Online: Eiodolon Realms – Child of Ruin-Chapter 28 - 27 – Echoes Beneath Velondar

The sun dipped low as Velondar came into view—its towering stone walls casting long shadows over the plains. Unlike the rustic villages they’d passed, Velondar pulsed with life. The city gates were flanked by armored guards with polished halberds, banners fluttering above bearing the sigil of a lion cradled in flames.

Rai stepped forward with a quiet breath. "So this is it. Velondar."

Alex whistled beside him. "Looks bigger than I thought. And louder."

"Everything’s bigger when money’s involved," Rai muttered, eyeing the long line of players and NPCs entering the city. Merchants yelled from their carts, adventurers haggled with traveling smiths, and guild recruiters waved posters like cultists spreading the end times.

Eron tightened the strap on his pack. "So, we just walk in?"

"Sort of," Rai replied. "City access is open for players above level fifteen, which we are. But don’t expect the game to throw out a red carpet."

They approached the line. As expected, an official from the city’s guard began checking status cards and confirming levels.

Alex swallowed hard. "We made it this far... but I never imagined it looking like this."

Eron nodded, hauling his pack higher. "It—it’s real now. The real game."

Rai drew a slow breath. "City’s big, city’s loud—but it’s our level. We’ve earned our spot."

A guard in polished silver armor stepped forward, eyes assessing.

"Permits, please."

He scanned Eron’s card. The permit glowed a gentle amber and accepted.

"Level 15 confirmed. Welcome to Velondar. Keep order or you’ll learn the laws quickly."

When Rai’s turn came, the guard’s eyes flicked over the floating system screen that appeared.

"Rai. Level 15. Permitted," the guard said flatly, stamping a magical sigil onto the glowing permit in Rai’s inventory. "Welcome to Velondar. Don’t cause trouble."

"Oh, that’s gonna be hard," Rai muttered under his breath, stepping aside as Alex and Eron followed.

The moment they passed through the massive gates, the noise hit them like a wave—metal clanging, auctions being shouted, familiars screeching, and enchanted signs glowing in every color imaginable.

"This place is... alive," Eron murmured.

"Alive, overhyped, and probably full of scams," Rai added. "But it’s also where everything starts."

They took a moment to absorb the atmosphere. Velondar wasn’t just a city—it was a crossroads.

’Haah! And I will most probably have to get involved with those damned nobles again.’

From here, paths led to the forest kingdoms, the mines of Tredgar, the academic towers of Telmere, and eventually, the shattered lands where gods once fell.

It was here that players made names for themselves—or lost everything chasing power.

Rai’s gaze swept the crowds. There were no players here, at least not in the open. Most of the players were still in the beginner villages and doing exp farming.

He smirked. "None of them know what’s coming."

After a brief visit to an inn near the city’s west wing—modest, affordable, with surprisingly decent soup—they set up their temporary base in a second-floor room.

"So," Alex said between spoonfuls, "what now?"

"We lay low for a bit," Rai said, leaning against the windowsill. "We’re strong for the players, yes, but not strong enough to attract attention of Npc’s and survive. Not yet." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"You mean we have to do dungeon farming again?" Eron asked.

"Partially. But also information gathering," Rai replied. "Quests, rare NPCs, underground hubs. Velondar’s full of them, but not all are visible on the surface."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "You’ve been here before, haven’t you?"

Rai gave a casual shrug. "Let’s just say... I did my homework."

He didn’t elaborate. Of course he’d been here. In his previous life, Velondar had been the first real battlefield, where ambitions clashed, betrayals bloomed, and guilds rose and fell like sandcastles in a storm.

But this time, he wasn’t just a pawn.

This time, he was the one setting the board.

Rai leaned forward, voice clear. "Eron—about the blacksmith special trial."

Eron paused, shoulders tensing. "Yeah. You told mr once you hit level 15 in Velondar, there’s a hidden solo quest. No party allowed. You prove yourself on craft and resolve."

Rai nodded. "Exactly. You’ll go through all the checks alone. When you succeed, your blacksmith class unlocks—crafting, repairing for others, guild equipment."

Caught between excitement and caution, Eron hesitated. "But Rai, I’m not sure I can handle it myself..."

Rai placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I know you might be a bit nervous. But inside the challenge is a reward, your reward. I will tell you some steps to make sure you win."

Eron sighed in relief. "Really? You should have begun by saying that."

"Here’s the catch though—obligation. To help us build the future, I need you to sign an agreement. Once you start earning coin through crafting, ten percent of your profits goes to Oblivion’s Ascent."

Eron blinked. "Ten percent? Of everything?"

Rai’s eyes were steady. "Yes. Not wages, not quests—specifically items you craft and sell. That’s the seed fund for the guild’s growth."

There was a long silence. Finally, Eron took a breath. "All right. I trust you. I’ll do it. But if I fail..."

"You won’t," Rai said softly. "And either way, you’ll have support."

They clasped hands. No parchment, no ceremony and no contract—just conviction and mutual trust.

Rai then told Eron everything he knew about the quest and how to clear it to get the best possible results.

As Eron stood up and started to leave for the quest, Rai began staring at Eron’s back.

’In a way today I took advantage of you. Even if I had not told you about this quest, you would have gotten it yourself someday. Forgive me but it was necessary for now. But I promise I will make you much more successful in this life then in your previous one and I will save you and this world. I promise.’

Alex shaked Rai out of his thoughts and said, "What happened to you now? Man, I think their is something wrong with you. Why do you keep getting lost in your own thoughts everyday, huh? You should seriously stop overthinking."

"Yeah. I was just thinking what to do with you now."

"HUH. Me?" He pointed to himself.

"I need to help you too," he said quietly.

Alex looked up excitedly. "How? An special class for me too?"

Rai looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Yeah, no. Do you think special classes grow on trees or something."

With this single sentence Alex’s excitement died. "Not fair, I am the older friend. Still you gave the special class to him and not me." With this he began to cry fake comedy tears.

"Stop your drama you idiot. While Eron is gone for the quest, we will earn coins and a lot of coins."

Hearing this brought a sly smile on Alex’s mouth. "HEHE. You told me that soon enough the gold coins of the game, would become exchangeable into real currency. At first, I thought you were joking, but recently almost all the companies have started buying this games shares as if they all want something, you were telling the truth after all."

Rai looked at Alex and said, "Huh. You are smarter than you look."

Meanwhile many miles away, Lyra Moonveil stood in a tower chamber lit by moonbeams. Her scholar—a thin, scholarly mage with gentle eyes—silently observed her.

"I keep dreaming of a cloaked figure," Lyra whispered. "his face was obscured, not visible."

The scholar closed a heavy tome with care. "Dreams like yours are tied to fate threads, woven into the world from beyond. You need to talk with the goddess."

Her breath caught. "If it is fate... I must seek her answer."

The scholar produced a luminous scroll that glowed faintly violet. "This token, Echo of the Moon, grants a quest path: to commune with the Moon Goddess, to ask questions."

Lyra accepted the scroll. Her lips moved with resolve. "Then I’ll do it. I’ll find her—and understand why I’m pulled to that man I cannot see."