Fate Online: Shadow

"Wait, didn't I saw a Quest about this fish back at the City Administration?"

Michael muttered, a bit surprised as he did saw a Quest regarding about the rare monster called Anub'arak when he was browsing through the C-grade Quests.

Michael immediately got up and hastily made his way towards the City Administration building.

Once inside, Michael immediately strode over towards the Quest Board and immediately plucked the quest where he remembered it was placed when he saw it.

Flash!

The paper in Michael's hand immediately turned into a flash as a new message popped up in front of him.

[ You have accepted an A-Grade Quest - Catch The Monster Fish! ]

[ Catch The Monster Fish! ]

Description: The City Lord had issued a Quest to catch the monster fish that resides in the Lake of Gundar! Whoever catches it and hands it directly over to the City Lord would receive a hefty reward!

Quest Reward: 20 Gold, Fishing Rod (Rare), An item of your choice (Common - Rare) and +2000 Reputation in Haven City!

Penalty: None

Note: This is a one time quest only.

Michael was surprised at the generous rewards, but the thing that truly caught his attention are the words at the end.

"A one time Quest? It's not repetitive like the others? So that's the reason why the gold rewards is so high for this one, and it means that the fish is the only one living in the lake"

"Hehe, an A grade quest is truly different from the rest"

Michael immediately made his way towards the City Lord's mansion.

Arriving at the Northern part of the city, Michael saw a huge Medieval Mansion, surrounded by tall walls, with guards stationed at every corner of the wall, with five soldiers manning the mansion's gate, while there are also patrolling soldiers moving to and fro around the walls, and there is also a large moat filled with water surrounding the mansion wall, with blades of grass growing at the banks.

And there's only one bridge that connects both sides.

All of the soldiers are wearing heavy armor, armed with swords or spears, with a bow and a quiver of arrows strapped on their backs.

And above their heads are filled with three question marks except for their names.

"How heavily guarded"

Michael said he strode towards the mansion's gate.

"Halt!"

He just started walking towards them when one of the soldiers pointed his hand towards him and shouted for him to stop.

"Unauthorized personnel are not allowed here! State your purpose!"

The soldier strode over to him, as one of his hands is resting on the hilt of his sword.

"Uhh...I'm here regarding about the quest that the City Lord issued" Michael was startled as he didn't expect that someone would immediately obstruct him when he had just stepped on the stone bridge.

"So you're the person who caught the Anub'arak. Kekeke, it's amazing how you caught it using a fragile rod! Hahaha!"

"Yes" Michael answered simply, as his face returned to its tranquil or calm look, he didn't even bother trying to ask how they knew about it, as they surely have eyes and ears throughout the city who told them about it.

"Anyway, I'm Sergeant Marcus, one of the personal guards of the City Lord"

"Shadow"

Both of them introduce each other, before Marcus led him inside.

Passing by the gate, Michael how grand the place is, there is a pathway that directly leads towards the mansion's front door, and at the sides of the pathway are a garden full of flora, from trees to different kinds of flowers.

There is even a monster with a lion's body and bird's head and a monster horse with flaming mane, tails and hooves, it looked really demonic with its black fur, and both monsters are resting from both of the gardens, with their levels completely unknown.

Michael tried to check their information, but the only thing he saw was this.

[ Gryphon ] [Elite]

Level: ???

Health: ??? / ???

Mana: ??? / ???

Skills: ???

[ Blackthorn Savage Horse ] [Elite]

Level: ???

Health: ??? / ???

Mana: ??? / ???

Skills: ???

Michael's immediately narrowed, as he had the feeling that the defenses of these are truly astonishing, almost impenetrable.

It's only impenetrable because Michael have the confidence to infiltrate the City Lord's Mansion if he had the same level as the two monsters and the right skills, meant for infiltrating a stronghold or castle.

And then the Sergeant and Michael passed by a huge fountain, before finally arriving at the entrance of the mansion, with two soldiers standing guard at the both sides of the door, probably made from high quality wood, as Michael noticed it glistening.

"Wait for me here, you really came at a bad time as the Lord and his family are still probably having their lunch"

Marcus said to Michael before going inside, as he didn't even bother waiting for Michael's response.

"What the hell?"

Michael muttered under his breath as he was left all alone in front of the entrance, and so he turned back and sat beside the fountain as he started surveying his surroundings.

Then Michael felt that there were eyes looking at him, he turned towards the direction where it's coming from and saw that it was the two guards guarding the door, Michael just smiled and gave them a short nod.

Then he just closed his eyes as he started thinking about the things that he would do at this chance given to him to relive his past and change his dark future.

"Reach my former strength and surpass it"

"Rekindle my relationship with Amanda"

"Get revenge on my enemies"

"Become the best of the best in Fate Online"

"And most of all, enjoy this chance given to me from whoever god it was"

Michael's eyes would turn cold then warm as he remembered his days being an assassin and his life with Amanda, until the moment she died in his arms with the dark swirling skies and his enemies who laughed at him as the witnesses.

Two minutes later, Sergeant Marcus finally came out of the door and arrived before Michael.

"Come on, the Lord is now ready to see you"

Michael nodded as he stood up and followed behind Marcus.

Both of them arrived in front of a metallic door, one of the guards pushed it open as Marcus and Michael passed through, arriving inside a spacious hall.

The first thing Michael saw is the middle aged man sitting in a huge chair made of exquisite wood, the man has a short boxed beard with thin, nearly trimmed sides, he has piercing blue eyes, and long black hair, and Michael guess that the man is probably around mid thirties.

And then there's a blonde haired woman sitting beside him, who looks like someone who came from Britain, with a little girl around seven years old sitting on her lap, she has wavy black hair, and cute looking blue eyes, and right now, she is looking curiously at Michael.

"My lord, I've brought the person who took the quest about the monster fish, Anub'arak"

Marcus said as he knelt on one knee.

"It's a pleasure meeting you City Lord and madams. I am Shadow, the one who took the quest you posted at the City Administration"

Michael didn't kneel and instead gave a short bow and a short introduction about himself.

For Michael, kneeling in front of someone is only for those worthy of it, like someone's parents, or the people who cared for them for almost their entire lives, like those people who adopted you despite not having blood relations, or your loved ones.

And for him, kneeling towards a stranger just because they power and money is a show of weakness. He'd rather die or kill them before doing it.

"Good, I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Shadow"

"Truly, meeting you in person is really different than hearing about you from my men"

"Though still weak and young, you have the attitude of someone with an unbending will"

Michael smirk as both of them stared at each other, that Michael could even feel the oppressive air directed towards him.