World Online

Jake walked across the dwindling roads of Diffast. A month later, everyone gave up on the Epic Class.

They knew that it was taken by now. Those who stayed only stayed here for the city itself, which wasn\'t that bad, but not interesting enough to keep all of those people.

Business was falling, and Jake expected it a long time ago, when he put up the shop in the first place.

"I should probably flip the store for a little cash, maybe start saving up so that I can get ready to upgrade my location in the real world and here as well." Jake thought to himself.

"But I should think about all of that later. I need to focus on what I came here for in the first place." Jake chided himself as he kept walking.

As he continued walking, he hesitated as he glanced at a crowded space around one of the streets.

"The Forbidden street still manages to be elusive to so many." Jake chuckled. He was probably the only player who knew how to get in guaranteed. But soon enough, people would find out. He knew it.

"It is too bad, I couldn\'t go to the second auction. Maybe the next one. Hope I didn\'t miss out on too much." Jake thought to himself.

He slowly came to a halt.

"It would be so nice if I got a place close to the center of the city. The store is pretty good, but the center is just too convenient. Everything is just a stone\'s throw away from the portal." Jake murmured as he looked up at the building that towered over him.

It was one made of stone, with a statue of a gentle looking woman ordaining the front.

It was a simple building, one that didn\'t make sense. Why would such a building exist in the city\'s center, where every thing happened?

The reason?

It was the church of light itself!

Jake pushed the giant doors forward with ease as he walked in. The doors creaked open to reveal the bright light that was inside.

Ever since the trip, every time he was inside the church, he felt different. Like everything around him felt real and alive.

He never dismissed the feeling, but he kept it under the rug for something to think about later.

Jake walked across the carpet that led him to the front of the empty church. There was a priest at the front, his back against Jake, seemingly praying.

Jake stopped in front of the priest and stayed quiet. He knew better than to interrupt anyone while they were praying. It was considered bad form, after all.

It didn\'t take long for the priest to know that there was someone behind him though.

A few second later, the priest put his hands down, the muttering stopping, as he turned around.

"Ah! The polite baron!" the old, wrinkled man smiled.

"I thought I told you the last time. Your armor cannot be unlocked just yet. You are too hasty. This can only be done with the power of true gods, and the gods have spoken. You are not ready yet." the priest said.

As he said this, his smile, filled with holes where teeth should be, beamed at him.

"Do not worry, Father. I am not here for this. I wouldn\'t disturb you with a matter such as this." Jake said, shaking his head.

"Then what are you here for, child? My intuition tells me it has something to do with His Divine Brilliance more than it does to me. It appears as though there is a quest that he has bestowed upon you." The priest said.

"You are too wise and all-knowing. That is indeed the reason why I came here. The quest that the god gave me when he bestowed upon me a reward that I still find too great for me to aspect, I wish to complete that soon."

"The God wished for me to spread his embrace across lands that have not met civilization yet. He wanted me to help expand the church\'s influence." Jake said,

"Ah!" The priest nodded.

"So you are finally going to try your hand and try to find new lands, like all those other defiers who have gone before you?" He smiled.

"It was such a pity, watching and hearing about them throw their lives away. But when I see you, and how strong you have gotten in such a short time, I know that you are the one I can bet on to finish this quest." He said.

"But as you know, to establish a church, even a rudimentary one, there are a few things that must be had.." Jake paused.

"Do not worry. The priest, the divine stone, and the statue will all be there at the place the church must be established at." The priest nodded.

"The unknown lands are vast. It is a pity though, that the god of light has to do this whole thing once more. When you reach the end, you shall understand exactly where the church must be raised up." The priest said.

"What do you mean, the whole thing once more, Father?" Jake did not miss that small phrase that could mean so much.

"Ah! I have misspoken. That is not something that will concern you just yet. Maybe once you have completed the quest and conquered a part of the unknown lands, you will know." The priest said, clicking his tongue.

Jake clenched his fist, but maintained his smile.

"As you wish, Father. The expedition will start in a few days. We expect to leave. Will you manage to find your way, or do you want to tag along?"

"We will go there once you have conquered the land. If you conquer the land, it will be safe for old men like us to move around, won\'t it?" The priest smiled as wide as he could, revealing more gaps in his smile.

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