn't dare . . . s-she's the chieftain's daughter . . . s-she's far from reach . . . s-she's . . ."
Ren stared at Orakh with dead eyes before he shook his head as the Orc kept muttering to himself, face read all over.
"By the way . . ." Orakh coughed between his fists and changed the topic. "You're one of the warriors that the chieftain hired to help us guard the night, right?"
"That's right."
"Let me warn you now. Those Night Crawlers aren't your normal monsters, especially the one leading them . . . the Night Thing. They took many forms, and the only thing that could drive them away is Divine Magic that the Shaman possessed. That's why we have a Shaman here."
"You don't have a Shaman before?"
Orakh shrugged. "Didn't need them before."
"Why is that?"
"I respect the old traditions and believed that the Gods have their uses, but they're only a means to an end –– and the end is Orcish power."
[New Information Acquired!]
Ren then went to the Shaman, Zukulum. He spotted her near the clan fire, surrounded by players who pestered her for quests.
Ren was patient since he wasn't really in a hurry. When it was his turn, Zukulum's opaque eyes locked onto him, and he felt them digging into his soul.
Zukulum was a small, hunched old lady of half-Orc, Sprite, and a little of the Elven race. Her golden dreadlocks was thick and long, and she was covered with layers of fabrics, bones, and beads. In one hand, she held a wooden staff decorated with dangling bones, pouches, and some dried fruits and trinkets.
A [Shaman] was another rare class that the Sprite race could get. They were a powerful subclass because they used God's Divine Magic. The disadvantage was, as great as their spell was, the greater headache on how to acquire it too.
Unlike with the other Mage's subclass that could get new spells as long as they leveled their ATP, a [Shaman] could only acquire new spells by defeating a God.
[Shamans] were the only ones allowed to wield divine and arcane magic with the blessing of the Gods. They were trusted to mediate between mortals and Gods for the protection and prosperity of all.
"Are you here for some quests?" Zukulum asked Ren, her voice felt like claws scratching the rocks. It wasn't cringing on the ears, or piercing, just something that reminded him of a dying person.
"No. I'm here because Orakh said that this clan didn't have a Shaman before. I wonder why that is."
Zukulum paused a little before she sighed and explained, "The Orcs have long been reverent beings with deep roots in the worship of Gods of the lands. Yet something has changed in the last few generations. When their powers grew, some doubted whether their fate must always be to bend the knee to the gods.
"The Orcs have always been strong and proud, and most believed, especially Sharina, that the way of survival is one led not by spirits but by the hands of the warriors and hunters who risk their lives at spear point.
"And now their traitorous and blasphemous behavior are paid with blood."
"Why do you say that?"
"The Night Crawlers only targeted those clans whose faith is weak. Because the only way to defeat a fiendish God is to ally with a virtuous God."
"Is there one?"
"Fogur, the Bore God, protect this territory. However, since Sharina refused to offer anything to it, Fogur refused to extend its help in return. If not for me mediating between the mortal and God, Twin Moon Axe had nowhere to go."
[New Information Acquired!]
Ren was patting himself for a job well done. Everything was going smoothly. All this information he gathered was essential to trigger some event in the future to get that Mask Ragnar wanted so much.
Even though Ren's ears were bleeding as he was bombarded with information, he persisted all for the sake of getting this done and over with.
"I see . . . what is a God?" asked Ren when the option presented itself in the list of choices.
"Gods in the continent of the Orc were not distance beings unlike what other races believed in other continents. They were the whispers in the wind. The giant Bear in the cave. The massive Bore in the wild and the Spirits in the trees. They were powerful but locally bound.
"Clans relied on their Shamans to speak to these Gods for safe passage on their territory and earn their protection through offerings and favor.
"Anything can become Gods in a mysterious process that not even a Shaman knows. Everything can develop a divine spirit and become a God over time.
"But three things common with these Gods. One, they are tied to their sacred place and thus need an agent to enact their will in the world. Two, God barter with Power. Since they are constricted to a single place and hungry for influence, they're willing to help anyone in exchange for offerings and favors.
"And Third, Gods consumed Gods. Gods will often incite those within their influence to destroy another Gods' domain to weaken them so that the conquering God could extend their range of area and devour their essence to make themselves stronger."
[New Information Acquired!]
When Ren was done with Zukulum, he went to the last remaining Orc he needed to talk to.
It was a young Orcish lady of the same height as Sharina. She also had Sharina's strong aura and confident gait. She was like the young-looking Sharina except for her eyes that expressed nothing but coldness.
"I thought I'd seen everything, but I don't recognize your style of dress or type of speech. From what part of the world do you hail?" Shurna asked when Ren approached her.
"I came from the continent of the Sprite," said Ren.
"Is that so?" a slight glimpse of emotion crossed Shurna's gaze before it quickly disappeared. "Can you tell me more about your lands?"
"I'm sure you heard of it in the mouths of many."
Shurna narrowed her eyes at Ren. "But I wanted to hear it from your mouth."
Ren scratched his head when the options flashed on his screen.
<Tell Her>
<Don't Tell Her>
Ren pressed <Don't Tell Her>, and Shurna's smile dropped.
"I see." A false smile quirked Shurna's lips, eyes glinting in subtle malice that wasn't directed at him. "You're like my brother, Draki. Arrogant but didn't have anything to prove."
She then turned her back to Ren and refused to face or talk to him.
[Your Relationship Level with Shurna decreased!]
[New Information Acquired!]
Ren tried to recall the information regarding the mask, and when he was sure that he got all the information he needed, he decided to go out and jog his memory about the place – in the great valley that was the land of the Orcs.
