As they put more distance between themselves and Dragon's Peak Citadel, the monsters grew increasingly formidable. The creatures in this region were generally Level 25 and above, posing a serious threat to the average player, whose level still hovered below 23. Unsurprisingly, the number of other adventurers in the area had thinned out considerably.
"Whoa, Stone, what level are these things? The experience is insane!"
FreshwindElara watched her experience bar leap forward. At this rate, she'd hit Level 20 within the hour.
"Twenty-five and up."
"Level 25? What level are you? How is your attack so high? And your defense..."
She stared at Marcus, completely baffled. Her own brother, a Level 22 warrior, was a whirlwind in combat, and she'd always thought he was incredible. But this Knight, Stonehaven, was operating on a different plane. He cut through these Level 25 beasts with an almost casual efficiency, barely seeming to register their attacks. He was in a league of his own.
"What do you mean? I was handling myself just fine in the Bat Cave last night."
"Wait, were those bats last night Level 25, too?"
Now she was truly shocked. No wonder a single run with him had shot her from Level 18 to 19, saving her half a day of grinding. The cave had been so dark and oppressive she hadn't paid much attention to the monsters' strength, too focused on keeping up and doing her job as a Cleric. She knew the final Dark Bat was a brute, but the rest had seemed manageable.
"That place isn't bad. The Dark Bats in there are Level 28. The leveling speed would be even better."
Marcus had the system-rewarded skill Insight, which let him see monster levels, so it made sense that FreshwindElara had been in the dark.
"Let's not go back there, Stone. It's way too creepy."
She shuddered at the memory of the claustrophobic cavern.
"Fair enough. We'll head to the Stone Carving Forest instead. It's full of these interesting animal sculptures carved from stone. Plus, the monsters there are Level 30, so we'll level up even faster."
Marcus certainly wasn't going to argue. When you had the chance to adventure with a woman like FreshwindElara, you picked a location with a little scenery; it was just common sense.
"Level 30? Stone, seriously, what level are you?"
She could barely process it. From the way he said it, Level 30 monsters sounded like a minor inconvenience. Was the Knight Stonehaven the hidden name on the Top Ten Leaderboard? Was he the number one player in Dominion?
"Twenty-eight."
"I knew it! You're the one at the top of the leaderboard. It all makes sense now; no wonder you have a pet like the Darkfire Phoenix."
She looked him over, her clear eyes wide with a genuine, impressed respect. She should have put it together sooner. Who else in the entire game could possibly be this powerful?
What Marcus didn't know was that FreshwindElara felt a sudden, private flicker of pride, pleased that it was him who turned out to be so formidable.
'Of course it's Stone. Who else could it be?'
'Wait a second,' he thought. What did his leaderboard rank have to do with the Phoenix? The Experts and Reputation boards listed class info, and as the only Knight with a hidden name, the connection was easy to make. But the Wealth and Pet leaderboards only showed names, keeping things anonymous.
Still, seeing the frank admiration in Elara's gaze sent a undeniable surge of satisfaction through him. There was a unique thrill in having your strength recognized, especially by a woman who was both sharp and strikingly beautiful. It was a basic, undeniable truth: a lot of what men did; the grinding, the pursuit of power, was, on some level, to earn that kind of look.
"Hey, Stone, I'm going to summon Goldie. He needs the experience too."
"Go for it."
'Why is she asking?' He watched her captivating smile and simply nodded, feeling pretty good about how the day was going.
Seeing the coast was clear, FreshwindElara summoned her pet, the Three-Winged Dark Gold Bat King.
The creature unfurled three pairs of shimmering, golden wings, chirping with curiosity as it took in the outside world. It zipped through the air around Marcus and FreshwindElara, occasionally darting toward a monster to unleash a surprisingly potent sonic attack. Marcus was impressed; for a Level 8 pet, it packed a real punch.
"Stone, look over there! A pair of Sorcerers, twins I think. They're stunning."
Really? For a woman like FreshwindElara to be struck by someone else's looks meant they had to be something special. Marcus made quick work of the two monsters in front of him with a few efficient strikes and followed her gaze.
About twenty yards to their right, two female Sorcerers were being driven from a dense patch of trees by a monster that resembled a wooden golem wreathed in a shadowy aura. The two women were fighting a tactical retreat, attacking in tandem, but they looked flustered, their rhythm faltering.
From his angle, Marcus only caught their profiles as they focused on the monster. But their silhouettes were identical, their auras subtly in sync, and the curve of a cheekbone visible from here confirmed Elara's claim: they were beautiful twins.
Their long robes did little to hide their willowy, graceful figures. They stood tall and moved with a light, almost dance-like elegance that gave them a mysterious, sophisticated air. Each held a short staff, their movements a study in coordination.
Marcus found himself leaning forward, eager for a clearer view of their faces.
"Their technique is something else. That coordination is flawless."
The twin Sorcerers moved in perfect, unspoken harmony, earning Marcus's silent respect and an audible murmur of admiration from FreshwindElara.
One was a Water Sorcerer, the other Fire. As twins, they seemed to share a single mind, their spells weaving together seamlessly.
Their strategy was simple but brilliant. They split the monster's attention. The Water Sorcerer would strike first, hitting it with a Level 20 Freeze to slow its advance and draw its rage.
Then, the Fire Sorcerer would follow up, landing two quick Level 10 Ember Shots. While individually weak, the combined damage was nearly on par with a Level 20 Meteor.
Because the Ember Shots were low-threat, the monster remained fixated on the Water Sorcerer, who was now channeling a more powerful Level 20 Water Blade.
Just as the creature was about to close in on her, she broke off her attack. In that exact moment, the Fire Sorcerer's Level 20 Meteor crashed down on the monster's head. The massive damage was too much to ignore; howling in pain, it whirled around to charge the Fire Sorcerer.
Immediately, the Water Sorcerer hit it with a Level 10 Water Blade, followed by another Freeze. It wasn't enough to pull aggro, but it further bogged the monster down.
When it was halfway to its new target, the Fire Sorcerer stopped casting and turned to run. The Water Sorcerer then launched two more Water Blades, successfully pulling the monster's attention back to herself. The Fire Sorcerer spun around, fired off two more Ember Shots, and the elegant, punishing cycle began again.