New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

When Kela'ra saw the form of Astaroth change for the third time, his mind was in disarray.

'Is this kid just an illusion? Was he conjured by an elf mage to tire me out?'

It had been so long since he was hiding, it wouldn't be the first time they used such a ploy against him. He wasn't sure if he should keep fighting or find the source of the illusion.

But when Astaroth's next attack connected, he immediately dismissed the illusion theory. Astaroth started shooting firebolts, icicles, stone bullets, and wind blades in quick succession.

The attacks connected with Kela'ra's weapon, and he knew by the pressure that these spells weren't fake. And it was well known that illusions couldn't fire proper spells.

This marked Astaroth as a very real opponent, and it terrified him. His mind immediately went to rogue experiments.

He had heard about Elven researchers taking ash elf slaves to experiment with wild magic on them. But to produce such a monstrous entity as this one was beyond unimaginable.

"Worry not, boy. I will slay you to end the misery the elves put you through!"

Astaroth wondered what the man was rambling about, but he had no time to indulge his fantasies. He could hear footsteps in the cave tunnel behind him.

If Kela'ra got stuck in his memory once again, he would have wasted all this effort for nothing. But then, Astaroth got an idea.

What if he forced the man to see the illusion for what it was?

Astaroth grinned as he thought of a way to do that. He kept launching spells at Kela'ra, slowly backing him into a wall.

Then, he fired a full salvo of fire bolts, covering the full area before him. This hid him from Kela'ra's sight.

He dashed forward, following the spells to get closer. When Kela'ra batted the magic away, it was already too late.

Astaroth latched onto him like a constrictor snake, locking all his limbs in place with his own. This dropped the two men to the ground.

Astaroth rolled into a position where Kela'ra would look at the cave entrance.

The assassins came rushing in at that same time. Kela'ra almost froze in terror.

"Release me, or they'll kill us both!"

"Shut up and look!"

As he shouted that, what Astaroth had been hoping for happened.

The assassins started fighting, dodging and attacking, something that wasn't there. Kela'ra's traits morphed into confusion.

"What is happening...?"

"They are fighting you. Or at least, you remember them doing that. Kela'ra. This is a memory and they are acting according to it."

"This makes no sense. Why would I have a memory of something that hasn't happened yet?"

"This has already happened. A long time ago. Kela'ra, I think you died in this cave, protecting the Ad Astra."

"Nonsense! I'm alive, right here in your grasp!"

"Remember what I told you when I arrived?"

"You said something teleported you here, while attuning to a weapon."

"Yes. I was teleported here while attuning to Ad Astra."

"That's impossible. The Ad Astra can only have one master. I would need to be dead for another to attune to it."

"That is what I'm saying. Kela'ra. You have been dead for more than a millennium."

Suddenly, the man stopped squirming in his grasp. Astaroth noticed the assassins were also fading into nothingness.

Astaroth knew he had made him see the truth. He released the Ash Elf, standing back up.

Kela'ra sat there, contemplating the cavern, trying to remember something he couldn't see. He then looked back at Astaroth.

"If what you say is true, then how did you find the Ad Astra?"

"I was not the one to find it. It ended up in the treasure hoard of a dragon. I slew the dragon in defence of a kingdom I'm staying in, with others like me."

Kela'ra looked at him in silence.

"Is the war really over?"

"Yes. We won."

"Are the Ash Elves living in peace now?"

"Almost. Sadly, the current king wants to send the kingdom down on the warpath again."

"What a foolish man."

"I agree."

"Did we eliminate our enemies, or did they surrender?"

"Neither. We started winning the war after a man killed many officers in the chain of command, I'm guessing you, and the Elves accepted the signing of a peace treaty."

Kela'ra looked satisfied at Astaroth's answers.

"Then I guess I can finally rest in peace. If the Ad Astra accepts you as its new master, then it is all yours."

"Thank you. I hope your rest is all you hoped for in life."

"One last thing, young ash elf."

"What is it?"

"Can you find where I died and give me a proper burial?"

After saying that, a quest notification popped in front of Astaroth's eyes.

*Quest: Hero of old.*

Description: You have spoken to a remnant of a hero of olden times. His memory is all that remains of his fight. Help find his remains and lay him to rest properly.

Objectives:

Find where the hero died

Lay him to rest honourably

Rewards:

Reputation with Kela'ra and his descendants +5000

Reputation with the kingdom of Ash Elves +5000

Title: Historian

Do you accept the quest? Yes / No.

Astaroth didn't hesitate. He tapped the accept button and smiled at Kela'ra.

"I promise I will try. I cannot guarantee you I will find the place of your death, but if I do, I will give you the burial you deserved."

"Thank you. That is all I ask for."

As he said those last words, his body started slowly vanishing. As he vanished, so did the surrounding cave.

Astaroth reopened his eyes, sitting inside his inn room. On his lap was the Ad Astra.

But something was different about it. He could feel the tether between himself and the weapon.

He could also feel a slow, pulsing energy emanating from the dark orb in the pommel. He hadn't taken the time to observe the weapon previously, but as he did, he noticed the pommel's jewel was special.

The orb was dark like the night, but when he looked closely, he could see specks of light swirling around inside it. He recognized the night sky, as he had looked at it enough times in the past.

It was the night sky that flew over the kingdom of the Ash Elves. A sense of nostalgia washed over him.

He knew the weapon had been used to fight for the freedom of looking at that same night sky in peace.

Astaroth smiled as he scanned the weapon, to figure out what was different this time.

His jaw dropped when he saw the new stats.

"Holy fuck!"