Game’s Dogma

Only then did Drako Yau have the chance to size up the Balrog.

A massive humanoid it was, donned in shadows and shrouded in flames—a dark void cloaked by crimson hellfire. Its golden eyes and furry body burnt fiercely, while it held a lengthy flaming sword in its muscular arms. Drako Yau was only as tall as its knees.

The Balrog growled again before swinging its flaming sword at Gandalf.

‘You! Shall not pass!’ Gandalf roared in return as a white blast of magic exploded forth and blasted away the flaming sword. However, countless sparks showered towards the other Fellowship of the Ring members.

‘Hah!’

Boromir, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas were all seasoned fighters. Such sparks posed no threat to them, but the four hobbits all turned pale.

A red shadow stood before the four hobbits. He wore a fiery red mask and a fluttering blood-red cloak that radiated the scent of the dead, sending chills down their spines.

Drako Yau thrust his spear at the incoming sparks. With great swiftness and accuracy, he shattered the sparks one by one in rapid succession. The four Fellowship of the Ring fighters all sent probing stares at the mysterious human whom they thought was a burden. Never did they think he was so well-versed in the way of combat.

‘Thank you! Thank you!’ Froddo, still terrified, immediately thanked Drako Yau.

Hobbits didn’t have great physique, nor were they talented in melee combat or magic, but they had the most resilient of minds. That was why they bore the great responsibility of carrying the One Ring.

‘Poet, guard them.’ Drako Yau gave the order, then immediately ran to Gandalf in case something unexpected happened.

The Phoenix Ring was a divine item for fire elementalists. By upgrading it to Tier 2, Idyllic Poet would receive a massive boost to her magic potency. There was no room for error in this quest!

‘Grrrrah!’ Noticing that Drako Yau had seen through its attack, the Balrog howled in rage. It lifted its flaming sword, now burning ever fiercer, and hacked it at Drako Yau.

‘You shall not pass!’ Gandalf roared once again.

He pummeled his staff into the bridge. Though dwarven architecture was sophisticated and durable, it couldn’t withstand the all-out strike of a powerful wizard. Cracks crackled throughout the bridge, and it started shattering from where Gandalf stood.

Having suddenly lost its footing, the Balrog cried and dropped into the abyss along with chunks of rock. Gandalf turned around and smiled at his comrades who all finally let out their breaths.

At that moment, a shadow extended from beneath the bridge towards Gandalf’s legs. Drako Yau’s eyes flashed; he had been waiting for this moment!

He had closely supervised the production of this particular quest. While there were minor differences between the quest and the story, the plot was generally identical: the Balrog dragged Gandalf into the abyss as it fell.

Putting aside the fact that Gandalf the Grey ‘evolved’ into Gandalf the White after this incident, Drako Yau had always thought, what if Gandalf survived? Might as well put thoughts into action!

Drako Yau groaned and thrust his left palm at the Balrog’s flaming whip. Using Dragon Capturing Hand, he sent a dragon aura towards the whip, hoping it could change the whip’s trajectory.

The whip suddenly broke off into a vast net when the dragon aura was about to land. The numerous strands of shadows consumed both Gandalf and Drako Yau before they knew it and pulled them into the abyss.

‘NO!!!!’ Idyllic Poet shrieked and ran to the broken bridge.

She looked down, but pure darkness greeted her. Drako Yau, Gandalf, and the mysterious Balrog had all vanished into the abyss. She quickly pulled up her friend list to check Drako Yau’s name—the name ‘Dragonspear’ had turned grey. Panic struck her as she paled. The most terrible thing wasn’t death, but being trapped.

While players could kill others in the major cities, they’d be sent to jail if caught. A serial killer once went on a killing spree in a city and was sentenced to one year of imprisonment. He couldn’t log off, so he ended up deleting his account. The system also recognised his brainwave so that he’d continue his sentence even if he created another account. This punishment was way worse than losing a level.

Idyllic Poet received the notification that she had completed the quest, but that was the least of her concern now. She immediately teleported back to Yoda and informed the others of the news.

In the Howl of the Tempest Wolves conference room, everyone stood there in silence. Idyllic Poet felt so guilty that tears swelled up in her eyes.

‘We don’t have to be too anxious, for now at least.’ Sasaki was the first to speak. ‘No one knows what’s happening to the boss. There’s no need to lose our heads in panic.’

Windstrider shot a glance at Idyllic Poet. He nodded and said, ‘I’m with him. We all know the boss’ a monster, it’s too soon to come to a conclusion.’

Greenstone then stood up and headed for the exit.

‘Greenstone, where are you going?’

‘Levelling up.’

Idyllic Poet yelled angrily, ‘The boss’ in danger. You’re gonna run away just like that?’

Greenstone looked into her eyes and said, ‘I trust him.’ Leaving those words behind, he left the conference room without turning back.

‘Alright.’ Zephyrwolf also hid his usual playful attitude and said, ‘You both have a point, but it won’t help even if we’re impatient. We’ll continue our shift so someone’s online at all times. The ones online will keep calling the boss.’

Idyllic Poet had a dejected look as she said, ‘It’s useless. If he’s stuck, the phone function won’t work. Unless… he deletes his account and abandons Real World.’

Everyone didn’t know what to say; it was way too big of a price to pay. Yoda only became what it was today because of the might and reputation of Mask. If Mask was gone forever, Yoda would crumble on its own without Empyreon intervening. Yoda would then return to its previous state where various powers divided the city.

‘That’s all we can do for now.’

Zephyrwolf sighed and stood up. Now that Drako Yau wasn’t here, he had to take over. He had been a guild master for years after all.

Windstrider also stood up. He looked at Idyllic Poet, trying to muster up words to comfort her, but nothing came out of his twitching lips. He stayed silent as he left the room.

For every 1000, then 2000, then another 2000 Likes on all chapters (1000 -> 3000 -> 5000), there will be bonus chapters! Register a Penana account and start Liking now for more chapters!