The room was dark, the only light coming from the moonlight that shone through the sitting window of the small studio apartment. The shadow of the slight female cast upon the floor, sitting there in shorts and a tank top, her chin resting on her knees as her arms wrapped around her legs holding them close. Her gaze looked out from the second story window down the street, fixed on the walkway at the end that led to the beach. She hadn’t been able to sleep much lately, despite how early she went to bed, always waking about every half hour or not even falling asleep in the first place. Tossing and turning her way through the dark hours. There were no nightmares, no depressing news, nothing that should be causing her sleeplessness. She just couldn’t seem to sleep and when she did, she woke up exhausted like she hadn’t slept at all. Not to mention, she couldn’t even remember dreaming. Kali had always looked forward to going to bed, her dreams always filled with fun and excitement. She was really beginning to miss how refreshed and energized she always felt after waking from a dream.

Turning her gaze from the window as she scanned the room, her eyes fell upon her laptop. She hadn’t logged on in a day, maybe two. It seemed like each time she did, she logged off even more confused about life. Only to herself would she ever admit that she was having trouble separating who she was in the game and who she was in real life. Her character name of Talal, hearing it spoken by those she had quested with, seemed almost more natural to her than her real name. Confidence she had in herself in the real world was still stronger than that of her character, but Kali felt that it was mostly due to her still getting used to the mechanics of the game. It was hard to get used to something that changed with every field as well as the various group dynamics of the questing party. So far, she hadn’t been on a quest with the same person more than once. Every quest had been someone new, with different battle tactics, different attitudes, and different ways of handling stressful situations and different fields. Sighing and giving in to the temptations of being in The World, Kali lets go of her legs, as her feet gently drop to the floor.

A hint of a smile crossed her lips as she reaches for the FMD’s that were conveniently left next to her laptop. Holding the head piece in both hands she stroked the visor with her thumb. A warm pleasant feeling washed over her as her mind filled with memories of the previous few trips into the game. Maybe just for a short visit to Mac Anu; a short walk around town while no one is there. At least no one I know should be there at two o‘clock in the morning. What harm would there be in that? Having gotten comfortable on her futon, Kali boots up the laptop as she listens to the familiar sounds and chimes of the operating system doing its thing. Logging in and connecting to The World, she puts on the FMD’s and gets comfortable.

Stepping away from the Chaos Gate of the Aqua Capital of Mac Anu, Talal closes her eyes for a moment with a sense of relief of being back in the root town. It was becoming her home away from home and she hadn’t really explored that much of it yet. Opening her eyes and looking around, the city was fairly quiet. Just as she had expected, there were not too many players on at this hour of the day. The sky was absolutely beautiful. It was as clear at night as it was during the day. The stars and the full moon shone brightly, dimly lighting the splendid city below.

Talal began her slow stroll through town, peeking in all of the shop windows as she walked by. Usually there were so many people standing in front of them, she never got to see what they offered unless she went inside. Reaching the end of the building, stepping out just past the corner, she eyed the clock tower. A grin slowly formed as she remembered one of her first quests, finding her questing partner up on a nearby rooftop. That was certainly an enlightening day of questing and her mentor had done a good job explaining things and putting up with all of her newbie questions. Her grin vanished as she also remembered some of the things she learned about the game that day. Still really not knowing how true any of them were, but not wanting to go looking for answers or clarifications either. The day would come when she would see him again. If the subject came up, then maybe he would clarify it for her a little more. Although, remembering his reactions from before when she got a little too curious, she probably wouldn’t ask unless he brought it up first.

Sighing once again, Talal made her way over towards the waterway, watching the moonlight glimmer off of the ever moving waters of the river. As she approached, she saw one of the Gondolas’s just sitting next to the dock on the other side of the bridge. Walking closer she noticed it was empty, not even a driver or whatever they might be called. Ever since her first day in the root town she had wanted to go for a ride in one. Looking around noticing no one about, she quietly jogged over the bridge to the dock. Peering down into the Gondola, she saw nicely plush cushioned seats of red velvet, including one that looked big enough to lie down on. In back was the perch from where the driver would normally stand, moving his paddle through the water in a manner that not only moved the watercraft along but also steered it as well. Biting her lip she looked up and down the walkway near the dock as well as the bridge and the other side of the waterway. Seeing no one, she quickly and quietly hopped into the Gondola and got comfortable on one of the seats that faced the bridge. For some reason she felt like she was breaking some unspoken law about being in an unmanned Gondola or something. She wanted to be able to make a quick getaway if she saw someone coming over the bridge.

The dark haired female lay there for a good while, starring up at the sky. This had been such a great idea to come into the game in the wee hours of the morning. She would have never imagined it being so peaceful. The quietness of the moment was broken when she thought she heard a sound coming from the bridge. Sitting up slowly and cautiously, she peeked over the side, but could see no one on the bridge. What she did see surprised her, as the bridge appeared to have an area underneath of it that she had never noticed before. How interesting to see what looked like the maintenance area that you would typically see on a real world bridge, located on one here in the game. The programmers really wanted things to look realistic here. Hearing another shuffling sound, Talal looked closer but still saw no one. Her paranoid imagination must be playing tricks on her again, but be that as it may she felt it was also telling her it was time to go just in case that unspoken rule actually existed. Stepping out of the Gondola and back up onto the dock, she walked over near the bridge.

Talal was not ready to leave the root town yet, she was enjoying the relaxed sensation of being there and now her curiosity had been peaked by the details of the bridge. Looking around to the side she found a short ladder that led down to the area below. It was very dark under the bridge as the moonlight could not penetrate the walkway above. Only the edges were somewhat visible. As Talal looked around, she was amazed at the detail of the support beams and pillars that scattered the area. It was just like being under an actual bridge, only knowing this because her uncle was a maintenance guy for one and had taken her to work with him one day. A requirement for school had been to go with a family member to work for career day. Lost in memory for a brief moment while she cornered one of the support pillars she gasped. Starring right at her was a pair of glowing eyes, like those of a cat. The moonlight hitting them just right to make all of the hairs on her neck stand up, a cool shiver running down her spine. She could only see a partial outline of a person sitting on one of the pillar bases. Instinctively she cautiously placed a hand along her sash, ready to pull her blades if needed. Ever since that fight against the PKer’s, she was no longer comfortable being alone with player’s she didn’t know. Being that the case, she obviously shouldn’t have come down under a bridge in the middle of the night alone either. Slowly backing up so that she could retreat back up the ladder, she felt the only courteous thing to do was to apologize for the intrusion and leave.

”I didn’t realize there would be anyone down here. I hope I haven’t disturbed you and I apologize for the intrusion. I will just leave you to your peace and quiet. Good day to you.”

The waters of Mac Anu rippled slightly as a form passed under the surface, the figure displacing the liquid as he swam. Lightly tanned muscle rippled in the moonlight as the Wavemaster dove down deeper into the water, reveling in the element that he couldn’t feel. He put his hands out and swam faster, trying to make it farther before he ran out of breath. Not that he could actually feel that, but he knew that he was running out. The pain wasn’t evident in his chest like it usually was when he pushed himself to the limit of how long he could hold it, he couldn’t feel that. He smiled slightly as he continued onwards, moving towards the bridge where he had left his robe. He didn’t really think that anyone would take it, there was hardly anyone around in Mac Anu at this time anyways, and few of them would be able to make out a pile of clothing in the darkness of the underside of the bridge. Or feel like taking it.

The boy broke the surface for a moment, reveling in the water that rushed past him. He has gone downstream first, to get going, and then wanted a challenge by swimming upstream. Not that the water was that fast, but it was enough to give his muscles a bit of a workout. Not that he could feel them at all, but he also knew that if he ever did become comatose he wouldn’t want muscles that had completely atrophied. Of course, he didn’t know if this would work at all for that purpose, but it was better than doing nothing at all. So he was randomly working things out that he enjoyed doing, sometimes just so that he could prevent himself from getting bored. He had gone out and leveled a bit, quite a bit actually, so he was more powerful than he had been when he had gone into the last EC field. Which was good, because he didn’t really want to go into Juk with a level that would get him crushed. After all, they had already raided…three of the fields that held Incarnations now. There were only three fields left, logic pretty much required that there would be a shit ton of things there, now that they knew that the EC was coming. It was also easier to predict where they would go next, so any defensive techniques could be beefed up with remaining resources.

They were, in a much shorter version, going to have a kill a shit ton of things. Probably of a very difficult nature, if the Gan prison field was any indication of what they were all like. And, judging from Raven, Nemera and Sidhe, they were. He didn’t really want to think about what Sekai and Raquar had gone through, or anyone else who had managed to go through one of those fields. As he got out of the water from underneath the bridge, he shuddered, but not from the cold. No, he shuddered because of the ever-present threat within those fields that could comatose someone instantly. Dread Code, something that had touched him quite a few times within that quest, forcing him into a fake coma. He hadn’t been forced into the game yet, but it was a possibility. Sekai was coming to the next one, which was good, probably to prevent the possibility of that happening to him or anyone else. He couldn’t really think of a good reason why anyone would just come along for the hell of it…or, at least not anyone who knew what actually took place.

Hell, he didn’t really know exactly why she was coming along, especially since Kira didn’t want her to go. That was blatantly clear, but she had also sworn to come along and protect Sekai, which was good…considering that if someone was consumed by Dread Code, they either died or got spat back out somewhere. Takua couldn’t take someone coming along to try and protect him, only to die in the fucking process. He had enough of the stereotypical hero in him to not want anyone to die for him, in either the final death or the one that could be resurrected. And…he did know, Sekai had said as much before they went on an event which had failed spectacularly. That’s also where he knew that Kira was coming along solely for her sake. Granted…if they all got in over their head, it would be remarkably difficult for even Kira to get someone out.

He sighed though. It was because he was in the AoD, not for any other real reason, that Sekai was coming along. He didn’t really think that she was a friend, or at least, that she considered him one. He hadn’t know her long enough, or talked enough, or done anything fun really. So far, he had only bumped into her when things were busy, or the time was wrong. His lips twisted savagely as he remembered the first time that he had met her, on a field right after the Eventide Crescendo field. That was all business, with everyone somehow…affected, pissed off, sad, or not feeling normal. He hadn’t been that good, had damn near broken down in the middle of it. Sekai had screamed at him, Raquar had gotten…mind controlled somehow and killed him. He had found out that Raquar couldn’t take Rai…at all. Although that was more of a trial and error thing, considering that he had still fried the kid twice, once on accident, the other time on purpose.

Either way, could he consider them friends? He might consider Kira, Sekai and Raquar friends, but there was no real way to tell that they considered him a friend. Sure, they might act friendly, but there were plenty of people that he had known who had acted friendly only to fuck him over in the end. They weren’t really friends, they used him and moved on, or abandoned him when he really needed them…if he ever got them at all. He had had three friends in his life, and one didn’t count. Gillian, Ian, and Gwyneth. Gillian…he pushed away that woman after a few years because she was trying to shape him, and because she needed to be away from him. Ian came years later, in high school, and only after he wormed his way in and refused to give up on him. They’d been friends for a few years now…but now they were drifting apart somewhat, had been since Gan.

Gwyneth didn’t really count as a friend. She was a lover…if one could love someone who couldn’t really touch you, who didn’t have a physical form other than his body. Who was technically another part of him. She…wasn’t really a friend so much as someone he loved, and cared for, and then killed. He shook his head, ridding himself of that thought, and moved on past that. She was gone. He only really had one friend…who considered him a friend, and that was fading. Maybe, it depended entirely on where they went from there.

Then…there was Talal. She had said they were friends, right? Sure, but he knew well enough that there was no way that they had bonded enough to become real friends. At most…she had potential, but she might just turn and run right when he needed her the most, like some of the other people who he had “hung” out with. Only problem was, there had only been around three of those, and they had only lasted a week. So they were never really friends in the first place. He snarled softly, feet hanging over the edge, dipping in the water. He had taken off his robe for this, his white shirt and black shorts entirely invisible in the complete darkness. He had chosen the spot he was in because of that, there was almost no light reflecting off of him. It was also hard to find that spot, but he had had time.

Throwing his attention back to his lack of friends, and lack of confidence about having friends, he sighed. There were times where he wished that he knew exactly what the signs were to having a friend, because, somewhere along the line, he had missed that important set of social clues. Maybe he had forgotten them, but he hadn’t ever been able to recognize a friend from someone who didn’t care, and had possible missed out on a lot of people that way. His gaze found itself locked on the water yet again, his thoughts flowing past him as he pondered where his life was headed, and what he needed to do. Friends were something that he needed, not just questing buddies that he could call on when he needed to.

His musings were interrupted when a figure suddenly walked around one of the pillars that he had sat down next to. He stared at her…and smiled, although she couldn’t see it in the dark. Guess who had just decided to show up when he had been thinking about her. Her actions puzzled him for a second, watching her back up with a hand on the weapons of her class, but then he smiled. She didn’t know who he was…which means that she didn’t target him. That also meant that she was afraid of being killed, which afforded him with a bit of fun. His voice changed, becoming darker, deeper, more menacing as he rose, making sure that he was still in shadow.

”Now now…what have we here? Someone who stumbled across me? How…unfortunate…I could have sworn that,”

Then he let the voice drop, his own regular tone coming back as he took a few more steps out of the shadows at her. At the back of his mind he remembered that she hadn’t seen the new outfit yet, which meant that she probably wouldn’t recognize him were it not for the voice. He smiled, blue robe billowing slightly in the wind. Teasing was strongly evident in his voice as he mocked her good naturedly, a chuckle finding its way into his tone.

”…I taught you better. Didn’t I teach you how to target someone to figure out their name Talal? Sheesh, you can target someone in the dark you know. Tut tut girl, I’m slightly disappointed…not. How have you been?”

If she wondered about his outfit, and the two crystals that were hidden in his palms, she could ask first, he wouldn’t just present it to her. Not that she could know about the icicle and the glyph that had been made a part of his character data, but she would probably be curious about how his character had changed. He wouldn’t really tell her the truth, just a partial. The Handmaiden’s didn’t need a ton of other people tromping through the place.

Having said her peace Talal slowly took one step backward in the general direction she had come from. As she did the figure stood up startling her even more; her anxiety rising. What had she gotten herself into? She wasn’t thinking very straight when she chose to investigate the bridge. She wasn’t thinking about anything right now except escape. One of the last fields she had been on set her nerves to almost maximum when it came to strangers. She understood it was just a game, but it all felt so real…emotionally anyway. The situation was not good for her at the moment, and she could feel it under her skin that she was forgetting to do something. There was something eating at her, she shouldn’t feel this lost in The World. What was she forgetting to do? Her thoughts were interrupted as the dark shadow in front of her spoke. His deep and menacing voice loomed from the shadows as if he was shadow; a shadow that could just swoop up and surround her in an instant.

”Now now…what have we here? Someone who stumbled across me? How…unfortunate…I could have sworn that,”

His voice trailed off as if in thought or possibly just trying to make the female pay more attention to it rather than the figure looming ever closer to her. She was distracted yes, but not by the mere fact that the voice was trailing. There was something in the voice, she had heard it before, but it was…different somehow. Her mind immediately raced to the PKer’s, but yet this guy was not acting in any way like either Seris or Felix. Besides, if it was one of them, they wouldn’t take their time toying with her in such a manner. It would be something along the lines of ‘Oh, it’s you!’ and weapons would already be flying. No…it wasn’t either of them, but whom? Once again her thoughts were interrupted as the voice changed, dropping into more of a teasing mockery of her and the situation.

”…I taught you better. Didn’t I teach you how to target someone to figure out their name Talal? Sheesh, you can target someone in the dark you know. Tut tut girl, I’m slightly disappointed…not. How have you been?”

Hearing her name, she almost landed square on the corner of the pillar base behind her. Not to mention that yes, targeting, that was what she was forgetting. She now recognized the voice, it was her friend Takua. The first person she had met in The World and had taken her on her first quest, showing her some of the basics of the game. Even now, having forgotten one of the most basic, causing her to yet again fail miserably in front of him. The butterflies in her stomach came to a screeching halt and were now just a large lump in the bottom. How could she be so stupid as to forget such a basic concept as targeting? Attempting to put on her best face that his teasing was not going to get to her, she smiled slightly at the Wavemaster who was still standing in the shadows.

”I’ve been good. Thanks for asking. How about you?”

As she spoke, Takua had been slowly moving out into the light of the moon. Talal was happy to be able to see his face, giving her a more solid confirmation that she was correct about the voice. Having stepped out from the shadow, he looked different. He was no longer wearing his black robe. His robe was new and a different color. It was blue with a white intricate design in the upper right side; a yellow sash that clipped together with a clasp of some sort. The shadows did not give away every detail, but now in the soft moonlight, Talal noticed that he now sported a marking or tattoo maybe on his face. She saw them on several of the other players in The World, so it must have some sort of meaning. It was important at the moment to find out though, she was simply just happy to see him.

”Alright I suppose, things have been better. Why were you so hesitant and nervous back there? Just because…you were attacked by another player weren’t you?”

She was surprised to say the least that he would immediately be able to draw to that conclusion from her simple defensive actions.

”Oh, umm that, well…” Raising her hand up to her face, she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, lowering her head and starring at the floor for a moment. By his tone, she couldn’t figure out if he actually knew somehow what had happened in that dungeon with Baron, or if he was just taking an educated stab in the dark. Either way she wanted to know exactly what he knew. She didn’t relish the idea that word may have gotten around on how she froze up during battle. Looking up from the floor, she starred at Takua for a moment quizzically.

”How did you know about that?

The Wavemaster grimaced slightly, leaning against the pillar next to him.

”You were scared by someone entirely in the dark, with your hand on your weapon, and were backing towards the ladder to get away in case I attacked, no? Only reason you would do that would be because someone tried to PK you.”

So it was an educated stab in the dark and she just failed again. She had given it away by asking how he knew. Damn her curiosity to hell, she needs to learn to leave just well enough alone sometimes. Life would be so much simpler for her if she did. She was embarrassed and angry with herself for letting the cat out of the bag as it were. Thank goodness the shadows were hiding her features somewhat, as she was sure if her character data could show it, her face would have a lovely red glow from the embarrassment she was feeling. She couldn’t lie to him though, now that he had figured it out. As a friend, she wouldn’t keep much of anything from him unless by doing so, it would protect him in some way.

”Yes, it’s true. I was backing away to run and yes…I was attacked. It seemed all too real at the time and it has shaken me. I won’t lie to you, but I’m also not pleased with myself over the whole thing either.”

Something she said had struck a chord in him, or so she thought as he glanced up sharply and looked at her while she spoke, before settling back down as he was before.

”PKers are a part of this game unfortunately. I only just got rid of a hacker who liked to follow me around and kill me. Why wouldn’t you be pleased about the whole thing? And…why do you say that it was too real?”

Takua was really a curious one for this early in the morning. She could tell by the line of questioning that he was merely trying to help, but she felt like all of a sudden she was under that proverbial microscope. She reached behind her and grabbed her long braid, pulling it forward over her shoulder to fidget with it. A nervous habit yes, but it kept her somewhat focused when she could feel her self control slipping away. She could feel herself getting a defensive attitude, hoping that she could keep it under control.

”I did not come to this game to kill other players! I came to slay fictional monsters created by a computer. It was too real because there was an actual player like you and me, on the other side of that character and I burned him alive! I did not like who I had to become and where I had to go mentally in order to finish the fight, but it was him or me. He and his brother made that perfectly clear from the start.”

As Talal gazed up fearing that her outburst conveyed something other than its actual intentions, the only thing she saw was a raised eyebrow coming from the Wavemaster as he spoke softly and sympathetically to her. The empathy he felt for her current state of mind, apparent in his words as well as his tone.

”Just because you came into this game to kill monsters doesn’t mean that you’ll always do that. Just because you set out to do something doesn’t mean that you end up doing that as well. You learn to butcher players in this, it isn’t like they can’t come back, just reloading their data. You don’t have to enjoy it, it’s good if you don’t…”

Thankful that she had not upset him, his response and tone having a calming effect on the fidgety and defensive female, she sighs heavily taking a deep breath.

”I guess you’re right. I don’t…didn’t enjoy it. It is not in my nature to be that way. I couldn’t help but remember what you kept telling me on our quest though, and how you were enjoying it so because you weren’t having to constantly fight for your life. Not to mention, what about that other stuff of the smell and touch? That doesn’t happen in the game, but what if it does by some remote chance, did that guy I burned alive…feel it? I can’t help but keep wondering about that.

The pair sat there under the bridge in the moonlit shadows for a good while. Both seeming to stir in their own thoughts of the conversation they were having. This was not exactly what the girl had in mind when she had decided to log in, but the opportunity to just talk about what happened with someone more openly that she could before was welcomed. After a while, Takua was the first to break the silence.

”If, by some chance, he could feel it, then I’d think you’d know. But I don’t really think that you ever need to worry about that. At least, I hope not. However…yes, in that field, I did have to fight for my life from start to finish, even if I didn’t know at the beginning. But don’t worry about him feeling it, that’s highly unlikely. And by highly unlikely, I mean near impossible.”

”Alright”

Although she was certain his words were meant to be reassuring, she couldn’t help but wonder what he meant. What did he mean by ‘I hope not’? There was something he was not telling her, and as much as she wanted to ask him, maybe he was more similar to her than she thought. Possibly, he was not telling her to keep her protected in some way, as she would do the same for him. For now, she would let it go. Takua did not strike her as someone that would hold back if the need to know was present. A change of topic was needed, the mood getting way too serious for their first conversation since their quest together. Grinning as she turns her head back to look upon his person, she took another opportunity to admire his new look.

”Look at me, not only have I intruded on your quiet time but I have probably ruined the good mood you were in. Enough about me, look at you. The blue suits you nicely.” Raising her hand slightly, she points a finger in his direction and smiles.

Returning the smile, Takua chuckled.

”Don’t worry about my mood, and yes, thanks for the compliments on the robe, although it wasn’t my design. I had it…gifted to me when I completed something. But it fits my elements, so I’m very happy with it.”

”So what brings you to Mac Anu at this ungodly hour of the morning?”

”A certain combination of insomnia, nightmare, and boredom sounds about right, what about you?”

Talal nodded in agreement at his interestingly enough similar symptoms and reasons, practically matching her own save for one.

”Slight insomnia, no nightmares, and staring out my window just wasn’t cutting it, so yea boredom fits too! Laughing softly filling in some detail on what has happened since they were together last, not that he needed to know but she was finding the situation rather comical at the moment.

”I thought you know, that no one would be here at this hour and it would be fun to just roam a bit. I’ve been on a couple of quests since we last met, so I’ve stayed busy in that regard. There’s a field I would like to visit, but I am not high enough in levels yet to access it so I guess I will have to wait a while.”

Her story was met with a smiling glance from the Wavemaster, apparently happy that she either shared the events or that she was doing well…or both.

”You might not be high enough, but I probably am. If you want to go, I’ve got nothing better to do and could always use the extra practice.”

Surprised to say the least at his generous offer to quest, she was excited at the opportunity but then thought back to how she feels when she returns from a quest and went quiet. She had only come to Mac Anu to roam, doing so at such an early hour feeling sure that no one would be there she knew. Boy was she so wrong about that assumption, the proof sitting just feet away from her. It’s not that she had anything better to do herself.

”You mean right now?”

He grinned at her question. ”Why not? There certainly isn’t anything else to do around here, and I’ve had it with just sitting and thinking.”

Smiling and caving just a touch to the opportunity to quest with Takua again, not to mention that she seriously needs to get past whatever it was that was troubling her. Also the opportunity to see the field that had taken over all thought for the last day or so, excited her. To think that she may find that special place that she has wanted to find within The World. She didn’t mind that should it turn out true and become her special place that the Wavemaster would know about it. It was probably good that at least one person knew how to find her if the need ever arrived.

”Alright then. I’d love the company and it would be nice to not have to wait too long to see it. If it is truly what I’ve been hearing then I may be spending more time in that field. Shall we head over to the gate?”

”Sure…”

The pair stood up and headed for the ladder that was on the gate side of the bridge.

”…but what do you mean spending more time in the field? What’s in it? And where is it?”

Talal had to laugh at his curiosity. He would have to know where it was since she could only get there with his help and as soon as they arrived, he would find out what the field was about. But, she felt no reason to keep him in suspense about it. She scrambled up the ladder followed by the Wavemaster. As they walked down the empty city streets, she began to explain to him about the field and what intrigued her so about it.

”Well, it’s in the Theta server, which I’m not entirely sure if you have to do something different at the gate to get to; and it’s supposedly an inactive field with a dungeon that sits in ruins. I’ve been looking for a good field that no one else would want to go to. You know, kind of like my own private spot within The World where I could go think or meditate or whatever. It probably sounds silly to you.”

She looked down solemnly at the stone path that was taking them to the gate. She was suddenly embarrassed again at the simple thought of looking stupid or silly for wanting to have such a place within a game. She didn’t think that he would understand why and might not think as well of her. So lost in her embarrassment, she hadn’t even noticed that he had stopped dead in his tracks and stood perfectly still a few feet behind her. That lump returned in the pit of her stomach as she turned, fearing that she was correct only to find him…smiling.

”Not at all actually, I have one of those that I have the key to. Quite literally. However, to get to Theta Server you have to go to an entirely new root town, Dun Loireag. Which should be an experience for you.”

The pit in the bottom of her stomach disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. Relieved and once again relaxed that they shared yet one more thing in common. Even though her walls, that had crumbled during their first quest together, were still somewhat there keeping her from completely feeling like the slightest of mishaps and the friendship would be over. In essence, because of that she couldn’t really consider it a true friendship yet. She knew from her part that all that he needed to do was ask for her help and she would give it freely. She did not feel that certain about his point of view yet, even though he had done nothing to this point to make her think that he wouldn’t do the same. They had finished the short walk to the gate and were standing in front of it.

”Well then, if you’re still up for it…I’d love to go. Who better to show me a new root town than you.” She smiled with anticipation of getting to see the new root town and the field that had been flooding her thoughts.

Takua chuckled. ”Right, whatever you say…just don’t fall off, it’s a long drop.”

Logging their party with the system, Takua took charge of the Chaos Gate to get them to Dun Loireag. The golden rings came over the duo and warped them away to the new root town.

Takua looked Talal over, trying to determine what she was feeling or thinking at the moment. She seemed a bit more troubled than before, although back then he didn’t really know her at all and didn’t know what could possibly be considered normal. Although, to be sure, he really only had one field’s experience to go by, which wasn’t all that much. She seemed more troubled though, somehow darker as if she had been though more. Maybe she had, after all, she had leveled up some, and it was possible to be attacked, or see something that you didn’t want to. He examined her more closely as she talked, replaying what she had done when she had first seen him. To be sure, he had wondered why she had backed up so quickly and so nervously, but then he put together how her hand had shot to her weapon, and the escape route that she had opened up for herself. Somehow, she had gotten used to the idea that a player could kill her, not just a monster…which meant that someone had either tried and succeeded, or tried and died.

The biggest problem for him though wasn’t that she had found that out. The World could be a dark place at times, exactly like the real world, and she didn’t actually know the half of it yet. Maybe she never would, but it was exactly like Kira had said. This place could be downright nasty, and if you weren’t prepared, if you didn’t have the mental strength to get through it, you’d get fucked with. Either that or you would have your body left on the side of the road after a few hacking PKers, AIs, or anyone else decided to destroy you. The World could actually be more dangerous than real life, especially if you were comatose, because people could do things here that they couldn’t back in the real world. Spells, resurrections, changing the fabric of the world by hacking…whatever, they were all godlike powers that could be used the wrong way. And, in the case of the Highers, were definitely in the wrong way. After using code to create that field, and the monsters found inside…there wasn’t really any doubt that this would could be evil.

Speaking of that place, or that series of fields, she just had to bring up something that he had let slip earlier didn’t she? He cursed himself quietly, lost in thought for a while, wondering exactly he was going to explain this one without actually explaining anything. He knew that if the other person could feel pain, she probably would have felt worse or have told him that the guy was screaming rather badly. His lips twitched slightly as he recalled the man that he tortured, that he had interrogated to receive a password. He hadn’t even been burning him, just pressing down on the real wounds, and he’d been incoherent in seconds. Granted, those wounds had been caused by the Children of Eden, so he had an excuse. He just didn’t believe that she had found anyone who had been comatose, and told her as much. The possibility existed…but it was so very, very small that he didn’t consider it.

Her next comment caused a grin to burst out on his face. Yes, his new robe was very nice, but he had gotten it as a contracted gift from a bunch of AIs, not from anything else. He’d gone through a fun field to get to them all, and met Kira’s familiar while he was at it. His right arm tinged a bit, a reminder of when it was encased in ice. The former High Priestess herself had said that the damn leopard had done a number on it that she hadn’t seen in a while, and that was probably saying a bit. She’d gone after him with a fucking vengeance, and it hadn’t been pretty for him, even if he had come out alright in the end. Better than alright in a way, he’d been granted access to a meditative field of his own, besides a few spots in Mac Anu that he had found that worked out well enough. He couldn’t really tell her that though, because she wouldn’t be able to make it onto that field, and wouldn’t ever be able to make it without the key that he held.

Throughout the whole thing though, he almost felt bad about lying to her about how he was. While he wasn’t as unbalanced as last time, he wasn’t ready to do anything yet at all. Actually, he was distinctly aware of his fragility, although that wouldn’t be a problem here. He was only fragile on certain things, and this wouldn’t be one of them. He didn’t really think that it was likely that he would run into a Higher’s field here, and if he did…he would run, quickly, swiftly, and get her out of there as well. If they were lucky enough to be able to run before it trapped them. Nah, they couldn’t really be that unlucky, it was a one in a billion chance, maybe more. So he would go to wherever this field was, and he wouldn’t shatter. Besides, it would probably be fun…although, if his last time out was any indication, he’d need to watch what he said so that he didn’t let anything else slip. Fortunately, his eyesight was normal, remaining wonderfully uninverted for the time being.

If he wanted to be really mean to himself, and truthful, he knew that he could lie to Talal. Not because he wanted her to be lied to, but because he didn’t want to reveal his problems to her, at all. She was a companion, yes, someone that he could quest with while he wasn’t comatose, but it probably wouldn’t be a good thing to talk to her. He didn’t talk to people about his problems…usually, although Kira and Sekai were doing a good job taking that apart. He wanted to shiver at that moment, resolving to put that thought away for later contemplation. How Sekai and Kira affected him was something that he didn’t need to think about at the moment, especially not when this was going to be fun. Talal didn’t need to know about his problems, and they weren’t going to make this adventure something that wasn’t happy. Besides which, he was going to be selfish and hold on to them so that she didn’t know about them.

However, she was going to have a treat when they moved over to the Theta server. If she hadn’t ever been to Dun Loireag, she was going to shit a brick once she saw how high up they were. He’d heard rumors of people who had purposefully tried to jump off the edge…and it was a looong way down. Those were, of course, rumors, and he didn’t know if they were true or not. They weren’t going to find out, but her first look from the relative safety of a platform, floating in the air with bridges connecting the other islands, was going to be fun. Especially when she realized that they were at the levels of the clouds. In a split second they warped in, and Takua looked at her with a grin.

”Like I said, don’t fall off. Take a look around first if you want to, just don’t fall off the bridges.”

She took a look around, gazing at the city around her as she swayed unsteadily on her feet. She turned a bit, looking around more, and then reached out with a hand to steady herself on Takua’s Arm. She was looking a little wobbly, and he smiled slightly. It was a big impact from Mac Anu, especially at night, with the moonlight hitting the clouds all around them.

"It's absolutely amazing."

He just smiled, using the arm that currently wasn’t occupied to gesture around the city. His voice was a little amused, but definitely happy. He hadn’t had this much fun in The World in a while.

” I told you. Just don't fall off...it's a long way down. Apparently a few people jumped off, just to test it, but those are just rumors...and I don't suggest trying. However, you can wander for a bit if you want to, or you can come back later. I don't have the keywords for the field, so you'll have to put them in."

She took a few steps out away from him, looking around the city more closely, especially the bridges…and then looked down, below pieces of cloud cover. She backed away quickly, sitting down and looking very relieved that she had solid ground under her to support her.

"I think I'll just stay here if you don't mind. Let me put in the key words. Expansive Hopeless Feeling.”

Those three words took them away, the Wavemaster noting quietly that they were for a level seventeen field, and it belonged to Juk. This meant that he’d be using Gan…and he had a wide range of spells for Gan. Not that everything would be affiliated with that element, but some of it certainly would. When the three golden rings left him in the new field, he paused for a moment. Talal had said that this was supposed to be somewhat abandoned…and it technically was. The area was littered with ruins of all shapes and sizes, the entire area entrapping them in a single path. He walked over to the wall, what looked to be a broken window and door that had somehow fused together, and looked out. All he saw was wrecked buildings, and no where in the wall that he could squeeze through. Shrugging, he moved out to where a monster portal gleamed, twisting in the path that they were in.

The moment he drew close enough it spun open, and he grinned. These were Theta monsters, which meant that they were higher, but it didn’t mean that he couldn’t beat the shit out of them. The only one he was actually worried for was Talal, who was significantly lower than the optimum level. That would also mean that she’d get some experience from them, but she’d have a hard time. However, when the portal itself opened up, he saw three monsters. Two of them were his level…and by that, they were high enough that Talal shouldn’t get close, low enough that he could annihilate them with ease. Two Dark Witches were his, one Water Witch, a level 14 or something like that, would be the Twin Blade’s.

”Let’s see what you’ve learned Talal. I’ll give healing, but you take on the Water Bitch…errr, Witch, and I’ll take on the other two. Call out if you need anything, and stay the hell away from the area of effect spells that my two can put out.”

Excitement wasn’t the word to describe what the young Twin Blade was feeling at the moment. Although her trip to Mac Anu had suddenly gone from a simple early morning stroll to questing, she was overwhelmed with the opportunity that had befallen her. Not only was she going to be able to finally see the field that could possibly become her new special place, but she was also going questing with someone she had done so previously. At last, she could go on an adventure without that awkward feeling in the beginning of not really knowing anything about the person she was with. Things just seemed somehow more relaxed. Although even with it being Takua, she couldn’t let her guard down; especially not on a quest.

Takua activated the Chaos Gate to transfer them to the root town of Dun Loireag, warning her to try not to fall off. Talal didn’t have the slightest idea what he meant by those words, but she was about to find out. As the golden rings faded, all Talal could see were what looked like islands connected by long bridges. These islands though, didn’t contain trees or shrubbery or even beach sand, the each held a different part of the city with buildings and other structures. What she was soon to find out though was that what she first took as fog, was actually clouds shining in the moonlight. Once that she realized that it was indeed clouds and not fog, Talal began to get a little queasy and began to sway a bit. Reaching out, her hand found Takua’s arm and gripped it firmly hoping to steady herself. It worked for the time being, as she looked up to him and caught sight of a smile on the Wavemaster’s face. For some odd reason, it wasn’t until that moment that she had really paid attention to the fact that he practically towered her by a good half of a foot. It’s a good thing she was a Twin Blade because if they ever got into a foot race, he’d have a leg up on her…literally.

He looked happy, even his voice had a relaxed tone with maybe a slight hint of amusement, mostly like caused by the Twin Blade’s uneasiness. Using his other hand, Takua was kind enough to point things out around the various parts of the city, describing some as he went. Her own privately guided tour of Dun Loireag…from a distance. She was glad to see him enjoying himself as well. Seeing the new city was definitely a new experience for her and as far as she was concerned, was happy that it was Takua that introduced her to it. He couldn’t see the difference in why she would feel that way based on his reaction to her earlier comment, but inside she had her own reasons and that’s all that mattered. Feeling that she had her balance now, Talal dared to take a few steps away from the comfort of his arm. As the young girl looked around at the city above the clouds, she thought in her mind about what it was like to be a bird and fly. Looking down over one of the bridges was all it took to bring that thought to a screeching halt. The queasy feeling returning in her stomach when she looked down, unable to see…anything really that was solid. A sudden urged filled her to sit down…immediately. Suddenly, Talal realized she could possibly be afraid of heights or at least heights where she could not see the bottom. Coming back to this city or traveling in it for that matter was not going to be easy for her. Maybe she could convince Takua to come back at a later date, as long as he was okay with her supporting herself on his arm the whole time that is. The sight seeing tour was over for now however and she put the keywords into the system from her safe and supported sitting position next to him.

In the next moment, the pair was standing in the field. The area was full of buildings and structures, most of which were now much less of their original shape, with jagged edges and crumbled corners. Some appeared to have fallen into the one next to them and somehow fused together. Talal was a bit confused at the sight before her. She only knew the dungeon was supposed to be in ruins, this almost looked like a failed attempt of root town long since forgotten. Takua walked over and peered through a space in the wall as the Twin Blade followed his movements. She knew this was a higher level field, much higher than she should probably be in. Not wanting to let her fears show through she did her best to look confident, but all the same allowed the Wavemaster to take the first look around. He would be much more capable of handling a surprise attack, should someone be lurking around the corner. She wasn’t the only one that had leveled some since they last saw each other. She stepped closer and followed as he went down a small path leading out more into the field. The familiar sight of a monster portal could be seen blocking their way. I though this field was supposed to be inactive? She was now very confused, but slightly not that surprised to find the rumors to not be completely true. Hopefully they would be in luck and this was the only portal still active. The Twin Blade really wanted to have a chance to explore the field without having to continuously fight. But hearing Takua’s voice ring out, fighting is what she was going to end up doing first.

”Let’s see what you’ve learned Talal. I’ll give healing, but you take on the Water Bitch…errr, Witch, and I’ll take on the other two. Call out if you need anything, and stay the hell away from the area of effect spells that my two can put out.”

Targeting the Water Witch, she sees that it is a fourteenth level monster with an affinity for the Rue elements. Finally she gets paired up with a creature opposite of her skills. It’s time to have some fun and do some real damage. Even though the Water Witch was a good couple levels above her, Talal was feeling confident in her attack abilities. The Twin Blade quickly switches out her recently acquired Ring Mail armor for the lower level Leather Armor, wanting to put its Vak skill to good use. Looking quickly through her inventory she remembers the abilities of one of her newest weapons, the Sotetsu. She had seen that particular weapon in action a lot recently, as it was a favorite of one of her recent questing partners. Lucky enough for her she already had it equipped and ready to go. Pulling the Sotetsu from their sheaths, Talal prepares herself for battle and doing her best to position herself on the farthest point from the other two Dark Witches; Takua’s request not having sounded very negotiable.

Eyes glaring down the monster in front of her, Talal runs towards it. Her Sotetsu out in front, shimmering ever so slightly in the moonlight; taking a several quick strikes, the Twin Blade races around the Water Witch without stopping to ask questions. The creature returning her own barrage as spiked pillars of ice erupted from the ground. Talal quickly dodged most of the pillars, but one manages to erupt dangerously close and the sharp edge slices the females’ upper arm. Noticing a small chunk of her health bar drop, she looked down to notice the blood dripping from her elbow; crimson droplets beginning to pool next to her foot. Her glaring eyes become mere slits, zoning in her vision like a laser beam putting the proverbial target beacon on the target in front of them.

”…Vak Kruz…”

The multiple, converging balls of flame slowly gained power and converged down upon the monster, hitting the bulls eye right on the mark. The Water Witch screaming in pain from the attack; Talal began to sport a very slight, almost unrecognizable grin. Her adrenaline was now pumping, ready to kick this fight into high gear. Talal didn’t really come to this field to fight, she wanted to explore so the sooner this was over the quicker she got to do what she came here for. She wanted to keep the bitch on the defensive, keep her from having time to use her skills. But the female Twin Blade was in the mood for some good old fashioned hand-to-hand. The closest she was going to get was a good bladed attack.

”…Flame Dance…”

Talal attacked just as the flames from the previous attack were dying down. The Twin Blade coiling and launching into the air on a direct intercept. The Sotetsu glowing a brilliant red glow as they struck their target, practically tackling it to the ground, but the creature stood standing; several newly formed gashes appearing on its‘ torso. Its’ health bar revealing the Twin Blade’s efforts weren’t in vain. However, keeping this thing on the defensive just began to fail as the effects of a Rue Kruz came crashing down on Talal, as she tucked down like that would do any good to avoid the attack as it sent her health status into a dangerous low. Remembering what Takua had said earlier, she called out to him for a little help. Her tone serious yet filled with a little humorous fun.

”Do you think I might get some of that healing you were discussing earlier? I could really use some right about now.”

Her desires answered as the she heard Takua’s voice and saw the blue hued glow of the healing spell wash over her. She would have cast her own, but she wanted to make sure she had enough SP to last the fight and he did offer after all. Now back to full health status, Talal was having fun but was indeed a little upset that she got hit with that last attack. She felt she was doing well holding her own for the most part against the higher leveled monster, but then again she had already experienced higher level creatures on her last two quests. It was starting to become routine to fight higher leveled things instead of the occasional lower leveled one that she might just walk up to and annihilate with one blow for a change. Boy wouldn’t that be nice. That must be how Takua feels when questing with her, just being able to walk up to most of the monsters and wipe them off the face of the planet in one or two well placed attacks. One or two…that’s it!

”…Vak Kruz, Vak Kruz…”

The consecutive fire skill attack creating spheres of orange and red flame swirling in the air, lighting up the entire area with their brightness; coming together as they enveloped the Water Witch in a grand ball of flame. Her cries almost ear piercing as the ELEMENTAL CRITICAL flashed above it. Talal’s grin was now completely noticeable now as she beamed for a moment admiring her handy work. She had sustained damage, probably more than she should have, but she was still learning. As Baron had told her, she needed to stop being so damn hard on herself. She had promised him she’d try and well, succeeding at the moment.

Looking over at the Wavemaster, it appeared he was making double time work of his opponents, just finishing up the second as she walked near but still kept out of range just in case.

The moment he saw the Twin Blade start to move towards her target, he started moving as well. Two Dark Witches, which meant that he’d be facing second level Ani spells, one of which was a Zot. Technically speaking, if he ever really needed to finish them off he could if he managed to snag an Elemental Critical, but…in the meantime, he could play with them and practice a bit. Really, that’s what he had wanted to come here for, practice. So, just blowing them up wouldn’t help him out, dodging spells, second level ones, would. To that end, he stood there, having taken out his Wand of Storms, and waited.

He didn’t have to wait long at all, as the two enemies were ready to go. One of the two started to dance about in that peculiar way of casting that they had, a dark rune forming under her feet, and then the other did the same thing. He looked down and saw the ground bubbling with power under his feet, black Ani spewing from the ruins. MeAni Zot, what fun. Or at least, that was what they were hoping, what actually happened was that the Wavemaster took a few steps to the side before bursting into a run. There was no real way for him to evade all of it, not when he wasn’t moving before, and the shaft of darkness that pierced his leg was a testimony to the accuracy of the witch, and of a simple tactic. When facing a Zot spell, you kept moving, and you don’t slow down. They were among the most powerful of the regular spells for a reason, they cost the most SP, and they didn’t track very well. But…when you hit someone…

They ended up with a bleeding leg, and that was a near miss from something well under him. Against a Wavemaster, the class with the highest magical resistances known to The World. After all, nothing quite resisted magic like another magic user, at least in theory. There were monsters, and other such, who could beat the pants off of a Wavemaster when it came to magical defence, but out of the classes? As someone might have said a few years ago, they took all their physical attack and defense points and simply shoved them into magic. Which meant, of course, that they dealt the most magic damage out of any class, they could take the biggest spells, but were very, very weak. Such that he didn’t really do much of any damage when he smacked someone with his wand. Oh, sure, he did something, but it wasn’t much. Thus, he was entirely dependent on SP…oh wait, where was he?

Takua came back to reality as the MeAni Kruz started to form around him, darkness and skulls shrouded in the black shroud accelerating towards him. He smiled, and moved, ducking under the first before throwing himself into a roll to get under the next two. Three more flashed forwards, slamming into the ground around him, but the last two slammed into his lower spine and upper back. Thrown slightly forward, he came up from his roll with his staff flaring, Rai streaming under him as the glyph showed that he was about to attack. Sure, he had gotten hit twice, but he still had a lot more health…oh wait, that was a GiRai Rom, not the Rai Rom.

Whoops?

The spell in question spiraled into existence, exploding with savage force in the middle of a hovering Dark Witch. Electricity arced, jumping from tornado to witch to tornado wall in a split second. With a shrill scream the woman collapsed, the Elemental Critical rising above her head. Well, he thought to himself, that took care of one that he hadn’t quite meant to kill so quickly. With the remnants of the storm dying down, the other monster decided to take revenge on her sister’s death. Power burst from her in that second, two spells cast in quick succession on the Wavemaster, keeping a conspicuous distance from Talal. She really couldn’t take more than one or two, maybe three, hits from the spellcaster in front of him, and one of her spells had a fair amount of radius. The MeAni Kruz though…eh, that didn’t have that much range on it, it only was meant to hit one target. Even if it did a shit ton of damage to that single target. Whatever though, he honestly could care less as long as it didn’t hit her. Him…he could take another hit or two, which was good, because the double MeAni Kruz that she had cast looked to be a bitch to dodge.

Granted, there was the gap between the spells because you couldn’t, truly, cast two spells in the same second. However, when that gap was only a few seconds, and it actually made it more effective…Takua swore, slamming his staff into the ground as the darkness tore in. Electricity swirled and crackled into existence, spinning around him in twin tornadoes that tore at his own flesh, but also shredded the balls of power that came towards him. However, it was a single level two spell versus two more, of the opposing element no less. The GiRai Rom sputtered and died after taking out all of the first MeAni Kruz, leaving him to dodge one.

”Do you think I might get some of that healing you were discussing earlier? I could really use some right about now.”

He grinned slightly and just sat there, taking it. If he was going to heal both of them, he could get nailed by a second level spell from a creature vastly weaker than him. As the darkness struck him, from his lips fell the words for the La Repth, bluish-white light falling over him and the Twin Blade, putting them much closer to their maximum health, or, in her case, blatantly slamming her to capacity. He grinned, turning back to the Dark Witch, someone who didn’t look like she really wanted to fight him at that moment. She turned and ran to the wall, actually running into it and cracking her head into it with the speed that she tried to get away from him with. He shook his head, looking over just as Talal blew the shit out of her own monster. With a slight grin on his face, he snapped back to attention on his own monster. Now that she was done, he didn’t have to train his dodging anymore. Not that he had really ended up doing that anyways.

It was almost incredibly easy to finish the monster off. She was frightened, not really paying attention, and running away to get a better distance…from a Wavemaster. Which, for some reason, didn’t really make much sense to him. Usually, you got up to a Wavemaster’s face and tried to beat the shit out of him, or her. Instead, she was running away, which…would have made perfect sense, for any other class. As it was, he just blew it to pieces with two timed Rai Dons. One crackling lightning bolt formed directly above it, electricity glowing along its length for the split second before it crashed down, nearly knocking it to the ground…right before the second one sparked and spiked it. The second Elemental Critical of the day showed above its corpse for a moment before it faded away, and he turned around, smiling a bit. He was teasing her a bit, but she’d be able to tell that from his tone of voice.

”So, I take it that you found your own monster easy enough…but what was that about this field being inactive? Not that I mind the extra practice and experience, just kinda wondering if it was actually supposed to be like this…because there’s another Monster Portal through that door over there. And no, I didn’t have any time to watch or critique you, so you get off free this time.”

She just laughed at him, sarcasm ringing clear as she started to talk. "What took you so long?" Then she laughed, more like chuckling…almost as if she were embarrassed about it? Well, that would make sense, given what she was saying. "It was supposed to be inactive. Apparently what I had heard was incorrect. Maybe it's just the dungeon that's inactive. Are you okay with continuing? I know I'm way outta my league here so...it's really up to you whether we stay or not."

He just smiled, a little worried about what she had said though. She had heard from other people that the dungeon was inactive…but then it wasn’t. Sadly, he had heard from several people about rumors like this one, and if so…they might be in for a wild ride later. Of course, with any luck he’d be wrong.

"Well...I had wanted to finish early, but something about the whole 'Let's see how much I can dodge!' kinda took a hold over me. And I'm fine with continuing, although, I'm a little curious as too who you heard about this dungeon from."

She was still for a while, obviously thinking about where she had heard it from…and he grew more and more uneasy. The fact that it wasn’t easily memorable could be very bad, because it might not have been from a friend, maybe from someone who she didn’t really know. Or, even worse, the boards, although the possibility of a Pker handing out the location of a strange field so that curious low levels would want to go was more something he’d do in person. Or she.

"To tell you the truth, it wasn't any one particular person. It was more like a group of people I heard talking about it. It's possible I got the keywords wrong I suppose, although I can't imagine another field laying in ruins like this."

There wasn’t any hesitation in his voice, he needed to know this, fast, to find out just how much of his guard needed to be up for this. Groups of people weren’t always friendly, and, although they might be just as much in the dark about this as she was, there was always that chance that they weren’t in the dark at all.

"Right...what group of people?”

She was cowering, as if she were afraid of what he’d do to her with the answer, but the look on her face was priceless. She was trying to cower, but look completely innocent, at the same time. Part of him wondered if she was trying to tease him, by playing the powerless person when he was powerful…and didn’t really think so. He might have been powerful, yes, but she wouldn’t tease him like that.

”I didn't know them personally. I...I was more or less eavesdropping on a group of players in Mac Anu. They were standing around my the message boards just talking and when I heard 'inactive field' my ears zoned in until I heard the keywords spoken."

While his expression was studiously blank, his mind was going quickly and with a fair amount of “Oh you stupid…” To just so blatantly accept the word of people that you had never met before was, to say the least, of dubious judgment. She could have tried to check up on that rumor with other players, or made a round through the boards to see if there were any posts about it. But…she obviously hadn’t, and here they were, in a field that wasn’t inactive at all…or if it was, it was fairly well hidden. Every single sense that he could use in The World went to high alert in that instant, listening, feeling, trying to see something. There was nothing…yet, and perhaps there wouldn’t be anyone. He knew he sounded nonplussed, and changed it so that she wouldn’t feel that badly…although he knew that the first part gave it away.

"Alright, that works. Sure, let's move on, just watch out, because some people like to pull hoaxes like that, and get people to go to that field."

She drew a little closer, almost as if she were afraid to be farther away from him. Maybe she had already figured out what it was that he was a little worried about, maybe not. Truth be told, he wasn’t that worried, he was pretty sure that he could handle a fair amount of what could come at them, and with any luck could beat the shit out of whatever came their way.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that players would do such things. Although, I suppose I should have expected half as much since I also didn't expect there to be PKer's in The World either. I still have a lot to learn about this game, but if are sure you want to continue, so do I. I would really like to see if maybe it's just the dungeon that is inactive. Just in case, I do have a Sprite Ocarina we can use if we need to leave in a hurry."

His right eyebrow hit the roof, wondering exactly what had happened the last time…or two. Maybe it had been more than one, which would explain it, but…still, it was funny. She did have a Sprite Ocarina though, so in case they did make it to the bottom of the dungeon, they could always get out instantly. Also, was she forgetting how high of a level that they were? Granted, she was a lot lower than he was, but still…she shouldn’t have been that frightened.

"You really think that a level...oh, 20 or so PKer is going to try and kill you when I'm here to kick his ass? It'd be suicide at the very least. And, if they did do that...it's amazing how adept one can become when you know that you have to run. Plus, at the moment, we can simply gate out, in the dungeon we'd need those. Besides, I'm probably just being needlessly paranoid here, and it was someone's idea of a joke. People like to do that as well, say that there are these rare items when there aren't. So...I wouldn't worry about it."

She still had her head down…but there was a little grin on her face that didn’t bode well for the seriousness of the conversation at all. He smiled back, right before she started speaking, and it was only near the end, when she more or less strongly hinted that she wanted to move forward, that she laughed.

"Well, you have become quite the formidable opponent now haven't you. I hope there will come a time when we can quest, and you don't feel like you have to constantly look out for me. As much as I enjoy the attention, I'm a big girl ya know. You never know, I might get to look out for you someday when your confidence may get the best of you or even bigger than that collection of wands you have. What do you say we go find out what's in that portal over there?"

The Wavemaster in question chuckled slightly, and then mumbled mockingly to himself, just loud enough so that she could hear him speak, but not really feel the emotional undercurrent that ran, raw and sore, under it. Formidable opponent his ass. He couldn’t even touch any of the Highers that ran the show, and she said he was formidable? Maybe in his dreams, where he actually had the power to beat them into the ground, where he was more than some weakling who couldn’t protect the people that he needed to. Maybe he was formidable when compared with her…but there was no way that he was all that powerful, not when he was faced with what he was up against.

"Yes...quite the formidable opponent, and still not good enough. As for looking out for you, I barely had to do that in that fight, so I really wouldn't worry about it, you're doing just fine you know. Especially since this is Theta."

"Thanks! I want to be a strong player. My physical abilities are good and I'm still learning how to coordinate the skills, but all in all I think I've learned a bit."

If she had picked up on any of the undercurrent, through sheer luck or unimaginably good hearing, she didn’t give a sign of any of it. She looked fairly happy actually, and that brought a small smile to his face as well, although somewhat dampened by his memories of the hunger. The disease that he had allowed himself to be infected with would have devoured her, turned her into more of him, made him feast on her flesh if she weren’t lucky.

Strong player? Fuck that shit.

When he approached the monster portal, the golden rings stared to open up, one Metal Emperor and one Guardian charging at them both. This time, of the two, he didn’t think that he needed to state which one that she would take. However…since the name of this monster had the word ‘metal’ in it, he thought he would have some fun. Namely, metal was incredibly subjective to temperature…and then, a Vulcan Ch would work wonders against something made out of iron…or whatever the hell it was made out of. Sure, it might not have the classic physics of real life, but it sure as hell hurt the damn thing. He only wished that it would run in a glowing pool that would reflect the extreme heat that would destroy it. The fact that he really wanted that to be something more like ice, or electricity, was immaterial at this stage. All he wanted was the warmth that he couldn’t feel, the fire that would obliterate it.

The Vulcan Ch was all to willing to oblige. Calling the Starstorm Wand to hand, he used the highest level spell on it, some seventy SP, but a level two summon. Vak energy flared for a moment, then grew stronger as the phoenix became solid, fire so hot as to melt the ruins below it. As the lava ran off of its back, rivulets of more molten stone etched the path that the bird had taken, wings pressed to her body as she picked up speed. To say that the Metal Emperor didn’t stand a chance was an understatement, as, even as it attempted to move aside, the summon crashed into its body, sending it flying backwards, flames shrouding it and hiding it from view. Surprisingly, it lived…not by much, but enough that it staggered upright, half of its form gone, and charged forward again.

Right into the waiting spiked club of a Yarthkins.

The Gan summon pulled hard on the weapon that it held, hauling it forward and sending it crashing into the remnants of the monster in front of it. Muscle bulged in that second, piling on the force at the last second so that the club burst through the back of the metal shell. At that, the monster simply collapsed in a heap of gray code, leaving the Wavemaster without a whole hell of a lot of SP. That whole, ‘I just blew 120 SP on looking cool as hell’ really applied to the situation.

The Wavemaster once again displaying the fine art of spell casting as she walked to the edge of what she felt was a safe distance from his monster. She watched on as he released the final spells that vanquished the second Dark Witch into oblivion. His voice seemed happy although he was teasing her about the field not being inactive, but the other teasing factor made her laugh. She remembered how she always felt like he was just there to critique her and watch. It became a game within the game after while, the Twin Blade taking each and every word of his critique and challenging herself to do better with every fight. Part of her missed that, but the other part was happy that she was starting to learn on her own without the aid of someone else watching her. In a way, the watching part always bugged her during the first couple of quests. It wasn’t so much why they were watching, just that the act in general gave her the creeps; ever since she had gotten followed home from work that one night. She had managed to loose the guy with several extra turns, going down wrong streets, turning the corner of a building and then running as fast as she could. Reaching her apartment she barricaded herself inside, staying up the rest of the night with a baseball bat by her side unable to sleep. She lived in fear, baseball bat at her side for the next couple of days, not even going near her door or the window, staying out of sight from any eyes that may be lurking.

It had been about 3 months, but the feeling of those few days was still fresh in her mind. It was also part of the reason she wanted to find a special place within the game to do her thinking from. The safety of her place at the beach now felt compromised. At least this way, she could stay within the safe confinements of her apartment and still have the pleasant scenery that being outside provided. Of course, she wasn’t sure that she would ever be able to tell Takua her true reasons behind her wants and desires for a special place. He probably didn’t even care to know. Why would he? She was just another player in The World to him, or so it currently seemed. As much as she wanted to have a friend here and the fact that they had called each other one by the end of their first quest, the point remained that they hadn’t really known each other long enough to make that decision. Did a proper time frame even exist for such a thing? Talal didn’t know; all she did know was that in the past when she had jumped straight into friendships they turned out for the worse. By worse meaning there was no friendship at all, or it was one-sided…hers.

Laughter aside, the questions started rolling off his tongue. He was particularly interested in knowing the source of her information about the field. Thinking back to how she had found out, she wasn’t quite sure how to tell him that she was eavesdropping and not really part of the conversation. After all, she didn’t have any friends or acquaintances in The World yet except for the three she had quested with, all of those being current members of the clan. Not that he would know that small fact about her, should he however then it was quite obvious that if any of them knew about the field, he would too. All that aside, he was becoming very insistent. Unable to come up with any better way to explain it and considering the fact that they already knew of at least two active portals so far, she lowered her head, shying away from him a bit. Why did the deities have to bless her with so many damn fears? She was afraid to tell him that the information came to her by total accident and luck. She got what she wanted and left and it had only been the day before when this all happened. There hadn’t been any time at all to ask around or listen in to see if anyone else was talking about it. Takua was noticeably unnerved by the sound of his tone, although changing it just as quickly. Talal guessed that he was simply taking it in stride, playing his former mentor role again with her.

Apologizing for her assumptions and the fact that she didn’t realize that players in the game would be so devious as to plant rumors or false information, the young girl was annoyed with herself. Also realizing that in the recent past it had become blatantly obvious, especially now that she thought about it. PKer’s as they were called, were becoming more popular and if the trend didn’t slow down soon, would almost warrant their own class structure. Shivering at the thought of having so many people enjoying the idea of going around and slaying other players simply amazed and confused her. She had stocked up on Sprite Ocarina’s for that express reason. She wanted to make sure she could exit a dungeon and not get stuck should the need arise and was happy to let Takua know that she had them. She had told her questing partners the reason she started playing The World was to work out frustrations of real life. That wasn’t entirely true.

She started playing to conquer her fears, and man did she seem to have a lot of them; but telling some strange new questing partner that you are a big scardy cat wasn’t exactly a good first impression. She had hoped that through the game, she would come across one fear at a time and work through it on her own. Instead she had gotten body slammed with several of them all at once. It was beginning to become more than the young female thought she could handle but at the same time promising herself that she would never reveal that to anyone. Knowing that she was afraid could cause many things to happen during a quest for her partners. It could make them not want to quest with her, or worse they would constantly feel the need to look out for her. She wasn’t going to get past her fears if everyone around her was protecting her all the time. Granted she shouldn’t bite off more than she could chew but she also didn’t want to appear as the weakling of any group. If they were too focused on keeping her safe, than ultimately that could put them in danger. Regardless of which outcome occurred, she would be devastated by it and would never be able to forgive herself for putting them in that position. No…this would remain safely hidden away, this little fact about the true inner Talal. No one needed to know her secret.

She smiled and let out a laugh at the thought of Takua stepping in to kick someone’s ass should they try to kill her. She was both irritated and amused at the thought. Irritated in the sense that she didn’t want anyone protecting her, she wanted to do that for herself. Amused, mostly because of the picture in her mind of the Wavemaster being victorious over a PKer and seeing the smile on his face at his accomplishments. Not saying that he would smile or even enjoy it, but just the way he put his words formed this comic book type picture in her mind. Having watched him in battle and being somewhat envious of his abilities and knowledge of using the skills in the game, she looked up to him respectfully. She had no doubt that with every level he gained in the game; he would become even that much more confident in his abilities. Her comments to that effect seemed to throw him into a mutter of sorts. Something about how “formidable… but still not good enough.” Just those words alone with nothing behind them tone or otherwise, made her wonder what he was thinking about. But she felt that if had wanted her to inquire more, he would have spoken louder. Most people in general tend to not think of themselves as ‘good enough’ so she wasn’t all too concerned about it. She aspired for much the same, if she could manage to get past everything else.

They had been walking towards the next monster portal the whole time and as soon as Takua stepped near it opened. Targeting the two creatures that got spat out, Talal took a moment to size them up. The one was a level seventeen Metal Emperor; the other a level twelve Guardian. She began moving towards the Guardian when Takua was already quick to work, using one of his summoning spells that she had never before fully witnessed on the Metal Emperor. She had caught a glimpse of it in their last quest but looking at it full on was something completely different. A phoenix made of pure flame; it was an absolutely beautiful sight. One that she unfortunately was not going to be able to watch as the Guardian had moved closer and was ready to attack.

Looking up, far up, at the creature standing before her, Talal had a feeling that dodging would probably play a key role in this fight. Her opponent was huge, towering over her not to mention its massive size. Quickly thinking through her attack options, she opts to switch out her Sotetsu for her old favorite, the Lath Blades. She wanted to be able to use their affinity for Juk against the monster. It was time to move, the Guardian thumping its way closer to the Twin Blade. She was not in the mood to draw anything out or “practice” as Takua had put it, so immediately went into action calling out for her blades abilities.

”Orchid Dance”

Swift dance like movement took over the slight female as her Lath Blades went to work on the Guardian. A bright green hue outlined the blades as the series of alternating strikes slashed away at the legs, arms…err appendages of the creature. The final spin coming around as it struck dead center in the middle of the main part of the monster; its health lowering by about a third of the way. Talal jumped back after the final attack, regrouping herself and reforming the next part of her attack plan. The Guardian followed not allowing her much opportunity to stay on the offensive, the large ball shape of the creature slamming down on her position with great force. The Twin Blade leaping sideways into a tuck and roll, avoiding the bludgeoning blow that left a large indentation in the ground where she once stood.

Switching out her armor and her gloves for the Ring Mail and the level one Wristbands, Talal gets ready to take full advantage of finally having skills that get the job done and fast. The Juk Kruz followed by the Juk Rom doing there duty and providing a full frontal onslaught of the Guardian. The Twin Blade stood there blades at the ready just in case it survived. She watched as the wood chunks, splinters and even branch pieces swirled around and dropped from above, completely covering the monster in their attack. All the while its appendages were lashing out, slamming down to the ground attempting to put up a defense. The Twin Blade backed up just a bit to keep a safe distance from the flailing creature just before it disappeared. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to Takua who had basically just annihilated his monster in two glorious summons. She had asked him once why he became a Wavemaster instead of another class. Seeing him utilize his skills, she had to agree with the simple answer he had given; he was a Wavemaster for the simple fact that he liked magic. As of now, she couldn’t see him being anything else.

Looking at him as she drew near, she wondered just what exactly he has seen happen here in The World. What is it that he knows that he isn’t telling her? She couldn’t blame him for keeping things to himself, she was doing the same, but still that didn’t keep her from wondering. The young female felt so green to the game still. Sure she had leveled somewhat quickly, but there was a definitely a downside to that. Leveling quickly didn’t give her time to really get used to her new weapons and armor, or the skills that came with them. It didn’t help her understand and learn about all the different monsters and their abilities or special ways of attacking. Now had she stayed at certain levels for a period of time and gone questing, learning how to use every skill and weapon under her control over time, she thought she would have a much better understanding later as she gained levels. The old saying ‘I guess I didn’t know my own strength’ really held a lot of meaning with the Twin Blade and the current situation.

Hoping her outward expressions were not revealing anything but contentment of having finished the battle, as well as her wants and desires of exploring the ruins further, she approached him. Not stopping however once she reached him to discuss anything about the battle, she simply motioned him with a slight of her head and a smile, to join her on a slow stroll in the direction of the dungeon. She didn’t want to rush the quest because she was enjoying his company, but she also wanted to see more of the field. Having two monster portals right off of the gate wasn’t making the field look very promising as her new thinking grounds. Not to mention the slight reaction Takua had when they were discussing how she found the field. God…there were so many questions she had wanted to ask him. So many still left from the proverbial list she had started on their first quest. He had let things slip, things that made The World sound like it was more like the real world than most players thought. She hadn’t been able to confirm that with anyone else though, not that she had really asked. However, no one else that she had quested with or had overheard, spoke about fighting for their lives in the tone that he had used. A tone that if she didn’t know any better, meant something different than running out of health in a quest and having to log back in.

Now that she had quested a little, seeing how other players reacted to questing, she knew he was different in how he approached some things, which meant that possibly, so were his friends. How does she ask him though? Should she ask? No…it really wasn’t her place to ask, that was personal yet, her curiosity was extremely peaked. He was waiting to hear from his friends before. She wondered if had heard from them. Her voice so soft that any softer and it probably would have been considered a whisper, she looks over at the Wavemaster, curiosity seeping through her voice.

”Takua…have you heard from your friends yet, the ones you hadn’t heard from in a while?”

Her curiosity was met with a sharp long look at her as he spoke. She couldn’t tell if the sharpness was just simple surprise that she had remembered such a small detail from their earlier quest or if maybe she was actually starting to put two and two together and coming up with something correct.

A few of them, not the two that I really wanted to hear from, not yet.”

It was undistinguishable however, as there was no undertone of surprise or otherwise in his voice. The combination of the two however, made her stumble to find a response or even something else to say.

”I’m sorry, it’s really none of my business I suppose. You had just seemed very…I’m not sure if concerned is the right word I’m looking for but, I was just curious.

Her mind was going a thousand miles a minute just wanting to ramble off what felt like several hundred questions, but her intuition at the moment was taking over telling her that at the very least, her timing sucked for these kinds of questions. Maybe more into the dungeon should they find it truly inactive, there would be plenty of time for conversation and questions. She also needed to consider her approach. Her curiosity had a way of getting her in trouble rather than helping which was her usual intent. Just as she wanted to move ahead towards what she thought was the dungeon, she heard Takua sigh.

”No, it’s just that I’m touchy about two of them.”

She could take “touchy” in several different ways, but for now was more than willing to leave it just well enough alone. As curious as she was, the intenseness that she was feeling, call it her need to know if you will, she could feel a confrontation coming should she persist. Something she wanted to avoid as she remembered the last time she let her curiosity do the talking. That could be partly because she thought she was right in her assumptions. Who knows, maybe she was totally ass backwards wrong about everything.

”Well, I hope you hear from them soon. I know how I am when I’m waiting to hear from someone.”

Slightly smiling, she looked him in the eyes rather softly as she spoke, hoping to convey the true sincerity she meant for her words to have. That done, she once again turned her head towards the ruins of the dungeon and began walking, but keeping an ever watchful eye and ear open for the unusual or even perhaps the random unwanted guest.

He watched her finish off her monster, butcher it without even needing to be healed, and nodded slightly. She was progressing wonderfully as a player, able to actually take things down with ease, not like some people that he had the deepest…errr, annoyance of having met. Annoyance wasn’t really the right word for it, but it would do. She was good, good enough possibly to survive in the EC if she so choose…at least physically. Mentally, psychically, she might be crushed if the Twin Blade didn’t prepare herself, or if she didn’t have good mental defenses. Still, he didn’t want her there, that wasn’t a place where people really belonged. Sure, he was being hypocritical, and knew it, but he didn’t care. They might need the help, but whoever came with them needed to be strong, mentally and physically, to bust through that place.

How different was he now? He had been so much more innocent back before that field in a way, had been naïve about the possible dangers in The World. Of the life that some people faced day in and day out. He was well aware how close to that edge he walked, and how much he was lying to her simply by smiling. For everything that had happened, there was a smile in his eye, something that told everyone that life was still, somehow, good in some way. He might not see why it would be good, but…it was. He could be somewhat content in life, especially now, when he didn’t have to think and face what he had done. Some of it he was done with, some he was still working on, and thought that he would be working on for quite some time. Talal didn’t need that burden on her shoulders, wouldn’t want to have to trudge through hell for a bunch of strangers, even if in the end it benefited the entire world.

Hell…he was so torn on that topic. Yes, she should know, because if they all failed, she should never touch The World again, or get sucked in by the Twilight and become comatose. That way she had a fighting chance to make sure that she wasn’t caught when she didn’t want to be. She should be told so that she could make the choice in whether or not she even wanted to play in a game that could steal her life away. Because she was someone that he knew, that he could talk to, who had asked, he should tell her all about what went on in the dark underbelly of The World. She could make the decision on her own, without his making it for her, whether to play with the chance of becoming a coma victim and have fun, or leave and not have the possibility of that happening.

But…she shouldn’t know. This was a world that someone should stumble into accidentally, kept secret until the last second. She didn’t need to ever find out about the Eventide Crescendo, didn’t need to ever see or listen to his past exploits in that field. How many Children had he drunk blood from? How many people had he killed? Whatever the numbers were, she didn’t need to know, didn’t need to be exposed to that sort of madness, and he was more than willing to keep her in the dark if it meant that she never had to walk through the mindfuck.

His mind was brought back to the present by her asking…if he had met the people he had wanted to. A moment later and all of his defenses slid into place, a lazy smile crashing down at the same time that he gave her a sharp look. This was not a topic that he had wanted her to remember, especially since it had to do with what he was just talking about. The grin in his face was warm…but the smile never touched his eyes. Even though he could have made his eyes smile as well, it wasn’t what he was truly feeling at the moment, and he didn’t want to pretend. He didn’t want to think about Nemera or Sidhe right now, or, potentially worse, was how much he was thinking about the other two coma victims that he knew. He knew his tone was perfectly blank, that he wasn’t betraying any of the emotions that was sweeping through him.

He had hoped that this responses, and obvious emotionless content of what of what he was talking about, would make her not talk about it. Obviously, that hadn’t worked, and she continued to talk…even if it was in an apology. She was curious alright, and afraid of asking him anything more because he was about to lash out and snap at her. He didn’t do it that badly though…maybe a little, just because he wanted her to shut up, but then he thought about it a bit more. Really, he had given her a lot to think about, but he refused to actually talk about any of it. Maybe, he thought as he walked on, he should actually talk to her about it just so that she wouldn’t have so many questions flying around. Or he could actually tell her up front that he doesn’t want to talk about them, instead of cutting her off and making her feel badly.

The dungeon entranced passed overhead as they went into the ruins, walking into what looked like a formerly grandiose court hall. Perhaps the theme for this field was a ruined castle or court of a king, and this was the stereotypical entrance hall. Huge mostly ruined pillars stood guard, statues with parts of their bodies chopped off tucked into alcoves and the tremendous opening stretch that had nothing but the carpet beneath their feet. The Wavemaster stalked to the center of the room, tapestries surrounding him on the ruined walls in an area that was a good thirty feet across…with no monster portal in sight. This, he thought bleakly, would do perfectly for what he now had in mind. With any luck, he could show what topics were off limits, and what could be talked about.

”Alright, start talking. You’re incredibly curious ever since I let things slip when we first met, and since it’d be better to have a few things firmly shut off, and other explained, start with the questions.”

He could have laughed if he hadn’t been so nervous, or so damn annoyed at the moment. Sure, he had initiated this, but he’d expected that he would be a little better off than this. She was shocked, that much was obvious, maybe because he wasn’t supposed to take such a straightforward and daring approach to get this out of the way.

"You just seem like there is something to this game that isn't a game. As ludicrous as that sounds now that I'm saying it out loud, I can't help but wonder because you just...you've said things in a way that either mean you have experienced them here, within the game or your just plum insane in real life. Frankly, I don't believe the later, so I'm going with the first. Is it wrong for me to wonder. Please tell me I'm way off base here.”

He snarled, an ugly sound, as he considered how much she had gotten off of such few hints. Really, it was all his fault for being so lose with the information, but that didn’t stop him from snarling. She knew far too much for her own good, and as horribly cliché as it sounded, she shouldn’t have known what she did. But he had said that he wanted her to ask to get this out of the way, so he banished that annoyance from his voice as he spoke.

”Don’t be too sure about the second option, however. I said this the last time, and I’ll say it again after this. There are fields within this world that you should never find, never even come across ever. They can make you experience this world in all of its bloody glory, make you feel every last blow that’s rendered to you. Those fields are hell, not only because of the physical pain. There are people here who have to live with that every day. They can’t get out of it, they’re trapped with that experience. Maybe you’re thinking that it’d be nice to feel the breeze of Mac Anu, or be able to move like you would in real life. The cost of that ability though, and not being able to leave…it isn’t worth it in a way, not for most people. So…I will say this now. If I ever see you with a certain group, I will yell, I will bribe, I will beg, and then, when you still decide to go, I’ll go ahead and tell you the rest. And, yes, I will see you, you won’t be able to escape me there.”

He just watched with no small amount of frustration at himself and at her as she went through the whole gamut of emotions. Really, he couldn’t blame her, he was essentially turning her world upside down in a matter of seconds.

"Okay, wait a minute. Back up. Did you just basically tell me that there are people, who were once like you and me, that are now no longer able to log off...ever? How....how could that be? What certain group that from the sounds of it you are a member?"

At that, the very end, she looked oh so very irritated at him. Frustrated that he wouldn’t let her help when he was trying to ensure that he never found her in a coma. What he wouldn’t tell her was the name of the Eventide Crescendo, that was something that he wouldn’t name, wouldn’t give her. So that she couldn’t look it up somehow and finagle out a way to join. He was still incredibly irritated, and he knew it, and it kept on spilling out at the end.

”Yes, there are people who are unable to log off. Maybe you know a few. Gonna give you a big one here, you know how there are a bunch of people in comas that have been playing this game? Yea well, most of them are still here. How is it possible…oh, just accept that it is for now, that, and what the name of the group is, I’m not going to answer. You don’t want to attempt those fields. However, if I do ever find you in that group of people? Then I’ll give you that information, because you don’t really want to know right now. And before you get all pissed off at me, especially because I’m not allowing you to do anything, consider this. You make one wrong step in those fields, and you can say goodbye to the real world. Now do you get why I didn’t want you to know?”

She glanced around the room, almost as if nervous to say something, or maybe she was just looking for a response that wouldn’t piss him off. Really, he wasn’t angry, frustrated to an extreme yes, but not angry. Finally, she turned around though, so that he couldn’t see her face, and he wanted to snarl at that. Faces were important for seeing what the other person was feeling.

"It all makes sense now. Why it's okay to be concerned for your friends well-being. Why you may need the same sometime soon. Why you are concerned because you haven't heard from them. It all makes sense now. You have also answered for me an unspoken question, and for that I thank you. I cannot guarantee what my actions will be in the future. All I know is what kind of a person I am on the inside, in real life. I am the kind of person who is there when needed by my friends whether they ask it of me or not, because I have found that sometimes we never know when we will need someone to be there for us. You obviously don't want me there. Whether you feel I'm not ready for it, couldn't handle the truth....whatever the reason, just know that if that day comes it was my choice to be there."

With that, she glanced over the shoulder at him, stared for just one moment at him, and then started to walk into the next room. He stood still for a moment, wondering exactly what it would take for her not to go…and then knew that he wasn’t going to be able to do anything to prevent her. A small smile crossed his face, not a happy one, it was a cross between a grimace and a sad, knowing look. However, that was quickly banished as he considered something else, and it was with a fair amount of good humor that he walked after her.

”Alright, but I’ll still yell and beg and threaten you, even if you won’t leave. Just know that much. Besides, if I didn’t do that, then I wouldn’t have any fun, right? Besides, I’ll get to scare the shit out of everyone around me by doing that.”

She stopped for a second while he was talking to look at him, a soft smile lighting both her eyes and her mouth, and for one second he felt badly. Here he was, pretty much denying whatever friendship they had by refusing to let her help.

“You will do what you feel you need to I'm sure, and yes, I can imagine the looks you as well as myself shall receive should such a showcase occur right in front of them. If that is your desire, than so be it. I will still defend my right to be there, regardless of the looks. However, a true friendship means that each friend would not allow the other to go into battle alone, no matter the cost, or the reason. Sometimes, all that matters is that you are their friend. I believe you understand what I'm saying. Now, are we going to explore this supposedly empty nest or are we going to sit around and jabber some more?"

He would have responded, and he had been walking closer to her simply so that he could be around her if something went wrong, when someone dropped down right behind her. He thanked whatever managed to have him move forward for doing so, thanked the reach of his arms as he grabbed her arm and yanked hard. In another moment, she was off-balance, stumbling towards him as the Heavy Blade slashed down in the area that she had been in a moment before. In another moment his Treasure Staff was out and pointing at the PKer, right hand wrapping around the girl in his arms for one moment before letting her go so that she was slightly behind him.

”You know, you really suck with timing.”

The Heavy Blade, armored in black and red with a strange helm on, looked back at him. Every piece of skin on his body had been covered with metal, possibly making him more defense oriented, but limiting his movement slightly. Out from behind him was what looked like a slightly timid, silver covered Heavy Axe. A lower level watching the higher level do the work? Probably, it certainly sounded about right. Which meant that he was facing a level…oh, call it twenty, Heavy Blade and some other player of considerably lower level.

Perfect for them.

However, the Heavy Blade was still leaning forward aggressively, which meant that he still wanted a fight. He sighed slightly as the man started to talk, his somewhat deep voice was probably meant to be menacing with its demands, but really, it was all he could do not to laugh at how overdramatic it was.

”I suck with timing Mr. Weakling? You’re the ones who came wandering in here, not looking around for other people. I’d say that you owe us an apology of some kind…before I split your head open with my sword! Of course, I might just do it anyways.”

Raising an eyebrow slightly, he wondered just how many late night TV shows the guy had seen with the bad guy making some horrendously drawn out and overwrought speech at the end of which he finally attacked. Truth be told, he was almost a little glad that this had happened, he could work out all that frustration and rage that he was feeling at the moment. The cold smile that settled over his mouth wasn’t reflected in the icy blue of his eyes, orbs that were almost mocking as his arms moved the staff. If he did this right, the bitch wouldn’t even know what had hit him.

”Oh come on asshole. Maybe if you were such a fucktard with his head up his ass you’d have either taken her hostage or killed her in one hit, but you screwed up. Oh, sorry, do I owe you an apolOrGan Dongy?”

He was only starting to sputter when the spell started. The idiot hadn’t even noticed the spell that he had activated in the middle of that, only his friend saw it start to form. The silver-armored arm came and grabbed at the Heavy Blade, but it was too late to escape the spell’s beginning. Three rocks formed, the power of Gan swirling and then dropping down, crashing into the armored figure below and ripping off the helmet. Dark hair and red eyes, truly cliché, stared back at him. The face was sputtering, surprise, rage and frustration trying to find an equal place even as he staggered backwards, the second rock smashing into his arm.

”Talal, you take the Heavy Axe, I’ll handle the idiot.”

Shifting into a battle ready stance, his staff firmly in his hand, he refrained, however tempting it was, to do anything extravagant. Let the other bugger be all dramatic, he wouldn’t need to do anything to kick his ass. His blue robe had just settled lightly on the ground when blue light flooded the Heavy Blade. Healed back up to what seemed like full, the player came on as the Heavy Axe moved to Talal, a bit of a hesitation in his step.

”You’ll regret doing this! You’ll see why I am to be feared.”

’Yea yea, you and every other asshole who wants to kill me. Let’s get this over with. Shall we dance?’

A quiet still took over aside from the shuffling of their feet along the ground. The short walk to the ruins that made up the dungeon entrance seemed like an eternity. As Talal entered the ruins, it felt like she was walking onto the set of some old movie set of Greek or Nordic mythology. The time eroded stone statues and pillars stood as last testaments to what they were supposed to believe was a grand hall. She slowly stepped around, taking in the detail of the room, its walls and tapestries. Whether this field was created this way or somehow was a result of a computer virus within the game damaging the original coded data, she couldn’t tell. Regardless, it almost felt majestic and appealing to her. Turning around to face the center of the room, she found Takua only feet away. Just as she turned, he spoke in a tone she had not yet heard from him. As much as his tone surprised her, the words that came out so bluntly sent her mind reeling, searching for any possible answer.

Shocked and trying to keep her jaw from literally dropping open, the young girl scrambled. Sure she had hundreds of questions to ask, but to be so blatantly asked to voice them well made her practically speechless. He had avoided answering most anything she had asked so far in any direct manner at least. Always giving her the glossed over version of the true answer; something to always keep her guessing or possibly clueless. Now, he was asking but putting a disclaimer to it right off the bat. There were going to be topics that were off limits and some that were not. She didn’t like the idea of just blurting out a list of questions and then trying to match his answers with the correct question. No not like that did she want her questions answered, although part of her wished she had the courage to do so. Instead she simply responded with a statement first, laying the groundwork for where her mind was headed.

”You just seem like there is something to this game that isn’t a game. As ludicrous as that sounds now that I’m saying it out loud, I can’t help but wonder because you just…you’ve said things in a way that either mean you have experienced them here, within the game or you’re just plum insane in real life. Frankly, I don’t believe the later, so I’m going with the first. Is it wrong for me to wonder? Please tell me I‘m way off base here.”

Just in that short amount of speech, she was almost getting irritated or frustrated that she was being almost forced into doing something that she was not prepared for. At the same time, now that her idea was out in the open, she now just wanted clarification. Be it true or not. Her mind honestly could not put the pieces together in any way that would make it true, but she always tried to keep an open mind when dealing with others. It kept things from getting too out of control…usually.

In one not so brief response, but one that only took a matter of seconds, Talal had her confirmation…sort of. Fear, anger, disbelief, frustration, and concern all washed over her features. The information was almost too much to comprehend all in one fail swoop. Confusion was the final emotion to be felt and portrayed by the young girl as she tried to put all the pieces together into something more understandable, when it finally, truly struck her what he was saying.

His tone at that point was unmistakable. His words reeked of pure and plain irritation aimed solely in her direction as if she had possibly committed some sort of irreversible sin. But how could he expect her to respond in any other way? He was keeping vital information about the game she was currently playing away from her. Why aren’t these fields blocked? Why haven’t the corporate entities behind it all done something to help these people out that are trapped? Hell, why haven’t they removed the damn game from the shelves? She was furious inside, until something else came to mind. She now understood why he continued to play even with all the knowledge he obviously has. His friends were here, somewhere. It was the only logical reason for him to remotely stay. In that very instant, he managed to answer the one question she would never ask directly. One that always stayed in her thoughts, constantly seeking the answer, but would never be voiced. Did he truly know what it meant to be a friend? If her logic held true, he did and was proving it even now, even if his friends couldn‘t see it happening. As angry or frustrated as she was with him, she couldn’t fault him for that.

As she glanced around the room, searching her mind as to what she could possibly say while trying to avoid his stare. He was upset, but only because she had pushed that so called button. She had once again allowed her curiosity to outweigh good judgment. She turned away, her back now facing him, not allowing herself to look him in the eye. She needed to stand her ground at this point. It was her right to do what she chose to do, be it in a game or in the real world. But, she needed to do so without the constant feeling of confrontation. She always lost her nerve or the courage to stand up for herself when face to face with someone. Slowly and softly she spoke about what her perceived logic was telling her. While at the same time, giving him a small taste of what it meant to be part of her world. The kind of person she was, especially where friends were involved.

Her head down slightly as she glanced over her shoulder at him for just a moment, just staring. Slowly she turned her head back around and began moving for the next room. Her steps quiet and slow, even against the stone floor. She had just reached the entrance into the next room; the Wavemaster walking up behind her reiterating to her in a humorous tone what he would do should she ever find the group he refused to name. All humor aside, she felt he was rather serious about yelling and threatening her should he see her there, wherever there was. But regardless of what kicked him into that tone, she would go along, not wanting to spoil it. Stopping and waiting for him as he walked up she gave him a soft full hearted smile, choosing to reiterate to him what true friendship meant to her.

Walking through the threshold of the next room, Takua had moved closer to her. She was wondering if he would continue the conversation, or just let things go for now, or maybe even forever. The possibility that enough had been said growing ever larger in her mind. She was still trying to keep a close eye out for any signs of trouble, but her mind was understandably partially lost in thought. No sooner that she heard a sound from behind her, she was being yanked by the arm hard. Off guard and surprised, she gasped, panic had temporarily set in, but was gone just as fast. She would have reached for her blades had the quick, hard pull not thrown her off balance. She saw a large figure and then heard the familiar clank of a large blade hitting the stone floor, right where she had just stood. As she stumbled rather non-gracefully, she was getting ready just to start swinging her fists at whatever had grabbed her just as she caught a glimpse of a blue robe. It covered the arm that had wrapped around her. Thankfully, it was Takua who had grabbed and pulled her away, the Twin Blade having come to a stop in his arms momentarily before he let go of her, stepping somewhat in between her and the man that had apparently tried to attack her.

Talal just froze, stepping back and even more behind the Wavemaster in front of her, almost trying to hide behind the taller player. Words were exchanged although she didn’t pay attention to what was truly being said. She wanted to run, wanted to get out of the dungeon and leave. They could come back another day and finish exploring, live to fight another day or however that saying goes. Takua had a different plan as he cast an OrGan Don rather slyly through his words. As the spell took hold another figure reached out and yanked her attacker out of the way. Seeing before them a Heavy Blade and a Heavy Axeman, memories of past events came rushing forward, her eyes widening in momentary fear. She was thankful that Takua wasn’t facing her, to see the look on her face. Was it the same two that attacked her before? She couldn’t tell, but didn’t care to stick around and find out either. Her fear would have to be faced someday, but she was not sure that she wanted today to be that day.

”Talal, you take the Heavy Axe, I’ll take the idiot.”

If he was paying any attention to her at all he heard a rather heavy sigh from behind him. Although she doubted he did as his full attention appeared to be placed on the Heavy Blade in front of him. Quickly she switched back to her Sotetsu, knowing that fighting player versus player all she needed was her strongest weapon. The elemental attacks would damage sure, but the higher level weapons would do plenty on their own. Talal hesitantly stepped out from behind him, looking over at the Heavy Axeman who was stepping closer to her just as hesitantly. Trying to calm her nerves, forcing herself to set aside the fear and fight, the Twin Blade began to spin the hilts of her blades in her palms. She couldn’t let Takua know she was afraid, he would laugh at her reasons behind it, think she was being childish. She knew that already, she didn’t need him coming down on her for it as well.

Let the battles begin.

The female turned her attention to the Heavy Axe, her eyes now staring at the individual in front of her as he stepped within range. The Heavy Axe was the first to swing, hoping to keep the Twin Blade at bay with the reach of his axe. He swung parallel to the floor in a large circle around him, coming upward with his axe at the end and sliding one hand back up near the head of the weapon. Talal just stood their and leaned back a bit to avoid the long swing, so far not really in much danger of being hit. Her opponent looking irritated that she barely moved out of the way, lunges forward, axe high above his head. She dodges left, slicing along his ribs and shoulder as the Heavy Axe swings down hard, his weapon clanging with the stone floor.

”I really don’t want to fight you. Why don’t you just leave and we’ll call it even?”

”Because…if I just leave, then I’ll never be able to face my friends again. They wouldn’t ever speak to me again, so I have to fight.”

If she didn’t know any better by the look on his face, he might be more afraid of this battle than she was. The only thing that was confusing her was the firm stance and position he was taking. He was resolute in his intentions of not leaving without a victor being named. If those were truly the type of friends he had, she almost felt pity for the player.

”So if I kill you, will you still be able to face them?”

”Yes.”

The girl sighed once again, shaking her head slightly. She didn’t want to fight, didn’t want to kill another player. Her opponent looked to feel the same way but didn’t want to be shunned by his friends. There was no way out of fighting him though that much was clear. His glaring eyes piercing right through her, the girl attempting to glare right back. The two opponents began their dance, both sidestepping slowly around, staying equal distance from each other. Talal once again rotating her blades in her palms, she may not want to kill him, but she could certainly spar with him for quite a while, toning up her fighting skills a bit. A slight smile crossed her lips with the thought.

Her smile turned to nothing but a serious look of concentration. She needed to get past her issues of fighting other players. Obviously it was going to happen frequently in The World. So far she had managed to come out of things fine, she just hoped her luck would continue. In the back of her mind, the drive to portray being strong and capable of handling herself to Takua helped her initiative greatly. Not only did she need to prove it to him, but prove it to herself as well so that she would no longer have to put on a fake front, it would just become natural.

Lunging toward the Heavy Axe, Talal moves quickly to try and throw him off, but he manages to parry her attack. Using the shaft of his axe he blocks every single strike she made before backing off to regroup. So, he has some skill and he is of a heavier class than me. Frontal assault is probably not going to work. She sidesteps a few more steps around the circle, contemplating what to do next. Her answer came in the form of an axe aimed right for her head; the agile female ducking as it swung over. He was starting to gain confidence and his aim had improved slightly. She was going to have to keep a close eye on him.

It was time to hone in on a few tactical maneuvers. Talal quickly goes into action running wide around the circle trying to end up behind him. He may be well armored and has good physical attacks, but he was no match for her agility and speed. The Twin Blade ran in circles hoping he would follow and get dizzy, but he wasn’t falling for it. Last time around the back and she swooped across, one blade was blocked while the other managed a shallow slice under his arm. Not enough to damage him at all, but a hit nonetheless. As she comes around from the attack however, he sends the butt end of his axe into her chin. Shocked as her vision switches direction instantly from the blow, she’s thrown off balance, falling to the ground. He moves in, axe already held high as it starts its vertical decent to cleave the female in two.

Taking whatever opportunity she had available, Talal raised her feet together and firmly planted them in his chest and shoved. All she needed was time to get up and refocus her attack. The Heavy Axeman sent stumbling back a few steps, his axe flailing from the sudden jerk, but still firmly grasped in his hand. He lashes out watching it drop suddenly hitting its mark, catching her in the shoulder when she stands and sends her dropping quickly back to the floor. The force from the downward motion having just enough momentum coupled with the type of weapon, was enough to break bones; the crack of her shoulder blade ringing clear upon impact, as blood pooled next to her on the stone floor. Regaining his balance, his opponent down and injured, he moved in again for the same attack. Axe high above his head, Talal moved as fast as she could to the side, obviously slowed from her health status. She was only thinking of getting away and nothing else.

She rolled once and looked up quickly to get her bearings, only to see a lone Heavy Blade weapon flying through the Heavy Axeman’s neck. It sheared his head from his torso before impaling itself in the far wall. Talal slid as fast as she could backwards on her butt, using her one good arm and her feet. The now beheaded Axeman’s axe dropping to the ground in front of her as he ghosted. Shocked and in disbelief, she slowly turned her head towards where Takua and the Heavy Blade were fighting. Relief settled in quickly as she saw Takua standing there grinning, the Heavy Blade ghosted as well. She couldn’t help but smile knowing he was okay.

With no one left in the Pker’s party to resurrect them, it only took a few moments until they were automatically removed from the field. Talal sat there for a moment, just wanting to rest and figure out where she went wrong. Getting injured was not exactly part of her plan and wasn’t helping her to prove that she could handle herself. Casting her own Repth, she watched the crystal blue light encompass her, bringing her health status back up to full. The digital skin on her shoulder closed, looking like nothing had ever happened and the blood slowly disappeared.

Takua jumped backwards as the blade swiped across his chest, missing him by the barest fraction of an inch. The guy in front of him wasn’t that good, and was a few levels under him, but it was still a Heavy Blade. Which meant that not getting hit was of the highest priority, and thus he had to make sure that he dodged every attack. Granted, he could take a couple, but more than that without healing…not that was going to happen. Thanks to the Eventide Crescendo, he was much more accustomed to combat with things that had really intelligent AI, not to mention the devious boss monsters that they had to fight. To him, the man’s weapon was so predictable. The strikes of the Tar Clones had been so much faster, more devastating accurate, and could come from anywhere. Habet and Hajah had three times his grace with something that was probably around twice the power.

And he was so damn predictable. Sure, the thought kept on crossing his mind, but it was the truth. Every slash seemed straight out of a “How to be a dumbshit PKer” guide. Or, perhaps more precisely, a “How to telegraph your attack to everyone within ten miles” guide. He had studied very well out of the later one, and a bit from the former. Maybe a bit too much from the telegraphing though, because the huge, overemphasized attacks that he was doing really wasn’t helping his cause out at all. Attacks didn’t need massively overly done battlecries. He sighed as he moved backwards, almost all of his attention on Talal. He only needed to flick back to the Heavy Blade every few seconds to see where the next strike was coming from. Really…was this some level one who had miraculously gotten to level twenty or so? That was what it seemed like, a man with no talent whatsoever and who couldn’t handle a blade. Maybe he had bought the character online? It was possible, if cheap, and some people did it. Certainly, it would explain how he was so damn bad…unless this was just a ruse to get him off guard.

”Vak Drive!”

Well…that might be it. Certainly, he used it to a much greater effect. The first thrust came directly at his chest, but the Wavemaster simply sidestepped the attack, the flaming sword passing by him harmlessly before it was brought back for another attack. The second thrust came straight at his groin, moving much faster than before. He knew even before the blade got close to him that he was going to get hit by this attack, there was no possible way that he could dodge it with the speed that it happened to be moving at. Indeed, the fiery sword sank into his left leg, on the outer edge. Blood sprayed for a moment, steadily leaking down his legs as the Heavy Blade jumped up, spinning in the air before he brought the blade down…into the ground. The light of a Repth flowed over the Wavemaster as he moved backwards, the PKer in front of him recovering from the attack.

His attention was on Talal and her fight. As much as he wanted to deny it, and say that she wasn’t ready…she was good enough for the Eventide Crescendo. At least to start off. She’d learn so much in that place that her skill would rush forward, as would be expected in that hell. He snarled softly as he thought about that, and if she would go. If she went…she might not make it out the other end alive and whole. Sure, physically she might be fine, but mentally…he knew well enough what kind of strain that put on someone’s mind, how easily someone might snap. How easily he had nearly snapped. But she knew how to play her class at least, the quick darting in and out, preferring speed to heavy hits…exactly how one should have played a Twin Blade. They weren’t meant for massive hits, but a lot of little ones. Even against a Heavy Axeman of what was probably a higher level, she wasn’t doing badly at all.

That thought process was ended when his SP bar hit full again, and he smiled grimly. He had had enough dodging around the guy in front of him, and he had looked Talal’s abilities over again. Taking out his Witch’s Wand, he leveled it at the Heavy Blade in front of him, murmuring the words for a OrmeAni Zot under his breath. Ani swirls and collected under the man in front of him, something that he only noticed too late. The Wavemaster had already switched to the Treasure Staff when the spider’s legs plunged into the PKer’s chest. Blasting him upwards and juggling him with the hits, he couldn’t do anything…until the Yarthkins roared, the mighty spiked club crushing his head and blasting the sword that he carried straight into the Heavy Axe’s head. Shearing it off at the neck, the player died instantly, bringing both fights to an end simultaneously. The standing male smiled slightly, both pleased that he could do that, even if it was a happy coincidence, and that she didn’t end up dying.

He looked at the Twin Blade, pleased with her performance. Even if she had managed to get hit, what had she expected? The only reason that he was “good” was because he had to fight for his real life, the one that would enable him to keep his heart beating. That fucking piece of shit place was an area that, as corny as it sounded, tested you to your limits and beyond. You either died or you grew, and since he had made it out alive he had grown. Sure, he wasn’t great, and he knew it, but he was still better than most of the other players around his level. All because of one field…so he wasn’t really too surprised that she had gotten hit. Hell, so had he, so that she, a melee fighter, would get damaged only a few times was shocking. He wasn’t able to keep the warmth out of his voice, and the congratulations…not for killing, but for succeeding.

”Nice job there. I have to say, you did know how to play the class that you have. And don’t worry that he was beating you…he was the same level or higher, and of a class that has the highest physical defense in the game. It was a fairly bad match-up in the first place, but it seems you go some experience out of it.”

She smiled as she stood up, grinning at him and what she said. The wound in her shoulder had closed, so that was good. There wouldn’t have been any pain, not for her, and that was also a good thing.

"Yes, I suppose I have learned some things about my class and how to play it. I still have a few things to overcome. All in good time though as I gain experience. I can't expect to know everything right from the start."

The Wavemaster grinned and nodded, tempted to lean forward and ruffle her hair, but deciding against it. He wasn’t sure about that yet, and he only really wanted to do it to see what her reaction was.

”Yup, that’s true, and you’re better than most around your level as well. Certainly better than I was at level 8. Alright…since we’ve met two PKers already, do you want to continue on or give up on this dungeon as being inactive?”

Talal seemed skittish, almost as if she weren’t used to what he were saying. Maybe she was just used to being put down all the time? For some reason, that annoyed him…probably because he put himself down all the time, other people didn’t need to do it for him. Still, she was fairly happy, as if she were receiving something that she had never expected would come.

"Thank you. Your compliments really mean a lot to me. I have already come to the conclusion that this field will not serve the purpose I had hoped for so technically speaking, there is no reason to continue. Running into more PKers is also not on my current agenda. Although I must admit, I enjoy your company and would consider continuing if only to quest with you a bit longer. I would understand though, you did say you were hoping for a short venture."

He didn’t have anything to do all day, let alone at whatever ungodly hour this was. So the concept of continuing on for a while more appealed to him strongly. Besides…it was fairly fun just going through a random dungeon gaining some experience. Like he had said to her when he first met her, it was good that he didn’t have hell to go through in order to complete a damn field. The Eventide Crescendo’s fields really took it out of you when you weren’t expecting them to be that hard, and they stayed with the mindfuckage of doom all throughout the field. Truly, it was almost like he had had a chainsaw rammed up his ass and turned on, only somehow it managed to reach his brain. Needless to say, it was a rather large saw.

"Nah, we can go one more room, maybe two, not like I've got anything better to do? So...sure, next room."

She nodded and they moved on, easily passing into the next room where a single Chaos Gate swirled. The moment he took another step into the room it swirled and began to open, revealing two Hungry Grasses and two Goblin Wizs. Really, it was perfect, because Talal could probably take both of the Hungry Grasses, and the Goblin Wizs would be a piece of cake for him. They were so much lower it was almost sad, but this dungeon was nice if only because it had monsters of a lower level and those of a higher one. Perfect for them.

Her mind was relieved that she wasn’t the one who had to lay the final blow to the player. Although in a small way, she was sad that there were people out there that could only have friends if they were willing to do harm to others. Even if it was a game to them, the actions to her, be it pretend or in real life, were wrong. As much as she was a bitter person in real life, she had morals and principles. The bitterness stemmed from other things that had happened, not just from those she considered friends, but her family as well. It also allowed her to keep most new acquaintances just that, most not wanting to try and get past the exterior she portrayed.

As she looked at Takua, he looked pleased at the outcome. She too was pleased; pleased she didn’t get cloven in two, pleased that he was not hurt beyond what a Repth could cure and pleased that in essence both she and her opponent had gotten their wish. She didn’t kill him and he got to fight to save face in front of his friends. All in all, it was a good ending to what could have been disaster, at least for her. Sure she was about the same level as the Heavy Axeman, but his class and defenses coupled with her fear of the simple fact that he was a Pker, gave him an extreme upper hand. Although, she was slowly finding it easier to succumb to fighting off another player, even if she didn’t like or agree with it. Her smile said nothing but happiness as he looked over at her.

”Nice job there. I have to say, you did know how to play the class that you have. And don’t worry that he was beating you…he was the same level or higher, and of a class that has the highest physical defense in the game. It was a fairly bad match-up in the first place, but it seems you go some experience out of it.”

He was warm and friendly, not a bit of criticism or annoyance in her performance, or even the possible ’I told you so’ that she was half expecting. Not to say that it threw her off, but honestly it did. It also meant that somehow during his fight, he had time to watch her yet again. This time though she felt that if that was the case, the reasons behind it had changed. If only for the simple fact that it wasn’t followed with how she could improve, but rather congratulatory remark. It was difficult at best for her to accept and she found herself beginning to fidget slightly, which she quickly remedied by standing up and giving him a small grin.

She had learned how to play her class. She was beginning to form ideas of what skills and weapons she liked best, or at least so far from the few that she had at her disposal. There were still many things she needed to overcome. Not really much to do with using her skills and her weapons; that would all come with time and practice. No it had more to do with her list of fears that made her stay clear of trying some things and completely avoiding others. Part of her wished that she could revert to her old self again. Go back in time before everything seemed to take a downward spiral. Before when she was happy, even if most of it was because she was being lied to. She missed the feeling it gave her, the freedom to take chances and try new things. She was grateful to her cousin for introducing her to The World. It was the first real chancy thing she had done in a while, even if it was just a game, or at least at first that’s all she knew about it.

Takua grinned and continued complimenting her and her abilities that she had learned. He seemed to be in a good mood, especially considering the conversation they had just had before they were attacked. He obviously was not watching her whole fight which made her extremely happy. He hadn’t seen her cower while she was down on the ground, just wanting to escape the fight; almost in a panic over what to do or where to go. That or she was better at her fake façade than she thought, which if true, was a really good thing at the moment. The façade only coming into play during moments of struggle, or when one of her fears would kick in. On the other hand if he had seen her and not the façade, well then he wasn’t showing it. Either way, she was still a little uncomfortable as she looked down at the floor and all around the room, not quite sure how to react to the praise she was receiving.

It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate what he was saying, but just to hear it directed in her general direction was something she hadn’t really experienced. Her life had always been filled with negativity whether it be in her performance, attitude or just plain existing. She had moved out right after graduation for that reason. The concern of whether she could afford it or not or the fact that college would not enter the immediate picture, never hindered the decision. She wasn’t doing great, but she was surviving which for the moment was all that mattered.

It had become blatantly obvious to them both that the field and dungeon were not as inactive as she was led to believe. Her source of information was questionable at best to begin with. Not to mention the fact that they had already run into one set of Pkers which if Takua’s thought held true, there may be more lurking. As he asked if she was ready to continue or give up on the field, she was torn. She was enjoying his company and really wanted to continue, but yet she was sad in a way that the field had not worked out the way she had wanted. Also a little leery of what may be lurking around the next corner. Monsters were fine, but predictable in a dungeon considering the portal had to be activated before they appeared. She could at least prepare for that, but the Pkers could hide in dark places and jump out suddenly and kill her without giving her a chance to defend. Finally, she decided the best answer was to just tell him her thoughts and see what his opinion was.

His reply was somewhat unexpected, but she was glad all the same. Nodding with a smile she walked towards the next room. As they entered the shining rings of yet another very much active portal awaited. Takua stepped forward and activated it and Talal was ready to play. The monsters that popped out from the rings only enhanced her desire to have some fun. She had fought the Hungry Grasses before and didn’t feel they were much of a challenge, although two at a time might prove a little more difficult, but not by much. Out of curiosity, she placed her cursor briefly above the other two monsters to see what they were called. Two level sixteen Goblin Wizs were her answer. Well, Takua can handle those I’m sure. He can have some fun bopping them on the head. Chuckling a bit to herself, she focused her attention back on the two Hungry Grasses.

Looking at the task in front of her, Talal remembered that these monsters were most vulnerable at their stalk if blade attacks were the primary source of defense. She also had a few skills that might do well. The Twin Blade was just happy they were back to fighting monsters. Rather than use her skills right off, she pulled her blades and ran straight between them. Holding her blades out to the sides, she managed one good slice in each as she went. The heads of the monster bonking against each other as they both tried to swoop down for a taste. As she remembered her first battle with this type of creature, she chuckled inside. Her first glimpse of their mouth and the teeth made her freak just a bit. Takua had been there for that and couldn’t help but give her a bad time. All things considered, she had probably deserved it. Turning with her blades parallel to the ground, one held at waist level and one just above her eyebrow, she charged in again targeting only one of them.

Striking at the monster using criss-cross attacks in fairly rapid but elegant succession, the one creature was beginning to show signs of weakening, if only by the view of its health. Sending a Juk Rom at the second creature to more or less keep it occupied and from using its skill against her, Talal went back to work on the first. Several of her strikes had hit but lots more were needed to get the job done and she was realizing with two of them, she needed to move a little quicker. Switching back to her Leather Armor, a Vak Kruz gets sent in the direction of the first monster. Several small flaming orbs hover in the air, their light becoming more intense with each passing moment until they finally converge on their target. The Hungry Grass screeched as the flames hit in various spots on its body, leaving fried and sizzling scorch marks in their wake.

With the first monster now currently occupied momentarily, the Twin Blade turned her attentions back to the other. The second monster had of course survived the wood element tornado and was now headed towards the slight female. She spun around trying to dodge a strike from its teeth. Not quite quick enough, she was barely grazed on her upper arm. Looking down and seeing the rip in her shirt and shrugging, Talal starts slicing away at the stalk of the creature landing several hits. The creatures’ health finally falling, showing signs of the attacks she had landed. Another Vak Kruz and the creature was pummeled with fire attacks from above, and then it was gone.

Turning around once again, the first Vak Kruz had completely dissipated and the Hungry Grass was moving its jaws up and down, chomping its big teeth together. Maybe it was trying to intimidate her, but if so it wasn’t working. Raising her blades up, she charged; one blade coming across its face, the other going horizontally across the stalk. The two blades effortlessly handled using continuous strikes, leaving several open and gaping wounds in their wake. This monster had sustained a bunch of strikes from her not to mention being turned into a torch briefly. Its head bobbed as the female danced around in, going in and out, slicing and dodging.

”…Juk Rom…”

The whirlwind of leaves, wood spikes, splinters and other material of the wood based element swirled into existence. Talal let it grow until finally releasing it on the Hungry Grass. It only took about half of the spell to finish of the monster and by the time the tornado had died down, the monster was all but grayed out with the last remnants of code being swept away in the wisps of the tornado’s dying trail. She had fun working on her ability to combine weapon based and skill based attacks. The pair of Hungry Grasses had worked perfectly for this. Thinking back on the compliments she had received just before the fight, a grin crossed her face. She had learned some things in the few days she had been playing. The Twin Blade was ever so slightly beaming with pride in herself for the first time in a very, very long time. As many doubts and fears as she still had, she was happy and pleased in her accomplishments, as minor at the moment as they were. She closed her eyes for a moment both in the game and behind the visor. Taking in a deep breath and then letting it back out; she opened her eyes, sheathed her blades and looked over at Takua. He had of course finished and was waiting for her near the doorway leading into the next room.

”Why did I tell her all that? It doesn’t make sense, even for me, to have told her.”

He would have been the first person to have ever said that he didn’t make any sense whatsoever, but even still, he shouldn’t have told her. It was bad enough that she knew about what The World could do to a person, but that she didn’t need to know yet? Even worse, that, now that she knew, she wanted to come along with the Eventide Crescendo with him? Why the hell had he told her about that place in the first place? The Higher’s fields were a place that she shouldn’t go, physical prowess or not. Nobody should really go into those fields, not even him. He knew that he shouldn’t go to the next one, supposedly Juk, but also understood that nothing would stop him. A random person wouldn’t stand a chance, his friends would have to drag him bodily away from the field to keep him from going. He was needed there, and that was something that stayed with him. He was almost never needed, he hadn’t been needed for most of his life, and now, suddenly, he had people who wanted him there. They might not need him to go on, but he was needed in that he knew what to expect from a field that like. He was a Wavemaster of appreciable level who could fight while Immersed, and he had a good mind, more or less, for the riddles and puzzles that plagued that place.

In short, he could do things there that needed to be done. No longer would he be the weakest person there, but he wouldn’t be the strongest. Not by a long shot. Sekai, Nemera and Sidhe could easily take that position from him with incredible ease, and if Cent had been leveling as quickly…well, it depended on who came, and things like that. Even if he was the weakest, that would mean that the person who was at the bottom would be in their mid twenties. Hardly something to laugh at. But, more than that, he was someone who knew how to fight, who could get through whatever hell the Highers would throw at them. As much as anyone could he supposed, but at least he had experience with the fuckers. That was good for something, and, from the sounds of it, not to many people came back or stuck through it all. Technically, two people had left partway through Gan, but since they were Progeny and had been rescued, he didn’t really blame them for wanting to get the hell out of there while they could.

He glanced over at Talal…and the memory that he had been suppressing as hard as he could rose up again. Vivid images of the hunger, of seeing her as food, of the feel of being a mutant washed through him again, flooding him with shame and an instant uncomfortable sensation. He wasn’t infected anymore, that was gone…and yet, the memory and the mental aftershocks of that were left behind. Merely looking at a person made him uncomfortable at times, especially since the memory would remind him of what he used to think when he looked at someone. It was odd having that memory, something so vivid. It was old, it wasn’t a fresh hunger, but it was still there. Something that made him look away, try not to check up on her, keep the sight of her flesh out of his mind.

Instead he focused on the two Goblin Wizs in front of him. Both of them used Vak, which meant that he could bust out the Rue spells. Not that he wouldn’t have used the GiRue Kruz anyways, but this way he had much more reason to. Well, really, if they were anything but fire he might have busted out a level three spell, either the OrmeAni Zot or OrGan Don, but this way…the elemental criticals were so nice. Both of the monsters got off the first move though, each of them casting BiVak Rom.

The Wavemaster that was their opponent twirled out his Wand of the Sea, catching it easily and grasping it like a lover, knowing exactly where to put his hands and how to wield it for maximum balance. Because he wasn’t likely to hit with it, the position that he held it shifted so as to keep himself in a better area for dodging. Which, coincidentally, was fairly close to what it would be if he needed to strike. Just a slight change of the handgrip and he would switch from casting to melee…although, if he needed to ever do that, he was kinda screwed. But, this was all about dodging. When he saw the spells start to form around him, fire billowing into two overlapping tornadoes, he sprinted away. Flame licked at him, singing his skin and his robe, health dropping a bit as he dodged out of the damaging spell radius. Even as he moved though, the things cast again, one directly ahead of him, one on top of him.

A slight whisper, a crack of heat, and then the roar as the winds blasted him. He couldn’t feel the dramatic increase in temperature, but he could see the health that he had falling downwards. It wasn’t that bad, they were a long ways under him, but it wasn’t good either. He moved to the side, robe sliding on the floor as he changed directions, his left leg bending slightly to get the angle correct. In another moment he was out of the maelstrom, in the clear for the moment that it would take them to cast again. And, in that time, he cast a spell of his own. The level difference was significant, maybe…maybe this would take them out. He didn’t really hold that much confidence in that, but he could hope that it would happen. Twenty SP down the drain, and the GiRue Kruz formed in the air. Ice needles sparkled and twirled on their axis for a moment, orientating themselves towards the closest Goblin Wiz. The creature squeaked, turning and running but for a moment as they chased it down.

Most of the needles drilled into its back, seeking for bone or something vital, while a few crashed into its neck. There was no elemental critical, but what did happen was that it was at critically low health. A few had missed the thing, which meant that it hadn’t taken full damage…but the Rue Rom that he had cast to envelope both creatures would take care of that quickly. The winds whispered again, but this time it was both smaller and of the opposite element. Ice slashed into both monsters, quickly putting one to the ground and graying it out, the other drained quickly to something just above half health. It was cold, it was miserable, and it wasn’t about to last that long either. He chuckled and started to run again, watching for the next BiVak Rom.

It came suddenly, and he was charging directly into it. Backing up quickly, he dashed out of the firestorm that was raging, encasing one area of the room in a fiery pillar. Then his wand spoke again, a second Rue Rom finding its mark around the Goblin Wiz. Sure, the things were fast, and it didn’t stay in the Rue Rom for long, but it was long enough. So long that it was at critical health when it finally dragged itself from the ice that hungered for its blood. But when it looked up, it saw a Wavemaster in a combat stance, hands on the staff in a way that was meant for hitting. It didn’t get a chance to squeak and move away though, because he moved in and…

Slapped it with the staff.

Perhaps if someone looked at his inner thoughts, it’d be something like this.

’Hey hoe! What the hell are you doing in here? Get back out on the street and make me some money.’

Of course, he wasn’t exactly a pimp, and he didn’t need any money from a monster that had just died from a caved in skull. After checking how Talal was doing, he walked over to the door and leaned against the wall, waiting for her to finish up. She didn’t exactly need his help, not against two of the things. Well, one now. She was just killing it as he leaned against the wall, and he noted the flow. That was the key, he thought, to being a good Twin Blade. Speed, of course, but flow. You had to be able to move quickly and efficiently, always not having a wasted movement. Granted, that was the key to all fighting, but more so for someone who relied so much on speed as they did.

In another few moments, she joined him, and it was an unspoken agreement that they move on to the next room. There were two portals there, which wasn’t exactly something he was looking forward to. She was fairly low level after all, and if they threw too much at them…things might get kinda fun. And if by fun, he meant rather hard. However, when he took another step in, he understood why they were in two separate portals. Out of one, the nearest, came one Sled Dog, something that he could probably kill in a single hit. Out of the other…

Came an Armor Shogun.

He felt the surge of fear for Talal first, then the adrenaline rush that burned through his body. At last, an opponent who could put up a fight, something that he had last watch Ko_Inuyasha fighting. But this time, he was of a level where he could actually do damage to the thing…and he knew what that meant. A smile crossed his face as he simply closed in on the monster. Talal would know which one was for her when his staff pointed straight at the hulking piece of armor in the background.

As she approached the Wavemaster at the door to the next entrance, he hadn’t even looked at her. Almost as if he was going off the sound of her footsteps or perhaps had seen her approaching out of the corner of his eye. He simply just stood back up from his leaning position and began walking into the next room. Really, she didn’t find it all that strange as they had just finished speaking about continuing on for another room or two, but somehow it did still feel odd. They had always stopped and exchanged glances or words or something before continuing on. Frankly, she wasn’t sure if she should feel strange or feel that maybe their friendship was just moving onto the next step or perhaps that of natural intuition. Although it seemed tremendously early for the latter thought to be true. Unspoken knowledge of action or movement between two people of any level of relationship, be it friend or otherwise, usually took years to develop. Also usually accompanied by some life changing event that bonded them somehow, none of which had they come any where close to experiencing; their friendship still only being just a few days old.

Outwardly, she was putting on a front. A front that everything he had told her on this quest, was now set aside in the back of her mind for future ponderings. That she would leave it alone, at least for now and whatever happened would happen. That front was all just a bunch of crock. She was more interested than ever in finding out just exactly what he was talking about. Sure, the mentioning of being stuck in the game and about the comatose people was not something to just toss out of the equation, but she couldn’t shake her desire to help. That was really the only thing about her that never changed. She has always offered whatever help she could, even if it meant going out of her way. She even took time off from work once to help someone, feeling their need for assistance far exceeded that of her need to make money. Her methods and ways of prioritizing had always confused those around her. Frankly, she couldn’t blame them. The current society structure seemed to always be each man for himself and screw everyone else.

As she followed behind the blue robed Wavemaster through the door, there was nothing she could see from they way he walked to aid her in figuring out the quietness. Her mind started retracing thoughts of everything he had said and how she had reacted to it. How she had for the most part simply accepted what he was saying as fact and not given him any kind of resistance. That was her way though, not to be confrontational. The only true time she would get that way was when she was angry or really pissed off. Then and only then was being confrontational not an issue for her. Maybe he was trying to figure out if she had taken him seriously or not. She hadn’t really responded with her long list of questions that he was most likely expecting. He had caught her too much off guard for that.

The young girl thought back on his comments and his tone. His words were spoken with an air of someone who was extremely irritated; she may even go so far as to say pissed off. In the end though, she heard an underlying current of concern…for her. He didn’t want her tagging along to wherever this group of his was going next. Probably didn’t even want her to research who they were, or how to find them. Not giving her the name of the group was certainly one way to hinder her doing that. Thinking even further into the reasons why, she began to see the possibilities from a different view. She was much lower level than he was and even though she was leveling quickly, really didn’t know that much about the mechanics of The World.

The fields that he spoke of, if they were truly that dangerous, were most likely fields in the higher level servers. She would never stand a chance in one of those. Heck, she was to an extent, barely managing in this one. Luck had been on her side so far with the portals spitting out monsters that weren’t too far above her. Still, she could not shake the feeling that the boy walking silently in front of her needed something or perhaps someone. He was going because his friends needed him to be there by the sounds of things. Then again, he was still talking in code half the time and only telling her just enough to hopefully get his point across. Why does he seem to be so concerned about keeping her out of it and away from wanting to do exactly what he is doing for his friends? One would think he would understand the desire to help.

Whatever his reasoning, the point still remained that she now knew at least some of the darker secrets that The World was hiding amongst the data code. There was still a small part of her that wanted to not believe him at all, the story sounding so very far fetched. But the way he spoke, the feeling and intensity behinds his words, the conviction in his voice, all of it made it very hard to dismiss. She would be doing some research after this quest was over, this time making sure to verify to the best of her ability the information she was receiving. There would be no more going to fields without the proper research on her end, at least if the field choice was her idea that is.

Thoughts phasing back into the present, the pair had passed through the doorway that immediately took them into the next room and their next fight. This field and dungeon were far from inactive and she was really starting to beat herself up mentally for her poor judgment and not researching the information in more depth. Of course, she had planned on doing said research. How was she supposed to know that Takua would be lurking under a bridge at two o’clock in the morning while she was taking a simple stroll about town? How was she to know that simple stroll was going to turn into a quest to the field she hadn’t had time to fully research? The answer to both was…she couldn’t have known. Knowing that didn’t help her let up on herself about it, it only gave a somewhat viable reason.

The room held two monster portals that activated the moment Takua stepped in the room. Knowing that the portals could each spit out up to four monsters each, she began to get just a little concerned. This was not a situation she was ready to find herself in just yet. The field being several levels higher than herself and granted she had a very capable Wavemaster with her but still; it was not a good situation. As the rings of both portals spun, their brightness lit up the room. A single monster resembling another type of dog came out of the first. The Twin Blade sighed and released a short breath of relief. The second portal released yet another single monster. This one covered in armor. Before she could even target them to see what they were called and check their levels, Takua was pointing his staff at the armored thing that popped out of the second portal. Obviously, he wanted that one. The large smile on his face only attributing to the dead giveaway to the direction of his staff. Still, no words or glances from the boy, he just took action. Sighing, hoping it was just her overactive imagination that his quietness was her fault somehow, she drew her Lath Blades. His choice of monster had left her with another ugly mutt to deal with. That was fine with her, at least the dogs she had fought so far acted like dogs. This of course meant she would need to try and stay clear of claws, feet and most of all the sharp teeth that lined their mouth.

Targeting the first monster the girl confirmed it was a type of dog, a Level 15 Sled Dog to be exact. Only a few levels above her own, she had faced similar odds when she had to battle a pair of Hell Dobermans as a level four. Granted there were a couple more levels in difference now but there was only one Sled Dog. Thoughts began to enter her mind about confidence and her abilities. Somehow she felt, through this fight, she needed to prove that she was capable of handling herself when outmatched. She knew there would be no convincing the Wavemaster that she belonged in any of those fields that he spoke of. Still, she needed, wanted to try and convince him nonetheless. He would be off battling his own demon and most likely would not see her efforts. Her plan then was simple. Not getting killed was top priority and with any luck, she could get through the fight without his assistance, healing or otherwise. Really she didn’t feel her plan was all that difficult. She had no plans of getting killed and had gotten pretty good at keeping up her movement and speed. Eyeing the Sled Dog that was lunging at her, snarling and ready to rumble, the Twin Blade quickly dodged the monster that was still in mid air. Time for thought was over; it was time to fight like she had never fought before.

Turning to face the backside of the dog as it landed just past her, she twirled her blades in her palms, first the left hand and then the right. Her stance was a little to the side, knees bent slightly ready to spring at a moments notice. As the Sled Dog turned around to face her, its eyes glared at her like prey as it stood just feet away from her. It was much larger than the slight female and had light colored fur that reminded the girl of an Alaskan Husky. It snarled at her again, the thick saliva dripping from the edges of its mouth. She charged forward, letting out a low war cry that probably sounded more like a snarled groan to anyone else. Running straight for the Sled Dog, Talal dodged left just as the big furry beast leapt forward to meet her. Both blades held firmly to her right, she slashed down the side of the dog with the tips of her Lath Blades digging deep into the side of the beast. It howled loudly and quickly turned its head trying to bite her backside, missing her only by inches. As she came around near its hindquarters however, it landed a swift back kick in her side that sent her flying.

Using her Twin Blade agility and acrobatics, she quickly sprung back to her feet. Checking her health status she found she was still doing fine, only missing a small amount from the attack. She needed to keep a close eye on her health, promising herself she would make it through this fight on her own, but knowing it was going to be a long haul. She had also managed to take a very minute chunk of health from the Sled Dog. It was nothing to write home about, but it was a hit and every hit would count. She charged back in not wanting to waste time or give the monster the upper hand. Limited experience in the game was constantly playing against her in every battle. She didn’t know the monsters and had no clue what skills they had. The same held true for this fight as well, leaving the Twin Blade at a loss as to what kinds of attacks to use against it. Seeing as how she already knew this was going to be a long fight, she opted to use one of her more costly skills first in order to give her SP time to recharge over the course of the fight.

”…Orchid Dance…”

Landing firmly next to the Sled Dog, her green glowing blades in motion striking quickly and repeatedly with skill. The landing strikes sliced through flesh along the body of the animal, leaving deep gashes in the skin filled with wood splinters and other particles of the wood element. As the final spin strike formed, the Sled Dog rose up to attack back, but actually ended up offering its now undefended underside open for attack. The twin Lath Blades struck with force, the monster in front of her now bleeding from several wounds. Without hesitation, the creature struck back, a red aura began to form under it. Seeing the glow, Talal dodges to the sides in a zig zag motion and away thinking she was going to get hit with a stream of fire from the dogs’ mouth like the Hell Dobermans. When the spell was finally released however, she was caught off guard, hit with a Vak Don from above. There was nowhere for her to go and she got hit…hard. Her flesh sizzled as it was being scorched, turning it a lovely shade of black and red from the blood that was now seeping through every pore. Her health bar didn’t like the attack one bit either, casting a quick Repth on herself to fix the problem. In turn, new skin formed instantly, the bleeding stopped and she was ready for more.

Her SP was getting low to the point where she could throw one more first level spell and a Repth if she needed it and she would be totally out. Time to do some more blade fighting, which should give her SP enough time to regenerate a bit. Twirling the blades in the palm of her hands, the movement being more of an unconscious act than anything utterly necessary, Talal began sidestepping to the right in a circle path around the Sled Dog. The beast matched her movement, staying equal distance away from her. Both warriors sized up one another, preparing to pounce. Monsters in general were not all intelligent, but some acted very much like real world animals when hunting. They could stalk prey and wait for the right moment to attack. The Sled Dog she felt was much like a lion or maybe a tiger in that respect. Looking at the monster in front of her, its shoulder blades protruded at the top with each step. Its massive upper body looking very intimidating, not to mention the mouth with plenty of sharp teeth just waiting to take a bite out of her. She shuddered just slightly with that thought, as she remembered what Takua had told her about those that could actually feel the pain of each attack. How horrible that would be to experience that, especially with some of the larger monsters in the game, or perhaps even feeling getting stabbed through the stomach or heart. Suddenly, the realizations of it all started crashing into every open thought and most likely could be seen throughout her features at that exact moment.

The monster charged at her, mouth gaping wide. Talal leaps over to the side, her hands being the first to hit the ground as she tucks her head in and goes into a tumble roll over her shoulder. The roll happened in fluent motion putting her on her knees and then into a crouching position. Seizing the moment, she springs up and charges from the back, slicing at the hindquarters and working her way up to the head. Making it bleed would hurt, but it would take way too much time to kill it that way. She needed to get in some head shots or something to bring this thing down. The dog’s head whipped around, growling evilly at her. She answered the growl with a blade to the face, which in turn was responded back to her with a front leg to her shoulder knocking her off balance. She did her best to tumble into another roll, but the furry mutt followed quickly and was right on her heels. On the ground and quickly turning herself over, she was met with thick slimy saliva dripping on her. Reacting out of instinct, not taking into account this was a big dog, she lofts an upper right hook at its face. Although she hit her mark, her knuckles came out worse for the wear having scrapped along its jagged teeth in the process. Her left hand came back with the blade slashing across the side of its neck. Blood started spewing from the neck and the dog howled.

Backing up quickly doing a maneuver similar to a crab walk, the young girl got out from under the monster while its head was pointed upward during the howl. She sprung to her feet and traded out her Lath Blades for her newer ones, the Sotetsu. Her SP was high enough to do another blade skill but it would leave her at zero. She needed to wait just a few moments more in case she needed healing afterwards. By the look of things, that was an extreme possibility.

The monster was mad, injured, in pain and on the move. Talal positioned herself to defend. It only took one good jump from the big mutt to get within striking range of her; the Twin Blade hadn’t gotten all that far from it to begin with. It pounced once more, the beast glaring down on the girl. At the last second she leapt to the side and raised her blades together above her head. Using the downward motion of her movement for extra force, Talal sliced down aiming for the previous gash she had put in its neck. Luck was on her side as the Critical Hit appeared on her screen above the Sled Dog. It went down to the ground from the hit, but only for a moment before it rose to its feet again. This monster was big so it still was not enough to bring it down, in fact it was just barely below half health and only that because of all the little strikes she had managed to inflict upon it. The gash in its neck was now a gaping wound and bleeding profusely. She could only hope at this point that maybe she managed to hit a major vein or something. Glancing over at the Wavemaster, she only had time to notice that he was still standing and fighting. He was also out of range for what she was going to do next so that was good.

”…Gan Zot…”

Large stone pillars erupted from the ground beneath it. One struck the dog square in the jaw, causing it to close its huge mouth rather suddenly. A second pillar struck from behind catching it just inside its hind leg, pulling the leg up until it slid off the side causing the Sled Dog to land on the ground with a thump on its side. Talal not taking any time at all pounced on the downed creature. Twirling her blades in her palms she switched her grip. Using them like punching daggers, the girl shoved both of her blades as hard as she could into the beast. One jabbing through the neck, the other just behind the shoulder where she thought a vital organ might exist.

The monster retaliated with a flick of its head, catching her arm in its mouth and biting down hard. Removing her blade from behind the shoulder, she did the only thing she could think of and that was to jab it deep into the face. The adrenaline had taken over at this point, there was no thinking about moves and counter attacks, and it was pure and utter survival. Talal didn’t have enough SP left over from the Gan Zot to cast a Repth yet and her health bar was draining every moment her arm was stuck in its mouth. The now frantic female was doing nothing but repeated jabs to the face and upper torso. The monster did nothing except to keep its grasp on her arm. It was dead yet but it was getting close thanks to the gaping wound in its neck at this point mostly. With every jaw movement, more blood squirted and spewed. Finally, her efforts were rewarded and the beast let go of her arm and vanished.

She was on her knees watching the digitalized blood vanish along with the monster. She sighed a great breath of relief, that the battle was over. The last moments of the fight worried her just a bit. She worried that she would run out of health before managing to win the battle. She had come close, her health was really low but her SP was not quite high enough, not yet. Another minute or two and she would be fine. She was happy for two reasons, she didn’t die and she had survived without having to ask for help. Standing up slowly, she was finally able to cast a Repth. The blue hue surrounding her, closing up her wounds and shooting her health bar back to full. Her plan complete, it was time to see how her friend was faring. He was facing a high level opponent, but evenly matched for the most part in that respect. She could only hope his SP held him through the fight.

Takua had a few seconds to look around at Talal and try and gauge what she was feeling and thinking. The look on her face of somewhat bored disinterest with what he had said was complete bullshit. He didn’t even have to blow past her façade to see that. There was nobody in the world who was in any state of rational behavior who could just calmly forget about that at a time like this. So she could think, and hopefully would come to the obvious conclusion that he wasn’t telling her information…for her own good. If she never had to experience the Eventide Crescendo’s fields, the fields that the Highers controlled, it would be best for her. For her never to have to feel a blade sliding between your ribs and through your heart. Needles gouging into faces, sinking into your back, or being torn apart by tentacles. Being on fire…facing a wave of napalm that would stick and burn you to death until you froze yourself with a Rue spell. Screaming as the flames devoured your skin whole and left ashes in its wake. Feeling your heart stop for over two seconds after a lightning bolt blasted through your chest, the residual electricity enough to kill the Child of Eden hanging on to you.

There was no sane reason why she should go into that. Not giving her the name was good, but it wasn’t enough. She could simply look on the BBS if they contacted him in that way to see what group it might be, so he’d have to be careful about that. If she saw him agree to go on a quest with the Eventide Crescendo…and tried to join, things could be dicey. He scowled at the cliché, but it was true. He’d just have to be very careful about what he did on the BBS or around her to prevent her from finding it through him. She was probably fairly resourceful, which just made it harder on him. Plus, it might be the only way to get to Nemera and Sidhe, and thus into the next outing, without directly flashmailing them. Which they might not like. Which meant that he didn’t have a damn choice in this.

That was one good reason to be pissed off at the moment. Talal had him backed into a corner that he didn’t like at all, because he was simultaneously attempting to do something and prevent her from finding out about it. The fact that he was trying to prevent her from finding out for her benefit, something she didn’t want to realize, only made it worse. He was, he thought miserably, going to be in a foul mood for a while. He’d have to find some excuse, like needing to pass out in his chair, to get her out before he blew up, or something bad happened. Like him breaking down. Or telling her about what really happened in Gan, something that would not end prettily at all.

Spinning his staff for a moment, the tapped it lightly against the floor as the brown rune expanded around his feet. He was going to start this off with a big spell, then probably revert to level twos to finish it off. He didn’t need to waste that much SP on this thing, even though it did have a lot of health. That was what he was worried about, nothing else particularly. But nothing was better against monsters with asinine amounts of health than high level spells, and the bonus was that he was a higher level. As the OrGan Don formed above its head, he dashed backwards, watching as three huge rocks began to crash to the floor…and the monster. Metal grated as it deformed, the several hundred pound earthen pieces crashing into it with the intent to cause serious death and destruction. But it came through alive, over half health, and he smiled. Maybe that wasn’t a good thing, the Wavemaster smiling. Especially since the Armor Shogun didn’t really stand a chance at making it through the fight alive.

Then he was dashing out of the way as the attack roared in. The huge beast wasn’t that happy with the damage that had been dealt to it already, and the floor cracked and splintered as the huge suit of armor smashed its fist against the ground. Not a good thing. Shrapnel pelted him as he switched over to his Wand of Storms. Rai would be nice and effective against a giant suit of metal. The arcing electrical fields would do quite nicely once the spell got going, and with any luck he could see jumps of Rai between the arm and the armor itself. To that end, he cast the GiRai Rom, watching with a smirk on his face as the electricity whipped around and around, building up in a fairly large tornado with the poor beast in the center. Really, it couldn’t be considered a beast or a mechanical object, it was simply a piece of armor.

Rai burst into existence, arcing and sparking on the armor as parts of it grew red hot. It was a pity, he thought with a smile, that physics were just so damn real here. What went best with something that had a hell of a lot of lightning, was hot, and probably near death? The GiRue Kruz that he had just popped off, sparking cores of ice slamming into the monster as already dangerously heated metal suddenly reversed itself. Operating under the principle that expanding and contracting things don’t do very well, coupled with an extra explosion of electricity, the Armor Shogun roared in pain. It still had enough force behind it though to slam its fist into his body.

Takua really didn’t think that it could pull it off, but it had. Granted, it was only a few levels under him, but still…it was bad form for him to get hit by something that wasn’t one of the Higher’s minions. Oh, sure, he got hit, but…it didn’t bode well. He wasn’t awesome at dodging, although he was good. There wouldn’t be a point to the game though if he could just dodge everything…but he couldn’t really get hit a lot or else he’d die. It was plain and simple. Unless it was a spell, he was fucked. Or, well, nearly so, as his almost-broken body flew backwards to nail a nearby wall. So that was a lie as well. He still had a fair amount of health…it just wasn’t a good thing that he was so low. Pulling out the Witch’s Wand, he grimaced as he pulled himself out of the rubble with a Repth. Blue-white light splashed around him, sealing his wounds as he cast the third level spell that he wanted. The fucking thing was dying with this attack.

One OrmeAni Zot burst from the ground, monstrous spider’s legs simply tearing through the armor like it was tissue paper. Chunks of metal gave way with a scream of protest that lasted all of a half of a second, and the rest of the legs got underway. When the spell was done with the corpse, there was nothing left to even identify. Sighing slightly, he turned to watch Talal fight and healed himself up the rest of the way with a La Repth.

When she was done, he knew what he had to say. He needed to get out of here, and, truthfully, he was tired. So it worked as an excuse. He eyed her over, wondering if he should just repeat the offer for the questions since she obviously wasn’t done, and get it done on the way to the surface.

”Alright, well, I don’t know about you, but I have a definite need to go to sleep right now. So, I’m going to pack it in. Going on alone or coming back?”

Not that he would have let her go on alone if she really would, but he was rather hoping that he would take the bait and leave with him. Indeed, she looked rather…relieved. Even if she was trying to hide it. Grinning somewhat like an idiot and with relief coloring her voice, she started to walk back towards the door they came into the room from.

"I would have to say I think I'm ready to go myself."

He almost smiled. He could just see the thoughts churning in her head as she wanted to get out and start to really think about what he had said. The fact that he didn’t really want her to do that, and coupled with the paradoxical fact that he was about to ask her what she wanted to know that he hadn’t already asked.

”Alright. Since you have more questions than that, spit em out."

She nearly blinked in surprise and grinned. Not quite the reaction that he had been expecting.

"Alright then, I do have maybe one or two. I guess the biggest on that has been weighing on my mind is..."

Now she stopped. He wasn’t checking, so maybe she was looking at him, but probably not. Afraid of his answer. The obvious question was still left, and he knew exactly what it had to be.

"...you aren't one of those people trapped here, are?"

He couldn’t really tell her that he had come close. Or had been a vampire. Had drunk human blood and relished in it. Had seen someone fall into a coma, and knew of five others, even if he had only seen four. That were friends. Instead though, he was cheerful as he answered most truthfully.

”Not yet."

He had been truthful. Not yet. He was, sadly, fully expecting to become one of those people sometime shortly. Simply running with the Eventides was a terrible risk in and of itself, and the fact that he kept on pushing the boundaries in Gan…it was nearly guaranteed that something would happen. Touching a needle filled with Dread Code. Melting down first a floor, then a room, then six rooms…and then the entire field. Plus, the whole, “I became a vampire to get a vision” shit that had nearly driven him insane. But she just took a breath inwards and smiled at him…which unnerved him. What question was next?

"I don't think I like the 'yet' part of your answer, but I'm very glad to hear you are not. I do have something else that has been bothering me and since you asked... If this group of yours needs help, why will you not allow me to go with you? I know I'm not a high level player and understand the problems with that, as well as the whole screw up and you could be trapped here. I'm not trying to make light of those things but on the other hand, it's okay for you to go and risk everything but I can't?"

He resisted the urge to run. Why shouldn’t she go? Why should she go in the first place? He pushed back a snarl and forced his voice into a monotone with a neutral tone that would tell her that he was trying not to snarl at her. How many people did he kill? God only knew how many. Probably over one hundred and fifty lives tossed to the winds with the hope that they might survive. One hundred and ten of those had been so that Sprouce couldn’t fight efficiently. The rest…he was just guessing, but most of those had been a vicious attempt to destroy as much infrastructure as he could.

”Just because one danger is there doesn't mean there aren't more. Those fields can break your mind, strip you of whatever humanity you think you have and melt it down to throw in the trash. I've already gone through it once. I can take it again. You don't want to test your will against it, I wouldn't have either."

She just sighed, and a little sadistic part of him delighted on how well he was infuriating her. The rest of him was just glad that he was answering the questions that she had that would hopefully warn her away from the place.

"I hope for your sake you can take it again and you are right, testing my will against anything isn't all that appealing to me. Being there for my friends however is. I also hate the fact that I seem to always be the one asking questions. It doesn't seem quite fair. Is there anything you care to ask of me?"

He knew what she really meant by that. Just because he was telling her these things didn’t mean that she didn’t want to come. The rest of it…probably just an equality, but she didn’t have much that he wanted to ask about. Other than something that he already had answered. How badly she wanted to come. So he had his reply ready in a slightly cryptic form of voice. Granted, the answer was confusing enough.

”Not that you haven't already answered."

She just laughed a little bit. What she said next he had trouble not laughing at as well, but she was so right it wasn’t even funny.

"I see, must be some of those unspoken questions rolling around in your head that my ramblings just happen to spit answers out for. I remember asking you once to stop me if I start rambling."

He grinned cheekily as they walked out into the field, finally done. He could escape, and leave her to her thoughts now. Such as they were. He didn’t really want to know what she would be thinking about, but knew that he was responsible for them. A light joking tone appeared in his voice, even if the last sentence was true.

”Pity. Because I distinctly remember not asking you to stop rambling for some reason for another. Now…have fun. Take care, and don’t think too hard will you? Some people are known to explode from that.”

In the next second, he warped out too early to hear her reply, and in another moment was in Dun Loireag. A half second after that, he had hit the transfer to Mac Anu. His hand shot out of the golden circles in a hurry and touched the ring of the Chaos Gate, almost feeling the crystal within his right hand connect and send him flying through a series of transfers to the field that he wanted, that he held access to. Charging to the huge teleporter hidden within the cliff, he placed both hands on it…and as the huge pattern lit up and prepared to whisk him away, he wondered vaguely how he was going to sleep tonight.

The magic that made the giant rock a true portal worked whatever spell it needed to, and his feet touched down inside of Vesica’s field a moment later. He needed that touch of Rue and Rai as the memories that still had the power to hurt flooded back through him. Wandering over the snow banks and meandering between trees, he slowly found his way to the stream that wove its path through the field. It was peaceful here, and the only people who could interrupt him, or was likely to interrupt, was Vesica. As a bonus, if he really wanted to get someone here, he could try and get either Kira or Sekai to come. He didn’t doubt that Kira could get her to the field that he was currently in, but since neither of them would chose to look there or come there willingly, he was safe to brood and think.

The reasons why he had decided to tell Talal were finally bubbling to the surface. The necessity of telling someone something at all, and she was in the right place at the right time for those urges if she wanted to know more. Maybe the desire that she should find out, something that conflicted immensely with his needing her to stay safe and away from the darkness that was the Eventide Crescendo and the Higher’s fields. He sighed and moved down to the water, sitting at the bank; letting the soothing sounds wash over him as he could not immerse himself and feel it. Granted, it’d be ice cold, but he could always warm himself up with a Vak Rom or BiVak Rom. The natural heater. Any Vak spell you wanted, always ready to warm you up from a freezing cold river. The thought of that though didn’t warm his mind any.

Now that he had told Talal what he had, she would try and find that group. With how she had reacted, there was no way that she wouldn’t try and join him for Juk. Well, them. She would come, and she would see exactly what happened in a field with the Highers. He had a horrible suspicion that she would be able to find the Eventides. After all, all she had to do was to watch him post on the BBS thread that Gyl would put up. Takua would have to post in that. If she posted and went along as well…he shuddered. He would have to watch her for that, and see if she was going to come. If she did, she would have a guardian. He got her involved in the Eventide Crescendo, so he wouldn’t let her become comatose. Maybe if he hadn’t told her about the group in the first place, she never would have figured it out, and could have lived blissfully unaware.

Whatever. By either fate, whimsical decisions, or something, he had told her. At the moment, he was kicking himself for doing that, especially if she ended up comatose because of it. That would be the last damn straw. Until then though, if she found the group in the first place, then he guessed he would have to let her stay. They did need the extra people, and by whatever was holy, if she could take the Higher’s fields without freaking out six ways to Sunday, then maybe she could actually be of some help.

He sighed even more deeply as he looked back towards where he had come from. He’d run so that he wouldn’t have to face any more questions and so that he could keep the memories of Gan bottled up inside of himself, something that he was rapidly finding out was not a good thing to do. Maybe if he were smarter then he would have talked to her, but not to her. Not to Talal. She wasn’t someone that he felt comfortable talking with. Gwyneth would have been wonderful, but she was dead. Now he had taken that out on her, and left her in a root town that she hadn’t ever explored before. It wouldn’t be hard to find her way back to Mac Anu, all she needed to do was select the thing on the server list, but he wouldn’t be there to greet her. One of the joys that he had around him was a field away from her. From the questions that she could ask in person. She could flashmail him, but the Wavemaster wouldn’t respond to those questions anymore.

He sighed and considered his options. If she showed up to go to Juk, he wouldn’t stop her no matter how much he wished too. He might flashmail her everything that had happened, or the important things, in an effort to make her reconsider. It was possibly that the possibility to taking someone else’s life, or becoming a mass murderer, would be enough to get her away from the Eventides. And if it didn’t…

He would have to live with it.

Turning around to face what she thought would be the end of a battle between Takua and the Armor Shogun, she found only the Wavemaster. Regardless of how many times it had happened, with him being the first to finish a fight only to have to wait on her to complete hers, she still despised it. Call it her competitive nature, call it insecurity in her abilities, she didn’t really care. The young girl knew it was more or less due to the difference in levels between them. His attacks and spells carried a greater punch than hers plain and simple. It still didn’t mean she had to like it.

The look on his face puzzled her at first. He had something to say, that much was obvious. It wasn’t like the conversations they had had recently would just send a person into complete silence. She herself still really wanted to know a couple of things, but honestly was afraid to ask. Only having known the boy standing now in front of her for a very short time, including the fact that she was seeing a digitalized representation of a character and not the true person, it was hard for her to gauge what he was truly feeling and just how far she could push to get her answers. He had been nothing but helpful to her on both quests and she enjoyed his company. The last thing she wanted to do was to push her new, not to mention first in two years, friend away because she got overly curious.

”Alright, well, I don’t know about you, but I have a definite need to go to sleep right now. So, I’m going to pack it in. Going on alone or coming back?”

Not exactly what she thought he might say. To an extent she was relieved and knew it was showing on her features; relieved that he wasn’t asking her for the rest of her list of questions. If he gave her the opportunity she would ask, once of course she mustered up the courage to do so. She knew what was rolling around in her mind was going to upset him again and she didn’t really want to do that. Now thinking on what he was really saying, she couldn’t believe that he would actually think she would want to continue on alone. Of course she would go back with him! No way was she going to go on a solo exploration through the rest of this dungeon. Not with already having met up with a pair of Pkers and several monsters that had she been alone, would have already died and been immediately logged out of the field.

Realizing she was a bit tired herself, not only from the odd hour of the morning that they were questing, but from the mass of mind blowing information she had received. There were many things she needed to think on; too many things in fact. All she could do with the wealth of thoughts and ideas going through her mind was grin widely. She didn’t know what else to do honestly and she wasn’t upset that he wanted to leave. They had agreed only one or two more rooms anyway and they had just completed the second of those two rooms. Talal looked at him and acknowledged that she too was ready to go back.

”Alright. Since you have more questions than that, spit em out."

Surprised, shocked even to a point. There was the question she honestly hoped would come, but now that it was here, she didn’t want to respond to it. But she did want to. The girl needed to know at least the one really important thing that was constantly pulling at her. Her insatiable need to know was like that of a child frantically tugging on his mother’s shirt trying to get her attention. She had found herself very concerned for him after he told her about the fact that there were people trapped in the game. Those same people laying comatose somewhere in real life. Talal opened her mouth to say something several times, only to shut it just as quickly before anything came out, following each one with a weird look. Feeling that it was too personal of a question, she was having trouble bringing herself to ask it. Was it really any of her business? Probably not. Finally she just grinned for lack of a better expression in her moment of confusion.

"Alright then, I do have maybe one or two. I guess the biggest one that has been weighing on my mind is..." She stopped herself again looking down at the floor in order to avoid looking at his face, his eyes. Mentally cursing herself for her lack of strength or whatever characteristic was holding her back. ”…you aren’t one of those people trapped here, are you?”

Clenching up her shoulders, her head had sunk down in between them until she had almost managed to cover her ears with them. Her eyes closed and looking away, head turned so that her chin was now resting on the front side of her shoulder, dreading the possible answer that could come. Would he even tell her the truth? Give her a yes or no answer? The mere seconds that it took him to respond seemed like an eternity. That eternity was met with…cheerfulness and a ”Not Yet.” It was like a several hundred pound dead weight had been lifted from her person. Taking a deep breath of relief inwardly, Talal opened her eyes and turned her head so that she could look at him. She smiled for the sheer purpose of being happy. Happy he was not affected by the game like the other players he spoke of. Now that she had her answer, hoping and praying he had told her the truth, she needed to stand up for herself. Needed to see if there was any better reason for her not to go besides the few simple facts of what could happen to her. Frankly, her so called life wasn’t going anywhere at all. She was completely alone in the real world, or at least that was how she felt. There was nothing really for her to lose should the worst happen. Obviously there was no way for him to know that about her though.

"I don't think I like the 'yet' part of your answer, but I'm very glad to hear you are not. I do have something else that has been bothering me and since you asked... If this group of yours needs help, why will you not allow me to go with you? I know I'm not a high level player and understand the problems with that, as well as the whole screw up and you could be trapped here. I'm not trying to make light of those things but on the other hand, it's okay for you to go and risk everything but I can't?"

Her voice wasn’t loud, wasn’t even demanding for the most part, it was soft and questioning. She knew by the tone with which he responded that it was all he could do to hold in his frustration with her or maybe just the situation. She appreciated his efforts more than he would ever know. Another thing that was clear, not that it hadn’t already been made so early on, was that there was no convincing him to let her go. His point was heard and well taken. Then she sighed heavily as his beaming overconfidence shone through. Yes, he had apparently already gone through it once, but that didn’t mean he could do it again. There could be different circumstances, situations, people, monsters…whatever. The point being that there was no way to be sure and she only hoped he would realize it in time and make caution his new best friend. Somehow though, he didn’t really seem like the cautious type when he got his mind set on something.

"I hope for your sake you can take it again and you are right, testing my will against anything isn't all that appealing to me. Being there for my friends however is. I also hate the fact that I seem to always be the one asking questions. It doesn't seem quite fair. Is there anything you care to ask of me?"

”Not that you haven't already answered."

The answer simply confused her. She couldn’t recall answering any questions at all for him. It was apparent that he saw through her attempt to keep him talking so really all she could do was laugh it off. Her silly remark of unspoken questions, ramblings and the slight recall of a certain Wavemaster to stop her if she began rambling seemed to bring a small smile to his face. They had arrived at the field and shortly they were at the gate.

”Pity. Because I distinctly remember not asking you to stop rambling for some reason for another. Now…have fun. Take care, and don’t think too hard will you? Some people are known to explode from that.”

His joking tone was refreshing. The conversation and thus the information held within it had gotten a bit too intense. Before she could even ask to join him back to Mac Anu, he was gone. Don’t think too hard indeed! She knew exactly what she needed to do, if only to settle her own mind a bit. Really, she didn’t want to go against his wishes. However, if the research she had planned ends up shedding some light on things, it would depend on just what she found. Looking around her and the fact she was now alone, Talal quickly brought up her menu and stepped near the gate. Selecting Dun Loireag, Talal is whisked away by the Chaos Gate. Upon arrival in the Theta Server root town, now without the steadiness of Takua’s arm to hold onto, she quickly selects her next point of origin before losing her balance on the high in the sky platform. Safe once again back in the Aqua Capital of Mac Anu, Talal takes one more look around before logging off. Will she return to play now that she knows what’s going on? Bowing her head, she logs off, possibly for the last time.

Talal --> +2 Levels - +Anshou - +Hunter's Hood - +Wyrm Hide - +Health Drink

Takua --> +1 Level - +Dark Green Rod - +Muddy Rod - +Oak Anklet - +Lincoln Green - +Air Bracer