YM778.TV Chapter 56: The zone
It appeared to be mid-afternoon, but the sun here didn\'t affect them; it seemed to be only there to provide light. Jael looked at where their ship had been pulled up to the beach; he could see the ghost crew making repairs on it.
After battling their way over, it was a miracle that their ship survived and made the last pushover. The last of the green coins has been handed over to the ghost captain.
They weren\'t the first team to arrive; already, the GUV team had pulled their ship over and even made camp before the Gold. The two teams nodded at each other and kept a respectable distance between them.
The Gold quickly made camp and sat around a roasting fire while Temur did his job.
"The zone must be the other side of the mountain." Jael decided, enjoying the way the meat melted in his mouth. Temur is a good cook.
"Another ship is approaching," Litha announced.
Jael looked over. It was a warship, and it belonged to the most powerful of the freelance Awakeners. Not those who can manage smaller ships.
The two teams on the ground watched the warship get pulled onto the beach by the ghost crew, but the freelance Awakeners didn\'t bother anyone and just made their camps.
Jael watched them. They all looked battle-weary, and some of them were already breaking away. Suddenly he stiffened. \'It\'s that beastman!!\'
But if he noticed Jael he didn\'t show it as he went about his trouble of setting up camp. Jael looked at the freelance Awakeners to see if he would see any of them under the influence of the beastman, but he saw none.
\'He must have ditched his previous slaves and somehow got in on this new warship\' Jael narrowed his eyes. \'What\'s his deal?\'
He couldn\'t find anything suspicious; in fact, it looked like the beastman was avoiding him. Jael relaxed a bit and was soon pulled into the conversion while they waited for the other ships.
They waited until the sun was going down before the spirit appeared. The spirit raised their hand and the sun returned to the middle of the sky, shining brightly. "Ah! So this is all of you! What a shame!"
Only four warships made it. The Gold, The Walkers, the GUV, and the one that belongs to the freelance Awakeners.
The spirit\'s voice lowered in sympathy. "To think those warriors won\'t see the ground of the general!"
But of course, it was as the spirit wanted. They were the ones that reduced the number of the ships to just four by pitting the smaller ones against the big warship, making them tear into each other.
"Are they dead? Some got their ship destroyed but they are still holding on!" One person shouted.
"No. Those who are not dead as of now but are not here either will be thrown out." The spirit waved. "Those who are here I bid you welcome! To the castle land of General Adonijah! You are now worth walking the grounds!"
The spirit gestured, and the air twisted; the large mountain that was behind them shook, rumbling, and then it vanished as if it never existed. The spirit vanished with it.
"Look." Dile pointed but he might not as well bother because everyone was already looking. The place that lay beyond the mountain was full of rolling greens and evergreen mountains that jutted out of the ground.
Far in the distance, they caught a building that looked like a dot– Adonijah castle. They all instinctively knew that was the center of the zone. Their ultimate destination.
They all shared glances, the guild teams that it. The competition has finally begun! All of them except the Gold rushed forward, shoving their stuff into their bags and making a run inside the zone. Even the freelancer Awakeners scattered, all making their way in.
"Why are we not going in?" Cele demanded anxiously. "The others will have a better head start before us!"
Jael looked at Temur for answer as well.
He just shook his head. "No matter how fast they run it\'ll take at least some days to reach that castle. Not to mention they\'ll have to fight monsters and other Awakeners all the way through.
"No need to rush, we need to know what we are getting ourselves into. Dile, go and take a look for us while we break camp here." Temur said calmly.
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With a nod the beastman took off, silently disappearing into the green forest. They broke camp while Temur explained everyone\'s role. "Dile will be our scout. I and Jael will fight close combat offensive while Litha focus on defense.
"Tim and Cele will be long range so keep close to Litha for defense. But you all can switch depending on the situation. The aim here is to stay alive and make our way to that castle."
Everyone nodded firmly. They were ready to move when Dile returned with his observation. "Seems like a normal zone to me. I\'ve seen animals but no monsters for now. What do you want us to do now?"
"We move. Eyes opened and ears sharp. We avoid other Awakeners but get ready for violence at any time." Temur started moving forward, following Dile. "And keep your eyes peeled for anything strange!"
Dile led them into the shadowed forest, their steps cushioned by the fallen leaves on the ground. Jael sniffed, the air smell of damp earth and green leaves, and the familiar sound of insects and small animals surrounded them.
\'Yes. This a zone\' Jael nodded to himself, his eyes on the rolling greens. \'The air is thick with mana. Finally!"