Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 68: Bridge

Later That Morning,

29th Mazem, 1092.

The morning sun showered a daeben and direwolf in its warming glow. The daeben sat on the banks of a newly-formed river, looking towards something far off. He placed a newly painted portrait into his inventory and then gazed at the scenery before him.

"Wow." Kashi swallowed hard as he stared at what had once been the Burning Desert. The expanse had been swallowed up by an equally large river whose origins he guessed were from the Forever Sea. If this was true, then the river now served as a natural border between Rosendun and Merriheim.

The river itself seemed calm enough, but there was no telling just how fast the undercurrents actually were. It would be dangerous folly to attempt to swim past even if one had the stamina for the entire breadth. As he observed the silent river, Kira sat down next to him, having cooled herself in the shallow ends of the river.

Kashi patted her head then called up his second-in-command.

After a short pause, Leila answered. "Hey, Kashi! What you been up to? I received a notification saying our guild has increased influence in Southern Merriheim. Also, something about a new river splitting up both countries?"

Kashi thought about the best way to summarize the last couple of days. "We saved a bunch of people."

"Isn't that always the case? It's the details I want."

"Maybe later." Kashi felt too lazy to go into detail. "Right now, we have a lot of work to do. Time and speed are of the essence."

Leila picked up on the urgency in his voice and switched to an equally business tone. "What do you have in mind?"

Kashi looked to the impossibly large tower which stood at the other end of the river. He couldn't be precisely sure, but judging by the fact he could not see the base of the tower, the opposite bank was at least beyond the horizon.

Kashi examined the bank he stood on.

Given how long it had taken him to reach Meilfour on foot before the rhinos, Kashi estimated the burning desert to have been around sixty kilometers. But that didn't add up. The river ahead of him should be twenty kilometers at the most, and that was being generous. This revealed a somewhat troubling fact.

The Burning Desert had not just been an expanse of scorching land. The suns had affected all travelers with some sort of illusion - a genjustu if you will. Now, whether this was an effect of the divine beasts or the Chaos Brotherhood, Kashi was not sure. But either way, he had been under the influence of an illusion so convincing, the game never even prompted it. That alone was cause for concern.

Kashi planned to deal with that soon, but that wasn't his course of action for today. "We need to build a bridge connecting Merriheim and Rosendun. Use the tower..." He paused to think. The term tower was good and all, but he was looking for a connection between two different countries. Tower wasn't quite the right term. "Use Suvron's Gate as the starting point."

"How long is this bridge going to be?" Leila asked.

"Give me a second." Kashi held his breath as he activated almost all his skills at once. His MP drained at a rapid pace, but he paid no heed. His eyesight sharpened and zoomed-in till he could clearly see the cracks on Suvron's Gate. He quickly measured the height of the building he could see, then shut his eyes, gasping as he clutched his chest.

The daeben's breathing evened out as he did some calculations in his head. "The bridge will be about twenty-four kilometers give or take a kilometer."

Leila gasped. "Twenty!? Do you realize how large that is?"

Kashi chuckled. "Yes, I do. Which is how I know I cannot do it on my own."