"The Heart of Vulcan," Ren muttered in a daze.
So that's where it was.
It was so long ago that his memory about this cave was fogy. He thought that it was one of the rewards of getting firstblood.
Ren checked the map of Vulcan, and the once ninety-nine percent turned to one hundred.
This place was another hidden room!
Good job, Pii!
"The Heart of Vulcan?" Evie asked with confusion in her tone, but Ren no longer replied.
It was a material that when forged on a weapon, would grant that weapon an addition spell [Explosion]. It was sought after because of its rarity and because it could be forged into any kind of weapon, which means that any class could now use [Explosion], an AoE fire spell.
Though they had to equip the weapon in order to gain the spell, not equipping it meant that the spell would be gone in their list of spell as well.
It was also one of the many ores required to craft rare weapons and armors in the future.
"Evie grabbed that red chest at the side," Ren said before wading into the Lava.
"Ren." Evie's voice contained a hint of panic when Ren's HP decreased at a rapid rate and [The Heart of Vulcan] was still meters from him. By the time he reached that item on the altar, he'd be dead.
He had [Health Potions]. Evie reassured herself before she grabbed the [Red Chest] at the side. Her concern for Ren overpowered her excitement at the unusual-looking chest.
By the time Ren acquired [The Heart of Vulcan], his HP was running low though he couldn't stop smiling.
"Ren, what are you doing? Your HP." Evie tried to remind him, but the latter seemed not to hear anything.
Ren stored [The Heart of Vulcan] in their group inventory before he addressed the two girls who were still fighting above.
"Rafaela. Alecia. You two exit this room and meet us at Igor's Village."
The two immediately stopped bickering and looked down at Ren with a confused face.
"Huh? What about you two?!" they questioned at the same time.
Ren only grinned. "There's no exit from here except death."
". . ."
". . ."
"You got to admit, that kinda sounds cool coming from him," mumbled Alecia while Rafaela nodded in a daze.
Ren rubbed Pii's little head before he sent it back in the [Pet] section.
He then looked at Evie and offered his hand to her. "To escape from this room, we have to die in here."
". . ." Evie just stared at Ren's extended hand. They had fought all this time only to end up dead.
How Ironic.
"We already got firstblood. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Evie merely sighed, thoroughly giving up at guessing what Ren was thinking before she went into the lake of Lava and grabbed his hand.
. . .
. . .
Ren blinked.
Evie blinked.
Feeling the soft little hand on his own, Ren wanted to hit himself in the head as to why he reached for Evie's hand in the first place.
Now he looked like a pervert taking advantage of the situation. He immediately let go of her and took a step back.
Evie thought differently, though. She cursed about her lack of social skills that things always turned awkward between them. If only she knew how to start a conversation.
Before, Evie cursed about the Lava pool's continuous damage. Now, she was complaining about why it was taking so slow to kill her.
An uncomfortable silence fell between the two. It was palpable and difficult to ignore.
"It's like watching a teenage romance show," Alecia whispered at Rafaela and giggled.
"It's clearly a tragic movie where a couple was trapped inside a volcano, burning to their death."
Alecia gave Rafaela the side eye. "Why do you have to ruin the mood?"
"Because I want to." Rafaela batted her eyelids, saying, "Let's go back and rejoin the others."
"You're saying that, but you're still plastered on the ground with eyes glued on them."
"Shut it."
Evie grumbled under her breath at the two women's remark. Someone should tell them that even if their voices were whispers, the cave echoed it tenfold.
Because of what they said, it was difficult for her to look at Ren now without feeling conscious. Though she appeared like she didn't have any emotion because of her paralyzed face, she was no stranger to feelings.
They had just met, and it was impossible for them to like each other. Gratitude was what she felt towards Ren while he . . .
Evie paused and thought for a moment . . . Ren was probably just being kind to her like he was to everyone else.
Evie cleared her throat and asked with a blank face though her cheeks were slightly red. "Now what?"
Ren puffed a laugh. "I honestly didn't think pass this point."
Evie couldn't help but let out little peals of laughter that seemed like twinkling bells in December, dispersing the awkwardness between them a little.
However, their short exchanges of words were cut even shorter when Ren's body illuminated and turned transparent.
He smiled at Evie though she couldn't see his face. "See you on the other side."
". . ." Evie's smile froze, and before she could open her mouth to say something, Ren burst into particles.
Watching the tiny white fragments in the air of what remains of Ren, Evie clutched her hand tight.
And soon, she too burst into white particles before finding herself on a random spot near the save/teleportation crystal at the cave entrance.
The place was still brimming with players, dead and alive. Wisps roam freely all over the place, enjoying the only moment where they could fly while the others huddled together, chatting and planning their strategy.
After Evie regained her physical form, she looked at Ren's name on her friends list.
She just stared at it for a while . . . before the familiar name grazed her tongue again . . . "Ren . . .
"See you . . ." Evie whispered before she left Silvia's group and ventured on her own into the world of COVENANT.
Inside Igor Village, one of the newbie villages in the land of the Dwarves.
Silvia and the others were surprised when Evie suddenly left without a word.
"Why did she leave?"
"Was she still upset that we suspected her?"
"But what about her share?"
"Someone contact her! Quick!"
"She's not on my friend's list."
"Alecia, did you get Evie's contact info?"
"No."
"Someone that has her info tells her to come back."
While the girls were panicking at Evie's sudden disappearance, Ren was quiet at the side.
With back against the wall, arms crossed, he had a gentle smile on his face as he looked over at the horizon from the window.
This wasn't the end of their meeting.
They would definitely see each other again in the future.
A/N
Thank you to
Serph21
hideyMcBigG
SpringBreeze20
Phantom32
Kamila_4200
Death_Sounds
for the gifts!
And for everyone's support!
CHEERS!
