Kaiden reached Emir’s apartment just after noon. The front door was unlocked, exactly like the text had said. No sign of the roommate. Just quiet, soft lamp light, and the faint scent of takeout still lingering from the kitchen.
He walked straight to Emir’s room, settled into the gaming chair, and pulled the headset on.
Login Accepted. Welcome, NYTE.
The soft lute music of the Solarium Inn faded in as the world of Revolt the Sun materialized around him. Warm, crystalline light shone through bioluminescent square lights embedded in the curved glass walls. Player avatars moved quietly around the hub, browsing menus, crafting, or chatting near hearths.
Kaiden opened the party chat.
Party Chat - NYTE:
You two around?
Party Chat - IRONSTRIDE:
Busy. On a dungeon run with another group. Woulda been nice to know when you would log in, though.
Party Chat - NYTE:
Sorry. Phone was dead. Meant to check in.
He winced. He really should check in with his parents too. Even if they didn’t get him, there were bigger things going on. That wasn’t an excuse to act like they didn’t matter.
Party Chat - MIXMASTER:
I’m free. You really think I’m letting you take on a mission solo again? Nah. Gimme one sec.
Kaiden chuckled.
Party Chat - IRONSTRIDE:
Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone.
Party Chat - NYTE:
We’ll be careful, Mom.
Party Chat - MIXMASTER:
Promise we won’t burn down the Courts. Not on purpose.
Party Chat - IRONSTRIDE:
Whatever. While you infiltrate the Court, I’ll reach out to that guy who knew CrimsonCrow. If he’s not ghosting me, I might have something by tonight.
Party Chat - NYTE:
Thanks. Stay safe.
Party Chat: IRONSTRIDE has left the party chat.
Kaiden sat quietly for a moment, letting the inn sounds settle.
He brought up his character and stats:
NYTE (Kaiden) | Level 11
His Petal Echoes skill had a longer cooldown, so he couldn’t rely too much on it—especially in close quarters—but everything else was good to go. He had just enough stat balance to dodge, hit hard, and dip before aggro locked him down. DPS build through and through.
The Photosphere shimmered faintly in his UI. A reminder that he wasn’t like everyone else in here. And maybe never would be.
He opened up Naō’s stat sheet next.
MIXMASTER
Level: 9
LP: 155
SP: 125
ATK: 25
DEF: 23
DEX: 25
AGI: 30
INT: 38
WIS: 34
Naō’s healing flasks and corrosive draughts had kept them alive more than once. The dude was a walking status lab.
Stunburst Phial, Corrosive Draught, Mistbreaker II, Minor Regen, and Purge Capsule were all slotted in.
Decaying Flask (Upgrade): stacked damage on enemies affected by corrosion.
Kaiden nodded to himself. They could handle an infiltration run. This wasn’t a boss raid or a dungeon crawl. They just needed to slip in, find the prison wing, and get Liri out before triggering any full-scale aggro.
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A ping notified him that Mixmaster was near.
Naō’s avatar stood on the other side of the inn, a reinforced leather coat, thick hide belt at the waist, with leather satchels strapped across his chest and thigh. Vials clinked faintly at his side, and a curved injector staff—half tool, half weapon—rested across his back.
“Ready to infiltrate a castle?” he asked, smirking.
Kaiden smirked back. “Let’s go on a rescue mission.”
???°?°???
They took the other tunnels leading out of Ashglass marked on their map, half-concealed by tree roots that twisted around the stone entry.
The deeper they went, the more the tunnel changed. Bioluminescent moss coated the walls with Shimmering Dust particles. Eventually, the narrow path widened into a sloping forest road hidden beneath a high canopy.
That’s when they saw them.
Rootlike creatures with vine-like arms dragged across the ground. Petal-framed faces peeled open to reveal rows of thorn-covered fangs. Each monster had a vaguely humanoid silhouette, cloaked in sunburnt leaves and fungal growth.
[Aggro Triggered: Bloomed Courtiers x3]
[Enemy Trait: Root Armor – Standard physical attacks reduced unless Root Damage (RD) is triggered.]
“Oh, this is gonna suck,” Naō muttered.
“Split and flank?” Kaiden asked.
Naō was already drawing a vial from his belt. “On your mark, Ghost.”
Kaiden moved quickly, slashing in and out with his scythe.
[ -18 LP | RD Not Triggered]
[Status Effect Applied: Bleed - Minor]
One Bloomed Courtier latched onto his arm.
[Grappled | -12 LP]
Naō hurled a Stunburst Phial.
[Direct Hit: Stun Applied | -9 LP]
[Follow-Up: Corrosive Draught | DEF -10% | RD Vulnerability Exposed]
Kaiden didn’t hesitate. He caught sight of the weak point in the center of its mask. He swung his blade in a heavy arc.
[Root Strike Activated – Weak Point Hit! | -45 LP]
The monster collapsed into a heap of spores and thorns.
Their HP dropped, but they managed. XP trickled in.
[Victory| EXP Gained]
Kaiden took a second but otherwise shook it off.
“There’s probably going to be more of these things, huh?” Naō asked.
“Probably. Especially the closer we get to certain territories.”
The path eventually led to a sun-dappled clearing, where a crooked house stood half-sunk into a hill. An old man NPC sat on a wooden stool, whittling something with a knife.
“Well, hello, Dayslayers,” the old man said, not even looking up. “What brings you down this back trail?”
“Trying to get to the castle,” Kaiden said, approaching. “Through the back, if possible.”
The old man nodded slowly. “Ah. Not easy, that. But maybe doable. Could help you—if you help me first.”
Naō groaned. “Here it comes.”
“Lost a precious tool in a collapsed tunnel. Bring it back, and I’ll show you how to slip past the guards.”
[Side Quest Accepted: “Rust and Roots”]
The collapsed tunnel wasn’t far, but it was crawling with more corrupted monsters. This time, two larger enemies called Thornstalk Twins guarded the makeshift den.
[Aggro Triggered: Thornstalk Twins x2]
[Enemy Trait: Twinbind – Attacks boost DEF of nearby siblings.]
They fought carefully, using terrain to their advantage. Naō layered DoTs and defense flasks, while Kaiden took the front line. The Thornstalk Twins had unusually high resistance to standard attacks.
[ -10 LP | RD Not Triggered]
[Mistbreaker Draught II – DoT Applied | DEF Resistance -8%]
Kaiden noticed some of his strikes were only dealing partial damage unless he hit. Naō’s Corrosive Draught,however, lowered their defense threshold and enabled Kaiden to break through.
[Root Damage Triggered – Critical Hit | -60 LP]
[Thornstalk Twin A – Defeated]
[Thornstalk Twin B – Retreats | Loot Item dropped ]
They managed to retrieve the item: an old rake, rusted beyond repair.
[Quest Item Acquired: Splintered Rake “Looks like junk. But maybe a special blacksmith could restore it…”]
They returned to the old man, who inspected the rake and grinned.
“Well, well. Not much left of it. Why don’t you take it off my hands. It’s practically junk now. But, anyway, a deal is a deal. If you want into the back of the castle, you’ll need to look the part.”
He stood, moved inside his home, and returned with two folded sets of plain clothes, burlap sacks, and worn hats.
“You’re farmers now. My hired help. The back entrance always lets in supply folk. Just don’t talk too much.”
[Costume Equipped: Farmer’s Disguise]
They removed their gear and equipped the disguise. Their weapons were hidden beneath their robes, and the sacks slung over their shoulders were filled with random gardening junk.
“You sure this is gonna work?” Kaiden asked.
“If it doesn’t, I’ll say my respects,” the old man said with a grin.
Naō wrinkled his nose. “NPCs sure got a cheeky personality.”
They made their way down the dirt path until the castle’s rear gate came into view. Two guards, clad in radiant moss-coated armor, blocked the way.
“State your business.”
Kaiden lowered his head. “Deliveries from the outer farms. Seed stock and compost.”
The guards glanced at each other, then waved them through.
[Stealth Check Passed – Disguise Not Detected]
[New Location Unlocked: Seelie Court - Outer Grounds]
They were in.
