[BONUS]
The two of them walked in silence until they reached a small clearing where a glistering lake was seen. The sky was darkening, casting shadows over the area.
Pii went straight into the lake and stopped meters before the two beings who stood near the waters.
When Ren and Evie caught up, the both of them were surprised to see the face of the two â it was Sebastian and . . . an unfamiliar person. He was good-looking and had long black hair, an angular jaw, dark phoenix eyes, and dark thick slanting brows.
From the way he carried himself, his back straight and hands behind his black robe, he seemed like a noble.
pAn,D a-n0ve1,c-o-m To be precise, an Emperor of some sorts?
âSebastian!â Evie was glad to see the centaur again, and she was about to come close to him when Ren stopped her by extending his hand to block her path.
âWait. Something is not right,â he warned her.
At Renâs warning, Evie looked over at Sebastian and found that the centaur was acting . . . strange.
âYou must be Meriyaahâs successor?â the long-haired man asked, voice deep and soothing like that of a singerâs.
âAnd you are?â Ren asked since not even [Probed] worked against the man. Maybe if he were engaged with it, the skill would work.
The manâs face was still serious, as if he didnât know how to smile. âI am Regard. And Iâm here to take all of Meriyaahâs items.â
âRegard . . .â Evie gasped because he was the rumored man who killed Meriyaah!
Ren wasnât surprised since he somewhat expected it already. âWhat have you done to Sebastian?â
Regard briefly took a look at Sebastian. âSebastian was originally a Djinn â one who is powerless in the face of the most powerful Enchanter.â
Evieâs eyes rounded. âYou . . . What have you done with him?â
âHe is my Djinn, now,â Regard only said and extended his hand.
Sebastian sighed and looked apologetically at the pair. âIâm sorry, Ren, Evie. I was caught off guard by his strange spell.â
This was probably part of the quest. Ren thought. Meeting Sebastian triggered the second part, and this time, they were up against the second-best Enchanter in the world.
âSebastian . . .â Evie was worried about the centaur, and she faced Regard. âLet him go.â
Regard wasnât perturbed in the slightest and only replied, âI will. But first, you have to get me all three of Meriyaahâs items. Since youâre her successor, then only you can get her items.â
After Regard said those words, he looked at the lake. At the center of crystal clear waters, something could be seen floating. And upon closer inspection, it was an intricate white cape.
Evie gasped. âIs that . . .â
âMeriyaahâs cloak,â finished Regard. âA set of three. The mask, the cloak, and, of course, the last one, her harp.â
âIs that why you killed Meriyaah? To get her equipment?â Ren asked. Sweat slid down the side of his cheeks, seeing that things seemed to be going south.
Regardâs expression darkened, and for the first time, his cold facade broke, but it quickly turned back to his original expression. âThink what you might.â
He then extended his hand to Evie. âIf you donât want to die, then get me the cloak and hand me the mask.â
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Ren shielded Evie from Regardâs view and grinned. âAnd what if we refuse?â
âRen . . .â Evie wasnât sure if she wanted to potentially fight against Sebastian and end up killing him. After all, a fight with bosses would always end in either sideâs death.
Thereâs got to be a way where they could all come out of this alive â except for Regard, of course.
âDonât worry. I have a feeling that he is the type of Boss thatâs unkillable, so Sebastian should be alright.â
â. . .â Shouldnât she worry then?! âAnd youâve just got to antagonize him? What now?â
âThereâs no [Engage] prompt, so that means that our choice will greatly affect the outcome of this quest.â
Ren briefly shot Evie a look. âHonestly, itâs your choice.â
âIf heâs unkillable, then how are we going to defeat him?â
âYouâll know once we engage him.â
Evie pondered hard, and Regard didnât seem in a hurry for her answer either.
âRemember, if you choose to surrender your items, then itâs game over for you to become Meriyaahâs successor,â said Ren. âI donât know what he wanted with Meriyaahâs equipment, but something tells me that you wonât be able to get any of it if you surrender them to him.â
â. . .â
Ren was so adamant about making her an Enchantress that he practically chose an option for her already despite him saying that it was up to her.
Frankly, Evie didnât want to sing and dance, but being Meriyaahâs successor was too good of an opportunity to pass.
She looked at Regard, who was wearing a poker face and had a no-nonsense character, and he was still the second-best Enchanter in the world. Maybe she could be one too.
âCan you use [Probe] on them?â Evie asked Ren. âTo see if we could defeat him.â
Renâs grin told Evie that he was happy with her decision, and she looked away with a pout. It was not like she was doing it for him.
âI have Sebastianâs information. As for Regard, I think we have to engage him first before we can find out about his stats.â
There were Bosses like that in COVENANT, especially bosses in quests. This was to ensure that their stats wouldnât influence the playerâs decisions in the end.
âThat means . . . weâre going to engage him without knowing how strong he is? Isnât that too risky?â
Ren looked at Evie, and his grin grounded her.
âWhat are you worrying about? Pii is here, remember?â
Thatâs right. Pii was their backup plan. That was why they were confident enough to do this Epic Quest with just the two of them.
âAlright . . . letâs do this.â
âHave you made a decision?â Regard asked.
Evie faced Regard. âYes. And my answer is no . . . You canât have Meriyaahâs items.â
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