The first several hours of the escort mission were a quick and hard test of their new partnership. The Aethereal Crags' rugged landscape was characterized by unpredictable magical energy sources and shaky granite slides. They moved at an extremely sluggish pace.
Anchor moved with extreme caution in his massive controlled size his enormous mass acting as the ideal support for the crystalline Arctic Stag nestled inside his stable chilly interior. Anchor's chaotic defenses were weakened by the resolve and the caravan as a whole became vulnerable. The sheer sight of the big sized blacksmith and the massive dazzling slime crawling through the crags was a continual high-level threat warning.
Twenty paces ahead Vulcan tested the path's sturdiness with his armored weight purposefully causing little rock falls to prevent Anchor's slow advance. He was the path-clearing bulldozer.
Ethan the ever-present shadow scouted constantly along the cliffs' steep slopes. He swiftly covered ground with brief bursts of Shadow Blink before instantly reverting to his high Sneak state to study the huge empty sky and the concealed cracks below.
While scouting Ethan's mind drifted to the obvious question that every experienced player and undoubtedly every viewer—would ask: Why not simply store the Stag?
Under his cloak he held onto the frame of his M1 Mythic Camera. The camera was strong enough to bind the essence of a large dragon and had the fundamental capacity to record, store and alter spatial data. But when he had initially tried to target the Stag the system had responded with a clear bitter rejection.
It is not possible to process beings that act as Mythic Anchors for realm stability, Beings of Elemental Balance or Sovereign NPCs into system-bound inventory, storage or external data matrices. Their fundamental nature is closely related to the physics of the world.
The Stag was a physical part of Aethelgard's fundamental structure rather than a resource. The escort was essential. The real cost of the Aethereal Vow was the difficulty, the time and the risk. The quest was the journey itself. The mission's SSS-Rank value was justified by this basic limitation.
His palm automatically settled on the hilt of his weapon the Shadow-Edge Silencer as he examined his gear. Even though he wasn't an amateur fighter he knew that in order to carry out his risky video missions he required a melee weapon that properly suited his stealth specialty so he bought the Legendary dagger at the peak of his financial stability. Although it had cost over half a million dollars its worth had now been established.
[SHADOW EDGE SILENCER DAGGER: LEGENDARY RANK
AGILITY: +15
DURING STEALTH CRITICAL STRIKE +50%
LEGENDARY SKILL: SILENT EXECUTION: Any successful strike delivered from a high level sneak status applies a temporary 5 second silence effect on the target and disrupt casting of the target. Cool-down: 15 seconds]
The dagger was perfect for his stealth type specialty approach and combat.
The first silence was broken as they rounded a steep spire of black crystalline rock. A flock of Gargoyle-Hounds swift Level 65 birds known for their speed and capacity for deadly sonic attacks emerged from the high-altitude haze as a danger. The odd steady coolness that surrounded Anchor drew them in.
"Aerial hostiles approaching fast!" With his camera focused on the approaching threats Ethan broadcast. "There will soon be sonic attacks. Get ready for wide-area absorption, Vulcan".
The master craftsmen promptly planted his feet and spread his arms wide to defend Anchor and the Stag. To survive the first wave he depended on his raw vitality and the Aegis's enormous Energy Shock Reduction.
The Gargoyle-Hounds plummeted sending a stinging concussive wave of their cries into Vulcan's armor.
[DAMAGE RECEIVED: 38% MAX HP]
The masterwork armor vibrated yet held as Vulcan absorbed the damage. But the Stag's fragile stability inside Anchor was starting to tremble under the sheer energy of the sonic explosions.
"Ethan the Stag is destabilizing!" the Vulcan warned. "We need a distraction and silence these monsters!"
Ethan had already started to move. Before the sonic danger produced a systemic failure in the Stag's fragile shell he had to eradicate it. He set his sights on the pack leader the biggest Gargoyle-Hound.
He entered Flow State and moved like water over the perilous rock. There was no obstruction to his movement from the ground.
SHADOW BLINK!!
Ethan resurfaced in midair straight above the leader. He hit the creature's exposed sonic membrane exactly with his Shadow-Edge Silencer attack. The SILENT EXECUTION skill of the dagger was instantaneously triggered. The magical force trapped in the creature's voice chords was instantaneously subdued cutting short its painful cry.
[GARGOYLE HOUND LEADER DEFEATED: 12,500 EXP RECEIVED]
In a desperate attempt to destroy the phantom danger the remaining Gargoyle-Hounds turned their now-silenced sonic attacks towards ethan. Confusion ensued as soon as their leader's shout was silenced.
Targeting the smaller agile monsters Ethan took advantage of the commotion by chaining several Shadow Blink movements. His motions were deadly silent, and perfectly crafted to take advantage of the confusion he caused. He was a flash of dark matter who drifted towards the gargoyle quickly. There was a brief isolated sound silence following each effective blow. Because of his Shadow-Weave Mantle which prevented even his severe strikes from disrupting the stealth effect he maintained his high Sneak rank.
In the meantime Anchor secretly shielded the Stag by using his massive body to absorb the self-inflicted sound damage.
The attack ended in sixty seconds. Four Gargoyle-Hounds were vanquished, and Vulcan was able to obtain important material from their level 65 carcasses.
[GARGOYLE HOUND DEFEATED x4 , TOTAL EXPERIENCED GAINED 48,200]
The calm precise brutality of the attack completely confused the remaining Gargoyle-Hounds who withdrew into a dense cloud.
Reappearing on a nearby peak Ethan verified the stability of the Stag and checked his equipment. The situation was over. He had demonstrated the tremendous power of the Masterwork equipment in action by executing the ideal surround defense.
With the Aegis lightly burning from the energY overload Vulcan gradually reduced his defensive stance. He turned to face the four vanquished beasts and the far-off summit where Ethan was now standing.
Vulcan thought examining the cutting wounds "He moves with the precision of a master assassin" That skill of silence was used flawlessly. Before it could get to the Stag he eliminated their most lethal leader. The equipment I built is simply an extension of his lethal intent.
Vulcan came to the conclusion that his first evaluation of Ethan as a straightforward cause of chaos was overly imprecise. Ethan was a live instrument of unmatched effectiveness and a tactical genius. This collaboration was about more than just material acquisition it was about defending a unique precious force capable of overcoming the impossible.
"Threat is eliminated" Ethan replied back. "We move forward now. Your defense was flawless Vulcan".
Vulcan said "Your battle sense was good" in a tone that showed his true respect. "The combination of the Shadow-Weave and that blade's suppression effect is absolute."
They kept up their slow and difficult climb. The anti-magic areas became more common and the ground became steeper. They were entering truly unexplored area where even ordinary beasts had dangerous defenses and high levels. Each step was a commitment to the next unachievable task.
They arrived at a brief protected gap in the cliff face a region of solid non-magical ground as the twin moons of Aethelgard rose over the Crags creating long, sharp shadows.
"We rest here for the night" declared Vulcan. "Anchor needs to recover his stamina and the Stag needs absolute thermal stability. We will maintain the escort at dawn."
Ethan prepared his rest for the first time since the escort mission has started. With a Sovereign NPC for a quest and a Mythic artisan for a companion the rewards and the content would be legendary or mythic or even SSS Rank despite the length of the voyage.