There was no one there…no one except the Scavengers guild.
Following the rules, the guild had registered the dungeon raid with the Guild & Dungeon Registration office the day before. The party arrived expecting to see mining and retrieval teams…but to their surprised no one showed up.
"So many guilds have tried to clear this dungeon countless time…I guess the keepers gave up wasting their time coming here to mine and retrieve," Wain said to the group.
The group continued their advance…the infamous Verdant Wall could be seen from miles away. As they approached closer, the party slowed to a halt and took a moment to take in the view.
Before the group, towered a vertical expanse of interwoven trees, vines, and green growths. It looked as if these green plants had been fused together so tightly that they formed a seamless barrier…so dense that it appeared that not even air could get through. As the party approached slowly, giant trunks of trees could be seen twisted and woven together. The trees looked like ancient pillars, pillars thick and tall as if holding up the sky itself.
"Wow!" Hector said in amazement as he stretched his head back in an attempt to see the top of the trees.
"How high do these trees go?" Kristan asked in disbelief as she gazed at the towering trees before her.
"No one knows exactly. I tried to climb them once…I climbed for what seemed hours but even then, I couldn't reach the top." Percy said solemnly.
"Is there a way around them?" Arthos asked surprised as well.
"No, the wall stretches for miles and miles. It's pretty much the end of the world." Percy replied.
"Actually, there are confirmed routes around the forest…but none of them will allow a player to actually enter into the forest dungeon." Wain added.
Arthos noticed thick vines growing all around the trees…as if they were draping or covering the gaps left by the trees with a green curtain. Some vines were thin as thread, where other were thicker than ropes. The vines moved and slithered like giant snakes…creating the impression that the wall was alive.
A soft breeze passed by…and to the party's surprise, the wall rippled expanding and contracting like a giant purring cat deep in sleep.
"Has anyone ever tried to break it down?" Kristan asked as she formulated a few strategies in her mind.
"Yes, many have tried. The trees are denser than steel and thicker than boulders. Even if a player manages to destroy a tree, there are countless layers of them. We have no way of knowing how thick the Verdant Wall really is…but we believe it to be a mile thick." Percy shared based on his experience.
"That's crazy." Hector commented.
"Watch this," Percy said as he equipped his twin daggers and approached the wall. He unleashed lightning-fast attacks that managed to sever large vines into pieces. Within a few seconds, the vines regenerated…restoring the wall back to its original shape.
"Wow!" Kristan said in amazement…the wall managed to heal itself almost as fast as Percy dealt damage to it.
"That's the real reason no player has been able to get through. Even if you hit the wall with hundreds of simultaneous attacks, it will regenerate faster than you can damage it." Percy said.
"So…what do we do now?" Kristan asked looking at Arthos.
The entire party shifted their attention to Arthos...the one who wanted to come here.
Arthos remained deep in thought. An idea started to form.
"We knock…we knock on the front door." Arthos said as he slowly approached the wall.
He stepped forward, stretched out his hand and felt the warm velvety feel of the vines against his fingers. The vines slowly reached out and touched Arthos's hand…slow like a curious child approaching something new. The vines twisted and wrapped themselves around Arthos's hand like a greeting.
"Should we…should we do something?" Kristan asked worried.
No one said a word…they simply watched with fascination.
The vines held Arthos' hand for a moment…like a handshake between two strangers…or like a handshake between two old friends that hadn't seen each other in a long time.
THUNDER!!!
A sudden and loud tremor ran through the vines creating a violent storm of leaves and flowers. The sound of thunder could be heard deep within the Verdant Wall as trees and branches violently snapped.
Moved by instinct, the party took a few steps back…expecting an attack.
The vines started to unwind, slowly at first. They pulled back revealing a narrow passageway just wide enough for a single person to fit through. It felt like an invitation…a personal invitation for the group to enter.
"That's never happened before…countless players have touched the wall. Never has it opened to any of them." Percy said with amazement.
'Why did it open for him? Who is he really?' Percy thought inwardly.
"Guys, let's go in." Arthos said with authority in his voice.