The Earth Online

52 The Three Akkadian Commandments

“What the f**k was that?” Kedrick shouted in horror as their whole surroundings was currently pitch black. Their only source of light came from the vortex.

Thaleos responded with a serious look, his eyes glaring at the dark, “I highly warn that all of you don’t go beyond the white illuminating lines. Go through them and you’ll meet your demise. After passing through that vortex, we’ll have no choice but to fight all the creatures of the alien world.”

The beast tamer knew that outside of the white lines were creatures of horrible forms. He knew this because this was one of James’ most hated nightmares.

“In the legitimate Akkadian second stage, there are only three rules.” The bearded man stated in a warning tone. There were currently hundreds of them in the white-lined square.

“The first rule is to not go out of the safe area until you’re ready to fight the second world’s beasts. As long as you stay within the white lines then you’ll be safe.” Everyone anxiously stared at the location of the incident earlier and looked back at Thaleos.

“The second rule is to not actively attack monsters that don’t have any plans to attack you first. Provoke them and you’re going to regret it.” The beast tamer said in a serious and threatening tone.

“The third rule is to not to be greedy. I know that this world is all about looting and making sure that we do whatever it takes to survive, but get a bit greedier than that and your life will be at ruins.” Ygritte, Haya, and Kedrick were all intensely focusing on what the beast tamer was saying, and so were the many others surrounding them.

Thaleos usually didn’t speak like this, so the three of them knew that he was serious while he was explaining the three rules and their heavy consequences.

As people started asking more and more questions, Haya shouted at them, “First of all, those three rules are just basic rules. As long as you follow them, then there’s a high chance you’ll survive in this stage. We know nothing beyond that.”

Seeing the desperation in their eyes, Thaleos basically gave them the basics of what kind of monsters roamed around the location.

“So there are four kinds of creatures roaming around this stage. In those types of creatures, they have multiple subtypes and species, so although my knowledge is limited, I can, at least, talk about the four basic kinds of monsters.” The beast tamer started.

“So the first type of monsters are the Shadow Monsters. These creatures are usually strongest in the nighttime and they blend in with the shadows — either it be an object’s shadow or yours. Their weakness is any type of light or fire magic, but amazingly, they get their ultimate powers every time the full moon is out.” While Thaleos was explaining, a lot of them were steadily paying attention and taking notes, even Haya was going crazy with the info.

“The second type of creatures are the Cherub Creatures. Taking its meaning from little angels, these monsters usually have white wings and the heavenly aura. Their main weakness is any of the conjuration, illusion, and shadow spells. They best work when the sun is out and they have the ability to summon a god’s blessing whenever they’re near the skies. You can identify a Cherub Creature when you see red ancient markings on their forehead.”

“The third kind of monsters are the Animalia Kingdom. Now these creatures differ in the way they look from Shadow and Cherub Creatures, the Animalia Kingdom kind of look like the hybrid animals we had back on earth. But they’re comparatively smarter and more strategic. Their main weakness are illusion spells. Aside from that, they’re quite strong.” The beast tamer could see how everyone was doing their best to remember all the details that he was saying.

After seeing everyone processing the third type, he proceeded with the last type. “The Demonic Spirits, they’re basically Irkalla’s favorite beasts. Similar to shadow creatures, they’re stronger when the full moon is out. They’re relatively one of the strongest beasts because they have the ability to possess your spirits and plant underworld seeds in your system. The only way to cure that is to sign a pact under Irkalla’s guild. Do that and you leave your soul to her hands.” Everyone felt chills going through their bodies after hearing the last statement.

“Other than that, nothing is known about the Demonic Spirits. I reckon that they have more tricks under their sleeves.” The bearded man said with a heavy sigh. He looked around and tried giving everyone a comforting smile.

Haya knew how soft-hearted Thaleos was, so he just let the beast tamer be, until everyone surrounding him was satisfied with his answers.

But when more people tried asking more questions, the three other group members ushered Thaleos away because they know that the man would keep answering more and more.

Once they were a good distance away from everyone, Ygritte started, “Thaleos, you’ve already given them the basic information and direction they need. Go beyond that and they’ll become dependent on you.”

“Dude, as much as we want to save everyone, we’ve got to make sure that they survive on their own as well. Talking about the basic three rules and monsters in the second world is basically equipping them with their own survival tools.” Kedrick seconded Ygritte’s opinion and gave the beast tamer a straightforward gaze.

Haya just gave the beast tamer a stern stare—communicating that he, too, agreed with the opinions of their other group members.

Realizing what they were saying was right, Thaleos nodded his head and conceded to the team’s conclusion.

He gave everyone a warm smile and cleaned himself up from the left-over debris from the novice adaptation stage.

The others also cleaned themselves up before they decided their next move.

“So, what do we do now?” Kedrick asked them as he was cleaning his face with some of the leftover water they had from the second world.

“I know that the second stage look like its pitch black, but that’s just an illusion. Once we go venture out on the other white lines, then we’ll see what the actual location looks like.” Thaleos explained as he was determining which direction they’ll go.

“What do you mean venturing out on the other white lines?” Ygritte asked while tilting her head to the side in confusion.

“Well, here’s the thing, there are multiple white lines that traverse throughout the whole location. It’s kind of like a maze. As long as we stay within those white lines, we won’t need to fight any major beasts or god creatures.” Thaleos explained as he took out his bow and arrows.

This action signal everyone else to prepare their weapons as well. They took out swords, daggers, and even axes.

“So far, even if James hated this location the most, he managed to create a rough draft of the whole maze. We just need to go through the area that’s far away from the flying shadow creatures.” The bearded man muttered under his breath.

After seeing a glint of light on the eastern part of the vicinity, he ordered to their group, “Ygritte and Haya you watch over left and right side, including our area above. I’ll cover the front and Kedrick will cover the back. We assume a diamond position.”

All of them nodded their heads and proceeded to go to their positions.

“Ready?” Thaleos asked them, once hearing a confident and resounding yes, he crouched and walked straight ahead.

The other hundreds of people that were staring at them just saw them being swallowed by the darkness and didn’t see any signs of them dying on the spot or even surviving.

They didn’t know.

And one thing that truly terrified human beings was the unknown.

Once they all went through the pitch-black shadows, their eyes adjusted to the calming light of the location.

Looking around the location, they saw that they were on a hillside filled with swaying greenery and hundreds of colorful tulips.

It looked like an enchanted forest as its calming ambience removed the nervousness they had earlier. Although the environment was serene, they knew that they couldn’t lower their guards.

They continued walking through the terrain and ventured around the area, waiting for any kind of attacks.

“This looks like some kind of elven territory, doesn’t it? I mean, based on James’ descriptions of the place.” Haya asked as he continued observing the location that seemed to be shining each time the breeze fanned their faces.

It smelt of lilies and fresh linen.

“This could be the territory of the Elven Clan but the door of the alien world is protected by the will of the gods. The elves are usually no allowed to step in the gods’ area within ten miles.” Thaleos explained while staring at a large ancient tree that seemed to be vibrating.

Before Haya could even ask his next question, something suddenly came out of the vibrating tree and were heading towards their direction.